The Arrival of the Successors: Guardians of the Stars
Fa was slightly stunned; a trace of confusion flashed through her star eyes.
"The other four… will they come?"
"Of course they will." Rhea Medusa shrugged, her crimson ponytail swaying gently in the starlight. "The five of us are the guardians born after the Star Heart shattered. There is an innate connection through the primal essence between us. You've gathered all twelve fragments—this fluctuation is impossible for them to miss. Don't worry, they're probably more anxious than I am."
The moment her words fell, the void ahead rippled violently—like a calm water surface struck by a massive stone!
At the center of the first ripple, space tore open silently. A tall lizardman male clad in a deep-brown robe and wide-brimmed hat stepped out from the rift. His scales gleamed with a steady antique bronze hue; his vertical pupils were like the deepest desert night sky, containing wisdom that saw through the essence of all things. In his hand was a staff inlaid with a polyhedral earthy-yellow gemstone; with a light tap of its tip against the void, a stable sandstone platform coalescing beneath his feet pulsed with the heartbeat of the earth.
**Saladin, Sage of Sand**, wielder of the "Earth" essence!
His gaze swept over Fa; a flicker of vicissitude and understanding passed through those deep vertical pupils. He gave a slight nod.
"It has been a long time, Successor of the Star Eyes. The gears of fate have finally turned to this moment."
Immediately afterwards, the second space split open like a curtain of water. A strong smell of the sea and an immense sense of water pressure rushed towards us! A gigantic turtle, its back carrying a massive carapace engraved with golden ancient runes, slowly emerged. Its four limbs were thick as palace pillars; each step sent invisible tidal ripples across the void. Its head was etched with the grooves of countless ages; its eyes were deep-blue whirlpools holding endless wisdom and power.
Lantis, Emperor of the Raging Tides, wielder of the "Water" essence!
His voice rumbled like an undersea current echoing through the void:
"Star-Eyed Daughter, my disciple Yuyuer has been in your care all this time. I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble?"
There was the concern of an elder in his tone, mixed with a trace of scrutiny.
Almost at the same instant, the third rift was brutally torn open by two utterly opposing yet perfectly fused terrifying forces! Blinding holy light and all-devouring shadow intertwined violently, forming a distorted gateway!
From the left, a pure white and ethereal light emerged, revealing a winged woman dressed in a simple, ancient black robe. Her long, silver-gray hair, like flowing moonlight, cascaded casually down her back, the ends almost reaching her ankles. Her face could not be described simply as beautiful; it possessed a tranquility and wisdom that transcended the ravages of time, a serenity born of experience in her brows.Her eyes were ice-blue, clear to the bottom, as though they could reflect the true essence of any soul. Her twelve wings were pure, profound midnight black—carved from the stillest night sky! The elegant yet powerful lines of her feathers flowed with restrained dark light; their edges were razor-sharp yet carried an indescribable sanctity. This was **Villanette**, the Storm-Sun Successor of the Winged Clan, master of Light and Wind.
Emerging simultaneously from the right was a chilling black mist thick with darkness. A figure cloaked in black emerged from within; its face was obscured by the hood, impossible to discern. The psychic and dark aura radiating from it was suffocatingly oppressive. Beside it coiled a massive bone dragon, its skeletal frame gleaming with ghostly blue chill; its empty eye sockets burned with soul-freezing cold. This was **Casa del**, the Bone-Binder of the Undead Clan, master of Mind, Poison, and Darkness. His bone dragon "Eternal Night" let out a low, resonant dragon cry that shook the surrounding stars.
The moment Villanette and Casa del appeared, the air between them seemed to solidify. They had clearly just come from several fierce battles in the Eternal Storm; traces of combat still lingered—faint scorch marks on Villanette's midnight twelve wings, torn edges on Casa del's cloak from wind blades. They glared at each other. Villanette gave a cold snort:
"Hmph. You again, you lingering specter. Haven't you had enough in the Eternal Storm?"
Casa del's voice rasped from beneath the hood, icy and hoarse:
"Villanette, your wind and light are always so blinding. Next time, I'll let you taste darkness and poison."
Invisible Gunpowder: The Under currents Among the Successors
The moment the five Successors met, the atmosphere turned razor-sharp. They clearly could not stand each other—
Saladin glanced at Rhea Medusa: "Rhea Medusa, still as reckless as ever—always the first to arrive, always stirring up trouble."
Lantis rumbled: "Saladin, you're always hiding in the dirt. What made you so eager to show up this time?"
