"Hah... Haha... What on earth is this..."
The hoarse voice seeped from Chen Ye's throat, clogged with blood.
The self-confidence that once burned so brightly had turned to ash.
All that remained was an emptiness gripping his soul… a despair so deep it made him doubt the reality before him.
The young man, through a miracle and luck that was nearly impossible, had survived.
But… could this be called a miracle?
Moments before that terrifying hell struck, the Sword King had sacrificed everything—blocking an attack capable of annihilating hundreds of Rank S and even SS Hunters in an instant, like leaves burning in the flames of hell…
That sacrifice drained all the Sword King's remaining strength, leaving him collapsed in a helpless sleep with his power dropped to that of a pitiful Rank E Hunter.
Recovery?
Even that seemed like a dream too far to reach…
Before falling fully asleep, the Sword King had only managed to beg Chen Ye to leave this cursed place at once.
Unfortunately, even after exerting all the strength he had, the former Transcendent could not erase the catastrophe that followed that deadly explosion.
The unnatural collision of [mana] had created radiation that turned a territory of incalculable size into dead land unfit for any life.
The air one breathed was now poison, the ground one stood on now a curse.
Anyone exposed would suffer a horrifying degradation—their bodies and souls slowly eroded from within…
Chen Ye, who was closest to the center of the explosion, could not escape this terrible fate.
On top of that, the side effects of using 'Blooming' were still writhing within him—black cherry blossoms bloomed across the entire surface of his skin, beautiful yet deadly.
Within minutes, perhaps even seconds, his life would end.
But then...
A hand, covered in blood yet full of tenderness, suddenly gripped his hand tightly.
"?!!"
Chen Ye's remaining eye—the other was badly damaged—opened wide, filled with shock.
Without warning, a flow of warm, soothing energy began to fill every cell in his body.
Though it did not heal him completely, the pain that pierced to the marrow of his bones slowly subsided, giving a little relief amid unspeakable suffering…
With difficulty, he turned his head to look at the petite figure who now hardly resembled a human being at all.
The girl's body was being burned by a ferocious purple aura, creating a sight so horrifying it could make anyone vomit instantly.
Her once smooth skin was peeling and burning.
Yet she did not stop.
The girl—who stood at the brink of death—did not lose focus for a second as she desperately channeled pure life energy into Chen Ye's body, while at the same time working to eliminate the deadly effects of the Blooming that kept spreading.
"Ugh... Ack..."
Chen Ye tried to speak, but only hoarse, meaningless sounds came from his cracked lips.
'...There's no need to push yourself...'
That sweet, warm voice appeared directly in Chen Ye's mind.
Hearing the gentleness and affection radiating from that voice, Chen Ye could no longer hold back the tears he had long suppressed.
"Ukh... Ah..."
Tears mixed with blood flowed from Chen Ye's ruined eye.
Here he was—so confident just moments ago, so sure of his strength.
But what was the result?
A humiliating, crushing defeat.
Not only had he lost, every member of the Yozakura Family had been slaughtered because of his inability.
And worst of all… he had been unable to keep his promise to protect Yozakura Tsubomi.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry...'
Chen Ye continued to lament in deep despair, but Yozakura Tsubomi seemed able to hear every word that spilled from his shattered heart.
'It's all right... No one blames you...'
That gentle voice flowed again, bringing warmth into the darkness.
Chen Ye said nothing more, only gripped Yozakura Tsubomi's hand tighter, as if that grasp were the only thing that could offer comfort in the hell surrounding them.
Unfortunately, that calm lasted only a moment.
The sound of footsteps pounding the ground with arrogance and terror slowly drew near, carrying an undeniable aura of death.
A humanoid figure two meters tall emerged from the smoke and dust.
Part of its body resembled a terrifying ancient dragon. Its entire body was covered in purple scales that gleamed like steel forged in hell.
A pair of magnificent wings spread wide and a long tail ending in a sharp tip dragged along the ground, carving deep scratches into the already ruined surface.
Golden eyes with knife-sharp vertical pupils stared at them with the gaze of a predator that had locked onto its prey.
