A single spark could ignite the largest wildfire.

At this moment, the battlefield in the second defensive line could be described exactly like that.

Those fighting on there still could not fully grasp the overall situation. To them, the battle was nothing more than endless chaos spreading across the battlefield. However, for the higher-ups observing everything from the rear, especially the supreme commander overseeing this entire war zone, the truth was much clearer.

Huriu, a Late Stage Zone God, held the highest authority over this battlefield.

From the very beginning, he had watched the first wave of Godly Creatures destroy the first defensive line. Based on the original projections, the collapse should have immediately triggered a devastating chain reaction, allowing the first massive waves of Godly Creatures to crash directly into the second defensive line all at once, not long after.

Yet that outcome never happened.

And the reason was a single battalion.

Roan’s battalion.

Because Roan’s forces had somehow continued resisting long after the other battalions collapsed, the first waves of Godly Creatures never managed to advance together in one overwhelming surge. Instead, their momentum had been disrupted repeatedly during Roan’s battalion retreat.

That single delay created a massive difference across the battlefield.

The waves reaching the second defensive line no longer arrived simultaneously. There were gaps between them now, gaps that should never have existed under normal circumstances.

And those gaps gave the cultivators precious time to breathe.

It was precisely because of that delay that this section of the second defensive line had survived far longer than the second defensive lines in other battlefields throughout Toranzo Country and the other two countries.

Huriu’s eyes narrowed while observing the battlefield network. Roan’s battalion contribution was clear to see, especially now.

*Whizzz...*

High above the battlefield, Kentucky continued slaughtering Flying Godly Creatures as usual. His massive wings sliced through the skies while Sky Feather Blades continuously tore enemies apart.

Then suddenly...

He felt it.

A strange disturbance in the wind.

Kentucky’s eyes instantly shifted toward a distant section of the battlefield.

And then he saw it.

No...

More accurately, he realized he could barely see it at all.

Something dark was rapidly approaching from afar, yet it possessed no proper shape or outline. It resembled a massive cloud of black mist more than an actual living creature.

However, Kentucky immediately recognized what it was.

His voice exploded through the soul connection.

’Roan! It’s here!’

Roan’s eyes instantly narrowed. Without wasting even a fraction of a second, he turned toward Wurshan. "Pass my order. Every cultivator in our battalion must retract their Celestial Senses the moment I say so."

Wurshan immediately nodded. No explanation was necessary. In fact, every battalion commander on the battlefield would likely issue similar commands the moment they realized what had appeared.

After Roan’s earlier warning, Wurshan had already been mentally prepared. Now, seeing Roan’s reaction confirmed everything.

The Three-Eyed Raven had arrived!

Through the RCs, Wurshan’s voice immediately spread across the battalion.

-All platoons, the Three-Eyed Raven is approaching. Keep your Ring Communicators active and retract your Celestial Senses immediately once the command is given.-

The tension throughout the battlefield instantly skyrocketed. Not only Roan’s battalion, but countless cultivators across the second defensive line became nervous.

Kentucky was not the only one capable of noticing the black mist.

Any cultivator who happened to look in the Raven’s direction by coincidence would immediately notice the strange phenomenon approaching through the skies.

The news spread rapidly.

Unfortunately...

The Raven itself was even faster.

In only a few seconds, the enormous cloud-like figure had already crossed above multiple battalions stationed on the second defensive line.

*Arrghhh!*

*Ughhh!*

*Ghaaa!*

Painful cries immediately erupted everywhere. Not because the Raven physically attacked anyone. Nor because Godly Creatures took advantage of openings. Instead, the screams came from cultivators whose Celestial Senses accidentally touched the Raven’s body.

The backlash struck instantly.

The souls of those cultivators trembled violently the moment contact was made, as though their senses had slammed into an endless abyss. Some coughed blood immediately. Others nearly collapsed where they stood.

Several lost control of their techniques altogether.

The greatest nightmare of every large-scale defensive army had finally revealed itself. The reason the Three-Eyed Raven was feared as a flying calamity became painfully obvious once more.

Even knowing the danger beforehand changed very little. Large-scale warfare relied far too heavily on Celestial Senses.

