The Sky Squad had joined forces with the main army of the martial alliance outside the gates of Prisma. An overwhelming host had gathered from every corner of the realm, though the main reinforcement columns were still en route. Until those continental legions arrived, the defenders assembled at Prisma had to hold the line at all costs.

Off to one side, Alicia was in deep conversation with Gayatri. The two were coordinating their offensive disciplines to forge a combined magical assault against the dark vanguard—a logical strategy, given that both commanded high-tier spellcasting abilities, despite specializing in different elemental branches.

Their conversation paused as Aji materialized beside them, stepping silently out of thin air. Gayatri was well-accustomed to his unpredictable movements; Aji possessed an extraordinary mastery over spatial manipulation, weaving seamless, stabilized portals to relocate across short distances in the blink of an eye.

"I need a word with both of you," Aji said. His tone carried a sharp, undeniable gravity that turned his request into a direct command.

Stepping away from the bustling ranks, the three found a quiet enclave beneath a grove of ancient trees. Aji bypassed all pleasantries, diving straight to the point.

"I am going to share the truth of what lies ahead so you are not caught off-guard on the battlefield—especially you, Alicia," Aji said, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before turning to Gayatri. "Gayatri, your sensory domain is a critical pillar in this campaign. Your perception could very well be the key to securing victory for the martial alliance."

Alicia and Gayatri exchanged perplexed glances, struggling to grasp his meaning. Aji then laid bare the intelligence retrieved by Aaman: the dark army's primary aces—the two dormant entities prepared by Lord Demon Shura—were none other than two of the legendary Three Legends. Upon hearing her grandfather’s name, Alicia stiffened. A surge of volatile aura erupted around her clenched fists as a wave of cold fury washed over her.

Aji placed a hand on her shoulder to center her focus. He assured her that the situation could still be resolved, but offered a hard, necessary counsel: Alicia herself would have to face her grandfather’s reanimated vessel on the battlefield. He urged her to remember that the entity was no longer her grandfather, but a mindless thrall stripped of consciousness, reanimated through the absolute dark parameters of the Blood Supreme and bound to Shura’s mandate.

He emphasized this point to ensure her emotions would not compromise her judgment when she confronted the figure on the front lines. She had to hold fast to the truth: the thrall before her was merely a husk whose legendary power had been hijacked by the Demon Lord.

It was up to Alicia to strike down the reanimated vessel, cleanse her grandfather’s legacy, and prove herself a worthy successor to his eternal spirit.

Aji provided her with key tactical insights to exploit structural flaws in her grandfather's combat style, though he noted that the ultimate outcome depended entirely on her own martial growth. Turning to the broader strategy, he entrusted the defense of the front lines to Alicia and her comrades, expressing total faith in their ability to repel the dark legions.

Turning his attention back to Gayatri, Aji instructed her to utilize her wide-area sensory domain to assist him in disrupting the enemy’s command structure, scattering their formations to prevent them from concentrating their vanguard. Her assignment was set to be one of the most vital mandates in the coming battle.

He outlined her specific tactical duties, urging her to maintain absolute mental fortitude against the dark army's psychological warfare. Gayatri absorbed his instructions quietly, understanding her role. Satisfied, Aji prepared to take his leave to finalize his own preparations.

"Aji," Gayatri called out softly before he could depart.

Aji paused, turning over his shoulder. Gayatri had observed him closely as he issued directives to the alliance, sensing that he was preparing to undertake a monumental, solitary burden—a task so vast that only he possessed the parameters to execute it. Yet she felt strongly that he was keeping a vital truth to himself.

"Will you return to us after this war is over?"

Her question hung in the air. Aji fell silent as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above. He drew a long, slow breath.

"Come back to us..." Gayatri added, her voice soft yet filled with earnest warmth. "You have a home with the Sky Squad. We will always be waiting for you, Aji."

Aji looked back at Gayatri and Alicia. A gentle, reassuring smile touched his lips as he offered a silent nod. With time running out, he leaped into the air, vanishing into the high canopy of the forest.

As he bounded from branch to branch at extreme speed, a sudden, heavy tremor vibrated through his core. He felt the atmospheric channels buckle under a massive, surging pressure. They have begun to march. The dark legions had unsealed their positions, moving in unison toward the main gates of Prisma.

Accelerating his pace, Aji surged toward the alliance's forward encampment. He needed to meet with Commander Dasatama immediately.

The dark army had mobilized, advancing in a massive, unified front toward the central gates of Prisma. Following a strategic council between Lord Demon Shura, Nesia, and the eight remaining Annihilation Demons, the dark command had resolved to launch an immediate, full-scale frontal assault directly against the capital.

A vast legion of one million dark operatives marched across the plain. The eight Annihilation Demons rode at the vanguard of the formation, while Lord Demon Shura and Nesia occupied a grand war carriage at the center of the vast sea of dark troops.

Global war was now unavoidable. The sheer scale and suffocating aura of the dark army were enough to strike terror into the hearts of any cultivator.

