Xing Tie: Wait a minute! How come Weng Xing has two saviors?

“If we had completed that ritual ahead of time in the past, we could have divided Nicardi’s soul into five parts according to the original plan.”

"Then, let's return to this point in time and let its soul be reunited... Perhaps, that will break the immortal curse imposed by that man, based on the state of 'chaotic unity,' and thus grant Nicardi the complete end it deserves."

"This time, leave it to Mimi!" Mimi, perched on Xing's shoulder, seemed to have rested enough. It rallied its spirits and took flight again, its little face full of determination. Having just experienced the perilous situation, it seemed to be even more adept at using the "Years" power.

The Gate of Past Lives slowly opened once more before everyone, radiating a soft and mysterious light.

This time, their goal was clear—to resolve Nicardoli's crisis first. As for the secret behind those eyes, they could only be left unsaid for now.

When Xing looked at the person before him, who claimed to be the incarnation of Gneus and was a manifestation of Nicardi's "rational" soul, he felt somewhat complicated.

He maintained the majesty of a Titan, yet his eyes were clearer than they had ever seen him in.

"You mean, in the future, my will was twisted, and I became an undead monster who doesn't care about glory and only knows how to blindly 'exist'?" After hearing the brief description, Gnaeus repeated it in a low voice, then let out a cryptic laugh, "Interesting, truly... pathetic and laughable."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before him, and solemnly declared, his voice resonating through the corridors of time:

"Listen, mortal! I am the spear of heaven—Nikadori! Messenger of chaos! Incarnation of strife! I am the necessary scar of this world!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost tragic resolve:

"If my future self has fallen to such a state, losing the honor of a warrior... then, at this very moment, please defeat me! Grant me an ending befitting a warrior!!!"

His words seemed to have triggered a switch in some kind of time and space.

The surrounding scenery shifted rapidly like turning pages of a book, and the timeline jumped in an instant, bringing them back to the present.

The real battle was about to begin.

"Partner, watch out!"

Bai E's cry of alarm pierced the battlefield's clamor. Just as Nicardoli's long spear, wreathed in crimson energy, was about to strike Xing.

Bai E's figure suddenly appeared in front of Xing, his weapon gleaming with brilliant light, barely managing to block the thunderous blow.

The ear-piercing sound of metal colliding was so loud it hurt people's eardrums.

Xing quickly surveyed the battlefield and saw Heather hovering in mid-air, gracefully wielding a strange weapon that resembled both a zither and a sword, leading a school of fish composed of pure water elements, sweeping towards Nicardoli like a storm.

The fish gnawed and rammed, leaving fine wounds on the Titan's divine body.

However, unlike before, these wounds did not heal instantly as they had before, but remained clearly, with golden divine blood slowly seeping out!

"Hmm?" Heather keenly noticed this unusual change, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes before turning into decisiveness. She exchanged a glance with Ara-tei; no words were needed, their understanding was unspoken.

The next moment, the earth groaned in unbearable pain!

Arabi's already mountain-like body expanded once more, revealing its true demigod form—an earth beast even more majestic and ancient than the Titan of "Conflict"!

It let out a roar that shook the heavens and the earth, and its huge body, with the momentum to crush everything, slammed into Nicardoli!

"boom--!"

The terrifying impact sounded like a meteor falling to earth. Nicardi's massive body was thrown off balance by the sheer force of the impact.

Almost at the same moment, Heather's figure appeared like a ghost in the sky above Nicardoli.

She took a deep breath, and then an ancient and stirring melody flowed from her sword.

As the music reached its climax, the space below her was suddenly torn open like the surface of water!

A colossal abyssal whale, so massive it blotted out the sky and formed from the power of the "ocean," leaped out with boundless majesty and oppressive force!

Its gaping maw seemed to connect to the bottomless abyss, swallowing the unbalanced Nicardo whole in one gulp. Then, carrying destructive kinetic energy, it slammed the Titan in its mouth like a hammer of divine punishment into the Hanging Edge Arena below!

