The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.

Even a Crowned King has things to fear: the passing of friends and family, the sacrifice of comrades-in-arms...

In that instant, a chilling wind of fear howled forth, sweeping across the Mirror World battlefield and enveloping everyone, friend and foe alike. An irrepressible, lingering chill and terror rose in the hearts of the five Crowned Kings, as if they were once again their weaker selves, facing a mortal crisis.

That unknown, immense fear of death devoured their Souls bit by bit like an Abyss, and every cell in their bodies cried out in lament, making them shudder uncontrollably.

The shock of fear caused the five Crowned Kings to experience abnormal emotional fluctuations and mental confusion. In that briefest of moments, Enoch snatched at the air, gripping a royal longsword wreathed in bloody vapor and black mist. Filled with a murderous intent born of finally unleashed Anger, he viciously slashed down at Volibear.

There was no sharp glint of the blade, no grandiose halo of light. The moment the sword fell, a great spray of blood erupted from Volibear’s body, splattering in all directions. The Fear in his heart deepened, and a chill spread through his very core.

BOOM!

A clap of thunder exploded. Volibear instantly transformed into a body of pure lightning, composed entirely of scorching flashes and thunderbolts. A tyrannical peal of thunder reverberated through everyone’s souls, dispelling the Fear in their hearts.

A fleeting streak of brilliant lightning shot out, piercing toward Enoch, but he raised his royal longsword and deflected it. The bolt of light struck the ground, instantly tearing open a fissure dozens of kilometers long. A violent sea of thunderbolts flickered and surged within it.

"Enoch, you’re truly ruthless," Volibear said, paying no mind to his own injuries, as they had been erased the moment he underwent Essence Materialization. He looked at Enoch and spoke mockingly, "To absorb so much Authority Secret Power in an instant, what exactly did you do to your people? Do you still deserve to be the King of North Carolina?"

"The victor is crowned king, the loser is condemned. Don’t you understand such a simple truth?" Enoch said coolly. "If Havier had won back then, he would be the King of North Carolina. But I was the one who won in the end, so I became the king. My kingdom, my people—I call the shots."

"No wonder Nick Gista looks down on you," Volibear mocked.

Nick Gista was a Crowned King from Australia, granted the title "King of Fear and Slaughter." Because he wielded the same Authority as Enoch, the two had clashed over it many times. Nick had once publicly stated on the international stage that he looked down on Enoch, mocking him as a remnant of a feudal society and a cowardly, fatuous monarch.

"I don’t need his respect," Enoch said, his gaze darkening. "I have reached a height he could never hope to achieve in his lifetime. The strong have no need to concern themselves with the opinions of the weak."

"BWAHAHAHA..." Volibear burst out laughing as if he’d just heard the greatest joke in the world, clutching his sides. With every laugh that escaped him, a thunderbolt exploded in the sky, booming loudly.

Even some of the Crowned Kings on Enoch’s side couldn’t help but stifle their laughter.

Enoch and Nick had clashed over their Authority several times, and Nick had won every single time. And despite both being Crowned Kings who wielded the "Fear" Authority, their actions were worlds apart.

Nick was a frequent visitor to the Abyss, spending two-thirds of the year there and obtaining his Fear Secret Power by slaughtering the Abyssal Races. Enoch, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. As a Crowned King, he had entered the Abyss only a handful of times. On the few occasions he did, he was nearly killed by an Abyss Monarch. After that, he never dared to venture into the Abyss again. Instead, he constantly oppressed the people of his own country, making everyone fear him to absorb his Secret Power. Nick wasn’t wrong to call him a coward who clung to life.

For him to now utter such words in such a grandiose tone, even his own allies couldn’t help but want to laugh.

But Enoch was right about one thing: the height he had now reached was very likely one Nick would never be able to reach in his entire life.

In just a few breaths, Enoch’s aura surged to a staggering level. The other Crowned Kings felt an unprecedented pressure, a sense of oppression they had only ever felt from a few Tier Five beings.

Every single one of those Tier Fives was an existence who had begun to climb the Ascension Ladder.

"Everyone, let’s get serious. We can’t let him go on like this," Volibear said, the smile vanishing from his face. A magnificent bolt of lightning shot into the sky. In an instant, the entire Mirror World was blanketed by dark clouds and crackling thunder, transforming into a vast sea of thunderbolts stretching for thousands of miles.

As if the Thunder God himself had descended, countless thunderbolts transformed into a torrent of light and erupted forth.

Volibear’s old rival, Dick, blocked the path of the immense lightning. He took a sharp breath, settling into a punching stance. Immediately, bright yellow flames coiled and rose around his body. As intense heat radiated outward, a terrifying Essence Fluctuation erupted, converging entirely upon his fist. And then, he punched!

The wildly dancing flames formed a gigantic fist of Fiery Fire that crashed into the immense lightning. In that moment, the entire Mirror World was enveloped in a blinding, pale white light.

