Arya and Salsa's Crisis
In the midst of the chaotic army, Arya gritted her teeth, her slender arms trembling slightly from the continuous extreme strain of drawing her bow to its limit. She relentlessly pulled the Storm Bow, channeling all her magic to unleash torrents of five-element whirlwinds, attempting to disrupt and deflect the minute trajectories of that devastating magical flood, buying a sliver of breathing room for the surrounding elves and alliance comrades. Yet in the face of Roman's cataclysmic power, her efforts seemed so minuscule and futile. The carefully formed whirlwinds were often torn apart and annihilated the moment they took shape by even larger, more violent torrents of energy. Her mana was depleting at an alarming rate, beads of sweat covering her forehead, her breathing turning ragged, but she stubbornly drew the bowstring again and again, sustaining fragile, teetering elemental barriers.
Salsa's situation was even more dire. As a soul entity, she felt the attacks—blending mental and negative energy—far more acutely and painfully. She chanted ancient, obscure necromantic incantations, sacrificing her very origin soul power to summon a massive Shadow Demon Dragon that roared and lunged toward the sky, attempting to block the lightning chains crashing down like thunderous pythons. However, the Shadow Demon Dragon, upon contact with the thunder imbued with destructive positive energy, evaporated like snow under blazing sun, purified and dissolved in mere seconds. The backlash and exhaustion caused Salsa's soul body to fluctuate violently, becoming extremely unstable. Her once-solid form turned translucent and hazy, her face deathly pale.
At that moment, a twisted energy stream—containing both psychic shock and lethal poison, which Wing King Wyrselon had desperately deflected—slithered like a cunning, venomous snake. It cleverly bypassed the layered powerful defenses ahead, tracing a bizarre arc straight toward the relatively vulnerable rear ranks of the elven alliance forces. Its core targets were unmistakably the nearly mana-exhausted Arya and the soul body on the verge of dissipation, Salsa! The attack's angle was diabolically precise, lightning-fast, and carried a double killing intent aimed at both life and soul!
"Watch out! Get out of the way!" Lin Ya, who was desperately maintaining a large-scale healing network to save countless wounded, cried out in terror—but he had no spare capacity to act.
"Arya! Salsa!" Celestia sensed the crisis. Her six wings shuddered violently as she tried to use Shadow Leap to break through the lightning blockade and rush over, only to be ensnared by several even thicker thunderbolts, unable to free herself.
"Damn it!" Rex's mechanical arm transformed into an ion cannon and fired at full power, striking the energy stream accurately—but it only caused a negligible moment of stagnation, failing to fully block or divert its path!
Arya suddenly felt an icy, malicious, madness-filled evil will forcibly invade her mind. Countless horrifying illusions erupted within her, while her body was seized by intense numbness and suffocation! The light of the Storm Bow in her hand extinguished abruptly. Her body went limp, barely able to stand. Beside her, Salsa let out an excruciating muffled groan. Her soul body was directly corroded by the targeted toxin, dissolving visibly like flesh splashed with strong acid—growing dim, blurred, and beginning to fade! The shadow of death had never felt so clear, so bone-chillingly close to enveloping them completely.
Fa's Return
At that razor-thin moment of life and death—
Time seemed to press the pause button.
Not a complete freeze, but everything became excruciatingly slow. Falling blood droplets hung suspended in midair, the spread of explosive flames crawled like snails, people's terrified expressions froze on their faces. Even that lethal mixed energy stream advanced at a mere millimeter per second, struggling as if mired in invisible quicksand.
At the center of the battlefield, right in front of Arya and Salsa, space rippled like water.
A slender yet incomparably steady figure appeared without warning.
It was Fa.
Her appearance had not changed much, but her aura was utterly transformed. A profound, vast tranquility—like containing an entire starry sea—radiated from her. Her left eye now encompassed twelve colors: heavy gold, crimson fire, azure water, earthy brown, blazing white lightning, ice blue frost, emerald wood, deep purple poison, radiant light, abyssal darkness, intangible wind, and transparent spirit. These colors were not static; they flowed, lived, and cycled in a mysterious, profound orbit like a miniature, vibrant universe, revealing endless secrets and power.