"Boom————!!!"

The arena's ground, which had withstood countless fierce battles without completely collapsing, was now smashed into a huge crater, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading to the horizon.

Nicardi's broken body lay at the bottom of the pit, struggling and trying to stand up again by its own will.

At that moment, the "Heavenly Punishment Blade" in the sky, which had been accumulating destructive power, suddenly shone brightly and emitted a chilling, sharp hum. The massive blade began to slowly adjust its angle!

"Watch out! It's about to fight to the death!" Wan Di's pupils constricted sharply as he shouted a warning to everyone with all his might.

The wild flute reacted extremely quickly, its huge foot stomping down heavily, and thick, solid rock walls engraved with earth runes rose from the ground, layer upon layer, protecting the group in front of them.

At the same time, Hazel waved her hand, drawing upon the vast power of the "ocean." The azure water curtain, like the most resilient barrier, intertwined with the rock wall, forming an indestructible defensive line.

Chapter 217 The Fire Thief.

However, to everyone's surprise—

The final target of that divine retribution was not anyone on the battlefield.

Its sword tip, precise and resolute, was pointed at the dawn machine in Ohma, far away, which sustained the light of the entire holy city!

A blazing pillar of light, embodying all of Nicardoli's remaining power, madness, and obsession, shot out like a spear of judgment tearing through the sky!

Wherever it passed, space was distorted, carrying a destructive will that penetrated everything, piercing straight into the "sun" on the back of the carphanel, which symbolized hope and protection!

At this critical moment!

Beneath the sky in the direction of Ohm, nearly a hundred petite yet resolute figures simultaneously appeared. They were the "Tibos" from within Ohm! Hand in hand, an unprecedentedly enormous "Gate of a Hundred Realms" suddenly opened before the Dawn Machine!

The beam of light crashed into the Hundred Realms Gate, causing the void behind it to tremble violently, as if it were under unimaginable pressure. But the gate eventually stabilized, swallowing and banishing the blow that was enough to destroy hope!

With this final strike, the Heavenly Punishment Blade in the sky dimmed completely, losing all its luster.

Meanwhile, in the crater below, Nicardoli's movements suddenly came to a halt.

It seemed to have finally exhausted all the strength and obsession that sustained its existence, and its massive body collapsed with a crash, no longer moving.

Without the support of power, the massive Blade of Divine Punishment began to disintegrate and fall. Countless fragments of metal and energy fell like a tragic meteor shower, burying the lifeless Titan body below.

It gave its all, sacrificing its own life, to launch a final attack on the "dawn" that it thought was protecting all living beings.

Xing watched as the flames of "Conflict" slowly rose from the ruins.

Just as her tense nerves were about to relax, she suddenly realized that something was wrong—the faces of Bai E, Wan Di, and even the demigods Heather and Huang Di, instead of the relief of victory, were shrouded in a deeper solemnity, their sharp gazes scanning the surrounding void.

“Partner, stay alert,” Bai Er’s voice was low and serious than ever before. “This battle… is far from over.”

"Hmm?" Before Xing could even voice her question, the answer came without her asking.

Just before the flickering flame, space seemed to be torn open by an invisible hand, and a figure appeared without warning.

He was shrouded in an inconspicuous black robe, his face covered by a plain mask that reflected a cold metallic luster, and he remained silent.

A cold glint flashed in Hathaway's eyes. She had no intention of negotiating; for this uninvited guest, actions spoke louder than words.

Her figure transformed into a streak of azure light, appearing almost instantly in front of the man in black. The sharp sword in her hand, carrying a chilling aura and unwavering resolve, was aimed straight at his heart!

However, faced with this lightning-fast attack, the man in black simply and almost lazily raised the seemingly broken longsword with nicks and chips around its edges.

"Ding--!"

A crisp yet unusually jarring metallic clang rang out.