Enoch unleashed his Fear Aura on Volibear. He had already mastered this Skill and could cast it on a specific target. The one he wanted to kill most was this glib-tongued mercenary who constantly provoked him, but Volibear had allies too.

The Tier Five King of War from "Omega" appeared before him without any warning. His Iron Fist, wreathed in the light of destruction, swung forward, wrapped in a violent hurricane.

The world itself seemed to change color.

Without dodging, Enoch took the punch head-on. His body abruptly exploded, shattering into countless fragments like porcelain. An exquisite rune, pulsing with immense Essence Fluctuation, fell and then detonated in mid-air, turning to dust.

’A Death Substitution Artifact...’ A thought flashed through the King of War’s mind. He immediately looked toward where Enoch’s aura had reappeared, and then he froze.

An ethereal staircase that seemed to lead to the edge of the Cosmos had appeared right in front of Enoch. With an irrepressible smile, he gazed up at the ladder leading to the supreme.

The Ascension Ladder!

The required path to the Divine Realm.

Only by walking the entire Ascension Ladder, reaching the end of the path, and arriving before the gates of the Divine Forbidden Area could one be called a "Demigod."

And by pushing open the gates to the Divine Realm, one could achieve godhood.

A supreme God!

"Wretches, contribute your all to my grand undertaking of Ascension to Divinity. Hereafter, I shall pardon you for the capital crime of rebellion.

Now, go and expel the Salvation Army and all other traitors. Otherwise, you will all surely die."

Laughing loudly, Enoch lifted his foot and stepped onto the first rung of the Ascension Ladder.

·

"Did you... Did you hear that?"

"It sounded like the president’s voice..."

"What is the president saying... something about a grand undertaking of ascension... Is he... is he trying to become a god?"

Enoch’s voice, transmitted through the link of his Fear Secret Power, reached the ears of the people of North Carolina. Countless individuals were instantly plunged into worry and endless Fear.

"The president wants us to expel the Salvation Army..."

"Rebellion is a capital crime. Of course the president can’t tolerate it..."

"The president is becoming a god. If we don’t do as he says, we’ll definitely be branded as traitors. We’ll be judged before we die, and then suffer endless torment after death..." someone said fearfully.

The King of North Carolina had always been an inviolable Emperor in the hearts of the common people. Now, his voice rang in everyone’s minds, a testament to his Power. It made the populace, already in a state of Fear, even more terrified and unwilling to disobey.

"What should we do...?"

"We have to unite and drive out the Salvation Army, of course," someone said, taking a deep breath. "After the president becomes a god, he’s definitely going to conduct a great purge of the country. If we don’t show where we stand now, we’ll all be dead by then."

"Th-that’s not right. The Salvation Army gave us freedom and dignity, they gave us food and treated us well. How can we repay their kindness with hate...? Besides..." The person’s voice grew quieter until it was a mumble. "It’s not like the president is guaranteed to become a god..."

"Hmph. Do you dare to make that bet? If you lose, your life is forfeit."

"Well..." The person hesitated, starting to feel afraid.

"Don’t worry. We’ll go explain the situation to the Salvation Army. I’m sure they’ll understand. Maybe they’ll even leave on their own."

"Yeah, yeah, the Salvation Army are all good people. They’ll definitely agree."

...

Enoch’s broadcast was exceptionally effective. Mobs of rioters appeared in the city, holding signs and protesting in the streets. They clamored for the Salvation Army to leave the city, shouting that if they didn’t leave, they would be murdering the citizens.

The Salvation Army organized personnel to hold back the protests. They had received orders from above not to clash with the protesting populace, which only made the people grow bolder. They began throwing rocks and glass bottles at the Salvation Army soldiers, calling them murderers.

"You keep saying you’re here for the common people of North Carolina! If that’s the case, why don’t you get the hell out? You staying here is just going to get us all killed!"

"If you’re really here for our own good, then leave already!"

"Mr. President is about to become a god! It is our honor to be his slaves!"

"Get lost! We don’t want to die!"

Salvation Army Command Headquarters.

Watching the protest footage streaming in from various locations, the conference room fell silent.

Zhou Chen sighed. "We removed the shackles from their bodies, but we can’t remove the shackles from their minds."

While it was true that some of the protestors were influenced by the Fear Matrix, a large portion of them were also normal people who were not affected.

This was enough to show just how bone-deep the slavish mentality of the North Carolina populace was. At the slightest shift in the battle, they wanted to give up, utterly spineless.

"This was to be expected," the Plague Doctor said calmly. "The vast majority of the common people have yet to be enlightened; they are ignorant and foolish. It would take three or four generations to change this situation. Right now, most of them lack backbone and spirit. What we saw before was just a flash in the pan."

"Then what should we do?" Zhou Chen asked.

"It’s simple. Our predecessors already learned this lesson the hard way. You can’t treat slaves with love, kindness, and tolerance. You must make them feel pain. Only then will they understand that the Salvation Army is no charity!"