Darkness and the Sun

The aftershocks of Chen Ye's strike had yet to fade.

Dark gravity still warped the sky.

The clouds broke apart.

A gray-black vortex hung low over the earth.

Every allied soldier knelt on the ice, limbs stiff.

Their bones were pinned in place.

Even breathing was a luxury.

Chen Ye released the pressure.

His aura surged forth.

Crimson-Gold Divine Flame burst outward behind him.

A rift tore through the ashen sky.

The golden light held none of a thunderbolt's violence.

Only pure, searing heat.

It was as though the sun had been dragged close to the earth.

Light fell across the icefield.

The few surviving marines nearest the battlefield reacted first.

The pressure had flattened them against the ground and twisted their spines.

Golden light touched their backs.

Much of the stiffness in their bones faded.

They could move their fingers again.

"I can move."

A marine officer gritted his teeth and pushed up his torso, golden light streaming across his eyes.

"Fall back!"

Beckman's voice rang out. He held down his hat brim with one hand and waved the other toward the rear.

The soldiers who could move began inching backward.

They were slow, but they all moved the same way.

Within the golden light, the physical pressure of the dark gravity weakened.

At last, the allied survivors could retreat.

Chen Ye did not look at them.

His gaze stayed fixed on Leviathan, a hundred zhang away.

The ancient demon's massive body crouched on the icefield, dark-gold patterns flowing across its scales like living things.

Its blood-red eyes locked onto the golden figure high above.

Crimson-Gold Divine Flame flowed along the contours of Chen Ye's body.

From his shoulder blades to his arms, then down to his waist.

Finally, it gathered into a golden halo beneath his feet.

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