In the Sacred Empire's palace, Hathaway stood quietly on the palace rooftop, her royal robe billowing in the wind. She gazed calmly at the battle about to erupt in the void.

She recognized Albert, one of Leo's core warriors. Therefore, instead of getting angry about his reckless intrusion, she secretly gave the order not to allow the Imperial army to engage with him. Hathaway understood what Albert sought: a thrilling trial, one where he could clash with a powerful opponent.

And the Sacred Empire was not short on strong warriors.

"Send the order," she whispered softly to Koro. "Tell those who have been meditating for too long to get out and stretch their limbs. Let them know we have a good sparring partner at the door."

"Understood, Your Majesty," came the respectful reply from the void.

At this moment, a thunderous sound like a collapsing starborn reverberated through the skies!

Boom!!!

A direct and unadorned collision!

A dark figure shot backward like a massive boulder. Where it passed, the space was violently torn open, leaving a broken rift in its wake!

Robert struggled to steady himself. His bone-covered arm trembled slightly, and his face, hidden behind a mask, grew incredibly grim.

At the same Supreme Sanctuary rank, a single strike from Albert had made Robert feel the insurmountable gap in power between them!

The God of War was truly terrifying!

Robert no longer hesitated. An ancient bloodline power deep within him was activated, and a cold, violent aura exploded from him, rapidly boosting his strength in a short period.

"Take this!" he roared, transforming into a black lightning bolt that ripped through space, charging toward Albert once more.

But Albert merely shook his head slightly, seemingly disappointed.

He moved faster, cutting through Robert's attack trajectory with ease. A simple slap dispelled Robert's fierce strike.

Then, with a punch full of battle intent, Albert struck Robert's most vulnerable point!

...

Hathaway lightly shook her head.

From the very beginning, this battle had been a one-sided crush.

In terms of absolute control over power and battle techniques, Albert was overwhelming Robert, suppressing him in every aspect. The outcome was already determined.

In fact, Robert himself clearly felt the hopeless gap between them.

Faced with Albert's relentless yet precise attacks, Robert's pride in his speed and skills seemed powerless.

As Albert's final blow, capable of piercing through starborn, descended upon him, Robert's eyes flashed with a trace of unwillingness and sorrow.

Buzz—

At the critical moment, a soft yet unyielding golden barrier appeared in front of Robert, firmly catching Albert's fist and quietly dispersing its terrifying force.

The space rippled.

A woman holding a large moonstone-embedded staff and wearing a starborn priestess robe appeared beside Robert.

"Captain Robert, you've done well."

"Leave the rest of the battle to me."

The woman smiled gently at the disheveled Robert.

Robert sighed helplessly and warned, "Be careful, Lady Lumi, this guy is very strong."

Lumi nodded and turned her gaze to Albert. She lightly tapped her staff on the void, saluting him.

"Third God of War of the Empire, Starborne Guiding Lumi, at your service!"

Albert looked at the new opponent, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he returned the salute.

"Dalton, Albert."

"Dalton?!"

The name caused a massive stir in the Sacred Empire. Who in the known star domains didn't know that name? It was hailed as the only new power capable of rivaling the Sacred Empire. Supreme Sanctuary rank warriors were emerging one after another, and even the Inferno Starfield and the Resting Place had already submitted to it.

To think that a powerful warrior from Dalton had already quietly arrived in the Empire's heartland! Did this mean the beginning of war?

In the void, Lumi's eyes also flashed with surprise.

She hadn't expected the powerful Supreme Sanctuary rank God of War before her to be from Dalton.

It seemed the rumors were true—the Miracle City indeed possessed the foundation to challenge the Empire.

"Your strength doesn't seem to specialize in close combat," Albert's deep voice rang out just as Lumi was about to cast a spell.

Lumi was momentarily taken aback, then elegantly smiled.

"Whether that's the case or not, we'll find out."

As Albert had said, Lumi was not known for close combat. She excelled in strategic deployment and powerful area-support divine magic.

But in terms of sheer divine power, she was still terrifying.

The next moment, the guide staff in her hand began to hum, the moonstone at its tip erupting with dazzling light.

Boom!

Terrifying thunder, summoned by Koro, manifested as countless roaring silver serpents, charging toward Albert from afar!

Seeing this, Albert's eyes gleamed with interest.

Long-range divine magic? This is interesting.

The Empire's forces below held their breath, intently watching the duel above.

Even the third-ranked Starborne Guiding Lumi had appeared! She was supposed to be stationed at the southern polar region.

Clearly, this must be the order of Her Majesty the Queen.

As the Empire's third-ranked warrior, Lumi had a glorious record.

Her most legendary feat was leading a divine legion of one million soldiers, without losing a single man, to make an entire star domain, protected by a Supreme Sanctuary rank warrior and tens of millions of soldiers, surrender.

With such an exaggerated achievement, she firmly held the third rank.

Meanwhile, other Empire Gods of War had received orders to quietly return to the Empire.

They were observing the battle in the void, their brows furrowed.

Although Lumi wasn't skilled in close combat, her divine power and mystical divine arts were so formidable that even they would not dare claim victory.

Yet now, Albert appeared to be handling the situation with ease, steadily closing the gap.

Once a Supreme Sanctuary rank God of War closed in, Lumi's defeat would almost be assured.

Lumi, of course, knew this.

She waved her staff rapidly, sending various powerful divine arts pouring toward Albert like a storm, attempting to halt his advance.

Boom!

Albert suddenly unleashed his full strength, shattering the entire void in front of him, obliterating all of Lumi's divine arts in the process!

"Not good!" an Empire warrior cried out in alarm.

Albert's speed surged as he closed the distance to Lumi in an instant!

In close combat, Lumi was indeed fragile.

But what was astonishing was that she showed no fear on her face. Instead, a triumphant smile appeared.

Albert frowned slightly.

Buzz!

Lumi's figure instantly became blurry, then vanished from her original position.

The next moment, a massive formation of starborn trajectories and runes lit up in the void!

Albert found himself in the center of this formation!

"Starfall Destruction Formation!"

Lumi's figure appeared outside the formation, her expression calm as she confidently spoke, "I wonder, how much of this can you withstand?"

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