Her right eye, meanwhile, was a pure, absolute silver-white, devoid of any emotion—reflecting and analyzing every rule and fluctuation of this near-frozen world with cold, utterly rational clarity, as though containing infinite fragments of spacetime and dimensional lines.
She calmly regarded the devastating energy stream inching toward her at glacial speed, as if observing something trivial. She gently raised her right hand—without even drawing her short blade. Her fingertip held no dazzling magical brilliance, no surging energy waves. She simply made a casual, light gesture toward the warped space.
A razor-thin, perfectly smooth-edged spatial fissure appeared silently—like a pitch-black maw quietly opening—precisely swallowing the entire deadly mixed energy stream. No explosion, no shockwave, no energy leakage. It vanished as cleanly as erasing a pencil line with a rubber, as though it had never existed. The next instant, the fissure sealed without a trace.
The forcibly slowed time flow resumed normally.
"Gasp—!" Arya snapped free from the terrifying illusions and suffocation, gulping air desperately. Cold sweat drenched her back instantly. She stared in utter shock at the familiar yet somehow unfamiliar back now standing before her.
"This is…?" Salsa's soul body halted its horrifying dissolution. Though still frail, it stabilized. She gazed in disbelief at the figure shielding them, her soul trembling with emotion.
Fa slowly turned. The twelve-colored starry river in her left eye flowed gently and slowly, carrying a tranquil power that soothed all wounds. Looking at the pale, shaken Arya and the dimmed Salsa, a faint, familiar smile curved her lips—tinged with obvious exhaustion and deep apology. She spoke softly:
"I'm sorry, Arya, Salsa… and everyone. I came back late. The fusion… took far longer and was far more difficult than I imagined."
Her voice was calm and gentle, yet carried a strange penetrative power that steadied hearts—as if not merely vibrating through air, but directly resonating with the surrounding space, energy, and laws.
High in the distant sky, five vague yet immensely powerful figures lurked within dimensional crevices, silently observing the battlefield center and the figure who had quietly returned, effortlessly resolving the crisis.
"Heh, it seems this little one always manages to deliver some unexpected surprises," Saladin's voice carried a trace of imperceptible appreciation and amusement.
"Spacetime laws… though she has only glimpsed the surface and barely touched the fundamentals, it is already enough to disrupt the chessboard of fate and rewrite the predetermined outcome." Lantis's voice remained low and steady, yet carried newfound gravity.
"Hmph, passable. At least it's not entirely boring," Casa del's soul flames flared intensely, his tone still arrogant but unable to hide a flicker of surprise.
"The threads of fate are now violently fluctuating and reorganizing once more… because of the return of this variable," Villanette's voice was ethereal and detached, stating an undeniable truth.
"Hahahaha! Now that's more like it! The show is finally getting interesting! I can't wait to see how Roman seizes the power of the Star Daughter—it will be truly exquisite to behold!" Rhea Medusa burst into excited laughter, her voice brimming with gleeful chaos.
Fa had returned. She had successfully fused with the Heart of the Stars, preliminarily grasping the twelve fundamental elemental origin forces that compose the world. Her right eye, due to the extreme pressure during fusion and resonance with the stellar origin, had unexpectedly awakened an even more profound power beyond the elements—**Spatial Law Force** (time suspension, instant teleportation, spatial severance), even brushing against the threshold of time reversal. Though this power was far from mastered, hugely taxing, and full of unknowns, her return undoubtedly injected an infinitely variable ray of hope into this near-doomed apocalyptic battle.
