Thud!!
With a deafening crash, Ren Water's controlled phantom slammed into the colossal fireball—an explosion erupted at once!
Flames swallowed Ren Water whole, yet he tore through the inferno head-on, enduring the blast with savage will. Wreathed in fire, he recklessly closed the distance to Bing Fire!
This lunatic!
Bing Fire clenched his teeth, instincts screaming to retreat—but it was already too late!
Ren Water no longer cared for his own life. His charge was nothing less than a pyrrhic assault, a bridge burned behind him.
Bing Fire snarled.
If retreat is impossible, then fight without retreat!
He unleashed his phantom's secondary body, twin fists blazing, and drove them forward at Ren Water!
Behind Ren Water, his phantom lashed out as well, six chained blades sweeping wide. The two forces collided in mid-air!
Pfft!!
Blood burst forth—Bing Fire's chest split wide by a colossal cross-shaped wound!
His pupils shrank. His body was hacked into pieces!
But Ren Water too was consumed, his flesh seared black beneath the raging flames.
He let out a guttural roar. The phantom behind him darkened, frost exploding outward, encasing his body in ice and dragging him down from the sky!
Both plummeted together—but Bing Fire's breath had already ceased.
He lay sprawled upon the ground, eyes wide in death. Xin Metal staggered back a step in disbelief.
"How… how could this be…"
At that moment, Ren Water shattered the ice. He staggered to his feet, body scorched and peeling, great swathes of skin blackened and raw.
"Hoo… hoo…"
He drew ragged breaths, lurched forward two steps, then dropped to one knee—suddenly vomiting a mouthful of blood!
"Pfft—cough! cough!"
His hands pressed to the frozen earth, crimson spilling out, soaking the snow.
Only one left…
Grinding his teeth, Ren Water forced himself up from the ground once more.
Bloodshot eyes fixed ahead, he staggered toward Xin Metal. Startled, Xin Metal instinctively backed away step by step.
"You… don't do this, Ren Water. Calm yourself…"
Ren Water strained to lift his right hand. Behind him, the golden phantom loomed into being, its colossal chained blade rising in unison.
But in that instant, a wrecked fighter jet plummeted from the sky. It slammed into the earth—then detonated!
Boom!
The blast wave struck hard, forcing Ren Water to flinch and retreat several steps, eyes squeezed shut against the shock.
At that moment, Jia Wood and Ji Earth appeared, descending from the heavens upon a colossal Wood Dragon!
"Ren Water!!"
Jia Wood's furious roar tore through the sky as he leapt down at full speed, closing the distance in an instant. His fist hurtled straight toward Ren Water's face—yet Ren Water slipped aside at the last second!
Seizing Jia Wood's arm, Ren Water pivoted, driving him into a crushing shoulder throw that slammed him into the ground!
What?!
Jia Wood rolled and sprang back up, fury in his movement.
Yet the technique struck a chord deep in his memory.
Back when the Deca had first formed—during their earliest training—Ren Water's body had been too weak. He could never best anyone. It was Jia Wood who had partnered with him day after day.
Especially with this very shoulder throw—Ren Water had always struggled to master it. Jia Wood had shown him patiently, again and again.
Meeting Jia Wood's eyes, Ren Water muttered:
"This move… you taught me."
A surge of unspoken emotion welled up inside him. Jia Wood's fists tightened.
Truth be told, not once had he ever doubted Ren Water was the mole.
Why? Because from the very beginning, ever since training, he had always looked out for Ren Water—treated him like his younger brother.
Jia Wood had once had a younger brother. But on a mission years later, his brother had died a tragic death.
And Ren Water… Ren Water had always been like a younger brother to him. He lacked talent, yet he never stopped working, convinced that diligence could make up for it. He would train in secret, day and night, sometimes even refusing to eat.
Back then, Jia Wood had thought: He really is just like my brother.
But he never imagined that all of it… was a lie.
"Why did you do it?"
At Jia Wood's words, Ren Water suddenly burst out in manic laughter.
"Hahaha! You think I wanted this?"
"You think I wanted to kill Ding Fire?"
"Out of ten, only two can live!"
The roar jolted Jia Wood. "Who told you that?"
Ren Water's breathing was ragged, his body now wreathed in Earth and Metal phantoms.
