Origin Player.

Chapter 658 Battle of the Imperial Capital
The southern border of the empire.

On the vast plains.

The corpses of tens of thousands of Imperial Legion soldiers piled up in layers, forming undulating mounds of corpses. Those once-shining magical armors are now just mottled fragments of rusted iron. The heavy, suffocating stench of blood solidified on the plain, almost turning into a crimson mist that could be touched.

The sky was dark, and the dark clouds, like a huge, boundless shroud, shrouded this lifeless land.

Amidst countless piles of corpses, all the once renowned and powerful figures had perished.

The old knight, who was narrowly defeated by the King's Sword thirty years ago and was thus hailed as the "Imperial Fortress," now had cracks all over his armor, with dark blood slowly oozing out. A broken beast tooth was deeply embedded in his chest. He knelt on one knee in the mud and blood, his head bowed, and the longsword he gripped tightly in his hand was deeply embedded in the eye socket of the monster beneath him.

boom!
A colossal beast, as large as a siege tower, indifferently strode past him, its massive, barbed feet crashing down and crushing the old knight's body, along with the monster beneath him, into the depths of the bloody mud. Then it roared to the sky.

Roar!
On the plains, countless mutated monsters feasted on this grand feast, not out of a desire for sustenance, but purely for destruction.

The centipede-like giant insect crushed the remains of rows of soldiers, while the insect-like monster with sharp pincers focused on tearing, easily peeling flesh from the skeleton. Countless long, snake-like tentacles emerged from the depths of the pile of corpses, their ends splitting into mouthparts full of fine, sharp teeth, frantically burrowing into the still-warm bodies, greedily sucking up the remaining life force.

The battlefield was now filled only with the incessant howls of monsters, and the mud was no longer the color of soil, but a thick, dark red.

Broken swords and shields littered the land, and the nearly torn imperial banners were submerged in pools of blood. A fierce wind, carrying the sweet, pungent smell of blood and ruptured entrails, swept across the desolate plain in gusts.

"Do not!!"

In a flash of darkness high in the sky, a massive three-headed demonic bird struck down the red dragon.

Amidst the endless corpses, a giant hundreds of meters tall reached out to the sky, his body, forged from rock and steel, exuding an aura of strength. He suddenly grasped the wings of the red dragon.

The Dragon Commander roared in despair and rage. Now fully transformed into a dragon, he had exhausted all his energy and strength. But the number of enemies was too great. Seven Titans at the peak of hero level had appeared on the Southern Battlefield at the same time.

"Your Excellency, the time to make a choice has come."

On the ground, the orc king, as tall as a normal person, spoke. The dwarf lord casually grabbed a monster and began to tear it apart. The centaur king commanded countless alien races to rush out of the plain. The monster mother, with a benevolent expression, transformed the dead into monsters one by one.

This is a world-destroying army composed of orcs, dwarves, centaurs, and monsters. Seven Titans, three alien kings, and one god of faith, a total of eleven heroes, have chosen to form an alliance.

The mountain titan ripped apart the red dragon's wings, and the dragon captain cried out in anguish, "I want to see your leader!"

On the ground, the vast army parted, and an elderly woman emerged. She possessed only the strength of a Saint-level being, yet she became the de facto leader of the allied forces.

“I come from the Church of Temperance in the boundless void. You may call me Sister Instructor. According to the hidden history passed down in this world, I think there is no need to educate you about the Age of Heroes.”

The old woman chuckled, “Please join me in slaying the Great Sin Monarch. In return, I will guide you into the void afterward. Generally speaking, my highest-ranking being is a tenth-order life form. If you don’t believe me, I can show you my helper currently located outside the world. Because it’s a personal request, He is currently only at the sub-mythical level of life…”

The Dragon Captain listened to the old woman's explanation with great astonishment. There were worlds beyond worlds, and the Sky Realm was far from the pinnacle of life.

"If that's the case, why don't your helpers come?" Commander Long asked, deeply puzzled.

The old woman smiled and said, "Because I will die."

It's not just because the world of gods is a battlefield; to be precise, different levels of worlds can survive in the boundless void by relying on the primordial concept of "endless world," which is on par with eternal death, primordial evil, myriad changes, the decay of all things, the ocean of souls, and the flow of time.

