Inside the barrier, pressure mounted with every passing second.
Outside, the attackers had turned into a relentless tide—bodies pressing forward, weapons striking again and again, driven by greed, fear, and desperation.
Inside, the defenders were burning through their strength.
And at the center of it all—
Yang Kai collapsed.
His body hit the ground with a dull thud, lifeless for a moment, as if everything inside him had simply… shut down.
Zoya's eyes flickered.
Liyo's expression hardened.
For the first time since the battle began, uncertainty crept in.
"Damn it…" Liyo muttered under his breath, maintaining the barrier with visible strain. "Don't tell me this idiot died now of all times…"
Zoya didn't speak, but her gaze remained fixed on Yang Kai.
Cold.
Observing.
Calculating.
Yet beneath it—something else stirred.
Meanwhile—
Yang Kai was no longer there.
His consciousness had slipped away.
Falling.
Endlessly falling.
Through a vast, silent void where neither light nor darkness held meaning.
His soul drifted downward, weightless.
But this form—
It wasn't Yang Kai.
It was his true self.
Xuan Yuan.
His long hair flowed weightlessly, his presence calm yet ancient, carrying the weight of countless years.
Then—
His eyes opened.
Sharp.
Awake.
"Where am I…"
His voice echoed faintly into the emptiness, swallowed instantly by the void.
He looked around, scanning the endless expanse—and in the next moment, realization struck him.
"…Nirvana state."
His expression darkened.
"What the fuck… I have to get out of this."
There was no panic.
Only urgency.
The Nirvana State—
A domain between life and death.
A realm where the soul refined itself under extreme conditions.
For ordinary beings, it was a blessing.
For him—
It was a trap.
Because if a soul like his remained here too long…
It wouldn't refine.
It would stagnate.
Then decay.
Then be lost for eternity.
Xuan Yuan clenched his jaw.
"I don't have time for this shit…"
His aura surged.
Crimson-black energy erupted from his soul, distorting the empty space around him.
He had entered Nirvana countless times before.
He knew exactly what to do.
Focus.
Anchor.
Break through.
His consciousness sharpened like a blade.
Then—
With a silent roar, his soul tore through the invisible restraints binding it.
Crack.
The void fractured.
And everything shattered.
—
Back in the forest—
The battle had only intensified.
Outside the barrier, corpses piled higher with every passing minute.
Rose moved like a nightmare incarnate—her hammer rising and falling, each strike crushing bone and bursting flesh with sickening force. Her laughter echoed between impacts, unhinged and ecstatic.
Jhon fought beside Horikita, gripping the axe with both hands. Each swing carried raw force, cleaving through attackers while barely holding formation.
Horikita moved with precision, her branch striking throats, joints, and weak points. Efficient. Controlled. Deadly.
And from behind—
The boy with glasses dominated the field.
Arrow after arrow flew.
Each one found a neck.
A skull.
An eye.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Those who tried to close the distance—
Died before reaching him.
Those who succeeded—
Were killed even faster.
Yet even with all that—
The pressure never stopped.
Inside the barrier—
Zoya and Liyo were reaching their limits.
Their breathing grew heavier.
Their spiritual energy was thinning.
And Yang Kai still hadn't moved.
Until—
His fingers twitched.
Zoya noticed first.
Then Liyo.
Slowly—
Yang Kai's eyes snapped open.
He sucked in a sharp breath, as if drowning and finally reaching air.
His vision spun.
His body trembled violently.
But he forced himself up.
One hand pressed against the ground, the other clutching his chest as he staggered to his feet.
He couldn't stand straight.
His entire being shook uncontrollably.
Liyo frowned. "You finally woke up? What the hell happened to you—"
"Are you alright?" Zoya asked at the same time, her tone calm but sharp.
Yang Kai didn't answer immediately.
Because he could feel it.
Inside his body—
Something was surging.
Boiling.
Expanding beyond control.
Heat spread through every vein, every nerve screaming as if they were about to burst.
His pupils contracted.
His breathing turned ragged.
"…Shit…"
He understood instantly.
The staff.
The blood.
The Nirvana breakthrough—
All of it had triggered something far beyond what his current body could handle.
This wasn't healing.
This was overflow.
If it exploded here—
Everyone nearby would die.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai turned his head toward Zoya and Liyo, his voice strained but urgent.
