The wardens moved first.
Ten hulking figures, each eight to nine feet of twisted muscle and bone, lunged forward as one. Their chains clattered against the broken stones, their heavy claws shredding the earth with every step. Their eyeless, helmeted faces turned toward the trio standing before them — Yao Jun, Han Rui, and Ren Jei.
Han Rui was the first to react. His crimson bow was already drawn, the string glowing with a faint heat. "Scatter!" he barked, loosing an arrow mid-sentence. The projectile hissed through the air and struck the nearest Warden square in the chest. A blossom of flame erupted, engulfing the monster in searing light. But the Warden didn't fall. It roared — a hollow, inhuman sound — and kept charging, flames licking its pale, tight skin.
Yao Jun slammed his palms to the ground. "Magma Soldiers, arise!" he commanded, and the earth trembled. Two molten forms burst from the cracked soil, their bodies glowing like liquid fire. The magma soldiers surged forward to intercept the nearest pair of Wardens, grappling with them in a violent clash of stone, heat, and flesh.
Ren Jei took a slow, steady breath, eyes narrowing. His ice bow shimmered in the dim light as he nocked an arrow and let it fly. The ice-tipped shaft sang through the air and struck another Warden's leg. Frost exploded outward, instantly encasing the limb in a sheath of ice. The monster stumbled mid-charge — and then, with a crack, its frozen leg shattered under its own weight, sending the creature crashing to the ground.
But there were still seven more coming.
"Keep your formation tight!" Yao Jun shouted. He stepped back, summoning another pair of magma soldiers with a growl. His soldiers, however, were already struggling — the Wardens' raw strength was monstrous. One Warden grabbed a magma soldier by the head and tore it apart with a single wrenching motion, molten rock splattering in every direction.
Han Rui fired again, loosing a rapid volley. Three arrows flared through the air, each one finding its mark. The Wardens ignited where the crimson arrows struck, their bodies alight with unnatural flame. Yet they pressed on, unfazed by pain, driven by some dark will.
Ryou Arclight, seated atop the massive 15-foot Warden, watched with an amused smile. His pale face was lit by the flickering flames below. "Dance for me," he whispered, voice dripping with cruel pleasure. "Let's see how long you can last."
The Wardens attacked in tandem now. Two leapt at Ren Jei from opposite sides, their claws extended like hooked spears. Ren Jei pivoted, his face calm but his heart pounding. He loosed another ice arrow at point-blank range, striking the first Warden's chest. The creature froze mid-air, its body crystallizing in a breath — and then the second Warden, unable to stop its momentum, slammed into the frozen one. Both monsters toppled to the ground in a heap of broken ice and bone.
But it wasn't over. Another Warden was already upon him.
A claw slashed toward Ren Jei's throat — but Han Rui was faster. An arrow blazed past Ren Jei's ear and struck the Warden's shoulder. Fire erupted violently, forcing the creature to stumble back with a roar.
"Focus!" Han Rui snarled, already nocking another arrow. His crimson bow blazed brighter with every shot, flames swirling around him like a storm.
Yao Jun gritted his teeth and summoned again, pulling more magma soldiers from the earth. But the summoning drained him, and sweat beaded on his brow. His soldiers clashed with the Wardens, locking them in a deadly grapple, but the monsters were relentless. One Warden ripped through a magma soldier with both hands, then hurled the molten corpse toward Han Rui.
Han ducked just in time. The burning mass slammed into a wall behind him, sending stone shards flying.
"They're overwhelming us!" Ren Jei called out, his voice tight. He fired again — this time aiming for the same Warden that Han Rui had ignited. The ice arrow struck true, and the combined fire and frost caused the monster's body to crack apart, splitting in jagged lines before it collapsed, lifeless.
One down.
Nine remained.
Han Rui's eyes blazed. "We'll bring them down, one by one!"
He unleashed a barrage of arrows, each one finding a mark. Flames blossomed across the battlefield, turning the abandoned village square into a hellscape of fire and smoke. The Wardens shrieked, their bone spikes glowing red-hot from the heat, but they charged through the inferno undeterred.
Yao Jun's magma soldiers fought savagely, but two more were torn apart by sheer brute force. One Warden smashed a soldier into the ground repeatedly until it cracked apart like brittle stone. Another tore through molten limbs with its claws, roaring in fury.
