Varlok let out a string of eerie, twisted laughter, his skeletal fingers flicking the staff in his hand with a casual grace. In an instant, a massive black dragon materialized in midair, its scales glistening like obsidian under a blood-red sky. RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—! The black dragon collided head-on with the shadowy Demon Moth, unleashing a deafening explosion that crackled through the air like a thunderstorm tearing the sky apart. The surrounding space warped violently, spiderweb cracks spreading in every direction like shattered glass. Varlok stood at the center of the chaos, calmly inhaling the thick, iron-scented blood mist that still lingered from the recent battle. The air was saturated with death, and he was drinking it in like fine wine. Elira's eyes narrowed. Something was off about him. Without hesitation, she shot forward like a bolt of lightning, launching a flurry of attacks at Varlok with deadly precision. "Well, well, little girl," Varlok sneered, his voice laced with a strange, pulsing resonance that seemed to echo inside her skull. "Didn't expect you to be this strong. Heh. Why waste your time with that useless fool? Come to my side. Stick with me, and I'll make you the most powerful being in this world." There was something unnatural in his voice—some kind of psychic interference that clawed at the edges of her mind. Even Elira's body trembled for a split second, her instincts screaming at her to resist. She quickly steadied her breath, forcing the invasive thoughts out of her head, and leapt back several steps to regain her footing. "You? Make me the strongest? Please," she spat, her voice sharp and defiant. "You can't even keep your own shit together. Don't flatter yourself." A wave of raw, terrifying energy erupted from her body, far more intense than anything she'd unleashed before. Her eyes shifted—black pupils, golden irises, and blood-red sclera. She looked like a goddess of war descending from the heavens. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM… Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍 Varlok's pupils dilated in shock. He hadn't expected her to unleash this kind of power. He quickly raised his staff and swung it in a wide arc. A dense network of glowing runes flared to life in the air, interlocking and pulsing with dark energy. The force they summoned surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing into Elira's power head-on. The two forces collided midair, locking in a dead heat. Neither side gave an inch, the sky above them trembling under the pressure. But then—out of nowhere—a bolt of lightning the size of a tree trunk came screaming down from the heavens, slamming directly into Varlok's back. Ataneya appeared above them, floating effortlessly in the air, her eyes blazing with contempt. "You disgusting old bastard," she snapped. "I already had a bad feeling about you earlier. Should've known you'd be hiding under a pile of corpses like the coward you are." Back during the earlier battle, Ataneya had already marked Varlok as a threat. But the bastard was slippery—after exchanging just a few blows with her, he'd vanished, burrowing into the carnage to suck up the blood and boost his strength. Ataneya's power was naturally attuned to counter Varlok's, but now… now he'd pushed his Tier to a whole new level. Even she couldn't suppress him as easily anymore. "Hahaha! Little girl, that was your best shot at killing me," Varlok cackled. "Too bad you blew it. Now? You're outta luck!" A small orb floated up in front of him, pulsing with a sinister glow—then exploded in a burst of crimson energy. BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—! The blood mist it released surged into Varlok's body like a living thing, and his power spiked again—this time skyrocketing all the way to Tier 17's peak. Ataneya and Elira froze, stunned by the sudden surge. They hadn't expected him to level up this fast—it was unnatural. But they didn't waste a second. Without a word, both women unleashed everything they had, channeling their full power into a massive energy sphere that formed above them like a miniature sun. With a roar, they hurled it down at Varlok. Varlok didn't flinch. His face was stone-cold, his aura swelling with overwhelming force. He raised his staff, and from the swirling blood around him, a colossal crimson Celestial Dragon took shape, roaring as it launched upward to meet the energy sphere head-on. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—! A shockwave of terrifying power exploded outward from the clash in the sky, tearing a massive rift straight through the heavens. The clouds split apart like paper, revealing a void so deep it made the world feel like it was unraveling. Ethan's eyes were locked on the battle above. Ataneya and Elira were holding their own, but Varlok's power was twisted—unnatural. If this dragged on any longer, the girls might not be able to keep up. Just as he was about to send reinforcements, a massive dragon silhouette surged up behind him. Seraphina launched into the air, her body glowing with divine fury. "You disgusting old freak—today's the day you die!" she shouted, her voice thunderous, laced with the overwhelming presence of a Dragon God. The moment her aura hit Varlok, it sizzled against his skin like acid, crackling with divine energy. Seraphina had grown immensely stronger in a short time. Not only did she now carry the aura of a Dragon God, but she had also inherited the power of the Adamant Dragon—an ancient force of unbreakable will and raw might. And right now, she wasn't holding anything back. Even more importantly—her power seemed to be a natural counter to Varlok's. "Shit!" Varlok's eyes widened as he felt her energy lock onto him like a predator. He stumbled back, retreating several steps in panic. He hadn't realized she'd already marked him as her target. At the same time, the massive energy sphere formed by Elira and Ataneya finally reached him. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—! The explosion tore through the sky like a supernova, and Varlok's body was blasted backward, tumbling through the air like a ragdoll. Ethan finally exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders. That bastard had been a nightmare to deal with. As long as they could keep him from powering up again, they might actually have a shot at taking him down for good. Varlok's body kept falling, skidding through the air, trying to stabilize—but before he could recover, a wave of divine energy descended from above, wrapping around him like a cage of light. No one had even noticed when Andona arrived—but now she stood in the sky, her holy sword raised high, glowing with celestial fire. She brought it down with righteous fury, slamming it straight into Varlok's chest. The Angelic Sword radiated pure holy power, designed to purge all evil from existence. And Varlok's corrupted energy was practically begging to be cleansed. The moment the blade struck, it sent a surge of divine force through his body, burning away the dark runes etched into his staff—half of them vanished in an instant. Varlok panicked. He didn't care about strategy anymore. He reached into his robes and pulled out another orb, ready to detonate it and force another power surge. But before he could even activate it— Andona's sword pierced straight through his back, the blade erupting from his chest in a spray of blood. The sound of flesh tearing echoed through the sky. Varlok froze, his body locking up in shock. Before he could even scream again, several more blasts of raw, unrelenting power came crashing down from above—Elira, Ataneya, and Seraphina all striking at once. The sky lit up with a final, blinding explosion. Varlok's scream was high-pitched and agonized, echoing like a banshee's wail. The once-untouchable sorcerer, the monster who had laughed in the face of death, was torn apart midair—shredded into chunks of flesh and bone, his body reduced to nothing more than scattered meat and ash.