The air in the central experimental hall of the **Wan Teng's Tomb** seemed to solidify into heavy lead blocks. Rhea Medusa's seemingly casual words, laden with mountain-like pressure, struck everyone's hearts like war drums.
"The top ten leaders of **Doomsday Rebirth**…" Fa's star pupils in her right eye spun wildly, desperately trying to analyze the unfathomable aura emanating from the red-haired woman before her, yet all she sensed was an overwhelming depth and sharpness akin to staring into an abyss. "Only ten percent of your power?" Kayla's massive beast soul giant god form let out a low thunderous roar. The humiliation and shock of having her full-force strike effortlessly blocked transformed into even fiercer battle intent. "Arrogant! Let this lady see how long your ten percent can last!"
The playful curve at the corner of Medusa's mouth deepened, her amber eyes gleaming with the excited light of a predator locking onto prey. "Then… let's begin." Before her words even finished, the dark gold "mini sword" pendant around her neck suddenly shone with a faint glow!
Pendant's faint light, the dance of probing
Hum!
A low, ancient bell-like sword hum rang out. Medusa didn't even remove the pendant; she simply pressed her right index and middle fingers together and lightly tapped the void! In an instant, a hair-thin yet extremely condensed dark gold sword qi shot forth like a streak of light tearing through space—silent, yet lightning-fast—straight toward Kayla's brow! This sword qi lacked earth-shattering momentum, but it carried a soul-shivering purity of sharpness and weight!
"Watch out!" Fa's star pupils flashed urgently, her precognition catching the lethal trajectory!
"Roar!" Kayla reacted with lightning speed, crossing her massive thunder claws in front to block. Violent lightning and frost powers instantly formed a thick energy shield!
Sizzle—!
A faint yet piercing friction sound rang out! The dark gold sword qi struck precisely at the center of the thunder-frost shield! The shield shuddered violently, ice shards and electric arcs scattering wildly—it was actually pierced a short distance inward! Even Kayla's enormous soul body was pushed back half a step by the concentrated force, the alloy floor screeching harshly! The sword qi finally exhausted itself and dissipated just before fully penetrating the shield.
"Blocked it!" Tisk growled low, the lava patterns on his molten hammer surging brighter.
"Not over yet!" Yuyuer's crystal ball glowed with blue light, catching Medusa's fingers tapping again!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several similarly fine dark gold sword qis, like living venomous wasps, shot toward Arya's throat, Tisk's knee, Zhamisi's snake tail, and Lin Ya's heart! The angles were cunning, leaving only afterimages in their wake!
"Wind-Thunder Barrier!" Celestia's six wings quivered lightly as she instantly appeared in front of Arya. Wind and thunder powers formed an invisible barrier, deflecting the sword qi aimed at the elf.
"Lava Bastion!" Tisk slammed his heavy hammer down, raising a thick wall of molten lava and ice to block the qi heading for him. The ice wall was pierced through with a small hole, but the sword qi was fully expended.
"Poison Miasma Mirage!" Zhamisi's snake tail whipped rapidly, her body twisting eerily as poisonous fog enveloped her. The sword qi deviated slightly upon entering the fog, grazing her tough scales and sparking embers.
"Root Guardian!" Lin Ya's feet erupted with countless animated roots that layered into a shield. The sword qi plunged deep into the roots before being caught and worn down by their resilient plant fibers.
Salsa's shadow hawk lunged at Medusa like a shadow, attempting to disrupt her movements, only to be effortlessly repelled by the invisible force field naturally radiating around her body, as if crashing into an iron wall.
Medusa watched as the group, though somewhat hastily, effectively neutralized her attacks. A hint of approval flashed in her eyes: "Not bad teamwork, little ones. Warm-up's over." She flexed her wrist, her smile still relaxed. "Now… let's raise it to 15%."
**Second round: The sword edge emerges, pressure surges**
"Expand."
Hum!
The dark gold light suddenly intensified! The small sword writhed and deformed like a living thing! In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an ancient, heavy greatsword about four feet long! The blade was broad and thick, its edge gleaming with chilling cold light. A dull wind pressure instantly filled the space! At the guard, a faint yet utterly pure golden pattern quietly lit up!
"Careful! The sword changed!" Yuyuer's crystal ball blazed with blue light as she urgently warned.
Medusa gripped the hilt with one hand, her lips curling into a wild grin: "Now this has some presence! Take my sword!" Without moving her body, she casually swept the greatsword horizontally toward the densest cluster of the group!
Boom—!
A crescent-shaped, solid dark gold sword qi tore through the air with a muffled thunderous roar, slashing out ferociously! Wherever it passed, space groaned under the strain, and the alloy floor was plowed into deep furrows!
