A terrifying explosion rippled forth from White as he smashed right into the ground of the planet.
CRAAACK!
CRAAACK!
Following next were massive cracks that rippled throughout the length of the approaching army, the entire world itself seemingly splitting into two.
The abyss that opened up swallowed the unlucky Centaurs on its path, but then,
GROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWL!
GROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWL!
GROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWL!
Growls exploded forth as the Centaur army that had been marching forward all began to run, their hooves crumbling the ground beneath them while their various weapons of carnage were raised high into the air.
To stand before an army of millions of Hellish Centaurs, each one having seemingly descended from Hell itself and holding nothing but an uncontrollable killing intent.
It was a scene that would easily paralyze even the most courageous warriors, but White?
He remained standing, his cold eyes quietly surveying the hellish army advancing toward him before, all at once,
BAAAAAAAAAAAAM!
The ground beneath him caved inward as White suddenly dropped down, all six of his massive arms slamming into the earth and sinking through the hardened ground as though it were nothing more than soft mud.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLLLLL—RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
A hellish groan erupted from the depths of his chest, growing louder and deeper with every passing second until it no longer resembled the voice of any living creature, but instead the roar of an ancient devil whose very existence had long since been erased from the natural order.
In that very instant, the golden panel flashed.
[Demon Engine Bloodline In Use!]
[Skill, Malphas Ascendant Has Been Activated!]
BAAADUUUUUUUUMP!
A heartbeat echoed throughout the battlefield, and it was hard to believe it had come from White himself.
It was as though another existence had suddenly awakened within his very bloodline, one whose heartbeat alone made the surrounding atmosphere pulse violently before every cloud above the battlefield exploded apart into spiraling rings that stretched beyond the horizon.
The veins beneath his pale skin suddenly convulsed before erupting outward, spreading across every inch of his seven-meter body in an instant as rivers of pitch-black and violet coursed beneath his flesh like molten lava flowing through transparent crystal.
The muscles along all six of his arms swelled up violently, expanding layer after layer with explosive force, the flesh continuously growing denser while terrifying cracks echoed from deep within his bones as his entire skeletal structure began reconstructing itself.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!
The robe wrapped around him burst apart beneath the overwhelming expansion of his body, fragments vanishing into the storm of violet mist now pouring endlessly from every pore across his skin as though Hell itself had chosen his body as the gateway through which it would enter reality.
His already colossal frame refused to stop expanding, and all at once, the growth began.
Eight meters...
...nine meters
Ten meters...
...eleven meters
Twelve meters...
...thirteen meters
Fourteen meters...
...Fifteen Meters!
Even then, the growth continued, every inch of newly formed muscle compressing upon itself until his physique no longer resembled that of a giant, but instead something born solely for warfare, every movement of his body causing microscopic fractures to continuously appear and disappear throughout the surrounding space beneath the overwhelming physical force contained within his flesh alone.
His six arms thickened even further, the joints shifting with violent cracks as elongated obsidian claws slowly extended from every finger, each one radiating enough pressure to effortlessly tear apart mountains, while ancient violet runes slowly emerged beneath the skin covering every arm before spreading across his shoulders, chest, and neck like markings engraved by primordial demons countless ages ago.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
Two enormous horns suddenly burst from his forehead before twisting upward into countless jagged branches, resembling the crown of some forgotten Devil Monarch.
With every pulse of demonic energy flowing through them, the surrounding atmosphere distorted as though reality itself found their existence difficult to endure.
Behind him,
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The heavens shattered beneath an eruption of demonic force as two unimaginably enormous wings tore from his back.
Neither feathered nor leathery, they were formed entirely from overlapping layers of obsidian scales fused together with condensed demonic flesh. Countless crimson runes burned across every membrane, while endless violet mist continuously leaked from the spaces between them.
The wings slowly unfolded.
One hundred meters.
Two hundred.
Three hundred.
Their shadow swallowed entire cities beneath them before finally coming to rest across the heavens like the wings of an ancient calamity descending upon the world.
His waist-length white hair continued growing until it flowed far beyond his knees, drifting through the raging sea of violet mist surrounding him like strands of moonlight dancing within absolute darkness.
At the same time, the ringed white eyes that had always defined him slowly disappeared, replaced by abyss-like pupils burning with a sinister violet radiance.
Within them lay neither rage nor hatred, but only the emotionless gaze of a supreme devil looking down upon lesser forms of life.
Then White slowly rose to his full height.
The simple act of standing caused the ground beneath his feet to collapse for dozens of kilometers, mountain ranges in the distance trembling uncontrollably while the surrounding air continuously shattered and reconstructed itself around his monstrous frame as though reality itself had begun rejecting the existence of the being now standing within it.
The Umbrawyric King had disappeared, and in his place stood Malphas.
The rage in White’s eyes had been replaced by an unquenchable lust for battle due to the transformation, leaving him no time to admire his new form.
He looked forward at the approaching army, his maw widening into a grin.
HEHEHEHEHE!
A terrifying cackle bordering on insanity echoed out, and in the next moment,
VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
The air exploded into nothingness, followed by the ground beneath him collapsing into ruin as White tore through the air.
Even before the overwhelming demonic aura, the Hellish Centaurs seemed to have lost their ability to feel fear as they raced toward him with feverish fervor, and in the next moment,
KAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A devastating collision erupted as both hellish forces rammed into one another, and the devastating war began.