Fa's gentle words still lingered in the bone-chilling air, their echoes not yet fully faded, when Roman Chronos's heterochromatic pupils suddenly erupted with near-tangible fanatic light—as though witnessing the most secret singularity at the birth of the universe, discovering the ultimate treasure capable of overturning all rules. He completely ignored the Nine Kings' faltering, flickering defensive barrier still struggling under the energy barrage ahead. All the world's clamor became meaningless noise in his ears. His voice trembled with ultimate excitement and longing, yet pierced the thunderous, battle-roaring field with uncanny clarity, locking directly onto Fa:
"Star Daughter! You have finally… finally awakened! Those eyes… those perfect star pupils that have fused the twelve laws and even touched the thresholds of space and time! This is the most perfect, most crucial key to my pursuit of ultimate evolution!" He spread his arms wide, as if embracing fate itself—or intending to pull the entire world into his embrace. "Before you can fully master this power born from the world's origin… offer it to me! Once I transplant your star pupils into myself, I will completely transcend the limits of life, break free from all shackles of this mortal shell, and become a true, omnipotent 'God'! Then, the continent of Murette will welcome eternal peace under the absolute order I decree! A perfect new world without racial discrimination, without any conflict or war, without aging, sickness, or death! This is the ultimate meaning of evolution! This is the destiny we are fated for!"
This mad, grandiose declaration exploded like heavenly thunder deep within the souls of all who heard it. He immediately waved his hand, his voice shifting instantly from ecstatic fervor to absolute, emotionless ice-cold cruelty:
"Doomsday Rebirth Legion! Hear my command! At any cost—capture her alive! Destroy anyone who dares stand in the way! For the advent of the new world!"
The order given, the Doomsday Rebirth forces—momentarily thrown into chaos and hesitation by Roman's earlier indiscriminate attacks—were instantly reignited with super-dose frenzy. Mechanical units' eyes blazed red to the extreme, mutated soldiers unleashed inhuman howls, undead legions' soul flames surged wildly, blood elf mages burned their life essence to chant, mutated winged ones dove like meteors, tri-colored plantmen erupted madly from the earth—every spearhead pivoted in a fraction of a second, surging like starving piranhas scenting the freshest blood, flooding toward the newly returned Fa in a hysterical tidal wave!
Facing this destructive surge capable of drowning steel floods, Fa's expression remained chillingly calm. The twelve-colored starry river in her left eye accelerated its flow, each hue manifesting one of the world's foundational laws. She did not retreat a single step. She simply raised her right hand, fingers slightly spread, and pressed lightly downward—
Spatial Law: Time Lag Domain!
Centered on her slender figure, within a radius of several hundred meters, time's flow was forcibly slowed to near-stasis by supreme might. The frenzied charging Doomsday soldiers instantly became snails trapped in endless mire, ludicrously sluggish. Ion cannon blue beams, corrosive acid sprayed by mutated winged ones, pale bone claws tearing through air by the undead… all froze mid-motion like a paused key, forming a violent yet aesthetically static tableau.
Within this near-frozen domain, Fa was the sole unbound existence. Her figure flickered like a phantom, teleporting gracefully and lethally among the "static" enemies. Her seemingly ordinary short blade remained half-sheathed; with mere light gestures of her fingertips, hair-thin yet pitch-black abyssal spatial fissures appeared silently—precisely devouring enemies' bodies, armor, and energy cores into the void's chaotic depths, erasing them utterly.
Her left eye's twelve-colored starry river blazed as the twelve origin magics operated in perfect, flawless harmony:
- Metallic radiance flashed, sharpening her short blade to the extreme—slicing through mechanoids' super-alloy armor like a hot knife through butter.
- Fire energy erupted into pure white purifying flames, vaporizing mutated soldiers' flesh instantly, leaving not even ash.
- Water and ice fused perfectly, spreading extreme cold that froze undead skeletons and soul flames alike—shattering them into countless icy dust with a mere touch.
- Earth power surged, the ground rumbling as razor-sharp rock spikes erupted without warning, piercing and crushing the writhing tri-colored plantmen roots.