"Ice-Fire Dual Wall!" Tisk roared, recalling his war hammer. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kayla's beast soul giant god, a massive barrier surged up, flowing with blazing magma and solid ice patterns that flickered madly!
The dark gold sword qi slammed into the bastion!
Boom-crack—!
Amid the deafening explosion, the so-called bastion capable of withstanding fortress cannon fire shattered like paper under a single slash! Magma sprayed, ice crumbled! Tisk and Kayla both coughed up blood and were sent flying backward as the barrier collapsed! The residual sword qi remained unstoppable!
"Water Mirror Shield · Refraction!" Yuyuer waved her staff frantically, summoning multiple massive, iridescent flowing crystal shields that stacked together.
"Thorn Iron Wall!" Lin Ya's hands surged with green light as countless metallic-gleaming thick thorns entwined the water shields, forming a composite defense!
Sizzle—!
The sword qi cut in! The water mirrors rippled violently and refracted; the thorn iron wall screeched with twisting, snapping metal! Layer by layer weakened, the sword qi finally exhausted itself less than a meter from Yuyuer's body, dissipating amid the wild flutter of her black hair from the residual wind.
"Wind-Thunder Assault · Thousand Blades!" Celestia seized the moment the sword qi vanished. Her six wings blurred into afterimages! Countless invisible wind-thunder blades sliced toward Medusa from all directions at extreme speed!
Medusa drew the greatsword back, the golden pattern on its blade flaring brightly!
"Golden Edge · Immovable!"
Hum!
A thin, cicada-wing-like layer of pure golden light enveloped her entire body, radiating an unbreakable will!
Ding ding ding ding—!
The dense storm of wind-thunder blades struck the golden membrane, erupting in countless blinding sparks! Yet it was as if striking ancient divine gold forged over eons—no ripple was raised! All attacks were repelled and annihilated!
"Shadow Demon Dragon · Frost Soul Breath!" Salsa's soul form fluctuated as her young shadow demon dragon roared into manifestation, unleashing a surge of icy blue breath mixed with shadow corrosion!
Medusa's eyes flashed gold. The greatsword swung vertically!
"Sever!"
A condensed golden sword beam surged upward against the flow, slicing the massive dragon breath cleanly in two like a hot knife through butter! The shadow-frost energies scattered to the sides, unable to approach!
"Ice Spike Barrage · Chain!" Fa locked onto Medusa's feet with her star pupils, stabbing rapidly with her short blade. Dozens of razor-sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground!
Medusa didn't even glance over. The greatsword's tip casually tapped downward.
Clang clang clang clang!
All the ice spikes shattered into skyward ice crystals the instant they neared the sword tip, as if struck by an invisible hammer!
"Arya! Zhamisi! Coordinate with me!" Fa shouted sharply. Her body vanished instantly—star pupil precognition activated—reappearing in Medusa's left-side blind spot! Her short blade stabbed toward the ribs with soul-freezing chill! "Eternal Freeze Fang!"
"Light Binding Chains!" Arya's light arrows transformed into solid chains of light, wrapping toward Medusa's sword-wielding right wrist.
"Deep Current Venom Bite · Soul-Entwining Threads!" Zhamisi flung her dual blades, condensing ink-green poisonous fog into countless hair-thin threads laced with potent neuro-paralysis, enveloping Medusa's face!
Facing the triple assault, a trace of seriousness finally flickered in Medusa's eyes. She flicked her wrist, drawing the greatsword in a perfect circle! The golden pattern flowed!
"Golden Wheel · Shock!"
Hum—!
A rapidly spinning sword wheel illusion, built from pure golden edges, exploded outward with Medusa at its center!
Clang! Puff! Sizzle—!
Fa's ice blade was precisely deflected by the wheel's edge, the massive force splitting her tiger's mouth! Arya's light chains shattered inch by inch! Zhamisi's venom threads were instantly ground to nothing like hitting a shredder! All three were blasted away!
Medusa stood with the sword, the dark gold greatsword slanted toward the ground, its golden glow pulsing. She shook her wrist, her smile still wild yet now tinged with genuine approval: "Impressive coordination. To force me to use the 'Golden Edge' power… I underestimated you all." She flicked her sword hand, seemingly satisfied. "Then… 20%."
Third round: The greatsword fully unsheathed, edge splitting the earth
"Expand!" Medusa commanded lowly.
Hum—!!!
"Thousand Peaks" greatsword emitted a clear, soul-shaking sword cry! The dark gold scabbard vanished instantly, revealing the full blade—wide as a door panel, heavy as a mountain! Ancient, intricate etchings on its surface flowed with dazzling metallic luster like living things! An even heavier, sharper sword intent, as if capable of cleaving the heavens, soared skyward! The entire experimental hall's metal walls groaned under the strain!