Villanette swept her gaze across them: "You lot are always so noisy. Can't you be quiet for once?"
Casa del sneered: "Quiet? You weren't saying that in the Eternal Storm."
Rhea Medusa burst into loud laughter: "You fossils are still so long-winded. Since you're all here, let's have a fight first—stop talking nonsense!"
Five beings standing at the pinnacle of power—the mere clash of their auras caused the stable stellar space to tremble violently! Countless stellar essences were disturbed; their orbits grew chaotic. Fa, at the center of the storm, had her star eyes spinning frantically, desperately resisting the aftershocks of these five world-destroying auras. Her soul rocked like a lone boat in a raging sea!
"Enough!"
An ancient, calm voice containing supreme authority rang out like a stabilizing needle in the void. It came from Saladin. His staff struck the sandstone platform heavily; a circle of steady, peaceful earthy-yellow radiance instantly expanded, forcibly calming the raging energy chaos around them. His deep vertical pupils swept over the four confrontational figures before finally settling on Fa.
"The awakening of the Star Heart concerns the survival of this world. Our grudges—set them aside for now." His voice carried indisputable finality. "The Star-Eyed Daughter has gathered all the fragments. The time has come. Let us begin."
Lantis's surging water pressure slowly subsided; he let out a muffled snort. The razor-sharp dark light along the edges of Villanette's midnight twelve wings retracted, restoring profound calm—though the coldness in her ice-blue eyes remained undiminished. The ghostly green soulfire beneath Casa del's hood flickered once; he gave a low, ambiguous hum. The blue soulfire in Eternal Night's eyes dimmed as well, withdrawing its deathly chill. Rhea Medusa pouted, seemingly a little disappointed, but she also dropped her eager-to-fight stance.
The suppressed undercurrents temporarily calmed. All five Successors' gazes finally focused on Fa, who hovered at the stellar core.
"Twelve fragments returned to position; the stars shall guide." Villanette's voice was as cold and solemn as ever. "The awakening ritual begins immediately. The process is irreversible and cannot be halted. At best ten days, at worst thirty. During this time, you will face the direct flood of stellar essence. Your soul and body will endure endless assault. Success—you will wield the Star Heart and turn the tide. Failure…"
She did not finish, but a faint trace of pity flickered in her ice-blue eyes.
Fa met the gazes of the five Successors—scrutinizing, expectant, indifferent, teasing—and her star eyes blazed with unprecedented seven-colored radiance. She drew a deep breath of the invisible stellar energy in the void; her voice was steady and resolute:
"I am ready. Begin."
The Stellar Return: Baptism in the Primal Flood
The five Successors spoke no more. They spread out, forming a pentagram around Fa. Simultaneously, they extended both hands, palms facing her.
**Bzzz——!!!**
The twelve star fragments in Fa's possession erupted with unprecedented light—like twelve miniature suns! They broke free from her embrace and floated around her body, arranging themselves into a profound three-dimensional stellar array according to their primal attributes: gold's keen metallic radiance, wood's vibrant emerald life, water's flowing azure, fire's explosive crimson, earth's heavy ochre, thunder's leaping purple-white, ice's serene chill, wind's light cyan, mind's invisible ripples, poison's corrosive ink-green, darkness's all-devouring black, light's holy white glow. They slowly rotated, forming a perfect dodecagonal formation.
Twelve pillars of utterly pure stellar essence light exploded from the fragments—like divine spears that split heaven and earth—completely engulfing Fa in an instant!
"AAAHHH——!!!"
Fa let out a soul-rending scream! This was no longer physical pain, but the deepest tearing and re-forging of her very soul! Twelve torrents of vastly different yet perfectly unified energies—like a breached cosmic river—frantically scoured every meridian, every cell, every thread of her spirit! Gold's edge sliced her consciousness; fire's fury incinerated her will; water's embrace washed her memories; earth's weight crushed her soul; thunder's speed pierced her nerves; ice's chill froze her emotions; wind's frenzy tore at her senses; mind's ripples warped her perception; poison corroded her defenses; darkness dragged at her very existence; light seared her essence!
Her body trembled and twisted violently within the light pillars; twelve mingled, violent glows coursed beneath her skin, as though she might explode at any moment. The seven-colored radiance in her star eyes spun madly, clashed, attempted to fuse—only to be scattered again by even more violent primal floods.
