It felt as if ti itself had frozen—
A haunting stillness, like the breathless pause before death’s final embrace.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, Reon found himself lying flat on the ground—completely unhard.
’Huh?! I’m... alive?! H-How is this possible?!’
But then—
Fragnts of mory surged back into his mind.
Just before the storm of blades could descend upon them—
"Master... SURVIVE!"
Cloudia’s desperate voice rang out in his ears.
And in the next instant, her powerful leg struck him squarely in the chest, launching him over five miles away from the battlefield.
"NOOOO... CLOUDIA!"
Reon had scread as he was hurled through the air like a ragdoll.
BOOM!
He collided with the trees, crashing through them with such force that they splintered and shattered.
Then—darkness, for a few seconds.
As the mories surged back, panic clawed at Reon’s chest.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"No... No... Cloudia! It can’t be... You can’t leave like this..."
His gaze locked ahead, heart pounding like a hamr.
As the dense smoke from the explosion slowly dispersed... a massive crater ca into view—
A deep scar in the earth spanning over four miles.
And within that shattered landscape... she stood.
Cloudia.
A surge of relief washed over Reon as he saw her majestic figure.
She stood tall in her true form, her massive Nine-Tailed Fox form—majestic and awe-inspiring.
Golden fur flowed like divine silk, and two magnificent tails swirled behind her in regal grace.
But the sight was far from perfect.
Blood stread uncontrollably from deep wounds across her body.
Her once-pristine golden fur was soaked in crimson, matted and torn.
Her regal, golden celestial foxlike face was streaked with slashes, fresh blood trailing down her cheek.
Yet—
Swoosh!
Her powerful regeneration ability, amplified by her evolution into a Demonic Elite Beast, surged to life.
In re monts, her wounds began to heal—torn flesh stitching back together, and blood evaporating in streams of glowing light.
The regal light of a true Celestial Beast returned.
’Thank goodness... you’re safe, Cloudia,’ Reon thought, his heart finally able to breathe again.
On the other side—
Xiao Yan’s pupils shrank in disbelief.
"OHHH?! OHHH?! You were hiding sothing like this, you bastard?!" he shouted, veins bulging.
"I really fucking underestimated you!"
He pointed, eyes wide with manic greed.
"A Legendary-Lineage Nine-Tailed Fox?! And a Dual-Bloodline at that?!"
"Even in my previous life, I couldn’t obtain a Legendary Beast—let alone one with Dual-Bloodline, one of which was a Legendary-Lineage!"
He turned to Reon, his face contorting with twisted fury.
"Just how fucking lucky are you, bastard?!"
Then, his gaze returned to Cloudia, voice laced with mockery.
"And you... how can a creature like you—noble, proud—serve him as your master?"
"Do you have no sha as a Legendary Beast?"
Cloudia stepped forward, her aura flaring.
Her voice, cold and laced with fury, thundered across the crater:
"SHUT. UP. You parasitic soul... How dare you insult my master?! You’re nothing compared to him!"
Xiao Yan gave a slow, amused smirk.
"Heh. As expected... A Legendary-Lineage Beast can sense a soul that doesn’t belong to the original body."
Reon flinched in the distance, eyes widening.
’What?! Then—does that an Cloudia knows I’m not the original Xue Taiyang?’
’If she does... how am I supposed to explain that I’ve been hiding it from her all this ti?’
But Xiao Yan went on, unbothered.
"You’re wrong about one thing, though."
"I am the Elental King—a legend in both soul and skill. Far more worthy than that trash you serve!"
He extended his hand toward her.
"Why not abandon him and beco my companion instead? I’ll treat you bette—"
But before he could finish—
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING TRAP!"
Cloudia’s eyes flashed with killing intent:
"You are not worthy to speak to —let alone claim ."
A low sigh escaped Xiao Yan’s lips, as if disappointed.
"Tch... so kind words won’t work, huh?"
He cracked his knuckles, eyes turning blood-red.
"Then I’ll just kill your so-called master and turn you into my slave beast by force."
He lunged toward Reon like a maddened beast—
But Cloudia whispered coldly,
"Dreamweaver Mist!"
Whoooosh!
The world shimred.
Suddenly, in Xiao Yan’s vision, the battlefield twisted into a surreal place.
Before him stood hundreds of Cloudias, each one identical, their golden eyes locked onto him with cold fury.
Her increased strength had significantly amplified her illusion ability—far more potent than before.
From within the illusion, Xiao Yan chuckled, unfazed.
"Hooh? This ability... how nostalgic."
"You know, when I was young, I once tried to claim a Nine-Tailed Fox as my beast companion."
"He was strong... and proud. So damn stubborn, always glaring at like I was beneath him."
"He rejected to the very end, claiming his dream was to beco Patriarch of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, to lead it to glory—not to be soone’s slave."
He chuckled darkly.
"In the end, I was ready to use force—left with no other choice. But fate was cruel... I died before I could make him mine."
He narrowed his eyes, trying to recall.
"What was his na again... Alazic Astrelle? No... Alaric Astrelle."
From the outside, Cloudia—who had been quietly preparing her most devastating strike—froze.
Her pupils trembled.
"F-Father...!" she whispered in disbelief.
Xiao Yan smirked with malicious delight.
"Oho? He was your father? No wonder you’re so arrogant. Just like him."
"But unlike you, he was admirable in one regard—he never bowed to trash. Not even to a genius like , a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy."
"Shut your mouth, you pathetic parasite!" Cloudia growled, her voice filled with fury.
"He didn’t submit to you because he saw right through you. He knew what kind of garbage you really are—a greedy, power-hungry soul who only ever thinks of themselves, never caring for others."
"And believe , I see it too!"
At her command, every version of Cloudia surged forward, attacking in unison.
Xiao Yan’s grin remained.
"Useless... useless."
"You can’t harm while I’m using this ability of mine."
Then—
WHOOSH!
SWOOOOOOSH!
Thousands of Elental Blades ford above him, each humming with the power of four different elents, infused with 1-Star Elental Qi.
CRACK!
In one brutal instant, the illusions were shattered.
Cloudia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
’Impossible... He broke through it?!’
But she didn’t hesitate.
"Then take this... you bastard."
From her open maw, she unleashed the attack she’d been charging all along—anticipating the failure of her illusion.
"Foxfire Tempest!"
A piercing stream of violet fla surged forward, swirling like a storm, compressed with destructive heat and explosive force.
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion rocked the battlefield, shaking trees and hurling debris like dust in a hurricane.
Cloudia gasped, staring into the settling smoke.
’D-Did I actually... hit him?’
As the dust cleared, her breath caught.
Xiao Yan was still standing—but barely.
His two arms and left leg had been obliterated, his body swaying on a single remaining leg.
Cloudia’s lips trembled in joy.
"I... I did it. I saved Master."
But just as relief blood in her heart—
Her smile vanished.
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