The Siege of Prism Shadow

The illusion dissipated, and everyone struggled slightly before exiting "Light Slumber, Shallow Dream."

The surrounding scenery seemed to pause only slightly.

Real branches and leaves sway overhead, while completely different scenes float beneath your feet, creating a bizarre and surreal scene.

Prism Shadow remained lying prone in the center of the Mirror Domain.

Its body was semi-transparent, and its six wings drooped limply.

In reality, less than ten seconds had passed.

[Review is finished.]

Leoni stretched his arms, a slight cracking sound coming from his knuckles.

He looked at Prism Shadow.

I need to get close to her to spot the gap.

[Furthermore, we are still unclear about Prism Shadow's defensive capabilities.]

The immortal spirit's physical form is fragile. But since Prism Shadow was able to survive and become Destiny Level expert, she must possess a powerful skill that can overcome this weakness.

Otherwise, he would have died on some unknown battlefield long ago.

We have to go!

Su Ming made his judgment.

[If we delay any longer, Prism Shadow will become suspicious.]

Prism Shadow isn't stupid. It's unreasonable for a group of people to dawdle here instead of taking advantage of her unconscious state to attack her.

If the enemy takes the initiative, the outcome will only be worse.

Zijin raised her hand, and the wind fairy was summoned and merged into her elemental scales.

The blue light spread along the Zijin's shoulders, back, and waist, condensing into translucent wind wings behind her.

"Then let's go!" said Zijin.

****

Su Ming and Zijin, one on the left and one on the right, rushed towards the shadow Su Ming first. The shadow slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

The space around it is slightly misaligned, like the sharp edges folded from transparent glass.

Several spatial cutting blades slashed out from it, sweeping towards Su Ming and Zijin.

Su Ming's pupils gleamed, and the "Silent Vision" unfolded.

The world sank in his eyes, all colors faded.

Only the flow of energy clearly emerges.

Within this entirely new perspective, the spatial blade structure is analyzed.

Each of them is held together by hundreds of fulcrums, with energy flowing through them like a taut string.

Su Ming faced one of the spatial blades, his Magic Power tentatively piercing the node where they intersected the most.

The two spatial forces came into contact, and a violent disturbance immediately occurred.

The string broke, the cutting edge twisted, and then it crumbled.

As expected, Su Ming was overjoyed. His Magic Power and that of his shadow shared the same origin, allowing them to create a powerful interference!

****

On the other side, the wind-elemental defensive shield in front of Zijin was torn apart, and a blue vortex flew around wildly.

She didn't try to block it head-on; instead, the wind deflectors on her back deployed at full force, and she used the wind pressure to slide out.

At the same time, a set of force field stepping points appeared beneath Zijin's feet. She changed direction continuously in mid-air, almost skimming the edge of the spatial blade.

The girl's hair was brushed by a transparent lace, and a few strands of her hair fell down.

Shadow Su Ming gave the two no chance to catch their breath.

It showed no sorrow or joy, and the surrounding space continued to show creases.

More than ten more cutting blades spread out, flying in different directions and blocking Su Ming and Zijin's escape routes.

Zijin's eyes flickered slightly, and she decided to change her strategy.

The wind sprite withdrew from the elemental scales on her chest and replaced them with a terrestrial Limao.

With a tactical shift, layers of earth-based barriers rose from the ground, stacking in front of them. The spatial cutting blade pierced through these earth-based barriers without any hindrance.

But after they continued to advance for several dozen meters, their edges began to fade, and then they collapsed.

Zijin's eyes lit up.

"As expected, these things can be consumed, and there's a maximum distance limit!"

She immediately told Su Ming.

"Good!"

Su Ming simultaneously contaminated the two approaching spatial blades, disintegrating them.

He is also making progress gradually.

****

After Shadow Su Ming was held back, the others took the opportunity to get closer.

Qiluo raised her head, and a silvery-white light spread from her single horn.

"Alas, blessed by auspicious beasts!" (This text appears to be a fragment from a website, possibly a title or heading. A direct translation isn't possible without further context or clarification.)

With a stomp of her hoof, a halo unfolded beneath everyone's feet.

A cool energy surged into his body, and the flow of Magic Power and Dou Qi became much smoother.

The light of the "Raven Key" flashed, Yise changed into his sword-fighting suit.

The wrist guard snapped shut, and the girl transformed into a swift, straight line. "Stars · Cease Hostilities" was drawn from her waist, pointing towards the direction of the Prism Shadow.

Jielusi raised her scepter, and golden-white light compressed.

"Solar Flame - Star Radiance!"

A burst of intense beams of light erupted, aimed directly at the back of the Prism Shadow.

Leoni's bowstring twanged repeatedly, and more than a dozen arrows split into multiple shadows in mid-air, forming a crisscrossing rain of arrows that blocked all of Prism Shadow's angles of evasion.

The three attacks were launched simultaneously.