"This outcome was set the moment we became Heavenly Stems. Stems are divided into Yin and Yang—Yang stems forming the Yang Five Elements, Yin stems forming the Yin Five Elements.
And among us, only two can survive."
"Those two must emerge from one of our five groups."
"I prayed it would be Ding Fire and me who made it to the end. But deep down, I knew it was impossible."
"I knew your strength. I knew it from the very first days of training. We could never win."
"Ding Fire and I were doomed from the start. Our only chance—the slimmest chance—was to fuse our powers and strike first."
Ji Earth's voice erupted, trembling with rage. "So you murdered Ding Fire—and stole her ability?!"
Ding Fire… killed…
Ren Water gave a broken laugh.
"Haha… I didn't want her to die by your hands. So I killed her myself. She never needed to know anything."
"She didn't need to wrestle with the thought of killing her comrades. She didn't need to torment her conscience, searching for ways to justify it."
"Because I would bear it all for her."
"All the infamy—all the blood—let it fall on me. Now I've lost. Kill me, butcher me, do whatever you wish. But remember—three of you remain."
"I said it already. In the end, only two can survive."
"In theory, one more of you is destined to die."
Jia Wood seized Ren Water by the collar, shaking with fury.
"You still haven't answered me—who told you this?! Why don't we know?!"
Ren Water gave a bitter smile.
"Water can carry a boat… but it can also overturn it. It can shield us from storm and rain… yet it can just as easily block us from ever seeing the light of day."
"Who told me these things? Who set it all in motion? Jia Wood—you're not incapable of finding the answer. You simply don't want to face it."
Xin Metal broke in, her voice sharp with urgency.
"Jia Wood! What are you waiting for? He's wounded now—that's the only reason he's stalling with all this talk! Once he recovers, it'll be too late!"
"Kill him now!"
Kill him…
Jia Wood's grip slowly loosened. Ren Water lowered his head.
"You should listen to her, Jia Wood."
Suddenly, his head snapped up—his eyes blazing gold!
In that instant, the phantom looming behind Ren Water morphed into a chained Fire-Yang God!
With a single strike, the Yang God shattered its shackles. A radiant golden wheel ignited behind it!
Celestial flames roared down from the heavens, surging outward and forcing everyone back!
Ren Water soared upward into the sky!
Jia Wood and Ji Earth both summoned their phantoms, preparing to give chase—but then realized he wasn't fleeing at all!
Above, the firmament split into a riot of multicolored light!
Seven secondary phantoms erupted into being behind Ren Water!
Ren Water's own shadow-black phantom: Faceless Profound Body.
Ding Fire's violet phantom: Terrestrial Fire Violet Empress.
Yi Wood's verdant phantom: Sprawling Flower Spirit.
Geng Metal's golden phantom: Warblade Asura.
Wu Earth's earthen phantom: Earth Golem.
Gui Water's azure phantom: Blue Dancing Girl.
Bing Fire's crimson phantom: Refined Fire Sun God.
Seven phantoms stood at his back, their combined might erupting in suffocating, world-crushing force!
"You're still hesitating, Jia Wood," Ren Water's voice thundered.
"If you'd acted decisively a moment ago, the outcome would already be different."
Behind Jia Wood, the Azure Snake coiled, transforming into a colossal Wood Dragon that lunged skyward, fangs bared at Ren Water!
But Geng Metal's phantom moved in unison—its warblade flashing as it cleaved the Wood Dragon apart with a single strike!
Ren Water spread his arms wide. The Refined Fire Sun God raised its hands, summoning divine flames—and from the heavens, a colossal fireball came crashing down!
The few moved to dodge—but suddenly, vines and jagged rock walls erupted from the ground, encircling them completely!
Ji Earth reacted instantly, plunging headfirst into the earth. But Ren Water's eyes narrowed. With a flick of his palm, the Wu Earth phantom behind him morphed into a titanic stone hand that seized Ji Earth and dragged him back out!
No escape!
Ji Earth's eyes darted toward Jia Wood.
"Ren Water's wounded. If you and I fight him to the death together, he might not prevail!"
Without answering, Jia Wood transformed his twin serpents into a Wood Dragon, lifting Ji Earth high into the sky!
Few among the Heavenly Stems had the gift of flight. Jia Wood could fly. Bing Fire could. The others could not.
