Flames shot into the sky, and the prison was swallowed by a blinding light. It was as if a miniature sun had exploded, unleashing breathtaking destruction.

But in an instant, without any warning, the fierce light brimming with terrifying energy transformed into tens of millions of colorful paper butterflies. They rode a gale, fluttering through the air like a vibrant rain. The scorching heat, intense enough to vaporize a human body, vanished without a trace.

Zhou Chen lowered his Magic Wand, frowning slightly.

Without a doubt, this was a premeditated suicide attack, and its primary target was none other than "Siegfried."

To be honest, Zhou Chen wasn’t surprised in the slightest. "Siegfried" had repeatedly performed great feats on the side fronts, turning government Ascenders and soldiers to their cause. He later gave speeches in twenty-one cities, becoming a renowned figure in the Salvation Army. His fame had long since spread through both armies, so it was impossible for the North Carolina Government not to know who he was.

It was a no-brainer. The more the North Carolina Government knew about him, the more they would want to eliminate him. After all, with such a dangerous individual as their enemy, who could sleep soundly at night?

Zhou Chen just hadn’t expected the attack to be so sudden. If he had reacted even a fraction of a second slower, the persona of "Siegfried" would have been wiped out for good.

"Are you guys all right?"

Zhou Chen turned to look at the soldiers slumped on the ground behind him. Their faces were pale, and they stammered, unable to form a single word, as if their tongues were tied in knots. It took several dozen seconds before one of them finally managed a trembling reply, "W-we’re... all right..."

If his Magic Wand hadn’t turned the tide, these soldiers would have been vaporized into nothing by the scorching energy. Although they were lucky to have survived, the terrifying power of the explosion and their brush with death had left an indelible trauma in their hearts. They would need time to recover.

"What happened?" Just then, the Plague Doctor and the others rushed over. The explosion had alarmed the entire military camp, and many soldiers had instinctively grabbed their weapons, thinking they were under enemy attack.

"A suicide attack targeting me," Zhou Chen said concisely.

’A suicide attack...’ The Plague Doctor’s and the others’ hearts sank.

「A few minutes later.」

Inside the command tent.

Zhou Chen silently stared at the latest casualty report.

He had indeed saved several Salvation Army soldiers, but a few others had died—they had been too close to the blast and too far from him. Not even their bones remained.

This made him sigh internally. It wasn’t that he blamed himself for failing to save them. The situation had been too sudden; he’d only had time to protect himself. Being able to save a portion of the soldiers was already pushing his limits.

He sighed because those soldiers had died a meaningless death.

Having been in the Salvation Army for so long, Zhou Chen was well aware of its warriors’ attitude toward sacrifice. They didn’t fear death, but they feared a meaningless one. If they had to die, they wanted it to be on the battlefield, overthrowing the North Carolina Government—a worthy end. Dying in a suicide attack could hardly be considered valuable or meaningful. Zhou Chen felt sorry for them.

"Don’t blame yourself too much," a square-faced regimental commander said grimly. "This was our oversight. We failed to detect the Alchemy Matrixes on those traitors. Without you, the casualties would have been far more severe."

"This was a premeditated suicide attack. The traitors exposing themselves was part of the plan, all to lure Siegfried out," the Plague Doctor said. "The Alchemy Matrixes on those traitors were extremely well-hidden; even several Tier Three Ascenders didn’t detect them. It looks like the government is desperate to eliminate Siegfried... you’ve become too famous lately."

Zhou Chen shook his head slightly. "They weren’t necessarily from the government."

"Then who?" The Plague Doctor froze, then immediately caught on. "Fallen Paradise?"

"That’s right." Zhou Chen summoned his Magic Wand and gazed at it. "Fallen Paradise has probably guessed that the Magic Wand is in my possession, so they want me dead. Once I’m killed, the Magic Wand will return to them."

’Of course, it’s not that simple,’ Zhou Chen thought. ’If "Siegfried" dies, what does that have to do with me, Zhou Chen? The Magic Wand still wouldn’t return to them. But in Fallen Paradise’s eyes, killing "Siegfried" would allow them to retrieve the Magic Wand and eliminate a key general of the Salvation Army. If they got lucky, they might even take out a few more. It’s killing several birds with one stone.’

"That makes sense. I’ll report this to the Star Association," the Plague Doctor nodded. "Even if there’s nothing more to uncover, we still need to follow procedure. After all, if Fallen Paradise is involved, we can’t afford to be careless. We have to proceed with caution."

’First the Wish Box, now Fallen Paradise...’ Zhou Chen sighed to himself. ’How did I end up with all these tigers staring me down?’

’Well then. I’ll just have to show them how the pig hunts the tiger.’

The suicide attack caused considerable turmoil in the camp, but things stabilized within ten minutes. The Salvation Army was highly disciplined; at a single command, the soldiers instantly suppressed their curiosity.

At this critical juncture, there was no room for complacency.

Because the final battle was about to begin.

In just a few short hours, the Salvation Army had advanced frantically, capturing several major cities in the north. Faced with the Salvation Army’s ferocious momentum, the garrisons in those cities surrendered without hesitation, showing no intention of putting up a fight.

The most interesting part was that when the Salvation Army stormed the garrison camps, they found many soldiers playing cards. Upon seeing the Salvation Army, the soldiers looked relieved and eagerly gestured for the invaders to tie them up. This left the Salvation Army’s soldiers rather baffled. Upon questioning, they learned that most of these garrison soldiers were from the lower classes, conscripted by the government against their will. They had no desire to fight and were actually hoping the Salvation Army would come and absorb them into their ranks. That way, they could look forward to eating meat every day.

At this point, the only unliberated city left was the North Carolina Capital.

Iron-blooded Colonel Jason had retreated with the remnants of his defeated army to the outskirts of the Capital, preparing to make a final stand. For the Salvation Army, this was destined to be a grueling battle. The Government Army would use all its strength to repel their assault and buy time until the conflict between the Crowned Kings was decided.

This was why the Government Army’s main force had never given up hope. They were all counting on Enoch to turn the tide of the war, just as he had over a decade ago—to slaughter the damned Salvation Army and beat the lower classes back into slavery.

The front lines.

The Salvation Army’s position.

An old man appeared in mid-air. He wore a military greatcoat, his hair and beard were white, but he was full of vigor. The moment he appeared, he became an undeniable presence, as if he were the master of the entire world.

Reflections of blood and fire flickered in his dark eyes. He lowered his gaze, looking down upon the distant Government Army positions. Then, the old man gave a soft chuckle.

"For many years, the upper class of North Carolina has oppressed those on the bottom. Even now, they still see us as pariahs, as slaves born to serve them.

How absurd their thinking is.

It is time to break our chains! Comrades, go and tell these elites that the times have changed!

We will break the unjust order and build a brand new future!"

His expression turned cold and solemn as he declared the start of the war:

"—ATTACK! GO AND RECLAIM THE FREEDOM, DIGNITY, AND POWER THAT ARE OURS!"