The crouching Prism Shadow immediately opened its eyes, sprang up, and spread its six wings.

A wreath of flowers appeared behind her and hung above her head. The wreath was made of crystal petals, with intricate runes flowing along its edges.

The weapon, "The Unfallen Garland".

Prism Shadow clasped his hands together.

"Mirror Flower, Chaotic Shadows!"

The petals on the wreath bloomed, detached from the wreath, and floated rapidly around her.

Each petal is like a tiny mirror, reflecting the afterimages of different shapes and Prism Shadow. She is clearly standing in the same place, yet it seems as if she is simultaneously standing behind every single petal.

Suddenly, the light and shadow in the scene became chaotic.

Yise's sword struck first.

The sword's edge swept past the Prism Shadow's shoulder and neck, but only sliced through a swaying afterimage.

The true Prism Shadow appeared from the side, with a light flick of the finger.

The mirror light exploded, Yise only had time to parry with his sword before being sent flying backward.

Jielusi's "Solar Flame Star Radiance" followed closely behind. A group of petals gathered to block it, and the golden-white beam of light was suddenly deflected in succession, reflecting back and hitting Jielusi directly.

Jielusi's face turned pale as her shield shattered.

Before she could regain her footing, Prism Shadow flashed out from another petal, and a mirror-like light in her palm condensed into a short blade, piercing into the gap in her defense.

Blood spurted out.

Jielusi let out a muffled groan and fell far away.

"Jielusi!"

Zijin raised her hand and tossed "Zuyi's Blessing" to Yise.

After the battle in the Arctic, Beianqi returned the healing item to her, claiming that she had eliminated the threat.

Yise rose and caught the amulet, the wondrous object activating the young lady's power. A soft yet resilient light emanated from the amulet, transforming into a translucent hand that caught Jielusi just before she hit the ground and sealed her wound.

Leoni's rain of arrows arrived, multiple arrows piercing the petal array from different heights.

The Prism Shadow caused the petals to swirl gently. The arrows' trajectories immediately shifted; some grazed her wingtips, some struck her afterimages, and a few were deflected to the ground, piercing through the Mirror Domain's illusory image and embedding themselves deeply in the soil.

A defensive area-of-effect weapon? Leoni narrowed his eyes. "What, not pretending to be unconscious anymore?"

"I'm even wondering if I'll get a chance to kiss him!" he teased.

Prism Shadow's face was grim.

These annoying people easily saw through her tactical deception, which greatly displeased her.

From the moment I arrived in Taya, nothing went smoothly at all.

The plane had deviated by nearly 10,000 kilometers, suffered damage from the dimensional fall, and was further sealed off by inferior fairies, preventing it from absorbing energy.

Then, he inexplicably fainted during the battle.

Prism Shadow couldn't help but glance at Su Ming and Zijin over there.

Her skill is to reflect the past, but it doesn't include things that never happened.

Why do these two possess shadows of such high Destiny Level?

And even if she's beaten unconscious, she still can't summon her complete form?

As expected of a formidable enemy who nearly wiped out the advance team of the Taya Group! The wreath in Prism Shadow's hand lit up, and several mirror-like lights condensed, attacking Leoni.

****

Beyond "Punishment Sealing Domain".

In the forest, the crash site of Target Number 1 of the Plundering Clock had been completely destroyed.

Large tracts of trees lay fallen, branches broken, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

Several damaged Magic Mechanical Hound lay sprawled on the ground.

Some had their forelimbs severed by magical beams, leaving only the hind halves still twitching and flashing red; others had their chest armor pierced, exposing the internal rune cores, which emitted intermittent hissing sounds.

Two guards lay dead in pools of blood, their runic armor burned through.

The remaining guards did not retreat.

Their shields deployed alternately, continuing to restrict the movement range of Target 1.

This is a member of the Full Quarter Hand of Plundering Clock, and according to Taya's strength assessment system, he belongs to the Pseudo-Saint Rank mage.

The energy intensity was quite high, but compared to a true Saint Rank, the skill was rather superficial, lacking a domain ability that delved into the rules. A pillar of fire erupted from Number 1's palm.

Two guards stepped forward simultaneously, shields raised, the runic shields glowing red from the flames, their edges peeling away.

The Magic Mechanical Hound on the side seized the opportunity, crouched low, and simultaneously opened the gun barrels on their abdomens and shoulders.

Da da da da!

A dense hail of bullets tore through the smoke and dust, striking the mage in mid-air.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage snorted coldly, and a double shield appeared in front of him.

The inner layer is a regular Magic Power barrier, while the outer layer is a light shield that deflects projectiles.

However, when those bullets hit the target, the effect was completely unreasonable.

A warhead exploded into an icy blue mist. Frost spread across the surface of the shield, momentarily halting the constantly flowing light.

Another grayish-white warhead took the opportunity to penetrate, burrowing into the second barrier and blasting out a patch of fine cracks.

