The Dragon Scale gate flickered with crimson light as the first crack began to mend itself. Hong Fei's fists moved like lightning, alternating strikes that blurred into overlapping afterimages. Each punch landed with precision, driving deeper into the ancient barrier.
The ground shuddered violently, sending tremors through the surrounding mountains. Rocks and sand cascaded down the slopes, but Hong Fei remained focused. His fists never faltered, pounding relentlessly against the gate.
Five breaths later, the Dragon Scale resembled shattered porcelain, its surface riddled with intricate cracks. The fractures spread like spiderwebs, branching outward in jagged patterns. From within the seal, the Soul-Eaters' piercing hisses grew louder, a chilling reminder of what lay beyond. In Ta Lo Village, Frank's gaze locked onto the looming Black Mountain.
"Xu Wenwu," he ordered, his voice calm but firm, "take Big Head, Abomination, and Jessica. You'll form the first line of defense. The rest of you, stay with me by the lakeside."
Xu Wenwu nodded. His Ten Rings glowed faintly, ready for combat. Big Head's psychic energy shimmered around him, Abomination's hulking frame radiated raw power, and Jessica hovered lightly, her agility unmatched. Together, their diverse skills created a formidable team.
As the group's third-in-command, Xu Wenwu understood his role. He punched the ground, releasing two beams of blue light that propelled him skyward. With the armor's flight assistance, he soared effortlessly, cutting a striking figure against the horizon. Big Head, Abomination, and Jessica followed close behind.
Once the four were en route to the Black Mountain, Frank turned his attention to the lakeside. Yingli approached quickly, determination in her eyes.
"Mr. Frank, we can help too."
"No need," Frank replied coolly.
Yingli pressed on, her voice urgent.
"The Soul-Eaters' bodies are strange. Ordinary attacks won't work, but Dragon Scale weapons forged by our people can harm them. They attack by absorbing Souls directly—without special protection, fighting them is impossible."
Frank glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
"Do you think he doesn't already know what you're telling me?"
The "he" in question was none other than Hong Fei, their brilliant and formidable leader.
Indeed, before their mission began, Hong Fei had briefed them thoroughly. He'd explained the Soul-Eaters' weaknesses, the effectiveness of Dragon Scale weapons, and the strategy to focus on their leader. Among the countless Soul-Eaters, one stood out—a massive, commandeering figure. The smaller ones were its slaves, feeding it the Souls they collected. This leader was a force to be reckoned with, capable of challenging—and even overpowering—the Great Protector Dragon that dwelled in the lake.
These things, let alone Yingli, even the elders in Ta Lo Village likely didn't grasp as deeply as Hong Fei. Frank had long stopped questioning how Hong Fei knew so much. What mattered was that he was on their side, and his knowledge gave them an edge in this battle.
Yingli remained unaware of this. When Frank shot back his reply, her brow furrowed.
"Do you actually have a plan to handle the Soul-Eaters?"
Frank's armor hummed as its engraved patterns lit up in sequence.
"Hong Fei said something that stuck with me."
"Oh?"
"The best counter to magic," he said as dragon power surged through the Black-Gold Armor's seams, "is more magic."
"Have them assist with clearing the Soul-Eaters," Frank continued, "but warn them against reckless actions. And protect yourself—you're not just Ta Lo's guardian anymore. You're Xu Wenwu's wife, and halfway to being one of us."
Yingli gave a tight nod before turning to Ying Nan and Uncle Guang.
Soon a contingent of Ta Lo warriors stood behind Frank's team, their reluctance plain despite the dragon-scale weapons in their fists. Their expressions hardened as they faced the coming threat.
Inside Black Mountain, Xu Wenwu's group halted at the mountainside platform. They took position at the cliff's sheer edge without advancing further. Xu Wenwu flexed his hands, the Ten Rings around his wrists pulsing blue. Big Head's spherical helmet sealed with a hiss, his cape snapping in the updraft.
Bronski's shock rings crackled to life as his body reconfigured. Jessica hovered above the trio, poised for action.
Before the dragon-scale gate, Hong Fei slammed his fists together. The five rings on his left arm slid onto his right as golden bands of energy coiled around the limb. Dragon power flooded the dimensional portal when he punched forward, a spectral dragon manifesting behind him with an earth-shaking roar.
The impact sounded like thunder splitting the sky. Spiderweb fractures raced across the seal, vomiting forth torrents of black mist. The fissures yawned wider, devouring the barrier's surface in seconds.
With a final explosive shatter, the dragon-scale seal collapsed. A tide of nightmarish figures poured through the breach. The Soul-Eaters' appearance matched their horrific reputation—humanoid faces stretched too wide, dominated by gnashing mouthparts. Fleshy wings beat at their backs while a nest of tentacles lashed behind them, each appendage longer than their bodies. They moved with the grotesque grace of something not meant to exist.
Though corporeal, conventional weapons passed through them harmlessly. Yet their touch meant death—a single contact allowed them to siphon souls, growing stronger with each victim. This was why Hong Fei had collaborated with Arthur, Big Head, and Ivan to engineer the Black-Gold Armor's new iteration.