"Leave me."
They froze.
His tone dropped, sharp and absolute.
"Go. As far as you can."
Inside, his thoughts raced.
I need to hold it.
Just a little longer.
If they stay—
They'll be caught in the blast.
His muscles tightened as he tried to suppress the violent surge within him.
Pain ripped through his body.
He gritted his teeth—
Then screamed.
"Aaaargh—!"
The sound was raw, filled with agony.
Inside Yang Kai's body—
Something reached its limit.
Zoya and Liyo felt it at the same time.
A terrifying density of spiritual energy had accumulated within him—compressed, unstable, and on the verge of eruption. It wasn't something a normal body could contain.
It was a bomb.
Liyo's pupils shrank.
"Shit…!"
Without hesitation, he dropped the barrier.
The shimmering shield shattered instantly, dispersing into fragments of fading light.
"Young Miss Zoya—run!"
He didn't wait.
Liyo turned and burst forward, his sword flashing as he cut down anyone blocking his path. His movements were ruthless and efficient—no wasted motion, no hesitation.
Zoya reacted just as quickly.
She pivoted and sprinted after him, her voice cold but urgent as she glanced back.
"Everyone—leave this area. Now."
Her tone wasn't a suggestion.
It was an order.
Rose froze for a fraction of a second, her earlier manic excitement vanishing as instinct kicked in. She ripped her hammer out of the skull of the person beneath her, blood splattering across her arm.
"…Something's wrong," she muttered.
Then she turned.
"Let's go."
Jhon didn't argue.
Horikita didn't hesitate.
The boy with glasses gave one last glance toward Yang Kai—then followed.
Within seconds, all of them retreated, pushing deeper into the forest, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the epicenter.
—
Behind them—
The crowd remained.
Confused.
Greedy.
Blind.
They watched the defenders flee and immediately drew the wrong conclusion.
"Ha… looks like they abandoned him."
"What else could they do? They knew they were fucked."
"Hahaha… smart choice. Leave the idiot behind and save themselves."
Their laughter echoed.
Their steps grew bolder.
They began walking toward Yang Kai—slow at first, then faster.
Weapons ready.
Eyes filled with hunger.
None of them understood.
They weren't approaching prey.
They were walking into their own graves.
—
At the center—
Yang Kai stood trembling.
His head lowered.
His body barely holding together.
But his mind—
Was clear.
They're far enough now.
Good.
He exhaled slowly.
Then—
He let go.
Boom.
A surge of crimson-black energy exploded outward from his body like a violent storm breaking free from chains.
"AARRRGHHHH—!"
His scream tore through the forest, raw and filled with unbearable pain.
The air distorted.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Those closest to him felt it instantly—
A crushing force slammed into them, pushing them back, tearing at their bodies like invisible blades.
Still—
They moved forward.
Covering their eyes.
Grinning.
Refusing to understand.
Then—
The first blast came.
BOOOOM!
A violent explosion erupted from Yang Kai's body.
Everything within immediate range—
Was erased.
Bodies shattered instantly, reduced to blood and fragments before they could even scream.
The second blast followed.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave expanded further, sweeping across the clearing.
Those who had just begun to realize something was wrong—
Were wiped out mid-thought.
Bones crushed.
Organs ruptured.
Life extinguished in an instant.
Then—
The third blast.
BOOOOOOOM!
It surged outward like a tidal wave of destruction, tearing through the surrounding forest.
Massive trees snapped like twigs.
Those hiding among branches—
Were obliterated.
The ground caved in.
Dust, debris, and blood filled the air as the entire area was consumed.
Silence.
Slowly—
The energy faded.
The violent crimson-black storm began to settle, returning to stillness as if nothing had happened.
Where there had once been a battlefield—
There was now a crater.
A massive, hollowed-out pit carved into the earth.
No bodies remained intact.
Only destruction.
At the very center—
Yang Kai sat.
His upper clothes had been completely torn apart by the force of the blasts, leaving his torso exposed, streaked with dried blood and faint energy residue.
Only his lower garments remained, barely intact.
His breathing was heavy.
Uneven.
But steady.
The crimson-black aura around him flickered faintly… then stabilized.
The number in the sky was dropping constantly.
005,878,132
005,765,453