Two victories, two defeats—the final showdown loomed. Tension suffocated the air; every face was shadowed with dread, except John Chou, whose smile was disturbingly calm.
"Sorry, that was my impatience."
Basil Bertram sat hunched on the ground, breath ragged. Wish Prayer...
"It's true. If you'd held out a moment longer and forced Xu Fu to reveal his full strength, the outcome could have changed. That power—I've never witnessed anything like it. Xu Fu hasn't wasted his years in the Shadow Realm."
John Chou said this, and now we all turned to look at him.
"Can you tell us now, John Chou? Who else do we have left to send in? If Ji Yuner hadn't fought with the demons for so long, we'd have this in the bag."
Basil Bertram started coughing. Yvonne May squatted behind him, placing a hand on his back.
"Don't push yourself any further, Basil Bertram. You can't control that force yet. When you unleashed Starshine Domain just now, a single misstep could have destroyed you."
Yvonne May seemed to notice something and gave a warning. Basil Bertram nodded.
"Miss May, do you know something about the reinforcements John Chou mentioned?"
Yvonne May thought for a moment and nodded.
"Stop keeping us in suspense, John Chou. Who is it?"
At this, John Chou glanced at me and smiled, shaking his head.
"You'll see soon enough. This might be the most breathtaking—and most terrifying—battle this world has ever known."
Suddenly, Redmond lifted his head, confusion flickering in his eyes. A chill stabbed through me as I scanned the shadows around us.
Time crawled by, every second tightening the knot of anxiety in our chests. After half an hour, unable to bear the tension, we all rose and drifted forward into the gloom.
Xu Fu's face twisted with a manic, almost predatory excitement.
"This is going to be a great fight, John Chou. You tried to trick us, but I saw through your strategy from the start."
Xu Fu spoke with icy finality, his smile vanishing. In a heartbeat, my eyes widened—Tan Tian already stood at the center, his presence heavy and ominous.
"Tan Tian."
"Sylvia Blue."
Xu Fu and John Chou shouted at the same time. I quickly turned my head, surprised to look at John Chou—there was no sign of Sylvia Blue anywhere.
"You three, please take your people and seal off the space around us. Miss May, could you lend a hand as well?"
Xu Fu bowed to us. The Undertaker, The Forsaken, and The Artisan, along with members of the Dark Banquet, floated up. After some hesitation, Miss May nodded.
"Alright."
A soft giggle sounded. I turned my head in surprise as a flash of silvery light appeared behind me. A pale, delicate hand reached out and pressed against my cheek, carrying a faint fragrance.
"John Chou, how did you know I was always following you?"
Sylvia Blue pouted, smiling at John Chou. He could only shrug helplessly.
"Didn't we meet before? In Zhang Qingyuan's Instinctive Space. From that moment, I recorded your aura."
"So that's it. Your Echo detected me. Hmph, you even managed to factor me in."
John Chou smiled, and I stared at him, a bit annoyed.
"There's no other way, Sylvia Blue. We're short on people, so you have to fill in."
Sylvia Blue made a face at John Chou, then stepped forward.
"Old man Tan Tian, didn't you say before you wouldn't get involved? Why are you going back on your word now?"
Tan Tian said nothing, silently staring at Sylvia Blue. After a long moment, he nodded.
"That was between you, the Dark Banquet, and the Immortality Society. But things have changed. Besides, I feel a strange sense of familiarity with this girl. I can't quite explain it, but maybe it's the instinct for resistance we share as kindred spirits."
John Chou stepped back. I watched Sylvia Blue drift forward, looking mischievously at Tan Tian, and felt a bit worried.
"My father once told me you were the strongest being in this world."
Tan Tian nodded, suspicion darkening his gaze at Sylvia Blue. He raised a hand; brownish-yellow energy coiled and thickened, and then it formed into a grotesque sword—a meter long, its blade crawling with white, jagged teeth, warped and bristling like some monstrous club.
"Chompblade... It's been ages since I wielded a sword. This one was forged from the remnants Mother Goddess Nuwa left behind when she patched the heavens."