The layer had descended into utter chaos the moment the reinforcements arrived. No order remained — only frenzy.
Fwoosh-crackle!
Far below the shattered black moon, a phoenix with black flames screamed as it charged into a horde of Myriad Angelic Dragons.
It pushed forward relentlessly on the Will's command, but the dragons overwhelmed it with sheer numbers. Golden feathers exploded against its body while sharp claws tore into its flaming wings.
The phoenix's flames slowly extinguished as it crashed to the ground. In its final moments, a flicker of clarity returned to its red eyes.
It gazed one last time at the dark sky it had called home.
The light within its eyes slowly faded until nothing remained. The muscles around its beak twitched, as though smiling one final time before its eyelids finally closed.
...
Not far away, a silver-scaled Myriad Angelic Dragon dove like a comet, its golden horn glowing as it impaled a Void Shadow Beast mid-leap. Black corruption sprayed outward, but the dragon's holy aura burned it away.
However, before it could celebrate, three more Void Creatures flickered through spatial rifts and clamped onto its wings, trying to drag it into the void. The dragon roared and unleashed a wave of radiant light, disintegrating them — but not before one tore a deep gash across its flank.
On a floating chunk of the moon, a badly wounded Myriad Angelic Dragon limped forward, one wing torn and golden blood dripping steadily. It grabbed a smaller, unconscious Lysi Nova dragon by the scruff and dragged it behind a cluster of rubble, shielding it with its own body as Void Shadow Beasts howled nearby. Its breathing was ragged, but it refused to abandon its comrade.
Meanwhile, two Myriad Angelic Dragons descended in perfect sync, golden light radiating from their horns.
One scooped up a group of wounded allies caught in the crossfire, while the other unleashed a barrier of holy light to shield them from incoming Void Creatures.
"Stay behind us!" one called, its voice calm yet commanding as it carried the survivors to safety.
...
At the edge of the battlefield, beasts of all kinds collided in brutal melee.
A corrupted beast with twisted horns charged a Myriad Angelic Dragon, only to be torn apart. Nearby, a group of Void Creatures swarmed a Dimensional Dweller while a silver dragon unleashed radiant energy that lit up the dark sky.
A phoenix-like Dimensional Dweller spread its fiery wings, incinerating Shadow Beasts, while a Lysi Nova dragon fought desperately against creatures trying to pull it into a spatial rift.
The entire Layer 102 trembled as fresh cracks spread like lightning across the sky and ground.
Entire mountains collapsed into the abyss below. Chunks of the shattered Black Moon broke apart and rained through the darkness. Rivers of corrupted earth split open beneath charging beasts.
Every clash between the strongest beings widened the fractures, allowing even more Void Creatures to pour through.
The layer itself seemed to scream beneath the strain.
...
On one of the biggest pieces of the Black Moon stood the Ancient Myriad Angelic Dragon; it had just intended to go after the will when it got surrounded by two Hypernova-level beasts.
The abyss around him seemed to have hidden these beasts, concealing them within their cold depths.
"Abyss-Inhabiting Wyrms," the Angelic Dragon called out, and the darkness answered — two colossal wyrms unfurling from the black, their scales like polished obsidian, drinking in what little light remained.
Their scythe-like claws looked capable of cleaving mountains apart. As they screeched, rows of uneven, needle-like teeth were revealed, as though they could devour even darkness itself.
Hypernova-level Aura violently oozed out of their bodies, suppressing the beasts around them, causing them to escape frantically as a space formed around them to fight.
The Angelic Dragon huffed coldly, casting a glance along its flanks. Its Aura flickered at the edges, emitting an intense pressure around itself; even in solitude, it suppressed the other two beasts' Aura pressure completely.
The Wyrms looked at each other with a worried expression; they knew that the Angelic Dragon was stronger than them after probing.
They nodded at each other, communicating without words, clearly showing the intelligence Hypernova-level beasts have.
For a moment, absolute silence reigned on the battlefield. The three beasts stood like statues, Abyssal and Holy Aura pouring from their bodies in heavy, oppressive waves.
Then the Angelic Dragon moved.
It vanished from its position and reappeared beside the Wyrm on its right in the blink of an eye, leaving only a golden afterimage behind. The targeted Wyrm reacted instantly, activating its movement technique and diving downward. The Angelic Dragon pursued without hesitation, gathering an immense amount of Aura as it prepared a devastating technique.
The second Wyrm did not stay idle. It tore open space with a single claw, creating a swirling abyssal rift. A massive dark arm extended from the rift and spat out multiple spheres of black liquid. The spheres exploded mid-air, forming howling Dark Devils that charged straight at the Angelic Dragon.
The Wyrm that was being chased started to 'sweat' out black liquid, which formed into black bubbles as the Dark Devils teleported in their place, detonating upon contact, releasing waves of corruption that interfered with the Angelic Dragon's technique and tried to disrupt its activation.
The Angelic Dragon used another technique while activating the main one as its claws got bigger and got coated in a golden light as it tore through the Dark Devils, killing each of them one by one.
"Their techniques aren't particularly powerful… they clearly don't have many high-quality charms or relics," the Angelic Dragon thought while continuously analyzing every movement of its opponents. "But their teamwork is surprisingly tight."
