Chapter 145: Celestial Manifestation

Mier took out a small bell and shook it in his hand, yet it produced not a single sound. As the bell swayed, the soldiers who had just been affected by Xiong Da’s Skill immediately felt themselves returning to normal.

“It seems effective. All troops, the enemy may be stronger than we anticipated. We cannot afford to be careless. Have the siege and assault teams prepare. Full army charge!” Mier shouted loudly to the entire army. Upon receiving the command, the soldiers instantly and uniformly readied themselves for the charge, while the Mages behind the army began their incantations.

Although these soldiers were usually lax and undisciplined, they were all warriors who had experienced war—survivors of countless battles. Upon receiving orders, they could react immediately.

A horn blast echoed throughout Banwang City. Hearing the sound, the Hero Army immediately launched their charge toward the city.

Xiong Er watched the spectacular scene of the charge and couldn’t help but sigh in awe.

“It’s just like the movies I used to watch. So magnificent.”

“Is that all you have to say? Aren’t you nervous?” Xiong Da glanced at her. Normally, this girl would probably have hidden away by now.

“I have Appraisal. These soldiers are all very weak. Even though there are many of them, with a little effort, your Skill could take care of a lot of them. Besides, I brought my trump card.” As she spoke, Xiong Er patted Xiao Ai’s head.

Xiong Er had discovered that Xiao Ai was the so-called System she had communicated with in the Magic Mirror before. Now, having been granted a physical body by the Lord Divine Tree, Xiao Ai could learn any Magic or knowledge of the Otherworld in an instant. As long as Xiong Er generated the books, Classmate Xiao Ai would actively study them. Apart from her mechanical way of speaking, she was the smartest being Xiong Er had ever seen.

Originally, Xiong Er had been responsible for teaching knowledge in the Church, but Xiao Ai’s knowledge level had already surpassed her own. No matter how hard Xiong Er studied, she couldn’t keep up. More importantly, Xiao Ai could wield the power of the Lord Divine Tree, something no other Primordial Spirit could match.

Xiong Er even felt a bit envious of these Primordial Spirits—they had such a great mother. Although Xiong Batian was also very strong, compared to the Lord Divine Tree, she still seemed somewhat lacking.

Xiong Da rarely returned to the Divine Tree, so he wasn’t very familiar with these lively Primordial Spirits and didn’t quite understand what Xiong Er meant by “trump card.” However, the Human army was already charging toward the city walls. The soldiers on the walls continuously fired arrows or cast Magic, but against the Hero Army, whose average Level was not low, their efforts seemed somewhat insufficient.

Xiong Da’s Special Skill, Submission, was currently at Level 9. It could affect up to 2,000 people at once, but the consumption was also significant. It was best to use it on units around Level 50; otherwise, it would be somewhat wasteful.

“Xiao Ai, just like last time, when I say the lines, you cast the spell from behind. Do you remember the corresponding lines and Magic?” Xiong Er crouched in front of Xiao Ai, speaking with a serious expression.

“I remember. Actually, you don’t need to recite them. I can judge the timing for casting on my own.” Xiao Ai tilted her head and replied earnestly to Xiong Er.

“No, let me strike the pose properly.”

Xiong Er suddenly turned serious, staring intently at Xiao Ai’s face. Remembering Zhai Guangyi’s advice to communicate more with others, show goodwill, and make friends, Xiao Ai nodded at Xiong Er.

Standing at the highest point on the city wall, Xiong Er crossed her arms over her chest, gazing leisurely at the dense, dark crowd below, and slowly uttered eight words.

“This is the Heavenly Dao! Celestial Manifestation!”

A golden light tore through the clouds above, a massive golden fissure violently splitting the azure sky in two. The Hero Army on the ground simultaneously looked up at the sky, where an enormous, irregular golden sphere slowly emerged from the great golden rift. Its terrifying mass compressed the airflow across the entire space.

“What kind of joke is this!” Lin Xiaobai stared at the familiar special effects before him, utterly dumbfounded. Without any hesitation, he immediately invoked his privilege as a Hero—the right to wield the power of a Deity.

“World!” Lin Xiaobai shouted, envisioning every kind of defensive barrier in his mind, whether physical or magical, and without hesitation, he manifested them all.

As Lin Xiaobai imagined, both high-density metal barriers and magical barriers formed from multiple Magic Circles instantly materialized. Duoduo, beside him, wisely took cover within them, along with the soldiers near Lin Xiaobai. Countless barriers instantly blotted out the last trace of light from the sky.

Golden radiance illuminated the entire land as the terrifyingly massive meteor broke free from the golden rift in the sky, descending with fearsome flames straight toward the ground.

Xiong Er didn’t turn to look at the aftermath, maintaining her pose until she saw the enormous meteor streak over Banwang City and crash directly into the center of the army, where the most Magic Circles had been deployed. The terrifying shockwave caused Xiong Er to lose her footing, slip, and slam face-first into the city wall. Fortunately, Xiong Batian grabbed her foot in time.

She was saved from falling, but her face wasn’t so lucky—it made intimate contact with the rough wall surface, scraping harshly before Xiong Batian pulled her up.

“You absolute fanatic,” Xiong Da covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight. Xiong Er’s old online ID had been something like “that game character’s dog,” and Xiong Da had urged her to change it before, but she refused.

Xiao Ai frowned slightly as she looked at the thirty protective barriers at the explosion’s epicenter.

“I’ve wanted to try this in the Otherworld for ages. Xiao Ai, did you record it for me with the Magic Mirror? I want to show it to Zhai Guangyi,” Xiong Er said, ignoring the dust on her face. Even though she lost her balance at the end, the overall effect was still stunning. She felt as if the Rock Deity had descended—it was just too cool.

After discovering that Xiao Ai was the System she had communicated with through the Magic Mirror, Xiong Er had pestered Xiao Ai to show her the Skills from the games she used to play. She even used Skill Manifestation to create artbooks, specifically asking Xiao Ai—a Primordial Spirit capable of wielding the Divine Tree’s power—to recreate them for her.

“Recorded,” Xiao Ai handed the Magic Mirror to Xiong Er. The mirror’s surface repeatedly played the scene of Xiong Er slipping and crashing into the wall—just that one scene, nothing else. Not even a single angle where she looked cool standing tall, just the footage of her being blown over by the wind and face-planting, on loop.

“Dammit! Let’s do it again!”

Xiong Batian and Liya looked at the scene below the city wall. The explosion range of the meteorite had just stopped exactly ten meters away from the gates of Banwang City, its terrifying force blasting a massive crater directly ahead.

The heat generated by the explosion even melted the ground. Of the entire forty-thousand-strong army, only scattered remnants of a few thousand soldiers remained. The meteorite had struck precisely at the center of the formation.