Because of the original sin, death will eventually come.

Because of the myriad changes, time must flow.

Because of the passage of time, all things are destined to decay.

Because of the decay of all things, evil arose in the beginning.

Just as the concepts of the origin of the boundless void influence each other, giving rise to those fundamental laws.

When faced with extraterrestrial beings that clearly exceed the world's capacity and may pose a threat to the world's existence, a secondary primordial force—the power of correction—will purge them. Different levels of worlds can release different amounts of correctional power, but they are essentially the same and of extremely high rank.

Seeing the Dragon's leader looking bewildered, the old woman whispered:

"The Great Sin Monarch is currently only a part of the Primal Evil. When He dies, He will release a secondary Origin power to counteract the Corrective Force. In this way, my helper will be able to descend."

"Those who seek the mighty Titans will follow me."

"Another race will rule the land."

"The One in Heaven will build a true paradise."

"The Mother of Monsters will be surrounded by countless offspring."

"And you can become the new king of mankind."

"The King of Humanity!" The Dragon Captain's eyes lit up.

“That’s right,” the old woman smiled. “Humans are also a different race from orcs or dwarves.”

The Dragon Commander returned to human form, and all three central legions were wiped out. Duke Ferdinand had been obstructing the battle reports and eventually fled, causing the Southern Army to collapse. The situation was now beyond saving. After several days of fierce fighting, he was covered in wounds.

"But there's absolutely no way you'll make me surrender!"

Suddenly, the Dragon Captain charged out furiously, but the Mountain Titan's punch missed its mark.

"You killed my soldiers and trampled my territory, you old witch deserve to die with a thousand arrows in your heart!"

call!
The dragon claws suddenly attacked.

The old woman looked regretful. The Dragon Commander belonged to a branch of the royal family. If the other party was willing to cooperate, the difficulty of defeating the Holy Empire would be greatly reduced. However, it was not necessary. The Calamity Dragon was also one of the twelve Titans.

boom!
Cracks appeared in the clouds.

A gray figure descended from the sky, followed by dozens of Saint-level angels. A heavy punch from the authority of death pierced the Dragon Commander into the ground. Death in the southern border of the empire successfully activated the Heavenly Ritual, summoning God, the Heavenly Father, to the mortal world.

The Dragon Commander was dizzy. He tried his best to manifest a dragon's head and bite the Father's neck, but unfortunately the Father did not defend at all. The immortality granted by the power of death was unimaginable.

An angel has quietly fallen.

"Believers are born with divine powers and the authority over death."

The old woman squinted and said, "Within the scope of the world you were born from, as long as a sentient being who believes in you dies, you can be resurrected, right?"

"So what if it is?" the Heavenly Father asked sternly.

"Then let the orcs also worship you," the old woman said, looking at the orc king.

The Orc King nodded and said, "That's fine, provided that the Great Sin Lord is truly as strong as you say."

The twelve heroes have reached their peak.

In just half a day, more than half of the empire's southern border had fallen.

……

Imperial Capital Arena.

Regardless of the process, the wolf was dead. When the audience realized this, they all stood up and cheered, creating a huge wave of excitement, with glasses of wine being thrown into the air from time to time.

Noticing the emperor's loss of composure, the Steel Sword Saint announced: "Rhine Augustus has won. In accordance with the treaty, he shall upgrade the King's Sword on his own initiative. The Alchemy Guild shall, from this day forward, forge weapons in accordance with the requirements and be granted a piece of land of marquis-level scale."

"Finally, Prince Rhine Augustus, which unmarried woman do you wish to marry? The ironclad law bears witness, and there is no room for refusal."

"No," Jiang He replied calmly, then left without paying any attention to the deathly silence of the arena.

The Steel Sword Saint blinked in surprise, then turned around and saw that the Emperor had suddenly aged countless years. Time seemed to have returned to the time when he was bedridden, and the same death as the Second Princess began to occur. He kept vomiting blood, but what he was vomiting was deadly poison.

"Someone come quickly!"

Outside the Imperial Capital Arena.

