Volume 2 — Chapter 9: March of Millions
The battlefield had grown silent.
Smoke drifted slowly across the ruined plains where an army once stood. Broken weapons, shattered armor, and deep craters covered the land like scars left behind by an overwhelming force.
Only minutes earlier, more than forty thousand warriors had marched here with confidence.
Now the ground itself had swallowed them.
At the center of the destruction stood Icarus Grimm.
His wings of warped reality slowly folded behind his back, the distorted space around them stabilizing as the Void energy dissipated.
Nexus spoke calmly.
[Battle analysis complete.]
[Enemy force neutralized.]
[Estimated survivors: 327 individuals.]
Icarus looked toward the distant horizon.
Those survivors were already running.
Scattering across the endless plains as fast as their legs could carry them.
He made no attempt to stop them.
Fear was more effective when it spread.
Nexus continued.
[Information dissemination probability: 100%.]
[Estimated global awareness time: 2 hours 41 minutes.]
Icarus remained silent.
High above the battlefield, several figures were still floating in the sky.
Observers.
They had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.
Agents sent by higher powers.
One of them spoke.
"So that is the Void ruler."
Another answered.
"Interesting."
A third observer crossed his arms.
"Forty thousand soldiers erased in minutes."
A quiet laugh followed.
"That will certainly shake the smaller factions."
One of the observers then looked toward the sky where several others were already disappearing.
"We have seen enough."
Their bodies began dissolving into light and shadows one after another as they returned to their masters.
The battlefield had served its purpose.
Now the real war would begin.
—
Thousands of kilometers away, inside a fortified city, a group of faction leaders had gathered inside a war chamber.
The doors suddenly burst open.
A messenger stumbled inside.
"They're dead!"
The room fell silent.
"What are you talking about?"
"The army!"
"The entire army!"
The messenger was breathing heavily.
"Destroyed!"
Several leaders stood up immediately.
"That's impossible."
"There were more than forty thousand warriors in that army!"
The messenger slammed his hand onto the table.
"I saw it myself!"
"He erased thousands with one attack!"
Silence spread across the room.
One older leader slowly leaned back in his chair.
"So it's true…"
Another leader frowned.
"You mean the Void ruler?"
The old man nodded.
"I thought those rumors were exaggerated."
"But if an army of that size was wiped out…"
His eyes darkened.
"Then this war will be far larger than we expected."
Another leader spoke.
"If humans alone cannot defeat him…"
He paused.
"…then we must join a higher faction."
The room became tense.
Everyone already knew what he meant.
There were two major powers that had begun offering strength.
The Heavens.
And the Hells.
One man finally asked the question.
"So which side do we join?"
—
Far away, deep within a massive fortress surrounded by rivers of molten lava, another meeting was taking place.
Dark figures sat around a long stone table.
A man with burning red eyes spoke calmly.
"The first army failed."
One of his subordinates nodded nervously.
"Yes."
"And the survivors?"
"They confirmed something unusual."
"What?"
"The Void ruler cannot be analyzed by the system."
The red-eyed man leaned back slightly.
"That means he exists outside the Creator's system."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting."
Another subordinate asked carefully.
"What are your orders?"
The man stood up.
"Prepare the armies."
"How many soldiers should we mobilize?"
The man looked toward the horizon beyond the volcanic fortress.
"All of them."
The room fell silent.
"You mean… millions?"
"Yes."
His voice remained calm.
"If the Void is truly rising…"
"Then the Hells will crush it completely."
—
At the same time, far above the clouds, inside a massive floating temple made of golden stone, several powerful figures sat around a circular table.
These were gods.
Rulers of the Heavenly faction.
One of them spoke.
"The first invasion has failed."
Another god replied calmly.
"That was expected."
"But the reports confirm something important."
"What?"
"The Void ruler cannot be analyzed by the system."
Several gods exchanged glances.
That made the situation far more complicated.
One of them spoke.
"Then we must accelerate our expansion."
Another nodded.
"Agreed."
"We need more soldiers."
"More factions."
"More players."
One of the gods raised his hand.
"Send invitations to every major human faction."
"Offer them blessings."
Another god added.
"And promise them divine authority."
The meeting became quiet.
One final statement ended the discussion.
"This war will not be fought by thousands."
"It will be fought by millions."
—
Across the world, factions began choosing sides.
Some accepted contracts with the Hells.
Others pledged loyalty to the Heavens.
Smaller factions joined larger coalitions in hopes of survival.
Massive armies began forming.
Hundreds of thousands.
Then millions.
Across the Creator's Dimension, warriors began preparing for the largest war the world had ever seen.
But not everyone joined.
Some factions chose a different path.
They abandoned their territories and moved far away from the growing conflict.
Choosing survival over glory.
—
High on the mountain where the Void Castle stood, Seraphine leaned against the stone railing of the outer platform.
The wind moved gently through her silver hair.
She had watched the distant flashes of destruction earlier.
And she knew exactly what that battle meant.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Icarus had returned.
He landed silently on the platform.
Seraphine glanced at him with a small smile.
"That was quick."
He said nothing.
She continued speaking anyway.
"You just scared half the world."
Icarus walked toward the massive gates of the castle.
Seraphine followed beside him.
"And the other half…"
Her smile widened slightly.
"…is preparing to kill you."
At that moment Nexus activated again.
[Global faction update detected.]
A large projection appeared in front of them.
Nexus continued.
[Heavens-aligned forces: estimated 2.8 million participants.]
[Hells-aligned forces: estimated 3.1 million participants.]
[Independent factions: estimated 1.6 million participants.]
Seraphine raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Wow."
"That escalated quickly."
The system continued.
[Total potential war participants: approximately 7.5 million.]
Seraphine looked at Icarus.
"That's a lot of enemies."
She paused briefly.
"But…"
Her eyes shifted toward the dark mountains behind the castle.
"…they probably forgot something."
Icarus stopped walking.
Nexus responded immediately.
[Void faction analysis.]
[Primary ruler: Icarus Grimm.]
[Secondary member: Seraphine.]
Then a second line appeared.
[Void Warriors: countless.]
Far beneath the castle, deep within the endless darkness of the Void realm, ancient warriors stood silently.
Abandoned by their worlds.
Too powerful for reality to contain.
Monsters that even gods feared.
And they all had one master.
Seraphine smiled softly.
"Millions against the Void…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…this war might actually be interesting."
The massive gates of the castle slowly opened.
Icarus stepped inside.
His voice remained calm.
"Let them come."