Surrounded from all four directions—above, below, in front, and behind—Black Rock knew there was no turning back. Although she couldn't fathom how the enemy seemed to know her every move, she certainly had no intention of dying in vain here. If she had to die, she would at least take one of them with her… Thinking this, Black Rock’s fingers subtly reached for the self-destruct mechanism on the massive cannon affixed to her left arm.

Just then, however, she caught sight of countless black feathers suddenly drifting down from the sky, not only covering the entire grand hall but beginning to envelop her own body. Boom! Simultaneously, a shaft of black light shot forth from the entrance behind her.

It grazed her body as it passed, instantly annihilating the colossal Flame Serpent into smoke and ash. Moreover, the dark light lost none of its momentum after extinguishing the fiery python; it pierced straight through the castle’s roof, blasting a hole nearly ten meters wide in the massive structure's apex in a single instant. Not the enemy?

Black Rock froze. Her finger, which had been resting on the self-destruct trigger, abruptly stopped. She then witnessed a shadowy figure, moving with lightning speed, cleave the Wood Demon in two.

In the blink of an eye, this figure confronted Liu Qu, who was wielding the Demonic Blade. Clang! The sound of clashing weapons rang out, and Liu Qu was immediately thrown back.

Then, the dark figure steadied itself: it was a blonde girl clad in black armor. Meanwhile, a streak of white light shot in from the other side, rapidly forcing Zhai Lian to retreat. “I only came over out of curiosity, but I didn’t expect to stumble upon this at the critical moment.

It seems we arrived just in time,” a voice remarked. At the sound, Black Rock whipped her head around. She saw a slender girl with brown hair, squinting slightly, slowly walking in from the main entrance of the hall.

These two unexpected arrivals were, of course, Muginohara Shihori and the Black Saber. Having discovered the castle on the sea not long ago, they had immediately rushed over to investigate. Muginohara possessed the ability to fly, while Black Saber could walk on water; the ocean posed no obstacle to either of them, and they arrived at this location quickly.

They soon detected the ongoing battle: one side consisted of Walkers, the other, an unfamiliar girl… In this world, no irrelevant party would appear unless they were direct participants in the God War. Therefore, the black-haired girl in peril must undoubtedly be the host of the final World Heart. Under such circumstances, there was no room for hesitation.

“Damn it, these two…” Upon seeing Muginohara Shihori and the Black Saber, the three Walkers’ expressions changed drastically. For enemy reinforcements to appear at a time like this—it was too much of a coincidence. They recognized Muginohara Shihori; they knew she was one of Lin Luo’s contractors, but she had only been at the peak of the Human Rank previously.

Now, the power she displayed in that single move… it was absolutely Spirit Rank or higher. What unsettled them even more, however, was the Black Saber… She was neither a World Heart host nor a Walker, yet her perceived threat level was extraordinarily high. The Walkers could feel a heavy pressure just by the Black Saber standing there silently.

But having come this far, there was no way they would retreat. “Summon the Five Elements Phantom Beasts!” Yun Feng roared, holding nothing back at this point. As his voice fell, five massive beasts, radiating terrifying coercion, materialized beside him.

The fire-element Flame Serpent, the water-element Divine Sea Dragon, the earth-element Stone Golem, the wood-element Wood Demon, and the metal-element Ironclad Rhinoceros… Simultaneously controlling five elemental beasts was far more difficult than controlling ten single-element beasts. This was already his current limit. Although the number was slightly smaller, the five beasts, governed by the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, generated a destructive power far exceeding that of ten single-element beasts.

Without hesitation, as soon as they were summoned, Yun Feng commanded the five beasts to launch a fierce assault. Their target was… Black Rock Shooter. The other two were fresh reinforcements and difficult to handle.

It was better to eliminate the comparatively weaker Black Rock Shooter first; this was attacking the enemy's weakest point. However, his plan was not destined to succeed so easily. The instant the five beasts moved, the Black Saber flashed forward.

Her black holy sword erupted with a dazzling dark gleam, engaging all five beasts by herself. As the dark light swept past, the Stone Golem and the Wood Demon, positioned at the forefront, were instantly bisected. Then, her body moved like a hinge, passing through the corpses of the two beasts, her blade striking the Ironclad Rhinoceros with a clang that sent brilliant sparks flying.

The Black Saber remained expressionless, but a slight flicker stirred within her. The sword she wielded was a holy sword! Although it had been tainted by the Evil of this World and was no longer the original Sword of Promised Victory, its sharpness remained undiminished.

How could a mere phantom beast resist being severed? Biting down slightly, she accelerated her attacks. Yet, the sheer hardness of the Ironclad Rhinoceros exceeded her imagination.

After several strikes, apart from shearing off a few slivers of metal, the beast remained completely unscathed. At that moment, her sharp eyes noticed that the two beasts she had just cut down, after being enveloped by the Flame Serpent and the Sea Dragon, had inexplicably revived and were once again attacking her. Five Elements Phantom Beasts… Mutual generation and restraint.

