Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 295 The Beginning of the War
The midnight hour, which should have been quiet, was now filled with noise. The entire city of Tatunbto was in full swing, with one fast horse after another galloping out of the city and to every corner of this vast empire—although such warnings might not have any effect, at least they let those living outside Tatunbto know that danger was about to strike.

"The development is still too slow..."

After imprisoning a group of skilled craftsmen, Ansag, having completed all the preparations, suddenly felt a pang of regret.

After all, he and the other three priests had devoted almost all their energy to the management of Tatunbto. They thought that as long as they continued to expand this giant city, people from the borders of the empire would come on their own. But now it seems that when foreign enemies invade, those undeveloped territories are simply natural loopholes.

"If only I could do it again, if only I could do it again... phew."

Ansag shook his head vigorously, clearing these distracting thoughts from his mind.

Now is not the time for regrets, after all, the enemies from those star seas are coming soon.

After tidying his clothes, Ansag had his attendants bring his horse. Like the messengers, he was also prepared to leave the city to deliver a message at this dangerous time. As for the one worth risking his life to deliver the message, it was naturally the serpent god who was entrenched outside the city.

Although the serpent god should have known about Tathabhut's unusual behavior long ago.

However, besides the preparations themselves, Ansag has other things to say.

So, riding at full speed, Ansag arrived at the foot of the enormous serpent's body. No matter how many times he saw it, the mountain-like body was always so majestic and unapproachable. However, to Ansag's surprise, there was an old figure wearing a hood standing beside the giant serpent.

It was old Bhutto. Ansag struggled to recall for a moment before remembering, simply because this old priest had always been so inconspicuous.

But now it seems that this old priest was probably always the serpent god's messenger.

"So a fight is about to break out, huh? I already know."

Just then, a thunderous sound came from mid-air.

"Luckily, I've been preparing all this time. I knew this day would come... So, tell me, where are we going, and who are we going to fight?"

"..."

Ansag remained silent for a moment; he knew this would be the outcome.

Although at the beginning, Ansag also thought that the serpent god was full of ancient wisdom and was omniscient, and that the experience brought by its long lifespan would make the serpent god like a wise elder, as they spent more time together, Ansag discovered that the long lifespan did not seem to have brought any experience to their serpent god, and their serpent god had never had any ancient and mysterious wisdom.

"Holy as ever" is perhaps the most fitting way to describe this serpent god. Apart from his extreme pursuit of food, or rather, of mammoths, this serpent god never cares about anything else.

Just like now, in the eyes of the Serpent God, this battle might just be about where to go and who to fight.

But in Ansag's eyes, it was not like that at all.

"You...don't go anywhere."

Clenching his fists and taking a deep breath, Ansag made his first request to the serpent god before him.

"Don't go anywhere for now, just stay here. We'll take care of the rest."

"You guys? You really can handle this?"

The sound of something falling from mid-air was full of doubt.

This even made Ansag feel a little guilty at one point.

But after a brief silence, Ansag nodded firmly.

“We can really handle it, please trust us,” Ansag assured.

But in reality, he couldn't guarantee anything. Whether he could win the war was still an unknown to him—after all, he hadn't even seen what those demonic armies looked like; all he saw was their ferocity and terror.

However, as long as the serpent god does not attack, Tatunbhut's absolute safety can at least be guaranteed.

"Although the demon army has not yet arrived, the war has already begun... Just as Habisa said, the information he received is likely only partially true."

Even if the intelligence report accurately states the time and location of the demon army's arrival, it might not be a good thing—after all, the demon army doesn't necessarily only descend from one place.

If the Serpent God really went to intercept the demon army based on intelligence, and the real demon army parachuted into Tatunbuto...

No, even without the main force of the demon army, even a small detachment might not be able to withstand Tatunbto.

"So, this is the only way for now."

Ansag felt that he had done all he could.

First, ensure that Tatunbuto does not fall, and then try to stop the arrival of the demon army.

The arrival of the demon army can be achieved in one of two ways: either by airdropping directly using spacecraft, or by using portals for long-distance delivery. They cannot stop the former and can only wait until the demon army arrives before destroying the spaceships.

However, compared to the inefficient method of troop transport ships, the Four Gods and Demons would clearly prefer the more efficient and reusable portals.

"But if we don't get the snake god involved, relying solely on ourselves..."

Ansag's face showed a pained expression.

Relying solely on themselves would be risking their lives, and considering the disparity between the two sides, the warriors who went to destroy the portal were essentially doomed.

"What do you mean by 'no return'? Can't they be resurrected?"

Faced with the assigned mission, the warriors of the Bloodstained Legion simply smiled.

"Remember to burn a decent body for me... Never mind, I'll try to get a wooden one instead. See you in the underworld."

"See you in the underworld."

Ansag watched the warriors leave the city.

If their enemies were only the Sun God Kingdoms of the past, then they could indeed be resurrected. But this time, they are facing the Four Gods Demon Army in the Star Sea. Even their shallow understanding of the soul was learned from these Star Sea Gods.

In other words, their opponents knew exactly how to destroy a soul.

Even with the Netherworld present, the warriors might not actually be able to be resurrected.

All he could do was prepare the best equipment and weapons for the soldiers. All the technology from outer space had already been used on these soldiers.

All that's left is to pray.

"I hope you succeed... and I hope your souls return safely."

Gazing at the figures of the warriors hidden in the distance, Ansag subconsciously drew a vertical line across his chest.

(End of this chapter)