- Lightning transformed into leaping electric chains, like living thunder serpents jumping between mutated winged ones, detonating them in dazzling fireballs.
- Wood vitality animated vines beneath her feet, turning the tables—coiling and strangling Doomsday plant units like giant pythons, draining their life energy.
- Poison mist spread with sentience, precisely neutralizing and reversing blood elf curses—causing self-devouring backlash in agonizing death.
- Light became pure purifying radiance, dispersing shadows and nullifying mental attacks upon contact with an invisible barrier.
- Darkness formed miniature black holes, greedily devouring undead cores and enemy soul energy—erasing them from existence itself.
- Wind enveloped her, vastly accelerating her teleportation—making her figure elusive, wind-like, lightning-fast, traceless.
- Spirit infiltrated without resistance, disrupting all enemies' wills within range—plunging them into deepest fear illusions amid the endless lag, their minds collapsing before their bodies.
Within this near-stagnant time domain, Fa reaped lives like the Grim Reaper—efficient and merciless. Thousands of Doomsday soldiers were crushed and cleared in mere seconds. When time resumed, the area had become an empty, deathly silence—strewn only with mangled limbs, twisted metal fragments, and eerie scorch marks from elemental annihilation. The Doomsday Legion's surging assault had been brutally torn open with a gaping, shocking wound.
Yet the Doomsday Legion's fanaticism had long surpassed fear of death. More soldiers surged forward like endless tides, even resorting to extreme suicide tactics: mechanical units overloading cores into mobile bombs; mutated winged ones folding wings to dive in self-destruct; undead swarming regardless of losses, piling forward with sheer numbers; tri-colored plantmen bursting from every inch of ground around Fa to entangle her legs; blood elf mages chanting final self-detonation spells, sacrificing themselves to drag her down.
Though immensely powerful, maintaining such a vast time-lag domain while precisely controlling twelve origin laws placed enormous strain on Fa. Each use of spatial law dimmed the silver-white glow in her right eye slightly. She began to feel a tidal wave of subtle exhaustion.
The alliance high command instantly seized this critical opportunity and recognized Fa's burden. The nine kings roared commands in near-unison:
"Alliance forces! Full assault! At any cost—create space for Fa to duel Roman one-on-one! We cannot allow these fodder to interfere!" Nuti Ursa bellowed. Though his massive rabbit spirit phantom had dimmed, it once again erupted with torrential thunderfire, charging headlong into the mechanical tide.
"For everyone! For Fa! The guardianship of the Murette continent—pour out everything!" Queen Sylvia Sunshine raised her staff high. The Emerald Guardian Barrier blazed anew—not covering the entire army this time, but concentrating most energy around Fa, forming an unbreakable one-way protective wall.
"Dwarven warriors! Charge with me! Carve a path to the heavens for Miss Fa!" Secret Forging Titan's voice boomed like a great bell. He swung his rune-glowing warhammer "Earthshaker," leading the remaining yet steel-willed dwarven warriors in a desperate counter-charge, standing like unyielding bedrock before Fa.
"The skies belong to us winged ones! Not a single fly shall disturb her!" Wyrselon let out a long cry. Star chains reappeared, coordinating perfectly with Celestia—who streaked as lightning—to sweep away mutated winged ones attempting aerial dives on Fa.
In this moment, the entire alliance army operated like a single soul-infused war colossus—with unprecedented coordination and resolve. Human legions formed blood-and-flesh steel dams; elves rained arrows and magic for precise long-range suppression and kills; dwarven war machines and stone golems held the front, bearing the fiercest impacts; sea clan warriors raised massive waves to block flanks; reptilian and dark elf assassins ghosted through the battlefield for lethal stabs and harassment. TISK, Rex, Yuyuer, Zhamisi, Lin Ya, and others fought desperately in the innermost, sturdiest defensive ring around Fa—blocking every stray sneak attack.
