551 Escalating [5]

In one night, 37 Niflheim Executives died.

In the next, another 42.

These people weren’t high enough on the ladder to be called the true upper echelon of Evotech yet, but they were just a step away. Their losses would genuinely harm the organization’s workflow and power.

Fear spread rapidly. Especially in such precarious times, fear had an extreme hold on people’s hearts. A rumor began circulating that the Death God of the Outer Wilds had arrived in Evotech to claim their lives.

The ordinary researchers with 3rd class strength went into hiding, taking their findings and holing themselves up away from the Death God. As for the military, they were oddly silent. It was as if the ongoing scenario had nothing to do with them.

And that was partially true. The military’s mercenary-like attitude wasn’t anything new. To Evotech, people like them naturally wouldn’t be allowed too much internal power. There was a separate guard force responsible for internal threats, while the military handled external matters.

But this guard force was proving to be extremely pathetic. Every night, dozens of important personnel would die without leaving even bones behind, yet they weren’t even able to find a trace of the killer.

To die meaninglessly without hope for vengeance, wasn’t this just too cruel?

Evotech went into high alert for the second time in the past few months, but even this didn’t help their situation. People continued to mysteriously die under the hands of the Death God.

The only choice left for Evotech, and the greater Niflheim, was to fight even more fiercely.

The small scuffles between warriors escalated rapidly, turning into battles where countless tens of people would die like ants. Both sides were already probing each other’s military strength in preparation for war.

But even though Niflheim’s situation looked bad, it wasn’t nearly as poor as Asgard’s.

From the beginning, Asgard wasn’t a united organization. Those who submitted and those who resisted fiercely opposed each other at every turn, making the internal strife in Asgard a harrowing struggle that took the lives of many geniuses.

If there was one positive note, it was that Aishia was relocated before things went horribly. Even if she couldn’t accomplish anything while she was in Evotech, she at least wouldn’t be harmed. This was because the current Aishia simply didn’t pose any threat to the organization.

…or so Odin thought as he sat on his throne.

Regarding the struggles of those under him, he no longer had the power to control the situation. He was nothing more than a puppet ruler at this point.

He was a 5th class being! A true Demigod! Yet, he was an indecisive person. While trying to please everyone, he always angered both sides. Until slowly, his power over Asgard was wrested away from him.

Of course, with his strength, it was impossible for them to take his power away completely. If Odin had any thought of resisting, even with Niflheim’s help, removing him from the throne would cost them a great deal. But, as mentioned before, Odin was indecisive.

Even now, he sat in his empty throne room surrounded by reminders of the past’s glory. He stared at these reminders and wished to return to these times, but he completely ignored the situation outside.

Regardless of how domineering the Empire was, a faulty Emperor would bring it to ruin in just a few years. This was precisely the situation with Asgard.

If this Emperor knew that his very own daughter was being controlled and used at every turn, how would he react?

Regardless, there was no turning away from the situation anymore. There was no hiding the rift in Asgard or attempting to pretend to be good anymore.

With war on the horizon, people would clearly delineate where they stood. And at that time, perhaps Asgard would lose a majority of its fighting power in a single swoop.

***

The days passed extremely slowly for those who experienced them, but in the grand scheme of things, were extremely slow. Especially in the starry sky where time seemed to stagnate, understanding its flow was nearly impossible.

Of course, this phenomenon was only present for those who didn’t have any comprehension of the concept itself. In reality, the starry sky was the place where time’s machinations were the most concentrated.

The thick Time Laws drifting through the chaotic space were the reason why there was never a time difference between the various worlds in the Human Domain and even the larger 9 Sectors combined. This time essence was so ethereal and all-powerful that it set the entire known universe in balance and let it flow together.

It was only natural for normal people to perceive this time chaotically, or not perceive it at all. It was simply too profound!

Currently, there were many people experiencing this feeling, but only one able to benefit from it.

These people stood on two starships that shuttled through the void, directly moving towards the unnamed world where Niflheim was located.

Naturally, these were the Celestial and Star Squadrons.

On the Celestial Squadron starship, a woman looked out the window at the chaotic space nervously.

“Scared? As long as we’re inside, it can’t hurt us, you know.” The woman sitting next to her consoled gently.

The woman nodded, but her body wouldn’t stop shivering. “Even then, this vast expanse is too domineering. Even when I was told of the universe’s infinite vastness, I never imagined it could be so palpably true.”

These two women possessed unparalleled and unique beauty that caused the flames of desire to rage in the hearts of many elites, but none dared to approach them. After all, their backing was none other than their Commander himself. These women were naturally Rose and Ruyue.

“Mm, it’s still terrifying even though it’s my second time doing something like this. The thought that if anything happened to this ship, we’d be thrust into that endlessness…” Rose’s voice trailed off, causing Ruyue’s shivers to become more pronounced.

Seeing this, Rose let out a fit of bell-like laughter, attracting the attention of many. “Relax, I was just kidding. Even if the ship is destroyed, isn’t Senior Tian here? He’s not only your husband’s master, but yours as well. He’d never let you suffer under his watch.”

Ruyue smiled with a bit more assurance after hearing these words. This journey had been a true eye-opener for her.

Damien had already told her multiple times about the grandness of space, but Ruyue didn’t take him entirely seriously. After all, Damien practically idolized the starry sky.

It couldn’t be helped. He was both a Celestial and a space-time practitioner. To him, the starry sky was heaven; he simply didn’t understand or consider how terrifying it could be to others.

Nevertheless, the Celestial and Star Squadron ships continued to push forward rapidly. By now, it would only be around a week or two longer before they arrived in the new world.

But what waited for them was no longer the situation they desired. It was a chaotic place where their presence could lead to a war far outside of their caliber to participate in.

If Bai Xieren had the means, she would’ve directly told the two attack squads to turn back to prevent further aggregating the situation.

But that wasn’t possible. Besides, Bai Xieren only had total control over the Moon Squadron. The true controlling force of the operation was…