The arena trembled—then split apart.
The ground cracked, roots erupting upward as the walls dissolved into mist. Lanterns swayed, buzzing with life. Instead of warmth, thousands of fireflies spread their wings, tearing through their fragile shells.
Within seconds, a dense forest replaced the stone ring—fog curling between ancient trees and glowing spores drifting through the shadows.
Liang Wei blinked. "A biome shift?"
Buzzing filled the air.
[Wave Four — Grade 4: Spirit Insects – Hive Swarm, Lv. 10–20]
They came from everywhere—shadows bursting open as dozens of chitinous wings shimmered in the gloom.
These were the fireflies that had sprung to life.
[Midnight-Light Firefly Swarm, Lv 10]
Liang Wei spun his ring blade and slashed at the enclosing cloud. The war painting swung its blade as well, cutting down hundreds of lights around them as his leopards and boars turned back into ink.
Liang Wei's eyes darted uneasily.
That notification said Hive Swarm… not Firefly Swarm, he thought, looking toward the trees.
Cricket. Cricket.
[Green-Fields Grasshopper] [Lv 10→12]
He spotted a giant grasshopper, half the size of a small dog.
It stared at him, then leapt—glowing luminous green with iron markings.
He spun his ring blade through the fireflies and extended his Crescent Glaive at the incoming bug.
[Green-Fields Grasshopper → Iron-Shell Grasshopper] [(Lv 12→13)]
!!!
Shatter!
The outstretched blade of his glaive took the brunt of the creature's ironclad shell.
Fuck!
He ducked, trying to dodge at the last moment. Having seen its level near the Elemental Flame Lion he'd taken down, he didn't dare take it lightly.
His one-armed titan moved, spinning in a full circle and slamming into the insect.
Bang!!
The sound of iron rang out.
The atmosphere felt heavy as the war painting strained to push back the living cannonball, now made of solid iron. It was sent flying into a tree once the painting got serious.
[Iron-Shell Grasshopper → Green-Fields Grasshopper] [(Lv 7↓)]
It smashed into an ember-lit trunk, cracking the wood where it struck.
"What type of skill was that?" he smiled.
Liang Wei's Blood Qi turned the broken pieces of his spear into scarlet bugs, then back into reformed steel. "I want it~"
He spoke while watching more grasshoppers emerge from the woodwork.
The titan behind him began to dissipate, but he didn't care.
War Painting — Ancient-Silk Banners
18 Spirit Residue (Ice Type) 1 Blood Memory Fragment (Defensive Skill Trait: Frost Patron)
His shoulders began to glow crimson as jagged ice pierced outward while he ducked a head-on strike.
His Crescent Glaive moved, sketching the banner's foundation.
- 7 Spirit Residue (Ice Type)
- 4 Blood Memory Fragments (Defensive Skill Trait: Glasore Plates)
- 1 Blood Memory Fragment (Defensive Skill Trait: Cold Stride)
His body began to change as ice spikes emerged from his joints and hardened limb guards covered his arms and legs.
His clothing froze as well, transforming.
The black-and-red robe crystallized into blue ice.
He was shocked—he couldn't have done that.
Then he felt his chest plate changing to ice.
Xuyue stretched her arm out, her axe vibrating in her grasp.
She wore her neutral gaze, commanding the ice on Liang Wei's body to spread and reform in her image.
He turned, noticing it was glowing the same way his skill traits were.
"Thanks for the new wardrobe. You're really the best support I could have asked for," he relaxed, letting her complete his winter armor.
Swing! Clink!
He slammed his weapon into a grasshopper, deflecting it, while spinning his ring blade right behind it—
Eeeek!—
It was crushed, its body at its most volatile after casting Iron Shell.
Their spike in level and power dropped the moment it was undone, and that was his chance to attack.
[Green-Fields Grasshopper → Iron-Shell Grasshopper] [(Lv 14→15)]
[Green-Fields Grasshopper → Iron-Shell Grasshopper] [(Lv 11→13)]
[Green-Fields Grasshopper → Iron-Shell Grasshopper] [(Lv 13→14)]
"Awooo!!!"
A spirit wolf howled.
Its body slammed into the three oncoming grasshoppers.
The sneak attack failed as its half-ink body destabilized, turning into a ball of chains that wrapped around the insects and suspended them in the air, hooking onto trees and the ground.
Xuyue was furious at the cowardly sneak attack they had attempted when her master had his back turned.
"Illusory Icicle Burst!!!"