Without them, cultivators lost awareness of incoming attacks, troop movements, battlefield positioning, and countless other details necessary for survival.

Yet using those senses near the Raven was equally dangerous.

As Roan had already noticed earlier, the second defensive line was approaching collapse even before the Raven arrived.

Stopping the use of Celestial Senses while surrounded by endless Godly Creatures was practically suicidal.

"Now!" Roan shouted.

At that exact moment, Wurshan’s message spread through every RC in the battalion. Instantly, almost all Celestial Senses throughout Roan’s group disappeared.

*Cawww!*

*Zushhh!*

The Three-Eyed Raven shot across the skies above them like a black meteor. Its speed was absolutely terrifying. Even Kentucky, which specialized in aerial combat and movement, could not compare to the Raven’s velocity.

However, its speed was not the most frightening aspect. Its presence itself felt monstrous. The pressure radiating from it far surpassed anything ordinary Godly Predators could ever hope to achieve. It was a completely different level of existence.

"Return!" Roan immediately ordered afterward.

Again, Wurshan relayed the command. The cultivators immediately released their Celestial Senses once more. Roan’s timing had been nearly perfect.

Still, nobody relaxed.

As long as massive concentrations of cultivators remained gathered together, the Raven would continue circling above the battlefield repeatedly.

Trying to attack it was meaningless. The Three-Eyed Raven was a Godly Horror. An existence comparable to a Law God expert.

Even worse, unlike ordinary powerful enemies, the Raven’s natural abilities perfectly countered cultivators themselves.

Even if Besgol’s two Law Gods personally arrived here, they likely would not accomplish anything. They could not properly lock onto the Raven with their senses. Their attacks would most likely strike empty air instead.

On the contrary, their arrival would simply give the Raven an opportunity to target them directly.

And if that happened...

The outcome would almost certainly be disastrous.

After all, the Raven could only truly be dealt with once it was lured far closer to the Sacred Relic itself.

Before reaching that stage, there was almost nothing anyone could do against it.

The Raven continued sweeping across the battlefield without directly attacking anyone. Ironically, stopping to physically fight would actually weaken its impact.

Its true weapon was the terror and chaos caused by its innate ability to generate devastating backlash against all forms of sensory perception.

And against large armies dependent on Celestial Senses...

That ability was catastrophic.

By the third time the Raven passed over the second defensive line, the situation finally reached its breaking point.

Multiple sections of the defensive line collapsed almost simultaneously.

Panic spread rapidly as gaps opened throughout the battlefield.

Still, Roan continuously issued warnings using Kentucky’s eyesight as support.

Among everyone in the battalion, Kentucky possessed the sharpest vision by far. Even though the Raven resembled nothing more than a shifting cloud of black mist, Kentucky could still detect its movements before anyone else.

That advantage became invaluable.

Again and again, Roan ordered everyone to retract their Celestial Senses moments before the Raven passed nearby, then immediately ordered them restored afterward.

On the entire battlefield, there was likely no safer command structure than Roan’s battalion at this moment.

Still...

Giving the order and successfully obeying it were not the same thing.

The battlefield was simply too chaotic.

In the end, many cultivators within Roan’s own battalion still accidentally touched the Raven with their Celestial Senses and suffered severe soul backlashes.

Fortunately, Roan’s defensive position remained ideal for handling such situations.

Whenever someone lost control after suffering backlash, nearby cultivators immediately dragged them backward while another fighter instantly replaced their position.

The backlash itself was horrifyingly painful.

For several seconds, most victims became dizzy and disoriented, their souls trembling violently from the impact.

Under normal battlefield conditions, such a momentary lapse would almost certainly result in death.

However, thanks to Roan’s constant adjustments and quick reactions, especially with Celis giving support, those injured cultivators were given enough time to stabilize themselves.

Usually, the soul disturbances faded after roughly a minute as long as the cultivator survived the initial impact.

And Roan ensured they survived.

Finally, after yet another pass from the Raven and another series of collapses throughout the battlefield, Roan looked toward the increasingly unstable defensive lines around them.

The next stage had arrived.

"Pass the order," Roan said coldly. "We’re retreating again."