The air rippled like a boiling tide as soon as Mark's words ended.

Out of the buried pagoda, five figures stepped forth, Mark's original companions, led by a lightning-clad clone. Its form shimmered with pure ether, its body with electric lines coursing through its body, eyes sharp and cold as the real thing.

Following behind him came the others.

Lan Xia, her spear glowing faintly with a violet sheen.

Yuan Feng, rolling his neck, jagged glaive already resting on his shoulder.

Reva, her fox tails flicking in the breeze, flames licking around her fingers.

Ryder Night, already vanishing into shadow as soon as he stepped out.

And lastly, a towering beast walked beside them. His steps thundered like falling avalanches. It's the Snow Wolf King. Ice clung to his fur like frost steel, and his eyes burned with cold vengeance.

Below them at the bottom of the crater, the enemy army of a thousand had recovered from the shock of one of their generals' abrupt death.

Dozens of Ascendant-class beasts surrounded the flying boat, forming tight formations, fangs bared, weapons drawn.

Meanwhile, higher-level Transcendents swiftly gathered near Anan, forming a defense line of their own to protect him from Azzy. As for the strongest one in the Army, the Panthera Leo King just stood there in a daze. It is still hard for him to see a fellow general die in a moment.

And the moment Mark's clone and others appeared, the enemy responded with an enraged roar.

Mark leaped back to his team with an unreadable expression.

He spoke calmly. "I'll take the big ones—every one above the Transcendent stage is mine."

He turned to the Snow Wolf King. "Anan is yours. But suppress him—don't kill. Also, don't hurt him too much. Just focus on trapping him or suppressing his movements."

The Wolf King didn't argue. He bared his fangs in a grin. "I'll keep him in one piece."

The others nodded.

Mark's clone moved first—an arc of lightning blasted through the sky and smashed into the ground like a meteor. His target was the remaining General: Panthera Leo King.

A massive boom echoed as the two clashed, shockwaves tearing through trees and rock alike.

At the same time, the Snow Wolf King roared, a freezing beam shot from his mouth like a glacial lance, freezing Anan mid-leap in a block of shimmering ice.

Anan's eyes flicked in surprise before the ice cracked.

He broke free, but the Snow Wolf King had already lunged.

Meanwhile;

Yuan Feng was the first to engage.

He tore through the enemy lines with sweeping arcs of his jagged glaive, his body covered in rocky armor formed from Earth Qi. Beasts surrounded him, slashing and gnashing, but his brute force held strong.

A saber-tooth struck his back, leaving a gash—but Yuan Feng roared and slammed the beast into the dirt, cracking its skull. "Die, you fuck*ing Feline…"

Reva danced through the battlefield like fire incarnate.

Her Foxfire Mirage Art split her into nine illusions—each tail casting a flame that roared through the enemy like wildfire. Dozens of weaker Ascendants burned in the chaos.

"Argh…"

One cheetah beast managed to pierce her shoulder, but Reva gritted her teeth and turned it to ash. "Die."

Ryder was almost unseen.

Moving through shadows, he darted between enemies, paralyzing nerves with lightning-tipped daggers or shocking their hearts into seizures. Though he took a nasty blow to the ribs, he melted back into darkness before they could strike again.

Lan Xia took the center with grace.

Each sweep of her spear created a wind barrier, and her precise strikes downed enemy after enemy. Lightning Qi danced on her skin, bolts flying as she dashed across the lines. Even injured, her rhythm never faltered. She appeared like the Goddess of Frost and Snow, erasing the unworthy beasts around.

And high above them all…

Mark floated alone.

Dozens of high-tier Transcendents—thirty in total—flew toward him like falling stars under the influence of Mark's Gravity skill, Attraction. All of them glowed with auras of immense pressure, claws and fangs glinting under the moonlight.

Mark flew away from the rest of the battlefield, taking them for atleast a few kilometers away before landing on the top of a cliff.

Then, he raised a hand. "Spatial Barrier."

Spatial Barrier: Create a Spatial Barrier to lock a certain volume of Space with a durability of 1 realm above the user (current: 12.9). Range: 1000 meters. Cost: 20% ether energy. CD: None.

