White spots swam across Nathan’s vision. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his mind to process the sensory flood. He swayed, teetering on the verge of collapse.

  The muffled sounds of the gun emplacements on the wall behind him were a distant, droning echo. From behind the wall came the grind of motors and gears—a mechanical hum like a thousand agitated mosquitoes. Beside him, a ragged, wet rasp cut through the noise. Zeryn leaned his entire weight against Nathan, his face pale and streaked with grime, his clothes in tatters. The barrage in the square must have torn through every defensive layer Zeryn had erected.

  Worst of all were the stares—from Frank, from Elen, from Aotian. Nathan wanted no part of them. He just wanted to get Zeryn away from here. He wanted to fight, not shoulder more responsibility.

  A flash of light emanated from his coat. The Jade Record shot out on its own, hovering before him for a second before shooting into the sky, leaving a trail of tiny green particles. Beside him, identical lights flared from Zeryn, Sevro, and Prince Daniel. The four Jade Records converged, spun in a circle, then shot off in four different directions. Lachlan’s final plan was complete.

  Watching them fly away, Nathan vaguely recalled Celene’s words.

  “Are you strong enough to use a flying sword?” Nathan asked Zeryn.

  “Enough,” Zeryn replied, his face contorting in a grimace.

  Nathan nodded, turning to the survivors huddled behind them. Only seconds had passed, yet the silence stretched into an eternity.

  “We fly,” Nathan announced, cutting off the rising murmurs. “Don't ask questions. We don’t have the strength to scout for mines, and one misstep could detonate the entire field. Use whatever energy you have left for a mana barrier. Now!”

  Only the Verdant Spire Sect disciples responded with a unified shout of approval. The rest looked at each other, doubt clouding their eyes.

  The sounds of impact from behind the city wall continued. The Amber Path Coalition was still holding on, trying to open an escape route for Nathan.

  Zeryn waved his hand forward, and the broadsword that had carried them before materialized, expanding before their eyes. It was just large enough for the small number of survivors.

  Nathan helped his friend onto the sword. The Verdant Spire Sect disciples followed.

  “One more second and I’ll abandon you,” Nathan said without turning back. He stared dead ahead, his hand trembling at his side. If he looked back, he knew he wouldn't be able to turn away again.

  The great blade dipped under the sudden weight, hovering inches from the ground. Once he was sure no one was left behind, Zeryn flicked his finger upward. The sword shot into the air.

  “Establish mana barrier!” Nathan yelled.

  “Establish mana barrier!” Aotian repeated.

  Everyone placed their hands on the cold metal surface, concentrating their mana, channeling energy to form a dome-like barrier that enveloped the ten-meter-long sword.

  Boom!

  The explosion from below sent up a massive mushroom cloud of fire. Terrifyingly unnatural, the blast didn't expand outward—it funneled straight up, confined by an invisible chimney. Just like that, the devastating force slammed into the flying sword.

  The impact threw them violently to the side, nearly tossing them into the void. Blood sprayed from mouths; the air filled with hacking coughs and agonized groans.

  “You’re fucking crazy, Nathan!” Prince Daniel said.

  Nathan glared at him, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Their defensive shield had become perilously weak.

  Without hesitation, Nathan pulled out a Supreme Mana Stone and threw it into the array at the center of the sword. Mana erupted like a storm. A hazy blue mist instantly filled the air.

  The sword’s automatic protection mechanism devoured the new energy like a starving beast. It vibrated, growing hotter. The mana barrier was automatically reinforced.

  “This will overheat and make the sword explode,” Aotian yelled, his eyes wide.

  “Then let it,” Nathan growled. “We just need to hold on long enough to get past this godsforsaken place.”

  “We could go back down and—”

  “Just fly!” Nathan spun around, pointing to the flashes of light tearing apart the distant city wall. At this altitude, he could truly see and believe the information he’d just received via PsiLink. The wild tempest was gone. The central square lay silent. Above, the black clouds slowly dissipated. It was the final farewell of a soul.

  “Get your head straight, Aotian,” Nathan said, his voice trembling on the edge of calm. “Look at the gun emplacements. Look at the drones. How long until they turn those barrels on us? Do you think you’ll survive that? Shut up, follow my orders, or get the hell down so you don’t waste space. If you choose to stay, then use the time with that mana stone to recover your energy.”