The aura of darkness radiating from the figure was so thick it could make an ordinary person die of fright just by looking at it.
The 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱.
His presence sank Chen Ye's heart into a bottomless pit of despair.
"[𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗺𝗶]"
The Demon Dragon Lord spoke in a voice that rumbled like thunder.
Though he appeared calm and in control, thick purple fluid slowly dripped from parts of his body… proof of wounds that would not heal.
The slash mark on his chest still gaped open, refusing to close even though the immortal being had tried to restore himself again and again with his regenerative power.
"[𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗔𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂...]" His gaze shifted to Chen Ye with a look full of contempt.
"[...𝗔 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜'𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹]"
"Ugh..."
Chen Ye forced his ruined body to rise, but in vain.
His right eye bled fresh blood as he could only helplessly watch the Demon Dragon Lord slowly approach Yozakura Tsubomi, who still faithfully held his hand.
...Please... Anyone... Help us...
Chen Ye wept in total despair, begging fate, the heavens, anyone who might still care about their plight.
—𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱.
𝙒𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙝! 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙢!
An energy sword formed of pure fire element shot toward the Demon Dragon Lord at lightning speed.
But the sword vanished before touching its target, swallowed by the aura of darkness enveloping the Transcendent being.
From the rubble and smoke emerged a short woman with disheveled black hair and glowing yellow eyes full of danger.
In her hand was an orange sword radiating a warm light in the darkness.
It was 𝗝𝗶 𝗫𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘂𝗮𝗻.
But her condition was dire.
Her black hair, usually so neatly styled, now hung in disarray, soaked in blood.
Her once beautiful orange gown was burned and torn everywhere.
Her left arm had been completely destroyed, leaving only dangling flesh and broken bone.
From any angle, she was truly on the brink of death.
Even to stand upright, she had to lean on her sword planted in the ground.
"[𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆? 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?]"
The Demon Dragon Lord looked at her with a mix of interest and contempt, like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it.
Ji Xuanyuan did not respond to the provocation.
Instead, she looked at Chen Ye with a gentle smile that held a thousand unspoken words, then said in a calm voice.
"This is my last lesson to you as your teacher. So watch carefully and remember what you witness today."
"?!!"
Hearing those words, Chen Ye's eyes widened in fear.
Unconsciously, he wanted to scream "𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧!" as loudly as possible, but his shattered body left him unable to move or make a sound.
He could only watch as Ji Xuanyuan prepared to sacrifice her life…
"[𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲?]" said the Demon Dragon Lord.
Ji Xuanyuan remained silent, but the atmosphere around them began to change dramatically as she started to whisper in a voice almost inaudible yet echoing to the soul.
"—𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲..."
"[?!]"
For the first time, the Demon Dragon Lord narrowed his eyes sharply, his instincts warning of danger.
And not without reason.
The Transcendent being sensed a new kind of energy suddenly bursting from Ji Xuanyuan's body—an energy he had never felt before, an energy that seemed alive and moved with a consciousness of its own.
Even more terrifying, this mysterious energy began to infect all the [mana] scattered across the surrounding area!
Like a virus spreading at the speed of light, the energy converted all [mana] into its own, creating a terrifying vortex centered on Ji Xuanyuan!
What exactly was this energy?
The Demon Dragon Lord tried to touch and analyze the strange energy, but instead of merging or submitting, it attacked him aggressively!
Like a starving parasite, the energy began to gnaw at his body from within, trying to transform and control every cell in his body!
Shocked.
For the first time in the thousands of years of his life, the Demon Dragon Lord felt something he could neither understand nor control.
As a Transcendent being who had nearly reached Rank Unknown, it was absurd that he could not identify this type of energy.
His eyes turned to the sky, where Ji Xuanyuan now floated majestically despite her grave wounds.
Her black hair fluttered in the fierce wind and her yellow eyes shone with a dangerous light promising destruction.
"—𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻."
The orange sword that had faithfully accompanied her slowly disappeared, dissolving into beautiful yet deadly particles of light.
In its place, six different elements began to surround her body—blazing fire, freezing ice, destroying wind, crushing earth, burning lightning, and devouring darkness.
