The essence of a predator lies not in brute strength, but in the precise calibration of timing and the exploitation of weakness. For three critical seconds, the world had narrowed to the triumphant gleam in Yun Baobao's eyes as the Ape-Demon Chieftain fell, to the fleeting, unguarded moment of avarice as her hand closed around the Boss's loot. In that sliver of time, a plan, cold and razor-sharp, had crystallized in Yao's mind. The combined might of Zhang Doudou was terrifying, a fortress seemingly impregnable. But every fortress has its gate, and every partnership, its fault line. Sever the tether, and the titan stumbles.
Yao had gambled, betting everything on a single, surgical strike in the aftermath of victory. She had won the wager. The decoy—a shimmering construct of light and will—had drawn the collective gaze, while her true self, a phantom clinging to Hong Yan's battered form, had acted. The elimination of Yun Baobao was not just a removal of a rival; it was the dismantling of a keystone. Zhang Doudou's power, immense moments before, crumbled like a puppet with its strings cut. The mighty sword-strike, destined to cleave Yao in two, met only a masterfully woven shield of golden threads and a body that had learned the cruel art of survival through density manipulation—displacing flesh and bone to create a void for the blade to pass through harmlessly. The victor of seconds ago was now fading from the arena, leaving behind only the echo of a promised watermelon and Yao's cold, pragmatic farewell.
Now, as the spoils lay at her feet, Yao moved. Yet, instead of summoning threads of light to retrieve the fallen packs, she deliberately bent at the waist. It was a feint, a lure cast into the turbulent waters of the remaining competitors. Come, the gesture taunted, try and take it. But the big fish were wary. Li Cang and Wei Mingtang, their instincts honed by countless battles, held their positions, their senses probing the obvious trap. Their inaction, however, did not mean peace.
A shrill, metallic cry pierced the chaos as Da Hong, the Crimson Radiance Metal-Finch, erupted from its pet space. It did not attack the elites. Instead, it dissolved into a storm of superheated projectiles that screamed into the scattered ranks of the other examinees. The message was clear: while the lions watched one another, the jackal would cull the herd and claim the points. Panic erupted anew. But Yao's true focus was already elsewhere. Her consciousness, stretched thin across the avian onslaught, had locked onto a subtler prey—the elusive, dark-haired girl whose perceptions posed the greatest threat.
The "birdcage" of light filaments constricted, not to imprison, but to channel. A lance of pure energy, woven from the very essence of light and the hungry vitality of the Star-Devouring Vine, shot toward Wei Mingtang. The reaction was instantaneous. Wei Mingtang's form blurred, dissolving into a vortex of shadow that seeped into the fractures of space itself, a desperate, elegant evasion. Yao's attack pursued, a relentless hunter, forcing Wei Mingtang on the defensive. Seizing the opening, Yue Mingze melted into the background, his presence vanishing as he sought to turn the tables on the huntress.
"Oaks!" Xie Yiyuan's voice cut through the din, laced with a performative fury. "Have you lost your mind? Kill us all, and you stand alone against what comes next! This is sheer idiocy!"
Yao played her part to perfection. She let a wild, arrogant laugh bubble forth. "What comes next? I'll be number one! That's all that matters!" She poured on the aggression, the light-lances striking with increased ferocity, aiming to scatter and intimidate, to paint herself as a reckless force of destruction. The ploy worked. Lesser examinees faltered, their resolve cracking under the spectacle of her perceived madness.
It was Xie Yiyuan who saw through the ruse. "Fools! She's isolating us! Wei Mingtang and I are the only ones who can reliably track her! If she takes us out, you're all just waiting in the dark for her knife!" His words were a bucket of cold water, shocking the others into a semblance of unity. Reluctantly, their attacks began to coalesce, directed by the combined insight of Xie and Wei, aiming to pin down the elusive Oaks.
Just as their coordinated assault found its mark, the world itself broke apart.
The tremor was not an attack from any contender. It was a deep, groaning shudder that rose from the very foundations of the prison. The floor beneath their feet, already strained by the colossal energies being unleashed, buckled. Stone turned to dust, and a yawning chasm erupted, swallowing the battlefield whole. A geyser of viscous, overpowering blood-mist erupted from the depths, carrying with it the stench of iron and ancient rot. The system alert blared in everyone's minds simultaneously:
They fell, not through air, but through a suffocating ocean of blood. And from the abyss below, a voice, playful and chillingly androgynous, coiled around them. "Little morsels... you've come all this way. Won't you let me kiss your necks?"
