A top predator generally refers to a creature that sits at the very apex of the food chain—on its home planet, or even within the galaxy.
Like how, in the galaxy, among the Swarm and those gluttonous behemoths… the gluttonous behemoths unquestionably occupy the predator's seat.
Like how, between Foxians and Borisin, the Borisin unquestionably occupy the predator's seat.
Those who stand in that predator's position, when facing what they hunt, are always the ones holding the advantage.
Unless some outside force appears, those preyed-upon races will be held in the predator's jaws—tight, absolute, no escape.
Just like how the Swarm, facing those gluttonous behemoths, can't even find a place to bite—only to be swallowed clean, like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Foxians, facing the Borisin, are likewise at a disadvantage. Before the Foxians joined the Xianzhou, they'd even become the Borisin's slaves.
All the dirty work, the hard work, the jobs that needed people to die—Foxians were the ones shoved forward.
Only later, after the Foxians found the Xianzhou and joined the Alliance, did they finally manage to claw out a little room to breathe.
But even after they got that chance to breathe, the Foxians were still eaten alive by the Borisin.
You could see it in how Bolue used schemes to control the Tushan Realm for hundreds of years, and the Foxians had no way to resist.
Back when Bolue studied in the Intelligentsia Guild, he'd worked hard researching the various races of the cosmos.
From what he understood, under the same "spec" and the same body size, Borisin—because they had received an Abundance blessing—possessed physical prowess far beyond other races.
And precisely because of that, Borisin were even able, to a certain extent, to fight larger-sized mechs head-on.
By all logic, a race like that shouldn't have anything above it on the predator ladder.
And yet now, Bolue had run into something that overturned his understanding.
Right in front of him, a predator that stood above the Borisin… had appeared!
"What the hell are you?" Bolue twisted his wolf-claws, carving tracks into the snow.
Facing this, Bolue's body sank lower and lower, every muscle tightening, ready to spring at any instant.
The superalloy claws on his hands gleamed with a blinding brilliance—like the very next moment he could lunge and rip the enemy in front of him to shreds!
You think that means he's attacking?
No—quite the opposite. This was the automatic defense mechanism in Bolue's body!
That earlier roar—thrown up toward the sky—had triggered it.
Because his body had felt fear. Had felt trembling.
So every reaction in him, from head to toe, was his body trying to protect itself—trying not to be threatened.
And that threat was coming straight from the guy ahead, the one holding an axe.
The other man just stood there. His body was even a size smaller than Bolue's.
But even so, the threat rolling off him made Bolue not dare to relax for even a second.
Because the moment he relaxed, the other man would kill him instantly.
Like an eagle snatching a chick—sharp, precise.
But if you stay on guard the whole time, won't you avoid attacking and choose to retreat?
No. For a dinosaur that had been suppressed for a long time and had finally been let out of its cage—
Not tearing the guy in front of him apart was absolutely not enough.
Since you're so cautious, not showing a single opening… then I'll make you show one—whether you want to or not!
Just as Bolue raised his vigilance to the limit, suddenly—an ice-cold breath blasted from the other man's mouth straight toward him.
Prepared long ago, Bolue very easily dodged that freezing breath.
But the next move came right on its heels!
"ROAAAAR!"
A bellow exploded by Bolue's ear. He widened his eyes—only then realizing the other man had already launched himself at him.
That axe flashed with a dazzling violet glow—its power, he'd already tasted.
If this place weren't Buzhou, he would've died here long ago.
A lesson learned once wouldn't be learned twice.
So Bolue forcibly twisted his body in midair.
Hands and feet together, he tore across the snow at full speed.
His speed was far beyond ordinary Borisin—proof of what made him special.
But a shadow clung close behind him.
And when he looked again—wasn't that Sora?
Bolue's certainty only hardened: Sora had absolutely been affected by his blood.
Because right now, Sora was also displaying a savage running posture—something no normal living being would ever show.
