I hurried outside with all the speed I could muster, and what I saw when I reached outside truly shocked me.

  My mouth hung slightly open as I took in the sight outside.

  Everything was now tinted with the color red.

  It was as if I was looking at the world through a filter that made everything look red.

  Except this was real. Up above me the sky was no longer the blue expanse I had known all my life. Instead it was deep shade of crimson.

  It was practically the color of blood.

  If I didn’t know any better I could assume I was just looking at an odd or specialized sunset of sorts.

  But now…this dome…yes dome sounds right. This dome of blood that now likely covered the entire planet was probably the barrier that Elder Zal mentioned, but if the barrier was all there was in the sky above the City, then maybe so many people wouldn’t be screaming.

  The Vhampryls were here.

  Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions. I had no clue to exact amount that I could see, but flying ships blotted the skies above the City.

  The kind of ships I would’ve only seen in a movie set hundreds or thousands of years in the future.

  Although they were above the City, they didn’t appear to be concentrated above my City specifically. As far as I could see in the distance, they were ships everywhere, and every single one of them were blood red in color.

  But I didn’t have time to admire the ships before a loud ringing noise was heard throughout the skies and before I knew it, the doors of the ships opened and an untold number of bodies began to pool out of them in a rush before heading directly toward the City and whatever else surrounded us.

  The war was here.

  I took a breath for a moment, before my voice empowered by Qi began to boom around the City. Quickly rising above the decibel levels of the people screaming all over the City.

  “ASH GUARD! TO ME!

  “RICHARD!! LEAD THE CITY GUARD WITH MICAH AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE!!

  “FRIAN AND LIRIAN COME TO ME NOW!!”

  I took a slight moment to catch my breath as I could sense bodies moving around the City in accordance with the orders I gave. The Ash Guard was already here and they gathered around me with weapons drawn and immediately entered a battle ready state.

  Lirian and Frian quickly found there way to my sides.

  “SCALERA! HERE! NOW!”

  The tall and imposing figure of Scalera instantly appeared in front of me with her spear at the ready.

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  “The Infernal Contingent is to prioritize killing every single thing that dares to entire my City. Once the City is secure, spread out and secure the area surrounding the City. If it is possible to capture a few alive then do so, otherwise show them the might of Infernals!”

  “WITH PLEASURE PATRIARCH!!”

  The woman vanished from my sights and reappeared in the skies above the City. All the other Nascent Soul Infernals joining her.

  Very quickly after that the rest of the 10,000 Infernals flooded in the City and dispersed throughout the City like ravenous piranhas waiting for the descent of their prey into the waters they dwelled in.

  I wouldn’t be outdone.

  “Ash Guard. Do not leave my side. Our role is simple. Kill.”

  That was the last time I spoke for a while as a mad grin somehow made its way onto my face.

  And so to did my anger began to rise in my chest as the natural born pride of an Infernal Patriarch began to swell up within me.

  It was something Elder Zal explained that we all have.

  And it explained some of the feelings I went through in the Tutorial.

  We were beneath no one and above everyone.

  Nothing was allowed to trample that rule and anyone who dared deserved to pay a price.

  It was natural born arrogance that befitted my position.

  One that I wouldn’t allow to control my actions in my day to day… but this was no day to day…this was War and these people not only dared to attack and claim my Planet for themselves…they dared to attack my City…they dared to attack me.

  They will burn.

  Powerful and darker than night flames immediately boomed around my body as it responded to the anger that now welled up inside of me.

  Of course, my anger or the flames forming around me did nothing to stop the incoming Vamps as they rapidly descended towards my City.

  There numbers without a doubt surpassed ours.

  And the first of them clashed with the hovering Infernals and string of booms and explosions immediately began to sound off above the City, and various forms of Blood Red abilities clashed with the destructive properties of Infernal Qi.

  That was their battle.

  Mine was here.

  Who knows how many of them had finally landed in front of me and in the surrounding areas.

  Some of them darted off in different directions, while others aimed their weapons at me.

  I didn’t need an invitation to begin attacking.

  My muscles tensed as I took off towards the nears group of the pale skinned bastards that invaded my City.

  Lirian and Frian followed closely behind me before flanking out to battles of their own and the Ash Guard didn’t fall behind as a string of bow attacks and spear throws surged past me towards the enemies.

  Most of them did nothing but force the beings in front of me to dodge.

  I could tell right then and there not a single one was above Qi Refinement.

  Fighting someone in the Core Formation Realm would be a life and death battle with me risking everything I had for a likely pyrrhic chance at victory, or to delay long enough for someone strong enough to arrive.

  But within the same realm?

  Only death awaited them.

  The closest Vamp to me lashed out with appear to be a blackened scythe with an edge coated in blood. I lifted my spear blocked it, nearly pushing it out of the hands that held it. I then took one of hand off of my spear and with that same hand coated in Eternal Flames, I reached out and snatched the assailant by the neck and squeezed till I heard something snap.

  The flames would handle the rest.

  More attacks came and every single one of them was aimed at killing me.

  I suppose this proved they were not going to try and capture me alive as a hostage or anything of the sort.

  That is better for me.

  The noise my spear made as it swung with intention of claiming the lives of all it came across was like a death song to the opponents who heard it just before it claimed them or were doused in the flames they could never hope to douse.

  And it continued to sing for hours on end.

  For who knows how many hours, and many liters of blood spilled, I continued to fight with all I had, claiming life after life.

  These weren’t like the lives of the Goblins in the Tutorial.

  No, these were real people, maybe some of them had families of their own, maybe even dreams of their own.

  Goals, wishes, and all manner of other things, that made them real people.

  All of it was dashed and ended in a flash of spear movements and the burning of Eternal Flames.

  They attacked the wrong City and I ensured the ones I came across wouldn’t have the chance to do so again.