147: Chapter 147 The True Colors Are Revealed
When Night Crow and "The Observer" spoke those words filled with cold killing intent and absolute confidence, like two invisible heavy hammers smashing down upon the deathly silent ruins, I knew that this "hunting game" I had orchestrated, full of calculations and conspiracies, had reached its final stage where the dagger is revealed.
We were exposed.
Lying on Lin Qingzhi's shoulder, through the vision of [Spiritual Energy Perception], I clearly "saw" those two terrifying existences, also at the Peak Demon Rank, reach a heart-palpitating understanding after a brief confrontation and exchange.
They were going to join forces!
"Found you..."
On Night Crow's handsome yet sickly face, a cruel, cat-and-mouse-like grin slowly spread. He slowly raised his right hand, and in his palm, a black energy ball composed of pure, thick, inseparable power of death and decay was rapidly condensing.
At the same time, "The Observer," who had always appeared calm and indifferent, finally had his ordinary eyes light up completely! They were no longer human eyes; they were a pair of... Star Eyes, composed of countless rotating silver spatial runes!
"Spatial Lock: Divine Retribution!"
He chanted in a low voice, his tone devoid of any emotion, as if proclaiming a divine decree.
Buzz—!
Centered on the two of them, an invisible fluctuation of laws, unseen by the naked eye, erupted like two nuclear bombs dropped into a calm lake!
It was not a simple energy shock; it was... a joint detection spell on the level of laws, unavoidable, covering the entire "Ghost City"!
I frantically pushed my [Mosquito Swarm Will], trying to command my billions of "subjects" lurking in every corner of the Ghost City to interfere with and confuse this detection.
However, it was all in vain.
My swarm, at the moment they touched that law fluctuation, were like snow meeting a blazing sun, being completely... erased from the material plane, patch by patch!
They didn't even have the chance to let out a single wail.
This was the power of a Peak Demon Rank Expert!
In the face of absolute, crushing power, the [Swarm Sky Net] I was so proud of, which was enough to manipulate several major factions, was like a ridiculous, childish... toy.
"There!"
The Observer's gaze, like the sharpest sword capable of piercing through dimensions, instantly penetrated hundreds of meters, through the walls of the abandoned building where we were hiding, and locked firmly onto us!
"Boom—!"
The moment we were locked on, we could no longer hide.
Two terrifying auras, more horrific, more violent, and more filled with endless killing intent than any before, crushed down upon us like two ancient divine mountains falling from the sky!
No nonsense.
No testing.
The moment they discovered our tracks, these two equally ruthless and decisive overlords simultaneously launched their most lethal... killing blow against us!
"Eternal Night: Burial!"
Night Crow's handsome face was filled with the pleasure of revenge. The black energy ball in his palm instantly flew out, transforming in mid-air into a pure... Dark Domain that could swallow all light and hope!
Wherever that domain passed, whether it was abandoned buildings or hard ground, they were silently decomposed into the most primitive... particles by that terrifying power of death and decay.
"Dimensional Banishment!"
The Observer's attack was even more bizarre and... impossible to guard against.
He simply snapped his fingers gently in our direction.
The space around us was violently kneaded and folded as if by an invisible giant hand, turning into an inescapable... death cage composed of countless chaotic spatial fragments and dimensional rifts!
Death Domain, and, Dimensional Cage!
Two completely different yet equally destructive law powers perfectly intertwined at this moment, forming a... certain-kill situation capable of instakilling any Demon Rank Expert!
It's over.
An unprecedented, cold... despair welled up in my heart.
Under this world-destroying joint attack, we were like two ants trapped in a glass bottle, about to be submerged in boiling water.
Even struggling became a luxury.
However, at this critical moment when death was imminent, Lin Qingzhi, the girl I had always protected behind me, once again made that... choice that I would never forget for the rest of my life.
She, once again, without hesitation, stood in front of me.
On her beautiful face, which was incredibly pale due to heavy injuries, there was no fear, no despair, only an incomprehensible determination and... tenderness that transcended life and death.
She turned her head and gave me a deep look. Her cold phoenix eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, but in the end, they only turned into a soft whisper that echoed directly in the depths of my soul through the [Symbiotic Bond].
"Mo Wen, live on."
After saying that, she resolutely and completely burned the last and purest wisp of Ice Phoenix True Essence from her already dried-up soul origin, which served as the foundation for her rebirth!
"Ice Phoenix: Eternal Protection!"
A cold shout filled with supreme majesty and unyielding will, originating from the depths of her soul, exploded in my mind!
A Giant Mystic Ice Shield, more solid and heavy than any before, shimmering with a dazzling ice-blue divine glow, condensed behind her, like an unshakeable barrier of hope, trying to win that last... 0.01 seconds of life for me!
This action of hers was no longer out of any calculation, nor was it based on any alliance.
It was an... instinct engraved in the deepest part of her soul.
An instinct called "protection."
Boom—!!!
However, in the face of the world-destroying law attacks from two Peak Demon Rank Experts, her protection, which she had bet everything on, still appeared so... fragile.
That Giant Mystic Ice Shield condensed from the Empress's true essence, enough to withstand a full-strength blow from an ordinary Demon Rank Expert, only lasted for less than 0.1 seconds!
Accompanied by a tooth-gritting "crack" sound, as if the entire world was wailing, the Giant Mystic Ice Shield covered in profound Ice Phoenix Divine Runes shattered! It turned into a sky full of ice crystals as brilliant as stars!
Immediately after, the unstoppable aftershocks of destructive energy slammed heavily into Lin Qingzhi's back!
"Pfft—!"
I only felt the delicate body in front of me shudder violently. A mouthful of hot blood with a golden halo sprayed out, once again staining my black carapace with a tragic color.
Her soul was struck as if by lightning!
Her already nearly shattered soul, under this terrifying law impact, was further damaged, completely falling into a... near-death state more severe than any before!
And I was also struck hard by the violent energy aftershocks!
I felt as if my body was being run over by ten thousand high-speed trucks simultaneously!
My hard carapace, which had just evolved to the intermediate level, cracked inch by inch!
My wings, which could exceed the speed of sound, instantly turned to ash!
My newly formed Demonic Power core shattered on the spot!
My body, in this instant, almost... disintegrated!
Endless darkness and intense pain instantly swallowed me.
The last scene I saw before completely losing consciousness was:
Night Crow and "The Observer" were slowly walking toward us, their faces wearing the cruel and... disdainful grins of victors.
"The game is over."