Heather's deadly sword strike, imbued with the power of a demigod, was precisely parried by the broken sword. The tip of the sword rested on the black robe on the opponent's chest, unable to advance any further! The powerful impact didn't even cause the black-clad man's figure to sway in the slightest.

Seeing this, Huangdi let out a deep, thunderous roar. His mountain-like form suddenly leaned forward, and a massive rock hoof, as large as a small hill, slammed down with immense force! Its target was the tiny man in black, determined to crush him and the surrounding earth into dust!

Just as the hoof was about to strike, the figure in black flickered like a ghost, appearing dozens of meters away on the other side in a way that defied the laws of physics, easily avoiding this attack that was powerful enough to shatter mountains and split rocks.

Seeing that he was entangled by two demigods and unable to break free, the black-clad man's eyes flickered beneath his mask.

He made a sweeping motion with his broken sword, and in the next moment, several slightly illusory figures, like reflections in water, separated from him and silently rushed toward the spark of "conflict"!

"Don't even think about it!" Bai E and Wan Di shouted in unison. The two were already on guard, and like arrows released from a bow, they met the clones from the left and right. Sword light and fist wind intertwined, and they instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

Seeing that the fire was about to be lost, Heather intended to rush back to help, but the black-clad man's true form was like a leech. With each swing of his broken sword, his sword aura was like an invisible swamp, not only neutralizing her and Arabi's attacks one by one, but also keeping them firmly pinned down in place.

That seemingly simple swordsmanship actually made it difficult for the two demigods to escape for a time.

Just when the battle was at a stalemate and everyone was tied down, the man in black seemed to still have strength left!

He moved his wrist again, and four more clones, identical to the previous ones, materialized behind him.

These clones cleverly bypassed Bai E and Wan Di, who were engaged in fierce battle with the first batch of clones, and like four silent black lightning bolts, they rushed straight at the spark from different angles!

At this critical moment, a calm and collected voice broke the balance of the battle:

"This uninvited gentleman, whatever your purpose, please stop. This is not something you should touch."

It was Walter. He had appeared beside the fire without anyone noticing, his cane lightly tapping the ground, his gaze behind his glasses as sharp as an eagle's.

The next moment, the space in the path of the four clones suddenly collapsed!

A deep, dark, miniature black hole, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, suddenly appeared. It rapidly expanded, and its powerful gravity instantly seized those clones. No matter how much they struggled, they could not resist the devouring force originating from the fundamental laws of the universe. In an instant, they were dragged into endless darkness and disappeared without a trace.

In the distance, the black-clad man, who had seemed completely at ease, showed an extremely subtle pause in his movements for the first time.

He slowly turned his head, and the cold metal mask seemed to pierce through the distance of space, giving Walter a deep "gaze".

That gaze seemed devoid of any emotion, yet it also seemed to contain countless unfathomable messages—was it scrutiny, assessment, or perhaps a hint of…unexpected approval?

The stalemate lasted only a few seconds. The man in black seemed to realize that, with Walter's intervention, he could no longer succeed easily.

He ceased fighting, casually waving his broken sword to deflect Heather's attack once more. His figure then drifted backward, as abruptly as when he appeared. Amidst a subtle ripple in space, his figure gradually faded, eventually disappearing completely from everyone's sight.

Chapter 218 Demigod's Wish

Xing stared at the space where the man in black had disappeared, then turned to Bai E, her brows furrowing slightly: "That guy... just who is he?"

Bai'e's gaze remained fixed on the direction the man in black had left, his voice low and menacing: "A ghost obsessed with seizing the Titan's fire. We don't know when he will appear, or even if he can still be called 'human'."

"All we know is that after each successful hunt down of a Titan, he would reappear like a shadow, trying to steal the spoils of victory. So... we call him... the Fire Thief."

The name seemed to make the surrounding air a little heavier.

“This is no place to linger.” Heather approached, her voice regaining its usual calm, but a lingering wariness remained in her eyes. “Let’s get out of here as soon as possible with the ‘Conflict’ spark. There’s no rule saying that guy will only make one move.”