The six elements then formed six giant swords radiating a terrifying and undeniable pressure.
The giant swords began to spin around Ji Xuanyuan like a tornado ready to destroy everything, creating a destructive harmony both beautiful and frightening.
"𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿."
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃...!!!
"[?!!!]"
The Demon Dragon Lord's eyes, always calm and controlled, widened in shock and—for the first time—𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.
All his instincts now screamed warnings of a genuine threat of death!
After all, even Cecilus had not emitted a threat aura this great!
And 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻—
The whole sky was filled with a dazzling bright light as a legendary creature took form behind Ji Xuanyuan.
The 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅.
An immortal bird of fire appeared in undeniable majesty.
But this was no ordinary phoenix of the usual red or orange—this phoenix had six different colors, each symbolizing the power of a fundamental element.
Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning, and darkness...
The six elements merged into a single majestic phoenix entity with the power to annihilate anything that dared stand in its way!
"[𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸!]"
Terrifying darkness [mana] began to be gathered in nearly limitless amounts by the Demon Dragon Lord.
He then shaped that destructive energy into a beam of darkness with the power to annihilate an entire empire in a single motion!
But Ji Xuanyuan only said in a calm voice full of absolute authority…
"<<𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝... 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐧>>"
Ji Xuanyuan's calm voice echoed to every corner of the world and the majestic phoenix immediately dove down at a speed beyond comprehension, targeting the Demon Dragon Lord directly with a resolve to annihilate!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!
The two terrifying attacks collided in an explosion that shook the foundations of reality itself!
But the battle did not end instantly. Ji Xuanyuan's phoenix and the Demon Dragon Lord's devastating beam of darkness clashed in a contest of consumption—each trying to devour and destroy the other in a horrifying dance of death!
From the collision of the two transcendent forces, heaven and earth shook with unimaginable intensity.
Endless flashes of energy lashed in every direction, creating cracks in space and time itself!
Astonishingly, the Demon Dragon Lord's beam of darkness—an attack capable of annihilating a country—began to be pushed back by the ever-expanding and strengthening phoenix!
"[𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁?! 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲!]"
The Demon Dragon Lord's expression changed drastically, shock and disbelief plain on his face.
Even more shocking, he felt his hand beginning to fade and crumble as he tried to hold the attack!
For the first time in his long life, true fear began to fill his soul.
"[𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲?!]"
The Demon Dragon Lord roared in rage and desperation.
He poured in all the [mana] he possessed, even drawing energy from other dimensions to strengthen the attack, but—
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
The Demon Dragon Lord's expression turned to horror as he realized the phoenix was not weakening—it was growing even more terrible and fearsome with every effort of resistance!
His beam of darkness slowly lost its strength and could offer no meaningful resistance!
How... How could this happen?
The Demon Dragon Lord began to panic and tried with all his might to put up a last resistance.
He even created layers of darkness barriers that were theoretically impossible for any attack to penetrate, even a Rank SS attack!
"Useless."
Ji Xuanyuan's cold, indifferent voice echoed amid the chaos.
"The Edge of Taixuan is not something that can be blocked by conventional methods. It is an attack created specifically so that humans can fight what is impossible to fight. The Edge of Taixuan will consume anything that tries to stop it. Every effort you make to resist... will only strengthen it."
The Edge of Taixuan—besides being the technique of the fifth essence in the Art of Taixuan Sword, in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, it was an attack created specifically to utilize Honkai Energy, an energy with the power to annihilate the entire civilization of humanity.
In this world, Honkai Energy did not naturally exist.
But that did not mean Ji Xuanyuan could not use it.
After all, she had a Natural Stigma, a mark on her back that could extract and produce Honkai Energy directly from her own body.
Combined with Honkai Energy's unique property of infecting and transforming all matter, even intangible things like [mana], Ji Xuanyuan was able to produce Honkai Energy in a theoretically unlimited amount by converting all the [mana] around her.
As a final result, she had managed to force herself to use the Edge of Taixuan—a technique that should have been accessible only to those who had reached the Divinity stage.
