J was the first to react. When he saw Klaus's injuries vanish after an afterimage shattered, his pupils contracted sharply. He finally understood Klaus's Transcendence and immediately made his judgment: they had to wear down all the afterimages with sustained, high-density attacks, or kill him in one blow.
The black liquid covering J's body instantly solidified and gathered, erupting from the ground to form a black sphere several meters wide that enveloped Klaus.
The Silver Shard's effect lasted even less time than before. It weakened after only a few seconds, and the suppression pressed down again.
Lu Yuan took out a fresh Silver Shard, but this time, no matter how he poured in his sanity or perception, Bronze City ignored it completely.
The instant the sphere formed in the distance, Nine and Jie transformed into liquid and rushed inside together. The sphere's wall posed no obstacle to J's companions.
After entering J's domain, the liquid flowing across Nine's carapace accelerated dramatically. Jie also flashed into the sphere, coldness filling her half-burned face.
Dense spikes began growing from the inner wall of the sphere, extending toward its center. The liquid within had become incomparably viscous, and every step Klaus took was immensely heavy.
Three lines of attack closed in at once. The spikes advanced, Nine unleashed rapid close-range chops, and Jie launched mental erosion. With so little space inside the sphere, Klaus had nowhere to dodge.
But Klaus had no intention of dodging.
The Bone Sword retracted. Its withered-bone material no longer formed a blade, instead spreading along his arm, covering the back of his hand and shoulder before extending across his chest and legs.
The Bone Ring transformed into a suit of Bone Armor. The withered-bone armor covered his entire body, and green light shrouded every inch of its surface.