Ohma, Dawn Cloud Cliff, the Altar of the Negative World.

At the center of the altar, six blue-purple flames continued to rotate slowly, emitting a soft and mysterious halo.

However, the seventh flame in Xing's hand—the one belonging to "Years" Oronis—has caused a small disturbance.

"Mi...I don't want to hand over the Fire Seed right now." Mimi clung tightly to Xing's clothes, her small body almost completely hidden behind her, only peeking out half her head, timidly expressing her wishes.

The flame that symbolizes the authority of "time" is glowing faintly in its embrace.

Heather looked at the little one, a helpless expression on her face. She tried to persuade him in a gentle tone, "This is the rule, little one. All the sparks must eventually converge here, for the sake of Onpharos..."

“Alright, ‘Sword Banner Lord’.” Cerrudra’s clear voice interrupted Heather, her arms crossed, her petite frame exuding undeniable authority. “There’s no need to pressure that little one too much.”

She turned to Xing and Mimi, her gaze sweeping between them: "If it doesn't want to submit now, let it keep it for now. Anyway, according to our original plan, the 'Spark of Time' was supposed to be submitted second to last. And..."

Her gaze fell on Mimi, a hint of barely perceptible consideration in her eyes. "It can indeed wield the powers of the demigod 'Years' now, even though the 'Years' seed hasn't been formally submitted here."

“But…” Krydella turned her gaze to Xing and added in a calm tone, “In that case, she probably won’t be able to use the opportunity of submitting the fire to fulfill her ‘wish’.”

Hearing this, Xing felt a pang of regret. She had always wanted to know what it would have been like if Cephalus hadn't taken the form of a giant, but instead had been a giant humanoid trash can.

What a "spectacular" and "unique" sight it would be if the King carried the Dawn Machine on his back in a bucket!

Xing could only silently lament in her heart: Mimi, Mimi, your insistence has made me miss a chance to embark on a journey of "pleasure".

Thinking of this, she suddenly became curious. Xing looked at the gentle and elegant Aglaia beside her and couldn't help but ask:

"Speaking of which... I'm very curious, what kind of wishes did you demigods make when you submitted the fire and ascended to your divine positions?"

Upon hearing this, Aglaia's beautiful, jewel-like eyes lowered slightly, and she fell into a brief moment of contemplation. After a while, she spoke in a reminiscent tone:

"Our wish? You probably already know that Tibor and the others—that is, my teacher Tirispius, as the first demigod in the world, wished to 'split herself'."

She believes that the power of an individual has its limits, and only when thousands of "I" work together can we truly unite everyone and protect this land.

She gently raised her hand and continued, "Next came the demigod 'Earth' Ara-bi. At that time, thanks to my master's tireless efforts, survivors from all over the world began to converge on Ohma, seeking refuge."

"However, the race of the Wild Flute—those earth beasts as large as mountains—are simply too enormous. Even the ever-expanding Holy City cannot possibly accommodate all of these colossal beasts safely."

"Witnessing his people's yearning for light and security, Arabi abandoned his desire to enhance himself and instead prayed to the Dawn Machine, ultimately receiving the blessing that allowed the Earth Beast to freely transform between its beast form and a human form that made it easier to move around in the city."

"He secured a place of refuge for his people. That's why it seems there are no adult earth beasts in the holy city, and only immature earth beasts in the pastures."

"As for the third demigod of the 'Law,' Keldella, who ascended to the divine position..." Aglaia hesitated for a moment, as if she were carefully considering her words and whether to reveal her colleague's little secret.

"Ahem," Heather coughed lightly at the right moment, taking over the conversation. A rare hint of amusement crept onto her usually aloof face.

"Let me explain. Our beloved 'Caesar' made a wish that all citizens in Ohma who are sixteen years of age or older and whose height is less than 1.5 meters could... well, grow to 1.5 meters tall smoothly."

"Sword...Sword Banner Lord!!!" Kerudela's small face instantly turned red. She tried to explain, but her voice stammered with urgency.