First Display of Divine Might

Jing Yan recognized the owner of that purple light in an instant.

It was none other than Seele!

"Disappear among the butterflies! Illusions of the past!"

Beneath the arched space constructed of boulders and metal lay a cramped corridor.

Standing before Seele was an "Everwinter Shadewalker," one of the Fragmentum monsters.

This twisted creature bore a striking resemblance to a Silvermane Guard, wielding a long-handled axe blade forged from ice.

Just as it was about to cleave down onto Seele's head, a figure as swift as lightning streaked past, followed by several flashes of purple light around the creature.

Accompanied by the fluttering silhouette of a butterfly, there was...

A sharp "crack" echoed through the air.

The icy armor on the Everwinter Shadewalker shattered, and its entire existence crumbled away.

On the ground in the distance lay a small, yellow-haired girl wearing a large felt hat; it was Hook.

"Boss Hook!"

Seeing Hook, Julian was overcome with excitement and immediately began to trot forward on his short legs, but Jing Yan stopped him with a quick motion.

"What's the rush? It's still dangerous here. Don't move yet. Let your big brother go check and confirm the area is safe first, then you can come over, alright?"

Jing Yan gripped Julian's shoulders, speaking with earnest concern.

"Okay, Big Brother Jing Yan."

Because Jing Yan had frequently used Snowy Pop-Rocks to bribe this little member of The Moles for information on the Underworld, Julian trusted him implicitly.

"Good luck, Big Brother Jing Yan! Good luck, Sister Seele!"

After settling Julian, Jing Yan strode forward.

Seele had just finished unleashing her ultimate move and returned to the ground in a stylish pose, but at that moment, Jing Yan sensed something. His brow furrowed, and he shouted a warning: "Seele, look out!"

The next instant, something lunged from the shadows toward Seele's head.

Seele heard the sound and dodged to the side, but she was a second too slow and was grazed by the attack. She leaned against a nearby rock, clutching her other arm with one hand, her expression turning grave.

Blood seeped from the spot where Seele was pressing her left hand.

She had clearly been wounded.

And it was Seele who had taken the hit.

Only then did the creature that had ambushed Seele reveal its form.

It was another type of dangerous Fragmentum monster, a "Frigid Prowler." It looked much like a mechanical construct created by humans, yet its body was adorned with icy protrusions, and the majority of its torso shimmered with the luster of stars in the night sky.

As a Fragmentum monster, this Frigid Prowler was clearly far more dangerous and difficult to deal with than the previous Everwinter Shadewalker grunt.

Jing Yan's brow furrowed even deeper.

When he came to provide support, part of his intention had been to see if he could use his divine power to interfere with or even control these Fragmentum monsters.

Most Fragmentum monsters had real-world counterparts, as they were essentially existing objects twisted by the Fragmentum.

However, Jing Yan knew one thing: these monsters also retained fragments of the memories they held before they were transformed.

This meant that his power of "Eros" might very well be able to influence them.

But the monster before him was a mechanical construct.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a living being, so could his power of "Eros" affect it?

Seele seemed to be gathering energy for her ultimate move.

However, the Frigid Prowler in front of her had no intention of letting her be, pressing the attack step by step to drain her stamina.

Even though Jing Yan could see that the enemy had a weakness to Seele's Quantum attribute, its health pool was so massive that Seele's standard attacks struggled to break through its defenses.

After a few exchanges, Seele was exhausted and seemed to be losing ground, forced into a passive position.

"Sister Seele..."

Julian cried out in worry from the sidelines.

At that moment, Jing Yan charged forward.

He held a scalpel he had taken from the clinic, attempting to imbue the blade with the power of "Eros."

As he focused his intent, a unique luster appeared on the blade. This light was different from the white of physical damage, the azure of ice, the red of fire, the dark red of imaginary energy, or the dark purple of quantum; it was a faint, iridescent rainbow hue.

Just as he had anticipated, a "Pathstrider" could channel power into themselves and their weapons, allowing them to surpass the capabilities of ordinary iron.

His own power similarly coated his weapon with a special attribute. In Jing Yan's view, this power could be called "Omni-Attribute," capable of applying a weakness-like effect to enemies regardless of their specific vulnerabilities.

Jing Yan threw the blade with stunning precision, striking the sensor on the upper body of the Fragmentum monster. It pierced through the casing as easily as if it were tofu, and a strange sound erupted from the creature.

"Krr-zzzt—"

At the same time, its movements abruptly ceased; it seemed that without its sensor, it was struggling to track the position of its enemies.

However, the Frigid Prowler immediately resumed its assault, releasing ice spikes in all directions, seemingly attempting to annihilate Jing Yan, Seele, and the others with a wide-area barrage.

Seele immediately swung her scythe to intercept the icicles one by one. However, due to the injury on her arm, her movements were significantly slower and more sluggish than before. While she managed to shield Hook on the ground from the icicles, she sustained several grazes and frostbite herself.

Meanwhile, the Frigid Prowler continued to advance, relying on sound to track its targets. It crushed the ground like a tank, its massive frame dwarfing Jing Yan and the others.

Seele pulled Hook into her arms, intending to take the machine's attack with her own back, but at that moment, Jing Yan appeared beside her.

He thrust his hand forward, instantly gathering his "Eros" upon it.

Logically speaking, the power of "Eros" within him far exceeded what he had displayed thus far, but it remained in a dormant state simply because he had never tapped into it before.

In this moment, to protect Seele and Hook, Jing Yan desperately sought to force more of his power to the surface.

"BOOM—"

At the very last second.

Just as the Frigid Prowler was about to charge into them, it suddenly halted, stopping a mere inch away from Jing Yan.

Simultaneously, the Frigid Prowler's vocal apparatus emitted a strange, mechanical voice.

"Identification... Error! ███ cannot be ███ hostile!"

Following this, the Frigid Prowler shut down completely.