As if choked by an invisible, giant hand, the clamor of the entire Desorock Highlands froze in an instant.
At the center of the battlefield, floating in the sky, was that massive eye formed from countless twisted limbs and wailing faces—the Threnodian.
Its thousands of hollow eyes were now locked, with absolute precision, onto Mohai and the tiny “sanctuary” he had risked his life to sustain.
This “foreign object,” which dared to tamper with the rules within its domain, had thoroughly enraged it.
“Hrrr…
hrrr…” A low, guttural rumble that seemed to rise from the depths of the Earth’s mantle—unlike anything a living creature could produce—echoed between heaven and earth.
The terrifying pressure crashed toward Mohai’s sanctuary like a physical tsunami!
Hum—!
The invisible barrier vibrated violently, hairline fractures resembling shattered glass spreading along its perimeter.
Mohai’s body suddenly sagged, as though an invisible mountain had been dropped onto his back.
Gritting his teeth, he channeled the last remaining dregs of energy within his body into this tiny domain without reservation.
[Warning: Life source consumption rate is spiking sharply!
Irreversible structural collapse in progress!] The system’s cold, blood-red warning had grown blurry in his eyes.
His consciousness was hovering on the brink of blacking out.
“Hold on!
You have to hold on!” Inside the sanctuary, the surviving Midnight Ranger captain screamed hoarsely.
He drew his sidearm and stabbed it deep into his own thigh, using the sharp pain to dispel the maddening, suffocating pressure.
All they could do was pray.
Pray that the mysterious, god-like, demon-like figure could perform a genuine miracle.
Just then, the sound of rapid, orderly footsteps echoed from the rear flank.
“Everyone!
Form a wedge behind me and break through them!” A calm, powerful voice rang out, cutting through the darkness like a honed blade.
A tall, upright young commander wielding a spear led a remnant force of several hundred soldiers, driving into the chaotic horde of Tacet Discords like a red-hot iron knife through butter!
It was Jiyan!
He had finally fought his way here with the survivors!
Jiyan’s gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the sole safe zone enveloped by the invisible barrier.
When he saw the mysterious figure kneeling on one knee, holding off the entire weight of the Threnodian’s pressure by himself, even his characteristic composure was shattered by shock.
Just who on earth…
was that?
But right now, there was no time to gawk.
His instincts as a commander drove him to make the right call instantly.
“Everyone who can still move!
Form a circular defense perimeter around that sanctuary!” Jiyan’s orders resonated clearly in the ears of every soldier.
“Hold the flanks at all costs!
Do not let a single Tacet Discord disturb him!” “Yes, sir!” The surviving Midnight Rangers felt the fires of battle rekindle in their eyes.
Looking at the solitary back of the figure standing against a god-like entity, an unspeakable courage surged from the soles of their feet straight to their heads!
They were saved.
They were truly saved!
In an instant, the roar of gunfire, battle cries, and the wet slicing of blades through flesh resounded to the heavens once more!
Using the tiny sanctuary as their final stronghold, the Midnight Rangers engaged in a brutal war of attrition against the Tacet Discords swarming from all sides!
Mohai felt the pressure on his flanks ease.
With difficulty, he glanced back at the young commander who was leading from the front and issuing calm directives.
It was him.
The man who would one day command the winds to summon dragons, succeeding Geshu Lin as the new General of the Midnight Rangers.
A final spark of hope ignited in Mohai’s heart.
Even facing what might be the end of his mission, he still wanted to see Jinhsi one last time.
As if sensing Mohai’s resolve, the Threnodian at the center of the battlefield erupted in pure fury.
Its countless faces opened their mouths simultaneously, releasing an ear-splitting shriek.
The dark energy of the entire Desorock Highlands began to gather frantically toward it.
A colossal orb of black, destructive energy, capable of leveling everything within a radius of miles, slowly formed above its head.
It was going to wipe the board.
Jiyan’s face turned pale instantly.
He knew that against an attack of this caliber, their so-called defensive line was nothing more than wet paper.
It was over.
Everything was over.
Yet, at the exact moment everyone fell into despair.
Mohai, who had been kneeling, slowly stood up.
Instead of reinforcing the barrier shielding them from the pressure, he actively deactivated it.
“What is he doing?!” A soldier cried out in alarm.
Deprived of the barrier, the crushing pressure crashed down once more, knocking several soldiers unconscious on the spot.
Yet Mohai seemed completely impervious to the pressure.
He looked up, spreading his arms wide toward the black sun that threatened to destroy everything.
He abandoned all defense.
Because he was going to bet every last drop of his remaining life on one grand, final gamble.
*System, this is the last time.* In his mind, with a resolve that practically burned his soul, he issued his final command.
*Convert all my remaining life source into one single…
absolute “force”!* […Command confirmed.] The system fell silent for three whole seconds.
*Crack…
crack, crack…* The mask on Mohai’s face shattered into a web of cracks before disintegrating entirely into a flurry of light particles.
A slender, pale, yet incredibly resolute young face was revealed to everyone for the first time.
The moment Jiyan saw that face, his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
That was no hidden master, nor some legendary figure.
That was clearly…
a boy who couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen years old!
A boy, matching a god with nothing but a mortal body.
“By this broken body of mine, I command this realm…” The boy’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it echoed clearly in the depths of everyone’s soul.
“—Rain fall, souls return!” He raised his hand and made a gentle gripping motion toward the gray rain pouring upward.
Instantly, the sky and earth churned.
Every drop of the bizarre rain flowing backward across the Desorock Highlands froze in place!
Then, before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, they reversed direction, obeying the most primal physical laws as they poured down toward the earth in a majestic torrent.
The rain fell.
Meanwhile, the phantom soldiers spawned by the Retroact Rain that had been besieging the Midnight Rangers let out agonized wails.
Like snow scorched by sunlight, their bodies dissolved and vaporized rapidly, finally turning into specks of light that returned to the earth where they belonged.
In a mere instant, the greatest threat to the Midnight Rangers was completely eradicated!
On the battlefield, only the ordinary Tacet Discords remained—ferocious, yes, but no longer endless.
Having performed this miraculous feat, the boy could no longer hold himself up.
His body swayed, and he fell straight forward.
Yet his gaze remained locked onto that massive orb of destruction, now fully formed and poised to fall.
He could not fall just yet.
He still had to…
cleave one last path of survival for them!