On the terrace.
Shion muttered to herself: "Shinji should have heard it, right?"
Hikari nodded: "Don't worry, he heard it."
Sound propagation in the air suffers from attenuation. Under normal circumstances, with the two sides separated by more than ten kilometers, Shion's shout couldn't reach Shinji's side. But once things involve Shinji, a 'Kekkei Shinra' (Bloodline of All Creation), normal logic doesn't apply.
Shion said to Hikari: "It's anxious. This time it's really anxious, I can feel it!"
Hikari nodded: "En, I felt it too!"
The Plague Hegemon invading regardless of cost showed that Shinji genuinely touched the Plague Hegemon's weak spot.
Shion looked at Hikari eagerly: "We are bound to win, right?"
Hikari fell silent.
The Plague Hegemon being anxious indeed indicated that Shinji had grasped the key to victory, but it also meant that they, or rather the entire Six Rings World, were about to face the Plague Hegemon's most frenzied counterattack!
Just then, Shinji, guarding near Shion's Mage Tower, sharpened his gaze. Within his visible range, as many as dozens of creatures possessed by grayish-white mist were attacking towards his side.
Among these creatures possessed by grayish-white mist, there were wise-looking mages, as well as huge magical constructs and beasts. They were menacing, posturing to flatten the Mage Tower behind Shinji in one go!
Another location.
'Arcane' was still constantly activating the 'Lamp', repairing the spatial barrier riddled with holes by the Plague Hegemon.
About a few kilometers away from him, Shinji hovered in the air, guarding the surroundings.
Suddenly, creatures possessed by grayish-white mist appeared in all directions. 'Arcane's' face instantly looked ugly: "Why... why are there so many?"
Shinji transmitted his voice via 'Naobi': "Don't worry, I'll handle it!"
"Understood!"
'Arcane' naturally believed in Shinji without a doubt. However, just as he prepared to gather his thoughts and focus on manipulating the 'Lamp' to repair the spatial barrier, a sweep from the corner of his eye made his expression change drastically.
Seeing 'Arcane's' drastic change in expression, Shinji asked: "What's wrong?"
'Arcane' said: "Captain, I... I saw a Balrog!"
"Balrog?"
Shinji swept his gaze and sure enough, among the attacking creatures, he found a huge magical construct emitting grayish-white flames all over.
'Arcane' explained: "It is a natural disaster of our Six Rings World. Its strength is greater than any single Supreme Mage. It has set off several magical disasters in the Six Rings World. The most recent one was seven hundred years ago. After being defeated by the six Supreme Mages jointly, it retreated deep underground and disappeared since then. I... didn't expect it to be possessed too!"
"Unlucky!"
Shinji muttered inwardly.
Being stronger than any single Supreme Mage meant this Balrog had at least reached 'Six Paths Level', or even stronger.
Such an existence with extraordinary strength would only become stronger after being possessed by the Plague Hegemon! Even stronger than the four 'Lampbearers' possessed by the Plague Hegemon before!
If Shinji knew such a monster was hidden in the Six Rings World, to ensure no accidents occurred in this battle, he would definitely have found and eliminated this monster in advance. But unfortunately, because the Balrog hadn't appeared for more than seven hundred years, it had long become a legend and forgotten by the world, so the mages didn't actively mention it to Shinji.
At the same time, because the Six Rings World was severely eroded by the Plague Hegemon, covered with various large and small pollution zones, Shinji's perception was also interfered with, failing to detect the monster Balrog in advance.
Rumble...
When it got closer, Shinji clearly felt the Balrog's imposing manner. The opponent's size reached over ninety meters, close to the Complete Body 'Susanoo'. Its core body seemed composed of some kind of rock, then surrounded by grayish-white flames symbolizing the Plague Hegemon. Just looking at it made one feel it was troublesome.
Besides the Balrog, other creatures possessed by the Plague Hegemon added up to at least seventy or eighty, if not a hundred. Just looking at them made one's scalp tingle.
Fortunately, there were no more as tricky as the Balrog among them.
"Be careful yourself!"
After instructing 'Arcane', Shinji had to brace himself and meet it.
Thus, on various battlefields in different parts of the Six Rings World, Shinji, along with his shadow clones, launched an epoch-making great war against various creatures possessed by the Plague Hegemon.
Needless to say about the Plague Hegemon, being held in check by Shinji's means, it was in a dilemma, so it could only put all its eggs in one basket and invade the Six Rings World.
The giant black snake formed by the Reproductive Hegemon's remnant body was helped by Shinji and was fleeing all over the world to avoid the Plague Hegemon's pursuit, its situation worrying.
And Shinji, who designed both Hegemons and forcibly tied them to the card table, was not much better off at this moment.
The creatures possessed by the Plague Hegemon's grayish-white mist, without exception, all possessed terrifying destructive power.
Within the entire Six Rings World, except for Shinji, the giant black snake, and Hikari who advanced to 'Kekkei Mora' (Bloodline Encompassing), no one else, not even the Supreme Mages, could withstand these possessed creatures.
Previously, just four of them made Shinji expend considerable effort.
Now there were hundreds and thousands of possessed creatures. Although there were no 'Lampbearers' among the possessed creatures this time, with such a scale and including terrifying combat power like the 'Six Paths Level' Balrog, the pressure Shinji bore can be imagined.
So right now, the entire Six Rings World was in chaos.
The Plague Hegemon manipulated the possessed creatures to chase and kill the Reproductive Hegemon's remnant body and Shinji all over the world. Shinji constantly extinguished creatures possessed by the Plague Hegemon everywhere in the world. And while fleeing everywhere, the giant black snake formed by the Reproductive Hegemon's remnant body would occasionally turn back and cleanly swallow one or two creatures possessed by the Plague Hegemon.
In the three-way struggle, no one had it easy; all were gritting their teeth and persisting. Because for any party, failure meant facing unbearable consequences.
Comparatively, Shinji's pressure was undoubtedly the greatest.
Hegemons were Hegemons after all. Whether the Plague Hegemon or the Reproductive Hegemon, they could actually afford to lose. Only the Six Rings World couldn't afford to lose.
The great battle had only been going on for a moment, and signs of collapse appeared in the Six Rings World again.
Because the war was too intense and the affected area too large, even with 'Arcane' and the Supreme Mages doing their best, they couldn't curb the collapse.
Shion shouted anxiously in the 'Naobi' channel: "Shinji, think of something quickly, the world is going to be destroyed!"
Shinji replied: "Wait a little longer!"
Shion was puzzled: "Wait? Wait for what?"
Rumble...
Before Shinji could answer, a thunderclap suddenly exploded in the firmament again. Just as the Supreme Mages thought the Plague Hegemon was about to invade again, another familiar aura appeared in the firmament.