Yao Jun's breath grew ragged. His energy was running low.
Ren Jei shifted position, taking to higher ground by leaping onto the remnants of a crumbling wall. From there, he fired a piercing ice arrow that struck another Warden's knee. The limb froze, and Han Rui capitalized on it instantly, sending a flaming arrow to the same spot. The combination caused the joint to shatter in a violent explosion of fire and ice. The Warden fell, unable to rise.
Two down.
Still eight to go.
Ryou Arclight laughed from above, his voice echoing through the battlefield like a mocking bell. "Is that all? Entertain me more, little heroes!"
The biggest Warden, the 15-foot beast beneath him, remained still — a mountain of pale muscle and chains, watching with empty malice.
On the ground, Han Rui gritted his teeth. His fingers were blistered from the heat of his own arrows, but he kept firing. Another flame-tipped arrow buried itself into a Warden's side, causing the monster to erupt in fire once more. But this time, the Warden caught the shaft and tore it free, roaring with rage.
"They're adapting!" Ren Jei warned. He fired another ice arrow, but a Warden dodged — faster now, more aware of their attacks. It lunged for Ren Jei's wall perch, claws smashing through stone as it reached for him.
Ren Jei leaped back, barely avoiding death. He rolled and came up kneeling, firing two arrows in rapid succession. One missed, but the other struck the Warden's faceplate. Ice spread, cracking the helmet slightly, though not enough to kill.
Yao Jun summoned once more, pulling his final magma soldiers from the earth. "This is it!" he roared, pushing his energy to the limit. Four soldiers emerged, their bodies brighter and hotter than before. They charged the nearest Warden in unison, tackling it to the ground. Lava-like fists pummeled the creature, while molten tendrils wrapped around its limbs.
Han Rui and Ren Jei seized the chance.
Han's arrows turned the trapped Warden into a pillar of fire, while Ren Jei's ice arrows struck the weakened joints, freezing and shattering them. The Warden convulsed and then fell still, a blackened husk.
Three down.
Seven remained — and they were closing in.
The remaining Wardens attacked together now, using their chain weapons with brutal efficiency. Chains whipped through the air, slashing through walls and ground alike. One chain caught Yao Jun's leg, pulling him off balance and dragging him across the dirt.
"Jun!" Han Rui shouted.
Ren Jei fired at the chain, freezing it solid and snapping it with another shot. Yao Jun scrambled to his feet, bleeding and breathless but alive.
The battle raged on.
Han Rui's arrows scorched another Warden's face, setting it ablaze. Ren Jei froze its legs, and together they brought it down, shattering the creature into burning, frozen shards.
Four down.
Yao Jun's soldiers swarmed another Warden, holding it in place long enough for Han Rui to send a flaming arrow through its throat. Ren Jei finished it with an ice arrow to the head, the combined elements causing the skull to crack and collapse.
Five down.
But the strain was showing. Yao Jun could barely stand, his face pale and slick with sweat. His soldiers were falling faster now, unable to hold back the Wardens' savage strength.
Another Warden lunged at Han Rui. He twisted aside, but not fast enough — the chain raked across his side, tearing through cloth and flesh. Blood sprayed, and Han Rui stumbled, gasping.
Ren Jei's eyes went cold. He fired arrow after arrow, driving the Warden back in a storm of frost until it froze solid. Han Rui, clutching his bleeding side, managed to shoot a final flame arrow that shattered the frozen monster.
Six down.
Four remained.
Yao Jun's last magma soldier grappled with another Warden, holding it down long enough for Han Rui and Ren Jei to finish it off — a barrage of arrows that turned the creature into a frozen, burning wreck.
Seven down.
But the last three Wardens came together now, coordinating their attacks. Chains lashed out, forcing the trio to retreat. One chain wrapped around Ren Jei's bow, yanking it from his hands. Another nearly caught Han Rui's arm, missing by inches.
"We end this now!" Yao Jun bellowed. He summoned one last time — not soldiers, but a surge of molten rock that erupted from the ground beneath the Wardens. The sudden blast staggered the monsters.
Han Rui and Ren Jei fired in tandem — flame and ice arrows crossing paths mid-air. They struck two Wardens simultaneously, the elemental clash causing explosions that ripped through the monsters' bodies.
Nine down.
