As the echoes of cheers faded into the high ceilings, Jacob's hand slowly lowered, his eyes sharpening like blades.
Words had lit the fire; now, it was time to unleash it.
Across the Uaan Sect — once a sanctuary of peace, bathed in heavenly energy — a feverish storm erupted.
Disciples rushed along ancient stone paths. Elders barked orders. Weapons gleamed under the flickering glow of formations.
The very air trembled, thick with the scent of blood yet to be spilled.
The sacred grounds buzzed with frantic energy. The Uaan Sect fortress, standing proud at the heart, pulsed with strange power — its walls carved with mysterious glowing lines.
The defensive core:
The Thousandfold Rebirth Array.
---
The Thousandfold Rebirth Array
Core Effect:
Anyone attacking the sect from outside faces endless illusions, spiritual exhaustion, and physical disintegration.
Visual Appearance:
Ten thousand golden lotus flowers bloom midair around the sect, continuously regenerating, symbolizing endless rebirth.
Functions:
Illusions: Fake doors, fake enemies, even fake friends.
Energy Drain: Mana, stamina, and spirit are sapped every moment.
Self-Healing: Damaged lotuses instantly repair unless destroyed completely by special methods.
Weakness:
At the center of the array, hidden deep underground, lies the Heart Lotus.
Destroy it — and the entire array collapses instantly.
---
Meanwhile, the preparation for the assault was already underway.
Mido (Wolf 2, the strategist) led the operation to break the formation, laying out the plan with sharp precision:
1. Wolf 7's team (the masked shadow users) would sneak into the underground layers, searching for the Heart Lotus while suppressing their breath and mana.
2. Wolf 3's team (Mafyuu and her ruthless squad) would attack the golden lotuses head-on, creating chaos and distracting the formation's defensive spirits.
3. Wolf 5 and 6 (Sera and Hira) would combine their ice and fire techniques to create devastating elemental shockwaves — freezing lotuses momentarily, then shattering them with bursts of fire.
4. Wolf 1 (Girath), with brute strength, would smash open a hidden underground gate, clearing the path for Wolf 7's infiltration team.
5. Meanwhile, Karlos and Kell would stay with the main force, defending the teams against Uaan Sect warriors desperate to protect the formation.
---
The Assault Begins.
In the dark underground, amidst rivers of shifting illusions and collapsing tunnels, Wolf 7's team advanced like silent shadows.
Above them, Mafyuu's squad unleashed ruthless strikes, explosions lighting the skies with flashes of crimson and gold.
Ice and fire waves rippled outward as Sera and Hira attacked, freezing golden lotus petals midair before shattering them like glass.
At the lowest depth, Girath — body battered, blood dripping from his fists — roared and smashed open a sealed stone gate, revealing the hidden core.
And there it was.
The Heart Lotus.
It pulsed like a living heart, golden petals folding and unfolding in a hypnotic rhythm.
Without hesitation, Wolf 7 stepped forward. Forbidden shadows poured from his body, crawling like tendrils across the glowing lotus.
His veins darkened; blood welled at the corners of his mouth, but he did not falter.
For five agonizing seconds, the Heart Lotus froze, locked in chains of endless night.
Then — a roar of defiance.
Girath, laughing madly even as blood soaked his armor, hurled himself forward.
His fist, crackling with raw strength, smashed into the sealed lotus.
CRACK!
A shockwave ripped through the underground.
The walls groaned. Stones cracked.
Above, the sky shattered into chaos.
The golden lotuses exploded one by one, their petals raining down like falling stars.
The Thousandfold Rebirth Array collapsed.
The illusions disappeared.
The suffocating spiritual drain vanished.
The battlefield was laid bare — raw, open, and ready for war…
The golden lotuses, once glowing with eternal light, burst apart in brilliant shatters of fire and sound. Above the mountainous lands of the Uaan Sect, petals of golden energy fell like rain, vanishing into sparks before touching the ground. The Thousandfold Rebirth Array, a symbol of immortality and illusion, collapsed at last.
