Raziel Phoenix reacted instantly.

His second soul ring flared as he activated Light Dragon Storm, his body spinning into a violent whirlwind as he slashed straight toward Ray.

Yet the Silverfalls Vine was far faster and far more tenacious than he expected.

Every time Raziel Phoenix shredded a bundle of vines, new strands surged forward a heartbeat later. They wrapped, pressed, and gnawed at the edges of his storm, steadily eroding its momentum.

This isn't good!

Raziel Phoenix inhaled sharply. Dropping to the ground, he activated his Shadow Dragon Storm as well. The two storms overlapped and fused, their power surging as light and shadow intertwined.

Twin Dragon Storm!

This was the culmination of Raziel Phoenix's efforts over the past month. In class zero, standing still meant being crushed.

His speed exploded.

He retreated toward Lily in a blur, so fast his figure seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Even so, his face had gone pale. The oppressive pressure from the thousand-year Silverfalls Vine and the enormous soul power consumption left him breathless.

Ray was briefly stunned.

He had expected Bind to lock Raziel Phoenix down completely. He hadn't anticipated this level of growth.

Lily halted her advance and gave Ray a thumbs-up, an amused glint flashing in her eyes.

Ray understood immediately.

She was getting serious.

Raziel Phoenix circled from the flank. As an agility-type Soul Master, charging head-on was never his strength. At the same time, Lily raised both arms, summoning a torrent of elemental attacks that converged on Ray from all directions.

Fire, wind, ice, earth, water—layer upon layer.

If this had been Ray from before, he would have been overwhelmed.

But now, his Silverfalls Vine slithered and intertwined, weaving into a vast net that absorbed and dispersed the elemental barrage. The battlefield became a grinding contest of attrition.

Ray's advantage lay in his thousand-year spirit soul, drastically reducing his consumption. Lily's advantage was her Elemental Tide and precise control, which also conserved energy. With her higher cultivation base, she gradually began to gain the upper hand.

After all, this was a Soul Master facing a Soul Grandmaster—an entire realm apart.

Yet Ray wasn't worried.

Because Lily had no one protecting her.

He ignored Raziel Phoenix entirely and charged straight toward Lily.

As long as she fell, Raziel Phoenix would be easy to deal with.

From the start, Ray had treated this as a one-versus-two fight. He didn't know Violetta's true strength and had no experience coordinating with her.

But with the thousand-year Silverfalls Vine and intermediate Spirit Connection realm spiritual power, he had endless possibilities.

The sharing ability erased his fear of Lily's multi-element attacks. His only limitation was soul power.

Which meant one thing.

Blitzkrieg.

Lily retreated, each step buying precious seconds. Though her speed couldn't match Ray's, her movements were calm and deliberate.

Her hands danced through complex seals.

Two spheres of light formed—one cobalt blue, the other crimson red. Violent fluctuations rippled outward as ice and fire fused together.

She hurled the unstable mass toward Ray.

Without the Purple Demon Eyes, Ray would have slammed straight into it.

But now, he saw everything.

Ice and fire—opposing elements—forced into fusion. Even temporarily, the true danger lay in the explosion.

He didn't hesitate.

Gold, the grass snake, shot forward, twisting through the air. With a flick of its tail, it deflected the unstable sphere aside.

At the same instant, Ray caught a dangerous violet glint flash through Lily's eyes.

Her focus wavered.

A brief dizziness struck her as control slipped. The fused elemental ball veered wildly and flew toward the sidelines.

Ray seized the opening.

He surged forward and activated Bind.

The Purple Demon Eyes weren't just for sight—they carried spiritual pressure.

Though he couldn't kill with a glance, disrupting an opponent's focus was well within his reach.

Lily's hands slowed.

By the time clarity returned, Silverfalls Vine had already swept toward her.

At the critical moment, silver light enveloped her body.

She vanished.

Space control.

The vines grasped only empty air.

Ray's eyes widened.

Then—she reappeared directly in front of him.

An azure palm thrust toward his chest.

Too fast.

Too unexpected.

She had turned the most dangerous position into the safest—rushing straight past his net and into point-blank range.

Instinct screamed.

Ray's Golden Dragon Claw surged up, ready to strike. He knew this blow could kill a thousand-year soul beast.

Then his arm stopped.

She's my comrade.

A loss… is just a loss.

At that instant, Lily's palm slammed into a layer of white light that had formed over Ray's chest.

Cold erupted outward, forcing her hand back.

Ray didn't waste the opportunity.

Silverfalls Vine surged forward, binding Lily completely. His claw gently pressed against her neck, cutting off her elemental control.

He turned in astonishment toward Violetta.

She stood there with her ice staff raised, pointed straight at him, her expression proudly smug.

Meanwhile, Raziel Phoenix was having a truly miserable day.

He had just prepared to break through Ray's defenses with Twin Dragon Storm and coordinate with Lily…

Just then... the runaway ice-fire sphere exploded beside him.

The blast engulfed him instantly.

In that moment, Raziel Phoenix experienced firsthand what it meant to be caught between two extremes.

Two heavens.

Fire and ice.

The two elements erupted together.

Ice sealed Raziel Phoenix's body in numbing frost while flame scorched through it in the same instant, a merciless union of extremes. Had he not reacted at the last second and unleashed Light Dragon Storm to disperse most of the explosion, he would have been carried off on a stretcher.

Just as relief flickered across his face—

Bam!

An ice wheel slammed squarely into his back.

Raziel Phoenix's eyes widened in disbelief. His body stiffened, knees buckled, and he toppled face-first onto the ground like a felled tree.

At the same time, Ray released his hold.

The net of Silverfalls Vine unraveled as he loosened his grip on Lily's neck, one hand shifting to her waist to steady her and restore her mobility.

They were suddenly very close.

Close enough for Lily to catch the faint, clean scent of him, crisp like morning air after rain. She could have escaped. With space control, she could have disengaged, drawn the fight out, and eventually won through relentless harassment.

But she hadn't wanted that.

Only at close range did she have a chance to end the fight in a single decisive strike.

Yet the outcome had betrayed her expectations.

She lost.

Both she and Raziel Phoenix had lost.

From the sidelines, Alfred and Aaron saw the battle clearly.

Though Ray had appeared to fight alone from start to finish, Violetta's support had been decisive. Her two interventions came at precisely the right moments, subtly shifting the balance and sealing the victory.

Sharp perception. Excellent timing. Solid control.

Alfred's gaze lingered on her for a heartbeat longer.

Compared to her peers, this girl was outstanding.

He met Aaron's eyes, and the two exchanged a quiet nod.

Aaron now fully approved of Ray.

Alfred, meanwhile, had begun to approve of Violetta.

"You took a lot of risks," Ray said as he finally let Lily go.

She snorted lightly. "I was afraid I'd hurt you. Otherwise, I would've used elements you couldn't defend against."

Ray froze.

She's right.

Water, fire, earth, wind, light… even space.

Ice was only an extension of water, not necessarily her strongest element. With her level of control, she could have assaulted him with three elements at once.

I held back with the Golden Dragon Claw… but she held back too.

A helpless smile tugged at his lips. "You're still the most amazing."

Lily laughed, eyes bright. "You're not bad yourself. If I hadn't stopped you, you might've injured me."

"Ow—ow! I know you two are busy admiring each other, but could someone please help your good friend off the floor?"

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