Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

After dodging the attack, his view was blocked by the two streaks of white light.

With the enemy out of sight, Karna instantly went on guard.

When the light faded, the fiery haze from the earlier explosion had already cleared. The enemy had vanished with it.

Just as Karna confirmed his suspicion, he heard something hurtling through the air behind him.

Without hesitation, he spun his golden spear through the air. Guided by his lean but powerful hands, it turned with him to face the incoming object.

Clang!

A tremendous force surged through his hands, while the wind raking his face stung his skin.

Karna's eyes widened. This time, he could not deflect what he had taken for a hidden weapon.

What came into view was the enormous black lance his opponent had used at the start of their battle.

Driven by the storm, its tip pressed hard against Karna's weapon.

Its force, as if determined to pierce anything in its path, pinned his spear in his hands and left him unable to shift it aside.

Karna, who had been hovering in midair, was driven backward through that seemingly boundless space.

Sparks flew where the black tip met the golden shaft, obscuring nearly half his vision.

The struggle lasted ten breaths. Only when the force behind the lance weakened slightly could Karna divert the impact to one side.

But the moment he finally pushed its tip away, the once-solid black lance erupted with dazzling golden light.

Before Karna's astonished eyes, it exploded.

With a deafening roar, a golden sun rose high into the pure white sky.

The Rear

Amid the broken masonry of a teetering half-ruined fortress, another Xiu Er strolled through the wreckage.

Countless streams of red liquid trickled through the debris and ran down the cracks into