And that discovery made Bolue even more excited.
If you've lost your consciousness and become a beast… then that means you're beneath me now!
The greatest difference between a sapient being and a beast is intelligence.
A beast doesn't know how to use intelligence—so it can be easily controlled by weaker intelligent beings.
Now that Sora had lost his intelligence and only had wild instinct left—
Then he'd show Sora what it meant to graduate from the Intelligentsia Guild with full marks across every subject!
Sora's figure was like a gale over the snow, chasing without letting up.
His steps were strong and fierce, each stride making the earth shudder.
The giant axe in his grip reflected a cold sheen under the sun; each swing tore the air with a splitting whistle.
Bolue was fast, but under Sora's pursuit, the distance between them didn't widen at all.
They sprinted straight toward the peak of Mount Buzhou—until, after the bend, Bolue knew the chance had come!
He shot past the corner, then suddenly spun around—one hand stabbing into Mount Buzhou, using inertia to concentrate his full strength into the other claw, and heaved it viciously at Sora.
The strike was lightning-fast, carrying the sound of air being ripped apart.
"Die!"
In a blind spot like this, it was hard for any creature to react.
And even if they reacted, with the two locked in a close pursuit at such a tiny distance, perfect defense was impossible.
What's more, Bolue's aim was Sora's throat—so even if that blow didn't kill him, it would still inflict severe damage.
The whole plan was flawless—this was the best method Bolue could produce in such an extremely short instant.
He believed that after this strike, he would definitely cripple the other man and seize the advantage.
But he forgot one thing…
That sometimes, in the face of overwhelming power, intelligence accomplishes absolutely nothing.
Just like now.
The instant Bolue launched his attack, his arm… stopped.
It wouldn't swing any farther.
Because Sora had grabbed his arm.
And the giant axe in Sora's other hand was already raised high—then brought down!
Splrch!
The next moment, Bolue's body slammed uncontrollably into Mount Buzhou's rock—because the "connection" between him and Sora had been severed.
He was a little dazed. Withdrawal shock in his body made him lose sensation for a brief moment.
But in the next instant, agony blew his mind to pieces.
Pain pain pain pain!
His arm had been cleaved clean off with one axe. Half of it was in Sora's hand—
The other half sprayed thick blood nonstop, and the white broken bone at the cross-section was enough to make your scalp go cold.
?
Sora stared at the severed hand still dripping blood, looking genuinely puzzled.
He squeezed it once. Felt like it wasn't very interesting. So he casually tossed it aside.
Then his gaze locked forward—onto Bolue, who was struggling to flee farther away.
Bolue's body went cold. That shiver of terror surged up again.
So he couldn't care about the pain—missing half an arm, he still forced himself onto all fours and kept sprinting upward.
Only this time, his speed was obviously affected.
After all, with one hand gone, he couldn't possibly be as fast as before.
And because of that, the figure behind him—still moving at the same terrifying speed—didn't pause for even a moment with the weapon in his hand.
Splrch, splrch!
One axe, then another—no hesitation, no rest.
Shhk, shhk!
Bolue's body erupted with one blood-jet after another.
The white snow on the mountains around them was dyed a bright, searing red by his hot blood—but even so, Bolue didn't show the slightest intention of slowing down.
Sora behind him grew more and more excited.
A guy you can't kill no matter how you chop—this is just too damn good!
Let me see exactly how far you can run.
That violent consciousness was like it had started playing a game of driving a flock—
Only what he was driving wasn't sheep.
It was Bolue, the Borisin leader, right here.
Bolue knew it too. Even if humiliation burned through him, he didn't dare stop for even a breath.
Because he knew that the moment he stopped, in the state that monster was in now, he'd hack him into a meat paste so completely there'd be no recovering from it.
So—he couldn't stop!
Only by running—running without stopping—would there truly be a future at that mountaintop!
As long as I can reach that place. As long as I can reach that place…
I absolutely can…
Just as Bolue was forcing himself forward in a mad sprint, two more sharp spikes jabbed straight into his ass.
