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"!!!" Dan Heng reacted instantly. He raised his hand, summoning a massive water dragon that surged toward Tingyun with a deafening roar—but it was futile.
Tingyun dodged the strike with a sickeningly fluid grace. As she withdrew her hand from Kenta's chest, she wasn't empty-handed. She held a cluster of fiercely burning Black Flames, flickering with a malevolent light.
"Hmph—Kenta, my benefactor," she purred, her voice a distorted mockery of her former self. "You were quite clever to hide your power like this. But now, it belongs to me."
Under the horrified gazes of the gathered warriors, she seductively licked the black flames with her small tongue before swallowing the entire cluster.
"...Tingyun... why..." Kenta gasped. His strength vanished instantly. He fell backward, only to be caught by Jingliu, who was already trembling with shock. His voice was a mere thread, and the blood soaking his chest turned her pristine moon-white robes a gruesome crimson.
"No! Kenta, don't speak! You'll be fine, I promise... you'll be fine..." Jingliu knelt on the cold stone, clutching him to her heart. Her voice, usually cold as a glacier, was now frantic, fragile, and desperate. The woman who had just fought three legends at once now looked like she was breaking apart.
"You seek death!" Blade roared, his initial shock turning into a manic, man-eating fury. Black energy erupted from his body as he lunged at the foxian traitor.
"Don't panic! Yanqing, take your Martial Uncle by boat to the Alchemy Commission immediately! Leave this to us!" Jing Yuan commanded, trying to maintain his composure even as a golden radiance flared around him, signaling his intent to kill.
"Ah—Right! On it!" Yanqing snapped out of his stupor and rushed toward Kenta.
But the creature inhabiting Tingyun's skin was faster. With a flick of her finger, a concussive force slammed into Yanqing, sending him tumbling backward. She chuckled, elegantly parrying Dan Heng and Blade simultaneously as if she were merely dancing.
"Oh? Are you referring to that poor little fox?" she asked, answering Kenta's fading question. "She might already be dead. I must thank her, really. I was worrying about how to slip past the Luofu's defenses, and then I found her merchant fleet drifting in the cosmos. What a heaven-sent opportunity..."
At that moment, the rest of the Astral Express crew arrived. They skidded to a halt, frozen by the sight of Kenta collapsed in a growing pool of blood.
"Star of Eden... Zero Power Rating!" Welt recovered first, his grief turning into a localized gravity well as he unleashed his cane's power toward the imposter.
Stelle and March 7th ignored the battle entirely, sprinting toward Kenta. Fu Xuan, trailing behind, gritted her teeth and followed. "Don't you dare die! I haven't even proven the error in my calculations yet!"
As they reached him, they heard Jingliu's broken mantra of "You'll be fine," and Kafka's voice, uncharacteristically trembling. "[Listen to me], Kenta, you can't fall asleep. You're only slightly injured... stay with me..."
"KENTA!!!" Tears blurred March 7th's vision. She stumbled, fell, and scrambled back up, kneeling beside him. She desperately channeled her Six-Phase Ice, trying to freeze the gaping wound in his chest to stop the bleeding.
"Heh." The imposter sneered and waved her hand.
Boom! A shockwave flung everyone away from Kenta.
"You are not Tingyun," Jing Yuan stated, his voice a low growl. "You are Lord Ravager Phantylia, aren't you?"
The creature laughed, her form beginning to shimmer and distort. "As expected of the General. Your insight is sharp."
Before she could continue, a torrent of frost-laden sword qi struck her. It was Jingliu, her eyes blood-red and her face a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. Phantylia simply raised a palm, and a cluster of Black Flames—Kenta's flames—rose up to consume the attack.
"!!!" Jingliu recoiled. "What did you do?!"
"I acquired his power. Can't you tell?" Phantylia mocked. "This flame is impressive. It carries the taint of both Nihility and Destruction, yet he was an adherent of Remembrance. No matter. With this, and the Divine Body of Abundance I have prepared, no one can stand against me."
She looked at the weeping March 7th and delivered a killing blow of words. "Stop wasting your energy. When I pierced him, I injected a massive amount of Destruction power directly into his soul. He is a walking corpse."
The scene fell silent. Then, she added with a cruel smirk, "However, it's better to be safe."
"What are you doing?!" Welt shouted, a dark premonition seizing him.
Phantylia snapped her fingers. A dense shroud of black flames ignited on Kenta's body. Before anyone could move, the fire engulfed him entirely. In a heartbeat, he was gone—consumed by his own stolen power, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.
"..."
"Ahhh! Flame Lance! CHARGE!" Stelle screamed, her rage reaching a breaking point. She lunged with her flaming lance, the heat evaporating her tears before they could fall. Phantylia simply swatted her away like an annoying insect.
"Mmm~ I must go retrieve my new body now," Phantylia said airily. "Crushing the Luofu head-on will be so much more efficient with these new powers. Farewell~"
The physical shell of "Tingyun" collapsed, and a mass of spiritual energy floated away toward the depths of the Scalegorge Waterscape. Jingliu, now fully lost to her demonic state, let out a blood-curdling roar and gave chase.
After a long, agonizing silence, Jing Yuan spoke. "Minister Fu."
"I... I'm here," Fu Xuan whispered, her head bowed.
"Send a distress call to the Alliance. Phantylia is no longer a threat the Luofu can handle alone." He then turned to Blade. "Please... bring Jingliu back. She is seeking death, and the Luofu needs her strength for the coming storm."
Blade didn't speak, but he turned and vanished into the mist after the Sword Master. Finally, Jing Yuan turned to the Astral Express crew. "I apologize for dragging you into this..."
"I don't want your apologies!" March 7th screamed, her voice cracking with grief. "I want you to give Kenta back to me!"
She collapsed, sobbing into Stelle's shoulder, her cries the only sound in the suffocating silence of the ruins.
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