The armor sacrificed versatility for one critical function: storing dragon power. While it couldn't channel the energy actively, its passive infusion granted both protection and the ability to harm creatures like the Soul-Eaters. Every strike carried an enchanted edge against magical entities.
Hong Fei stood at ground zero, the weight of their gamble crushing down on him. On the other hand, it could also allow their attacks to be directly effective against the Soul-Eaters, effectively adding a Dragon Power enchantment effect to them. This was a set of armor specifically prepared for Soul-Eaters or magical energy-type enemies. Hong Fei was in close proximity and instantly bore unimaginable pressure.
The Soul-Eaters rushing out of the seal were like a surging tide in the blink of an eye. Most of them shrieked and flew toward the distance, while some directly launched an attack on Hong Fei. When the tentacles of dozens of Soul-Eaters wrapped around Hong Fei's body, they were like the dreaded Facehuggers from Alien, all aiming their hideous and terrifying mouthparts at Hong Fei's body.
Instantly, a strange power enveloped him, and Hong Fei felt his Soul begin to shake and tremble, as if it were about to be stripped from his physical body in the next second. With a whoosh, blazing, explosive, and pure flames erupted violently. Dragon Power invaded outward through the pores of his body, and in the blink of an eye, Hong Fei became like a golden Pyro.
The sizzling sound was continuous. In an instant, the scorching Dragon Power burned the tentacles wrapped around his body to ashes, and black residue fell down. The ignited Soul-Eaters immediately let out shrill screams, flapping their wings and fleeing frantically into the distance. However, the golden flames that had already ignited did not give them any chance to sever their tails to survive.
Watching helplessly, one Soul-Eater after another was quickly incinerated by the flames while flying, leaving only black dust that was scattered by the breeze as it fell, and then extinguished without a trace. At the edge of the cliff, the surging Soul-Eaters came rushing toward them. Xu Wenwu was the first to strike. His expression was cold, his thick eyebrows tightened.
After the Ten Rings detached from his arms, they danced wildly in front of him. Wherever they passed, Soul-Eaters were knocked to the ground, struggling incessantly but unable to flip over. Moreover, as the amplitude of his movements increased, the constantly jingling Ten Rings stirred in front of him to form a wide blue barrier.
All the Soul-Eaters that charged in were blocked, and then they were blasted into fragments by his punches. Outside the barrier, Big Head spread his Psychic Power. Instantly, the Soul-Eaters at the very front suddenly changed direction, and their dense tentacles immediately aimed at their own companions, launching a fierce and bizarre slaughter.
Abomination opened his palm-leaf-sized hands and struck rapidly; those he grazed died, and those he touched were injured. Jessica flew around agilely, her pair of fists containing immense power quickly blasting the Soul-Eaters one by one. The armor on their bodies emitted a faint golden light, and upon touching it, the Soul-Eaters were instantly struck as if by lightning.
Unable to touch or defeat them, the Soul-Eaters soon gave up their plan to target them and began to turn and rush toward the further Ta Lo Village, which was still covered in sunlight. Under the impact of such a huge number, the first line of defense built by the four was quickly submerged, as if overwhelmed.
A smattering of Soul-Eaters broke through the blockade, crossed the lake, and flew toward the village. Frank stood on the ground. The heavy Black-Gold Armor on his body began to deform. The mechanical modules under his feet quickly drilled into the ground, soon setting a solid base. Immediately afterward, a Gatling gun and a cannon barrel on his back began to adjust their direction.
Ivan opened his dual whips, the energy-accumulating long whips carrying specks of golden light. Natasha finally gave up her most commonly used small pistol and instead took a Dragon Scale staff from the hands of the Ta Lo people. Antonia also grasped a Dragon Scale bow. The first Soul-Eater flew over alone.
Frank called out to Antonia, and suddenly a Dragon Scale arrow shot through the air, piercing straight through the opponent's mouthpart and knocking it down, then killing another Soul-Eater behind it as well. After some target practice, the Soul-Eaters that had broken through the first line of defense finally began to gain some scale.
The sky darkened without warning, clear blue swallowed by churning black clouds. Shadows spread like spilled ink as Frank's gaze sharpened into something lethal. At the hundred-meter mark, his weapons came alive—Gatling guns roared to life, spitting streams of fire, while the energy cannon's gold-veined barrel pulsed with building light before erupting in a deafening blast.
Tracers lit up the gloom, stitching the air with burning lines. Ivan's armor kicked off the ground, twin whips lashing in overlapping arcs. Soul-Eaters split cleanly midair, their bisected corpses raining down. Natasha shot upward on armored thrusters, short swords flashing as she drove steel between chitinous mandibles again and again.
Antonia's bowstring thrummed in perfect rhythm, each arrow finding its mark. Matt's Dragon Scale staff whirled before him, a shimmering barrier deflecting every attack. The Ta Lo warriors exchanged glances—whatever doubts they'd harbored died then and there.
Because they were standing behind Frank and the others, they couldn't even touch a hair of the Soul-Eaters. The realization hit like a hammer: they were spectators in someone else's war.