Dust still hung in the air.

Mark stood amid the ruins of the shattered cliffside, the glowing lines on his body slowly dimming. His ether reserves ticked up, but only barely—1%... 2%... 3%...

"Not enough," he muttered.

He opened his system interface.

The screen shimmered into view, pulsing red.

[Item: Amulet of Bael]

[Status: Usable]

[Warning: Current form of Bael exceeds prior summoning threshold. Summoning Time has been shortened to 5 minutes.]

"From 6 hours to just 5 minutes, huh…" Mark didn't hesitate. "Alright, use it."

The amulet function in the system interface glowed on activation, light pouring from it in jagged pulses of gold and obsidian.

A magic circle bloomed beneath Mark's feet, ten meters wide, inscribed with mystical old runes. Demon Cat Empress' facial expression changed as she felt the air turn heavy, wind howled unnaturally, and lightning arced across the sky without clouds.

A second later—

A demonic energy-filled portal opened before Mark, and a presence walked out of it.

But this time… he was not the same as always.

Gone was the pure abyssal armor and devilish grandeur of his past manifestations.

Now, Bael stood with one half of his body clad in shining white divine plate, angelic feathers laced along his left shoulder and back.

The other half — from shoulder to foot — was wrapped in obsidian-black metal, jagged, horned, and steaming with infernal essence.

A crown hovered just above his head — half halo, half flaming ring of demonic. His eyes, one gold and one red, turned toward Mark.

He smiled faintly. "It's been a while, Lu Zhen. Thought you would never summon me again."

His voice was calm, deep, and thunderous.

Mark gave a brief nod. "You look... different. It looks like you have evolved as you wished."

Bael looked at his own arm, demonic claws ending in radiant light. "Yup, it's just as I wished. But it isn't only I who seems ascended, Lu Zhen. You've reached the 11-circle realm, too. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" A second later, he shrugged. "Never mind. I know that it is."

Then his gaze turned toward the sky.

He narrowed his eyes. "It's the Golden Demon Cat Empress, huh? Oh, Lu Zhen… you upped yourself this time. You offended an existence like her that no one in the demon world would want to fight?"

High above, the Demon Cat Empress stood still with Anan unconscious in her arms. Her aura pressed downward like a mountain, golden and feline, shaking the wind itself.

She examined Bael curiously. "That's a strange one. Half divine? Half abyssal? What are you supposed to be? Should I address you as a demon or a celestial?"

Bael cracked his neck, not rising to the bait. "I see that you were also the same as me, a half-demon and a half celestial beast. But then again, those things don't matter. What matters is that you don't lay a finger on my summoner."

The Demon Cat Empress shifted her gaze to Mark and said. "No wonder you dared to intrude into my territory and want to abduct my son, primate. You are not putting your trust in Snow Wolf King's strength after all. This is your backing, huh…" Clenching her fists immediately, the demonic aura formed a layer over her body and her face turned cold as she added. "But, in the end, this half-demon is also nothing but a newly awakened 3rd-stage transcendant. He isn't a match for me."

Bael turned to Mark, speaking to him telepathically. "She's right, Lu Zhen. I can protect you but I can't defeat her on my own. And due to restrictions, I can only lend you five minutes of help. Do you want me to take you to the demon world with me? You can be safe there."

Mark, however, replied with a straight face. "No need. All I need is just 70 seconds. Provide me that."

Bael grinned at him, "Alright." He didn't ask why. He just extended a hand toward the sky.

"Infernal Domain."

The air split in a fraction of a second.

A crimson-and-gold seal expanded outward, forming a vast sphere of flickering runes that immediately swallowed the Empress and Bael inside.

Mark's hair whipped as the force of it slammed outward like a shockwave.

The Demon Cat Empress blinked once, caught midair with Anan still in her arms.

She glanced around, then floated down and set the unconscious prince onto a floating bed of aura. Her voice didn't change, still calm, but laced with underlying bloodlust.

"I see. You've bound me to a duel."

Bael's eyes gleamed as his voice echoed in the domain. "Until my summoner is done with his preparation, no one will leave this domain."

She gave a low growl and cracked her knuckles. "Very well. Let's see how long you last, half-breed."

They collided midair like crashing galaxies.

Flashes of divine light and shadows of infernal flame collided again and again, illuminating the night sky like an aurora of destruction.

Outside the domain…

Mark stood with one hand on his chest, his heart ticking upward slowly.

1%... 2%... 3%... 4%... 5%…

*

Inside the invisible barrier caused by Bael's domain, Bael and the Demon Cat Empress moved after just a few seconds of silence.

