"Boom!!!"
A earth-shattering blast erupted.
Carrying the wrath to burn the heavens, Ma Xiaotao—now a meteor of fire—smashed full-on into the seemingly delicate parasol's shield.
The terrifying impact exploded outward. Golden-red phoenix flames poured in all directions like a broken dam, roaring as they formed a colossal, annihilating ring-shaped shockwave, lifting, smashing, even vaporizing the ruins already reduced to rubble.
Hard-catching that violent blow, Fei Yan's face changed drastically.
A staggering force she could scarcely believe rammed through the parasol. Pain and numbness shot up her arm; the webbing between her thumb and forefinger nearly split.
Despite her rooted stance, that power forced her to skid back a step against her will.
One step!
She was a level 97 Super Douluo, and had trained for years in the Holy Spirit Church's secret arts—her foundation far beyond ordinary evil soul masters of her rank.
Yet she had just been pushed back head-on by an opponent whose cultivation was clearly only at the Soul Douluo level?
Her long-held elegance shattered in an instant, and an incredulous curse slipped out: "Are you seriously just a Soul Douluo?!"
It was a bitter humiliation—and a flagrant violation of common sense.
"Were we… a step too late…"
Meanwhile, golden light flickered from another side. Han Ruoruo and Aglaea appeared quietly at Xu Sanshi's side, whose whole body trembled, eyes red with grief and fury.
Han Ruoruo's gaze swept the field. When she saw Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, dead in an embrace and in such a ghastly state, her expression darkened at once.
Through Aglaea's strange golden threads that spread throughout Mingdu, they had already witnessed all that had happened as if firsthand—the tragic dissolution of the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried, Bei Bei's heartbreaking choice, and the final, unforgivable spear of icy revenge launched by Huo Yuhao…
Each scene weighed heavy on her heart.
And because of that, the fiery-tempered Ma Xiaotao had, upon arrival, unleashed power beyond her limits without a second thought—aimed straight at Huo Yuhao.
Within the pit, the atmosphere went taut to breaking.
On one side burned the phoenix. On the other, the twisted evil soul master guarded a grievously wounded Huo Yuhao. Between them stood Bei Bei with the unconscious Tang Ya, and Han Ruoruo newly arrived, face set with profound gravity.
"How… did it come to this…"
Several overwhelming auras tore through the heavens and fell like meteors upon the devastated wasteland.
Elder Xuan and several elders of Shrek Academy appeared. Behind them, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and the Servant Jeanne followed close, guided by Aglaea's golden threads spread across the city.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng's eyes were immediately drawn to the two bodies locked in embrace.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu—once the most troublesome thorns in the Academy, arrogant and ill-fitted among their peers.
Yet even so, they were classmates who had entered together, trained together, argued and competed for years.
Now, seeing them lying cold in such a brutal way, a complex wash of emotions surged in Ning Tian and Wu Feng—not only sorrow, but a bleak sympathy for their kind and a hollow sense of loss.
"Bei Bei! What on earth are you doing?!"
Elder Xuan's roar cracked like thunder in the silent pit.
His gaze pinned the bowed Bei Bei who cradled Tang Ya, eyes storming with incredulous disappointment and a near-heartbroken fury.
"For a woman whose mind has been corroded, you would betray the Academy that raised you, betray the honor you bear? Do you know… how much hope Elder Mu placed upon you!"
He had always regarded Bei Bei as a future pillar of the Sea God's Pavilion, as the only remaining bloodline of Mu En in this world—his chosen heir upon whom he had lavished untold effort and expectation.
And now, the junior he valued most had, before his eyes, chosen to stand in opposition to Shrek for the sake of a lover fallen into darkness.
The weight of his past expectations rebounded upon him with violence.
The other elders' faces were just as black, frighteningly so.
They looked at Bei Bei like one might look at a masterpiece irreparably stained.
A future pillar of Shrek Academy, nurtured by vast resources, had willingly fallen for the sake of "love." This foolish and final choice exceeded what they could understand or tolerate.
Bei Bei bowed his head lower, silent as a stone sinking into an icy sea.
He could not face the burning eyes of his teachers, nor could he defend himself. His choice said all that needed saying.
He could only hold the unconscious Tang Ya tighter, as if she were the only driftwood to cling to as he plunged into the depths.
"Heh… just a woman?"
Huo Yuhao suddenly let out a cold chuckle, laden with undisguised scorn.
"You lofty elders will never understand. Not everyone can, for the so-called 'honor of Shrek,' blithely abandon everything—including the most important person."
"Huo Yuhao!"
Elder Xuan swung toward him, a flash of complicated guilt crossing his eyes—only to be smothered in an instant by a glacial killing intent.
"The Academy's past choices do owe you. But that is no excuse for luring Bei Bei into the evil path—or for your cruel murder of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu!"
He acknowledged the old debt, but Huo Yuhao's actions had dragged everything beyond repair.
Murdering classmates; falling to the path of evil soul masters—each was a capital offense that struck Shrek's foundations.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao had not only slain his fellows, he had enticed Bei Bei to fall. That crossed his bottom line.
