"A 3-foot blade-flare of condensed ice-blue light ripped through the air.

It looked thin at first glance, almost delicate, but inside it churned deepfrost power cold enough to freeze the ages and seal all things in ice."

"Wherever the blade-flare passed, frost formed across the void.

The moving air froze solid. A white ice scar stretched behind it, one that refused to fade, and the cold it left behind cut straight to the bone."

"The silver longswords along its path touched the blade-flare and froze in an instant.

A heartbeat later, they shattered into powdery ice crystal."

"The wandering formation patterns touched the blade-flare next.

They locked in ice, snapped apart, and lost the flow of spiritual power that kept them alive. Then the thick formation wall met the same light, and it collapsed with a boom, breaking apart as frost energy spread across the entire field."

"Marshal Grey's face went suddenly white.

His spirit reeled under the blow, and he poured out his spiritual power in a frantic surge, driving the fly-whisk with everything he had. He reinforced the array eye, bracing it with his life to hold the strike back."

"But the ancient Frost-Deity final art carried a force too tyrannical to measure.

It had already gone far beyond the limits of ordinary Immortal Realm combat power. There was no stopping it."

The blade-flare struck the core array eye of the great array with perfect precision.

Boom-!

"The array eye split apart.

Silver light scattered and died. The Ninefold Malison broke like glass, layer after layer collapsing until the whole great array vanished into smoke and empty air."

"The formation had been bound to Marshal Grey's spirit.

The moment the great array was destroyed, retributive backlash force swept over him from head to toe."

"His body gave a violent shudder.

Pain drove through his chest, and a mouthful of golden blood essence burst from his lips. The internal injury was not light; his aura fell into disorder, and his combat power dropped by thirty percent."

"Gwendolyn broke free with the opening.

She paid no mind to her overdrawn spiritual power or the stabbing pain tearing through her meridians. Her figure flashed forward like a ghost, the Frostbrand aimed straight at Marshal Grey's throat. """The formation is broken. Now it's your turn.'

Close-quarters killing had never been Marshal Grey's strength.

"He swung the fly-whisk up in a rush to block.

Metal rang against metal in a sound sharp enough to scrape the ears. The sword knocked him back several steps, his arm went numb, and he no longer dared meet her as if the distance between them would protect him."

"Gwendolyn pressed the advantage.

Her sword moved faster and faster. Layer after layer of frost energy bore down on him, sealing his retreat, stiffening his meridians, and forcing Marshal Grey back step by step until all he could do was defend, with no strength left to strike back."

"At the front of the Wastelands, the bloody battle had already dragged on for half an hour.

Both sides were drained to the last spark, their bodies covered in wounds, and the fight had turned brutal beyond words."

"Marshal Stone's Heaven's Pyre state was nearing its end.

The crimson glow over his body faded away, revealing the dark-gold color beneath."

"His nascence-wrought spiritual power had been spent in huge amounts.

Dozens of charred wounds across his body kept burning without pause. Golden blood seeped out slowly, the Aurelian force continued to drain away, and his combat power fell hard."

"Jared had it even worse.

His robes were torn to scraps, his body was covered in wounds and bruised blood, and his left arm hung uselessly from a cracked bone. Every breath tore pain through his chest, his blood essence had been spent again and again, and his strength had nearly run dry."

"Yet the fighting light in his eyes still burned hot.

The violet flame on the Dragonslayer Sword had not gone out in the slightest."

"You're a lunatic."

Marshal Stone dragged in rough, ragged breaths, unable to make sense of the man in front of him. "You could have retreated. You could have defended. Instead, you

keep choosing to trade your life for wounds. Why go this far?"

"Jared lifted a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The curve of his mouth was faint, cold, and hard enough to cut. '"'"If you keep dodging, you'll never beat a stronger enemy. Only a fight to the death can break the game open."

"The words had barely fallen before he charged again with his sword raised.

A violet blade-flare split the air and hacked downward."

"Marshal Stone gritted his teeth and raised his fist to block.

Both men were blasted backward at the same time. The gap between them kept shrinking, and the golden scales of victory and defeat began to tilt in silence."

"Marshal Stone knew he could not drag this out any longer.

If it continued, defeat was certain. A ruthless edge flashed through his eyes, and he

forced out his final trump card with the last of his life."

"Every dark-gold pattern across his body gathered at his chest.

His nascence lifeblood began to burn, pushed past its limit."

"The Aurelian Deathless Body, Third Form: World's End!"

"Marshal Stone's body swelled all at once.

Corded muscle bulged and knotted over him. Blue veins rose under his skin and crawled like living things, while a cataclysmic pressure swept out in every direction.

The ground split open. Loose stones were ground down into powder." "Marshal Stone's eyes burned red. His skin had gone pale, and the heat pouring off him had climbed to its absolute limit.

He gathered every last trace of nascence he had built across his life and condensed it into a white World's End fist-light. One strike. That was all he wanted now-to end the battle in a single blow, even if it dragged them both down together."

