"How is that possible?!"

"Is Marshal Zhao joking? That's Amaterasu! If our Great Xia really had a Professional capable of soloing an SSS-Class, at the very least, they'd be an SSS-Class powerhouse!"

"Exactly! With an unrivaled SSS-Class powerhouse holding down the fort, why would we even fight a war with Sakura Country? We could've just rolled right over them by ourselves long ago!"

"This battle record is too Xuanhuan; I really can't believe it, unless you put the corpse right in front of me!"

The bullet comments on the internet were full of doubt, voices rising and falling in succession. This was hardly surprising; in the cognition of all humanity, SSS-Class beings were like invincible gods—how could they possibly be killed by a nobody?

Facing the countless uncertain gazes below the surrender stage and the fanatical doubts of billions of viewers behind the cameras, Zhao Qingcang did not offer much explanation.

He merely raised a hand.

Behind him, several of the Great Xia military's most elite soldiers carried a black alloy corpse-collection platform with solemn expressions as they walked up the high stage.

Bang.

The corpse-collection platform was set down heavily, producing a dull thud.

Zhao Qingcang stepped forward and abruptly lifted the specially made white cloth covering it.

A mutilated corpse was exposed to the eyes of the entire world.

It was a corpse left with only the upper half of its torso; everything below the abdomen had completely vanished, the charred flesh turned outward. The cut at the neck was smooth and fatal, and a head was placed separately upon the chest with wide-open eyes, filled with absolute terror before death.

What truly made people's hearts palpitate was the lingering pressure still emanating from the remains.

Even though it was already a corpse, and even through a screen, the moment anyone saw this body, they felt as if their hearts were being tightly squeezed.

That was the remaining might belonging to an SSS-Class Professional! That was absolute power transcending mortals!

"Thump—"

Below the surrender stage, Sakura Country's representative Nakamura Shinichiro, who had been standing previously, along with the surviving high-ranking officials of Sakura Country, felt their legs go weak the moment they sensed this aura, uncontrollably dropping to their knees in prostration.

They trembled all over, tears and snot streaming down their faces—that was fear and wailing originating from the depths of their bloodline.

The Great Xia generals present were all moved; Lieutenant General Chen Huaishu drew in a sharp breath, staring at the corpse while feeling his scalp tingle.

That was definitely the body of an SSS-Class Professional; there was no faking it!

It was real! He actually really killed Kujo Naruya?!

Within the crowd, agent Tang Qi, who was responsible for escorting the Pendulum of Life back, was also completely stunned at this moment.

Even though he was part of the group closest to the truth in this world, his brain fell into a brief shutdown at this moment.

"Those people... actually managed to kill an SSS-Class..."

Tang Qi muttered to himself, recalling the scene in the ruins of Tokyo city where that blood-soaked swordsman with broken legs handed the Pendulum of Life to him before turning into points of light and dissipating.

No wonder... No wonder in the end, that mysterious team capable of killing even the SS-Rank King of a Hundred Ghosts had only a single battered swordsman return.

They had gone to slay a god!

Thinking of this, Tang Qi's eyes reddened, his chest heaving as he delivered a standard and solemn military salute toward the corpse on the high stage.

He could not help but feel profound respect for the man codenamed Ever-changing Star Lord and the powerhouses under his command!

After a brief silence, the bullet comments in the online live broadcast room ushered in an unprecedented explosion.

Seeing the awe-inspiring expressions of the Great Xia generals and the miserable state of Sakura Country's representative prostrating on the ground, everyone finally believed that that corpse was truly the body of an SSS-Class Professional!

"Holy shit! It's real! He really slayed a god!"

"I'm kneeling to this boss! This fucking is a True God!"

"No wonder Marshal Zhao said that without him, the Great Xia Military Department could never have achieved victory this time!"

"No wonder Marshal Zhao chose this moment, during the globally broadcasted surrender ceremony, to bestow honors upon this hero!"

"That person truly managed to turn the tide against a desperate situation and prop up Great Xia as it was about to collapse!"

Zhao Qingcang swept his gaze across the audience, his voice steady and full of power: "Although it's inconvenient for me to reveal his real name, his codename in our Great Xia Military Department is—Ever-changing Star Lord!"

"By the unanimous resolution of the Great Xia Supreme High Command!"

"Hereby, Ever-changing Star Lord is awarded the rank of Five-Star General and the title of God of War of Great Xia!"

As the words fell, the entire venue fell silent for a fraction of a second.

Five-Star General! God of War of Great Xia!

What supreme glory this was! Since the founding of Great Xia, not even Zhao Qingcang himself had ever received such a distinction as God of War.

Upon hearing this, not a single general stepped forward to voice objections. Everyone straightened their backs with heartfelt conviction, their eyes filled with awe.

Because he deserved it!

At the same time, the internet was in an uproar.

"God of War of Great Xia! Well-deserved!"

"The man who slew the SSS-Class Amaterasu, this Ever-changing Star Lord is definitely worthy of this title!"

"Ever-changing Star Lord! Ever-changing Star Lord!"

...

In Donghai City, within the detached courtyard.

Zhou Huai sat on the soft sofa, watching the live broadcast screen on the wall's holographic projection filled with fanatical bullet comments, involuntarily reaching out to rub his brows with a bitter smile.

"Oh my god, God of War of Great Xia..."

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, "Marshal Zhao didn't mention to me beforehand that there was going to be such a high-profile awarding ceremony process."

Looking at Zhao Qingcang's youthful face on screen that had returned to its Peak, Zhou Huai understood.

He was a smart man, and naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Zhao Qingcang's move.

"It seems that old fox Zhao wants to use the momentum of the global broadcast to completely bind me—this so-called God of War of Great Xia—together with the Great Xia Military Department."

Once he accepted this military rank and title, it meant that no matter what changes occurred in the future, he would have to stand on the same front line as the Great Xia military.

However, Zhou Huai did not reject it.

After all, Great Xia was his roots, and the character of Zhao Qingcang and Lin Zhu was also worthy of his trust.

At the same time.

On a quiet path less than five hundred meters away from this detached courtyard, a withered, yellow fallen leaf spiraled down in the autumn wind.

Creak—

Exquisitely tailored leather shoes stepped lightly on the fallen leaves.

A middle-aged man wearing a black vintage top hat and a gray turtleneck overcoat was strolling leisurely toward the gate of the detached courtyard.

His pace was very light; with every step he took, his figure shifted forward horizontally by dozens of meters.

When he walked to a position less than five meters away from the courtyard gate.

Hum—!

Golden light flashed in the air, and a translucent hexagonal Formation barrier appeared out of thin air, blocking the middle-aged man's path.

The middle-aged man stopped in his tracks, raised his head, revealing a refined yet morbidly pale face beneath the shadow of his top hat.

"A Level 7 Formation?"

"To be able to see one in a remote little place like Donghai City is rather rare."

His tone was casual, as if he were evaluating a cheap piece of handicraft on the roadside.

Afterwards, the middle-aged man pulled his right hand out of his gray overcoat pocket, raised his index finger, and gently tapped at the golden barrier before him.

Snap!

There was no earth-shaking explosion, nor any violent energy fluctuations.

That Level 7 Formation barrier, which claimed to be able to resist all physical and spell attacks, began to rapidly spread countless spider-web-like cracks starting from the spot where his fingertips touched it.

Following closely, with a crisp shattering sound.

The entire defensive Formation subsequently collapsed, turning into countless spots of golden light that dissipated in the autumn wind.