The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom!
After what seemed both like a second and like countless years, those two vicious storms clashed. Saleh and Zhangchou Jianqiong, two of the strongest Great Generals of their respective empires, unleashed their full and terrible might, their different energies colliding like two blazing suns.
Kaboom! The sound of their collision drowned out all other noise on the battlefield, even the mighty roars of the Behemoths growing nigh inaudible for a moment.
No one could make out clearly how that battle in the sky was going. All that was visible was the destructive storm of energy around them, sharp bolts of energy shooting out from it like swords.
Bang! Bang! Bang! A large region centered on the two began to churn with dust, and hundreds of steel walls were blasted outward, leaving behind a large open region that was perfect for their two armies to battle.
“For Arabia!”
“For the Great Tang!”
With frightening war cries, the twenty thousand God’s Ordained Cavalry clashed with the twenty thousand soldiers of the ‘Nine Dragon Army’ that was formed from the nine different elite Tang armies.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Crashing and shrieking rang out in the air, and in just a few short moments, several thousand God’s Ordained Cavalry had fallen from their horses.
This most legendary and most powerful army of Arabia had finally encountered a true opponent.
The ‘Nine Dragon Army’ formed from the nine finest armies of the Great Tang was probably the strongest army the Great Tang could deploy.
In Talas, where that army had been hastily formed and didn’t even have nine armies in total, it had naturally been impossible to utilize the full power of the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner. But after a long time and with the utmost support of the various Protector-Generals, the Nine Dragon Army had transformed.
“Xuanwu Army!”
Loud cries rang out over the army. Of the nine armies, the one bearing the brunt of the God’s Ordained Cavalry’s charge was none other than the defensively-oriented Xuanwu Army. In terms of attack power, the Xuanwu Army was probably the weakest of the nine, far from the level of the Tongluo Cavalry or Wushang Cavalry.
But Wang Chong had asked Zhao Fengchen to train this army primarily for defense, and the reasoning for this was now on full display.
Boomboomboom!
The divine God’s Ordained Cavalry with their shining armor charged forward, their horses neighing as they raised their wall-felling armored hooves and slammed them down. At the front line, the Xuanwu Army soldiers raised their round shields, focused their energy, and took defensive stances. There was a deafening boom as hoof met shield, and a visible shockwave radiated from the impact site.
“Raaa!” a Xuanwu Army soldier bellowed. The veins on his forehead bulged, but he managed to hold against this terrifying strike.
After the baptism of battle, the soldiers of the Xuanwu Army had changed, and with the power of the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner’s halos, they could block the advance of the God’s Ordained Cavalry instead of crumbling like they did at Talas.
“Divine Prison Army, forward!”
As the Xuanwu Army held the line, the Divine Prison Army soldiers came forward with their swords, stepping past the defense line and cleanly thrusting into the God’s Ordained Cavalry.
Plush! Plush! With a single thrust, a Divine Prison soldier pierced through the armor of a God’s Ordained rider, plunging his sword deep into his body.
In terms of defensive power, the Divine Prison Army was undoubtedly one of the weakest, and Wang Chong had never trained this army for defense. This army was entirely about offense, and with the Xuanwu Army, they represented two extremes. In this single assault, several hundred God’s Ordained Cavalry were slain.
The sharp swords of the Divine Prison Army had torn through their defensive energy and stabbed straight into their hearts!
“Kill!”
After this assault, the Divine Martial Army, Dragon Stallion Army, Azure Martial Army, and all the other armies followed. Horses crashed to the ground, and the unstoppable momentum of the God’s Ordained Cavalry was brought to a sudden halt.
Like a rampant flood encountering a dike, all the God’s Ordained Cavalry came to a sudden stop.
The nine halos provided by the war banner were something that not even the legendary God’s Ordained Cavalry could get any advantage over. In fact, in this first clash, they had actually taken significant losses!
“How?!”
Saleh and Khatabah both grimaced at this sight.
The God’s Ordained Cavalry was Khatabah’s personal army that he had created with his own hands, and it was known throughout the western world as the strongest army. Even Qutaybah’s famous Revelation Army was inferior. And the proof of their strength was in how they had been able to simply ‘kick’ the Tang defensive line out of their way.
There should have been no army on the continent able to match it, but the inconceivable was taking place right before their eyes!
“What incredible strength from the east! That dragon banner must be the reason for their formidable power!” the High Priest suddenly said, his voice carrying no consternation.
Khatabah’s face darkened, but he did not reply to the High Priest.
“Lucis, it’s your turn!”
A powerful mental wave crossed through space to enter Lucis’s mind.
Clack!
In the rear of the army, Lucis almost immediately turned to an ancient metal chest covered with mysterious inscriptions. Once the lock was opened, a hazy light erupted from the chest. Bzzz! Dark clouds suddenly began to gather over the Arab army.
As this gloomy energy shot out of the metal chest and into the air, the sky darkened, and then a crescent moon manifested in the pillar of energy.
Buzz!
On the other side, Wang Chong narrowed his eyes, immediately sensing this abnormality.
“Something’s not right!”
Wang Chong’s heart sank as his eyes shot over to the rear of the Arab army, where Lucis was standing. He didn’t recognize this Arab general, but Lucis’s identity wasn’t important. Wang Chong was entirely focused on that bizarre thing in his hands.
It was a tree!
The tree was about nine feet tall, its body made entirely of black metal. Ancient words and inscriptions had been inscribed across its surface, and crystalline light that seemed to be almost physical radiated from it.
Most striking of all was the crown of the tree, where a crystalline ‘crescent moon’ radiated bright light.
The Moon God Tree!
Wang Chong’s heart sank in realization.
Wang Chong had not seen this item in his last life, but he had heard of it, as it had an incredibly unique shape. It was rumored that many, many ages ago, far before the Arabian Empire, in that part of the western world near the sea, an ancient moon god had been worshiped.
The Moon God Tree was the symbol of this god, and it possessed inconceivable power!
However, that was a long, long time ago. That ancient god of the moon had disappeared along with the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars into the river of time.
Wang Chong had only occasionally heard about in the apocalyptic era. It was said that the Arabian Empire in the west had briefly used it before being completely conquered by the otherworldly invaders.
He had almost forgotten those long-ago memories. He had never imagined that this Moon God Tree would actually exist, much less that Khatabah would bring it to the east to use on this battlefield.
“Careful!”
Wang Chong only had time to send this mental warning to Zhangchou Jianqiong and the others. Before he had time to make another order, there was a flash of light, and then Lucis took the Moon God Tree and placed it on the ground.
Silence!
Absolute silence!
Time slowed to a crawl, and the earth began to groan. Dust shot into the air for dozens of feet when the Moon God Tree landed, as if the earth itself could not bear this power. Kaboom! As time returned to its normal flow, an immense energy coalesced into waves of hazy light that began to ripple outward.
Dazzling light instantly engulfed the battlefield, surging into the bodies of the God’s Ordained Cavalry and all the other Arab cavalry on the front line. A moment later, cheers erupted across the field.
As the Tang soldiers stared in shock, the already-formidable Arab cavalry and God’s Ordained Cavalry grew stronger and stronger, one halo after another appearing at their feet.
“Kill them all!”
A moment later, the strengthened Arab cavalry vigorously charged.