The Edge of Taixuan was an absolute attack, literally the kind that could not be dodged, could not be blocked, and could not be defined by any physical form…
The phoenix form that could be seen was merely a visual manifestation because Ji Xuanyuan was utilizing her Divine Key—the Xuanyuan Sword, the sword that had accompanied her for many years.
Though it had a visible form, the Edge of Taixuan was not something that could be stopped with raw force or conventional physical defense.
After all, it was an attack that harnessed the essence of divinity—an attack not limited by any created form such as physical barriers, imaginary landscapes, concepts of recognition, states of mind, or even real objects from the microscopic scale to vast celestial bodies.
This attack could surpass all limits to reach a truly boundless level…
But of course, using an attack of this magnitude did not come without terrible consequences.
The Edge of Taixuan should only be accessible when one had reached the essence of 'Divinity.'
But Ji Xuanyuan had forced herself to use a technique far beyond her body's capacity.
Naturally, she had to pay dearly for it.
One of the greatest sacrifices was her sword.
The Xuanyuan Sword was no ordinary weapon. It was a Divine Key—the Key of Domination, a weapon forged from the Core of a being called the Herrscher of Domination.
Originally it was just an ordinary sword without any special abilities. But after Ji Xuanyuan resonated with it, the sword became a weapon able to command six elements, thus earning the name Xuanyuan Sword.
Now, the Xuanyuan Sword, which had become part of her soul, had to be sacrificed to form an attack beyond all comprehension.
As for the other sacrifice she had to bear... 'Memories.'
The Art of Taixuan Sword relied not only on physical strength or spiritual energy, but also required extraordinary mental strength.
Ji Xuanyuan's mind, though strong, had still not reached the level required to create the Edge of Taixuan without consequences.
As a result, most of her memories were slowly 'consumed' or 'burned' as fuel for this attack.
But... 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.
As long as this attack could kill the Demon Dragon Lord, losing her memories was not too high a price for Ji Xuanyuan.
"[𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗡! 𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨! 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗔 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗞 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚?!!]"
For the first time, the Demon Dragon Lord showed true panic and fear.
The normally calm and arrogant Transcendent being was now trembling in terror!
Because he truly felt that this attack was not only capable of wounding him—it was truly capable of killing him and annihilating his existence completely!
But Ji Xuanyuan paid no heed to that desperate scream.
She simply kept strengthening the Edge of Taixuan by absorbing all the Honkai Energy that flowed ceaselessly.
As a result, creepy purple lines began to appear across her skin—signs of infection from Honkai Energy whose intensity had surpassed the normal limits of a human body.
And with that—
"𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺."
The six-element phoenix spread its wings and roared in a voice that shook the soul!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
That unstoppable wave of heat and destructive energy broke through all the Demon Dragon Lord's defenses with ease, like a hot knife cutting through butter!
The beam of darkness that had seemed invincible vanished completely beneath the breakthrough of the phoenix, which kept growing and strengthening until it reached ten kilometers in diameter!
Feeling true death approach, the Demon Dragon Lord roared with a mix of rage and fear, trying to fight back with all the strength he had left!
He could not accept this!
He, who was to become Rank Unknown, how could he be killed by an attack from a weak human not even worthy of being his food?!
Terrifying darkness [mana] was drawn from every dimension within his reach and focused on himself.
With desperate resolve, he tried to forcibly break through the attack that confined him!
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲.
Whether fighting head-on, trying to defend with every defense, or even trying to flee…
The Edge of Taixuan seemed to have locked his movement in space and time, leaving him unable to move a single centimeter from his position.
Even his legendary regeneration and immortality no longer functioned as he was burned by the phoenix's flames, which carried the essence of absolute destruction!
"[𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗥𝗥𝗚𝗚𝗚𝗚!! 𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗡 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡!!!]"
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!!
An explosion of full-spectrum light roared across the whole sky, spreading with a pressure capable of destroying reality itself.
The land's surface, already extremely dangerous, toxic, and full of deadly curses, became even more horrifying with the addition of Honkai Energy contamination reaching a chaotic level!