The Empress vanished in a blur, striking Bael's neck with a claw sharper than any divine weapon. Bael turned his head mid-blink, the claw scratching sparks off the divine half of his collarbone. She flipped in midair, using the momentum to hammer a knee into his chest…

Bael spun with the blow, grabbed her by the leg, and threw her away with an arm swing. The Empress flew backward through it all, eyes glowing silver.

Bael opened his mouth and released a breath of abyssal flame, thick like liquid and hungry like a dying star. It looked as if it was devouring the space between them.

The Empress vanished and reappeared behind him. She stabbed forward, claws extended.

He turned his divine half toward her—she struck the divine wing sprouting from his back.

A crack formed. Blood dripped—golden and black.

Bael grabbed her wrist mid-strike. "Got you."

He pulled her close, forehead slamming into hers like a meteor. She snarled, bit his shoulder, and sent a wave of soul-piercing sound through her throat, a sonic attack heard only by the spirit.

Bael winced. His grip faltered.

The Demon Cat Empress pushed off, darted backward, and raised her hands. Nine golden circles formed behind her.

She meowed once—

And nine avatars of herself emerged, all looked divine and majestic. They charged at him at the same time.

In response, Bael summoned a massive double-edged polearm from the void.

One swing at them—all nine avatars collapsed, torn like paper in a storm.

But the Empress wasn't done.

She used the explosion of her elemental copies to mask her charge. From beneath the dust, she struck Bael's right side.

His armor cracked.

He roared and kicked her across the sphere.

The Empress landed on a spiral of floating glyphs, crouched like a beast. "You're strong," she murmured.

Bael hovered opposite her, one wing bloodied. "You're weaker than I expected."

She flicked a claw. "Then die like you expected."

Outside the domain;

Mark stood at the edge of the crater. He stared upward, keeping an eye on the battle and then his ether recovery.

But then a powerful howl far away captured his attention.

Far from the epicenter of destruction, the Snow Wolf King stood tall atop a broken ridge, white fur glowing faintly under the shattered moonlight.

Opposite him, the two elite generals of the Feline Empire circled like twin executioners.

Snow Wolf King bared his fangs, mist curling from his maw.

The Tri-horned Tigress Queen struck him, vanishing with a sonic boom. Her claws struck the place where he'd been standing, only to find nothing.

Frost exploded from above. The Wolf King was mid-air, jaws open. He howled, a thunderous cry laced with ancient qi.

Frost Howl: Cradle of Stillness.

A conical wave of sub-zero energy washed over the battlefield. The Tigress Queen's movement slowed, her limbs suddenly heavy. Ice began to crust over her paws.

Meanwhile, the Tigon Queen leapt from behind, launching herself like a comet. Her entire body was surrounded by fire.

Solar Pounce: Meteor Crash.

She struck him in the ribs. The wolf was thrown sideways into a rocky wall with a bone-shattering boom.

But before the dust cleared, the Snow Wolf King burst free, twisting mid-roll, his fur now crackling with frost lightning.

"You think I sat in chains and rotted?"

He slammed his front paw down, and a circle of ancient runes flared beneath.

Frost Prison: Royal Coffin.

Ice surged from the ground in massive spears, encasing their entire surroundings in a dome of cold. The Tri-Horned Tigress Queen snarled and activated her body shield — armor glowing, horns charging with volatile qi. She bashed through one of the ice spears, trying to reach him…

Only to be intercepted by the Wolf King's tail, wrapped in ice armor, and swung like a mace.

She flew across the dome, crashing into the wall, cracks spreading through her bone plating.

The Tigon Queen reappeared behind him again, but he was ready for that attack too.

Without turning, he stomped the ground and summoned a wall of pure compressed cold.

Cryo Mirror: Twin Reflection.

The wall captured her momentum and launched a mirror image of her own attack back at her.

Boom!

She was sent flying backwards into the Tigress Queen, the two generals tumbling over each other, breathing hard.

The Snow Wolf King panted slowly, breath misting in the air.

"I am the last king of Frostfang Howl," he growled. "Do you really think you can chain me twice?"

His legs trembled slightly. That last mirror technique… took more energy than expected.

The Tigress Queen stood up, tail swishing.

"Her Majesty ordered us to capture you," she said again. "But if you resist…"

"I am already resisting," he spat. "Are you blind, Feline?"

"Then we'll break you."

They charged again—this time together. But before they even reach the Wolf King, suddenly they stop and started flying in the direction where Mark was standing.

"Attraction."