Gravity itself twisted. An immense, invisible force seized them, dragging them down like stones. At the bottom of the pit, seated casually on the ruins of a toilet amidst the chaos, was a pale, unnaturally handsome young man. A smile played on his lips, revealing needle-sharp fangs. This was Wei Ran, the true final Boss, the master of this sanguine realm. With a casual gesture, he wielded a Composite Arcane Field: Gravity Supremacy, a power that bent the very laws of physics to his will. This was no simple spell; it was a domain, a finished Arcane Art that required mastery over seven lesser principles fused into one seamless, devastating whole.
As Wei Ran drew breath for a sonic attack that would shatter their minds, Yao acted. Her agility, amplified to impossible heights by her dual-fusion state, allowed for a split-second interruption. A precisely aimed thread of light, laced with disruptive energy, shot forth, not to harm, but to jam. The incipient roar died in Wei Ran's throat, choked off before it could form. His sanguine eyes snapped toward Yao, narrowing with a mix of annoyance and dawning interest. This one...Without a word, his body disintegrated into a swarm of crimson bats, each one a tiny, ravenous maw intent on stripping Yao's flesh to the bone.
But as the swarm descended, Wei Ran convulsed. A spasm of agony wracked his form. Inside him, something he had consumed—the mixed blood of the examinees, the very energy he had drawn to power his ascent—was turning against him. The Thousand-Luo Star-Devouring Vine, which Yao had secretly introduced into the blood matrix feeding the ritual, was now blooming insidehim, a parasitic explosion siphoning his own vast power.
This was the moment. While Wei Ran was momentarily crippled by the internal rebellion, Yao's focus split. Da Hong, which had been lying dormant and invisible near a specific, unassuming figure in the crowd, detonated. The explosion was cataclysmic, a sunburst at point-blank range aimed at Xie Yiyuan's secret partner, the architect of this entire endgame—Que Baimo. The blast tore through the man's defenses, mangling his body. Yet, his will was iron. Even as he was thrown through the air, limbs severed, a brilliant healing light—a Divine Light Regeneration art—sprang forth to staunch the mortal wounds.
Simultaneously, a darker betrayal unfolded. Seizing the perfect opportunity, Wei Mingtang struck—not at Yao, but at Xie Yiyuan. Her betrayal was absolute, a dagger of pure shadow in the back. Xie Yiyuan, already focused on Yao, had no defense. Dark energy corroded his flesh, nullifying his frantic attempts at light-based healing. As he gasped, life fading, his eyes met those of his partner, Que Baimo, who was also hanging on the brink. Their grand design, the meticulous plan to control the Boss and eliminate the competition, was unraveling in a maelstrom of treachery.
Yao gave them no time for regrets. As the Vine crippled Wei Ran, she harnessed all the stolen energy, all the elemental power she had greedily absorbed from the battlefield above. In her left palm, a crude, hastily constructed Arcane Diagram flickered to life—a simple circle with a central point. It was ugly, inelegant, a testament to her rushed training, but it was lethal in its directness. A single, devastating beam of light lanced out.
Thwip!
It pierced Wei Ran's heart just as he struggled to control the Vine's growth inside him. His eyes widened in shock, then glazed over. The beam did not vanish. It curved, a scimitar of light, and found its second target: the desperately healing Que Baimo.
A final, silent scream, and then nothing. A double kill against two master strategists.
A profound silence seemed to descend, broken only by the drip of blood and the groan of settling stone. Yao stood panting, the immense energy she'd channeled leaving her drained. It was then, in that moment of exhaustion, that she felt a presence behind her.
She tried to twist away, but a blade of condensed light, radiant and pure, punched clean through her abdomen. The pain was excruciating, a white-hot brand of purity searing her from within. Gasping, she looked down at the tip of the blade protruding from her stomach, then managed to turn her head.
Wei Mingtang stood a few feet away, impaled by an identical blade of light. Behind her, standing calm and composed, was Li Cang. A gentle, almost apologetic smile graced his lips. Behind him, four luminous Light Sprites hovered, their combined power saturating the area with an oppressive, holy energy. This was the source of his overwhelming strength.
"My apologies, Brother Oaks," Li Cang said, his voice as smooth as silk. "I'm afraid I have no watermelon to offer."
He paused, the sanctimonious smile never leaving his face.
"But I would be delighted to treat you to a farewell feast."
The cross-shaped pendant around his neck began to glow with the terrifying intensity of a Discipline-class Arcane Art, ready to deliver the final judgment. The true oriole had been waiting all along, and now, with the mantis exhausted and the cicada silent, it was finally his time to feast.