CHAPTER 856: OVERLORD VS TEPEST

Tepest reacted instantly, his hands slicing through the air as he summoned dozens of blood lances. Each one spun violently, wrapped in a storm of crimson energy so dense that the very sky trembled beneath their presence. With a single gesture, they shot forward, streaking toward Overlord with overwhelming speed, generating countless sonic booms as they cut through the air like a volley of divine slayer spears.

But Overlord didn’t halt his advance.

His sword was gone—left embedded in Atila’s chest to ensure the Corruption General’s demise—but the Divien Avatar itself was a weapon. Every bone, every muscle fiber in his body was tempered by oceans of Divine Power, hardened to a resilience rivaling the treasures of the High Legendary Realm. And as he cloaked his hands in that same radiant force, they blazed with power equal to a Super Legendary-tier artifact!

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

Each thunderous impact marked another shattered lance, fragments of crimson energy bursting harmlessly around him. Overlord broke them all, his pace never slowing, until he stood face to face with the Corruption General of Blood.

Tepest’s eyes widened as he felt the overwhelming presence of the A.I. Chip Clone, and gazed into those eyes that seemed to lead into a realm of numbers with a language he could not understand.

Before he could react, Overlord’s hand flashed forward like a spear, aiming directly for his throat, his finger extended and glowing with Divine Power. Tepest moved with all the speed he could muster, narrowly twisting aside, but not unscathed. A shallow cut opened on the side of his neck. It wasn’t deep, yet the sting of it sent a tremor through his heart.

He was supposed to be the nightmare, the predator, the embodiment of blood and death. Yet standing before Overlord, Tepest felt the roles reversed. Here was a true monster—an emotionless, relentless entity that never hesitated, never doubted, and always seemed one step ahead, as if it could read his very thoughts.

But Tepest was not one to buckle under pressure. His eyes narrowed, his hands morphing into long, jagged claws dripping with liquid crimson. With a growl, he lunged.

An explosion of movement followed.

Bloody claws met hands wreathed in Divine Power, the two forces colliding again and again. Each strike birthed a shockwave that rippled across the sky, a testament to the raw, unrestrained power behind their blows. The air twisted around them, sky and earth trembling beneath the clash of their might.

Despite having fought Atila only moments earlier, burning a massive amount of energy, Overlord’s movements showed no signs of fatigue. His Omniscient Gaze sharpened with every exchange, parsing Tepest’s rhythm, measuring the timing of his strikes. Countless simulations flashed through his mind in real time, each one testing a possible future until, at last, he found the path he desired.

Then it happened.

One of Tepest’s claws slipped past Overlord’s guard, plunging deep into the Divine Avatar’s abdomen. The Corruption General’s lips curled into a wide, sadistic smile. Blood welled from the wound, but then Overlord’s core muscles tightened, locking down with such immense force that Tepest felt his hand trapped, crushed in place.

Before Tepest could pull free, Overlord’s hands shot forward—one gripping his free arm, the other slamming into his throat with bone-breaking force. The strike fractured Tepest’s windpipe, making him cough and spitting a mouthful of blood. Pain flared hot across his neck, but the Corruption General bared his teeth in defiance. He began flooding his trapped arm with corruptive energy, ready to poison and rot every drop of blood within Overlord’s body from the inside out.

He was certain he could finish the Divine Avatar before Overlord shattered his neck.

Unfortunately for Tepest, Overlord had never intended to simply break his neck.

Instead, he yanked Tepest violently to the side—locking him in place, back exposed.

Confusion flickered in the Corruption General’s eyes—right before he felt it.

A violent pressure slammed toward him from behind, carrying both blinding radiance and crushing, destructive force. Tepest couldn’t dodge; Overlord’s grip was ironclad. A shadow fell over him, and then the source of the energy revealed itself.

Fang.

The winged T-Rex had been spinning at impossible speed, his massive body gathering unstoppable momentum. Every ounce of that force was channeled into his tail, which now came crashing down like the judgment of the heavens.

"CRRRRRAAAAACK!"

The impact detonated across Tepest’s chest. Bones shattered, armor caved, and a scream of agony ripped from his throat as he was hurled through the air like a broken arrow.

But there was no reprieve.

From the right came Clasius, his colossal sword swinging with the weight of a hundred mountains. From the left, Amara surged forward, her body dissolving into an ocean of shadows that unleashed a million cutting edges at once. And from below, Roman loosed a hail of thousands of arrows—each one cloaked in shadow energy, each one finding a mark.

The combined onslaught ripped Tepest’s momentum sideways, dragging deep wounds across his already battered frame. Before he could even orient himself, two more figures closed in.

From the left, Merian summoned a roaring sea of metal; from the right, Frank unleashed an ocean of magma. The two elements fused in midair into a molten, metallic prison that sealed around Tepest, locking him in place like a sculpture of living fire.

His mind reeled. The pain was staggering, each breath a battle to remain conscious. But he didn’t fall. Gritting his teeth, Tepest glared at Overlord and began pouring every ounce of his remaining power into breaking free from the molten confinement. He had to shatter it before the Divine Avatar reached him.

But his focus was in the wrong place.

A sudden radiance caught his attention.

Looking down, Tepest’s eyes widened in dawning horror.

The energy towers.

Each one, artifacts powerful enough to obliterate a Sage-tier opponent, had begun to glow—overcharged to their very limits. And now, their collective power was aimed squarely at his immobilized form.