Shura's strategy was ruthless and absolute: crush the city of Prisma in a swift, devastating stroke, leaving zero survivors among the martial alliance or the civilian population. Every mortal who refused to kneel before the Demon Lord’s absolute mandate was marked for total eradication.

The heavy, synchronized march of a million dark combatants vibrated through the earth, felt for miles across the province. The terrifying cadence of armored boots, clashing armaments, and bloodthirsty, mutated faces carved a path of total destruction across the landscape. Every operative radiated a suffocating, corrupted aura that blotted out the light.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The dark legion pressed forward, splitting the plains as they closed the distance to Prisma. From the elevated platform of their central war carriage, Shura rested his chin on his palm beside Nesia.

"We shall observe from here while the eight Annihilation Demons tear through their forward lines," Shura stated smoothly. "I anticipate they will level the defenders of Prisma without requiring our direct intervention. Preserve your parameters."

Nesia bowed her head respectfully. "By your command, My Lord." She harbored total faith in the Eight Annihilation Demons, knowing their combined parameters were more than enough to obliterate the orthodox forces.

Nesia understood her master's nature well. Shura would step onto the field only when the strategic moment aligned—and when he did, the absolute annihilation of the martial alliance would follow instantly. The terrifying depth of Shura's power transcended anything a mortal mind could comprehend.

Like a relentless swarm of locusts, the dark army carpeted the plains, blanketing the earth as far as the eye could see. Forward scouts from the continental defense divisions spotted the massive dust cloud from their observation posts, hastily transmitting urgent updates back to command that the enemy had breached the outer perimeter.

Simultaneously, an intelligence officer reached Commander Dasatama's forward command post, reporting that Shura’s main force had entered the Orpris continent. The dark army was estimated to reach the gates of Prisma within an hour. At that exact moment, Aji stepped into the command tent to join Dasatama.

Dasatama welcomed Aji immediately, ushering him into an emergency strategy session with the ten primary division commanders assigned to lead the alliance vanguard—a group that included Dasatama and Aji. Before the briefing could commence, five senior continental advisors entered the marquee, and Dasatama invited them to join the council to finalize their defensive battle plan.

The five grand advisors—Grandmaster Nurin, Alex, Yingnan, Gundala, and the elder Silvi—had arrived at top speed, ready to lend their wisdom and high-tier parameters to the defense of Prisma.

The dark army's vector was confirmed: they were advancing along a single, direct line of attack. It was an offensive born of supreme arrogance, driven by the belief that the defenders of Prisma possessed no counter to their overwhelming numbers, especially with continental reinforcements still days away.

The alliance forces assembled at Prisma had to hold the line at all costs, stalling the dark army's advance until the remaining continental armies completed their march.

As the council progressed, the majority of the division leaders advocated for a turtle strategy—withdrawing all forces inside the high walls of Prisma to conduct a siege defense. They argued that holding the fortified city would maximize their defensive advantages while buying time for external reinforcements to arrive, especially since the civilian population had already been safely evacuated. From behind the reinforced ramparts, they could deploy array-based counter-attacks and ambush tactics.

However, Dasatama hesitated. Glancing toward Aji, who stood quietly among the council, Dasatama recalled the youth's true, god-like parameters. Though the other division commanders and grand advisors were unaware of Aji's true depth, Dasatama held his tactical insights in absolute regard.

"Aji, as the representative of the Sky Squad, what course of action do you propose?" Dasatama asked, turning the room's focus directly onto the youth.

The division commanders and grand advisors exchanged subtle, surprised looks. They found it peculiar that the supreme commander of the martial alliance displayed such profound deference to a young warrior—especially in a room filled with battle-hardened generals and ancient advisors.

Aji offered a calm, measured smile as he met Dasatama’s gaze. "My recommendation is simple: we do not wait for them behind the walls of Prisma. Hiding inside the city will only guarantee our destruction. Remember who we are facing—this is Lord Demon Shura’s dark army, not a band of mountain bandits you can trap with urban trickery."

Aji’s sharp retort carried an underlying warning: the dark army possessed raw, destructive parameters capable of incinerating an entire metropolis in a single breath. Bottling their forces inside a fixed perimeter would transform Prisma into a massive kill-zone, trapping the defenders in a cage of their own making.

Dasatama nodded slowly, absorbing the logic. Yet several division leaders and advisors voiced immediate objections, arguing that engaging a million-man dark legion in open-field combat with inferior numbers was nothing short of a suicide march.

"I agree with the young warrior from the Sky Squad," a voice cut through the debate. It was Alex—the former grandmaster who had once been corrupted by dark magic and manipulated into attempting Dasatama's assassination.

Stepping forward, Alex declared firmly, "We can hold our ground in open-field combat if our tactical coordination is absolute! Fighting on the open plain grants us room to maneuver, whereas hiding behind walls limits our strategic options!"

Aji smiled warmly at Alex, acknowledging his unexpected endorsement.