Kin'iro stepped toward the black cloth Gin'iro had laid down. Unraveling the knot with his fingers, he revealed the shimmering orbs of energy pulsating softly within.
Leon stared at the spheres. He recognized the aura belonging to each core of life—orbs harvested from the fallen members of the Hydra. Among them, one glowed the faintest, marred by severe fractures: the cracked, dim core of Aiiro, bearing the residual destruction left by Satan within his inner consciousness.
"That's..." Leon whispered, his jaw clenching tight.
Kazan's eyes narrowed as he suppressed a growl. "Their souls... he took them."
"Exquisite, isn't it?" Kin'iro murmured softly.
Before Leon or Kazan could make a move, Gin'iro stepped forward silently. His colossal axe swung like a flash of lightning, cleaving the unconscious bodies of Ao and Daidaiiro lying on the ground. Without a shred of mercy, Gin'iro ripped the two remaining cores of life from their chests.
Gin'iro held all the life orbs within his metallic palm. A kaleidoscope of colors churned violently as Gin'iro's immense spiritual pressure forcefully compressed the Hydra cores, fusing them into a single, blazing sphere of raw energy.
"Stop them!" Kazan bellowed.
Leon and Kazan forced their battered bodies forward. Yet, before they could even reach Gin'iro, a shockwave of golden magical pressure detonated through the air.
Kin'iro hovered directly in their path, flicking his hand with a cold smirk. "The Redirection: Wall of Mirrors!"
Two massive magic circles slammed Leon and Kazan backward, completely halting their momentum. A fierce clash erupted once more as Leon and Kazan struggled frantically to breach Kin'iro's barricade.
Amidst the chaos, Kin'iro's focus shifted briefly to monitor the energy stabilization in Gin'iro's palm.
Behind the marble rubble, Zenless forced his wounded body upright. His golden robes were severely tattered, blood seeping from every corner of his body, and the folding fan in his hand was reduced to a broken half.
Yet he did not fall.
He did not waste the split second of Kin'iro's distraction.
"I am... not done with you yet," he hissed, stepping out from the shadows.
Zenless lunged from a blind spot. His half-broken golden fan swept down with the last remnant of its golden aura before shattering completely into pieces!
SLASH!
Fresh blood splattered into the air. The blade of Zenless's fan carved a deep tear across Kin'iro's shoulder!
Kin'iro flinched backward, his relaxed smile briefly fading as he stared at Zenless, who stood propping up his trembling body.
With Zenless re-entering the fray, the second round erupted. The trio—Leon, Kazan, and Zenless—relentlessly bombarded Kin'iro, expending every last drop of energy to break past him and interrupt Gin'iro's ritual.
Yet Kin'iro proved far too formidable. Every counter-strike they threw collided with an impenetrable wall of golden defense. Piercing past Kin'iro in their current physical state was nearly impossible.
GULP.
Behind them, Gin'iro tossed the perfectly fused sphere of life into the air and swallowed it whole.
Instantly, the colossal chamber quaked violently.
Blinding light exploded from Gin'iro's body. The surrounding air grew unnaturally heavy, crushing the lungs of everyone present. Gin'iro's massive iron frame mutated, expanding as it became encased in an armor of black-and-gold aura that radiated a suffocating, terrifying pressure.
Cold sweat trickled down the temples of Leon, Kazan, and Zenless. The aura of Gin'iro's newly evolved form was on an entirely different plane.
Kin'iro smiled with satisfaction upon witnessing his partner's new form. "Finished."
However, before Gin'iro could take his first step in his new manifestation, the heavy sound of shattering chains echoed from the deepest corner of the room.
CLANG... CRACK!
The sealing chains confining the figure in the rear shattered into a shower of fragments.
From behind the swirling dust, a figure stepped forth. Long white hair flowed down to his waist, while nine white tails unfurled behind him like a grand, majestic fan. His eyes—sharp and ablaze—radiated a long-lost aura of nobility.
Xuánhú, the Nine-Tailed Fox Ancestor... was finally free.
An aura so pure, dense, and overwhelmingly massive surged through the dusty ruins. Though his power had not fully restored, his sheer presence was enough to oppress the entire chamber.
Kin'iro turned toward the newly emerged aura. For the first time, his signature smile vanished.
"So... you are finally awake," he whispered coldly.
Casual footsteps approached Leon and Kazan. Nix strolled out from the shadows, parting the dust with a broad, satisfied smirk plastered across his face.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Nix chimed pleasantly, his eyes fixing on the silhouette of Xuánhú behind them. "Process took a bit... but our main reinforcement just woke up."
=== CHAPTER 51 END ===