Jiang He mounted an eight-legged warhorse and headed straight for the castle of the third prince in the inner city. With the destruction of the Seven Gods Cult, this prince was to convert to the Heavenly Father Cult, but the successive setbacks and blows had worn down his spirit, especially after learning that the Pope had disappeared, the prince had been promoted, and the demon wolf had fallen in the arena.

In the castle bedroom, the third prince lay on the bed with his head turned to the side, only to see Jiang He standing beside him like a ghost.

"Are you here to kill me?" Jiang He tilted her head slightly, otherwise.

He was a prince of the Holy Empire before, but now he has been promoted. After killing the Pope, he killed the emperor, and after killing the emperor, he killed the prince. Now that he has the strength, he will ascend the throne no later than tonight.

"Hehehe..."

The third prince stared at the exquisite murals on the ceiling and smiled wearily, "Uncle, the throne of the Holy Emperor is not so easy to sit on."

"The Dragon of Calamity, also known in the history of the gods, was called the Devouring Titan. It devours lifespan, devours authority, devours faith. The cooperation between the dragon family and it is an endless sacrifice. If you sit on the throne, you are a prisoner. The Titan will never be satisfied with power."

As soon as he finished speaking, the third prince bit down on the poison sac between his teeth and decisively committed suicide.

Did I tell you to kill yourself?

Jiang He activated his time loop to restore him and killed him with a single punch.

Third Prince: "..."

Good, good, good! (claps hands)

Night fell, and the capital was shrouded in darkness.

With the sudden deaths of the emperor and the third prince, Prince Augustus, the first in line to the throne, took over the Golden Castle.

Inside the main hall, the nobles were still waiting outside. The animal team members had assembled. Lao Hei and Wu He had been promoted to ordinary heroes, Si Ning had won without lifting a finger and become an elite hero, and Zhuang Ya had awakened from her slumber. The entire team was now composed of heroes.

"Divide the spoils." Jiang He lit a stick of incense, a symbol of the nation's destiny.

His rank temporarily reached the legendary level.

Among the various puppets, the old swordsman's sword authority was stripped away and given to Si Ning. The power was upgraded to authority, a huge difference. Because the authority was stripped away, the old swordsman became a normal Saint-level puppet. Jiang He directly destroyed him and the other Saint-level puppets to prevent them from taking up a spot.

The authority of the god of shadow was stripped away and given to the rabble.

The steel scepter of the demon wolf was stripped off and given to Old Black.

The emperor's dragon-shaped power was stripped away and bestowed upon Zhuangya.
Jiang He examined the Underworld Crown in his hand. There were only four puppets at the moment, all of them at the peak of the hero level: Emperor, Pope, War, and Shadow. It was a pity that they had all lost their authority and their combat power had been severely reduced to the level of "super soldiers". However, for the elite heroes, they still had an overwhelming advantage.

"I don't have the energy to control the king and his ministers in the underworld."

Jiang He placed the crown on Old Hei's head and said, "Please help me with some of the burden."

Old Hei nodded. "Understood."

In fact, Lao Hei and Wu He were both extremely reluctant to wield power at this stage. However, just like Zhuang Ya, Jiang He's magnanimity was elevated after being promoted to hero. As a member of the team, it was not a big problem for him to bear the extra pressure.

Inside the main hall, Old Hei, dressed entirely in black, stood in a horse stance, throwing punches. Wuhe appeared and disappeared among the beams. Si Ning raised her long sword, chopping at her own fox tail. Only Zhuang Ya was a little more obedient; she didn't really need to familiarize herself with her newly acquired dragon authority.

It is worth mentioning that Si Ning has been promoted to Hero Elite, forged a Hero's Heart, improved her attribute talent from Undying to Immortal, and condensed the Hero Armament - Fox Fairy, with exclusive special attacks targeting fox-like creatures.

Outside the main hall of the Golden Castle.

The nobles were still waiting when they saw knights carrying chests into the hall, filled with rare treasures, including more than a dozen extraordinary items such as monster materials, exotic ores, and hero weapons. All of these came from the royal treasury, the Adventurers' Guild, and the Alchemy Guild.

Clearly, the new Holy Emperor had already begun a massive plundering empire before his official ascension to the throne, and given the turbulent times, almost no one would refuse to curry favor with him.