There was also a bud sprouting on the shield, growing rapidly in the wind, its fine roots penetrating the magical structure.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage's face darkened. "What the hell is all this?!"

The Magic Mechanical Hound's voice capture system can understand it, but it cannot respond.

These warheads are made from various types of alchemical waste.

Such as the remnants of failed experiments, contaminated materials, fragments from dismantled broken magical artifacts, and so on.

What specific effects it will produce, even the producers themselves don't know—that's just how Master Newman arranged it.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage felt a headache coming on.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to cast a wide-area explosion spell, a bullet pierced through the cracks in his shield, struck his armor, and exploded into a very faint woody fragrance.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage's mana flow suddenly stopped.

It's "Sense-Severing Wood"!

His senses were disrupted, and the spell that had already taken shape in his palm was delayed by half a beat.

Two figures entered the battlefield at that moment.

Ruixiuli burst forth from the dust cloud on the side, his black skeleton clinging to his body, a white bone sword trailing a cold light in his hand. Without any fancy moves, he directly charged into the Pseudo-Saint Rank mage's close range, slashing at his chest. The mage's expression changed drastically, forcibly unleashing a spell, a dark golden bell shield appearing before him.

Clang!

The bone sword struck the bell shield, creating a visible shockwave that deformed and nearly shattered the Pseudo-Saint Rank mage's shield.

The Explosion spell also exploded in Ruixiuli's chest, sending him flying and spitting blood from his mouth.

But Zhapulai, who had been secretly following at Ruixiuli's feet, also arrived.

The Executioner moved so low he seemed to be pressed against a blade of grass, darting forward. Two swords were drawn simultaneously from his waist, one long and one short, their blades crisscrossing, aimed directly at the opening the sorcerer had left exposed.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage's shield shattered, and his defensive items lit up one after another, unfolding new barriers, repulsive forces, and illusory clones.

Zhapulai's short sword shattered the repulsive force, while his long sword pierced through the illusion, striking the mage in the chest.

Click!

The defensive structures shattered one after another.

The Pseudo-Saint Rank mage was sent flying backward, a deep, bone-revealing wound slashed open on his chest.

"Focus fire!" The guards didn't miss the opportunity.

A hail of bullets—rune crossbows, short spears, explosive projectiles, and Magic Mechanical Hound —were simultaneously unleashed.

The explosions spread out in one area.

Smoke, blood, and shattered magical light intertwined. When the shockwave dissipated, the member of the Full Quarter Hand had already fallen to the ground, the remaining magical rings on his body extinguished.

Target number one, annihilate!

****

Zhapulai wiped the blood off his blade and glanced around at the battlefield.

Ten guards, along with six Magic Mechanical Hound.

They managed to hold out until the Pseudo-Saint Rank mage, who was a level and a half above them, arrived.

"Su Ming's stuff is really impressive," Zhapulai exclaimed.

"How are you?" he asked Ruixiuli.

Ruixiuli knelt on the ground, his bone sword braced against the earth, a section of his shoulder bone cracked open. Blood streamed down his arm, accumulating a dark red layer on the hilt of the sword.

While dealing with targets 3 and 4, he had already withstood two consecutive core counterattacks from the enemy.

"It's all thanks to you!" Ruixiuli roared.

Zhapulai always deliberately let Ruixiuli rush in first to lure out the enemy's survival tactics, and then he would rush in from the gap after the enemy made their move.

The effect was so good that Ruixiuli really wanted to cut him down with his sword.

"How else can we quickly eliminate targets 3 and 4?" Zhapulai stated matter-of-factly. "It's a reasonable tactic."

The two looked toward the center of the "Punishment Sealing Domain".

The fairy's barrier was like a giant net, from which violent energy fluctuations could be heard from time to time.

Ruixiuli stood up, supporting himself with the bone sword, but was stopped by Zhapulai raising his hand.

"The injured should stay put; I'll handle the heavy lifting."

"You're injured too," Ruixiuli said.

Zhapulai also had a wound on his side, his leather armor burned through, with black cursed flames still lingering at the edges. Blood was also flowing from his wrist, the source of which was unknown. Facing a formidable enemy, a swift victory would inevitably come at a price.

"Just a minor injury."

Zhapulai grinned, shoved his twin swords back into his waistband, and flashed through the forest, rushing toward the center of the fairy's "Punishment Sealing Domain".

"There's only number 2 left, so it's up to you."

Ruixiuli watched his retreating figure and took a deep breath.

Reason told him that in his current state, forcing himself to get involved in the battle against Prism Shadow would only be a burden.

The surrounding guards quickly regrouped, and the Magic Mechanical Hound, whose injuries varied, had some components replaced and were reloaded with full ammunition magazines.

Ruixiuli raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Walk!"

Ruixiuli led the remaining guards and the Magic Mechanical Hound to the location of the last descendant of the Plundering Clock's Quarter Hand.