Underground, the teleportation circle flickered.
A team of shadowy figures emerged through arcs of distorted space—Wolf 7 at the front, his masked face calm despite the darkness bleeding from his fingertips. Beside him, Girath's chest heaved, blood running from his knuckles. Behind them, Mafyuu's sharp eyes scanned the cracked cavern walls, and the twin sisters Sera and Hira walked in silence, ice mist and embers swirling around them.
The last burst of the teleportation circle pulsed, and Mido appeared with several support soldiers and healers. They rushed forward instantly, their palms glowing with healing light. One knelt beside Girath, pressing a glowing talisman to his side.
"I never thought we'd pull this off so clean," Mido murmured, his voice calm. "Still, we've drawn blood. The wolves must howl now."
Sera glanced at him, smiling softly. "The song has begun."
The shadows peeled away from the broken underground and opened a tunnel. Above them, the sky was streaked with strange crimson clouds, the Uaan Sect now laid bare. Lightning clashed in the distant sky as the mana fields twisted violently.
Wolf 1, Girath, stood, stretching his neck. "Healers, get the wounded ready. Everyone else—follow the strategy. Today, we rip open heaven."
---
Across the sacred grounds of the Uaan Sect, bells rang. The last echo of illusion faded. Dao disciples, masters, and elders stood armed in ancient robes, blades humming with energy, spirits taut like drawn strings.
The sect had transformed.
The mountainous paths were fortified with layered spells. Ancient runes floated in the air like glowing birds. On the highest platform, beneath a cherry blossom tree that never shed its petals, sat Jacob.
Calm. Composed. Surrounded by twenty elders and commanders.
His eyes reflected the battlefield, yet his soul dwelled elsewhere.
"You're still coming, aren't you, old friend?" he whispered.
In the main sect grounds, the armies clashed.
Force 1 — The Frontline Smash
Wolf 1, Girath, and Wolf 4, the Mad Demon, tore into the outer defense. Girath's fists shattered spirit walls. The Mad Demon laughed as he cleaved through Daoist defenders, fire in his eyes, blood staining his chest.
"They send children to die," he grinned. "Send me warriors!"
Blades met flesh. Dao arts flared. Girath lifted an entire boulder and hurled it, smashing a line of defensive masters.
Force 2 — Midfield Command
Mido stood atop a floating stone with Hira and Sera beside him.
"Now," he ordered.
Sera unleashed a wave of icy wind. It froze formations in place. Hira followed with a firestorm that shattered the ice—and the Dao barriers beneath. Mido's hands danced through command signals, shifting troops and backup support into formation.
Waves of Karlos's army poured through the breaches.
Force 3 — Silent Assassins
Mafyuu vanished into the sect's deeper layers, followed by the Masked Man and their assassination squad. One by one, key Uaan elders were found and eliminated.
"Make it silent," Mafyuu whispered.
One elder raised an alarm—only for a blade to pierce his throat. The masked figure melted into the shadows again.
Force 4 — Death Waits
The battlefield trembled. A wounded elder screamed.
Then, without warning, a whisper cut through the fog.
Wolf 8 appeared.
A ghost.
A silent shadow that ended the lives of those who teetered on the brink. His troops were like mist, dragging enemies into the void.
Force 5 — Chaos Incarnate
From the flanks, a monstrous beast emerged—a towering beast with shifting shapes. It crushed buildings, roared with multiple mouths, and scattered formations.
Wolf 9, the shapeshifter, laughed.
"I'll be your nightmare today."
Force 6 — Shield of the Rear
Behind the army, Old Man Neon stood calmly, his sword drawn only when necessary. His blade danced only when enemies reached the healers.
No one got past him.
Force 7 — The Arrowhead
Then came Karlos.
With Kell and his personal guard, he tore through the heart of the battlefield.
Dao masters fell.
Even sect elders were overpowered. Karlos's presence alone bent the wind, broke barriers.
He did not stop until the teleportation spell cast.
The battlefield slowed.
And in a pulse of light, Karlos vanished...