On the throne, Jiang He overdrawn the national fortune of the Holy Empire. The power of destiny operated, and the remaining two hundred years of national fortune gave birth to ten dragon vein-level incense offerings. If the Holy Empire had not had a history of more than two hundred years, the number would have been even greater.

Before the incense burning on the dragon vein, which had just been lit, had finished burning, they took advantage of the opportunity.

Jiang He refined boxes of treasures to enhance his items.

[Name: Boots Reflecting Death]
[Category: Equipment]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect ①: Sub-Legendary level Durability]
[Effect: Kick penetration damage increased by 180%, Leg Kinetic Enhancement increased by 180%]
[Note: Powerful because of its purity]
……

[Name: The Ring of the Five Dimensions]
[Category: Apparel]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect ①: Sub-Legendary level Durability]
[Effect ②: Increases all of the wearer's attributes by 180% (Current stage effect: approximately equivalent to 3-4 real attribute points)]
[Note: Produced by BingeEating]
……

[Name: Cursed Blood Ring]
[Category: Jewelry]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect ①: A curse is activated by dripping the target's blood, reducing the target's overall defense by 66% (item limit/lower-era damage reduction). Requires the target to be in the same slot or lower, and the current position must be marked.]
[Effect 2: The ring contains a standard community space, suitable for the survival and reproduction of blood flies]
[Note: This ring was made by Him for the one and only God's chosen one]
……

[Name: Astrological Array]
[Category: Auxiliary]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect: Astrology - By reflecting celestial bodies with Source Waves and combining alchemical astrology techniques, it achieves regional monitoring, providing real-time marking of beings of the same rank and below across all eras and levels. Each activation requires 300,000 Hero Energy and lasts for 30 seconds.]
[Note: A masterpiece created by three alchemy masters, further enhanced and modified by the alchemy grandmaster Mo Ke (Effective range: worlds of tier 5 and below: a province)]
……

[Name: Bone Dragon Rider Ring]
[Category: Production]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect: By combining high-quality bones and flesh, a dragon-like undead creature—the Bone Dragon—is created. Its overall combat strength is roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary creature from the Heroic Age, and it specializes in speed.]
[Note: Produced by BingeEating]
Having exhausted all the treasures, Jiang He simply took out the ancient saint's remains given to him by Ji You and used accelerated time to refine them completely. Because it was a legendary elite, it took a relatively long time.

The exclusive royal seal and the hidden soldier medal have been successively promoted to the sub-legendary level.

Elegant Imperial Sword, Battle Maid Outfit, Five-Dimensional Ring.

Old Black's Watcher's Shield and Darkmoon Staff.

The shadowy eyes of a mob, a surprise attack from the shadows, close-fitting heavy armor, and the ring of silence.

Many items have been upgraded to sub-legendary level.

As for the detailed description of the prop, Jiang He didn't look at it carefully, since it would be too time-consuming. If he had to describe it, it would probably be similar to reading an alchemical text of more than a thousand words.

Before the throne, Si Ning, dressed in a gorgeous black dress, had broken star stones swirling around her. Unlike Pei Yi Shi and Pei Er Shi, the coldness on her face seemed more like boredom. It wasn't until she saw Jiang He begin to forge the sword that her nine snow-white fox tails began to sway gently.

"A hero's sword, sub-legendary level, but the soul shadow inside is gone, you need to collect it yourself."

"One hundred and eight immortal-grade swords, one-seventh of the extraordinary factors from the remains of the ancient saint are here. The main functions of the new swords are sharpness and sturdiness. Your sword hilt is more than enough to kill."

Jiang He threw out a bundle of swords. If Si Ning wanted to reach the level of the old swordsman who could cut through everything, he would probably have to improve his swordsmanship. Of course, that was his own business. As for how much benefit Si Ning had plundered in the Northern Territory, he was too lazy to ask.

Si Ning laughed and said, "I'd go through fire and water for you, Brother Jiang."

"But this time we don't need to pay with game currency, right? If we have to pay, I don't think I can afford it."

"How about I give you a tail?"

"It hurts!"

