The sound of shattering bones and agonized howls echoed throughout the ruined marble chamber. Gin'iro, his fused form ruptured from within by Leon's Void slash, collapsed to his knees, drenched in black-and-gold blood.
"Gin'iro!" Kin'iro cried out, his signature composure vanishing into pure panic.
"Kin'iro... take... everything..." Gin'iro rasped with a hoarse, dying breath.
Without hesitation, Gin'iro ripped out his own core and plunged it straight into Kin'iro's chest. A blinding light scorched the air as the Hydra aura belonging to Gin'iro was completely absorbed. Kin'iro's body surged violently—his aura twisting into a dark, shimmering gold dripping with pure venom, compressing the gravity around them until the marble floor shattered into dust.
Kin'iro grinned hysterically, glaring at Leon and Xuánhú with eyes blazing with absolute malice. "You... will pay dearly for this!"
Yet, before Kin'iro could unleash his attack, the air itself shuddered.
RUMBLE...
A dimensional tear in the form of a deep purple portal materialized in the center of the hall. The ambient temperature dropped instantly to a sub-zero chill. Stepping through the purple rift came a woman.
Her skin was moon-pale, her snow-white hair trailing all the way to the ground, and her eyes were pitch-black without a trace of white—as though they swallowed all light around her. She walked with an eerie, quiet elegance, yet the aura she radiated was so dense and suffocating that breathing became a struggle.
"I believe that is quite enough playing... Kin'iro," the woman spoke softly, yet her voice echoed straight into the souls of everyone present.
Emerging right behind her was a silver-haired man with sharp, violet eyes. His hand rested upon the hilt of an elegant, black-sheathed nagamaki.
Standing near the rear, Nix's eyes widened in absolute shock. His body froze as he recognized their features.
"Moon-pale skin... bottomless black eyes..." Nix whispered, his voice trembling in disbelief. "It can't be... That woman... Morvana, the Abyssal Mother?! She's still alive?!"
Nix shifted his gaze to the man beside her. The facial features, the sword aura, and that distinct silver hair...
"...And that man... Kaze Ryusei?!" Nix gasped.
Upon hearing the name "Kaze," Kazan's expression shifted drastically. His face flushed red with rage, his eyes burning with deep-seated hatred and fury.
"YOU FINALLY SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU TRAITOR KAZE!" Kazan roared hysterically.
Drawing his katana, Kazan lunged forward like lightning, channeling every ounce of his aura into a desperate strike toward Kaze. Yet, with a motion effortlessly smooth and relaxed, Kaze drew his still-sheathed nagamaki and parried Kazan's slash with absolute ease.
CLANG!
"Hmph," Kaze offered a faint scoff, a arrogant smirk playing on his lips. "How have you been... my little brother, Kazan."
"CURSE YOU! A MONSTER LIKE YOU ISN'T FIT TO CALL HIMSELF MY BROTHER!" Kazan spat, his eyes brimming with unshed tears from the emotional turmoil exploding within him.
Kaze's smirk instantly soured. Without a word of warning, the heavy sheath in Kaze's hand shot forward, slamming straight into Kazan's abdomen at lethal speed.
THUD!
"Kh-khk...!" Kazan stumbled, his eyes rolling back before he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
"Kazan!" Leon shouted.
Seeing their comrade struck down, Leon and Nix surged forward toward Kaze and Morvana without a second thought. Morvana merely raised one hand calmly, unleashing a wave of dark aura to blow them back.
BOOM!
Before Morvana's shockwave could reach Leon and Nix, a white shadow flashed past. Xuánhú intercepted the blow, raising his bare hand to catch Morvana's strike dead-on!
The sheer pressure wave generated from the clash between Xuánhú and Morvana shattered the surrounding fortress walls into rubble.
Xuánhú grit his teeth, holding the line as he glared sharply at Morvana. "Morvana... hiding yourself for so long only to reveal yourself now. You must be plotting something massive."
Morvana looked at Xuánhú coldly. "Xuánhú... the exiled Fox Ancestor. It seems you have grown quite weak."
While their focus was divided, a tall, lanky humanoid creature suddenly materialized from Morvana's shadow. Slung over its shoulder was the unconscious body of Marcus.
"Marcus!" Zenless, seeing his trusted subordinate about to be taken, lunged forward. "Let him go!"
BAM!
Yet, before Zenless could even reach the creature, the lanky humanoid whipped its elbow backward, striking Zenless squarely in the back of the neck. That single, decisive blow sent Zenless crashing unconscious to the floor.
Morvana glanced down at the fallen Zenless. "Intriguing. Take him as well."
Feeling bypassed, Kin'iro barked furiously with his hands on his hips. "Morvana! What is the meaning of this?! Marcus and Zenless are my prize!"
Morvana did not answer. She merely cast a sideways glance at Kin'iro, and in an instant, a wave of absolute Abyssal aura flared outward, binding Kin'iro's entire body until the Hydra was paralyzed in terror and silenced completely.
"Do not talk back," Morvana hissed coldly.
Turning her back, Morvana stepped through the deep purple portal alongside the humanoid dragging Marcus and Zenless.
"This world will soon remember true terror once more," Morvana uttered softly before her form was swallowed by the dimensional rift.
Kaze glanced down at Kazan's unconscious body one last time, fully sheathing his nagamaki. "Until next time... little brother."
Kaze stepped inside, and the purple portal vanished without a trace.
Hff... hff...
A heavy silence gripped the ruined hall. Xuánhú exhaled a breath of relief, easing his trembling hands.
"Lucky for us they chose to retreat..." Xuánhú murmured softly. "If not... even if my power were fully restored, confronting Morvana right now could lead to severe injury... or death for us all."
"Xuánhú!" Leon called out, rushing over.
COUGH!
Xuánhú suddenly coughed violently, spitting fresh blood onto the marble floor. His nine white tails dimmed drastically. He clutched his chest, wincing in bitter pain.
"Tch... it seems I overexerted myself while my seal hasn't fully healed..." Xuánhú whispered.
Leon looked down at the blood-stained marble, then turned his gaze to the unconscious Kazan and the empty spot where Zenless and Marcus had just been taken.
The battle at this fortress was over... but the greatest threat in history had just awakened.
=== CHAPTER 53 END ===