But after combining his powers with Ding Fire, Ren Water had gained flight like Jia Wood.
Now, having absorbed Bing Fire's ability outright, he no longer needed to rely on Ding Ren's wood transformation. The blazing Yang God phantom alone was enough to carry him aloft.
Even so, Ji Earth's suspicion was right—Ren Water's condition was dire.
The proof lay in his choice to drag the battle into the skies rather than end it swiftly on the ground. At close range, Jia Wood and Ji Earth might have traded their lives for his.
Though Ren Water wore the calm of a man holding victory in his grasp, only he knew the truth—his strength was already spent.
A bitter sweetness welled in his throat. Blood. He raised his hand, and the seven phantoms behind him moved as one!
Jia Wood and Ji Earth, astride the Wood Dragon, charged headlong toward him!
What a pity they lacked the ability to merge their Heavenly Stems—
otherwise…
Boom!!
The heavens split into a blaze of colors as Five Element forces clashed and scattered, streaking wild through the sky. It was a battle of life and death; the outcome would be decided here!
Xin Metal cowered behind a jagged rock, peering upward with trembling breath.
So terrifying…
Ren Water had been battered nearly to ruin in the fight with Bing Fire, and yet—he still erupted with such overwhelming might!
Jia Wood and Ji Earth had to win. They must win.
But Ren Water pressed harder, driving for a swift kill. And still—they resisted with unyielding ferocity!
He only needed one opening—one chance.
"Pfft!"
Jia Wood's knee slammed into his chest at close range—Ren Water's body convulsed as fresh blood burst from his lips!
Ji Earth, riding the Wood Dragon, seized the moment to strike from behind. Ren Water hastily waved his hand, commanding his phantom to counter!
The golden Geng Metal phantom swung its blade backward, but Ji Earth slid low beneath the strike, dodging it cleanly. At the same time, she conjured a massive stone hammer in her hands!
Gripping the weapon with both arms, she poured every ounce of her strength into a single, devastating blow—smashing it into Ren Water's back!
Thud!!
The strike landed with brutal force. His bones cracked, his organs shattered—Ren Water's eyes went wide as his body gave out, sending him plummeting from the sky!
He had finally reached… his limit.
Boom!
He crashed into the ground below. The seven secondary phantoms behind him dissolved in an instant.
"Jia Wood!"
At Ji Earth's cry, Jia Wood's eyes narrowed. He immediately drove the Wood Dragon downward, preparing to deliver the final strike!
"It's over, Ren Water!!"
Roar!!
The Wood Dragon bellowed as it dove, a massive force bearing straight down on Ren Water's fallen body!
Ren Water pressed his palms against the snow, struggling to turn. But when he looked up, the colossal Wood Dragon was already upon him!
He slowly closed his eyes.
"Jia Wood…"
"…thank you."
The words stunned Jia Wood. His heart wavered, and the Wood Dragon hesitated.
But in that instant, a golden arm burst from the earth—a giant hand gripping an immense blade!
The colossal weapon thrust upward, piercing straight through Ren Water's abdomen… and into Jia Wood's chest!
Puff! Puff!!
The golden blade skewered them both!
Jia Wood's eyes bulged as agony tore through his chest. He looked down in disbelief, only to see Ren Water's eyes open once more. Blood streamed from the corner of his lips, but a chilling smile curved across his face.
"You see… I understand you far too well."
Pfft!!
The golden blade withdrew, and Jia Wood collapsed, his body powerless.
Ren Water, clutching his abdomen, staggered upright. He whirled and lashed out with a kick at Jia Wood—at the same instant, Bing Fire's Yang God phantom flared into existence behind him!
The phantom, hands wreathed in flame, unleashed a raging column of fire straight at Jia Wood!
Boom!!
Jia Wood's body was instantly blown apart into fragments.
Ren Water pressed a hand to his wound. Vines unfurled around the gash, glowing green as they knit the injury shut.
It was Yi Wood's flower spirit phantom—capable of mending wounds and bruises.
Earlier, Ren Water had summoned Geng Metal's phantom from beneath the ground. That single move had caused both his own body and Jia Wood's to be pierced through together.
"Mercy toward your enemy is cruelty to yourself. You taught me that principle… yet you never practiced it."
Before Ren Water could finish, Ji Earth descended from above, swinging her massive stone hammer!
"That fool!!"