Bolue's body shot upward uncontrollably, springing up a whole stretch, and countless drops of blood scattered with the wind and snow—drifting down the mountain.
...
At the foot of the mountain, on the battlefield.
Even though the allied forces on the Xianzhou side had used Heliobi to become immune to Wolfsbane and suppress the Borisin…
The Borisin weren't pushovers either. After taking heavy losses in the first wave, they'd gotten a lot smarter.
They played to their advantage, sprinting on all fours across ground and walls alike.
Using their inborn speed and agility to deliver killing blows.
As expected of predators that could keep Foxians pinned and helpless—even with one talent completely unusable, when facing Foxians they still held the upper hand.
They were terrifyingly fast. Some soldiers had an arm severed by their claws.
But even missing one hand, he still grit his teeth and kept fighting with the other.
Using himself as bait—he endured, and with that sheer stubbornness, he dealt with several Borisin.
But when he turned to look behind him, his gaze went vacant, and despair rose in his chest.
Because those Borisin he'd just pierced through lung and gut, stabbed through heart—were actually wobbling as they struggled back to their feet.
The snowflakes falling from the sky were being absorbed by them, and the wounds on their bodies were healing at a frightening speed.
If not for the blood they'd left on the ground, you wouldn't even be able to tell they'd been hurt.
The revived Borisin were ecstatic as well—inside them, the Abundance blessing was healing their bodies, driving their souls mad!
"This is the power the Khan bestowed on us! Under the might of Khan Bolue, we will not die!"
They were undying. They were impossible to defeat!
Dead and returned, their confidence surged.
"Awoooo—!"
With a howl, they charged those Xianzhou allied forces again, fearless to the point of madness.
But right at that moment…
Drip. Drip.
Drops of blood fell from the sky onto the ground.
This tiny change was something you couldn't really see with the naked eye.
Because this battlefield had long since been soaked in blood—blood wasn't anything rare here.
But something else inside that blood instantly spread through the entire battlefield.
The people caught up in the war all at once fell into a fear so intense it felt like a hallucination.
Not just the Xianzhou allied forces—even the Borisin were dragged into that fear.
This was the illusion born from the special Wolfsbane inside Bolue's body.
In an instant, the entire battlefield… froze.
"T-this… what happened?" Feng Liqi stayed close to Ahri, shielding her tightly.
"Just now, some blood fell from the sky—there's some kind of weird poison in it!"
Xi quickly judged the cause.
But with the battlefield paused like this, it was an opportunity instead.
"All Heliobi, hear my command—move! Double it, all of you!"
They could seize this chance and strike the enemy in front of them.
Those Heliobi weren't affected. Hearing Xi's words, they hurriedly cleared the fear-state.
That single push drove the frontline forward a good distance.
But they hadn't advanced far when those Borisin werewolves slowly recovered from the illusion as well.
They had extremely strong resistance to Wolfsbane in the first place, so recovering faster was only natural.
But after they recovered this time… they were different.
Their eyes turned blood-red, hungry—brutality buried in their bodies pouring out through their claws!
"That's the Khan's blood…"
The Khan was injured. Blood was even dripping down.
For years the Borisin had hidden inside the Tushan Realm; after Bolue's adjustments, they were no longer a tribe that would fall into "moon-madness."
The switch for berserk had been set to Bolue's blood.
Now that his blood was falling, the Borisin would enter a berserk state.
They no longer feared injury or death—everything they did was to slaughter the enemy before them to the last.
And all of it was for—
"For Khan Bolue!"
With a howl, those red-eyed Borisin launched a sudden assault at the allied line.
This time their attack was unbelievably fierce, and they no longer cared about the damage they took.
With the blizzard of snow overhead, wounds suffered this moment would heal the next.
Right now, they were like wolf-spirits you couldn't kill.
