Jade already understood one terrifying truth.
Dodging the divine vines was meaningless.
No matter how fast he moved…
No matter how carefully he calculated…
The vines always found him.
Mind Deceiver could predict movements. It could analyze breathing patterns, muscle tension, killing intent, and even tiny fluctuations in aura. But these vines ignored all laws of battle.
They did not move like creatures.
They moved like fate itself.
The only thing Jade could do was minimize the damage and protect his vital organs while enduring the endless assault.
Another vine pierced toward his throat.
Jade twisted his body sideways.
Slash!
The attack carved across his shoulder instead, spraying blood into the freezing air.
Jade gritted his teeth.
His body was covered in wounds.
Cuts stretched across his chest and arms while blood rolled down his fingers. His healing factor was still active, but the suppression inside the ancient ruins made recovery painfully slow.
Aaron was not in a better condition.
Purple light exploded around him as he fought like a raging god, his inherited God Body forcing back the vines again and again. Yet even Aaron was gradually being overwhelmed.
The vines adapted.
They learned.
Every movement became sharper than before.
One vine suddenly pierced toward Jade's heart.
Jade instinctively raised his arm to block—
But before the attack could land—
A golden-black radiance erupted from Jade's soul sea.
The entire cave trembled.
Even the vines froze briefly.
Jade's eyes widened.
A figure slowly stepped out from the radiant light before him.
At first, Jade thought he was hallucinating.
Then his breathing stopped.
Standing before him was a girl.
No—
A breathtaking existence.
She looked around the same age as Jade, perhaps slightly younger, yet there was something unnatural about her beauty. She looked human, but also far too flawless to truly belong to humanity.
Her long hair flowed behind her like silk, streaked with black and gold patterns resembling divine feathers. Her eyes were mesmerizing mixtures of molten gold and endless darkness, glowing softly within the dim cave.
Her skin looked impossibly smooth.
Perfect.
Every movement she made carried elegance that no ordinary human could imitate.
Jade stood frozen.
His mind completely blanked.
For several seconds, even the battle disappeared from his thoughts.
The girl looked down at herself calmly.
Then black-and-gold armor formed around her body naturally, covering her like liquid metal. The armor fit perfectly around her figure, elegant yet dangerous.
Only then did Jade finally understand.
"Little… Gold?"
The girl tilted her head slightly.
"Yes," she answered softly.
Her voice sounded strangely beautiful, almost melodic.
"I am Aviana."
Jade's heartbeat became chaotic.
This was Little Gold?
The tiny golden chick that used to perch on his shoulder?
The same creature that constantly fought with Little Black for food?
Now standing before him was a girl so beautiful that Jade's thoughts nearly stopped functioning.
Aviana noticed his expression immediately.
She crossed her arms lightly.
"Don't look at me like that," she said calmly. "I am still technically a creature. Please acknowledge that."
But Jade barely heard her words.
His entire being felt strange.
His chest tightened.
His breathing became heavier.
For the first time in his life, Jade felt an overwhelming urge he could not suppress.
Not battle instinct.
Not survival.
Desire.
It hit him so suddenly that it almost frightened him.
A divine vine suddenly lunged toward Jade from behind.
Aaron shouted immediately.
"Jade!"
But Aviana merely stepped forward calmly.
She raised one hand.
Her black-and-gold eyes glowed faintly.
Then she spoke three simple words.
"Shred to pieces."
Instantly—
The divine vine stopped midair.
Cracks appeared across its surface.
Then the vine began tearing itself apart.
Slice.
Slice.
Slice.
It shredded itself into countless fragments before exploding into dust.
The entire cave went silent.
Even Aaron froze briefly in shock.
Aviana's power was terrifying.
And it did not stop there.
All the vines attacking Aaron suddenly trembled violently.
Then every single one of them began slicing themselves apart as if invisible blades were cutting through them repeatedly.
Blood-colored liquid splashed everywhere.
The divine vines screamed.
Aaron immediately retreated backward in disbelief.
"What kind of ability is that…?"
But Jade no longer cared about the battle.
His eyes remained fixed on Aviana.
The desire inside him only grew stronger.
It was irrational.
Dangerous.
Yet impossible to resist.
Aviana turned toward him.
The moment their eyes met—
Jade moved.
He grabbed her arm suddenly and pulled her toward himself.
Aviana's eyes widened slightly.
Then Jade kissed her.
The kiss was long.
Passionate.
Almost desperate.
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to disappear.
The freezing cave.
The blood.
The vines.
Everything vanished from Jade's mind.
Only Aviana remained.
Aaron stood there completely stunned.
Even the surviving vines seemed motionless.
Then suddenly—
Aviana pushed Jade away.
The golden-black armor around her dissolved instantly as her body transformed into countless feathers of light.
Within seconds, she returned to her smaller bird form.
Jade staggered backward.
His mind immediately cleared.
Realization hit him like lightning.
"What… did I just do?"
His face stiffened slightly.
Even Jade himself could not understand why he had acted like that.
It was as though some strange instinct had overwhelmed his rationality completely.
Aviana landed quietly on his shoulder in bird form.
She said nothing.
Aaron stared at Jade for several seconds before finally speaking.
"…I'm pretending I didn't see that."
Jade ignored him completely.
His expression quickly turned cold again as he focused back on the battle.
The vines surrounding Sarah were now weaker.
Without hesitation, Jade dashed forward.
He leapt high into the air.
Energy surged through his arm.
Sharp Punch activated.
Boom!
Jade's fist smashed directly into one of the massive vines binding Sarah.
The vine exploded apart instantly.
But at that exact moment—
One remaining vine suddenly shot toward Jade.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Before Jade could react, the vine pierced directly into his chest.
Aaron's eyes widened.
"JADE!"
Yet strangely—
Jade felt no pain.
Instead, he felt something far more horrifying.
His soul trembled violently.
It felt as though his very existence was splitting apart.
One section.
Then another.
Then another.
Until his soul felt divided into nine separate sections.
Jade's breathing stopped briefly.
But despite the terrifying sensation—
He did not die.
The vine inside him rapidly withered away afterward, turning gray before crumbling into dust.
At the same time, the remaining restraints binding Sarah disappeared completely.
Sarah fell forward weakly.
Aaron immediately rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
Sarah's pale eyes slowly opened.
Her gaze looked blurry at first.
Then she saw Aaron.
Tears immediately formed in her eyes.
"Aaron…?"
Aaron's expression softened for the first time in a long while.
"Yes," he answered quietly. "It's me."
Sarah weakly grabbed his clothes as though afraid he would disappear.
Meanwhile, Aviana suddenly transformed back into her human form again.
Her expression became serious.
"I'm sensing vibrations," she said quietly.
Jade immediately understood.
The ancient ruins were collapsing.
No—
The entire power system maintaining the chamber was becoming unstable now that Sarah had been removed from it.
The ground shook violently.
Cracks spread across the walls.
Large chunks of stone began falling from above.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Aaron immediately carried Sarah in his arms.
Jade looked toward Aviana.
"Can you fly us out?"
Aviana nodded once.
Then golden-black feathers exploded around her body.
Her human form transformed instantly into an enormous bird covered in radiant black-and-gold feathers.
She was majestic.
Divine.
Beautiful beyond words.
Her wings alone were massive enough to cover the chamber.
Aviana lowered herself.
Jade, Aaron, and Sarah quickly climbed onto her back.
The moment they settled—
Aviana spread her wings.
A terrifying gust exploded throughout the chamber.
Then she shot forward like a streak of golden lightning—
Flying at an unbelievably high speed.