Kanoru's blades became a blur of motion, slashing and slicing with blinding speed. His swordplay was swift and precise, each strike aimed at the figure's vital points. Yet, no matter how fast or sharp his attacks were, they were all intercepted.
The figure remained rooted in place, unmoving. With a single hand shrouded in swirling purple light, he blocked every one of Kanoru's strikes. The swords clashed violently against the purple aura, but the figure's arm barely wavered.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed. His blows carried enough force to shatter stone, yet the figure deflected them effortlessly.
Gritting his teeth, Kanoru's grip tightened. The edges of his twin blades gleamed with a radiant blue glow. The power of wind and ice surged into the swords, intensifying their lethality.
With a burst of speed, Kanoru swung both blades in a sweeping arc. The frost-coated edge clashed against the purple light. Sparks burst outward in a brilliant display, crackling as cold and corruption collided.
But still, the figure held firm, his expression vacant and unshaken.
A short distance away, Asuna's mother stood with her hands outstretched, her eyes focused. The cloud snake she commanded slithered through the ocean depths, undetectable beneath the crashing waves.
Silent and swift, it coiled through the water, drawing closer to the figure's feet.
In a flash, the snake surged upward, aiming to strike from below.
But just before it could make contact, a surge of purple fog erupted beneath the figure.
The corrupt mist slithered and condensed into a swirling mass, forming into a massive, spectral snake. Its glowing eyes locked onto the cloud serpent as it lunged upward.
The two serpents clashed violently.
The water around them convulsed from the impact. The sea roared as the freezing mist from the cloud snake spread, turning the surrounding water into jagged shards of ice. The purple fog snake twisted and coiled violently, matching the cloud snake in ferocity.
The two spectral beasts twisted and clashed, dragging each other deeper into the ocean's depths.
For a few intense moments, they struggled for dominance.
Then, Asuna's mother suddenly winced, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. Pain shot through her chest, and she staggered back slightly.
The cloud snake shuddered. A moment later, it was overwhelmed.
A burst of purple light erupted from below as the fog snake broke free, coiling around its prey. The cloud snake was torn apart, its form dissipating into mist.
The corrupted serpent shot upward with a vengeful screech.
Asuna's mother's eyes widened. She leapt backward, her hands weaving swift gestures. Towering ice walls surged upward between her and the snake, creating a frigid barrier.
The purple fog snake slammed into the first wall, shattering it instantly. It continued forward, crashing through one ice wall after another.
With each impact, the ice exploded into shards, yet Asuna's mother kept summoning more, retreating with swift, fluid steps.
But before the fog snake could breach the final barrier, a massive purple fireball came streaking from the distance.
It smashed into the fog snake with a deafening explosion.
The detonation sent purple flames and corrosive mist bursting outward, consuming the spectral snake in a violent inferno. When the flames dispersed, the snake was gone.
Asuna's mother turned around, glancing over her shoulder.
Lou Chen, now back in his towering lion-headed form, stood with his palm still extended. Faint trails of fire flickered around his hand, his eyes calm and unwavering.
She gave him a small nod of gratitude.
Lou Chen returned the gesture with a firm nod.
Without pause, he raised his hand again. Purple flames gathered, swirling violently. The massive inferno condensed into a colossal fireball, crackling with unstable power.
With a low growl, Lou Chen thrust his hand forward.
The massive fireball rocketed toward the figure.
Kanoru, still slashing at the figure, sensed the incoming blast. His eyes flashed with caution, and without hesitation, he leapt backward, somersaulting through the air and landing several meters away.
The fireball crashed into the figure with a thunderous impact.
The explosion sent a violent shockwave outward, shattering the ice and churning the water violently. Thick fog spread across the battlefield, blanketing everything in a heavy, blinding mist.
For a brief moment, the world was shrouded in silence.
As the fog gradually dissipated, the figure came into view.
He stood there—completely unscathed.
Not a single mark marred his pale skin.
Kanoru's eyes widened slightly, his grip tightening around his swords.
Before anyone could react, the figure suddenly vanished.
Kanoru's eyes barely had time to register the disappearance before his instincts screamed danger.
In a flash, he crossed his blades in front of him, forming an X-shaped defense. A surge of wind erupted outward, creating a transparent barrier around him.
But in the same instant, a foot crashed into his wind barrier.
The barrier shattered instantly.
The figure's kick struck Kanoru's twin swords with such force that his arms went numb from the impact.
The next moment, Kanoru was sent hurtling backward.
He sailed through the air, crashing into the water with enough force to send a massive wave splashing upward.
Without missing a beat, Kanoru slammed the tip of his blue sword into the ocean.
A burst of frost spread outward from the blade. Ice rapidly formed beneath his feet, anchoring him.
The force of his flight slowed as the icy platform expanded. A few seconds later, he finally skidded to a halt.
Panting slightly, Kanoru's eyes lifted toward the battle.
His gaze locked onto the fight ahead.
Asuna's mother, now covered in faint glowing skin runes, moved with graceful speed, her ice magic striking swiftly and precisely.
Lou Chen, still in his lion-headed elemental form, fought beside her. His massive purple flames roared with every step, unleashing waves of fire with each attack.
The two clashed relentlessly with the figure. Their combined assault kept him momentarily at bay. The figure was forced to split his attention, blocking one attack while striking back at the other.
Despite his immense power, he couldn't use his full strength with both of them attacking in unison.
