The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

As a King life form, Han Wu could travel fast enough to reach his shelter within half a day. From above, he saw the ocean below teeming with tens of thousands of battleships from every kingdom. The Deeptide Whales and Deeptrench Frogmen defending his shelter were only delaying the inevitable.

Back at his shelter, Sun Qingnian had deployed his Heavy Cavalry Fire Dragon Cannons along the walls. They launched massive cannonballs that exploded amid the ships, yet even the blasts failed to halt the invading fleet.

“Everyone, charge! Bring down the Imperial Capital! Our emperor promises great rewards!”

“Our emperor has decreed that whoever first sets foot in the Imperial Capital will receive 10,000 Gold Coins and a noble title!”

“The Qin Kingdom leads the ten kingdoms. We will claim the Imperial Capital!”

“Soldiers of the Tang Kingdom, heed my orders! Full speed ahead—take down that Imperial Capital!”

Each general shouted to rouse the fighting spirit of their troops. Their rallying cries surged through the ranks, their fervor turning into raw energy that allowed them to summon more of their troops to strike down the Deeptrench Frogmen crawling up the sides of their ships.

Many vessels had already reached the shore of Han Wu’s shelter. On command, soldiers summoned their Technician units castes to start assembling ladders and siege equipment to scale the walls.

Sun Qingnian anticipated this and commanded Han Wu’s skeletons to leap from the battlements. They crashed into the climbing enemies, knocking them down.

Below the walls lay a vast tangle of broken bones beneath the corpses of fallen soldiers. The grim sight failed to discourage the attackers; instead, it fueled their determination.

“Go and take down that Imperial Capital!”

“We will conquer it, even if it means grinding it down with sheer numbers!”

“We are men of the Han Kingdom. We will fight to the bitter end!”

The combined armies of the ten kingdoms intensified their assault, and some even started using the fallen as footholds to scale the walls. Many generals commanded flying units as one of their castes, yet none transformed into those forms. Numerous Thunder Sparrows were patrolling high above Han Wu’s shelter, forming a dense cloud of lightning that would instantly kill any intruder daring to enter their range.

Moreover, swarms of Dark Cursed Bugs were hovering just slightly below them. The locusts could self-detonate to inflict devastating damage, and many of them were the size of aquariums. No one wanted to risk killing them because their falling corpses would crash down like massive boulders from the sky. It was safer to let them live, especially since the only attacks they launched were the harmless Shadow Needles.

Meanwhile, bones continued to pile up on the ground, so Sun Qingnian deployed his second wave of defensive units. This time, the Osteomancers took the field. They leapt from the walls, completing their transformation mid-air and slamming into the ground as ten-meter-tall bone giants.

The towering bone giants demonstrated their immense combat power against the enemy units and quickly gained the upper hand. Their resilience was unmatched; even the gravest wounds healed swiftly, as they absorbed bone fragments scattered across the battlefield. Each Osteomancer could easily hold its ground against 100 units.

In response, the generals stepped up and transformed into their strongest caste.

“Heavy Cavalry Typhoon Crossbowers!”

“Heavy Cavalry Mammoth Riders.”

“Heavy Cavalry Giant Warriors!”

The various Heavy Cavalry units charged fiercely at the Osteomancers and sparked a brutal clash. Though formidable, the Osteomancers struggled to withstand the relentless onslaught from the diverse Heavy Cavalry units. Gradually, they were pushed back.

At last, Han Wu took to the battlefield and unleashed a breath attack charged with lightning, obliterating numerous Heavy Cavalry units. The crackling energy tore through ten or more foes before fading away.

The Crystal Lich immediately summoned more Osteomancers from the corpses and maintained the balance of the battlefield.

Han Wu understood clearly that his shelter couldn’t withstand the sheer size and strength of the opposing armies for long. They had held out this far only because Sun Qingnian had aggressively expanded their units in both number and size.

The ten kingdoms had poured in overwhelming forces, their diverse units more than capable of crushing the few units Sun Qingnian had managed to summon.

Han Wu landed hard on the city wall. His towering dragon form intimidated many beast-type units, but many more humanoid units charged at him. Some even shouted with glee at the prospect of slaying a dragon today.

Han Wu reverted to his human form and glared at them. At that moment, Sun Qingnian quickly approached him. “Han Wu, those bastards are crazy! If this continues, we will definitely lose the siege.”

He knew that speaking so bluntly would crush their troops’ morale, but he still chose to tell the truth.

Qin Shuang looked at Han Wu without pressing him for a decision. She trusted her man and believed he would find a way out. Secretly, she vowed that even if they failed, she would stand by his side and never walk away.

In the end, Han Wu spoke the words that reignited their confidence. “Don’t worry, I will personally lead the battle.”

Frankly, he didn’t want to attack the generals from the Warring Kingdom Civilization. After all, their civilization maintained strong ties with the Divine Civilization, and a sudden attack could spark a war between the two. Even so, he saw no alternative. He had to defend his shelter, especially under such relentless pressure.

Han Wu shifted into his Great Dragon form once more, soared up high into the air, and unleashed a powerful dragon roar that echoed across the battlefield. “Soldiers of the ten kingdoms, this is your final warning. Leave my shelter now, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. Refuse, and your deaths will be on your own heads.”

His declaration was met with scornful laughter.

“You’re about to die, yet you’re still this arrogant? We don’t fear death. Go on—show us what you’ve got.”

“Don’t you feel that wind up there? Be careful that it doesn’t blow out your loose teeth. We, the warriors of the Han Kingdom, will storm your Imperial Capital and crush your City Core.”

“You’re full of hot air. Do you think we’ll fall for that? We were using tricks like yours before you were even born!”

Most of them believed Han Wu was bluffing, trying to fool them into retreating. These were seasoned generals and hardened soldiers who had survived countless battles. They didn’t think twice about dismissing him.

Only one general took his words seriously. Bao Xiren stood on the deck of his ship. His naturally dark complexion contrasted with his bright, piercing eyes, which were capable of discerning the hearts of people. He had clearly heard the gravity and sincerity in Han Wu’s voice.

Without delay, Bao Xiren approached Zao Cheping, the admiral commanding their kingdom’s fleet. “Admiral, there was truth in his words. We should move beyond the range of his Imperial City to prevent any mishaps.”

Zao Cheping frowned. Bao Xiren was the Song Kingdom’s newest rising star, a general who had stood out during the last mock battle. His strength was well known, and the kingdom had invested heavily in his future.

He was frowning because he couldn’t believe someone with such promise would react so timidly—retreating at a single warning from the enemy. How could Bao Xiren achieve greatness if he was so easily shaken?

He looked at Bao Xiren with disappointment. “This is a war between kingdoms. How can we from the Song Kingdom retreat now? We would become the laughingstock of all, and the rival emperors would ridicule us.”

Bao Xiren opened his mouth to explain, but Zao Cheping cut him off, “Enough. Stop speaking. Don’t interfere with my judgment. Say another word, and I will punish you under military law.”

Bao Xiren’s expression darkened under the threat. He glanced anxiously at Han Wu in the sky and hoped that he was simply being overly cautious.