"Each time the power increases gradually, even incorporating metal-attribute magic… extreme sharpness and durability!" Yuyuer exclaimed in shock, a startling thought flashing through her mind. "Wait! Medusa! Are you… like Lantis and Villanette, one of the five inheritors of the Star Heart?!" That absolute mastery over metal's primal force was no ordinary power!
Medusa's sword-swinging motion paused slightly. Her amber eyes swept over Yuyuer, the wild grin on her lips carrying—for the first time—true appreciation and… calm acceptance of being seen through. "Smart little fish! Correct!" Her voice boomed with unparalleled pride and power. "Allow me to reintroduce myself! I am one of the five inheritors of the Star Heart—Rhea Medusa, the Thunder-Fire Cleaver! I wield 'Gold's Sharpness,' 'Fire's Explosion,' and 'Thunder's Swiftness'! This sword 'Thousand Peaks' is the extension of my will!"
"Gold, Fire, Thunder?!" Everyone's hearts jolted! No wonder her power was so domineering, seamless in offense and defense!
Before her words faded, she gripped "Thousand Peaks" with both hands and casually swept it horizontally toward the group!
No sword qi detached, but wherever the blade passed, space seemed sliced by invisible edges! A visible crescent shockwave of pure golden sharpness, like a giant scythe cleaving the heavens, howled forth! The hard alloy floor was carved into a several-foot-deep trench with mirror-smooth edges! Residual metallic energy flowed like molten steel along the furrow!
"Dodge! Can't block head-on!" Fa's star pupils flashed frantically, precognition screaming of the shockwave's destructiveness! She instantly short-range teleported, narrowly evading the edge.
"Wind-Thunder Leap!" Celestia's six wings erupted in blinding silver-blue light, vanishing and reappearing beyond the shockwave's path.
"Deep Dive!" Yuyuer waved her staff, enveloping herself and Lin Ya in a water current that sank them into the newly plowed trench to avoid the edge.
Salsa's soul shadow merged into her mechanical cat shell, dark shadow energy exploding to drag Rex sideways in retreat.
Kayla and Tisk roared and chose to meet it head-on! Kayla crossed her thunder claws, unleashing full thunder-frost shield! Tisk swung his molten hammer horizontally, blasting an ice-fire explosive shockwave!
Boom! Boom—!!!
Deafening explosions rang out! The thunder-frost shield tore like paper under the golden shockwave! Kayla's massive soul body giant god was brutally cleaved away, her form rippling violently with a deep energy gash across her chest! Tisk's ice-fire blast clashed against the golden edge like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—annihilated instantly. The dwarf and his hammer were hurled backward, smashing heavily into the distant metal wall, coughing up fresh blood! Zhamisi twisted her serpentine body with flexibility to barely dodge, yet residual sharpness severed several tough scales, blood streaming!
One sword's might—terrifying beyond measure!
"Why?!" Fa steadied herself, wiping blood from her lips, her star pupils fixed on Medusa with fury and confusion. "As a Star Heart inheritor, guardian of the world's origin—why join Doomsday Rebirth and help destroy the world?!"
Medusa shouldered the massive "Thousand Peaks," her arrogant expression softening slightly. A complex, unreadable light flickered deep in her amber eyes. "Why? Survive my test and live—then I'll tell you." She chuckled lightly, carrying an indescribable implication. "For now… let's add some 'heat'! 25%—Golden Flame Scorching Heavens!" Her battle intent surged once more!
Fourth round: Gold and fire intertwine, scorching the skies and boiling the earth
She raised "Thousand Peaks" high again! This time, blazing crimson-gold flames erupted across the dark gold blade! These were no ordinary flames—they contained the explosive and purifying power of stellar fire, perfectly fused with "Gold's" sharpness! The air around the blade twisted and distorted from the extreme heat, crackling explosively! The hall's temperature skyrocketed!
"Slash!"
With a clear shout from Medusa, the greatsword swept not toward the group but slantingly toward the alloy dome overhead!
Hum—sizzle—!!!
A dark gold sword qi wreathed in crimson-gold flames, like a burning moon of destruction, tore through the air and slammed into the dozens-of-meters-high alloy ceiling! The fusion of "Gold's" laws of sharpness and "Fire's" explosive incineration produced horrifying destructive power!