Jia Wood!
Haven't you realized who this man truly is? Haven't you grasped the truth yet?!
Seeing the strike coming, Ren Water slammed his palm against the ground. A colossal stone arm burst upward!
The giant hammer just barely missed—then the rock arm shattered into rubble.
Ren Water's strength was nearly drained.
The hammer plummeted again. With no choice, Ren Water yanked a tear gas grenade from his belt, snapping the pin free!
Pfft!
A thick white spray burst forth. Ji Earth flinched, eyes squeezing shut on instinct.
Ren Water seized the chance—rolling aside from the hammer's impact, twisting into position, and lashing out with a kick!
Thud!
Ji Earth, guided only by instinct, blocked the strike—then snapped her eyes open again.
But in that instant, Ren Water whipped a dagger from his boot, lunged forward, and drove the blade straight into Ji Earth's left eye!
Pfft!!
"Damn it!"
Stomping the ground, Ren Water sent stone spikes erupting outward in all directions!
Then he vaulted high, bringing a heavy fist crashing down on Ji Earth's nape, immediately following with a savage kick that slammed her to the ground!
So what if his energy was drained? So what if he could no longer summon secondary bodies? As long as his limbs could still move, it wasn't over!
After slamming Ji Earth to the ground, Ren Water drove his knife straight into the back of her neck!
One stab. Two stabs. Three stabs. Four stabs!
Ren Water's motions never faltered—stab, wrench free, stab again, pull out, over and over, no less than a dozen times!
Blood erupted like a fountain, splattering across his face, dyeing his eyes, teeth, hair, skin, and clothes crimson.
He didn't stop until Ji Earth's breath was gone, utterly gone.
Moments later, Ren Water dragged his half-dead body out from the veil of tear gas.
Xin Metal, seeing him, covered her mouth with both hands.
"…Are you serious?"
Wait.
She realized Ren Water's breathing was shallow, his steps unsteady, his body showing no trace of energy fluctuations.
Did this mean… he was finished?
"Hoo…"
So tired…
The dagger slipped from Ren Water's hand. He trudged across the white snow, each step leaving behind bloody prints.
Cold.
And heavy…
It felt like a ten-thousand-pound weight was pressing down on him, the freezing air invading his body through every pore.
Am I going to die?
So this is what it feels like—to wait for death.
I can't hear clearly anymore…
My vision is fading too…
Why… I feel like crying. Is it the gas?
Ah…
I clearly won.
But why can't I smile?
Ding Fire, did you see? I did it. Will you be happy for me…? Probably not.
What a foolish, idiotic question.
But was all of this really right? I don't know.
What is right, what is wrong? Maybe I never cared from the very beginning.
Ren Water's vision clouded, the world dissolving into haze. One by one, fleeting afterimages flashed before his eyes—scenes of the past, slipping away.
When was that…? He could no longer remember.
Strange… where did this scene take place?
Have I seen it before?
Ah… is it the forgetfulness spray?
Repeating the forgetting, over and over, has finally erased the very moment I first decided to kill them all…
Even his memory of Ding Fire was fading into haze.
Thud.
Ren Water collapsed to the ground. What fragments he could still recall flashed before his eyes, fleeting like flowers glimpsed from horseback.
He did not regret joining Kitsune. He did not regret becoming a Deca. Too many of life's firsts had been born there.
The first time someone liked him.
The first time someone trusted him.
The first time he loved someone.
He had seniors who looked after him, comrades to whom he could entrust his back.
Though conflict festered within the Deca, their purpose had always been one—every heart longed for world peace, each willing to contribute to the cause of acquisition.
That was why they became Deca. Yet the flow of things never bends to human will.
He had once said that two out of ten would survive. Then all this beauty was bound to be as fleeting as morning glory—blooming at dawn, withering by dusk.
Ren Water, kneeling silently for a long time, drew Xin Metal's wary gaze.
Behind her, her white phantom shimmered, countless blades suspended in the air, all aimed at him.
At that moment, Ren Water forced out a broken whisper.
"It's… no longer necessary. Only two of us remain. The two of us… can both survive. There's no need to kill each other anymore…"
Xin Metal's brows tightened. "Do you think I'll believe that?"
Ren Water gave a weary, bitter smile. "Then there's no need for words. Do it."
Xin Metal was a woman born under strong fortune; events would always tilt toward her favor.
