Chapter 2233: Operation Clean-Up

BOOOOOOOOOM!!

All Martial Masters took cover on their own sides, breaking up their battles as the Apostle of Gaia unleashed his greatest attack.

What ensued was as horrifying as it was beautiful.

An enormous lava blast of unprecedented magnitude emerged from atop the giant tower formed by the Apostle of Gaia, continuously elevating the height of the battlefield with the Harbinger.

The sheer scale of the attack seemed to blot out the sky.

A fountain of white-hot lava blasted straight up with an incredible amount of power in ways that none of them could have thought possible in the Master Realm. Rui leaped away towards the Kandrian Empire while his opponent leaped away in the opposite direction.

They exchanged glances as they realized they most likely would not be able to end their battle decisively as their Martial Minds were close to depleted. The battle had been going on for quite some time now, and had increased in intensity and effort.

"Next time, I will win," she declared with a fearsome glare. "I am Inyen Iaiashin of the Iaiashin Clan. Remember that name."

WHOOSH She leaped away, taking cover as the enormous tsunami of lava finally descended upon the world.

"Tsk." Rui fired several Mighty Roar Flash Blasts, one after another, towards the section of the lava wave that was primed to hit him.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

By the time the attack rained down, enormous holes were blasted in the wave front, harmlessly avoiding the Martial Masters of the Kandrian Empire.

Rui's gaze shifted back to the top of the tower with wariness and caution.

He didn't know what the state of the battle between the two powerhouse Masters was like, but there was no doubt that the final attack had pushed the battle one way or another.

The Masters of both nations stood poised as they waited for signs of the outcome of the state of the battle.

If Master Satva emerged victorious, it was possible for the Sekigaharan Masters to kill all the Kandrian Martial Masters with his support and then head to the Kandrian Empire without any hurdles. They needed to only consume some high-grade rejuvenation and healing potions. If the battle was still ongoing or, worst of all, if the Harbinger emerged victorious, then they would have no choice but to retreat and mark the operation a failure.

WHOOSH...

Their attention was drawn by a single flaming figure descending from atop the sky.

With one hand, she flipped the bird to the Sekigaharan Masters while her other hand held a severed head.

"No...!" "How can this be...!"

"He was invincible within the Master Realm...!"

Master Sera raised the severed head of the Apostle of Gaia by his hair, jiggling it slightly as she grinned with cruel vindiction. "What's the matter? Not going to avenge this land-humper and his mommy fetish?"

Rage and fury flashed in the eyes of the Sekigaharan while the Masters of the Kandrian Empire grew relieved.

The Harbinger had emerged victorious.

Even if barely.

Her condition was critical. The flames on her body finally died down, revealing her burned flesh.

Although she had managed to kill her opponent, she had also undoubtedly been caught in his attack, barely coming out alive.

Even then, she continued provoking the Sekigaharan Masters.

"I'm going to kill that bitch!"

"Attack!"

"Get her while she's injured!"

The Kandrian Masters, however, were closer.

WHOOSH!

They arrived to guard her.

"ENOUGH!" Master Inyen screamed at her fellow Sekigaharan Masters. "Enough. This operation has failed due to inaccurate and insufficient intelligence from the Nindo Clan. We must retreat. I refuse to commit suicide by continuing this battle any longer."

Her words managed to get through to the thick skulls of the Sekigaharan Confederate, as they halted their approach.

She didn't relent. "Our Martial Minds are almost entirely depleted. We need to get out of here before—!"

BOOOM!!!

They froze as a surge of powerful Senior-level auras emerged on the battlefield.

At its forefront was a quasi-Master-level aura with a source of physical power far exceeding anything any of them had ever felt.

A Martial Heart that shined like a supernova, blotting out all other Martial Hearts on the battlefield.

Rui grinned with recognition.

"Now then," the overpowering depths of the Gatekeeper's elderly voice echoed throughout the battlefield. "Operation Clean-up is to commence."

His eyes sparkled with power as the seemingly endless physical power within his body riled up.

Behind him, a gathering of the most powerful Martial Seniors of the Kandrian Empire activated their Martial Hearts as they prepared for pursuit and elimination. Kane drew his daggers with sharp eyes. Nel grinned maniacally as he fashioned his hands into makeshift claws, ready to tear apart at his prey like a wild animal.

Rui stared at them with shock as the peril they exuded pricked at his skin. He wasn't sure if he could handle them in his depleted and exhausted state.

And the same was true for their enemies.

The Masters of the Sekigahara Confederate grew grave as they immediately began retreating from the battlefield as fast as they could.

Alas, it wasn't fast enough.

BOOOM!!!

"AARARGH!!!" In the blink of an eye, the Gatekeeper's fist crushed an exhausted Martial Master under his fist.

"One down." The peril in his voice sent chills in his enemies as his gaze shifted to them. "Ninety-two more to go."

"RETREAT!" Master Inyen gritted her teeth as she drew her sword, defending herself from Kane's relentless swift attacks. "We'll be safe when we regroup with the Sages!"

This was why the Senior-level clean-up crew needed to hurry. They couldn't endlessly pursue the retreating Master-level force.

There weren't many of them either.

After all, even if the Sekigaharan Masters were extremely depleted, they would still instantly crush anyone lower than grade-fifteen of the Senior Realm. Thus, Kandria only afford to deploy its very finest to pursue and eliminate the Masters of the Sekigaharan Confederate.

And even then only the Gatekeeper was powerful enough to overpower them decisively.

"Hahaha..." Rui grinned as he watched his friends fight Martial Masters evenly and even dominantly, trimming down their stamina and numbers even more. They had grown absurdly stronger in the past half year, having spent all their time training in the manifold.

They had trained for seven years.