Beams of white-hot laser, accompanied by deafening roars, shot out as I carried Rachel Lan beneath three towering robots. We silently watched everything happening atop the city wall; Rachel Lan remained deeply anxious.
Sylvia Blue shouldn't be in any real danger. That guy just wants to trap Sylvia Blue temporarily, then quickly erase the last inch of land in this world.
I knew clearly I had to do something. I set Rachel Lan down on the ground and looked at her seriously.
"Stay here, Roxie."
Rachel Lan nodded slightly. The robots on the city wall were firing at full force, and the three large machines above had already activated. As soon as the Mimics multiplied, they would attack immediately—and now it was noon, sunlight was abundant.
A rush of air surged beneath my feet, and I launched upward. There was still no breakthrough; the Forsaken were instantly obliterated in the crossfire of lasers.
I raised both hands, drawing massive streams of airflow toward me. Now I was alone—breaking through the Forsaken was only a matter of time. I couldn't defend against them all, and the only way was to free Sylvia Blue from that place.
In the blink of an eye, Mimics had already breached the 200-meter perimeter. With 001 gone, I couldn't control these robots.
Waves of heat crashed toward me as I stared at the black curse-power water mass shrinking toward the surface. Sylvia Blue was trapped inside, completely confined. If there was any way to break through that curse power, it would be with the Vermilion Phoenix's strength.
I slowly flew out over the city wall, gazing at the water mass a hundred meters away. I had to unleash my power the instant I got close.
But at this moment, what worried me most was that my body might not withstand the Vermilion Bird's Power. There was only one chance—I had to control it perfectly. If my body failed and the power belonging to ghosts overflowed, I would be purged from this world.
There was no time left to hesitate. The Mimics were already surging through the crossfire, relentless. With a whoosh, I moved instantly.
Seizing the opportunity, I dashed through the barrage the moment the lasers stopped. A wave of Forsaken rushed toward me—I swung my hands, sending blades of wind slicing out, tearing open a gap in an instant.
There was no time to think. Purple flames ignited across my body. As I reached the curse-power water mass enveloping Sylvia Blue, the fire erupted.
I roared, clutching my body and crashing forward. With a thunderous sizzle, the Vermilion Bird's Power naturally counteracted the curse power. I burst inside—the water mass steamed out a depression, but ahead was endless darkness. The curse-water swiftly began to envelop me.
"Sylvia..."
I shouted. Instantly, flames exploded from my body. Suddenly, I glimpsed a flash of silver—I reached out, and with a snap, felt a soft hand in mine. I pulled with all my strength, the curse power nearly engulfing me from behind.
My skin was already burning. I yanked hard, and Sylvia Blue appeared before me. She immediately leapt through the closing gap, pulling me with her.
With a roar, we burst out of the curse-power water mass.
"Quick, extinguish the flames!"
As soon as Sylvia Blue emerged, she shouted anxiously. I nodded, a searing pain spreading through my body, as if I were dying.
The Mimics that had been charging toward the Devouring Woods suddenly turned and lunged at us, surrounding us instantly.
"Stop struggling."
A voice sounded behind us. Sylvia Blue and I turned simultaneously, glaring furiously at the World Will. He had seized Rachel Lan in the chaos, and I saw that the ground in the Devouring Woods was splitting open, curse power erupting from the cracks.
"Ethan, Sylvia, don't worry about me!"
Rachel Lan cried out, trapped inside a slightly translucent black sphere.
"What are you trying to do?"
I shouted angrily. Sylvia Blue pressed down on me, pain radiating throughout my body. I gritted my teeth.
"His target is Rachel Lan. It always has been."
Sylvia Blue raised her Wish Prayer in fury.
Thinking carefully, every method this guy used was meant to force us away from Rachel Lan, giving him a chance to capture her.
"Leave this world."
The figure before us grew more forceful. The Mimics around us began dissolving into streams of curse power, slowly wrapping us in darkness. Sylvia Blue shot me a look, and I moved in front of her. Her hand pressed to the Dawn Moon at her waist.
