Fukaloss tried to use her Divine Artifact to defend herself, only to realize that the Divine Artifact Chain had slipped from her grasp during the battle and fallen to the ground. There was no time to call it back, so she could only conjure an Ice Spear in her palm and hurl it.
After several fierce battles, they had long since figured out Blackwood's weakness—he was highly resistant to attacks made of pure Divine Power, but physical attacks formed from elemental energy could ignore the Withered Fire.
Fukaloss had become a god by fusing the Ice Profound Mystery with Water Element. The power of this spear was enough to threaten a Lowgod's life.
But Blackwood was already seeing red. He neither dodged nor flinched, taking the blow head-on with the Defensive Divine Artifact Robe he wore.
Bang—
His left chest caved in violently. The robe remained intact, but his internal injuries were already severe.
Yet the blow also let him charge right up to Fukaloss.
In her panic, Fukaloss activated her innate ability, "Soul Freeze," once more. To her surprise, it only added fuel to the flames, and the gray-green fire surged.
"Die!"
Blackwood knew full well that he had already destroyed one of the enemy party's Divine Clones. In Gobada, that meant a feud to the death. If he didn't wipe them out today, they would come after him sooner or later.
"Stay away from Miss!"
Gideon's roar rang out like an explosion.
His Earth Divine Clone had already recovered as Divine Power gathered around it, and it had taken human form again. His Blood-colored Greatsword, wrapped in ochre Divine Power, came crashing down on Blackwood's lower back with tremendous force.
Squelch—
The other man's Lowgod Artifact Robe shattered. With one strike, Gideon cleaved Blackwood in two at the waist!
But the Withered Fire lunged at him in an instant.
Gideon acted decisively, abandoning his Divine Artifact. His true body retreated rapidly, then chopped the Divine Clone touched by the flames in half at the neck.
The burning lower half of his body, along with the Defensive Divine Artifact, fell toward the ground.
In the form of an Earth Violent Bear, Gideon snatched up his own head and roared, "Don't give him a chance! Let's kill him together!"
Victory seemed like the last glimmer of light before dawn.
But the darkness before dawn was often the deadliest.
A pitch-black shadow burst from Blackwood's severed body. The curved blade in its hand flashed as it swung straight at Gideon—
He had another Divine Clone, a Dark Element Lowgod!
"No!" Fukaloss screamed.
Gideon had only recently become a god, had suffered one injury after another, and had nearly exhausted his Divine Power. Thinking he had just dealt the enemy a crippling blow, he had let his guard down completely.
Riiip—
He didn't even have time to cry out before the shadow tore him to pieces with a single slash.
"Gideon!!"
Fukaloss's eyes nearly bulged with rage.
The most honest and dependable bear, who had been by her side day and night for all these years, had died right before her eyes.
As her heart bled with grief, two chains flew back into her hands, one blue and one gray. Like a net from heaven, they instantly bound Blackwood's Dark Element Divine Clone tight.
For the first time, fear showed in Blackwood's eyes. He frantically stoked the flames, trying to send them racing back along the chains.
But halfway there, the flames seemed to lose their fuel. They quickly dimmed and went out.
His Midgod Divine Power had finally run dry.
He had broken through only a month ago, fought battle after battle, and then been cut in half by Gideon's sword. His Divine Power had long since been pushed to its limit.
As a result, the Withered Fire sputtered out at the most crucial moment.
Fukaloss strained with both arms, and the chains tightened frantically.
But Blackwood still had plenty of Lowgod Divine Power, and he managed to hold off the constriction for the moment.
"Barn!"
Fukaloss let out a roar.
Barn, who had just stabilized his soul injuries, shot through the air like a streak of blue light.
The icy brilliance of his Mist Hidden spear flared. He aimed at Blackwood's head, bound tightly in the chains, and thrust with a killing blow.
"You dare—!"
Blackwood's Dark Element Divine Clone swung its blade and charged forward, trying to stop him.
But Wesker was faster.
His sister's Divine Clone had been destroyed, and Gideon had fallen in battle. His heart was already full of guilt and fury. Now, without a second thought, he blocked the Dark Element Divine Clone and pinned him down.
The spearpoint drew closer and closer.
At last, utter despair showed on Blackwood's face.
"I'll take you all to hell with me—!"
RUMBLE!!!
A chain of earth-shaking explosions erupted all at once.
