A surging white beam of light came hurtling toward him.
Though Noah dodged in time, the attack's range was too vast, and it ultimately sent him flying.
Boom!
His back crashed heavily into a vertically standing black rock, cracking it with spiderweb-like fissures.
In that instant, Noah felt as if his internal organs had shifted positions. Several ribs snapped, and even Ages of Harvest flew from his hand.
Under gravity's pull, his figure slid down the shattered rock, collapsing weakly to his knees on the ground.
The pungent taste of iron rust spread from his throat. Noah felt the world spinning before his eyes. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of dark red congested blood.
"Cough... cough... Really... pathetic."
Using Sacred light! to fight monsters felt great, but just grazing himself with it nearly killed him on the spot!
This was the first time he had been injured since crossing into Solaris!
Noah coughed a few times, forcibly channeling Resonance energy to recall the dropped Ages of Harvest from the air. Using the long blade to support himself against the ground, he struggled to stand.
In his gradually darkening vision, the figure of the duplicate Tacet Discord in white casual clothing became blurry and wavering, as if splitting into multiples, shadowy and indistinct.
Noah bit his tongue hard, finally clearing his sight. Only then did he see the dragon horns on the duplicate's head, once again accumulating vast power.
As it formed hand seals, the Sentinel's phantom coiled around its body, gradually becoming solid.
But in his current teetering state, he had no strength left to dodge the next attack.
"Heh... A desperate situation, huh..."
Noah lowered his head with a bitter smile, his thoughts drifting in despair.
Being a hero... is really tough... If only Rover were here.
Time seemed to slow in an instant. His mind flashed through memories like a lantern show, rapidly rewinding from this moment backward.
From entering the Sonoro sphere, to Yangyang facing endless Tacet Discords alone, to parting with everyone outside Jinzhou.
He seemed to hear Yangyang's resolute words again, Jiyan's heavy burden, Jinhsi's hopes:
'I will use my flesh as cement and my bones as rebar to pave the way for you. Please... step over me and go higher and farther.'
'This battle concerns the safety of Jinzhou and even the entire Huanglong. For the sake of all the people, we must win!'
'No matter the outcome, you are a hero of Jinzhou, Noah. May you cross the long night and return victorious.'
"...Cough, a hero... how can he fall here!"
As if in a final burst of light, Noah released his grip on the long blade and forced himself to stand. Ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He urged the Resonance energy within his body and rapidly formed hand seals—
The opposite 'Noah' had fully accumulated its power, now casting a contemptuous glance at Noah.
The original body still wanted to struggle on the verge of death?
Impossible—he wouldn't make it in time!
'Noah' completed the final hand seal. The Sentinel phantom coiling beside it grew even more solid, white light about to burst from its mouth.
In the next instant, two dragon roars sounded almost simultaneously!
Dazzling white light illuminated the dim, pitch-black Sonoro sphere.
The two beams of white light intersected—one vast like a surging river and sea, the other feeble like a minor tributary.
The corner of 'Noah's mouth curled in contempt.
He hadn't expected the original to release the same Sacred light! so quickly. Unfortunately, though he managed it, the difference in strength between the two was like heaven and earth.
If the original wanted to clash head-on with him, he wouldn't last even half a second!
In the next instant, the disdain in the duplicate's eyes suddenly turned to extreme horror—
That white light wasn't coming to clash with its power head-on—it was aimed straight at its body!
This—how was it possible? For the sake of killing it, the original was willing to throw away his own life!
In the combat thinking it had copied, there was no such suicidal tactic!
Boom!
Both beams of white light reached their intended targets as desired. The Sonoro Sphere fell into complete silence.
Noah's duplicate completely shattered into fragmented frequencies, absorbed by the floating eyeball.
The eyeball trembled excitedly, as if receiving immense nourishment. Even the entire Sonoro sphere shook continuously.
Invisible frequencies were gestated, gradually forming a monstrous humanoid figure with scarlet blood wings, carrying an aura of endless decay and death.
Its head was crowned with a wreath of countless biological remains. Behind its cracked body were wings composed of innumerable twisted arms. In its hand, it gripped a blood-red scythe.
The ultimate weapon that the War Threnodian prided itself on—a Calamity-class Tacet Discord: the Dreamless.
Unlike the black-purple hue in the original storyline, this Dreamless was entirely dyed in scarlet blood.
"War... absorb... evolve..."
The Dreamless landed, taking long strides with its slender skeletal legs toward the exit of the Sonoro sphere, whispering incessantly:
"Need more... stronger weapons... must repay the transgression with blood!"
Step,
Step,
Step,
The Dreamless's figure drew closer step by step to the exit of the Sonoro Sphere.
Suddenly, its steps halted. It twisted its head to look back at a massive crater.
In the silent Sonoro sphere, a faint heartbeat was so jarring.
That intruder—wasn't dead!
In the Dreamless's cold gaze, atop the scarred, motionless chest of that figure—
A starry flower bloomed vibrantly in the wind, exceptionally vivid!
Verina character inherent skill: Blessing of Life.
[Blessing of Life: When a character in the team takes lethal damage, that damage will not cause the character to fall, and they gain a shield equal to 120% of Verina's ATK. The shield lasts 10 seconds. This effect can trigger once every 10 minutes.]
"You... must... repay the transgression..."
The Dreamless gently raised its scythe high, stepping closer to the broken husk.
Such a tenacious pest. No matter—crush it!
Suddenly, countless cyan-green plants wildly sprouted throughout the sonoro sphere.
A cyan-green vine perfectly entangled its legs, temporarily slowing its steps.
The figure lying in the massive crater gradually trembled. A maniacal laugh, like a broken bellows, rang out from the ruined body.
Laugh—he was laughing!
Under infinite crisis, Noah had thought he would tremble, fear, weaken.
But when blood flowed and life truly hung by a thread, a madness deep in his bones instantly swallowed his reason.
Pure combat instinct replaced thought. Now, he only wanted to fight to his heart's content!
Noah supported himself with Ages of Harvest, swaying as he stood from the ground. His tattered clothes barely covered him, with blood continuously dripping from his body.
Switching his character from Jinhsi to Verina, his near-fatal injuries vanished in an instant.
The injuries 'Jinhsi' sustained had nothing to do with 'Verina'.
"Heh... hahahaha... hahahahahaha!"
He clutched his forehead, laughing like a madman.
Interesting—truly interesting!
"This—is way more fun than the game!"
The Dreamless silently broke free from the vines' binding. Its withered fingers gripped the blood-red scythe tightly. Its figure abruptly vanished from its spot.
"Absorb... evolve..."
Swish!
It appeared ghost-like behind Noah, the scythe in its hand slashing straight down toward the crown of Noah's head.
A strike that should have landed perfectly was dodged by Noah's sideways shift at the moment it descended. The scythe buried deep into the surface rock.
The Dreamless tried to lift the scythe, but as the blade's head barely rose, it was heavily pinned down by a foot:
"Threnodian... hehe, Threnodian!"
Noah panted heavily, his heartbeat thundering like drums. Though his voice was low, it couldn't hide that extreme fervor:
"Your unlucky moment has arrived!"