Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, yet also felt like an eternal night.

For the two armies on the plains of Chengtian Capital, these seven days were the ultimate test of their will and beliefs.

On the Alliance side, the atmosphere was heavy and unyielding. Warriors from all corners of the world and of different races gathered together, forming an unprecedented, complex yet pure force.

Many of them were mortal enemies just days before, but now a common and far more terrifying threat has forcibly bound them together.

The heavy breathing of the dwarves, the low prayers of the elves, the rustling of human warriors wiping their weapons, and the undisguised bewilderment and resolve on the faces of the soldiers who had just taken off their Imperial uniforms—all these sounds intertwined to create a poignant pre-battle symphony.

They all knew that this battle was extremely dangerous, with a slim chance of survival. Their target was the old capital of the empire, a fortress that Lin Feng had built up over decades and which was considered impregnable.

The city not only houses the most elite "Cataclysmic Warriors," but also countless other, insane war machines they've never even heard of. Their target is the energy hub at the heart of the city, heavily guarded. This is nothing short of a mortal's most reckless charge against a god.

Yet no one backed down. Because behind them were their families, their people, and the land they depended on for survival.

Lin Feng's "Breath of Dust" was like a Damocles' sword hanging over everyone's heads; retreat meant certain death. The only way forward was to use their flesh and blood to smash open a crack to "life" in that cold steel wall.

Irelia stood at the forefront of the army, her golden armor reflecting a soft yet resolute light in the pre-dawn glow.

The "Sword of Dawn" hovered silently beside her, its flowing light seemingly capable of dispelling all the gloom of the world. She did not deliver a lengthy speech, but simply raised the sword slowly, and in a voice as clear as spring water yet containing the power of thunder, spoke to the ocean of countless souls behind her:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we come from different places, have different beliefs, and even... have different blood. Lin Feng calls us 'bastards,' 'viruses,' and 'dust' that needs to be cleared away. In the name of 'purity' and 'nobility,' he has built high walls between us and sown hatred. He hopes that we will distrust each other, kill each other, until in the end, we all kneel down at the foot of his throne."

"But today, we stand here. Humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, and... all our fellow citizens of the Empire who still believe in the word 'conscience.' Our very existence is the greatest act of resistance against that tyrant!"

"Look around you! Those are not aliens, not enemies, but 'comrades-in-arms' who, like you and me, yearn for survival, for dignity, for a world where children can run freely in the sunshine! Today, we will tear down that wall together! We will use our swords, our warhammers, our magic, and our blood to prove that—life has no distinction of high or low, noble or base, and the value of the soul is not determined by bloodline!"

"This battle is not for glory, nor for royal power, but only for 'survival'!"

"Towards the capital of Chengtian! For everything behind us!"

"All troops, charge!"

"For survival!" A roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami erupted from the chests of hundreds of thousands of warriors, converging into a torrent powerful enough to shake the heavens and the earth. The earth began to tremble, and the banners of the Alliance, like a forest, launched a desperate charge towards the steel behemoth that lay prostrate on the horizon.

Opposite them, atop the hundred-meter-high alloy city wall of the capital, Chengtian, Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, clad in a black dragon robe. The fierce wind whipped at his robes, yet could not shake him in the slightest. Behind him stood the regent Zhang Huanyu, standing as still as a statue, and rows of "Calamity Soldiers" exuding an aura of death. These ultimate-modified super soldiers, each possessing terrifying combat power capable of taking on a hundred men, were the sharpest and most ruthless blades in Lin Feng's hands.

Lin Feng's gaze calmly swept over the surging, multicolored "tide of ants" below. His face showed not a trace of contempt or anger, only an absolute calmness bordering on nothingness. It was as if he wasn't watching a war that would decide the fate of the world, but rather enjoying a play with a pre-written script.

"Your Majesty, everything is ready," Zhang Huanyu reported in a low voice. "The energy system of 'Breath of Dust' has been completely locked onto the city's defense center. Once activated, it is impossible to stop unless the reaction core is destroyed from the inside. All main legions have been deployed to their designated positions, and 'Cataclysmic Soldiers' are ready to strike at any time. The net we have laid is enough to crush them a hundred times over."

Lin Feng did not respond. His gaze passed over the charging allied forces and looked towards the distant horizon. There, he seemed to see countless invisible lines converging on this city from all corners of the continent. Those lines were the "loopholes" he had deliberately left, the "bait" he had carefully laid out, and the "holes" he had personally opened for those disgruntled "snakes."

What he wanted was never a simple siege. He wanted the grandest and most thorough "purification." Not only to purify those unruly foreign tribes, but also to take this opportunity to completely eliminate all the rusty, discordant parts of the vast imperial machine he had built, all the parts infected by the old-fashioned virus of "conscience."

Yue Zhenshan's Seventh Army Corps, as well as the Imperial troops that have "surrendered" in recent months, are the "core lesions" he most wants to eliminate.

"Zhang Huanyu," Lin Feng finally spoke, his voice indifferent and devoid of any emotion, "what do you think are the essential elements of a perfect drama?"

Zhang Huanyu was taken aback; this question was completely beyond his expectations. He tried to discern Lin Feng's thoughts and carefully replied, "Your Majesty... it should be... a magnificent scene, an unpredictable turn of events, and... a breathtaking and decisive ending."

“Well said.” A cold, razor-sharp smile finally appeared on Lin Feng’s lips. “Then… let this drama officially begin.”