"You'd better not move. Little girl, do you think Rachel Lan can withstand the impact of such power right now?"
"Let Roxie go."
I kept shouting, but the figure before us stared coldly and shook his head.
"It was the Saints who brought this unstable seed into the world. All of this will return to nothingness. You can't stop it—the Forsaken still in this world can't either. Even if they destroy some things, the outcome won't change."
"What do you mean?"
I asked angrily. The figure glanced at Rachel Lan, who was saying something, but her voice couldn't reach us.
"I'll release her, but only after this world ends."
"That depends on whether Rachel Lan's body can endure it."
Sylvia Blue replied coldly, her whole body trembling—waves of nearly maddening rage radiated from her. I stared at Sylvia Blue in astonishment.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
"The path is gone. You can be purged back to the Living World, but Rachel Lan cannot. She was born in this world—like its fate, she has no future left."
Clutching my chest, I coughed and let out a bitter laugh.
"I don't care about any damned fate. We struggled so hard to get here, and now you want to—"
Cracks like tortoise patterns spread across my skin. I stared at the figure, while Sylvia Blue prepared to strike—if it came to speed, Sylvia Blue wouldn't lose to him. All I needed was to find a way to pull Rachel Lan out and escape.
If this guy really wanted to kill Rachel Lan, he could've done it long ago—there must be some reason stopping him.
The curse power wrapping Rachel Lan gradually turned black, and her figure faded before us. In a flash, Sylvia Blue was already at the figure's side, stabbing her Wish Prayer straight into his chest.
I followed close behind, rushing to the curse power mass around Rachel Lan, thrusting my hand inside.
A wave of warmth—I felt I'd grabbed Rachel Lan. Sylvia Blue slashed her Wish Prayer, and with a swish, the black curse-power mass split open. I saw Rachel Lan again.
"Hurry, get Rachel Lan out!"
Sylvia Blue shouted. The figure before her vanished, curse power compressing in from all sides. I roared, clutching Rachel Lan tightly.
Sylvia Blue and I might be able to withstand it, but Rachel Lan couldn't. She was already losing consciousness, extremely weak. Sylvia Blue swung her Wish Prayer, but couldn't move much. Things were getting worse—my head buzzed.
"Ethan, over here!"
Suddenly, a voice rang in my head. Without hesitation, I hurled Rachel Lan toward my right. A brownish-yellow shape—a flash of gold and red—it was Spirit Snake. He opened his jaws and swallowed Rachel Lan whole.
Black curse power pressed in on us. I finally understood why Sylvia Blue had been trapped—the density of this curse power was extraordinary, and it replenished rapidly.
Things were still dire. Suddenly, a golden light flared in Spirit Snake's mouth—a burst of golden flame erupted, accompanied by the Vermilion Bird Cry.
In that instant, I stared in disbelief, eyes wide.
"Lan Yin, what are you..."
"Burn away..."
A golden flame flared. Instantly, the biting cold around me vanished, warmth flooding my body. With a roar, golden fire exploded outward from Lan Yin at its center.
The sky cleared, the darkness dissipated, and sunlight bathed us. Lan Yin smiled at us, massive golden wings slowly beating on his back, golden particles swirling around him. Spirit Snake flew over, wriggling—Rachel Lan emerged from his mouth, and I caught her immediately.
"How did you...?"
I stared in astonishment. Lan Yin's smile was radiant.
"You're strong, but still too inexperienced, little sister."
Lan Yin grinned teasingly at Qi, whose face showed clear dislike—she seemed to really dislike Lan Yin.
Rachel Lan's eyes fluttered open. Lan Yin floated over, pressing a hand to her forehead. Power flowed gently into her, and color returned to her pale cheeks.
"Tha..."
Lan Yin immediately pressed his hand to Rachel Lan's forehead.
"This time, I've saved you, Rachel Lan. As the current head of the Lan family, you're my great-granddaughter, so there's no need to thank me. Is this what it feels like to finally accomplish something?"
Lan Yin's face was radiant with joy. In the distance, the dark figure watched us silently.