Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

middle East……

Two massive armies assembled and converged. Banners bearing stars, crescents, and crosses shone brightly.

"It's been a long time, Saladin." The king, wearing a silver mask, gestured with his hand. "Interested in a match?"

"In legends, I have never defeated you, Baldwin. But that is just legend." The Sultan in black smiled calmly. "Then let's see whose army achieves greater victories."

India……

The young king, who died prematurely, looked at his own hands.

"I never imagined that the place where I awoke would be the final frontier I would ever reach." He drew his sword and mounted his steed. "My friends! Above us lies the endless sea. All troops, follow me in the charge!"

Far East……

On the plains where hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers were buried, the wind swirled and the black waves surged straight to the sky.

"The mighty Qin people, united in the face of national crisis, will fight until their blood is spilled!"

Countless people, countless heroes, ancient kings and nameless warriors all awaken. From ancient Babylon to Atlantis, from antiquity to world wars. The Immortals and the Spartan Guard stand shoulder to shoulder, Nazi insignia and Soviet red flags gleaming side by side.

They looked up at the sky and witnessed the crimson meteor fall. They themselves transformed into stars and rose from the ground, covering a third of the sky.

"This is the power that once destroyed us magicians..." Patchouli murmured to herself. "It's time. I should set off."

She then completed her final incantation. The anti-gravity field beneath her feet activated, and she transformed into the brightest star among the stars, rising into the sky.

"Let humanity's past determine its future. This is both the strongest and the final apocalypse—Pan-Human History: One-Third of the Stars!"

"Mortals, fight! For your glorious past, for the future of your descendants. Now is the last chance for the Red Dragon to reverse the tide and bring down the Heavens. Fight, until death! Until you transcend death!"

She soared into the sky, and countless stars followed closely behind.

Human history awakened at this moment before dawn.

The dead will fight for the living, and our ancestors will reclaim this last chance for life for their descendants. There is only one chance; the stakes are high. Regardless of victory or defeat, those who have died once will utterly crumble and fall into eternal slumber.

And these thirds of the stars still cover the sky!

Chapter 40: Heroes and Mortals

Stars rise from the earth, piercing the sky. Each one signifies a piece of history, represents a legend. They are the ancients, the dead, stories, beacons, heroes and overlords, and nameless warriors. And now they have all transformed into spears, vowing to annihilate humanity's enemies here.

The spearhead bore the most brilliant star; she was at the forefront, followed by the other stars. The Great Library, restored to its original form, accompanied her. And at the edge of her vision, before the alien warship that housed [Heaven], the defiant [Red Dragon] was falling from the sky, about to crash to the earth.

Alice, take my hand.

She reached out and touched the rebellious [Red Dragon], and the moment their hands clasped, the gravity well that held [Fallen Angel] back suddenly reversed, piercing the spear formed from the stars toward the dwelling place of [Heaven]!

Alice.

"Patch."

The two witches gazed at each other, and the rising and falling meteors merged into one. Together, they wielded the heaven-slaying spear, marching alongside countless stars.

The Nemesis's outer shell, strong enough to withstand a close-range hydrogen bomb explosion, held out for less than two seconds. Under the onslaught of the stars, its sturdy armored shell crumbled and vanished. The remaining Decepticon warriors fought desperately, but could only struggle for a breath or two—they might be able to shoot down one or two, a dozen or twenty, or even a hundred or two stars... but the endless swarm of stars would still surge forth and annihilate them completely.

The two witches, spearheads of the ship, pierced the starship's engine room, destroying the ultimate weapon's defenses before emerging from the top. They watched as the Decepticon soldiers perished in the star tide, crushed into dust like sandcastles on a beach. Even the main structure of the Nemesis gradually crumbled, metal fragments shattering into pieces high in the sky, starting from the edges.

Everything is over, except for Megatron.

"Is this your human struggle? Well done, beautifully done. But it's not enough, far from enough!" Facing the onslaught of countless stars, the Decepticon leader finally unleashed his full power. It was a power far greater than the one that had previously killed Optimus Prime with a single blow, routed the Autobot elites with a flick of the wrist, and wiped out the Allied forces aboard the Retribution in mere seconds.

"I, Megatron, will not be defeated here!"

An incomparably terrifying aura erupted from its body; with sheer willpower, tens of thousands of star clusters around Megatron were extinguished. Each of its punches could unleash an airburst equivalent to a heavy-duty thermobaric bomb, and the energy around it surged like a tidal wave, resisting and destroying all external damage!

If the stars are giant waves, then Megatron is a reef within those waves. Even as the waves crash against the reef time and again, it stands firm. Even with some damage, it cannot affect the overall situation in a short time.

The quantity is sufficient, but the quality is lacking.

In terms of total energy, the combined energy of the stars exceeds Megatron's by a million times. However, if we calculate pure intensity, it only barely reaches one percent of Megatron's current strength.

Therefore, one final step is still needed.

................................................

Victory comes with sacrifice.

Sam Witwicky opened his eyes, and a spray of seawater hitting him made him cough involuntarily.

"What's going on? Am I dead?" He instinctively gripped something tightly in his hand, his eyes naturally darting around. Immediately afterward, torrential rain and thunder descended from the sky, and the distant, towering waves made his heart tighten.

He was on a ship at sea, where a huge storm was raging, and the ship was on the edge of the storm.

"Hey kid. Hold on tight to the sails and the ropes. You're the last one left here, don't let the storm blow you away!"

