The Overseer's entire body convulsed as the four Flow Points detonated simultaneously, each explosion amplifying the others, creating devastation inside his body that even he could barely endure. The damage alone was catastrophic, but things were only about to grow worse.

Cain could not continue attacking as using the Second Level of the Thirty-Three Stars drained too much of his strength. But there was still the Crimson Exarch.

The Crimson Exarch had been waiting for this exact moment since the battle began. As the Overseer's body froze in paralysis from the internal backlash, the Exarch took his shot.

The singularity-type energy he had stored inside his weapon for the entire fight compressed into a single projectile, one aimed straight for the Overseer's head.

A wave of absolute terror rippled through the Overseer. His instincts screamed that if that shot struck his face, he would lose.

Logic dictated that it should not be possible. His defenses were overwhelming, and no single attack from a Middle Archdeity, no matter how unique, should threaten him. And yet his instincts never lied.

Inside his body, life force and soul force clashed violently, tearing through him like colliding stars. He should have been immobilized, but the strain of facing two opponents at once had awakened a deeper level of his battle skill.

In a desperate act, he used Divergence within himself, splitting the chaotic energy raging through his form just long enough for the upper side of his body to move. It lasted less than a nanosecond, not even enough time for a Prima Deity to blink, but it was all he needed.

His body jerked sideways. The movement was clumsy and desperate, but it shifted his head just out of the projectile's path.

The shot missed its intended target, but only barely, and the next instant it struck his collarbone, right between his neck and shoulder.

Cain saw it clearly.

There was no explosion. No blast. Only silence.

The instant the shot landed, the very matter and energy of the impact zone began to unravel. Spirit particles disintegrated. Reality itself started to untangle. The principles that held existence together simply ceased to function.

From the Overseer's collarbone to his right shoulder, everything vanished, leaving nothing behind but emptiness. His arm fell to the ground, detached and lifeless.

Cain exhaled slowly. "If that shot had hit the Overseer's face," he thought, "the battle would already be over."

Now he understood why the Crimson Exarch had been so confident that a direct headshot would end everything; there would have been no head left to speak of.

The Overseer screamed, a raw, piercing cry that shattered the stillness.

He had taken a lot of wounds in the previous battles against the Enlightened One, Meylin, and the others, but this was the first time he had ever shown true pain. The attack hadn't merely injured him; it had unraveled the principles of his existence.

Yet even in agony, that pain rekindled his focus.

With a roar, he launched his left fist forward, the Light of the Flow igniting around it like a supernova.

Cain folded his six crimson wings in front of him, forming a barrier just as the blow landed. The impact detonated against him, sending him hurtling across the arena.

He rolled along the metallic floor, sparks flying, until two of his wings pierced the ground and anchored him, finally stopping his momentum. The strike had blasted him all the way back to his original position, beside the Crimson Exarch.

The Exarch didn't glance at him. His eyes were cold, calculating, locked on the Overseer's mangled form. The unique energy once stored in his rifle had vanished; the weapon was spent.

He exhaled softly as the key to a flawless victory was gone. Yet, not even a second later, focus and determination arose.

The rifle split apart, reforming into his twin guns. Each hummed with his own power and the faint shimmer of the Flow's Light as he turned to Cain.

"Are you ready?"

Cain met his gaze, then reached out his hand. Sky Devourer flew back to his grip in a streak of crimson light.

"I am."

They had lost their chance at a clean victory, but the Overseer's right arm was gone, a severe blow to both his physical strength and his ability to manipulate the Flow. Victory was still possible, but only if they gave everything they had.

The Overseer raised his left hand, summoning his double-edged polearm from the ground. The damage he had sustained was catastrophic, but his purpose was absolute: to defeat the challengers. So long as a single spark of strength remained in his body and soul, he would fight.

There was no sound as the three parties glared at each other and then...

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Three explosions of sound echoed at once as all three combatants moved.

Cain appeared first, a blur of scarlet, slashing toward the Overseer's left side to exploit his injuries. But the Overseer twisted, deflecting the sword with his polearm, neutralizing the attack in a shower of sparks.

At the same time, the Crimson Exarch flanked from the side, both guns raised, firing twin streams of Flow-empowered energy at the Overseer's head.

The Overseer dodged one completely. The other grazed his chest, carving a line of blood across his armor. He ignored the pain, pivoted on his heel, and drove a kick straight into the Exarch's chest.

The blow landed like a meteor. The Exarch's body was sent crashing backward, tumbling across the metallic ground.

A flicker of cold light passed through the Overseer's eyes, but it lasted only an instant, as he detected a sharp pain in his chest.

Cain's free hand slammed against the Overseer's chest, bones cracking under the impact as raw energy exploded outward. The Overseer was blasted backward, his body tearing through the metallic floor before vanishing into the dust.

The Scarlet King and the Crimson Exarch glanced at each other as they flashed back to the fray.

One on one, neither Cain nor the Crimson Exarch could stand against him.

But together they might just have a chance to defeat the Overseer.

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