"Elder Xuan, there's no need for more words!"
A Super Douluo elder, soul power surging, barked in a low voice, his killing intent almost tangible.
"This one's heart is utterly twisted. He's a pawn of evil soul masters, and his talent is terrifying. A calamity if left alive. He must be eliminated."
"Evil soul masters—any man may kill them. We cleanse our gate today."
Elder Xuan drew a deep breath. The last trace of hesitation faded from his clouded eyes, replaced by the iron resolve of Shrek's Head of the Inspection Team.
His gaze slashed past Fei Yan, who guarded Huo Yuhao, and settled on Huo Yuhao himself. His tone was steely, final.
"As Head of Shrek's Inspection Team, I, Elder Xuan, will cleanse our gate here and now."
"Heh. As hypocritical and sanctimonious as ever."
Huo Yuhao sneered. His pale, blood-smeared face showed no fear.
Because he could feel it—on the far horizon, that familiar, oppressive yet reassuring presence of reinforcements had arrived.
"I'd like to see who's foolish enough to lay a finger on our Holy Son."
A deep, icy voice, as if from the Yellow Springs, rang out, laden with a sinister awe that made souls tremble, sweeping in from afar.
Several shadows seething with evil qi and terrifying soul power rent the air and dropped to Huo Yuhao's side in an instant, enclosing him at the center.
The Holy Spirit Church's leader, Zhongli Wu, patted Huo Yuhao's uninjured shoulder lightly, his tone openly appreciative, domineering and contemptuous of all.
"Yuhao, you did well. Rest easy—with this Sect Master here today, no one will touch you."
Then he turned, slow and deliberate, to face Shrek's side led by Elder Xuan.
In the next moment, a terrifying pressure of soul power burst from him like a waking beast.
The level 98 Super Douluo's vast aura unfurled like an invisible mountain, crashing down upon Shrek's ranks without mercy.
Behind him, formidable figures rose like demons to a feast, bursting one after another with the chill auras of Title Douluo.
The Vice Sect Master, Evil Phoenix Douluo Feng Ling!
The Sixth Worship, Scorpion-Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng!
Second Elder, Sky Centipede Douluo!
Fifth Elder, Ten-Thousand Souls Douluo!
Sixth Elder, Abomination Douluo!
Seventh Elder, Masked Douluo!
Eighth Elder, Nightmare Douluo!
The gathered auras of many evil soul master powerhouses formed a cold, deathly torrent steeped in resentment and curses, slamming into the grand, upright might of Shrek Academy's force.
The very air over the ruins seemed to congeal. Space warped. Lines were drawn.
On one side stood Shrek Academy, apex of the continent's righteous path. On the other, the evil soul masters' high command, emerging in full force after a thousand years in the shadows.
War hovered on a hair's breadth.
Facing the Holy Spirit Church's oppressive surge, Shrek's elders did not yield an inch. Columns of soul power roared skyward, steady as bedrock, bracing against the foul chill.
On Shrek's side, led by the level 98 Elder Xuan, there were three other elders at level 95 and above—four Super Douluo in total. Their collective might was vast and righteous, like pillars propping up the sky.
The Holy Spirit Church, with Sect Master Zhongli Wu, Vice Sect Master Evil Phoenix Douluo Feng Ling, Scorpion-Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, and Scarlet Douluo Fei Yan, also fielded four Super Douluo. Their pooled, sinister soul power churned like a blood-soaked abyss.
By sheer count and rank of Title Douluo, Shrek seemed slightly outmatched—this time, they had brought fewer Title Douluo than the Holy Spirit Church.
But what gave Elder Xuan and the others true confidence were the two figures standing quietly to one side.
Aglaea, arms crossed and expression cool, seemed to gaze beyond the present clash, her eyes calm with the understanding of laws. The faint golden threads around her radiated a reassuring power.
The other presence drove back all evil miasma.
Jeanne gripped the holy flag-lance that symbolized faith and salvation. Her pure white armor flowed with sacred light; a stern, inviolable sanctity rippled outward from her, scouring away the surrounding filth and resentment.
At this moment, the Holy Maiden's brows were knit. In her violet eyes burned not the usual compassion, but a visible flame called "wrath."
As a saint, she could see the essence of evil soul masters at a glance.
On Zhongli Wu, Feng Ling, and the others, she saw a swarm of twisted, tormented, wailing spirits clinging tight—so dense they seemed ready to devour their hosts.
Every spirit marked an innocent life slain in cruelty. The reek of blood and sin was thick enough to nauseate, impossible to mask by any means.
With these two inscrutable, high-ranking Servants anchoring Shrek's side, the Holy Spirit Church—though crowded with powerhouses and devoid of any Servant—had lost the upper hand at the top. They were no match for Shrek.
As for the pink-haired fox-eared shrine maiden, Yae Sakura, she lay quietly in a corner of the ruins, her breath guttering like a candle in the wind.
To have taken Siegfried's Noble Phantasm unleashed at full, and not have her core shatter on the spot, was miracle enough. Now she was clearly out of the fight—and none spared her another glance.