Seeing the momentary opportunity, Kanoru's eyes flashed with renewed determination.
Without wasting a second, he burst forward, his ice and wind propelling him across the water.
Kanoru exhaled sharply, his breath steadying as he burst forward. His twin blades gleamed with cold blue and burning red light, slashing in perfect harmony with Lou Chen's roaring purple flames and Asuna's mother's sharp, piercing frost. The three of them moved as one, their strikes swift and relentless.
With each blow, the figure staggered slightly, forced to block or parry the synchronized assault. Yet, before the figure could retaliate, the higher-ranked warlocks, Asuna, and Mika surged into action.
A barrage of elemental spells rained down upon the figure.
Searing fireballs, jagged ice spears, whirling blades of wind, and crackling bolts of lightning crashed down in a relentless cascade. The force of their combined might illuminated the battlefield with a blinding light, engulfing the figure entirely.
Kanoru, Lou Chen, and Asuna's mother didn't hold back anymore.
From the very beginning, the three of them had restrained themselves, holding back their true strength. They knew the figure was powerful—if they revealed their full might too soon, the figure would have grown wary. An alert Spirit Realm invader would be far more difficult to defeat.
They had waited for this moment.
Now, with the figure surrounded by an overwhelming wave of elemental force, they unleashed everything.
Lou Chen roared as his purple lion form erupted with flame, sending a wave of fire that twisted and spiraled into the blast.
Asuna's mother spread her arms wide, and massive clouds of ice and frost swirled into the assault, sharp crystalline spears raining down like jagged knives.
Kanoru's blades gleamed brighter. With a single slash, he sent a surge of wind and ice that merged with the elemental barrage, adding to the catastrophic storm.
The figure was completely engulfed.
The ocean roared violently. The force of the impact sent massive waves crashing outward, forcing Kanoru and the others to brace themselves.
Kanoru dug his feet into the water, his body low as he stabilized himself, sliding back slightly from the shockwave. The ocean beneath him quivered and rippled violently.
When the last explosion echoed across the sea, a massive wall of mist and steam surged upward.
The world was momentarily drowned in thick fog.
Kanoru squinted through the haze, his chest rising and falling heavily. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the fog.
'I doubt that killed him,' he thought grimly, his grip tightening around his swords.
'But if he's seriously injured, it'll be enough.'
Kanoru wasn't naive. The Spirit Realm invader was too powerful to be slain so easily, but if they could inflict enough damage, he might hesitate.
'If he thinks killing us means risking his own life, he'll flee.'
Kanoru's eyes suddenly widened as a faint glimmer of purple light flickered through the fog.
The mist began to dissipate.
A violent, malevolent energy surged from within, driving the fog away with each pulse.
Then, the figure emerged.
Kanoru's breath caught.
The black robe that had once shrouded the figure was completely destroyed. His pale, stitched flesh was now bare and exposed. His body was far more muscular than before—hulking and grotesque—his sinews rippling like a monstrous behemoth.
The once-lifeless skin was torn and bloodied, marred with jagged cuts and seared burns. Ice still clung to patches of his skin, creating frozen shards that glistened with droplets of blood.
But the wounds didn't slow him down.
Instead, the figure's entire form seemed to radiate raw, primal power.
A thick, suffocating wave of purple energy poured from his body in pulsating waves. The air itself seemed to crackle with dark energy.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed sharply.
Suddenly, the figure vanished.
Kanoru's instincts screamed.
He barely caught the faint ripple on the surface of the water—the subtle distortion caused by the figure's feet brushing against it.
'He's heading for the ship.'
Kanoru's stomach tightened. His eyes snapped toward the distant ice where the warlocks, the crew, Asuna, Gu Mingzhu, and the others stood.
The figure was moving toward them with terrifying speed.
'If he reaches the ship, it's over.'
Kanoru's blood turned cold.
'Asuna, Gu Mingzhu, and the others...'
They would be slaughtered.
None of them, not even the higher-ranked warlocks, would be able to withstand a single strike from the Spirit Realm invader.
Kanoru didn't hesitate.
He spun on his heel and charged after the figure, his feet pounding against the water's surface, his blades cutting through the spray.
Behind him, Lou Chen and Asuna's mother saw the danger and instantly followed.
Their eyes were sharp with determination. They knew the stakes.
The three of them sprinted with all their might, their feet barely skimming the ocean's surface as they raced to intercept the figure.
But the invader was fast.
Too fast.
The distance between him and the ice shrank rapidly.
Kanoru gritted his teeth.
'He's going to make it.'
A sudden surge of raw power pulsed within him.
His eyes blazed with ferocity.
He didn't hesitate.
A feral, violent green aura erupted from his body, swirling violently like a raging storm.
The ocean beneath him quivered from the sudden surge of energy.
His skin turned a vivid, blood-red hue, his veins bulging and glowing faintly with a faint emerald light. His eyes, sharp and intense, gleamed with an otherworldly brilliance.
The once-faint aura of a higher-ranked warlock now roared with a terrifying, unfamiliar presence.
In that moment, Kanoru's energy felt no different from that of the Spirit Realm invader himself.
The figure, still charging forward, suddenly skidded to a halt.
Sensing the overwhelming surge of power, he turned his head slightly.
His lifeless purple eyes narrowed as they locked onto Kanoru.
The invader slowly turned to face him, his mouth twitching into a cruel, distorted grin.
Kanoru, his green aura blazing violently, charged straight toward him.