Seeing this, the Black Saber immediately understood. Water nurtures wood, fire nurtures earth, earth generates metal… The cycle of his Five Elements beasts was a continuous loop. Killing one or two individually was useless; within this unending cycle, they not only resurrected but also mutually reinforced each other’s power.

They must all be slain simultaneously, or… The Black Saber’s expression sharpened. Before the beasts’ attacks could land, she increased her speed once more. Ignoring the surrounding beasts for a moment, she thrust her figure forward, her black holy sword aimed directly at Yun Feng.

“Damn it!” Yun Feng’s face changed; he clearly hadn't expected the opponent to see through the secret of his Five Elements so quickly. He beckoned, and the Ironclad Rhinoceros, previously distant, was instantly summoned before him while he rapidly retreated. The black holy sword sliced a piece of metal plating off the Ironclad Rhinoceros, but such damage was trivial to a phantom beast.

Its solid body charged forward directly against the blade’s edge, while the other four beasts simultaneously converged on the Black Saber. Yun Feng felt a pang of fear. The Black Saber’s ghostly speed allowed him no room for carelessness.

The five beasts generated their greatest power when positioned together; if separated, they could easily be picked off one by one. He dared not risk his life. What if the beasts couldn't hold back the Black Saber?

With his close-combat abilities, he would certainly be instantly executed by her. Is it truly impossible…? Facing the siege of the five beasts, the Black Saber felt a slight pressure.

Meanwhile, the instant the battle between the Black Saber and Yun Feng erupted, Liu Qu and Zhai Lian seized the opportunity to launch a fierce assault on Black Rock. The three were telepathically linked, and none of them wanted to miss this heaven-sent chance. If they could kill Black Rock, their existing strength would allow them to escape afterward.

But someone was faster than them. As the two rushed forward, the black feathers scattered in the air suddenly swirled into a whirlwind, scattering in all directions like inescapable throwing knives. Swish, swish, swish… Damn it, when did this woman become so strong?

The two were both shocked and enraged. A mere dozen days ago, when they attacked Lin Luo, Muginohara Shihori was only at the peak of the Human Rank, yet now she was clearly no weaker than them… Was her rate of improvement faster than that of the Walkers? What kind of joke was this?

Pushing their Clairvoyance to its limit, the two weaved through the rain of black feathers. “One against two is proving a bit difficult, isn’t it?” While launching an Atomizer Collapse, Muginohara controlled the attack of her black feathers. Concentrating on two targets, however, she found the intensity of her attack wasn't as great as she expected, and Muginohara couldn't help but frown.

“In that case, let’s make it two against two. That little girl over there should still be able to fight, right?” Muginohara glanced toward Black Rock and instantly released the black feathers that had enveloped the other’s entire body. “I’m fine,” Black Rock nodded calmly.

By now, she understood the identity of the two who had saved her. After all, in this world, only one faction would offer her aid, leaving no doubt… “You take the one with the sword,” Muginohara said without looking back, her gaze then locking onto Zhai Lian. A cold smirk touched her lips.

“I’ll deal with this little slut myself.” As she spoke, she flicked her right hand forward gently, sending more than a dozen white electronic wires, as thick as arms, shooting toward her target… Atomizer Collapse High Power Output. “That is…” Zhai Lian’s expression immediately changed. Through her Clairvoyance, she could discern the weakness within the enemy’s move.

If the enemy’s rank wasn't too much higher than hers, she might stand a chance. But… the white electronic wires attacking her, while possessing certain flaws, were beyond her current ability to counter. If struck by those wires, she would be torn to shreds.

Zhai Lian calmed her mind, maintaining her spirit in a state like water within a well. As a close-combat Walker, composure was the first necessity in battle. Her small frame moved as if dancing on the ground, dodging the dozen electronic wires with barely a moment to spare.

“That won’t do, don’t forget the attacks from above,” Muginohara mocked while continuing to fire the Atomizer Collapse. A torrent of black feather-arrows and white electronic wires shot towards Zhai Lian simultaneously. Although Muginohara’s attack pattern hadn't changed much from before, the destructive power was leagues apart.

Whether it was the Atomizer Collapse or the feather-arrows, being hit by either would not be easily brushed aside. At the same time, the fight between Black Rock and Liu Qu had already commenced. Being repelled by the Black Saber’s sword strike earlier had left Liu Qu with considerable injuries.

Black Rock wasn't completely unharmed either, but with the balance evened out, plus the advantage of World Luck, Black Rock held the upper hand in their one-on-one duel. After only a short exchange, Liu Qu was completely suppressed, having almost nothing left but the ability to parry, with no chance to counterattack… This wasn't due to him being too weak; it was simply the overwhelming nature of World Luck. Black Rock Shooter, endowed with the protagonist's halo, found it no difficult task to defeat an enemy of a higher rank.

“Ah!” Just then, everyone heard a piercing shriek from Yun Feng. They instinctively looked over and saw that the five Five Elements Phantom Beasts were engulfed by black light, and along with them, one of Yun Feng’s arms vanished instantly.