Even a fool could see that Olrich's insanity had reached its final stage. Now, no one, not even Konrad, could fathom what erratic move he would resort to. But that mattered not.
Hell's Reach in hand, throughout the secular world, Yvonne feared none!
Around her, the storm of black flames and dark sand intensified, while at her back, Verena and Else stood ready to use their life force to activate the Divine Mirror…if need be.
"Aaaaargh!"
Olrich howled, and assumed his True Spirit Form, causing his aura to rise to a new level, and the gray fog whirlwind around him to stretch across dozens of meters. His aura alarmed all the Holy Flame City's forces, and many failed to comprehend where that might hailed from!
However, the more astute were starting to see the light.
Adelar fell, and Olrich rose, the implications were clear.
In a grey light meteor, Olrich barreled into Yvonne who met his assault with an ear-splitting sweep of her spear!
*BANG*
The two recoiled from the impact, but in a fraction of a second, stabilized themselves in the air. Controlled by his holy sense, the silver spear in Olrich's hand turned into a gray ray and flew toward Yvonne, seeking to create openings where none lied beforehand.
Meanwhile, in a masterful display of soul power and spellcasting, Olrich summoned eighteen magic circles within the air!
"Sixth Circle Spell: Thunderstorm!
Sixth Circle Spell: Searing Sky!
Sixth Circle Spell: Incarnadine Blood Sea!"
The sky became a strange mixture of grey and red. A deluge of massive grey lightning bolts and bright red flames then dropped from the clouds, to indiscriminately hammer Yvonne, Else, and Verena!
Meanwhile, a blood sea appeared above Olrich's head, and still flew toward them!
The three spells' might seemed unstoppable.
But Yvonne was undaunted! The black firestorm and dark sand swirling around her flew to meet the spells above while she aimed her spear at the blood sea!
"Overlord's Might!"
The air shivered, and while the force wasn't aimed at them, even Else and Verena were forced to recoil.
In that instant, they had a misconception, Yvonne was no longer a mortal, but a supreme overlord descended from the higher realm to step on the Ancient Crystal World!
Her entire body overflowed with a formless might and pressure that imbued even the tiniest moves with inestimable force!
Without hesitation, she drove her spear in a frontal thrust. A simple, straightforward move that split the blood sea into two halves which then collapsed in droplets of blood!
But she was just getting started!
"Suppression!
Primal Force!"
The two invisible forces slammed into Olrich, shackling his moves, and causing the intensity of his aura to plummet at breakneck speed. At the same time, golden primal light erupted and surrounded Yvonne's form.
Yvonne vanished, reappearing before Olrich!
Her lineage weapon, Hell's Reach, descended, aiming at his neck!
Battling the suppression force, he raised his spears to meet her slash!
*Boom*
The weapons met, and Olrich flew backward with his internal organs trembling.
Yvonne pursued, chasing him wherever he attempted to stabilize himself with a flurry of ferocious spear thrusts.
In a flash, they exchanged dozens of moves before Olrich's arms wavered and she sent a kick straight into his jaw.
With a sizable blood spurt, he spiraled into the air, dropping like a fly.
Both Verena and Else were startled!
Olrich even more!
Absurd! Her strength was utterly absurd!
"Olrich, for centuries you have threaded the Dao of Heartlessness. Good for you.
But what is Heartlessness…before Invincibility?!"
Yvonne rhetorically asked, then aimed her spear at the still dropping Olrich.
From its tip, a gargantuan hurricane of black flames and send erupted, shooting toward him.
In that instant, even Else believed Olrich would meet his maker.
Alas, she'd underestimated his current net worth! Olrich waved his hand, summoning a bronze shield around which vast divine force swirled! The bronze shield expended, reaching a hundred meters in radius, and barreled into the infernal hurricane, ending its assault before carrying on toward Yvonne!
"A one-star Divine Artifact."
Yvonne frowned, and gathered all her strength for her life's mightiest strike! Veins beat on her hands and temple while the black flames and sand shrunk to coil around her spear.