Now, if she struck down Ren Water, everything would finally end.
And Xin Metal did not hesitate. Her finger twitched slightly—at once the blades plunged into Ren Water's body!
Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff!
The sounds of steel tearing flesh rang out—but Xin Metal's attack, for all its fury, lacked true force.
The Heavenly Stem bodies were monstrously durable—Wu Earth the strongest, Geng Metal close behind.
Xin Metal's countless blades had pierced only three inches into Ren Water's flesh, unable to dig any deeper.
Grinding her teeth, Xin Metal forced the blades to twist, spinning violently inside his body!
But in that instant, a dark figure appeared silently behind her.
Hm?
Xin Metal instinctively turned her head—only to glimpse the cold flash of a blade sweeping across her throat.
Pfft!!
Her head was severed in a single stroke. The headless body toppled, and the swarm of blades lodged in Ren Water's body disintegrated into nothing.
"You came too late…" Ren Water rasped, watching as the black-robed figure sheathed an alloy blade.
The man stepped to his side, extending an arm to lift him up. "Apologies—I was delayed for a moment by the Serpent's Hand trash."
His gaze swept Ren Water's blood-soaked form. "From the looks of you, that wasn't exactly a clean victory."
Ren Water's breaths came heavy and ragged. Seeing his condition, the black-robed man produced a syringe of adrenaline and plunged it into his arm.
"Still alive even like this… Heavenly Stems really are monsters."
Ren Water let out a slow exhale. The burning fatigue and pain drained from his body, numbed by the chemical surge.
"Wait, Snake."
Ren Water pushed the man's supporting hand away and stepped toward Xin Metal's corpse. At that moment, a white energy streamed from her body and sank into his own.
Then Ren Water lowered himself cross-legged onto the ground, using the chance to recover his strength.
The black-robed figure folded his arms, watching in silence. He was none other than the sixth of the Twelve Earthly Branches—the bearer of the Snake Stone.
Originally, this mission had not involved him. But he had forced his way into it.
Because he and Ren Water had forged an alliance.
Ren Water had told him: the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were chosen under the same law. In the end, only one could remain.
He would help Ren Water eliminate the other Heavenly Stems, and Ren Water would in turn help him take down the other Earthly Branches.
But it was clear now—Ren Water had lied.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere—at the heart of Antarctica—the main forces of Kitsune and Chaos had converged.
Inside the dreamscape, Reinhard had been pulled under by Nightmare. Yet within the dream, it was Nightmare who fell.
Only then did Nightmare realize the terrifying truth about this man called Seth.
He was stronger than Queen Bee!
Not in body, but in mental power.
Reinhard's mental power had indeed reached 4th Step—but peak 4th Step was still 4th Step!
Nightmare, after one clash with that crushing mental force, immediately sought escape.
No chance to fight. None at all!
If this man's mental power rose any higher, he'd already be at 5th Step!
What a sick joke.
A 3rd Step body, yet wielding peak 4th Step mental power!
In other words—Reinhard's magical strikes outclassed his physical ones.
And yet, he was still a novice in magic, barely begun with Red Right Hand. His mastery was crude compared to Naira's.
But if he reached her level, then purely with magic alone, Reinhard could stand equal to a 4th Step being.
Originally, though, Reinhard's mental power had not been so fearsome.
It had grown slowly, steadily—rising a little each time he slept, a little more each time he awoke.
Yes… his mental power was increasing automatically.
But this was no good news.
If his mental power kept climbing—if it truly reached 5th Step—then he would begin to see.
See that place.
See the 5th Step existences.
And he himself was still only 3rd Step. The instant a 5th Step erupted, its energy could level everything in its path—one ripple alone was enough to kill him outright.
Could that possibly be called good news?
This was Reinhard's dread.
After slipping free of the dreamscape, he did not linger with the Kitsune reinforcements. Instead, he took the Rat Stone and departed with Cain.
Their path led them into the frozen mountains of Antarctica. There, towering before them, lay a colossal statue of a coiled serpent.
The serpent had two arms extended forward, and in its grasp gleamed a golden book shimmering with light.
This was the Book of God. Yes—it was real.
But the Book's purpose was not to grant wishes.
"The Rat Stone is in hand."
"Next… we will call the Great Serpent down into the human realm!"