" The Celestial Mural... reflect the end of the world..."
March 7th asked worriedly, "How's it going outside...?"
" The Celestial Mural's control over worldly phenomena has long been severed; whatever happens here will not affect the earth... I hope so."
"On the contrary, the Journey of Flame-Chase is about to succeed." Xing still held onto hope.
" Aegle was the tenth Core Flame of the Journey of Flame-Chase. The last Core Flame, that of Kephale, was enshrined in the council center of Dawncloud Cliff."
"We are only one step away from achieving a miracle. Mortals will take control of their own destiny..."
"... provided we can escape from here!"
Without saying much, the group continued forward, attempting to escape the crumbling Cloud Fortress.
"This road may not be as smooth as it looks... Watch your step and your surroundings!"
"Watch out! Everything is collapsing; you could fall if you're not careful!"
"The goalpost... has collapsed!"
At the critical moment, Xing raised her pink quill pen and, together with Mimi, used the power of " Remembrance " to stabilize the collapsing stone pillar.
"Star... you really are good at World-Saving!"
Before the words were even finished, a violent tremor struck beneath everyone's feet once more.
"The collapse... is getting more and more violent!"
As Phainon ran, he asked, " Hyacine —where are the two winged beasts?"
"I'm trying to find them, but the clouds and mist on the murals block my senses..."
"If those two gentlemen were still here... we could use their wings to escape from here!"
"But for now, we can only rely on our own two legs. Let's keep going..."
Boom!
"... This place is far from safe!"
Unfortunately, the terrain here is rugged, and Xing has nowhere to utilize the incredible speed of the " Flipping Coin ".
Hyacine raised her hands. "There's no time... Since the Sky Fortress is powered by Aegle's divine power, if I could use the Core Flame..."
A moment later, the platform beneath everyone's feet, which had been gradually breaking apart, was covered by Rainbow Bridge. The moment they stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge, even their speed was enhanced!
"Success! The Core Flame has answered the call—everyone, let's get out of here together!"
"We all have reasons to live... and we all want to witness the second dawn of Okhema!"
Phainon gritted his teeth; it was this belief that had been supporting him forward!
Persistence pays off, and the group finally arrived at a usable floating platform. They boarded the platform and prepared to return to the dome of the Cloud Fortress.
Suddenly, a piercing bird cry reached Hyacine's ears.
"What? What is that sound...?"
"Everyone—once the platform comes to a stop, we'll immediately head for the exit..."
"... Don't hesitate for even a second!"
Phainon had already anticipated what would happen next and drew his " Dawn's Advance " longsword in advance.
"Everyone, hold your ground!"
Another ear-piercing roar erupted, and Dan Heng's pupils dilated. "That sound is... how is this possible..."
"Hey, hey~ What are you talking about... We saw that guy fall into the Golden Pool with our own eyes!" March 7th's lips twitched.
"There's no time for us to speculate..."
"--Run!"
Unfortunately, before they could take more than a few steps on the platform, a bolt of dark lightning, filled with rage, struck down upon them from the sky!
Boom--!!!
A bolt of jet-black lightning, like a giant claw tearing through the sky, crashed down with the shriek of a giant bird!
Xing's figure blurred into a blurry trail at the last second, barely grazing the lightning that brought death, and the scorching smell of burning flesh instantly filled the air.
However, the deadly attack had only just begun!
Before the aftershocks of the thunder had even subsided, an invisible, heavy, and suffocating force suddenly descended!
It felt like the weight of the entire "sky" was pressing down on everyone's shoulders!
"Ugh~"
On March 7th, Hyacine was the first to be hit, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, her knees slamming uncontrollably onto the platform with a dull thud.
The excruciating pain turned their faces pale instantly, making it incredibly difficult for them to even lift a single finger.
Dan Heng grunted and reacted with lightning speed, plunging his Cloud-Piercing Spear into the platform beneath his feet!
Sizzle--
The gun tip scraped against the metal with a piercing screech. His muscles tensed like a bowstring as he braced himself against the gun barrel, barely managing to maintain his half-kneeling posture under the immense pressure, preventing him from collapsing completely.
"Mmm~!" A faint moan was suppressed on the platform surface.
The petite Mimi was utterly powerless, her furry face slammed against the cold metal platform by the force of the gravity.
Mimi's limbs were outstretched, unable to move, only her terrified eyes blinked frantically.
Only Phainon, supported by the " Dawn's Advance " greatsword and his own strong willpower, let out an indomitable roar.
He stubbornly persevered, trembling, and straightened his spine inch by inch!
The greatsword sank deep into the platform, its blade humming as if it too were bearing immense weight.
In this almost frozen, oppressive despair, only Xing's figure, like a reef in a raging torrent, still stands tall!
Her figure didn't even sway in the slightest, as if the gravitational field that could crush the world was nothing more than a gentle breeze to her.
Xing's eyes remained as sharp as ever, calmly scanning the sky.
" Titan?"
Hyacine struggled to lift her head, sweat streaming down her pale cheeks.
But its Core Flame has already...
She gazed at the dome, torn apart by lightning and churning with ominous black clouds, her pupils contracting sharply in utter horror!
"Could it be... Senios...?"
The moment she looked up, the enormous black shadow that had blocked out the remaining light crashed down onto the platform in front of her like a falling star, accompanied by a chilling wind pressure!
boom--!!!!
The massive floating platform emitted a metallic groan as it sank violently several meters downwards!
The shockwave, carrying debris and scorching air, slammed into everyone.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the enormous, twisted figure, radiating boundless malice, slowly rose to its feet.
It was none other than the "Sky" Titan, Aegle, who should have sunk to the bottom of the Golden Pool!
But it is no longer what it used to be.
The massive skeletal body was covered with a viscous, writhing, seemingly living dark golden substance, like a living suit of armor, or like constantly seeping pus and blood.
What's most chilling is its head—the original " Eye of Dawn and Dusk " has now split open, transforming into two turbid and violent heterochromatic vertical pupils.
One shimmered with a golden light, while the other churned with a pitch-black vortex that devoured light!
The bony tail, symbolizing the authority of the "sky," was forcibly torn into two ferocious limbs covered with barbs, writhing uneasily behind it.
It is no longer the embodiment of the lofty sky, but a blasphemous thing that has been completely polluted and distorted by the Black Tide, crawling back to the human world from the Underworld!
Those split pupils, one fixedly locked onto the star, the other greedily scanning every struggling life on the platform.
Immediately, Xing and Aegle met eyes.
That look... was unmistakable; it was filled with a Destruction desire to drag everything into " Eternity."