The supposedly indestructible alloy dome parted silently like butter under a hot knife, a massive arc-shaped gash sliced open! The cut edges instantly melted into red-hot molten iron, cascading down like magma waterfalls! Even more terrifying, the sword qi's momentum continued unabated, cleaving through dozens of meters of overlying soil, rock layers, the ruined cemetery above, and countless corrosive vines—slicing, melting, and incinerating all!
Boom rumble—!!!
Deafening roars shook the entire underground space of **Wan Teng's Tomb**! Cold moonlight mixed with billowing dust, molten metal droplets, burning vine fragments, and evaporated underground water vapor poured through the enormous fissure wide enough for a giant ship to pass! The experimental hall was instantly exposed to the moonlight! The cemetery above was gone, leaving only a volcanic crater-like wound belching thick smoke and lava!
Moonlight bathed Medusa's wild figure and her blazing greatsword like a war goddess descended! She stood amid the shattered light, amber eyes sweeping over the utterly stunned group, laughing madly: "Haha! Refreshing! This stuffy place finally gets some air! Star-Eyed Girl, how many more swords can you lot take?"
Fifth round: Three luminaries shine together, divine judgment descends
One sword at 25% had already reshaped heaven and earth! Facing this inhuman power, the team showed no retreat—only more resolute battle will! They knew they had to go all out… at least touch her once!
"Reform the formation! Give it everything!" Fa wiped blood from her lips, her star pupils blazing with unprecedented intensity in three colors. She forcibly squeezed the new poison and psychic powers from deep within her soul, attempting to interfere with Medusa.
"Rex! Nano swarm, saturated ice burst! Target the sword's energy weak points!" Yuyuer ordered swiftly, her crystal ball locking blue light onto the greatsword.
"Arya, charge up! Use your strongest 'Demon-Breaking Light'!" Celestia shouted, six wings spreading as wind-thunder powers converged madly.
"Tisk, Kayla—cover! Zhamisi, hit her with your strongest poison to disrupt energy flow! Lin Ya, bind the ground!" Fa issued commands in an instant.
"Salsa! Demon Dragon! Full distraction!"
"Roar!" The shadow frost soul demon dragon charged at Medusa, unleashing icy breath and shadow dragon claws in frenzy!
"Hmph, annoying bugs!" Medusa casually swept her greatsword wreathed in gold-fire qi, forcing the dragon back.
Just as the dragon drew attention, Rex's nano swarm turned into a silver storm, fearlessly pouncing on "Thousand Peaks"! Ice-core bombs detonated densely across the blade surface! Extreme cold tried to freeze the sword's energy flow! Zhamisi's ink-green deadly poisonous fog clung like a parasite to Medusa's sword arm! Lin Ya's animated vines burst from the ground, tightly wrapping Medusa's legs and the floor!
"Petty tricks!" Medusa snorted coldly, lightning flashing in her eyes! "30%—Three Luminaries Judgment!"
Boom—!!!
"Thousand Peaks" erupted in unprecedented dazzling radiance! Dark gold (Gold), crimson-gold (Fire), and deep blue (Thunder) energies coiled around the blade like three roaring dragons, perfectly fused! A divine judgment pressure as if from the heavens descended! Medusa gripped the sword with both hands and slashed downward into the void ahead!
This time, no sword qi detached—instead, the entire space seemed drawn toward the blade!
Through the dome's fissure, the sky suddenly darkened! A terrifying tricolor pillar over ten meters wide—pure golden sharpness, crimson explosive flames, blue狂 lightning—shot down like a spear of heavenly judgment, instantly piercing heaven and earth! The pillar hurtled at impossible-to-dodge speed toward the reformed formation's core, where they prepared their final counter!
Before it even arrived, the terrifying pressure made everyone's bones creak and souls tremble! Gold's sharpness cut space, Fire's explosion incinerated all, Thunder's swiftness paralyzed souls! This was a devastating strike fused from three stellar laws!
"Defend!!!" Fa, Arya, Celestia, and Yuyuer roared in unison, unleashing every ounce of power!
Fa: Her star pupils burned to their limit, time perception stretched to the extreme! Ice walls, earth walls, light shields, wind barriers layered frantically before her! At the same time, she transformed her newly comprehended poison and psychic powers into invisible spikes, stabbing viciously at the pillar's energy core linkage!
Arya: Her storm bow drawn to full moon, light and dark powers fused as never before! "Light-Dark Concerto · Final Bastion!" A bizarre barrier interwoven with holy light and deep shadow instantly unfolded, attempting to devour and neutralize part of the energy!
Celestia: Six wings fully ablaze, wind-thunder and psychic powers merged! "Wind-Thunder Absolute Domain · Delusion-Breaking Guard!" A compressed-to-extreme miniature domain filled with destructive wind blades and judgment thunder blocked in front!