The final Warden roared and charged, chains whipping wildly. Yao Jun, exhausted and bleeding, stood his ground. Han Rui and Ren Jei loosed their final arrows, striking the creature in its chest and head. Flames and frost engulfed it.
With a last, shuddering scream, the Warden collapsed, burning and frozen, its massive form crashing to the earth.
Silence fell.
The battlefield was littered with broken chains, shattered bones, and smoldering remains. Smoke hung thick in the air, and the ground was scorched black from the violence.
Yao Jun collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. Han Rui slumped against a wall, still clutching his bleeding side. Ren Jei stood over them, bow lowered but eyes wary, scanning for any more threats.
Above, Ryou Arclight clapped slowly, his smile wider and darker than before.
"Well done," he purred, voice dripping with mockery. "You survived. But the real nightmare… has yet to begin."
Lucas and Wei Jun stood frozen, their eyes wide with horror as they stared at the body suspended in chains before them. The faint swing of the corpse sent an eerie creak through the ruined church, like a pendulum counting down to some unseen doom.
Tianlei.
His face was unrecognizable—half the flesh and skin had been torn away, bones gnawed down to raw, jagged edges. But the golden armor he still wore… that was enough. Enough for both Lucas and Wei Jun to know exactly who it was.
Their breaths hitched, their hearts pounding in their chests.
All across the world, the scene played out on crimson screens. In cities and villages, in homes and in crowded streets, billions watched. Inside the towering headquarters of Lingquan Corporation, the silence was deafening.
Men and women who had once trained beside Tianlei fell to their knees, their faces pale and streaked with tears. Some couldn't even stand — their legs gave out from sheer shock and grief, and they collapsed, sobbing openly.
Even the president, Huang and Katherine stood frozen.
Their eyes trembled, their minds refusing to believe what they saw.
Tianlei had been their rising star — Lingquan's most promising swordsman. No, he wasn't the strongest, not yet. There were others with greater skill, with sharper blades. But Tianlei had carried the greatest potential — raw, untapped, and blinding.
And now… he was nothing but a mutilated, hanging corpse.
Back in the church, amidst the choking silence, movement stirred.
Ryou Arclight dropped down from atop his towering Emaciated Warden, landing lightly on the cracked stone floor with a smirk tugging at his lips. His daggers glinted like the teeth of some hungry predator.
He cracked his neck, eyes flickering with sadistic glee. "Well," Ryou said, voice smooth as silk and twice as sharp. "Looks like it's my turn now."
Across from him, the three fighters—Han Rui, Ren Jei, and Yao Jun—stood battered and bleeding. Their shoulders sagged with exhaustion, their breaths came in ragged gasps.
They were spent. Wounded. Barely standing.
And now, death was charging straight at them.
Ryou shot forward, his speed a crimson blur. But before he could close the distance, the ground trembled. A massive shape dropped between him and his prey — a dragon, scales glittering deep red like molten metal.
The crimson-scaled Eastern dragon reared its head, golden eyes blazing with primal fury. Its chest expanded as it inhaled deeply, sucking in vast amounts of air. Then, with a roar that shook the heavens, it unleashed its breath attack — a devastating blast of compressed wind and searing energy that tore through the air toward Ryou.
But Ryou was gone.
In his place, the towering Emaciated Warden stepped forward.
Chains rattled as the monstrous creature raised its cage-like weapon. The blast struck the cage and vanished, absorbed into the twisted metal like a scream swallowed by the void. The earth-shaking attack simply… ended.
Han Rui's heart dropped.
Ren Jei's mouth went dry.
Yao Jun could only stare.
Then, without warning, a wet, sickening sound echoed through the ruined church.
Shhrrkk.
The dragon's mighty head, still smoldering from its attack, suddenly lifted — no, not lifted. It was falling. Severed cleanly at the neck. Blood gushed in an arc, painting the shattered stones crimson as the massive head crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The three men stiffened.
A voice, mocking and cold, drifted in from behind them.
"Now this is where the real fun begins… right?"
Their heads snapped around.
Up above, standing on the highest peak of the church's crumbling spire, was Ryou.
His silhouette was sharp against the blood-red sky, both daggers in hand, their edges dripping with the dragon's lifeblood. His smile stretched wider as he tilted his head, eyes glittering with dark excitement.
"Now it gets fun, doesn't it?" he said.