Just as Ethan was about to lead his forces out for an all-out battle with Tharadon, a sudden shift in the air made his instincts scream.

Cracks began to spiderweb across the outer edges of the space.

The next moment, the sky itself tore open like paper—

and dozens of figures descended from the rift above, hovering in midair.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each of them radiated a terrifying aura,

the kind that made the very air feel heavy and suffocating.

Three of them—Ethan could tell at a glance—had reached the absolute peak of 17th Tier.

"Seriously? His Highness dragged us all the way out here just to deal with these low-tier bugs?" one of them scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Whatever. All he really wants is to take this spatial world. Doesn't matter how weak the locals are."

"Yeah, it's just a low-grade pocket dimension. Can't imagine what use it even has."

Their mocking laughter echoed across the battlefield like thunder.

Then, without hesitation, they unleashed their power—

dozens of energy spheres forming in the sky, glowing like miniature suns before they came crashing down.

The moment their violent auras surged outward,

the entire space began to quake,

the very fabric of the world groaning under the pressure.

It wouldn't be long before it collapsed entirely.

Ethan's pupils dilated in shock.

He hadn't expected them to be this reckless—

to tear through the outer spatial defenses and just drop in like gods descending from the heavens.

And he definitely hadn't expected three peak 17-Tier monsters to show up all at once.

"This is bad… real bad…"

He took a slow breath, trying to steady himself, then stepped back,

drawing on what little energy remained in this world to form a massive energy sphere.

But the truth was—

this world had already been drained nearly dry.

There wasn't much left to pull from.

The energy sphere he managed to form was large,

but weak—unstable, flickering at the edges.

Meanwhile, the newcomers floating in the sky…

Their power was on a whole other level.

Just a casual wave of the hand from one of them caused the surrounding space to rupture like shattered glass.

One of them, a hunched old man with a crooked spine,

lifted a single finger—

and with a lazy tap, shattered Ethan's energy sphere into a cloud of harmless sparks.

"Pathetic. You call that power? Don't make me laugh," he sneered.

Then—

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

All three of them unleashed their full power,

waves of energy rippling outward in every direction,

crushing everything in their path.

Faced with such overwhelming force,

Ethan didn't dare linger.

"Scatter! Everyone, split up and run!" he shouted, voice sharp with urgency.

But just as his people began to move,

they realized something horrifying—

The surrounding space had changed.

A second layer of spatial reinforcement had been added—

not just a barrier,

but a cage.

They were sealed in.

Trapped.

"Damn it!"

Ethan's teeth ground together with an audible crack, fury flashing in his eyes.

He hadn't expected them to be this shameless—

breaking through the spatial barrier and sealing them in like rats in a cage.

But just then—

Elira rose into the sky, her figure glowing with dark, pulsing energy.

Behind her, the massive wings of the Skytear Demon Moth unfurled,

each beat of those wings sending out waves of violent, chaotic power.

Surrounding her were dozens of Skytear Demon Moth warriors she had just summoned—

they hovered in formation, their energy threads linking together,

forming a complex array that pulsed with synchronized power,

filling the entire sky with a humming, oppressive force.

VMMMMM—

Then, a colossal phantom of a Skytear Demon Moth materialized in the heavens,

its wings stretching across the horizon,

enveloping Elira and her swarm in a cocoon of raw, demonic energy.

At that moment, Ethan's system went wild—

a flood of alerts flashing through his mind.

That spectral moth in the sky…

its power level had reached the terrifying peak of 17th Tier.

Ethan's eyes widened, his heart pounding with excitement.

He hadn't known Elira had something like this up her sleeve.

And just as he was still reeling from that surprise—

another figure descended from the sky, radiant and divine.

A massive Archangel, glowing with holy light, appeared in the clouds.

At its core, right where the heart would be—was Andona.

VMMM—

The rest of the angelic body was formed from dozens of other Angels,

all of them summoned by Andona over the past few days.

Clearly, everyone had been leveling up behind the scenes—

and not just a little.

They'd figured out a way to combine their powers,

to amplify their strength beyond what any one of them could do alone.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before Ethan could even process it all,

more powerful presences surged into the sky.

Namyanna. Ataneya. Seraphina. Cicero. Sycaron.

And the other top commanders of Emerald Castle.

Each of them summoned massive avatars of themselves,

their combined energy roaring like a storm.

The sheer force of their fusion was overwhelming—

nearly all of them had reached the peak of 17th Tier.

With that, Emerald Castle finally had the high-tier firepower to stand toe-to-toe with the invaders.

Ethan let out a long breath of relief,

then quickly retreated behind a nearby outcropping to observe the battle from cover.

Across the field, the Obsidian Dynasty's elites looked genuinely surprised.

They hadn't expected Emerald Castle to pull something like this.

They'd dismissed them as weaklings—

but now, faced with this sudden surge of power,

they had no choice but to take them seriously.

Still, they weren't backing down.

The moment the battle began, it exploded into full-blown chaos.

The sky lit up with clashing energies,

and even from a distance, Ethan's heart pounded in his chest.

He was only mid-17th Tier—

if he got caught in that mess, he'd be vaporized in seconds.

So for now, he stayed back, commanding from afar.

The spatial barrier around this world had already been shattered,

and the Obsidian Dynasty's army had poured in like a flood.

But even they were momentarily stunned by the sheer force radiating from the sky.

No one had expected Emerald Castle to develop a fusion technique like this—

and certainly not one that could unleash such devastating power.

"Damn it…" Tharadon growled, his expression darkening.

But like the other Obsidian Dynasty commanders,

he still didn't take Emerald Castle seriously.

Power surged from his body,

and in the sky above him, a massive golden spear formed—

its tip glowing with deadly intent.

He launched himself forward, grabbed the spear midair,

and dove straight into the heart of the battle.

Meanwhile, the massive fused avatars on Emerald Castle's side—

while powerful and awe-inspiring—

weren't without their flaws.

Their strength was real,

but their coordination was fragile.

Unlike the Obsidian Dynasty elites,

whose power was refined, instinctive, and battle-hardened,

Emerald Castle's fusion forms required perfect synchronization.

One misstep, one delay in timing—

and the whole formation could collapse.

...