191: Battle of the Royal Capital 5

The flight of the top The Strong Ones from the Rebel Army did not last long.

The first to realize something was wrong was the prowler who had merged into the shadows.

It should have been one with the darkness, moving without obstruction, but at this moment, it felt as if the surrounding shadows had turned into a thick, viscous swamp, making every step forward exceptionally difficult.

Even more terrifying was that the core "Contemplation" it relied on to maintain its form and stealth—the shadow totem outlined in its mind, symbolizing "Absolute Concealment"—was flickering and twisting violently, its edges even beginning to blur and dissipate!

"Ugh!" The prowler let out a suppressed groan of pain, its body involuntarily falling out of the shadows and crashing onto the scorched earth, its form flickering unsteadily, as if it could collapse at any moment.

It was not the only one.

The Fire Fox, which had been fleeing for its life, suddenly stumbled. The flames spewing from its mouth were no longer emerald green but had turned into chaotic, mottled colors, flickering on and off, with signs of even backfiring on itself.

It looked at its claws in terror; the energy patterns that originally flowed there were now like broken circuits, sparking with dangerous flashes.

The Visualization Diagram in its mind representing "Corrosive Flame" looked as if it had been splashed with ink, filthy and unbearable.

High above, the few figures that had turned into streaks of light in an attempt to escape encountered the same situation.

Some had flight paths that became crooked, like someone drunk; others had their surface energy shields collapse on their own, falling straight from the sky and suffering broken bones; even worse, some began to uncontrollably expand and contract, letting out painful shrieks.

The Foundation they relied on to drive their own extraordinary power—the "Visualization Diagram" constructed through special methods—began to expose its inherent instability and flaws at a terrifying speed after moving away from a certain core area, or rather, after experiencing the direct "correction" or "suppression" of the invisible force field of the Hand of God!

It was like fruit forced to ripen; once it left its specific environment, it would quickly rot and collapse.

"What is happening... My power... is dissipating..."

"No! The Visualization Diagram... I can't keep it stable!"

"It... it's the distance! The further away, the faster it disintegrates!"

"Go back... We must go back!"

Desperate roars rang out from different directions.

The fear was deeper than when they faced the slaughter of Blade Claw earlier.

Death was not terrible; what was terrible was watching one's own power, which one relied on to survive, crumble and dissipate like a sandcastle, eventually becoming a complete failure, unable to even maintain one's own existence!

To flee was to accelerate destruction.

To stay, perhaps there was still a sliver... no, not even a sliver of hope, but at least one could die like a warrior, rather than dissolving oneself while fleeing.

The prowler that had failed to merge into the shadows struggled to stand up. Its originally unfocused eyes re-condensed a trace of crazy viciousness. It looked toward the distant figure that was still standing like a nightmare, let out a low roar, turned around, and dragged its unstable body, rushing back again!

The Fire Fox stopped fleeing. A look of determination flashed in its emerald pupils. It turned around abruptly, pushed off with all four limbs, and sprinted back the way it came!

In the sky, the survivors who hadn't died after falling struggled to flap their broken wings, or simply ran on the ground, with only one goal—the main hall of the Royal Capital!

There were only a dozen or so The Strong Ones remaining.

Like puppets pulled by invisible strings, or terminal patients who had found the only cure, they gathered from all directions toward the death zone they had just fled, carrying a mix of fear, despair, and the madness of burning their bridges.

Blade Claw tilted his head slightly.

He watched those figures who had returned after leaving, watched the chaotic and unstable energy fluctuations on their bodies, and watched the look in their eyes that was no longer pure fear but mixed with a certain suicidal intent.

"Oh?"

His deep voice carried a hint of imperceptible playfulness.

"Finally figured it out? Rats cannot leave the 'cage'."

"Next."

The illusory palm slowly lifted again. Within the palm, it seemed as if an invisible vortex was forming, stirring up an even deeper power.

"Let me, this King, completely crush you all."

Returning after leaving required more courage than charging into battle, or perhaps... deeper despair.

The prowler that had fallen out of the shadows, its form flickering like a candle in the wind, was the first to launch a charge.

It no longer tried to merge into the darkness; the Domain that had once given it power was now like poison.

It let out an out-of-tune roar, its twisted limbs scraping against the scorched earth, and in a clumsy but suicidal stance, it charged straight toward the high platform!

The "Shadow Totem" inside it was disintegrating rapidly, taking away its speed and concealment, leaving only the most primitive instinct to bite.

Blade Claw did not even move his feet; he simply watched the increasingly close and unstable shadow with his golden vertical pupils, coldly.

Just as the prowler was about to pounce, opening its fangs that had already begun to leak energy, Blade Claw's illusory palm pressed gently forward.

There was no earth-shattering sound, no collision of energy.

Hand of God.

It was as if an invisible giant hand acted directly upon the "Foundation" of the prowler's existence. The "Shadow Totem" Contemplation that was flickering and twisting was like a glass object being crushed, instantly collapsing completely!

"Pfft!"

The prowler's momentum came to an abrupt halt. Its body, like mud that had lost its skeleton, suddenly slumped and dispersed, turning into wisps of uncontrollable, pure dark energy, and then... completely dissipated into the air.

Not even a trace or a wail was left behind.

As if it had never existed.

Following closely behind was the Fire Fox that had turned back and was sprinting wildly.

The emerald green in its eyes had been replaced by chaotic, mottled colors. As it ran, unstable flames overflowed from its mouth, nose, and even pores, scorching the surrounding ground until it hissed.

It saw the fate of the prowler; fear made its fur stand on end, but its collapsing power core forced it to move forward!

"Roar—!" With a desperate roar, the Fire Fox opened its mouth, condensing all the chaotic power inside it that was about to backfire into a colorful fireball that emitted an aura of destruction, and smashed it toward Blade Claw!

This was its final power, and also the trigger for its self-destruction.

Blade Claw tilted his head slightly, seemingly "disdaining" this ball of chaotic energy.

He raised his other claw, not the illusory palm, but a physical sharp claw covered in fine scales, and waved it forward casually.

Space seemed to be cut open by an invisible rift.

The colorful fireball, while still several meters away from Blade Claw, crashed into this invisible rift, and then... disappeared.

Like a clay ox entering the sea, it did not stir up the slightest ripple.

The light in the Fire Fox's eyes dimmed instantly. The energy inside it completely lost control, and the backlash erupted!

"Sizzle!"

Chaotic flames exploded from within its body, instantly swallowing it. A stench of burning filled the air, leaving behind only a twisted, charred carcass that was still emitting black smoke.

High in the sky, those few figures struggling to fly back also launched their final attacks. Energy beams, wind blades, sound waves... all kinds of residual power, like final fireworks, poured down toward the solitary figure below.

Blade Claw raised his head.

He slowly raised the illusory Hand of God, palm facing upward.

An invisible vortex formed and expanded in his palm, like a bottomless black hole.

All the attacks falling from the sky, regardless of their form or attribute, after approaching the vortex within a certain range, were as if they had received an invisible pull, their trajectories deviated, and were finally silently swallowed, decomposed, and annihilated by the vortex.

Those few figures in the sky, like kites with broken strings, lost their final support of power and fell one after another.

Some disintegrated directly in mid-air, turning into energy fragments; others fell to the ground, with broken bones and tendons, letting out painful whimpers, but the "Visualization Diagram" inside them was also collapsing rapidly, and the fire of life was quickly extinguished.