Nar looked at Xirwei in surprise. In his impression, Xirwei had always been proud and arrogant, but now she was actually offering to be a mount, to carry the Emperor of the Xia Kingdom for a while?
He observed Fang Yuan quietly, as he had never seen Fang Yuan in action. He didn't know how strong Fang Yuan was, so he couldn't quite understand Xirwei's reasoning.
"With you?" Fang Yuan's gaze lingered briefly on Xirwei, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected that the Dragon Anvil Clan's demonization ability could reach such a level, where even the original form could be fully manifested.
At this moment, defeating them might also give him a good amount of virtuous points, right?
But this thought quickly vanished. Betraying an ally was, after all, against his principles.
Xirwei, hearing this, excitedly nodded repeatedly, her tail unconsciously swishing through the air: "Your Majesty, if we both go together, we'll definitely be able to cause a massacre!"
Fang Yuan remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head, "No need, I don't need a mount... uh, at least not right now."
Xirwei's tail drooped instantly, and her head lowered slightly, but she quickly straightened up: "Understood! If Your Majesty needs me, just call me anytime!"
So, she was rejected and considered a hindrance...
"Mm." Fang Yuan gave a slight nod and then instructed, "You all wait here. Ruan Chao'an will join you soon."
As his voice faded, his figure transformed into a streak of black light, tearing through the sky as he sped westward.
Xirwei looked up at the fleeting afterimage and unconsciously swiped her claws through the air, muttering quietly, "...Riding a lion is so cool."
Nar, standing with his arms crossed, twitched his mouth: "I say, if you're in heat, at least pick the right time and place!"
"None of your business!" Xirwei snapped in anger, spitting a blast of flame at Nar's feet, scaring him to take three quick steps back.
The nobleman standing by silently observed, offering a polite but awkward smile.
As expected, even the lioness was attracted to their Emperor...
...
"They're here! Everyone we sent out has been taken care of, and the Emperor of the Xia Kingdom is coming for us!"
Inside the Star Fortress, Juno sensed the change in the battle through the [Grip of the Stars], her face turning as white as paper.
"Run! We need to leave now!" She suddenly turned and shouted at the Elder of Iron Spine.
"I'm already going full speed!" The Elder of Iron Spine responded loudly, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. In fact, he had already started the retreat of the Star Fortress when Fang Yuan wiped out the Royal Cavalry.
But this colossal ship, even with thousands of warriors controlling it, couldn't move much faster.
"No! At this rate, the Emperor of Xia will catch up to us!" Juno's voice was urgent. "The only option now is to abandon ship and escape!"
"Abandon ship?! Are you crazy?!" The Elder of Iron Spine suddenly turned, fury blazing in his eyes.
"I know there are still tens of thousands of warriors on the Star Fortress, and perhaps you're reluctant to..." Juno gritted her teeth.
"Who cares about them!" The Elder interrupted loudly, his voice filled with almost savage obsession. "What I care about is the Star Fortress!"
"This is the supreme treasure my Iron Spine Clan has spent thousands of years crafting, our greatest pride! You want me to give it up? Not a chance!"
Seeing the Elder's unwavering stance on the Star Fortress, Juno had no choice but to turn to the Pope, her eyes filled with urgency. "Your Excellency, please make the decision for us! Should we flee, or..."
The Pope stood still, her silver-white robes billowing as though moved by an unseen wind. She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze seeming to penetrate the metal shell of the Star Fortress, looking straight at the terrifying aura approaching from afar.
"Elder Iron Spine is right." Her voice was soft but carried an undeniable force. "Even if we abandon ship and flee, where can we go?"
Her tone suddenly became sharp: "Rather than retreating in disgrace, we should face him here, and decide our fate with him!"
"What..." Saint White furrowed his brow, almost doubting his ears. In his memory, the Pope was always one to plan carefully before acting and never took risks.
But now, she was choosing to confront this monstrous enemy head-on?
Juno hadn't expected the Pope to say such a thing, but the Elder of Iron Spine, hearing these words, was instantly fired up.
"It's about time! My Iron Spine's forging technique is world-renowned, and this Star Fortress is the pinnacle of our wisdom, the pride of our people!"
He slammed the control panel, speaking loudly as if giving a speech: "Every spiritual cannon and every rune matrix on this Star Fortress is a masterpiece of its time!"
"Today, let the Emperor of Xia see what a real war machine is!"
"Juno!" He suddenly turned his head, his eyes burning, "Lock on to the target immediately, activate the full weapon array! I'll use this steel sky to smash him into dust!"
Juno took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back. She nodded: "...Alright, let's give it a try."
After all, with the [Grip of the Stars] to protect her, even if they were defeated, she could instantly teleport to a distant sea.
"Everyone, listen up!" The Elder of Iron Spine shouted, raising his arm. The entire Star Fortress's spiritual symbols lit up, and countless cannon barrels emerged from beneath the armor, their hums vibrating the air!
"[All Stars Fall] Fire all cannons!!"
Inside the Star Fortress, the spiritual furnaces roared, and tens of thousands of warriors, their faces pale, still gritted their teeth and poured their spiritual energy into the weapon array.
"Boom, boom, boom!!!"
In an instant, over a thousand spiritual cannons roared, their fire tearing through the sky, creating deafening sounds!
"Lock on to all targets!"
Juno gritted her teeth and yelled. Under her and the guidance of thousands of formation mages, with the laws of the [Grip of the Stars], those shells that should have scattered in all directions eerily twisted in mid-air, becoming a sky full of meteors, all crashing toward the same target!
Above the clouds, as Fang Yuan rapidly advanced, his figure suddenly halted.
He slowly looked up, and in his pupils reflected the cannon fire that blotted out the sky, the spiritual shells dragging flames through the air, curving like living creatures, weaving a massive net that completely surrounded him!
"So many weapons... Interesting." Fang Yuan suddenly smiled.
Instead of dodging, he accelerated toward the fire, and in an instant, tens of thousands of spiritual shells, like the furious hammers of Thor, slammed into his frail body.
The world fell silent.