Hell's Reach whistled in the air before meeting the Divine Shield in an earthshaking boom!
Houses collapsed!
The commoners wailed!
And the Holy Flame City quaked!
But, at least, the blow was averted!
Both Yvonne and the shield flew backward. But while no cracks appeared on its surface, blood trickled down Yvonne's lips.
Olrich rose back in the air, standing beside the shield with bloodshot eyes.
"For how long do you think you can withstand its might?"
"For how long do you think you can endure a Divine Artifact's toll?"
Yvonne leisurely snarked in reply to Olrich's snide.
Meanwhile, Else and Verena channeled both their Holy Force and lifeforce to deal Olrich devastating blows during the next assault!
Although they couldn't fire many before collapsing, it would be more than enough to turn the tide and bring Yvonne victory.
…
Meanwhile, within the depths of the imperial palace, Adalwin's ancient eyes opened, and his holy sense locked on the scene playing above his house.
"If before a complete restoration, her strength is already this dreadful. Once she completely recovers, who will save my house?
Strange, what kind of weapon does she wield for her might to rise to such a level? If I didn't know better, I would say…a lineage weapon.
But how could it be?"
Adalwin wondered while standing up from his crossed-legged meditation.
"But now, I suppose it matters not."
He sighed.
"Father, eldest brother, I'm old, and only have a few centuries left to live. Soon, very soon, I will join you.
Alas, our descendants are unfilial and threaten to bring our house to ruin.
But as long as I, Adalwin, stands, none can threaten the name von Jurgen!
And with these last centuries, I pledge to clean all our enemies, and leave an unshakable foundation!"
Suddenly, Adalwin's calm, ancient eyes rippled with unprecedented vigor and determination.
He stretched out his hand, aiming it at the distant sky, but his eyes went beyond!
"You who answered my call, accept my reaching hand, and become…my first star!"
All phenomenon within the Holy Flame City's sky vanished, and again, clarity returned. But within that clear sky, a dazzling blue star now glittered. That star fired a beam toward a secluded spot of the imperial palace, a beam fired at Adalwin!
He didn't evade, bathing in the starlight that transformed his body, and allowed him to complete his lifelong aspiration!
Though he only had a few centuries left to live, though his existence approached its end, he succeeded!
He broke through!
After one-hundred-thousand years, without the help of the Celestial Church, the secular world's first Star Connecting Saint finally appeared, and it was him, Adalwin!
The myth that no secular world cultivator could ever reach the Star Taming Stage was finally broken!
With a step, he vanished, and with starlight still shrouding him, he reappeared by Olrich's side, releasing a pressure that caused the entire city to shiver!
"You…broke through."
Olrich stated, without a hint of joy, speaking the words that echoed in the minds of the Holy Flame City's top experts.
Adalwin ignored him, shifting his attention onto Yvonne.
"Without a shred of doubt, you're this world's number one prodigy.
As a cultivator, I can't help but marvel at your talent.
But as a son, I must protect my father's inheritance.
As a brother, I must shelter my brother's descendants.
And as an imperial prince, I must defend the imperial family's prosperity and glory.
Anyone who threatens this, no matter how much I appreciate them, must perish."
While Adalwin's hands remained crossed at his back, the pressure created by the blue star force swirling around him was enough to suppress all dissidence. The wind had again shifted, and this time, there seemed to be no hope for survival.
But when all seemed lost, besides Adalwin's blue star, a pitch-black one appeared!
Its darkness challenging Adalwin's star, as if representing all he opposed!
That dark star fired a ray onto another spot of the Holy Flame City, and from that spot, a shadow rose!
But this time, it wasn't that of a man, but a three-hundred meters long pitch-black serpent with a wingspan of more than seven-hundred meters!
Around that winged serpent, dark star force swirled!
That monstrous beast whose body bloated the sky was none other than Hubert Voight, Yvonne's father, in his true form!
And thanks to Wolfgang's express delivery, he'd also broken through!
