The sealing techniques of the Amenkha Empire were profound and complex.

In truth, some Magus World knights and mages had also achieved notable accomplishments in sealing arts and self-sealing techniques.

Yet compared to the Amenkha Empire, where the entire populace cultivated sealing arts, they still fell short.

The most common form of sealing technique within the Amenkha Empire was the First Seal.

This First Seal was far from simple. When broken down, it encompassed more than ten distinct cultivation tiers.

As a Rank Eight overlord, the Eighth Pharaoh had undoubtedly mastered the First Seal.

Beyond First Seal was Second Seal, a state attained by only an exceedingly rare few.

If breaking the First Seal represented advancement through one minor realm, then breaking the Second Seal meant leaping across two realms.

According to official records of the Magus Civilization, only two overlord-level beings of the Amenkha Empire had ever achieved the ability to break the Second Seal—the First Pharaoh and the Third Pharaoh.

One had stood on the brink of Rank Nine, while the other had been the chosen successor destined to lead the Amenkha Empire. Such achievements were understandable.

But what about this Eighth Pharaoh?

This was precisely the source of Bev’s disbelief.

If even the Eighth Pharaoh could break the Second Seal, did that not mean that the Pharaohs ranked above him would be even more terrifying?

That possibility far exceeded the Magus Civilization’s original assessment of the Amenkha Empire’s strength.

Bev’s suspicions were well-founded.

With the situation spiraling beyond his control and a soul-level Magus World astrologer sealing off the fate power of the surrounding star domain, the Eighth Pharaoh could no longer rely on the Amenkha Empire to sense the anomaly here and send reinforcements in time. He had no choice but to unleash his true power.

Bev was right. While the Amenkha Empire’s sealing techniques were extraordinarily powerful, they came with inherent drawbacks.

Although breaking these seals granted Amenkha Empire beings temporary power boosts—often enough to decide battles between evenly matched foes, those same beings would inevitably enter a period of exhaustion and recovery once the effects wore off.

The Astral Realm maintained balance. No one could violate the law of conservation of energy and force indefinitely.

The Amenkha Empire’s sealing techniques essentially revolved around either depleting vital life force or drawing upon surplus life energy accumulated in the past to achieve short-term bursts of power.

The Eighth Pharaoh was usually able to maintain his unsealed state for twenty-five years.

For a Rank Eight overlord, that length of combat was neither particularly long nor short. Yet it was still insufficient to break through the blockade formed by the eleven powerhouses of the Magus Civilization.

Left with no other option, he could only recklessly attempt to break his Second Seal—a state he had not yet fully mastered.

With a low growl, the Eighth Pharaoh King’s arm began to swell, releasing immense overlord-level power that radiated outward in all directions.

So, this creature had actually cultivated the unsealing of his Second Seal to a certain degree!

However, contrary to expectations of a full-body unsealing, the Eighth Pharaoh King had only mastered it in his left arm.

The Eighth Pharaoh was left-handed as well. His right hand likely wielded the clawed bone staff more often in combat.

Once the left arm was fully unsealed, the Eighth Pharaoh’s aura did grow stronger—but only from that limb.

From a distance, the asymmetry of his overlord form was striking.

His left arm was countless times thicker than his right, making even the Eighth Pharaoh’s body appear slender by comparison.

Clair, the soul overmage of the Alveroth Empire, stared at the Eighth Pharaoh for a long moment before murmuring in appreciation, “This left arm... is truly a splendid specimen to be added to my collection!”

“That left arm is mine! It’ll become another prized specimen in my laboratory,” Bev declared, pointing at the Eighth Pharaoh.

The Eighth Pharaoh had not lied. He could indeed partially break his Second Seal. But if unsealing only a single arm was all he could manage, then Bev and the others clearly would not take him seriously. If anything, their desire to hunt him down only grew stronger. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Having forcibly unsealed his left arm, the Eighth Pharaoh did not feel particularly confident.

In his current condition, he lacked the stamina to sustain this state at full efficiency. Even breaking the seal on only his left arm introduced immense uncertainty to his future.

Worse still, in this state, his burst duration would shorten even further.

Where he had once been able to maintain it for roughly twenty-five years, he could now endure only a decade at most!

Of course, the surge in combat power brought by unsealing his left arm was undeniable.

Each swing of the Eighth Pharaoh King’s left arm sent violent spatial distortions rippling outward, churning the surrounding starry sky into turbulence.

Had it not been for Bev and the other Magus Civilization powerhouses sealing off the surrounding star domains in advance, this place—despite lying deep within Magus Civilization territory—would inevitably have drawn the attention of the Gallant Federation in neighboring star domains, as well as other lurking entities eager to profit from the Clash of Civilizations.

The violent power fluctuations unleashed by the Eighth Pharaoh and his clash with the Magus Civilization’s overlord-level beings became a direct test of the pre-deployed magic arrays.

After breaking the seal on his left arm, the Eighth Pharaoh surged forward with overwhelming momentum. Even Aeberton, the Fire Phoenix, and Baxia hesitated to confront his attacks head-on.

But what did it matter? He still could not break out of their blockade.

Relying on sheer numbers, the Magus World forces could simply prolong the battle long enough to outlast the Eighth Pharaoh’s burst duration.

For the Eighth Pharaoh, this was nothing short of a slow death.

Meanwhile, lurking at the edge of the battlefield, the Evileye Tyrant Monarch watched the Eighth Pharaoh’s ferocious display and began scheming once more.

Bev, of course, noticed the creature’s movements. She turned her gaze toward the treacherous Rank Seven being and spoke coldly.

“The Magus Alliance has never accepted traitors. However, if you’re willing to assist us in restraining this Pharaoh and ending his futile struggle, I’m willing to give you one more chance.”

Bev had previously rejected the Evileye Tyrant Monarch’s attempt to defect because, for an overlord-level existence, a mere law contract was laughably feeble.

Contracts forged by overlords might restrain beings of Rank Six and below, but they held little meaning for overlord entities.

An overlord’s Omnipotent Soul allowed these supreme beings of the Astral Realm to erase or rewrite laws with ease.

If such law contracts were truly effective, neither the Magus Civilization nor the Gallant Federation would have witnessed the betrayals of so many vassal civilizations during their war.

A traitor who betrayed once would inevitably betray again.

From the very core of her being, Bev distrusted creatures like the Evileye Tyrant Monarch.