  The sword lurched forward on Zeryn’s command, making Aotian’s bow of the head unclear in its meaning. But afterward, everyone fell silent, their faces grim as they stared at the surface of the sword, which was gradually turning red-hot.

  Another bomb detonated. Before anyone could recover, explosions rocked them from the left, then the right, and finally from behind.

  Four destructive forces ripped through the sky, surrounding the fragile sword. The flying device vibrated, the mana shield flickered on and off, struggling to repair itself. A few tongues of fire slipped through the cracks, scorching a soldier. But he gritted his teeth and endured, his hands never leaving their position.

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  The Supreme Mana Stone spun wildly to meet everyone’s needs. Used in this situation, the treasure everyone coveted was being rapidly depleted. Nathan glanced at it, made a quick assessment, and turned his focus forward. His body was a wreck, not just his muscles, but his spirit world was in turmoil. His Mana Core vibrated violently. He was tempted to use nora, but a thread of clarity held him back from such a foolish act.

  Smoke billowed as they flew through, revealing the peaceful blue sky beyond, beckoning them. Instead, they were met with another explosion.

  Everything before Nathan blurred, his strength draining past its limit. PsiLink alerts flashed relentlessly, warning of his vital signs. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. His entire body felt like it was being plunged into an icy abyss.

  The sword, unable to withstand the assault, was thrown to one side, only to be met by the next explosion. Everyone was thrown about. At the end of the sword, a disciple from Stormcrown Institute fell. Aotian, with his Tier 3 ability, spun around and lunged, but was thrown back by another bomb.

  They had tried to fly higher, but still couldn’t escape the range of the attack. The higher they went, the smaller the cone of the explosion, concentrating its power.

  Nathan blinked, trying to clear his vision. The faces around him were drained of blood, their breath stolen in the chaos, their cries swallowed by the deafening silence of destruction. He put his hand on his chest, feeling an indescribable weight.

  The nora he had suppressed for so long surged within him. It had accumulated in the dark corners of his body. He only needed to tap into it to gain power surpassing everyone here. He could save them. Is it worth it? The whisper slithered forward from the back of his mind, occupying all his reason.

  The screech of metal tearing through air pierced his ears. He turned toward the source to see a metal box filling his vision. He opened his mouth, but his throat was too dry to speak.

  He squeezed his eyes shut. His spirit vision was a black, silent void. The impact came.

  The mana barrier shattered like brittle glass. Screams and pleas were swallowed by the high-pitched shriek of the wind. Gravity vanished. His brain felt like it was thrown to one side, then violently slammed back into a wall on the other. The world, even unseen, spun out of control.

  When he opened his eyes, he found himself upside down, but not falling. He instinctively looked up. The ground stretched out, welcoming him. Billowing smoke obscured his vision.

  He lowered his head, looking toward Sevro. The man was gritting his teeth until they bled. Mana radiated from him in waves.

  Sevro roared, wrenching his body to the side. The massive sword groaned and shifted in response. With a sickening lurch, it righted itself. The crushing g-force finally eased, replaced by the stability of artificial gravity. Sevro collapsed forward, his eyes still wide open.

  Nathan clenched his hands. Sevro was the one he planned to use at the final stage, using gravity to propel the sword forward. But the relentless bombing had ruined all his plans.

  Maelivar was no longer a terrifying giant looming over them. It had shrunk to a black box in the distance; soon, it would be nothing more than a dot. Their safe zone was approaching.

  And then Nathan felt a chill that surpassed any cold he had felt before. Through [Better Vision], the gun emplacements mounted on the city wall were turning.

  Nathan turned, slipping into spirit vision to call upon the nora. He dragged the Demon Energy toward the black hole within his body. Opposite it, a thread of mana struggled to keep pace. He prepared to smash the opposing forces together.

  A hand grabbed his shoulder.

  Zeryn met Nathan’s gaze and shook his head. With a faint, reassuring smile, he patted Nathan's shoulder. Nathan exhaled, nodding as he withdrew the nora.

  Zeryn raised his hand. The massive sword body beneath them trembled even more violently. With a series of sharp cracks, fissures raced across the metal surface.

