“Bang—!”
Philip’s fist smashed heavily against the ice wall, which instantly shattered, sending shards flying in every direction.
But just as his fist was about to break through the wall, two thick vines suddenly shot out from the ground. One coiled around his arm like a spirit snake, while the other wrapped around his body, forcibly pinning him in place.
“Starlight, keep breaking it!” Moen’s voice came from behind him. Although her mana was nearly exhausted, she was still giving her all to control the vines and buy time for Starlight.
“Thanks, Moen!” Starlight was overjoyed, and he immediately refocused his attention on the fourth chain.
Starlight knew that time was running out and he had to break the final runes as quickly as possible. However, it was clear that Philip, who was right in front of him, would never let him succeed so easily.
With a furious roar, Philip’s battle qi erupted, sweeping outward like a gale. The vines coiled around his arm were instantly shattered to pieces, and even Starlight was forced back a step by the sharp surge of battle qi.
Under the impact of the battle qi, Starlight’s clothes were torn as if sliced by blades, revealing the pale skin beneath.
Seeing that Philip’s fist was now unavoidable, Starlight quickly condensed several layers of shields before his chest, attempting to weaken the force of the attack.
“Boom—!”
Philip’s heavy punch slammed into the ice shield. Although the shield didn't break, the immense force still transmitted through the ice and into Starlight’s body.
Starlight felt a tightness in his chest as a mouthful of blood sprayed out, and his body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
However, their hands were still firmly frozen together. Seeing this, a look of ruthlessness flashed in Philip’s eyes as he used the momentum of Starlight’s retreat to lunge forward.
He raised his fist once more, battle qi condensing on his knuckles. Carrying devastating power, the strike aimed straight for Starlight’s face.
“Brat, it's over!” Philip’s voice carried a chilling killing intent, as if he could already see Starlight lying dead at his feet.
Philip calculated that as long as he dragged Starlight away from the final chain, he could fully unleash his power to annihilate the boy. Once that happened, Starlight’s objective would naturally collapse on its own.
However, just as the two of them moved away from Yserazor’s trapped dragon body, two other figures locked in combat happened to crash into the spot where they had originally stood.
Those two figures were Po Kong and Isabella. At this moment, Po Kong had been suppressed by the greatsword in Isabella’s hand, forced back repeatedly. The golden battle qi on his body flickered unsteadily, clearly nearing its limit.
Although the greatsword in Isabella’s hand was not a Saint weapon, there was still a significant gap in their strength. The blade of the Sacred Wood Phantom was pinned firmly against the ground, and Po Kong’s situation was precarious.
Seeing this, a look of joy surfaced on Philip’s face. He quickly shouted to Isabella, “Just beat that brat half to death! Hurry over and help me take down the others!”
However, in the next second, the smile on his face froze.
The originally flagging Po Kong suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light. The blade of the Sacred Wood Phantom in his hand seemed to be plated in gold, shining brilliantly. In that instant, Po Kong’s strength surged, and he actually managed to force Isabella back several steps.
“Old man! You didn't expect this, did you?! I still have strength left!” Po Kong grinned, flashing a provocative smile filled with mockery.
Philip’s face turned grim as an ominous premonition surged in his heart. “Not good!”
Po Kong suddenly raised the Sacred Wood Phantom. The gold-glinting scythe moved like a bolt of lightning, slashing ruthlessly toward the final rune chain.
“Clang—!”
A deafening roar echoed as a massive spray of sparks erupted where the blade met the chain. That incredibly sturdy rune chain actually had a finger-sized gap carved into it by the strike of the Sacred Wood Phantom.
Under normal circumstances, a typical attack might have been unable to damage a chain imbued with multiple elements. However, Po Kong’s War God battle qi happened to be the bane of all elements.
Seeing that his first strike failed to sever the chain completely, Po Kong clicked his tongue. He wedged the blade into the gap and roared, “Huh? It’s actually this tough?! Break!”
“Quick, stop that brat!” Philip grew frantic and immediately turned, wanting to stop Po Kong’s actions.
Just as he prepared to flash forward to intervene, Starlight pulled Noah out and held him high between the two of them.
Instantly, Noah’s soul attack shot out like a sharp spike, piercing ruthlessly toward Philip’s head.
A golden headpiece near Philip’s hairline shattered into several pieces under the force of the attack, unexpectedly blocking Noah’s first strike.
“What? He actually has anti-magic items?”
Seeing that the opponent possessed gear to counter soul attacks, Noah could only mobilize his remaining soul power to launch another assault on Philip.
While this second strike was not as effective as the first, the intense pain radiating from his brain still sent Philip into a brief state of vertigo.
After unleashing two consecutive soul attacks, Noah had fulfilled his mission and fell back into a deep slumber.
“Crack—!”
It was this very instant of delay provided by Starlight and Noah that allowed the blade of the Sacred Wood Phantom to slice through the gap, completely severing the entire chain into two.
“Damn it!...”
Before Philip, who was clutching his forehead, could finish his sentence, he saw those dark green dragon wings—originally locked tight—suddenly flap, kicking up a violent gale.
Yserazor’s dragon body was completely freed from its restraints, and his massive form stood tall in the center of the hall like a mountain.
“Ants... your end has come!”
The Rift Dragon King’s voice boomed like thunder in everyone’s ears, and the entire hall trembled under his roar.
Seeing that their plan had succeeded, Po Kong sidestepped and kicked the greatsword Isabella swung at him, using the momentum to pull away. In the moment they separated, Po Kong secretly gave Isabella a look.
In the next second, Po Kong flew backward with an extremely exaggerated posture, as if he had been repelled by Isabella’s strength. Isabella also used that force to retreat quickly, moving out of Yserazor’s attack range.
At the same time, Starlight released Philip’s hand and his figure vanished instantly, reappearing beside Moen and Xia Duo, leaving only a thick block of ice still stuck to Philip.
Indeed, this entire battle from beginning to end had been a plan orchestrated by Starlight and the others.
Although Isabella was not in the soul link, Sui Yun had already secretly explained their intentions to her while they were fighting earlier.
Because of Isabella’s status, if she didn't take action now, it would be difficult for her family to maintain their standing in the Crimson City-State later.
The two, who had known each other for years, immediately reached a tacit agreement to cooperate and put on this act.
Looking at it now, their plan was quite successful. Even now, Philip and his men did not suspect Isabella in the slightest.
Yserazor’s golden dragon pupils were like two spheres of burning golden flame. His gaze swept across the crowd in the hall before finally locking onto Philip.
“Philip, your tricks... end here!”
Hearing this, Philip’s expression became incredibly ugly. He knew that the situation had completely spiraled out of his control.
Facing a Dragon King who had completely lost control, even the four Saint Rank powerhouses of House Red working together might not be able to escape unscathed.
“Everyone, retreat!” Philip ordered through gritted teeth, his voice carrying a hint of resentment. “Artillerymen, keep firing! Give us cover!”
But before they could take more than a few steps, a cold and powerful force suddenly descended. Philip and the three elders were instantly frozen in place.
Even the countless shells fired from above stopped in mid-air like a sky full of falling stars, suspended there without moving a muscle.
In an instant, the entire hall fell into an eerie silence, broken only by Yserazor’s booming voice: “Escape? Did I give you permission to leave?!”
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