In the sky, crows and bats gathered into a dark, swirling cloud. On the ground, the intensifying tremors signaled the beginning of the second round of battle.
Above, a dense mass of crows and bats formed an oppressive black cloud, their shrill cries piercing the air as they circled restlessly. Below, the earth shook with increasing violence, as though some immense force was stirring beneath the surface, ready to burst forth. The two ominous presences intertwined, suffocating the atmosphere until even the air itself seemed frozen with tension.
The team spread out, maintaining a safe distance as they prepared to attack. Xue Ji, however, stared at the encroaching black mass in the sky and the trembling ground, realizing the Abyssal Fang Commander’s plan—it wants to grow wings.
She reopened the comm channel, speaking urgently: “Instructor Chen, is there any way to disperse that swarm?”
“Focus on the ground battle. Don’t get distracted.”
Xue Ji nearly crushed the comm device in her grip. In her Lilith state, patience was in short supply, and her expression twisted with fury—yet again, Chen Shijie had somehow earned Lilith’s ire.
Beside her, Soraka quickly grasped Xue Ji’s concern and explained, “The Abyssal Fang Commander has the ability to fuse with flesh. It likely drew those winged creatures here. If we let it assimilate them and gain flight, controlling the battle will become nearly impossible.”
Chen Shijie let out a heavy sigh before responding gravely, “I’ll request an aerial strike. Stay clear of the blast zone.”
As he sent the request, he mentally shrugged—Might as well retire tomorrow. He recalled the two primary mission directives: Protect the Awakening Stones and Minimize collateral damage.
Three out of four Awakening Stones shattered. The Sky Fortress retreating. Missiles raining down over the school. At this point, they’d stepped on every landmine possible. He’d hoped Xue Ji’s arrival would turn the tide, but before her intel could even reach command, someone had intercepted it.
“Overthinking won’t help. All I can do now is support them.”
The moment the strike was approved, Chen pressed the launch button without hesitation. Then, he submitted another request.
The Steel Sky Dragon hovering above received the fire mission. Fifty missiles streaked from its maw, their blazing contrails cutting across the sky before slamming into the black swarm, scattering it violently.
The explosions tore through the mass of creatures, instantly killing nearly half the bats and crows. The survivors, now seemingly freed from whatever force had drawn them, fled without looking back.
As the smoke from the explosions drifted away, Xue Ji looked up at the drifting feathers—black and leathery—raining down like macabre snow. A pang of guilt struck her. She clasped her hands together, murmuring a quiet prayer: “Please don’t let the animal rights activists come after me…”
The aftermath of the strike was impossible to conceal. Charred carcasses of bats and crows littered the ground, and the lingering smoke painted a grim tableau.
Underground, the Abyssal Fang Commander, startled by the relentless explosions, could endure no longer. It had been biding its time, enduring the searing agony in its soul—but now, its patience had run out. Forced to emerge, it burst through the earth.
Its once sixty-meter frame had shrunk, now barely over forty meters. Xue Ji observed the change and grinned. Lilith’s been unusually restrained so far—turns out the Commander’s stubborn hiding allowed the dark energy to keep eroding it, turning it into nothing more than an XP piñata.
The creature’s bulging eyes darted wildly in the dim light, brimming with terror and rage. It fixed its gaze on Xue Ji, as though searching for some means of escape, but in this darkness-cloaked battlefield, there was nowhere left to run.
Once again, Xue Ji’s battle instincts overrode thought. Against such a massive foe, other forms of darkness were useless—only one weapon would suffice. A scythe, taller than Xue Ji herself, materialized in her grasp.
“Your name is—Reaper.”
As she bestowed the name, the weapon—barely held together by dark energy—solidified into a razor-sharp arc of death.
Naming it invoked the power of Sage Xue Ji. Objects granted a name formed a bond with her soul, unlocking new potential.
Ling Xiaoxiao immediately sensed the Reaper’s overwhelming, ever-growing aura—one that threatened to consume everything nearby. She snapped into action, shouting to the others: “Buy her time!”
Her voice snapped the team out of their daze, and they sprang into motion, unleashing their abilities.
Conventional weapons were useless against the enraged Commander. It roared, shrugging off suppressing fire as it charged forward with reckless speed. Both sides had abandoned caution, laying all their cards on the table.
Two of the Nameless Squad’s close-combat specialists moved swiftly, targeting the beast’s thrashing tail. With enhanced strength and reflexes, they seized its tip, muscles straining as they fought to hold it back.
Meanwhile, the pyrokinetic captain inhaled sharply, clapping his hands together before pulling them apart—a blazing lion, nearly twenty meters long, formed between his palms. With a deafening roar, the fiery beast lunged at the Commander, diverting its attention.
The remaining Nameless members unloaded their heavy weaponry, each shot powerful enough to stagger the creature. They maneuvered constantly, maintaining suppression while staying mobile.
The battle reached a fever pitch. Every member of the squad fought in perfect sync, exploiting their strengths to keep the Abyssal Fang Commander at bay. They scattered tactically, striking from multiple angles while keeping a safe distance. The clash was unlike anything they’d faced before.