As one-fifth of his ether reserves emptied instantly, a shimmering cube of twisted space encased all of them, yanking them from the battlefield into a hidden sub-realm. The sky twisted.

Then….

"Gravity Dome: 100,000g. "

The entire space collapsed downward.

The beasts roared in panic, struggling to stay aloft—but one by one, they crashed into the hardened ground with sickening force, unable to move.

Mark extended both arms. "And now for your demise."

In his left hand, an Antimatter Gun, glowing blue, core rotating with lethal precision.

In his right hand, a massive Desert Eagle, each bullet in the magazine humming with the explosive density of adamantine.

Bang.

The first beast's head exploded under the adamantine round.

Zap.

The second was erased by antimatter.

One by one.

Mark moved like a reaper in the dome.

No words.

No mercy.

*

Back at the main battlefield, Anan roared louder, fury building as he clashed with the Snow Wolf King—but the beast had far more experience. Frost wrapped around Anan's limbs again and again.

"Calm down, cub," the Snow Wolf King taunted. "Your tantrum isn't helping you."

Anan's eyes glowed gold as his aura built higher.

The wind howled through the valley, slicing between clashing auras and the flickering remnants of destroyed terrain.

Snow danced in broken flurries—not from the skies, but from the relentless waves of frost rolling off the Snow Wolf King's body.

Anan, golden and wild, clashed against the towering beast again and again.

Each strike of his claws cracked ice, each roar scattered mist. His body, half-shifted, shimmered with golden fur and feline grace at blurring speeds.

But the Snow Wolf King was no ordinary opponent either.

A 13-circle Beast, master of cold and ancient warfare. He moved like a glacier with every motion calculated, every response flawless.

"You're strong," the Wolf King said mid-clash, his tone unreadable. "But you have too much pride and you overestimate your own strength."

Boom!

Anan exploded forward, striking the Wolf King across the jaw with a golden claw. The latter's flesh split, and blood spilled.

But before he could follow through, the ice beneath him cracked.

"Frozen Maw."

Dozens of ethereal wolf-heads made of solid ice erupted and snapped at him.

Anan flipped into the air, dodging, but as he landed, his foot slipped.

A moment was all it took.

Crack!

A massive tail of frost slammed into his chest, sending him flying through a pine tree, breaking it in half.

He skidded across the ground, coughing, his eyes glowing fiercely even as blood trailed from his lips.

"I'm not… done yet!" he roared.

He slammed his palms into the earth, and a gravity well formed beneath the Wolf King.

The Snow Wolf King's eyes widened slightly as he felt his legs drag downward. "A gravity field? Hah! Clever brat. You were just as abnormal as your master."

"He is not my master…" Anan roared, shooting forward, this time covered in dark violet Qi—the power of Devouring, a trait unique to his imperial bloodline. "And don't underestimate me."

His claws struck the Wolf King's side, tearing through fur and drawing a roar of pain from the 13-circle.

But again, the tide turned.

The Snow Wolf King opened his jaws.

"Arctic Howl!"

The sky turned white as a cone of frost exploded outward, freezing not just the ground but time itself for a fraction of a second.

Anan was caught mid-motion.

And that's when the Wolf King raised his paw—and an ice spear formed, long as a tree trunk and sharp as divine metal.

Shhkk!

He thrust it forward.

The spear struck true, right through Anan's abdomen.

"Argh…." Anan's eyes widened, lips parting as blood poured down his chin.

The ice shattered behind him as his golden fur faded.

His body shrank, and he returned to his human form, the imperial robes torn and blood-soaked.

He started falling to the ground, pausing the battle. "No, Your Highness…" The Panthera Leo King wanted to rush off, but Mark's lightning clone gave a swift punch to its face, blasting it away, although not inflicting much damage.

And just then…

A golden streak fell from the sky.

"ANAN!!!"

Mark, his real body now free from the upper battle, tore through the clouds like a falling star.

He caught the boy mid-air, wrapping his arms around him as they landed hard on the ground, cracking stone beneath them.

"Anan… no, no, no… damn it!"

Blood coated Mark's robes as he cradled him, his voice raw and panicked.

Anan blinked slowly, vision fading. "You… idiot…" he whispered faintly. "Told you… this is my home… And I'm your enemy."