That devastating attack even pierced the ground hundreds of kilometers deep without stopping, as if seeking the end of the planet's core itself!
Amid that unimaginable destruction, Ji Xuanyuan could only give a faint smile… a smile that held satisfaction and deep regret.
Then her body, totally ruined by the intensity of the Honkai Energy, began to fall from a height of tens of kilometers, together with fragments of the Xuanyuan Sword drifting down like snow, beautiful yet sad…
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
***
"Ugh... Hiks... Sorry... sorry..."
Chen Ye could only hold the figure of Yozakura Tsubomi, who no longer had any real form, in his arms.
Tears flowed heavily down his pale cheeks while his eyes stared blankly at the sky filled with the bright light of six elements shining and soaring high, as if mocking their defeat.
True, the Demon Dragon Lord had been defeated.
But... could all these sacrifices be called a victory?
Chen Ye did not know the answer to the question burning in his chest.
All he could do was sob and hold tightly to the fading figure of Yozakura Tsubomi, as if afraid of losing her completely.
Thankfully, earlier Ji Xuanyuan had channeled most of her wind element to protect them, so the horrifying impact of that fight had been minimized.
Without that protection, perhaps Chen Ye and Yozakura Tsubomi would already have become ash.
"I... Ukh... have to leave this place."
His body had recovered—though not completely—but in exchange, Yozakura Tsubomi no longer moved or communicated.
Her breathing was faint, almost imperceptible, and the warmth of her body was slowly disappearing.
As for the thought that Yozakura Tsubomi had died... that thought never dared to appear in Chen Ye's mind.
No... more precisely, he was afraid.
He was afraid to think of the possibility that Yozakura Tsubomi had died because of him.
He did not want to lose her.
That thought alone was enough to make him want to go mad.
With difficulty and a body still covered in wounds, he tried to stand while carefully lifting Yozakura Tsubomi's body. But—
"[𝗔𝗞𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗛! 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞! 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞! 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗦𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛!!]"
"?!!"
Chen Ye's eyes widened in horror, blood seeming to freeze in his veins.
He stared at the figure before him with uncontrollable fear. "Y-you're still alive?! Impossible!"
The Demon Dragon Lord was still alive!
This terrifying fact alone was enough to drain the color from his face.
That giant body, which should have been destroyed, had risen again, though in a very pitiful condition.
"Ara? The Demon Dragon Lord's state is truly miserable. I feel sorry for your current condition~"
A girl's teasing voice suddenly sounded, filling the oppressive silence.
The owner of that voice watched the Demon Dragon Lord's condition, which was worse than death, with an amused gaze.
True... though the Demon Dragon Lord had survived, it was only after sacrificing all of his power and life energy.
Even his soul was now so fragile it could shatter at the lightest touch.
The owner of the girl's voice was none other than Observer α, who now looked at the Demon Dragon Lord with an amused smile.
But the Demon Dragon Lord did not much mind the way Observer α looked at him.
On the contrary, he felt immense relief at the sight of her arrival and hurriedly spoke in a hoarse voice.
"[𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗼𝗺𝗶! 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲! 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻!!]" He spoke with full madness, his eyes glinting red with burning obsession.
It seemed the thought that he would die if he wasted too much time had driven him out of his mind.
So he could only beg Observer α for help, abandoning his pride and dignity!
Chen Ye on the other side once again felt crushing despair.
He knew... at this moment, he did not have the slightest chance of winning.
Although the true power of that mysterious girl was not clear, his instincts screamed that she was extremely dangerous.
But in the next second, his eyes widened.
𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂!
A tentacle that appeared from nowhere suddenly made a gaping hole in the Demon Dragon Lord's chest, creating an explosion of fresh blood that spurted in every direction like a fountain of death.
"[𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂... 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴...?!]" The Demon Dragon Lord's eyes bulged with extraordinary fear and disbelief.
He wanted to move to retaliate, but unfortunately... he was completely unable to, because the tentacles emerging from Observer α's advanced flying wheeled chair kept ravaging his entire body without mercy.
"Ah~ Don't look at me with such hateful eyes." Observer α giggled playfully. "Besides, this is all for the advancement of research, so you must be sacrificed~"
"[𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵...!]"