He saw an old captain standing at the very front of the deck, a extinguished pipe dangling from his mouth, shouting at him while pulling on the mooring rope. Besides him, there were no other sailors on the ship.

“Where did the others go?” Sam shouted, his voice straining through the curtain of the storm.

"Ha, there's no one else left. You're the only one left, kid. This storm is no joke." The old captain shouted back, "Being afraid is nothing. This storm is God's punishment. You're lucky to be alive!"

"Isn't there any other way?!"

“Ha, if you’re scared, you can hide in the cabin. It’s safe there, and the storm might pass. But…” The old captain turned around, looking at the raging, massive wave crashing towards them. “Running away will never solve anything. And to win, you have to be prepared to make sacrifices.”

The next moment, a giant wave engulfed the small boat. Sam instinctively raised his hand to shield himself, but as the wave crashed against him, it turned into a scorching wind, and the sounds of storm and thunder were instantly replaced by the clash of swords.

"Stand up, soldier! Face your enemy!" A stern voice rang in his ears. He instinctively raised his sword, parried the incoming weapon, and then slashed down the enemy who attacked him in a few strokes.

“Saxons?” He glanced instinctively at the attacker’s face, and the familiar attire reminded him of a war in the illusion.

He looked around and realized that his army was already at a disadvantage. Although their military strength far surpassed that of the enemy, the soldiers were fighting individually. They were easily penetrated by the enemy into the gaps in their formation and then defeated in one fell swoop.

The person who had just spoken to him was a knight, wearing a helmet that covered his face, but he looked exceptionally upright.

"Why don't we all unite?" Sam asked.

"With the king gone, Morgan (the witch) can't control the knights. That's why things are like this now."

"Can't you lead them?" Sam looked at the tall knight. "You look very capable, and you must be quite prestigious."

“No, I can’t do it.” The knight shook his head and swung his sword to block the attacking enemy. “I may excel in one area, but everyone else is a hero who will be remembered in history. There will always be someone stronger than me, and there will always be someone stronger than me. We may fight together under the same banner, but we cannot take the lead of the other.”

"We have to think of a way."

“Ha, then you’ll need to find someone who has defeated all the knights on the battlefield, someone who has won their respect.” The knight looked at him, his tone serious. “I don’t know what your plans are, soldier. But you must remember—no sacrifice, no victory.”

Sam opened his eyes abruptly, the blood gushing from his lungs still hot. He coughed violently and managed to lift his hand to open the head guard of his power armor.

He had lost all feeling in his lower body, and one of his arms was severed. This was due to Megatron's casual strike, which, while not completely killing him, had brought him to the brink of death.

His gaze pierced through the starry sky, peering through the cracks in the Nemesis into the Decepticon leader surrounded by stars. His tactical skills honed in the illusion allowed him to make an immediate assessment.

"A stalemate, but if it drags on, it will be advantageous for Megatron."

He reached out and gently clenched his fist—with his enhanced vision, he could naturally see the countless figures leaping beneath the starlight, countless soldiers, kings, heroes, and warriors… They surged toward Megatron like a tidal wave, and then receded under the silver giant’s unparalleled power.

"Are our ancestors and our ancestors' ancestors... all here?" He narrowed his eyes, and the shouts of the warriors reached his ears as his will concentrated. But besides that, he also heard another sound, another faint but mixed sound.

That was a prayer.

The prayers of countless people.

He heard elderly people kneeling in the church praying.

Lord, please bless us and help us win.

He heard young men and women praying in a room.

May any god, whatever it may be, bless the heavenly war to succeed.

He heard young children standing by the window, praying to the stars in the sky.

[I hope the war can end and the world can be at peace.]

He also heard many soldiers and officers praying under the national flag.

Let me fight, my motherland, I am willing to give everything for you.

Countless sounds converged into one, entering his mind and permeating his thoughts. Then, silence returned.

He slowly opened his eyes.

“I once defeated the army of Gilgamesh, the ancient king, on the plains of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia.”

"I once held off the Carthaginian general Hannibal's offensive at the pass in the Caucasus Mountains."

"I once defeated Caesar and his ships in Alexandria."

“I once defeated Iskandar’s proud and invincible army on the border of Persia.”

"I once ended Temujin's dream of crossing the world in the Khwarazmian Desert."

"I once..."

With each word he spoke, his momentum grew stronger. When he spoke of the World War, he was able to stand up effortlessly, over his numb legs!

He gently closed his five fingers, forming a knife shape.

"I finally understand what my mission is: the future of humanity should be created through human struggle. How can we, the descendants, stand idly by while our ancestors fight and shed blood?"

"The living cannot lead an army of the dead, but the dead can!"

He suddenly reached out and plunged his hand into his own heart!

"There is no sacrifice, there is no victory!"

The next moment, the living Sam Witwicky died, and the dead Sam Witwicky opened his eyes.

He saw his ancestors, and his ancestors' ancestors, standing beside him. His gaze swept across, and the phantom images of ancient kings awaited his command.

He looked down and saw the prayers of countless people on earth converging into streams, gathering into rivers. These rivers even crossed the barriers of the Apocalyptic environment to reach his hands, transforming into a scepter to command war. And this scepter extended into countless fine nets, connecting to every twinkling star.

He is here, and countless others are here too.

The living should not stand idly by while the dead fight for them; even the most worthless descendants must stand shoulder to shoulder with their ancestors to defend the nation. The future of humanity will be paved with human blood. Today, mortals will also bring down the heavens!

He stepped forward and raised his scepter.

“Sam V. No,” he shook his head vigorously.

"Seven billion mortals in the present world, join the battle."