The five Successors stood solemn (except Rhea Medusa, whose eyes sparkled with excitement). Their hands continuously formed profound seals. They did not directly pour power into her; instead, they acted as guides and harmonizers—using their profound mastery of stellar laws to painstakingly sort and direct the twelve raging primal torrents, preventing them from instantly shredding Fa, and forcibly channeling them into the core of her star eyes to undergo the most brutal fusion and metamorphosis with her own essence.
Saladin's sandstone platform extended countless earthy-yellow energy veins—like roots of the earth—attempting to stabilize Fa's crumbling body and soul foundation.
Lantis's golden runes flowed across his carapace; gentle yet unstoppable water ripples washed over her, cleansing the violent energy residue again and again, soothing wounds.
Villanette's midnight twelve wings fluttered faintly; pure light and flowing darkness formed a delicate balancing vortex in her palms, enveloping Fa's head to stabilize her chaotic mind and near-shattered cognition.
Casa del released invisible psychic threads and thin, strangely calming poisonous mist—like the most precise surgical scalpel and the strangest anesthetic—cutting into the most chaotic regions of Fa's soul, forcibly suppressing collapse and guiding fusion.
Rhea Medusa's method was the most direct and brutal! She gripped empty air as though holding an invisible greatsword. Gold, fire, and thunder—three violent forces—condensed into three solid, razor-sharp edges. Like forging a divine weapon, she hammered them viciously again and again into the most conflicting weak points inside Fa! Each "strike" drew a pained grunt from Fa—yet miraculously suppressed and shattered the near-exploding energy storms, forcing them to merge into the greater flow!
This was a race against time, a dance with annihilation. Fa was like a candle in a storm—under the desperate guidance and protection of the five Successors, she struggled on the edge of destruction, enduring endless agony as she passively, painfully underwent the most primal ascension and metamorphosis of life itself. In the space between the stars, only the roar of the energy flood and Fa's suppressed, anguished cries remained.
The Return Journey: Dark Dragon Wings Tear the Sky
Meanwhile, at the southeastern edge of the Muret Continent, on the border of dense forest.
Cold rain fell like needles; biting sea winds howled across the cliff, whipping the group's soaked clothes. The spatial ripple where Fa and Rhea Medusa had vanished had long since calmed, leaving only the empty cliff edge and the distant, flickering red glow of war fires on the horizon.
"Five days… who knows how badly the front lines have deteriorated…" Arya gripped her Storm Bow so tightly her knuckles turned white; her emerald eyes stared fixedly toward Murest City, anxiety almost tangible.
"Running back on foot? Everything will be over by then!" Kayla growled irritably; electric arcs crackled on her thunder claws; her beast eyes burned with worry for the battlefield.
"Conventional means are too slow." Rex's cold electronic voice sounded; his armor scanned the distance. "Based on residual energy and atmospheric disturbance calculations, the Doomsday Rebirth Blight Vines are advancing 37.8% faster than projected. Murest City's defensive line is approaching critical pressure."
"We need to move faster!" TISK slammed his Lava Hammer down heavily; ice-fire runes steamed in the rain. "Our homes are being invaded! My people are bleeding!"
All eyes turned, almost in unison, toward Salsa—and the silent mechanical cat shell beside her.
Salsa's translucent soul form flickered faintly in the rain. She could feel the weight and urgency in her companions' gazes. Summoning an adult Shadow Demon Dragon… carried enormous risk and uncertainty. That abyssal dragon's will was far beyond what a juvenile could compare to. One misstep could lead to backlash against herself—or even harm her companions. Especially in her current state, with her soul body not yet fully recovered.
"Salsa…" Yuyuer's voice carried worry; her crystal orb glowed azure, trying to soothe her friend's fluctuating soul.
Salsa's soul form flickered violently several times before settling into an almost frozen calm. The amber eyes of the mechanical cat shell suddenly blazed red!
"Understood," a strange voice—blending mechanical synthesis and soul resonance—emerged from the cat shell. "The price… I know. But… it's worth it."
Without another word, Salsa's soul detached from the mechanical cat shell and rose into the air! An extremely dense surge of shadow power mixed with bone-chilling deathly cold erupted from her soul core! The surrounding light was instantly devoured; temperature plummeted; raindrops froze into tiny ice crystals mid-air! She raised both hands high and began chanting ancient, twisted, ominous, and majestic dragon-tongue incantations! Each syllable struck like a hammer against the soul, drawing the surrounding shadow energy into a frenzied convergence!