"Jared saw it and did not step back.

He did not dodge.

He threw himself into the dead end, because only there was a way through."

"He drove his sword into the earth and formed seals with both hands.

Every reserve in the spirit well answered him: all his chaotic nascence, the chaos- flame, the chaos-wrought thunder, and the force of Space Law.

The four powers fused into one. Jared emptied everything he had into it, igniting the final mystery he had grasped when he broke through to True Immortal Realm Level Three."

"Chaos-the First Dawn of Chaos!"

"A purple orb the size of a fist gathered in his palm.

It looked almost plain, too small to

matter against the white radiance bearing down on him. But wrapped inside it was firstborn nascence

force, heavy enough to make

in

the

void tremble and press downon everything around it."

Purple and white, the two final powers crashed together.

"There was no thunderous boom.

No raging shock wave tore across the field.

Only the two forces remained, devouring each other, erasing each other, struggling, locking in place. The world went silent, and the pressure in the air tightened until it seemed nothing could breathe beneath it."

"Jared's meridians tore under the strain. His spirit well shook as if it would split apart, and blood essence kept surging from him while the last of his strength thinned

to a thread.

Marshal Stone's nascence drained away just as fast. His body shrank in on itself,

the patterns over him dimmed, and the life in him bled away with every passing

breath."

Both men roared at the same time and forced out the last power they had left.

In the next instant, the orb exploded.

"A ring-shaped shock wave swept across several hundred yards.

Several feet of earth were shaved off the ground. Mountain stone shattered to pieces, tents flipped into the air, and the Wastelands lay torn open from end to end."

"Jared slammed hard into the bottom of a deep pit.

Pain ran through every part of him, and his body would not answer. Only his eyes

still held their light as he murmured, low and raw, """I haven't lost yet. I can't die

yet."

"Marshal Stone was hurled into a rock wall.

A bloody hole had been punched

through his chest by the chaotic

force. His organs were damaged, his

nascence had collapsed, and he

dropped to one knee under the

weight of his wounds with no

strength left to fight."

"On the other side, Gwendolyn forced down the backlash from her drained spiritual

power and condensed another Ice-Seal blade-flare.

The strike landed, and Marshal Grey took the heavy blow head-on."

"Marshal Grey's blood essence had run dry.

His wounds had piled too deep, and his body could no longer carry him back into the fight. The way he looked at Gwendolyn had changed; there was no room left in him to underestimate fier, and no nerve left to press forward."

"Both great war champions had been badly wounded.

Their battle strength was gone. The celestial elites saw it, and their morale broke in

an instant.

Whatever fight had held them together vanished. They scattered one after another, running for their lives, none daring to keep fighting."

"Marshal Grey clenched his teeth and forced out a single word.

"""'Retreat!""""

"The two marshals supported each other and staggered back into the depths

beyond the gaol gate.

The remaining soldiers fled after them in a ragged stream. Their entire defensive

line collapsed."

"Jared held himself against the pain and raised a hand, stopping the allied host

before they could give chase.

"""No need to pursue them. Saving people comes first. Do not create new complications."

"Elder Cillian and Nathaniel immediately led their teams forward.

They charged through the broken ward and killed their way into the inner reaches of

Northern Abyss Gaol."

"Rowe's war axe chopped down the enemies left behind.

The lanky man's folding fan flashed for throats. The middle-aged man moved through the field with twin blades, cutting down foes as he passed, while Old Man Vale held the rear and protected the formation.

The allied host drove forward like a blade through rotten wood. Nothing in their path could stop them."

"They pushed straight to the Third Depth cell block.

Prison doors were smashed open. Shackles were cut apart. Hundreds of prisoners

from every clan and race saw the sky again.

Tears streamed down their faces as they dropped to their knees and kowtowed, giving thanks for the grace that had pulled them out alive."

"Jared stood with his back against the wall and watched his people step back into

freedom.

The corner of his mouth lifted a little. Deep inside, something that had been braced tight finally settled."

"This battle had done what it came to do.

Northern Abyss Gaol had been broken open, and thousands upon thousands of prisoners had been saved."

"But Jared knew exactly where things stood.

The strongest enemies had not been destroyed. The celestials' two Helius were still

in seclusion.

The real life-or-death battle had not arrived yet."

"Today had only been the opening note.

The hard fights waiting after this would be far more dangerous."

"The sky slowly darkened.

High above the night, the twin uncanny moons hung side by side, one silver and one

red. Their cold light spilled across the Wastelands, leaving everything bleak and

chilled."

"Jared and Gwendolyn supported each other as they walked.

Blood and grime covered them both. Their steps were heavy, but they kept moving,

slowly making their way out through the gaol gate."

"Behind them came the rescued people and the ordered ranks of the allied host.

The column advanced at a slow pace, each step steady, carrying hope forward through the dark."