She raised her free arm, letting it freeze over, and released a torrent of icicles.
But it didn't end there.
Unique Skill: Winter Cavalry Illusion (Incomplete)
The moment the illusory ice rushed in like bullets, she converted them into weapons using her sub-skill: Battle Forge.
The ability allowed her to twist any ink construct linked to her—or one she touched—however she saw fit.
She sent knives barreling into the mass of chains.
[Lv 8] [Lv 6] [Lv 9]
The weakened trio died as their brief invincibility faded, leaving them with nowhere to run.
"Eeek!! Ee—"
The knives pierced through them, ice Qi flooding their bloodstream with frost.
Liang Wei smirked, reaffirming she was the best support.
He leapt into the air, drawing his banner and blackening the flag.
His knuckles frosted, crystals forming into gauntlets.
Then his feet followed, cold armor biting into his calves.
The banner was brought to life.
Ancient-Silk Banner unfurled behind him, its silky fabric rippling despite the still air.
[War Painting Effect: Ancient-Silk Banner]
Type: Field Support / Command Relic
Rank: Grade 4 (Incomplete)
Effects:
• Allies within 20m gain +12% Defense and Element Resistance
• Ink Constructs gain +10% stability and extended duration
• Allows the simultaneous summoning of five Wild Beast Calligraphy portraits
• Grants capacity to maintain one additional active War Painting
The banner pulsed once—and the battlefield responded.
It rippled again, frost running along its ancient seams like veins awakening.
Liang Wei exhaled slowly.
Like a winter general, he stood in frost-tipped armor—his clothes, boots, and even his Crescent Glaive formed from ice.
The air misted around him, the tip of his blade veined with ink while the rest remained clear blue.
He gathered more ink at the tip of his weapon.
His hair was dusted with cosmetic frost, styled into a war headdress of Xuyue's making.
"Let's see what kind of army it takes to deal with you all…"
The bristles on the edge of the blade trembled as he moved, along with the crystal feathers on his head flowing proudly.
Wild Beast Calligraphy — Pondside Pelican
Rank: Grade 4 (Adept)
Type: Support / Retrieval
Ink flowed in wide, sweeping curves.
A long beak formed first, then layered wings painted in soft gradients of grey and blue. Ripples spread beneath its feet as if it stood on unseen water.
The pelican stepped forward with a hollow splash—a creature born from stillness rather than violence.
Effects:
• Can store small constructs, weapons, or spirit residue within its ink pouch
• Gradually restores stamina of nearby allies while idle
• Dive attack creates a splash field that slows enemies
The pelican flapped once and perched atop a branch, its pouch swelling faintly with stored lake water.
Liang Wei didn't pause.
His brush stabbed downward.
Jagged strokes carved into the air.
Wild Beast Calligraphy — Nine-Desert Horned Toad
Rank: Grade 4 (Adept)
Type: Area Control / Defense
The ink thickened into cracked textures.
A squat body emerged, skin patterned like sun-baked earth. Nine ridged horns spiraled along its head and spine, glowing with faint amber embers.
It croaked—a dry, grinding sound.
Its eyes narrowed. "Crock—"
Its tongue shot out, grabbing a handful of fireflies and crunching them in its mouth.
Effects:
• Emits sandwave pulses that disrupt charging enemies
• Horns can fire compressed earth spikes at mid-range
• Gains stacking defense the longer it remains stationary
The toad settled heavily onto the forest floor.
Liang Wei smiled.
"Now something that moves…"
His brush spun in a spiral.
Soft strokes layered over each other, building motion before form.
Wild Beast Calligraphy — Seven-Colored Chameleon
Rank: Grade 4 (Adept)
Type: Stealth / Ambush
Color bled through the ink itself.
Scales shimmered into existence—violet, emerald, gold, crimson, azure, pearl, and shadow layered across its skin like living paint.
Its long tail curled around a branch as it blinked independently with glassy eyes.
Effects:
• Gradually turns invisible while stationary
• Tongue strike can bind enemies with adhesive saliva
• Adapts elemental resistance based on the last attack received
The chameleon vanished almost immediately.
Only the faint distortion of drifting spores betrayed its presence.
The banner pulsed again behind Liang Wei.
Pelican above.
Toad below.
Chameleon unseen.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the battlefield shift in balance.
"Support, control, and assassination…" he murmured.
A grin tugged at his lips.
"Let's see how a swarm handles ecosystem warfare."
The forest buzzed louder in response—wings gathering in the fog as the Hive Swarm prepared its next descent.