The Sanctuary Beasts he had planted Soul Seeds in detonated at his command, and a terrifying elemental storm swept across the battlefield;
the controlled human Saints charged to their deaths amid the explosions, determined to die alongside the Ice Prison forces.
But Barn and Fukaloss paid no heed.
They cared about nothing else. They ignored everything around them.
They only wanted this man dead.
The Mist Hidden spear plunged into Blackwood's head.
His Defensive Divine Artifact had already shattered. The Lowgod Divine Power he had left was like tissue paper before an Upper Artifact.
Ding—
A barely audible chime rang out.
The soul, fused completely with his Midgod Godhead, vanished.
Fukaloss screamed herself hoarse. "His Dark Element Divine Clone is still alive! Don't let him escape!"
At her words, Barn flashed forward, becoming a streak of white light as he raced toward Wesker.
Blackwood's fortunes had risen and fallen in the span of a month. Now, his Dark Element Divine Clone was utterly desperate, and a mad resolve appeared on his face.
He charged at Wesker with his blade. As a Long Sword came slashing toward him, he didn't dodge. He let the blade strike at his head, while his left hand suddenly pulled out three black Bone Spikes and drove them deep into Wesker's body!
"Ugh—!"
Wesker groaned. The phantom of his Moonflower Deer true body fled from him at once, while his Light God Clone used the last of its strength to cleave Blackwood's Dark Element Divine Clone's head clean in two.
Yet at that final moment, Blackwood also hurled his curved blade with all his remaining Divine Power. It streaked through the air and struck Wesker's true body, which had not yet gotten far, reducing him to a mangled heap.
Blackwood was completely dead.
Barn was still a step too late.
He lifted his spear and retrieved the other man's Godhead. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he turned to look at Wesker's Light God Clone and saw that his eyes had already gone lifeless. His body fell straight down.
Wesker was neither a Soul Mutator nor someone who specialized in the soul. After his Divine Clone took three Soul Poison Spikes head-on, his soul crumbled moments later.
Barn hurried to Wesker's true body. How could a Saint Domain True Body withstand the desperate final strike of a god?
In the end, all he found were a pair of antlers and a light-element magic core radiating a gentle glow.
But just then, Fukaloss let out another shrill scream that rang across the sky. "Blair!!"
The two Upper Artifact chains in her hands lashed wildly, becoming a storm of afterimages that shredded every remaining Saint among the enemies.
Barn abruptly looked toward the ground.
Blair's body, formed from ice, had already shattered. Only his distinctive blue-black vertical pupil remained.
But a Black Longsword was now buried in the pupil. The one who had wielded it had already frozen into an ice statue, clearly carrying out Blackwood's dying order with a final, desperate strike.
The place where the sword had pierced was the Beholder's vital spot.
The vertical pupil trembled faintly in the air. His soul had already gone to the Underworld, and only a wisp of spirit kept it going.
The next moment, it shattered with a crack, and blue-black blood splattered across the ground. Blair was dead, too.
Fukaloss and Barn hung frozen in midair, staring at the wreckage and corpses scattered across the ground, their minds blank.
A moment later, Wesker's Moonflower Deer true body staggered toward his kin.
The Moonflower Deer clan had once numbered eight. Now, counting Adele, whose true body was all that remained, only four were left.
The white deer cried out mournfully, each cry tightening everyone's heart.
Suddenly, a faint call reached the depths of Barn's soul.
His expression changed. He dove down at once, frantically shoving aside broken bones and mangled flesh. He heaved aside the corpse of a golden dragon as big as a hill, and finally found Declan, barely clinging to life.
The Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon was now breathing its last.
All the spikes on his back, more than a hundred of them, had vanished. Clearly, he had used a desperate move meant to take his enemy down with him at the last moment.
Barn didn't dare waste a moment. He immediately began chanting an incantation.
He had not comprehended the Water Element healing mystery. Even as a god, he could only use the most basic incantation to cast healing magic.
A gentle, water-blue Divine Power enveloped Declan. It swiftly pulled back the soul that had been on the verge of entering the Underworld, while the broken spikes on his back slowly grew back under its nourishment.
Declan struggled to open his dark golden eyes. His voice was weak but clear.
"Is that guy... dead?"
Barn gazed at the bodies of his companions scattered across the ground. His voice was low and certain.
"He's dead. All the enemies are dead."
Before you continue