After a day of settling, the volcanoes that were meant to erupt had all finally blown.
To describe the scene as a sea of fire would be no exaggeration.
As a high-ranking official, Takeshi Sable had called for a private helicopter the moment the nearby volcanoes began to erupt.
Fortunately, he had taken to the skies before the lava reached the city, narrowly escaping disaster.
"I survived!"
Once things stabilized and they found a safe place to take cover, Saburo Oakmoor exhaled heavily, gasping for air.
Luckily, he had found Takeshi Sable in time; his life was saved.
But after the relief came a wave of profound regret.
Aside from him and Kira Oakmoor—who was currently challenging the civilizations on the screen—the entire Oakmoor clan was dead!
"I just tried calling my father and mother, but no one answered. They... they...!"
Watching the wailing Kira Oakmoor, Takeshi Sable's heart sank to the absolute depths.
They had survived, but the vast majority of their land was now submerged in lava.
From what he had seen from the helicopter, at least half the population had perished in this natural disaster.
The scale of the destruction was no less than a full-blown monster invasion.
In fact, even an invasion might not have caused as much damage as the lava did.
Even the Indus Kingdom had Music Discs that played soothing melodies to hold back half the monsters; the Samurai Nation, with its deeper heritage, possessed similar items.
But when the lava arrived, it was all too late.
Besides, even if they had used them, lava was different from a punishment; it was classified as a National Fortune reward.
Whether those items would have even worked was anyone's guess.
"After this, a century of the Samurai Nation's progress has been wiped out!"
Takeshi Sable slammed his fist against a tree, gritting his teeth.
The lava hadn't just taken lives; it had consumed factories and buildings, one after another.
Those facilities were worth hundreds of millions and controlled the nation's lifeblood; now, only a few on the outskirts remained.
They didn't even know how long it would take just to clear the lava. He had said a century, but in reality, who knew how many years it would take to recover?
"Nine Provinces! Galen Yu!"
Staring at the figure on the Sky Island, Takeshi Sable's hatred reached its peak.
Because of him, everything was destroyed!
"We're still alive. As long as we're alive, there's hope!"
Stopping his tears, Saburo Oakmoor could feel Takeshi Sable's fury.
"Kira is still alive. They haven't lost yet, and the SlashBlade has been crafted!"
"Once she fully masters the power of the mod, even if the zombies can't defeat Galen Yu, Kira will have extraordinary power to avenge us!"
Taking a deep breath, Takeshi Sable poured all his hope into the screen.
Yes, Kira Oakmoor was still alive; they still had hope!
"Master the SlashBlade and oppose Galen Yu!"
The Black House.
The Blonde Elder hadn't expected it either. He had just sent his congratulations...
...only for lava to spread the next moment, burning more than half of the Samurai Nation to the ground.
"Sir, the situation in the Samurai Nation is grim. Casualties are estimated at sixty percent, with property losses in the quadrillions, especially regarding future development."
"Clearing the cooled lava will be incredibly costly in terms of finances and resources, and that wasn't ordinary lava."
It was common knowledge that rewards from the Block World were never subpar.
Even the lava was of the highest quality, to the point where they couldn't even be sure if it would cool down over time.
If the lava cooled, it would be difficult to clear, but if it didn't...
If it remained scalding hot forever, very few things could withstand those temperatures, making it even harder to remove.
"That Galen Yu has no shortage of clever tricks!"
Thinking back, the Blonde Elder felt a lingering fear.
The Freedom Nation didn't have as many volcanoes, but there were still over a hundred. If that lava had been placed in their land...
What would the consequences have been? How much would they have lost?
Every factory was a cash cow; he would be pained by the loss of even one.
"Luckily, the Samurai Nation was there to take the fall as the scapegoat!"
'It seems we'll have to be careful with National Fortune rewards in the future.'
Lava was a resource in the Block World, so calling it a reward was technically correct.
If they encountered something similar again, they would have to watch out for such traps and take precautions.
"We just announced the alliance, so go ahead and issue some humanitarian aid to the Samurai Nation."
They had done a lot for the Freedom Nation; they were a useful tool.
The Blonde Elder still hoped the Samurai Nation could pull itself together and continue to serve them.
Once the aid arrangements were made, the Blonde Elder turned his gaze back to the screen.
"Look, so what if he's laughing? The Samurai Nation is miles ahead in their progress with the SlashBlade!"
"Galen Yu can't possibly surpass them this time. Our chance for a comeback—the Anti-Galen Yu Alliance's chance—has arrived!"
Seeing clearly that Kira Oakmoor had crafted two SlashBlades, the Blonde Elder began to laugh.
After all, they had gathered so many talents; there had to be areas where the Alliance outperformed Galen Yu.
This time, he was going to win!
Within the Alliance, having finished the two SlashBlades, Kira Oakmoor's expression shifted.
He had received word from back home, giving him a general account of the lava incident.
"Oakmoor, what happened?"
Being ahead in crafting the SlashBlade should have been a cause for celebration; why was Kira Oakmoor's face so grim?
Without a word, Kira Oakmoor tossed a Sign to Ronan Mountwell.
After reading it, Ronan Mountwell's eyes widened.
"Nani?! Your house was blown up? Your mother is dead? Your father was cremated on the spot?"
This bluntness made Kira Oakmoor's expression darken even further.
"Mountwell, I suspect your family couldn't escape a similar fate."
"Cough, sorry!"
Realizing he had lost his composure, Ronan Mountwell cleared his throat.
"It should be in my file—my mother died a long time ago. I grew up an orphan, so I wouldn't be in that situation..."
"But that Galen Yu is far too arrogant! How dare he release so much lava!"
It was an outrage against gods and men! He deserved a thousand deaths!
Ronan Mountwell was indeed genuinely furious about this.
"So you're an orphan. That explains it."
Kira Oakmoor gave Ronan Mountwell a cool glance and didn't dwell on the subject.
His eyes were clouded with hatred.
"Galen Yu! He must die!"
Every member of his family except for Saburo was dead; this was an unforgivable grudge!
But he also knew that Galen Yu's chunk score was currently very high—over five times that of Mark.
Thus, he had to rely on the power of the mod in his hands: the SlashBlade!
Because his skills were only developed to the second level, Kira Oakmoor could only craft the Sharp Blade - White Sheath for now; the subsequent recipes remained unknown.
He wasn't in a hurry. With the legacy he carried, crafting the later blades was merely a matter of time!
Besides, Ronan Mountwell was still there.
"Oakmoor, I see it! The crafting table for the next stage!"
"The information is a bit blurry, but give me some time, and I'll definitely be able to decipher it!"
Following the Sharp Blade - White Sheath, the third blade was finally within sight!
"Excellent!"
Leaving Ronan Mountwell to his research, Kira Oakmoor thought for a moment and crafted a few basic Marionettes.
He had promised the Alliance to hand out a few blades, bolstering their strength while maintaining his lead.
He might have had reservations before, but after what Galen Yu had done, Kira Oakmoor wanted nothing more than to kill him.
"Anti-Galen Yu Alliance!"
Muttering those words, he walked out the door.
Sky Island.
Galen Yu sat in his chair, staring blankly.
He was certainly familiar with this old mod that often appeared alongside Twilight Forest, but it had been a long time, and he needed to recall the details carefully.
"I remember now!"
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