The Amenkha Empire excelled above all else in the power of death and darkness. It also possessed formidable achievements in sealing techniques and the creation of monsters.

Nearly every powerful figure within the Amenkha Empire mastered a unique and terrifying self-sealing technique.

This practice traced its origins to an ancient tradition of the Amenkha Empire—flaying the skin of defeated enemies and wearing it as both a trophy of war and a personal adornment.

What Hela saw wrapped around the Eighth Pharaoh’s body were not bandages at all, but the skins of fallen powerhouses.

Over the course of his conquests across the Astral Realm, countless powerful beings had perished at the Eighth Pharaoh’s hands, including two formidable overlord-level entities.

These “bandages” were actually the skins of those two overlords and numerous law-wielding creatures he had slain.

In the Amenkha Empire, having one’s skin worn by the great Pharaohs was considered an honor for those weaker beings.

For someone like the Eighth Pharaoh, his bandages were contributed by Rank Six and above creatures.

Beyond the sheer quantity of skins, the crafting of these bandages also incorporated countless secrets unique to the Amenkha Empire.

The moment the bandages began to unravel was the moment the Eighth Pharaoh released his seal.

Already possessing Rank Eight power, his strength temporarily surged to an even more terrifying height!

Hela immediately sensed the overwhelming pressure radiating from the Eighth Pharaoh before her.

Although she wielded many powerful artifacts bestowed by her grandfather, facing the unsealed Eighth Pharaoh was still risky.

Even among overlords, strengths varied greatly.

The Eighth Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire stood as an undisputed elite among his kind.

As the unleashed aura swept outward in every direction, Hela produced yet another world-class secret treasure shaped like a circular shield while her gaze swept across the surrounding starry void.

According to her prior arrangement with her aunt, once the enemy took the bait, Bev would immediately lead the Magus Civilization’s elite forces to encircle the battlefield and cut off all escape routes.

But the situation before her made it clear that this Pharaoh had no intention of dragging the fight out. By undoing his self-imposed seal—his ultimate trump card, he meant to end the battle swiftly and decisively.

The real test for Hela was whether she could withstand the unsealed Eighth Pharaoh long enough for Bev and the other Magus Civilization powerhouses to arrive.

When the glowing halo of the world-class shield before her finally shattered, Hela let out a quiet sigh.

“Very well. Since becoming an overlord, my Omnipotent Soul reserves have remained abundant. With a Rank Eight Pharaoh taking the bait, I should make a proper contribution to the Magus Civilization,” she said calmly.

Bev had sent Hela to this battlefield for a reason.

Hela was one of the very few formidable beings within the Magus Civilization who, despite being only Rank Seven, could directly confront a Rank Eight overlord.

Sending a Rank Eight Overlord outright might not have lured the Amenkha Empire out, while sending an ordinary Rank Seven overlord would likely have cost them even the bait.

After careful consideration, the only viable choice was to entrust the mission to her own niece.

Hela had already prepared herself to make a sacrifice for the Magus Civilization.

Just as she drew a deep breath, ready to unleash her true form as the Goddess of Death and confront the Eighth Pharaoh who had broken his self-imposed seal... a piercing cry suddenly echoed from the depths of the distant starry sky.

The cry felt extremely familiar. Any Magus Alliance powerhouse lacking sufficient experience would have mistaken it for the Ice Phoenix’s.

Yet what appeared at the edge of Hela’s vision was a vast crimson sea of flames.

The Evileye Tyrant Monarch, who was about to enter the spatial passage behind the Eighth Pharaoh, suddenly shuddered. It was as if some unseen force had forcibly locked onto its body.

Its eyeball-like body slowly ignited with crimson fire. Even its countless tentacles began to combust spontaneously.

The sheer disparity in power left the Evileye Tyrant Monarch staring blankly at its own burning body.

In terms of sheer terror and oppressive presence, the fiery phoenix that had emerged from the edge of its vision was no less imposing than Hela—perhaps even slightly more so!

This was yet another Rank Eight overlord.

That said, it appeared to have advanced only recently. Its aura and pressure were still far weaker than those of the Eighth Pharaoh, who had just cast off his self-imposed seal.

Yes, this Fire Phoenix was an early-stage Rank Eight overlord.

Judging by its actions upon descending onto this battlefield, it was clearly an ally rather than an enemy of Hela.

Moreover, Hela recognized it at once.

This was none other than Morineo, the Fire Phoenix of the Magus Alliance—and the elder brother of the Ice Phoenix, Tamberina.

Yet tens of thousands of years ago, the Fire Phoenix had departed the Magus Alliance’s territory, roaming alone through distant star domains.

Even during recent Magus Alliance Conferences, he had not appeared. Only his younger sister, the Ice Phoenix, had attended in his stead.

Within the Magus Alliance, there had long been rumors of phoenix overlords.

Phoenixes were a uniquely formidable species, rivaling even dragons. Across the Astral Realm, their bloodline was equally renowned.

Because of the Fire Phoenix’s prolonged absence, many newer extraplanar beings who joined the Magus Alliance mistakenly believed that the Rank Seven Ice Phoenix was the alliance’s sole phoenix overlord.

That belief was wrong!

The phoenix overlord who represented the Magus Alliance in its early days was, in fact, this Fire Phoenix.

The Ice Phoenix ascended to the overlord realm much later, and it was said that her breakthrough was tied to the selfless sacrifice of a Rank Six Magus World mage during a moment of great peril.

Because of this, the Ice Phoenix Overlord had always held deep affection for the creatures of the Magus Civilization.

Even after her elder brother departed to wander distant star domains, the Ice Phoenix chose to remain within the Magus Alliance.

Within the alliance, her reputation had always been outstanding—second only to Aeluna, the God of Elves from Elven World.

The Ice Phoenix had always been known for her gentle and approachable nature. Countless Magus Civilization powerhouses, as well as many alliance creatures, had received her protection and care. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

During the rebellion of the Grand Eye Demon World, the Rank Seven Evileye Tyrant Monarch betrayed the Ice Phoenix.

It first earned her trust during the previous two Magus Alliance Conferences, establishing a seemingly solid cooperative relationship.

Then, on the eve of the Clash of Civilizations, it struck without hesitation.

It remained unclear whether its failure stemmed from sheer incompetence or from the overwhelming regenerative power inherent to the phoenix bloodline.

The Evileye Tyrant Monarch had plotted meticulously, even securing the Gallant Federation’s full support in its attempt to assassinate the Ice Phoenix.

Yet in the end, it only managed to severely wound her, instead of killing her outright.

Had the Ice Phoenix perished, the early course of the Clash of Civilizations would have tilted far more decisively in the Gallant Federation’s favor.

The Fire Phoenix, who had just arrived on this battlefield, was also stunned by the situation before him.

He had no idea why an existence as terrifying as the Eighth Pharaoh had appeared here; he had come only to deal with the Evileye Tyrant Monarch.

A soul-shaking cry burst from the Fire Phoenix’s sharp beak. “YOU! How dare you wound my little sister!”

In an instant, temperatures across the entire starry expanse began to climb.

Vast waves of flame surged outward from the Fire Phoenix’s wings, sweeping through the void in all directions.