The Cage of Fate

In the Tacet Field, the motorcycle beneath Glacio Rider roared, voicing his fury.

That powerful challenger had returned.

"Ride... until the finish line..."

The engine rumbled as Glacio Rider prepared to strike.

But this time, Ling An was faster.

His figure flickered, and he appeared at Glacio Rider's flank.

His fist swept upward, delivering an uppercut straight to the face.

Caught off guard, Glacio Rider did not even have time to react.

Ling An smiled calmly. "Zero-frame startup. How's that?"

He was too fast.

Every punch left Glacio Rider no chance to dodge.

At full speed, only flashes of a black cloak could be seen darting through the Tacet Field.

Punches and kicks rained down like meteors.

Explosive power swept over everything, bearing down like a mountain.

It had been like this from the very beginning. Against Ling An's overwhelming strength, Glacio Rider had no room to fight back.

If his stats could have been viewed, there was no doubt that Ling An would have ranked A in both strength and speed.

Just as before, Glacio Rider soon chose to sacrifice a pawn to save the king.

Ling An knocked him to the ground, forcing him to abandon his motorcycle.

Against an opponent like Ling An, anything external was only a burden.

It was almost time.

Ling An formed the Purple Flame Spear and hurled it without hesitation.

Sure enough, it happened just as it had before.

The Flaming Sea shuddered once again.

Countless grains of Flamebloom pollen gathered, forming a solid shield around Glacio Rider.

The spear shattered against the shield without inflicting the slightest damage.

Now!

Ling An called out, "Bring the lance!"

Outside the Flaming Sea, Professor Woodrow's expression was solemn.

"Coordinates confirmed. Explosive Lance, activate!" He slammed down on the button.

Behind him, a menacing lance shot out with a roar, hurtling toward the center of the Flaming Sea with unparalleled force.

At that moment, Glacio Rider had only just risen to his feet.

As though sensing something, he looked up into the sky.

There, the Explosive Lance tore across the heavens, piercing the clouds as it descended.

Ling An shot backward.

The next instant, the Explosive Lance plunged into the ground before Glacio Rider, terrifying power coursing along its shaft.

Ling An smiled. "Explode!"

A single explosion would shatter the Flamebloom shield, and Glacio Rider would no longer stand in their way.

Within the Tacet Field, Ling An waited.

Outside the Flaming Sea, Professor Woodrow, Mimika, and the others also waited with their fists clenched.

Time ticked by. Glacio Rider stared at the lance before him, visibly puzzled.

Ling An froze.

"Damn it, something's wrong!" Outside the Flaming Sea, Professor Woodrow was the first to react.

The Explosive Lance had been in storage for too long. Even after testing, there was still a tiny chance of a malfunction.

And now, this Explosive Lance had malfunctioned.

"Ling An, get back here!" he roared through the Terminal's comms.

Ling An realized it too and hurriedly said, "Don't we still have one left? Hurry and finish him off first!"

"No! The last one has to destroy the core Resonance Mark, or everything we've done will be for nothing!" the assistant outside the Flaming Sea said urgently.

Within the Tacet Field, Glacio Rider began moving again.

Protected by the shield, he no longer had anything to fear.

Ling An steeled himself too and met him head-on.

Professor Woodrow felt the violent tremors coming from the Flaming Sea and knew Ling An was still fighting.

He urgently placed a call. Mortefi's languid voice came from the other end. "What is it?"

"Quick! The assembled Explosive Lance isn't responding. Find out what's wrong!" Professor Woodrow bellowed.

"Calm down. Let me take a look!" Realizing the urgency, Mortefi immediately agreed.

"I've found it. In cases like this, the Explosive Lance's internal triggering mechanism is usually at fault. It needs to be forcibly activated by an external force-at least... Overlord-Class power!"

"Ling An, did you hear that?" Woodrow roared into the comms.

Within the Tacet Field, Ling An stood suspended in the air.

It needs an external force to trigger it...

Ling An silently looked toward Glacio Rider.

His opponent had already descended into an indescribable frenzy.

The Flamebloom pollen shield seemed to be affecting Glacio Rider's condition. As he gave chase, he clutched his head and howled.

Ling An made his decision. With a beat of his wings, he dove toward the ground and seized the shaft of the Explosive Lance.

An indescribably immense power radiated from the lance.

It was as though the lance had been packed with a thousand times the explosives. Simply holding it was enough to make his heart pound.

He had only one chance.

He had to shatter the shield and avoid the heart of the explosion at the same time, or even he might die.

"If you aren't sure you can do it, come back first. Don't gamble with your life!"

Concerned voices came over the comms.

Woodrow, Mimika, Yuni... even Mortefi was shouting through the connection.

Ling An gripped the Explosive Lance tightly and murmured, "There won't be another chance."

He had brought the Explosive Lance back from the three research stations. No one knew better than he did that there were no more components left.

If he could not kill Glacio Rider, he could not destroy the Flamebloom's core Resonance Mark.

The lance in his hands was their final chance!

At this decisive moment, Ling An felt no fear. Instead, he smiled calmly.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten.

"The spear is my domain!"

With a roar, he forcibly wrenched the Explosive Lance out of the ground.

Glacio Rider seemed to sense the danger. He roared, and countless flames came sweeping toward Ling An.

In an instant, the entire Tacet Field became a hell of searing fire, engulfing Ling An.

Countless flames ate away at his body.

Lance in hand, Ling An advanced toward Glacio Rider, step by step.

"Never... never... stop!!!"

At that moment, Glacio Rider's voice became unmistakably distinct.

Within the domain of flames, another change occurred.

Was this an illusion?

One Midnight Ranger after another roared beside Ling An, charging toward the core Resonance Mark.

It was the center of all the light.

Flamebloom pollen filled the sky. A Night Warden shouldered the lance and charged with a roar.

The Flamebloom pollen enveloped everything. He fell beside Ling An, tears streaming down his face as he screamed:

"You must... you must destroy that thing!!!"

Another Night Warden took the lance from his comrade's shoulder and pressed through the sea of Flamebloom pollen.

They surged forward one after another, heedless of their lives, without even time to help their fallen comrades.

The ceaseless roars were their final words.

"The Midnight Rangers shall never fall! Jinzhou shall endure forever!!!"

"Jinzhou is behind us. Don't stop..."

"Forward... we must reach the finish line..."

"General, we did it!"

Before Ling An's eyes, the last Night Warden took up the Explosive Lance and charged toward the finish line without hesitation.

An incomparably dazzling light burst forth, disintegrating and shattering everything.

From within the light came his sigh-

"Little brother, I have no regrets!"

The light faded. Before Ling An stood Glacio Rider, struggling amid illusions and flames.

What he had just seen...

Was it Glacio Rider's past, revealed in his confusion...

Or had the wills of those Night Wardens remained trapped in the cage of this Tacet Field after their deaths?

Was this their fate?

A surge of complicated emotions swept through Ling An's heart.

He raised the lance. Purple flame flickered along his arm, and the shaft erupted with brilliant light.

At that moment, he let out an unrestrained cry and hurled the Explosive Lance:

"Then I'll be the one to break this cage of fate!!!"