Erebus and Salsa's Sealing Battle
Far from the main battlefield's center, amid the undead sea, Soul King Erebus's eyes—burning with abyssal soul flames—locked dead onto Cthulhu, who was madly spreading corrupt soul power and commanding the undead horde.
"Salsa, junior sister!" Erebus's soul voice was heavy with resolve. "The moment has come! This traitor who betrayed the honor of the soul lineage and defiled Eternal Night's peace must be resealed!"
Salsa's soul body—already extremely frail and translucent from earlier combat—held an unprecedentedly firm and pure gaze. "In the name of the soul lineage! I swear upon the peace of Eternal Night!"
Erebus hesitated no longer. His hands formed seals, summoning the colossal Dark-Gold Soul Crystal Dragon. But this time, it was not for defense. The dragon unleashed a roar that pierced material and soul boundaries, spiraling upward and scattering countless star-dust-like dark-gold soul crystal particles. These particles attached with life and will to every undead summoned by Cthulhu—greatly slowing and freezing their movements while continuously purifying and weakening Cthulhu's corrupt soul field.
"You again! Annoying flies! Persistent ghosts!" Cthulhu roared in fury. Countless tentacles whipped wildly as he forcibly condensed a gigantic, peerless darkness soul spear—compressed from countless wailing, twisted souls—and hurled it at Erebus! The spear warped space in its path, radiating an aura that devoured all hope.
"Now! Senior brother!" Salsa endured soul-rending agony, her hands flashing at astonishing speed to form an extremely complex, ancient soul lineage seal. Instead of clashing head-on with the devastating strike, she unleashed a tremendously difficult, high-cost secret art of the soul race—**Soul Corridor**! A miniature, highly unstable vortex—twisting space and soul pathways—appeared instantly on the spear's inevitable path, swallowing it whole!
The next moment, the terrifying darkness soul spear—laden with Cthulhu's full power—eerily erupted from the void behind Cthulhu himself, piercing one of his main tentacles with undiminished force!
"Arghhhh! You damned traitor! How dare you…!" Cthulhu, caught completely off guard, was struck squarely by his own full-power attack. His soul core fluctuated violently. He let out an earth-shaking scream of pain and disbelief. His precise control over the entire undead legion instantly developed a fatal crack and waver!
Erebus would never miss this once-in-a-lifetime opening! He merged instantly with the Dark-Gold Soul Crystal Dragon, becoming a pure stream of supreme sealing authority—crossing space in an instant to appear before the wounded Cthulhu.
"In the name of the Soul Sovereign, drawing upon the power of Eternal Night Abyss—**Seal**!"
Erebus's soul voice resounded like final judgment across the sea of souls. Countless chains—etched with ancient dim runes, forged from pure soul power—burst from his soul flames like living spirit serpents, precisely and swiftly wrapping around Cthulhu's wounded, wildly fluctuating soul body, binding it layer by layer!
At the same time, a massive, profound fissure—radiating absolute silence and ruination, the entrance to Eternal Night Abyss—yawned open beneath Cthulhu! Overwhelming suction and the soul lineage sovereign's exclusive sealing power madly pulled and dragged at Cthulhu's soul body.
"No—! Get away!" Cthulhu struggled frantically, tentacles tearing desperately at the soul chains—but he could not instantly break free from Erebus's all-out restraint, nor from Salsa's relentless interference and distortion of his soul power flow at the risk of her own dissipation. For the first time, his roars carried unwillingness, fear, and despair. His colossal soul body was inexorably dragged, inch by inch, toward that bottomless, irredeemable Eternal Night fissure.
"No—!! Lord Roman—save…!" In his final, abruptly cut-off scream, Cthulhu was completely pulled into the Eternal Night Abyss. The fissure slammed shut violently, as though it had never existed.
On the battlefield, the tens of thousands of low-tier undead forcibly raised and controlled by Cthulhu instantly lost their power source and core control. Like puppets with cut strings, they stiffened and collapsed—returning to lifeless bones and dust. The soul lineage's traitor was finally sealed!