The dark energy began to converge.
From the sky, from the ground, from every torn spatial rift, black mist flowed back in.
A black barrier rose from the ground, trapping everyone inside.
“She wants to seal us in here.”
Sylvia looked around, her voice very low.
“Then let’s fight our way out.”
Orikxis spread his wings.
“Sylvia, Zephion—with me.”
“Been waiting for this.”
Zephion grinned.
Three streaks of silver light rose from the formation.
Orikxis in the middle, Sylvia on the left, Zephion on the right.
“Front or flank?” Zephion asked.
“Front. Press forward.”
“Got it.”
A massive dark angel statue stepped out of the void, blocking the three dragons.
It had no face, only a silhouette.
But within that silhouette, countless beams of light were gathering.
“What is that—?”
Zephion’s pupils shrank.
“Scatter!”
Orikxis roared.
Beams exploded from the statue’s entire body, dense and thick, filling the whole space.
The three dragons banked and turned, but the beams pursued relentlessly.
“These things track!”
Zephion rolled to dodge; a beam grazed his wingtip, searing pain exploding.
He dodged four in a row, each time thinking he’d shaken them, but the attacks still followed.
“It’s not tracking.”
Sylvia’s voice tightened.
She had already retreated several steps. The beam pierced her ice wall, its speed undiminished, slamming into her dragon wing. A charred mark was left on her silver scales.
The fifth came straight for her chest. She condensed an ice wall in front of her.
“It’s homing.”
She gritted out the conclusion.
“What?”
Before Zephion could react, a beam had already caught up to him.
He raised his dragon claw to block—
The beam struck head-on, impossible to evade.
But the impact blasted him backward, smashing him against the black barrier of the domain with a dull, heavy crash.
“What did you say? Homing?”
“It can’t be dodged,” Sylvia said. “We just have to tank it.”
Orikxis landed at the front. His silver dragon body took at least seven beams simultaneously.
His scales were thicker and harder, but the combined impact of seven beams still forced him back a step.
“If we can’t block it, we still have to.”
He roared, spreading his dragon wings to shield his teammates behind him.
“Hold the line!”
“This is too much.”
Seraphina gasped, reinforcing the holy light barrier.
“It’s not over.”
Sylvia stared at the statue.
A second wave of beams was gathering—more numerous, denser, and thicker than the first.
“At this rate, we’ll be worn down sooner or later.”
Zephion’s voice squeezed through gritted teeth.
“Any ideas?”
“Yes.”
Ailiya’s voice came from behind.
She stood still, crimson lotus battle qi burning quietly around her, all her power converging toward the blade in her right hand.
“Buy me some time.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
“I need to build up energy. Once it’s full—”
“I’ll take her out.”
Orikxis glanced back at her.
There was no hesitation in his vertical pupils.
“You heard her.”
The silver dragon turned, facing the statue again.
“Full defense. Until she’s done.”
“Not a single step back.”
Sylvia took over.
“No shit.”
Zephion ground his teeth.
The second wave of beams exploded.
The entire space was flooded with light.
Every direction, no blind spots.
Sylvia breathed out her dragon breath, building three layers of ice walls outside the barrier.
“Weaken it as much as we can.”
“How many more rounds can we hold?”
Zephion asked.
“One.”
Seraphina’s voice was hoarse.
“My magic power is almost dry.”
“Hold on.”
Orikxis stood at the front, his silver scales already covered with scorch marks.
“Sylvia, help her.”
“Already am.”
Sylvia’s dragon breath hadn’t stopped, but the ice walls were forming noticeably slower.
“You think my magic power is infinite?”
The statue gave them no respite.
All the beams converged at its chest, merging into two massive pillar rays.
“Another new trick.”
Zephion stared at the two pillars.
“What’s this one?”
“Aimed at me.”
Orikxis met them head-on.
His silver dragon armor activated.
The mithril layer burned beneath his scales, and silver light gathered in front of him into a translucent dragon scale shield.
The pillars struck the shield. The sharp sound of metal and ice clashing pierced eardrums.
The impact shoved him back three full steps, his claws gouging deep furrows into the ground.
But the pillars didn’t penetrate; their tips lodged against the armor’s surface, unable to advance another inch.
Then he let out a howl.
Black arcs of electricity spread over his scales, each like a red-hot needle stabbing into his nerves.
His draconic body trembled violently, his four claws digging into the ground.
“Ailiya, are you ready yet!”
Ailiya didn’t answer.
Sweat covered her forehead, her red hair plastered to her cheeks, her lips pressed into a thin line.
The purple-black flames on her blade leaped violently.
The cracks in her battle qi core had already spread through every meridian in her body.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
Seraphina picked herself up off the ground.
Her holy robe was mostly torn, revealing the purple bruises underneath.
Her right arm was nearly useless; she formed hand seals with just her left hand.
Holy light gathered again.
“I can hold one more round.”
“Like hell you can.”
Zephion said.
His own dragon wings were so tattered they could barely flap, but he still stood in front of Seraphina.
“It’s my turn now.”
“What are you going to block with?”
Sylvia asked.
“My life.”
Sylvia was silent for a second, then quietly moved to stand beside him.
The three who could still fight lined up, blocking between Ailiya and the statue.
The fallen angel watched all this calmly from behind the statue.
Her gaze cut through the smoke, swept over the three badly wounded fighters, and finally settled on the red-haired hero.
“So this is all you’ve got.”
“What is she saying?”
Zephion rasped.
The fallen angel shook her head.
“I’m not interested in playing with you anymore.”
She raised her hand.
The statue’s entire body began to glow.
Every inch of shadow contracted, then contracted again.
The statue collapsed from its humanoid form, condensing into a black sun floating in midair.
“Except for Seraphina.”
The voice came from the darkness.
“The master’s disciple may leave alive.”
Black chains stabbed up from the ground, wrapping around Seraphina’s ankles.
The holy light extinguished instantly.
“The rest of you—”
The fallen angel paused.
“—will be completely eliminated.”
The black sun exploded.
Massive dark energy surged in all directions.
The air evaporated, space collapsed, the ground was lifted and crushed.
Orikxis spread his shattered dragon wings; the last light of his silver dragon armor condensed into a broken shield.
“Zephion—don’t be a hero!”
“I’m not being a hero.”
Zephion stood at the very front. He had no defensive skills, so he could only block with his body.
Sylvia breathed out her last dragon breath.
“After this, I’m really done for.”
She had lost count of how many ice walls she had raised.
“That’s enough.”
Orikxis said.
The dark energy slammed into the ice walls.
One layer.
Two layers.
Three layers.
The ice walls shattered faster than Sylvia could breathe them out.
“Ailiya—!”
The three dragons roared simultaneously.
Ailiya opened her eyes.
“My battle qi didn’t reach maximum.”
“But I can’t delay anymore.”
She walked past the three of them, standing at the front.
The dark energy was charging straight at her.