"Shadow for bone, eternal night for blood, abyss for soul…"
"Hear the summoner's call…"
"Cross the boundary between life and death…"
"Come once more—"
"Eternal Watcher · Shadow Demon Dragon!"
The final dragon rune was uttered. Salsa's soul form slammed downward! The shadow beneath her feet boiled like ink, expanding and rising madly! A gigantic summoning array of pure shadow energy formed instantly! At its center, space cracked like fragile glass, revealing an endless, soul-freezing abyssal darkness behind!
"ROOOOAAAAAARRRRR——!!!"
A heaven-shaking, majestic, brutal, and freezing dragon roar erupted from the depths of that spatial rift! In an instant, wind and cloud changed color! The raging storm and rain at the cliff edge were forcibly suppressed and reversed by the roar! The leaden clouds overhead churned into a massive vortex!
BOOM!!
A gigantic dragon claw covered in thick, metallic-cold shadow scales tore through the rift and slammed onto the cliff edge! Hard rock shattered like tofu! Then came another claw! Next, an unimaginably massive dragon head slowly emerged from the abyssal rift!
An adult Shadow Demon Dragon! Its size was more than ten times that of the juvenile! Its head was like a small mountain, bristling with ferocious bone spikes and a horned crown. The shadow scales covering its body were no longer illusory energy but condensed, near-solid abyssal metal with razor edges. Its enormous membranous wings slowly unfurled, blotting out the sky; every wing membrane flowed with freezing-soul ghostly blue magic patterns; the edges flickered with tiny spatial rifts! Most terrifying were its gigantic vertical pupils—the left eye a pure shadow vortex that devoured all light; the right eye a ghostly blue ice cave burning with soul-freezing fire! Boundless dragon might mixed with abyssal chill and the aura of death swept outward like a tsunami!
Kael and the other survivors turned deathly pale, as though an invisible giant hand had seized their throats—they could barely breathe! Even powerhouses like Kayla and TISK felt their hearts gripped; an instinctive shudder ran through their blood!
"Get on!" Salsa's soul form clung weakly to the back of the dragon's massive head; her voice echoed in everyone's minds through the soul link, carrying suppressed pain and exhaustion. "Grab the scales! Its patience… is limited!"
No hesitation! Suppressing their shock and discomfort, the group exploded with maximum speed!
"Lin Ya, take them!" Arya shouted to Lin Ya as she leaped like a cat, wind power swirling around her feet. She landed lightly on the dragon's broad neck area and gripped a protruding, ice-cold shadow scale with both hands.
"Go!" Kayla scooped up her father Kael in one arm; beast soul power erupted as she bounded onto the dragon's back in several leaps. TISK followed closely.
Yuyuer wrapped herself and Zhamisi in water currents and landed steadily near Arya. Celestia spread her six wings slightly, carrying Rex with precise descent. Lin Ya used living vines like an elevator to swiftly lift himself and the remaining four survivors onto the dragon's back.
The moment the last person boarded, the Shadow Demon Dragon let out an impatient low roar. Its two eyes—filled with destruction and freezing cold—swept over the tiny beings on its back with undisguised disgust and rage at being forcibly summoned. If not for the binding soul contract and Salsa's soul desperately suppressing it, it would likely have flung these "insects" off and crushed them instantly!
"Hold on tight!" Salsa's voice trembled with exhaustion.
The Shadow Demon Dragon's massive membranous wings snapped open with terrifying force!
BOOM————!!!
An indescribable surge of power erupted! Everyone felt as though an invisible sledgehammer had slammed into their backs! Vision stretched and blurred into distorted streaks of light! The cliff, forest, coastline—everything below was instantly hurled far away and shrank! The dragon's colossal body transformed into a dark lightning bolt that tore through the sky, moving at a speed that transcended physical laws, charging relentlessly northwest!
Speed! Absolute speed!
The Shadow Demon Dragon's flight was not mere physical acceleration. Its wing membranes constantly tore space, creating brief spatial folds—like performing jump-like "teleports" across reality's canvas! Each wingbeat came with a muffled sound of space rending; the dragon's massive body reappeared dozens of kilometers away! Violent air currents were left far behind, forming long, twisted vacuum trails! Below, the land flowed like a moving scroll—mountains, rivers, towns—everything blurred into streaks of color!
"Speed… still increasing!" Rex's electronic eyes flashed frantically; his armor blared piercing overload alarms. "Spatial jump mode… energy level… unparsable! Estimated arrival at Murest City… eight hours, twenty-six minutes!" This speed was more than three times faster than the Winged Clan's absolute limit!