Before Jiang He could refuse, under the shocked gazes of Lao Hei and the others, Si Ning swung her sword and cut off a snow-white tail. After a simple treatment, it turned into a large scarf. This tail was not the original essence of the fox spirit and could heal itself. Its specific effect was roughly the active skill of the item type: Charm.

Jiang He looked at Si Ning rolling around on the ground and couldn't help but stroke his chin. The charm spell was indeed useful for his charm value, but his usual clothes were red robes, which looked a bit strange with a white scarf.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Because of his succession, Jiang He's title as the first emperor was elevated to the sub-legendary level, but since he was not the first emperor, he was not qualified to be directly promoted to the legendary level.

[Name: First Emperor]
[Category: Titles]
[Quality: Sub-Legendary]
[Effect ①: Emperor - When war begins, the four basic attributes of the emperor's entire group and animal companions are temporarily increased by 15 points.]
[Effect ②: Divine Punishment - Beings or objects that kill a large group of members are condemned by the heavens. Each divine curse deals 25 points of true damage (to those of the same block or lower)]
[Effect 3: Reign (All Land Under Heaven Belongs to the King) - When activated, you can return to a location you were in or passed through, consuming 200 Hero Energy each time (within the world/current territory and borders), and move freely within the territory of your forces.]
[Effect 4: Royal Subject (All under Heaven are Royal Subjects) - The holder gains the five senses of a large group of members or followers. When their mental will is not lower than Gold, they can perform a descent of the will of the same world/present realm and border (multiple descents)]
[Effect 5: Boundless - Vision-related abilities grant a full, three-dimensional view of the area actually controlled by the subordinate forces.]
[Effect 6: Monarch's Shadow - Gain a fully controllable phantom of a monarch, which can activate a large-scale protection over the target area. The defense strength is the same as the title rank, and the range is equal to the area of ​​the domain.]
[Effect ⑦: Imperial Heart - When facing an emperor-type being, one can read their inner thoughts (of equal or lower rank)]
[Note: This title represents the highest honor in the world of ancient martial arts]
"what?"

Jiang He closed his eyes, and when he activated the Boundless effect, he could clearly sense that the actual territory under the Holy Empire's rule was shrinking.

Meanwhile, a commotion erupted outside the main hall.

"I want to see His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, the Eastern and Western borders have rebelled!"

As Jiang He gave the order, the palace doors were opened, and the nobles rushed in, one bad news after another.

With the situation in the capital hopeless, the dukes of the Eastern and Western Borders, who believed in the Seven Gods Church, joined forces with the remnants of the church to rebel.

In the southern border of the empire, an unprecedented world-destroying army is advancing, boasting a peak of twelve heroes. The Dragon Commander has fallen, and the southern noble forces and three central legions have been annihilated.

In the northern border of the Empire, barbarians and frost giants stormed the Holy Wall. The Frost Titans and Death Titans intervened, causing the Holy Wall to collapse. Foreign creatures have already invaded the Empire.

Overnight, four-fifths of the empire's vast territory was lost, and enemy forces were on all sides, converging on the capital.

Amidst the crowd, the ragged Duke Ferdinand wailed, "Your Majesty, the Titans are now beyond our power. Please lead us to surrender! The gods have rejected us, and the four borders are filled with indignation. The Empire has come to an end!"

boom!
Jiang He flicked his finger, piercing through the man's forehead and killing him instantly.

[Hint: Main quest ④ has been released]
[Mission Name: Battle to Defend the Imperial Capital]
[Mission Requirement: Defend the capital for at least seven days]
[Mission Description: Led by the Sisters of Temperance, powerful beings including the Heavenly Father, the Mother of Monsters, the Mountain Titan, the Sky Titan, the Frost Titan, the Death Titan, and the Flesh Titan participate in a grand hunt to bury the Holy Empire and its last emperor, and to purify the great sins.]
[Quest Reward: Legendary Skill Enhancement Scroll *1 (Hunter party members also receive the same reward)]
[Task Duration: 7 calendar days]
[Task Penalty: None]
[Note: Due to the anticipated ferocity, this defense battle is suitable as the background for a high-level punishment mission, and is expected to affect Origin player teams (based on overall assessment, it will not significantly benefit the Executor)]
(End of this chapter)