On the third battlefield, Feng Lieren led the charge like a force of nature. His staff, the Stirn Bamboo, spun with deadly grace—each movement cutting down enemies with precision. Though it looked deceptively simple, the staff's bamboo segments were laced with leaf-blade extensions, each swing cleaving through armor and bone. Every Sentinel struck by his Death Arms collapsed, writhing in pain or disappearing in a flicker of vanquished essence.
Behind him surged the Vermont brothers—Sylas and Skylar. Their twin short swords, shaped like gnarled tree branches tipped with sharp leaves, mirrored each other's strikes as if choreographed by nature itself. The enemies who slipped past Feng Lieren's brutal path were instantly cut down by the brothers, their synchronization flawless and frightening.
They formed a spear-like formation that plowed through enemy lines, advancing rapidly toward the end of the chain—where the Sentinel Commander stood waiting, flanked by her elite lieutenants. Though Sentinels were beginning to fall in greater numbers, not one genius of the Emerald Sovereignty hesitated. Every one of them had stepped onto the battlefield with the resolve to risk their life for the right to ascend.
At the center of their formation bloomed chaos and beauty in one: Qiao Ling, the Viper in Bloom. Her Death Arms—a single thorned rose—morphed fluidly between weapon forms. One moment it extended like a whip, ensnaring a Sentinel and tearing through their guard. The next, she hurled razor-edged petals and poisoned thorns that tore through enemy formations. Her attacks were erratic, deceptive, and impossible to predict.
Then, for a rare moment, the battlefield paused as Bai Xu, the Whispering Gale, lifted his branch-carved bow. An Eternal Arm, unmistakably divine in design. With each breath he drew from the wind around him, his arrows gained speed and power. A gentle gust swept past the battlefield, then came the fury—three arrows loosed in the blink of an eye, each turning into a whirling gale of leaves and slicing wind. Every shot hit multiple enemies, scattering their ranks.
From above, Ling Chen watched quietly, his keen eyes narrowing on Bai Xu's form.
"Hm... so that's a wind-type Death Arm," he murmured. "Support-oriented, but cleverly combined with an Eternal Arm. Most archers burn themselves out in prolonged battle, but this one... this one draws from the environment. Each arrow a borrowed breath from nature itself. Less explosive than flame or lightning, sure... but in terms of stamina and sustainability? He might be unmatched."
He chuckled softly. "And those Vermont brothers... same type of Death Arms, yet not twins. How curious. Their synergy is terrifying."
His admiration was clear.
But just as he turned his gaze from the Emerald battlefield—
A shift rippled across the Phoenix Cry front.
An explosion of flames mixed with frost cracked through the air. A Sentinel Lieutenant went flying, crashing into the stone chain. The earth trembled underfoot. Xue Mor stood at the center of it, frost clinging to her cheeks, fire blazing in her veins.
"They're... pushing back?" Ling Chen blinked, straightening.
The tide was turning.
Raikai narrowed his eyes as another wave of enemies surged toward them. His body ached, bruises beginning to mount beneath his skin. But he straightened, rolling his shoulders as lightning sparked faintly around him.
"Heh... overwhelming odds?" he muttered with a wild grin. "This is nothing to me."
Then louder, as if to the battlefield itself:
"And in a death trial like this, not using our Death Arms would be a damn crime!"
With a shout, he unsummoned his Eternal Arms. In their place, his Death Arms emerged—the twin scythes linked by chain. Cold, crackling chains wrapped from his shoulders to his wrists, accentuating the faint shimmer of scales beneath his skin. Electricity surged through him, arcing across his body, sealing wounds and restoring vigor.
Shinryu, watching, smirked.
"I guess we were a bit too optimistic thinking we could hold back in a life-threatening ordeal like this."
He deactivated his Eternal Arm gauntlets, summoning instead his Death Arms—sleek, clawed gloves that glimmered with celestial light. A pulse of golden energy rolled over his frame.
"Raikai," he called out, his voice calm but fierce. "I'll increase gravity around me to the max. Let's dive deep, straight to the commanders. We take them out—we collapse this front."
Raikai's grin thinned into a calculating edge. "I can handle any gravity you throw out… but going that far ahead, we might leave the others vulnerable."
"Don't doubt them," Shinryu replied, his voice steel.
Then, with a deep breath, Shinryu released the seal on his power.
BOOM.
The gravity around him shifted, crashing down like a celestial mountain. Enemies within a twenty-foot radius were flattened to the ground, armor cracking, bodies crumpling under the sheer pressure. And in that instant—he and Raikai surged forward, deeper into the chaos, carving a path straight toward the heart of the enemy force.
Back with the others, Hou Jian's eyes narrowed. With Shinryu and Raikai diving in so deep, the number of enemies slipping through began to rise.
"We need to tighten formation!" he barked, blades flashing as he moved to plug the breach.
Shin Guo, however, cracked his neck and grinned ear to ear.
"Finally! With Raikai gone, I can show off properly!"
Shin Aoren laughed, standing behind him with lightning dancing across his spear. "Go berserk. I'll handle the rest."
With that approval, Shin Guo roared and launched himself forward. Lightning swirled across his body, forming an armor of raw energy. His Death Arms manifested—giant gauntlets of thunderous power. He smashed the ground, sending shockwaves outward and enemies flying.
Torra Yun chuckled as debris and enemies were sent airborne. "Didn't know there was another war maniac among you dragon freaks." He grinned, then jabbed at Shin Aoren. "And hey! Weren't you supposed to follow my lead? Out here giving commands, huh?"
Shin Aoren's only reply was the flickering of lightning intensifying around his spear—his silence more telling than words. Embarrassment, defiance, or both.
Torra let out a hearty laugh. "That's what I thought!"
And with that, their frontline held strong, a wall of steel and lightning.
But deep within the chaos, Raikai and Shinryu approached something more dangerous—the Sentinel Commanders