The Demon Dragon Lord had an expression full of hatred and unconsciously wanted to tear this bitch's body into pieces!!!
But unfortunately for him, Observer α was ready with her plan and immediately pulled out a cube radiating mysterious energy before forcibly pressing it onto the helpless Demon Dragon Lord's body!!!
"[?!!!]"
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
The sound of a tremendous explosion immediately shattered the silence, accompanied by the Demon Dragon Lord's roar of agony and suffering echoing throughout the area!
"[𝗔𝗞𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗛! 𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨! 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬?!!]"
"Isn't it something you've always been looking forward to~"
Observer α giggled in a soft voice that sounded utterly terrifying to the Demon Dragon Lord's ears.
At this moment, the Demon Dragon Lord truly felt a fear he had never experienced before.
He felt his identity slowly disappearing because every inch of his body seemed to be filled with something alien and frightening!
"But to satisfy your curiosity, I'll answer your question~" Observer α said in a creepy teasing tone.
"The cube I just planted in your body is called the Wisdom Cube~ In short, that cube will record all the information and data of the target, and then can be transformed into a new living being~"
And now, just imagine... it had already recorded all the abilities and power of Yozakura Tsubomi, Chen Ye, and several other powerful members, then combined them with the Demon Dragon Lord, who had nearly reached Rank Unknown...
What kind of creature would be born from that terrifying combination within the Wisdom Cube?
"[𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱!!! 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴!!!]"
The Demon Dragon Lord was already horrified by Observer α's words, his voice trembling with fear!
Unfortunately, he could say nothing more because... his consciousness was slowly being replaced by something else.
Something far more 'terrifying' and beyond the comprehension of any living being.
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈.....!!!!
Then an explosion of energy similar to [mana] but not [mana] shot high into the sky with a destructive force.
The Demon Dragon Lord's body was destroyed and vanished completely in an instant, as did his soul.
Nothing remained of the once-mighty Transcendent being.
But in its place…
Another creature appeared, whose presence tore the sky as easily as one breathes.
Yes... literally, in the sky dimensional cracks spread in every direction like a giant spiderweb and... a creature that was the embodiment of terror and the nightmare of all humanity's evil was clearly visible through those gaps.
That creature was very difficult to describe in ordinary human words.
It had dozens of colossal tentacles that seemed to cover the sky, along with several tails resembling legendary dragon tails and rows of giant swords spread across its terrifying body.
𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁.
Perhaps that word was the most fitting to describe it, and more than that...
Its body size covered the entire sky within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.
Even people from afar who accidentally saw it immediately felt dread and their bodies burst from the terrifying gravitational pressure.
On top of that, the darkness mana mixed with chaotic attributes caused the whole area to be ravaged in inhuman ways.
𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻.
An entity with Rank Unknown power had been born at this very moment.
An existence that would change the world.
Observer α unconsciously laughed out loud at this.
Even her eyes nearly burst upon seeing the creature directly.
...𝗔𝗵... 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲...
Chen Ye's mind went completely blank.
He watched the 'monster' behave like a newborn baby, with countless eyes surveying the entire location with a horrifying curiosity.
Chen Ye felt only as though the 'world' itself no longer supported his existence...
At that tense moment...
"I see... so even the world cannot protect a Son of Destiny when the enemy is beyond all reason, huh?"
A calm, indifferent voice sounded softly, yet amid this atmosphere filled with deathly silence, it sounded very clear and carried a strange aura of authority.
At the same time, beautiful, glistening ice suddenly grew from the ground out of nowhere, creating mesmerizing crystalline patterns.
Chen Ye's stunned attention immediately fell upon a masked teenager with snow-white hair fluttering in the cold wind.
This mysterious teenager was of course Lux... but unlike Chen Ye, who had already sunk into despair, Lux still looked calm and utterly unaffected by the deadly radiation of this place thanks to the adaptation of the Divine Ice Emperor...
Thanks to this event, all of Lux's true purposes had been achieved, and since the scenario was complete... this terrifying Rank Unknown entity was no longer needed in this world.
