The silent starry sky covered the dome. Under the stagnant, chaotic glow of the stars, a sky full of sword rain shone like constellations, pouring downward like a storm meant to wash away all dust.
The Wind swords turned into streaks of emerald meteors, slicing through space and piercing into the body that the Lord Ravager Phantylia had formed using the power of Abundance.
Fresh flesh was quickly penetrated. The explosions of the Wind swords were like countless high-speed rotating blades carving even more terrifying openings inside that body.
Endless whirlwinds burst within Phantylia's massive form, like countless meat grinders running at full speed.
The Ambrosial Arbour, blessed by Abundance, healed its wounds rapidly, but the unbearable pain spread continuously into the consciousness of the Starfire Essence.
Boundless pain felt like ghostly claws, tearing and splitting Phantylia's soul apart... The agony crashed into her thoughts, leaving her unable to think.
The nearly perfect body she had painstakingly obtained, one that was almost impossible to destroy, had now become the source of her suffering.
That enormous body absorbed almost all of the sword rain's assault, and what followed was a level of pain that pushed her to the brink of collapse.
Finally, under the relentless assault of the Wind sword formation, Phantylia's body suddenly swayed, her massive form slowly tipping forward.
The endless pain did not act on the body but felt like it was tearing her mind apart. Wrapped in that endless torment, Phantylia gave up thinking.
She didn't know what would happen if she lost consciousness, if she fainted from the pain.
She had never imagined that she, a being without a physical body, could one day have her mind collapse and fall unconscious due to external impact.
But when it happened, she didn't even have time to react. In an instant, all pain disappeared. Of course, she could no longer see or hear anything either.
Everything before her was pitch black, if she truly used such organs to perceive. Her ears heard nothing, if she truly used them to listen. Her thoughts stopped, if she truly used a brain to think...
Ah, what a light and easy feeling. After enduring the agony of countless blades piercing her, at this moment, Phantylia actually felt that this defenseless state, one where she couldn't respond to the outside world at all, was strangely comfortable.
Her soul had long been riddled with damage from the torment, and complete stillness and numbness now became a kind of relief.
Her massive body finally collapsed, like a student so sleepy in class that their head suddenly drops.
Fortunately, other parts of her body acted as a cushion. If she weren't a heliobus, this would probably have caused serious damage to her neck.
Watching the sword rain gradually fade, Nero descended from the sky, stepping on Black Cleaver, his face expressionless. Jing Yuan's expression relaxed slightly.
This battle against the Lord Ravager Phantylia seemed easier than he had expected. This kid, Nero, had displayed astonishing combat strength.
Given time, he might even become the top martial figure in the Xianzhou Alliance.
Of course, there were other things to consider. Jing Yuan frowned as he looked around, but he saw no sign of the Mirror Holders.
That one called Aemdo was also an enemy they needed to face, but from the moment they entered this cavern until now, when Phantylia had been brought down by Nero's fierce assault, Aemdo and the others had not appeared at all.
In this vast and barren space, there was nowhere suitable for hiding or ambush either.
Jing Yuan couldn't understand what those Mirror Holders were doing.
They had gone to great lengths to infiltrate the Xianzhou and set everything up, yet in the final battle, the easiest moment to achieve their goal, they were nowhere to be seen.
It was almost as if all their careful planning had been nothing more than a performance. Compared to followers of the Visionary Aeon, this behavior felt more like that of fools devoted to the Aeon of Joy...
Jing Yuan let out a sigh and turned to look at Dan Heng. For now, all they could do was stay vigilant and cut off Phantylia's connection to Ambrosial Arbour first.
Dan Heng noticed his gaze and nodded. Having inherited Dan Feng's memories, he also inherited that tacit understanding.
But just as Dan Heng activated the Orb of Depth, preparing to use the Vidyadhara power to suppress Phantylia and sever her connection to Ambrosial Arbour, her body suddenly burst into flames, and everyone's vision was swallowed by rising firelight.
Phantylia's Ambrosial Arbour-formed body ignited in an instant, roaring with blazing flames.
The unconscious Phantylia let out a painful roar and suddenly woke up, then slowly stood up. Some unknown influence and corruption had fallen upon her.
Under the burning of that strange fire, her body turned into a living antimatter furnace, and Ambrosial Arbour's endless regeneration provided it with nearly infinite fuel.
Scorching winds mixed with waves of fire spread outward, igniting even the silent starry sky.
Seeing the change, everyone immediately prepared themselves again. Something was clearly wrong with Phantylia's state, and no one dared to take her lightly.
Just as they braced themselves for another brutal battle, a figure slowly rose from the rippling "ground," which was as clear as a lake's surface.
It was a beautiful figure. No matter the angle or perspective, the man in silver armor with golden hair could be called handsome, yet he didn't look delicate.
Aemdo stood there, hands resting on his sword, finally appearing before everyone.
"So you've finally come out..."
Phantylia still didn't understand what had happened to her. The change wasn't caused by her, and she had no control over it.
But when Aemdo appeared, she realized that the flames burning on her body, along with the clarity and power she had regained through pain, must have been brought by him. This was likely the power he possessed.
Her confidence returned.
As long as the Mirror Holder assisted her, she didn't believe she would lose. She just needed to restrain that white-haired kid first. Once she dealt with the others, she could slowly deal with him.
Though Phantylia felt pleasantly surprised by the change, Aemdo didn't seem interested in speaking with her.
He still followed his own etiquette. After appearing, the first thing he did was bow slightly to everyone and say, "Everyone, I am the Mirror Holder Aemdo Wisk."
"Without a doubt, you have already defeated the Lord Ravager Phantylia in battle. Now, I will be your opponent."
"As for the one behind me, please forgive me. Under certain circumstances, she will appear as my weapon."
His words made everyone uneasy. This Mirror Holder looked far more radiant than his companions, yet his words were just as insane. He was confidently claiming he would use an Emanator of Destruction as his weapon?
What no one expected was that this seemingly absurd statement would soon play out right before their eyes.