With the situation turning like this, the allied forces on the field were immediately pinned down by that savage offensive.
And faced with that, Xi turned her gaze toward the Sword Champion of the Cangcheng at the side.
"Didn't you say you had a way? Why are you still standing here?"
"Because I'm waiting for someone," the Sword Champion of the Cangcheng said quietly.
"Waiting for someone? Isn't everyone already here?"
"I'm waiting… for Sora's signal."
Sora?!
Xi's heart sank at once—because only now did she realize Sora had been silent for a long time.
"I'm going to see what the hell he's doing!"
Xi was going to check what Sora was doing—why hadn't he sent the signal yet?
But Feng Liqi stopped her at her side.
"I-I'll go." Feng Liqi blocked her. "You're stronger. You can do more here."
And Feng Liqi's strength was too weak—she could barely do anything in a place like this.
After weighing it, Xi nodded and agreed.
With Xi's approval, Feng Liqi turned into a mass of flame and flew up into the sky.
She skimmed upward for a long time before she finally saw a camp that had been destroyed.
And the footprints on the ground pointed her toward a direction.
She followed the tracks onward, but after passing a boulder, the terrain ahead turned into something she didn't dare to step into.
"T-this… what happened?!"
There were claw marks above the stone—no need to guess, the Borisin werewolves had left those.
But if those claw marks were left by Borisin werewolves… then what was this wolf-claw on the ground?
Feng Liqi floated closer and found the break was eerily clean—and it had already stopped bleeding.
And inside that severed hand, there was still a trace of power hidden within. No question—that was the power of the Abundance.
It had to be burned quickly, or there might be more trouble.
Feng Liqi hesitated for a moment… then chose to swell her flames and burn the severed hand to ash.
When she finished, her fire had… grown a little.
Because she'd felt something horrifying in it—there was no doubt the owner of this hand was experiencing tremendous terror right now.
And Feng Liqi herself was a Heliobus that fed mainly on fear. With this, her power actually strengthened a bit.
With that done, Feng Liqi continued drifting upward along this route.
Then… she slowly came to a stop.
Because the road ahead was no longer blanketed in white snow—it looked like it had been forged from blood.
Dark red blood was splashed across the cliff walls and the path, dyeing it into a road of gore.
And on this road, bits of flesh remained—still hiding Abundance power within them.
Even farther ahead, Feng Liqi saw a wolf hind leg lying quietly under a layer of snow.
"Th-th-th-th-this…"
The sheer horror of the scene froze her in place. She didn't dare go forward.
What happened here? Why was it this terrifying?
Or… had she been dragged into a fear-hallucination too?!
Otherwise why would she suddenly be seeing such a horrifying road?
Feng Liqi drifted back and forth, confirming the path before her wasn't an illusion—it was real. A true blood-road.
Which only made her even more worried.
Sora… he's okay, right?!
Worry made her want to step forward, but leaving this Abundance-blood here wasn't a good idea either.
In the end, Feng Liqi made a decision.
She expanded her body to its maximum, burning away the blood as she moved forward.
But what she didn't expect still happened.
The more she burned, the more clearly she could feel the fear the blood's owner had carried at the time.
As if behind them stood a god of slaughter holding an axe, slicing the flesh from his body piece by piece—thin as cicada wings.
That kind of terror was soaked into the blood and the severed limbs.
And as Feng Liqi burned the blood, absorbing those lingering emotions… her form continued to grow larger and larger.
It was just a pity she didn't realize it at all.
At this moment, her mind was completely infected by fear.
But the worry in her heart for Sora forced her onward, step after step.
"As long as I find Sora, I won't be scared. As long as I find Sora, I won't be scared!"
That belief drove her, letting her keep moving along this mountain path tainted by blood.
And the Sora she was so desperately worried about… right now, still chasing Bolue, had arrived at the summit of Mount Buzhou.
...
The summit wasn't full of wind and snow. Instead, it was an open, flat clearing.