It carefully observed the way the two Wyrms coordinated their attacks, constantly adjusting its own strategy and searching for any opening it could exploit.
...
The central land of the layer had transformed into a chaotic battlefield, where beasts of every kind tore into one another without mercy.
Cling! Clang!
In the western region, the Dark-Embracing Swordmasters held absolute dominance. Their black blades flashed without pause, unleashing wave after wave of corrupted slashes. Wherever the strikes landed, black veins raced across the bodies of the fallen, dragging them back to their feet as mindless Shadow Beasts bound to the Swordmasters' will.
Adrian and Seraphiel were among their primary targets. Seraphiel was a Hypernova-level Angel Spirit—none of the Dark-Embracing Swordmasters had even reached pseudo-Hypernova—yet he wasn't fighting alone. Adrian stood at his side, still struggling to master the techniques he'd only just received.
Adrian's eyes stayed closed as he absorbed the charms and Aura techniques gifted to him by the Angelic Dragon. A golden halo floated around him, suspending hundreds of Apocalypse Pathway charms in place.
He was only a weak Nova. Neither of his inner realms could hold such a vast number of charms—the knowledge before him loomed like a mountain, far too much to comprehend in the heat of battle.
"Luck Among Chaos." Adrian read the technique's details—a luck-stabilizing art Seraphiel had told him to master first. He opened his eyes and glanced at Seraphiel's set expression. He didn't doubt him. He never questioned him.
Gritting his teeth, Adrian closed his eyes again, determination surging through his chest as his heart pounded like a war drum. The charms within the golden halo began to shift, slowly arranging themselves into formation.
He'd also been given a batch of high-quality Aura stones—enough to practice to his heart's content. As he cultivated and absorbed them, black sparks scattered across his skin. Pain flared through him; he furrowed his brow and pushed through it anyway.
At that moment, a wave of black slashes tore toward them. Seraphiel swept them aside with a single motion of his right wing.
He turned and charged into the corrupted beasts surrounding them. The crucial charms he'd obtained had elevated his combat strength dramatically—the only true threat left was the pseudo-Hypernova Beast.
His gaze flicked to Adrian's forehead. Peering into the youth's World of Consciousness and Sub-Consciousness, he saw a surging tide of black liquid laced with white particles crashing against a barrier—Adrian's Destruction Aura Sub-Consciousness fighting to seize control of his body.
"This kid's control over his Aura is still far too lacking." Seraphiel knew Adrian was a newly advanced Walker; such instability was unavoidable. He'd already prepared for it.
A golden pillar rose within Adrian's inner realm, calming the turbulent black tide and stabilizing his condition.
Then, an intense premonition shuddered through them both. The pseudo-Hypernova Beast had arrived, clad in armor of black light, its presence hungry and ready to devour.
Seraphiel turned to face it, bracing for another round.
Golden eyes and abyssal black met.
...
Eric was currently hiding in a small ravine that had formed amid the intense fighting across the central lands. A golden light still covered his body—an emergency technique the Angelic Dragon had placed on him before departing—but the protective layer was already beginning to crack under the strain.
He sat cross-legged in the darkness, eyes closed, as Meditation Aura steadily gathered and replenished his Aura Reserve. At the same time, he carefully adjusted his techniques according to the charms he had received.
"The situation remains unstable," he thought. "It seems I'll have no choice but to use my final trump card in this battle…"
He had already expended nearly everything he possessed and pushed his potential to the limit multiple times. Only one last measure remained.
Eric's brows furrowed. He shifted his consciousness into his Domain of Emotions.
Within that domain, a compact formation resembling a step-up and step-down transformer stood active. The Emotional Spirit continuously fed high-quality Aura stones into it, converting them into usable Aura. Each stone provided a substantial amount, yet the absorption process remained difficult and slow.
"These still aren't enough," the Emotional Spirit muttered, its gaze turning toward the central lands where the massive skeleton of a great formation had already taken shape.
It began directing dozens of Starfield charms, placing them evenly along the edges of a four-pointed star formation. These points would serve as the primary control nodes.
Eric slowly opened his eyes, ready to move. The technique would still require considerable time to complete, but he had finished his modifications, and his Auras were gradually recovering.
He would not remain hidden in a corner, fleeing from his responsibilities.
...
The sky shook with the continuous rumblings of the three Hypernova-level Beasts locked in combat, their clash overwhelming every other battle across the battlefield.
From afar, the Will observed every front. It could see clearly that its side was at a disadvantage.
"I have to do something."
Though weakened, it was far from helpless.
It suddenly turned as feedback arrived from the investigative techniques it had spread across the entire layer after Seraphiel had made it unable to use Devil Eyes.
"So you have finally come out."
Its gaze locked onto a faint pink light hidden within a nearby ravine. Without hesitation, it dispatched a force of Shadow Beasts and Dark-Embracing Swordmasters toward the location.
Eric shot out of the ravine like a pink rocket, rising until he stood on the same level as the Will. Their eyes met, both gazes cold and unyielding.
Pink and Abyssal Black eyes met each other yet again as both got ready to exchange blows again.