Destruction, Despair

After being bombarded by the Annihilation Crystal Cannon once before, Victor recognized the fifteen familiar points of light the instant he saw them. He shouted a warning and immediately sprang into action.

Bang!

A burst of black mist erupted beneath his feet as he unleashed his Crown Tier power. He shot into the air, tracing a dark arc as he hurtled toward the nearest light like an arrow loosed from a bow. Midair, black mist formed from the power of law gathered in his palm and became a beam that struck the falling golden projectile, knocking it off course. The shell detonated dozens of meters above his head, bursting into a cloud of golden smoke. A terrifying shockwave followed. Even as a Crown Tier powerhouse, Victor felt his scalp prickle at the dreadful energy inside it. He did not hesitate. He drew on his power again and shifted himself several hundred meters into the sky, barely escaping the blast. Then, without pausing, he rushed toward the next shell and destroyed it in the same way. On the ground, Gana had initially been puzzled by how Victor reacted to the shells as though he had seen death itself. But when the first shell he destroyed released its shockwave, a chill ran across her scalp.

Realizing this was no ordinary bombardment, but the devastating enemy weapon Victor had mentioned before, Gana beat her wings and launched herself skyward. She flew straight at the terrifying lights falling from above. Two shells, then three...

The two Crown Tier powerhouses fought desperately to stop them. Before long, nine shells had been detonated high in the sky, where they burst like brilliant fireworks. Even so, six shells slipped past them. Under Victor and Gana's despairing gazes, they streaked toward the Eastern Expeditionary Army fleeing below from