  With a roar, Zeryn tilted to one side from the impact, blood flowing from the corners of his eyes. Nathan put himself into the master state of [Martial Arts Mastery] and saw what Zeryn was doing.

  A massive Sword Intent was enveloping the space, creating a third defensive layer. Farther out, small swords formed, circling around to create a fourth formation.

  The tongues of fire, under Zeryn’s influence, were all dispersed, unable to cause further trouble.

  From behind, Prince Daniel tossed a bronze bell overhead. It expanded rapidly, projecting a shimmering avatar of the bell that encased the group in a translucent dome.

  Zeryn gritted his teeth. His face looked as if it were being carved by invisible blades, skin splitting at the corners of his eyes. He raised both hands. The sword accelerated.

  At the same time, Nathan counted a series of bombs that had just been activated. Without leaving anything behind, he poured all his mana into reinforcing the defensive layer. Around him, the soldiers and disciples did the same.

  Fire engulfed the world of the thirty survivors. Around them was only the blazing red and orange of heat. Their skin parched instantly, the scent of singed hair filling the air despite the protective bell. The cacophony of detonating bombs left them effectively deaf.

  Clang!

  The bronze bell vibrated, a crack appearing from its peak. In a flash, it shattered into pieces, melted in the sea of fire. The fourth and third defensive layers of Zeryn held for a second before disappearing from Nathan’s vision.

  At this point, a crushing pressure descended upon him. The heat slipped through the mana barrier, invading his eyes and lungs. Tears streamed down, his throat burned.

  “Don’t give up,” Nathan managed to force out the words. “We’re almost there!”

  Everyone heard and bowed their heads, no longer staring into the hell before them. As if by not seeing it, it wouldn’t exist. As if by not seeing, they wouldn’t know how much farther they had to go. As if by not seeing, they wouldn’t despair.

  Zeryn knelt on one knee, his shoulders tense. Each time his Sword Intent was broken, blood sprayed from various parts of his body. It was as if those swords were protesting, turning back to cut their master. Even so, he didn’t stop.

  “Zer…” Nathan whispered.

  “Do not use it, Nathan!” Zeryn said, his voice inaudible amidst the chaos and his own weakness. “I still can do this.”

  Nathan startled at a strange appearance before his eyes. A sensation that only thanks to possessing [Martial Arts Mastery] could he trace. A hazy image of a sword appeared within Zeryn. It was as if it had merged with his friend, an inseparable part.

  With that appearance, the sword beneath their feet disintegrated. As if struck at its weakest point, the tempered metal shattered into a web of cracks. The fragments separated, orbiting the group. Miraculously, each shard sharpened and elongated—an act of defiance against physics itself.

  Around them was now a cocoon of thousands of swords.

  “Charge!” Zeryn roared.

  They shot forward, no longer flying simply. The massive blade dissolved into scattered metal platforms, barely large enough to stand on. The hilt, obedient to Zeryn’s will, shot forward to become the prow.

  A cocoon made of swords tore through the sea of fire, charging toward the horizon.

  Nathan could no longer see the light, blocked by Zeryn. He could feel the vibrations around him through each tremor, each relentless jolt, and the terrifying heat. He wondered if he was flying straight into the sun.

  Then, as abruptly as it had arrived, the heat vanished. The cocoon of swords lost its form, raining down as harmless scrap metal. The clinking sound drifted on the wind like summer chimes.

  A blue sky stretched out, clouds drifted lazily. The air carried only the fresh scent of grass and trees. Below them were vast rolling hills. Small forests dotted the landscape. They were getting closer.

  Closer?

  Nathan frantically looked around. They were plummeting like meteorites, trailing black smoke from their scorched clothes, spinning uncontrollably through the empty air.

  Everyone was out of energy, mana depleted. The powerful cultivators had become ordinary people, more vulnerable than ever.

  Nathan saw Zeryn flailing his four limbs chaotically. His eyes were closed with lines of torn flesh. Blood sprayed out in tiny droplets around him.

  Summoning his remaining essence, Nathan fired a palm strike against the air. The recoil propelled him toward Zeryn. After several desperate adjustments, he grabbed his friend, pulling him tight against his chest. He spun around, offering his own back to the approaching ground.

  The blue sky and white clouds drifted farther away. He held Zeryn tight and prepared for impact.

  Then, darkness swallowed him.