And in that clearing sat two machines that looked incredibly complex.
This was Bolue's ultimate objective—years in the making.
The "Path Reversion Machine"!
In his research, Paths had progenitors—and those progenitors were the AEONs who governed the Paths.
Through Path Reversion, drawing himself ever closer to the AEON—that special kind of existence—was the "final" he'd envisioned.
Even if he couldn't become an AEON, by continuously reverting, the Path power inside his body—no matter how it piled up—could still allow him to possess the strength of an Emanator.
And all of this… Bolue had originally planned to use only after everything was fully prepared.
But now, he had no choice but to activate it early!
He stumbled as he sprinted toward the machines, and in that instant his speed actually returned to what it once was.
But Sora chasing behind him didn't care about any of that—wings beating, he surged straight forward.
And Bolue yanked the lever down hard!
As the entire Mount Buzhou began to quake without end, a radiant brilliance flared, flooding everything around them with light.
Sora's heavy forward-charging figure tried to dodge, but how could he ever outrun the speed of light?
Bathed in it, his body swayed—like he'd snapped back into some other state.
"…I'm…"
Sora's consciousness returned. He stared blankly—why had the scenery around him suddenly changed like this?
And especially this axe—why was there so much blood on it?
Feeling sick to his stomach, Sora flicked the axe, flinging all the blood off and splattering it onto the ground.
And when Bolue saw that, he actually laughed.
Caring about filth meant consciousness had returned—meaning this guy was finally no longer as crazed as before.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!! You're finally back—this is great, truly great!"
His voice trembled, tears welling.
Bolue, before this, could never have imagined he'd feel happy because an opponent regained consciousness.
In the past, once he got an enemy stained with his blood, victory was basically assured.
He never thought this guy would be different… but thank the heavens his consciousness was back now.
At least he hadn't run all the way to the summit for nothing!
The joy in Bolue's heart right now was something he couldn't tell anyone.
Facing the wind and snow, he felt like he'd been reborn.
Three thousand seven hundred twenty-six—those were the number of times the other guy had hacked him.
Both his hind legs had been severed so many times he'd lost count; when he finally stood up straight, Bolue looked… a little hunched.
And the truth of that hunch was the bulges on his back—swelling from constant healing.
Bolue was genuinely happy right now. Never in his life had he felt this delighted to fight an enemy with their mind intact.
If he'd known that once this guy lost consciousness he'd become that—
Bolue would never, ever have dared to scheme against him with blood.
But it was too late to say anything now. After three thousand-plus chops, he'd engraved this lesson into his bones.
"Now it's time for me to pay that lesson back to you!" After laughing, Bolue's face twisted as he ground his teeth.
Borisin held grudges. Every single wound carved into him—he would return them all to Sora. Not one missed!
And when Sora heard him, he looked… confused.
Not because of anything else, but because—
"Who are you?" Sora stared at Bolue, baffled.
Only, Bolue at this moment was completely unlike before.
The snow-white wolf fur he'd had was gone, replaced by black wolf hair matted together.
Bolue now… was a pitch-black wolf!
The reason he'd become this way was because that blackness covering him was his own blood—dried, darkened, caked onto him!
And the culprit who'd "blackened" Bolue was now scratching the back of his head with curiosity.
Sora's consciousness had only just woken up—he truly hadn't recognized who this guy was.
"Heh… hahahahahaha!"
Hearing Sora say that, Bolue didn't get angry—he laughed even harder.
For a moment, his laughter rang across the entire summit of Mount Buzhou.
Was there regret in that laughter?
Regret that he shouldn't have made this guy lose his mind?
Or was it unwillingness?
All that changed was his back got a little thicker, his legs got a little shorter—and this guy couldn't recognize him?
Or maybe it was both!
Either way, Bolue's hatred had become unbearable.
His enemy was right there, and still had the nerve to look innocent—how could he endure that?!
"I'm going to make you taste hell first… then I'll kill you!"
Bolue activated the machine again, and this time the light shone on himself!
The surrounding snowflakes looked as if they were being pulled by something, gathering toward his body nonstop.
His frame grew larger and larger; knotted muscles were covered in countless scars.
In only a few seconds, Bolue had become a gigantic werewolf several meters tall.
And around him, countless strands of black mist drifted, making him look like something half-ghost.
The experiment succeeded—Path Reversion let him obtain an incomparably abundant amount of Abundance power.
And his silhouette began to leave the "wolf" category entirely—two more pairs of arms burst out from his body.
One head, four arms—wolf-like, yet even more like a demonic god descending upon the world.
Sora wasn't about to sit and wait for death. He beat his wings and launched a relentless barrage at the monster in front of him.
But it was like trying to put out a wildfire with a cup of water.
"Your power is far too weak for me now!"
Sora finished a strike, and Bolue's counterattack arrived instantly.
Four fists the size of millstones hammered toward him.
Sora opened his mouth and spat freezing breath, while two spikes shot from his shoulders.
Those four massive hands split their roles—some attacking, some defending—reaching to seize him.
Seeing that, Sora chose to break off for the moment, not forcing an exchange.
BOOM!
Bolue's punch cracked the air with sharp, crisp blasts.
You could imagine—if that hit landed on a body, "organs shattered" might actually be the best outcome.
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly start dodging?" Bolue's several-meter-tall bulk strode toward Sora, the pressure overwhelming.
In his eyes burned a crimson light—bloodthirst and revenge, hungry and bright.
"Every swing you put into me, I'll return to you. Not one missed."
"I'll let you feel what it means—what it means to peel flesh from bone!"
The more Bolue spoke, the more violent his assault became!
"You can talk big any time you want!"
Sora charged at Bolue again.
But this time, he clearly felt the difference.
Bolue's physical ability was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye—and at the same time, he was dealing with Sora's attacks more and more easily.
After several of Sora's attacks missed, Bolue could already trade a few moves with him!
"Your next attack is my shoulder!" Bolue's sudden words made Sora's heart jolt.
Because that was exactly what he'd been thinking. Realizing something was wrong, Sora instantly twisted his body and hacked an axe down into Bolue's back.
But because it was a panicked switch, the blow didn't do serious damage.
To prevent pursuit, Sora instantly retreated a huge distance.
And in the very next moment, the spot he'd just been standing was smashed by Bolue's fist.
This…
"You're predicting my moves?"
Yes—Sora suddenly realized it. If he hadn't backed off fast just now, that hit might've landed.
After Bolue entered this "second form," he could actually predict Sora's actions.
"Hehehe. As they say—know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. I've collected all your intel and stored it in my mind."
And now, with Path Reversion—Abundance activated—
Bolue's brain, the thing that held and processed that Abundance power, was being strengthened continuously.
Inside his head, he was analyzing—analyzing the corresponding forms, the techniques he used.
And that purple, axe-wielding thing… the memory of that body hadn't faded yet!
"The more you clash with me, the closer you get to death."
The more Sora clashed with him, the more Bolue learned all his variations—understood him more and more.
A Borisin's agile body. The Abundance's undying nature. And an extremely powerful brain!
"Right now I'm basically high as hell!"
Bolue spread his arms—his several-meter-tall body radiating crushing intimidation.
And hearing that, Sora seemed to understand something.
"So basically… I have to make you die in a short amount of time."
"Can you? Why don't you look at where you are right now?"
"I can."
I've been ready for this.
A coin representing the HUNT was slotted into the axe, and this time Sora wasn't aiming at Bolue in front of him—he was aiming at the sky.
BANG!
A streak of silver light cut across the heavens, so faint it looked almost unnoticeable.
But the Sword Champion of the Cangcheng—who had been sitting with eyes closed in quiet rest—snapped his eyes open at that very moment.
The aura around him changed instantly, like a sword pulled from its sheath.
"T-this—what is this?!" Xi was the closest to him, and was naturally blown the farthest back.
The Sword Champion of the Cangcheng now had his tightly closed eyes open, and the power rolling off him suppressed every enemy on the field.
"I have cultivated swordsmanship for eight hundred sixty-two years, and the sword in my hand was only swung for forty-nine years… before it was sealed back into its sheath."
The Sword Champion of the Cangcheng spoke softly.
Xi quickly lined up the dates in her head—and realized something.
Wasn't the year-count of that sword being sheathed… exactly when General Futian signed the contract with her?
"This guy… ever since Cangyan appeared, he hasn't used this sword again?"
Then if it's just been sitting there… wouldn't it have long gone dull and rusted?
The Sword Champion slowly, inch by inch, drew the sword from his arms—shattering Xi's guess.
Because the blade inside wasn't rusted at all. If anything, it was still bright and razor-sharp, and the aura rolling off it was so fierce she had to avoid it for a moment.
"This is… Master's Sword-Nourishing Technique." Yu Qi couldn't help speaking as he watched.
Sword-Nourishing was a method of letting a treasured blade hide its light and bide its time—then, at the most critical moment, unleashing all the power it had accumulated in one burst.
And the longer it was nourished, the stronger its might became.
The Sword Champion of the Cangcheng had brewed this sword for over eight hundred years. Yu Qi didn't even dare imagine how terrifying that power would be.
But very quickly, worry surfaced in his eyes.
Because the stronger the power the technique had stored, the heavier the burden on the person who drew it.
Now that the Sword Champion had pulled out a blade nourished for more than eight hundred years… could he hold on—
"Xiao Qi… no, Xiao Yi…"
Just as Yu Qi was worrying, his master's voice suddenly rang by his ear.
"Having you dress as a man was only a stopgap. When everything ends and the Cangcheng sees light again, you can do what you want then."
"Master can only walk with you this far. Next, you follow behind that kid, and live well—live in tomorrow's freedom."
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you… happy birthday."
Those words already answered whether the Sword Champion could bear it.
He was old. Even if he survived… he would likely fall into Mara.
So if he was going to gamble, he'd gamble his entire body.
Gamble… that the younger generation would see a tomorrow with starlight.
Yu Qi fell silent after hearing that. In the end, he nodded calmly.
The Sword Champion of the Cangcheng smiled, then no longer hid his aura.
"Eight hundred and thirteen years of Sword-Nourishing—today, one sword can sever the heavens!"
As his voice fell, the sword in his hand fully left its sheath, the tip pointing at the sky, and a mighty presence surged upward with it.
The air solidified. Every gaze fixed on that treasured sword blazing with light.
The blade was like jade—though it hadn't been drawn for more than eight hundred years, it still showed the same luster as back then!
The Sword Champion's body rose with it, as if he and the sword had become one.
At that moment, a streak of silver light tore across the firmament, as if answering a summons, and poured into the Sword Champion's blade.
BOOM!
A violent pulse erupted, blowing the snowflakes away from his body.
Both sides fighting below felt that sudden surge of power and hurriedly withdrew.
And after receiving that brilliance, countless shining cracks appeared along the Sword Champion's arm.
His body was collapsing. He didn't have much time left.
"Once, the Reignbow Arbiter shot an arrow toward the Ambrosial Arbor—today, I'll learn from him and cut out a mountain!"
The Sword Champion of the Cangcheng smiled, and swung his sword in a plain, unadorned arc.
Shing!
In an instant, dazzling light lit up the entire battlefield—then flashed at Mount Buzhou's mid-slope.
Bolue had been about to launch a new round of attacks on Sora, but this sudden change interrupted him.
A crisis-sense he'd never felt before surged in his chest.
And that feeling was confirmed immediately, because in the next moment, the Abundance blessing beneath Mount Buzhou completely vanished.
The entire mountain became like an ordinary mountain.
And at the mid-slope, a band of light cleanly severed the power within it.
As for the Sword Champion… he was gone without a trace.
He'd fulfilled the promise with his old comrade—and didn't end up buried together.
Now there was no one left to disturb him.
"This is… something a human can do…?"
With human strength alone, forcibly severing an AEON's blessing—Bolue wouldn't have dared imagine it, no matter what.
"You still have plenty you haven't imagined. After you die, go ask him properly!"
Bolue was no longer the undying body from before. Now he was just like an ordinary Xianzhou person—if his injuries got too severe, he would die.
"But it seems I can drag this out until your power completely dissipates."
Bolue wasn't panicking, though, because Mount Buzhou still had endless falling snow piling up!
"Let's make a bet. Will the power severing Mount Buzhou run out first… or will the snow on Mount Buzhou run out first?"
Bolue was extremely confident.
He'd already seen through Sora's fighting habits. At this moment, Sora couldn't hurt him at all.
Relying on all that accumulated snow, he believed he could stall until Mount Buzhou recovered.
Bolue could drag it out with Sora for an entire day!
"Then if we're betting like that… I'll bet you die first."
In Sora's hand appeared three gradient-red medals.
Snowfall? I'll melt it for you.
'"Taka! Kujaku! Condor! (Phoenix screech) Tajadol!"
'[TAKA!]'
'[KUJAKU!]'
'[CONDOR!]'
"[HENSHIN]!"
As the circular crest formed by the three medals stamped itself across Sora's chest, endless flames exploded outward from it!
The drifting snow infused with Abundance power slowly vanished into nothing under that violent fire.
'[SCREEEEEEE!]'
'[TA~JADO!!]'
'[ETER~NITY!]'
All the snow at the summit dispersed in an instant. The only things left on that ground were two figures.
"So this is the power you've been hiding until now?!"
Bolue couldn't believe it—this guy had still been hiding this form, all the way until now.
Furious flames kept blasting out; the drifting snow couldn't flow into his body at all.
Now Bolue truly had no way to maintain an undying body!
"But so what? I've stored all your battle data in my brain."
"You can't hurt me!"
Bolue charged at Sora. In his mind, he'd already analyzed every possible defense Sora could choose.
As long as Sora took any one of them, Bolue could counterattack instantly!
Even if you're a new form—your subconscious won't have any loopholes!
And Sora simply stood there, with no intention of responding to Bolue's assault.
"Given up resisting? Then die for me!"
At this distance, you have no chance to fight back!
But in the split-second before his fist landed on Sora, a tremendous force suddenly struck from the side—like someone had just kicked him hard in the ribs!
Bolue shot backward, eyes full of shock.
Because he hadn't seen Sora move at all. Sora had just stood there the whole time.
Then what was that?
And right then, Sora moved.
But he didn't chase Bolue—he turned his head to both sides.
Because two figures at the side were greeting each other.
"Yo, Ankh." Eiji Hino wore a bright grin.
"Tch. Why the hell are you here too?" Ankh spoke like he was annoyed, but the smile on his face from the reunion had already sold him out.
"Come on. It's been a while since we worked together."
"Don't forget my payment afterward."
"Yeah. I'll have the kouhai buy you the ice pop."
After that, the two of them spoke to Sora together: "We're going in…"
"Senpai!"
Sora froze for a second—then his face broke into a smile, and he surged forward with them in a charge!
♪ Time Judg-ed All! ♪
♪ Tajador.... Tajador~! ♪
♪ Time Judg-ed All! ♪
♪Tajador.... Tajador~! ♪
♪ Time Judg-ed All! ♪
♪Tajador... Tajador~! (The intersection of two wishes) ♪
♪ Time Judg-ed all!! ♪
♪ Tajador... Tajador~! (An effort of two wishes) ♪
---
T/N: WOOOOOOOOOOO BEAT THAT FURRYS ASSSSSSS also gonna keep Yu Qi until she reveals it to Sora