Yuyuer: The crystal ball atop her dragonbone staff exploded with unprecedented blue light! "Canglan Shelter · Abyss Mirror!" A massive, swirling deep-sea vortex azure mirror appeared, attempting to refract the destructive pillar!
Tisk, Kayla, Zhamisi, Lin Ya, Rex, and Arya also poured everything into defense or side attacks on the pillar!
Boom—!!!!!!!!
An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted!
The tricolor pillar smashed into the desperate defenses! Light swallowed everything! Shockwaves swept like solid walls! The alloy floor rolled, melted, and vaporized like waves! Remaining lab equipment and culture pods turned to dust instantly!
Crack! Puff! Sizzle—!
Fa's layered defenses shattered like paper one after another! Arya's light-dark bastion rippled violently—shadow parts torn by golden light, holy light parts incinerated by crimson flames! Celestia's wind-thunder domain was forcibly burst open by the raging tricolor energy! Yuyuer's abyss mirror refracted barely a tenth before exploding!
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Fa, Salsa (along with her mechanical cat shell), Yuyuer, and Celestia were struck as if by giant hammers, blood spraying wildly as they flew backward like kites with cut strings, crashing heavily onto the molten floor. Struggling yet unable to rise again, their auras withered to the extreme. Their defenses had barely saved their lives—at the cost of grievous wounds.
As for the other six…
Tisk, Kayla, Zhamisi, Lin Ya, Rex, Arya—their positions' defenses were completely breached! When the tricolor judgment's residual waves swept their bodies, no physical tearing or burning occurred.
Final strike: One sword severs souls, dust settles
Medusa's eyes glowed coldly with gold, fire, and thunder like a deity. After unleashing that world-shaking sword, "Thousand Peaks" did not retract—instead, in the last hundredth of a second, its intent shifted abruptly! The heavy, heaven-cleaving momentum transformed into a stranger, more domineering force—the soul law that severs cause and effect, separating spirit from flesh!
"35%—Soul Sever · Thousand Peaks!"
Not a tangible sword light, but an invisible, formless soul impact—like the whisper of death—swept silently over the four gravely wounded on the ground and the six now exposed in the aftermath!
Fa, Salsa, Celestia, Yuyuer: Their already flickering souls, like candles in the wind, suffered catastrophic blows! All four felt their souls hammered brutally, instantly detaching and floating free! Intense agony and near-death void engulfed them! In the final moment, Salsa's dark and psychic powers, Celestia's mental barriers, Yuyuer's water soul guard, and Fa's star pupils containing stellar and poison-psychic inheritance instinctively formed an extremely faint soul protection, barely anchoring their souls to their shattered bodies. But the price was severe soul damage—like cracked glazed porcelain. Their consciousnesses plunged into deep coma, sustained only by the faintest breath keeping the flame of life alive.
Arya, Tisk, Kayla, Zhamisi, Lin Ya, Rex: Completely defenseless! The invisible soul blade swept past, their bodies stiffening as the light in their eyes extinguished instantly! Six semi-transparent soul shadows—bearing shock and bewilderment—were irresistibly drawn by the terrifying suction from "Thousand Peaks," forcibly extracted from their shells! The dwarf Tisk's tenacity, beastkin Kayla's ferocity, serpentkin Zhamisi's ruthlessness, treant Lin Ya's serenity, robot Rex's cold logic, elf Arya's radiance… all frozen in stunned expressions on the soul shadows' faces.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The six souls flew like homing birds, helplessly drawn into the greatsword "Thousand Peaks" radiating dim light! The arcane patterns on its blade came alive, forming invisible vortices that instantly devoured the souls! The sword emitted a satisfied low hum, its glow seeming even more restrained and profound. The bodies of Arya, Tisk, Kayla, Zhamisi, Lin Ya, and Rex—deprived of all support—toppled straight to the ground, lifeless.
Silence. A deathly silence enveloped the utterly ruined wasteland. Only the wind howling through the massive overhead fissure and the sizzling of cooling molten metal remained.
Medusa slowly withdrew "Thousand Peaks." Its dark gold light flowed as the greatsword rapidly shrank, reverting to the unassuming pendant hanging around her neck. The world-destroying aura around her also receded, as if everything just now had been casual play.
She strolled leisurely to Fa's side—gravely wounded and barely breathing—looking down at her pale face. Medusa crouched, extending a callused finger with childish playfulness, poking Fa's cold cheek teasingly.
"Is this it?" Her voice carried lingering satisfaction mixed with unconcealed disappointment, amber eyes glinting with boredom. "Star-Eyed Girl… and your little companions… you're actually… stronger than I imagined."