A card radiating a glittering, mysterious rainbow aura appeared in Lux's hand.
But as soon as it saw Lux take out the card, the Rank Unknown entity seemed to sense an enormous danger threatening its existence and without hesitation fired a dense beam of darkness capable of destroying countless huge mountains!!!
𝙒𝙊𝙎𝙃! 𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍...!!!
The beam of darkness crossed at such astonishing speed that there was a brief pause before the deadly explosion that shook the earth!
But—
That devastating explosion did not manage to kill Lux because he had already changed into a completely different form.
A majestic figure with an invincible, glorious aura.
His entire body seemed to be filled with beautiful, glittering purple crystals, accompanied by emerald-green streams that shone like auroras and sharp silver spikes at several strategic points, forming a defensive armor that covered his whole body perfectly.
And he extended his hand forward with a calm motion—
𝙒𝙊𝙎𝙃!
—𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.
As if borrowing all the energy of the stars in the sky and the [mana] already mixed with various destructive energies, something like a small seed in his palm grew into something with an invincible, absolute nature.
At that moment, the entire 'world' trembled violently as though something far more terrifying than the threatening Rank Unknown entity were being born.
A feeling of deep fear and terror...
The 'world' itself seemed to respond and condemn what Lux was holding.
But it was not only the 'world.'
All beings whose existence was no longer within the classification of 'pure human' also felt a trembling of the soul they had never felt in all their lives.
So they all unconsciously turned their full attention to the location where Lux now stood.
𝗔 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱.
A sword that grew and extended endlessly, produced by a new and revolutionary energy called '𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻'—a particle whose nature was nearly similar to 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗶 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆, but with a fundamental difference.
If 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗶 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 was used by Herrschers to annihilate humanity and civilization... then 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 was used by the strongest being on each planet, called the 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲, to wipe out all life on a planet.
But the sword created from this 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻... was not used to annihilate humanity, but rather... to protect humanity from threats that could not be dealt with by ordinary means.
Yes... in accordance with the sword's nature, '𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.'
And with that noble nature, the sword would carry out its duty against entities capable of threatening humanity's survival.
A majestic and captivating bluish explosion of energy could be felt by all living beings across a wide area.
The unstable jagged spikes grew intricate long drill-shaped blade portions from above and below like a legendary spear.
Its size was astonishing, already surpassing dozens of kilometers, like the sword of the gods!
A great and mighty desire to protect humanity filled Lux's entire soul and body.
As if responding to this sincere wish, he hesitated no longer.
In a calm voice full of power, he spoke the true name of the sword he held.
"<<𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐦... 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫>>"
A voice that was calm, yet filled with the power and majesty of a decree from the god of war, echoed throughout the area.
At that moment Chen Ye could only watch an extraordinary and unforgettable scene in stunned amazement.
A captivating black light with bluish tones shot out at a breathtaking speed, breaking through all of the Rank Unknown entity's defensive efforts, tearing through all obstacles including the air and space around them, even piercing the atmosphere and reaching outer space.
The terrifying dimensional cracks were annihilated in an instant, followed by the Rank Unknown entity's colossal body letting out a terrifying scream—a sound capable of damaging the soul of any living being that heard it.
Wave after wave of destructive energy filled the sky, causing hundreds of satellites to suffer grave damage as their systems attempted to estimate one of the greatest intensities of energy ever detected in human history.
There was no meaning in claims of immortality or the concept of a being without death or control over fate.
All those concepts became meaningless before the swing of this sword.
The nearly limitless body of the Rank Unknown entity could only take that destructive attack head-on, causing an explosion resembling a supernova that could be felt by all of humanity in the world.
𝙆𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
—And for a moment, amid the bright light filling his entire view before his consciousness slowly faded, Chen Ye saw Yozakura Tsubomi's body being gently carried by the teenager whose mask had been shattered.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 『𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 - 𝗔𝗱𝗼 𝗘𝗱𝗲𝗺 : ✯✯✯✯✯✯』 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱!]
[𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝟬𝟲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝟯𝟭 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝟳 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝟱𝟬 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀]