Just when Stelle thought Phantylia had been smashed to death, the scattered withered branches and leaves began to gather again. Lava-like patterns emerged on them, and within seconds, they reformed into a humanoid figure covered in fiery patterns.
This was Phantylia's third phase, a form embodying both the powers of Abundance and Destruction.
Phantylia: "How impudent!"
Phantylia: "I must admit, you do have some skill, but this is where it ends…"
Thud!
Before she could finish, Pom-Pom rammed the Express into Phantylia's waist. Though this hit wasn't as powerful as the earlier, long-charged strike, it was enough to make Phantylia wince and let out a soft grunt.
"You damned—"
Clang—
Phantylia turned, only to be struck on the shoulder by the Divine Lord's blade. A crack appeared on her crimson body, fueling her rage. "Jing Yuan, you—"
Thud!
Before she could finish, Pom-Pom floored the accelerator again, slamming into Phantylia from behind.
"Damn it, Akivili's Express, all it can do is—"
Clang—
The Divine Lord struck from the front, its blade sinking deep into Phantylia's body.
Thud!
Pom-Pom, laughing gleefully in the driver's seat, floored the accelerator once more, crashing into her from behind. The Divine Lord and the Express attacked from both sides, pummeling Phantylia into a pathetic state.
Phantylia was furious. With a mighty shake, she broke free from their pincer attack and flew into the air, roaring, "You lowly mortals! I am a god! A supreme god! The Emanator of Destruction, the master of paradise!"
"You dare defile this noble body!"
"I will no longer grant you a merciful destruction. I will reduce you and the entire Xianzhou Luofu to ashes!"
The power of Destruction gathered in her hands, forming a massive energy sphere. The overwhelming imaginary energy raged, threatening to shatter the very space around them.
—"Trying to destroy my companions? You're about two thousand years too early!"
At that moment, a resonant voice boomed. A rift in space opened behind Phantylia, and Welt stepped out, cane in hand, delivering an elbow strike to her head—
This was Welt Yang, who had once borne the name of a "world" and inherited the title of "savior" from his final enemy.
Mastering the power of space, his entrance was as abrupt as it was.
Welt's cane strike was no small feat—or perhaps it had a special bonus against heads. Either way, it interrupted Phantylia's charging, and under the pressure of gravity, her body crashed heavily to the ground—
Beep!
Pom-Pom honked the horn while flooring the accelerator, aiming straight for where Phantylia landed.
Jing Yuan seized the moment, commanding the Divine Lord to deliver a potentially fatal strike!
Slash—
Hit by their combined ultimate, Phantylia's body gained several more cracks.
"You're all too much!"
Phantylia was enraged, throwing all decorum and grandeur aside. She grabbed the Divine Lord and unleashed a flurry of wild punches. She was too frustrated to care—this fight was too stifling, so she'd hit whatever she could.
Unfortunately, Jing Yuan wouldn't even grant her that last shred of dignity. With a snap of his fingers, the Divine Lord vanished instantly, only to be resummoned at a distance…
Phantylia: "You little—*****—what kind of ***** fighting style is this?!"
Thud—
While Phantylia was cursing, Pom-Pom floored the accelerator again, slamming squarely into her backside…
Phantylia, furious, turned at the fastest speed of her life, reaching for the Express. This time, she was quick enough, about to grab it—
—"To survive or be destroyed, you have no choice."
A pseudo-black hole was tossed down by Welt, applying a massive slow effect. Phantylia watched helplessly as the Express she was about to grab sped away…
Before she could curse, Himeko rushed forward, delivering two quick slaps to her face.
Phantylia was livid, shattering the pseudo-black hole with a palm and lunging at Himeko with all four limbs. But unfortunately, Himeko seemed to have some kind of ultimate skill: one second she was within arm's reach, but with a shout of "Za Warudo," she'd appear eight hundred meters away the next.
Was this teleportation or what?
Thud!
In that brief moment, Pom-Pom circled back and rammed Phantylia's backside again.
Phantylia turned to grab it, but Welt dropped another pseudo-black hole from above, freezing her in place…
This was beyond infuriating!!
Phantylia was about to explode with rage, turning to grab Welt. He stood his ground, unflinching, letting her massive hand close around him.
Huh? I… I got him?
Phantylia was stunned, her nose tingling and vision blurring with emotion. After fighting so long, she'd finally reduced the enemy's numbers. There was hope! Without that infuriating slow, the rest wouldn't stand a chance…
Phantylia squeezed hard, but there was no sensation in her hand. Opening her palm, she saw—Where'd he go?
"Magic trick!"
A hearty laugh rang out. A rift opened behind Phantylia, and Welt stepped out, laughing uproariously.
Phantylia: "You son of a—"
Thud!
Pom-Pom struck from behind again.
Slash—
The Divine Lord struck from the front.
Slap—
Himeko teleported to Phantylia's face, unleashing a barrage of Ora strikes.
Phantylia shook violently, ready to counterattack with full force, only for another black hole to drop from above, slowing her again as everyone scattered…
Phantylia was numb.
…
Phantylia tried to fight back, but she despairingly realized that the "Divine Lord + Express + Welt + Saintly Himeko" combo was an utterly shameless setup:
The Divine Lord served as the main damage dealer. When it attacked, she had to dodge or block, right? Nope, not a chance.
Welt's gravity field slowed her, making it nearly impossible to dodge the strike—she had to take it head-on.
But if she chose to tank it, Pom-Pom, that menace, would floor the accelerator, honking and ramming her waist, while Himeko would pummel her with relentless fist strikes. The damage added up, incredibly annoying!
To keep fighting, the enemy had to lose numbers, meaning Phantylia had to eat a Divine Lord strike.
But the other three were slippery as eels. Himeko was too fast to catch; Pom-Pom hit and ran like a seasoned hit-and-run driver, sneaking back for another strike when her attention shifted; and Welt… he could open portals, completely ungrabbable.
So, in the end, Phantylia couldn't hit back, couldn't dodge without being kited, and couldn't even take someone down with her. Her best outcome was to fight to the death and be slowly ground down.
…
"Tch tch tch, brutal. Just too brutal," Stelle shook her head. At this rate, Phantylia was going to be ground to death.
"Not brutal at all! This is what she gets for her evil deeds!" The small Stellaron clenched her fists, angrily swinging them at Phantylia from afar.
Stelle instinctively steadied the small Stellaron's shoulders. For some reason, she had a bad feeling in her gut.