He slowly raised his right hand.

As his palm fell, the entire capital of Chengtian seemed to awaken instantly, like a sleeping steel behemoth.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"

On the city walls, thousands of massive energy turrets slowly rotated, locking onto the charging allied forces. Blinding light converged at the muzzles, and the air filled with the guttural hum of energy overload. The next second, a rain of deathly light poured down like the wrath of a god!

Searing beams of light tore through the earth, each explosion sending up terrifying waves of blood, flesh, and scorched earth tens of meters high within the Allied ranks. The Alliance's mages immediately erected massive magical shields, the elven druids conjured resilient vine barriers, and the dwarven engineers activated portable energy deflection fields. However, the Empire's firepower was simply too dense, too ferocious. It was pure violence fueled by the resources of an entire planet.

The magical shield shattered like glass under the relentless bombardment of the energy beams; the vine barrier turned to ash in the intense heat; and the energy deflection field exploded one after another amidst the overload alarms. Warriors at the forefront fell in droves, instantly vaporized, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.

This is just the beginning.

The gates of Chengtian Capital slowly opened with a heavy metallic scraping sound. Surging out were not human soldiers, but an endless army of mechanical puppets made of metal and skeleton. Their eyes flashed with a cold red light, and their high-frequency blades and chainsaws roared shrilly, like a black tide rushing towards the allied forces.

"For the Alliance!" Barton Bronzebeard roared, wielding his massive warhammer with his remaining left arm, and charged forward first. Runes shimmered on the warhammer, and with a single blow, he smashed a two-meter-tall battle golem into twisted pieces. Behind him, the "Anvil" legion followed closely, forming a solid shield wall that forcefully withstood the first wave of the mechanical army's assault.

However, the situation on the battlefield did not improve in the slightest. The real nightmare descended from the sky.

With a piercing shriek, hundreds of dark figures soared into the air from the city. These were the most elite aerospace assault troops of the Empire's "Punishment Legion." Equipped with advanced anti-gravity flight wings and wielding high-energy beam rifles, they swooped down like a flock of vultures, launching a brutal hunt from the air against the allied forces' rear-line mages and archers.

"Shadow Scouts! Protect the rear!" Lina's figure darted swiftly through the shadows, her claws like the sharpest daggers, relentlessly tearing at the throats of the Imperial soldiers descending from the sky. Her subordinates also emerged, engaging the aerial enemies in a desperate battle with blowguns, traps, and precise assassinations.

The entire battlefield instantly transformed into a colossal meat grinder fueled by lives. Every second, hundreds and thousands of lives were lost. Although the Allied forces managed to maintain their lines thanks to high morale and coordinated efforts across multiple branches of the military, their lines were being gradually compressed and devoured by the Empire's seemingly endless and costless superior manpower and firepower.

“This won’t do!” General Yue Zhenshan’s face was filled with anxiety. He commanded the soldiers of the former Seventh Legion, using their understanding of Imperial tactics to struggle against the flank attack. He shouted loudly to Irelia beside him, “Your Majesty! The Imperial’s regular troops and mechanical golems are only wearing down our manpower! Their real trump card, Zhang Huanyu’s ‘Cataclysmic Soldiers,’ has not yet been deployed! We must break through the city as soon as possible, otherwise, once we are exhausted, we will have no chance left!”

Irelia's gaze was sharp as a knife. She understood this perfectly well.

"Barton! Lina! General Yue!" Her voice, amplified by the power of holy light, clearly reached the ears of every commander. "Contract your lines and form a wedge-shaped assault formation! I'm here to... pave a path for you!"

Before she finished speaking, the "Sword of Dawn" in her hand erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant light. The light was so pure and so dazzling, like the first ray of dawn, instantly piercing through the smoke and darkness of the battlefield.

Irelia transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, charging towards the densest defensive line of the Imperial army. Her power was unleashed without restraint; wherever the holy light touched, the Empire's mechanical puppets short-circuited and exploded. The genetically modified soldiers of the "Punishment Legion," bathed in the holy light, howled in agony as if burned by flames, their inhuman genes being purified and destroyed by the power of the holy light.

"Judgment at Dawn!"

She raised her longsword high, and a huge sword shadow, a hundred meters long and made of pure holy light energy, descended from the sky, forcefully cleaving a huge gap in the impenetrable line of the Imperial Army!

"Now! Follow me!" Irelia took the lead, charging towards the city gates of the City of Heaven along the path she had carved out.

"Charge!" The Alliance warriors were greatly encouraged. They followed the golden figure closely, like a sharp dagger, stabbing fiercely into the heart of the Empire.

On the city wall, Lin Feng remained expressionless as he watched everything unfold. The immense power displayed by Irelia seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever. He merely glanced indifferently at Zhang Huanyu beside him.

"It's time for your 'toy' to make its appearance."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" A bloodthirsty fervor flashed in Zhang Huanyu's eyes. He suddenly waved his hand.

"'Divine Soldiers of Calamity'! Strike! Purge all rebels on the spot!"

At his command, the hundred super soldiers on the city wall, who resembled death statues, simultaneously gleamed with a crimson light in their eyes. Without any further movement, they leaped from the hundred-meter-high wall!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A hundred heavy thuds sounded almost simultaneously. They crashed to the ground like meteorites, leaving spiderweb-like cracks in the hard alloy floor. They stood in front of Irelia's assault force, forming an insurmountable defensive line built of despair.

The battle reached its peak at this moment.