Just as the lightning snakes were about to strike, Raziel Phoenix's figure wavered.

One became two.

Two became many.

Ghostly afterimages flickered forward, overlapping and splitting apart in rapid succession.

Chaotic Dance of the Silver Snakes covered a wide area, but it wasn't seamless. The lightning snakes shifted erratically, creating fleeting gaps between them. Raziel Phoenix swayed through those gaps like drifting smoke, slipping past the lightning and continuing his advance.

How is this possible?!

Margery's pupils shrank. She hadn't seen a soul ring light up. This wasn't a soul skill.

Then what was it?

Why had his body suddenly become so illusory?

Isn't his martial soul a dagger?

She couldn't possibly know that what Raziel Phoenix was using was a Immortal guild secret art—the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

Just as Sealand Academy had studied West Ocean's team, West Ocean had done the same.

In battle, knowledge was often the dividing line between victory and defeat. Ray had only allowed Raziel Phoenix to engage Margery after fully understanding her abilities.

Margery's lightning was indeed deadly to agility-type soul masters—but only if it could hit.

Raziel Phoenix's talent had already been evident when Ray first met him. After a year of Alfred's brutal training and mastery of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his speed and footwork had reached an entirely different realm.

His movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water. Margery couldn't track him at all.

Meanwhile, in Raziel Phoenix's eyes, she was practically standing still.

Chaotic Dance of the Silver Snakes looked overwhelming, but it was riddled with openings. Against true speed, it was nothing more than a flashy cage with broken bars.

Panic flashed across Margery's face.

When Raziel Phoenix appeared before her in a heartbeat, she slammed her Thunderflash Sword into the ground and activated her third soul ring.

A burst of silver light exploded outward.

Raziel Phoenix reacted instantly, flipping backward to retreat and aborting his attack.

Just as he anticipated, lightning snakes erupted from the sword an instant later. She had unleashed the Chaotic Dance of the Silver Snakes again.

Dodging in midair was impossible at their level. If Raziel Phoenix hadn't withdrawn when he did, he would have been paralyzed on the spot.

Golden light flared around his body.

With a sharp shout, Raziel Phoenix activated Light Dragon Storm, propelling himself backward in a streak of brilliance.

Silver lightning chased after him, only to dissolve instantly upon colliding with the golden radiance.

Landing at a safe distance, Raziel Phoenix twirled the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand and cast Margery a mocking grin.

Her expression darkened.

To protect herself, she had already used Chaotic Dance of the Silver Snakes twice and Thunderflash Ring once. The soul power consumed by those three skills far exceeded Raziel Phoenix's single activation.

Even with her higher cultivation, such expenditure was no small matter.

Raziel Phoenix tightened his grip on his dagger and began circling her slowly, relaxed and unhurried. There wasn't a trace of anxiety on his face.

Ray had given him only one task: keep Margery occupied. If an opportunity arose, defeat her. If not, isolating her was enough.

And so far, he was doing more than enough.

Meanwhile, Ray discovered that his Bind had failed.

Matilda extended a finger toward the approaching strands of Silverfalls Vine and released a cluster of soft green lights.

A strange sensation swept through Ray.

It felt as if his Silverfalls Vine had been enveloped in a warm, nurturing embrace—one that gently, irresistibly stole his control.

The vines slackened midair and dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Ray's heart sank.

This…

This is attribute suppression.

He understood instantly.

Until now, it had always been his Golden Dragon King bloodline suppressing other soul masters and soul beasts. He had never imagined that one day, he would be the one suppressed instead.

Despite being transformed by the Golden Dragon King, his Silverfalls Vine was still fundamentally wood-attributed. The bloodline had elevated it tremendously, but against Matilda's Wood Spirit martial soul—and her higher soul power—suppression was inevitable.

Even a thousand-year soul ring couldn't overturn this disparity.

For the first time in this battle, Ray felt the pressure of a true natural counter.

Matilda's lips curved into a gentle, almost innocent smile.

At the same time, Ursula lifted a finger and pointed straight at Ray.

In an instant, thick icicles surged up from the ground, interlocking and rising around him like the bars of a frozen cage. The structure sealed him in from every direction, forming an ice prison that restricted his movement and cut off his escape.

Ursula's first soul skill was Ice Wall, her second Icicle.

But these icicles were anything but ordinary.

They were variant icicles, dense and refined, capable of shifting form and position at her will. Their hardness far surpassed the ice wall Ray had shattered earlier. When he tried to force his way through, the backlash sent him stumbling, icy air flooding the enclosure and surging into his body.

No matter how tough his physique was, it wasn't immune to extreme cold. Within moments, his muscles stiffened, and an uncontrollable shiver ran through him.

These sisters… their coordination is terrifying.

And they're clearly still holding back.

Ray knew it well. If Ursula truly intended to finish him, she wouldn't have imprisoned him at all. She would have impaled him outright.

He couldn't afford to hesitate.

A strand of Silverfalls Vine shot out beneath his feet, lifting him upward in an attempt to escape the prison from above.

But before he could rise clear, the surrounding icicles elongated and crossed paths midair, sealing off his last opening.

Another layer of control.

Ray's heart sank.

This wasn't simple skill usage. This was secondary control layered on top of a soul skill. Ursula's spiritual power had to be exceptionally high—no lower than his own.

We underestimated them. Severely.

"Lily!" Ray shouted.

Golden scales rippled violently across his right arm as it transformed into the golden dragon claw. Without hesitation, he smashed his fist into the ice before him.

Bang!

The icicle exploded into icy powder under the claw's crushing force. Ray burst through the opening in the same breath.

Though Matilda's Wood Spirit suppressed his Silverfalls Vine, the suppression wasn't absolute.

Ray withdrew all but a single strand of golden Silverfalls Vine and sent it shooting straight toward Matilda, his body charging right behind it.

Lily moved the instant she heard his call.

Green light wrapped around her as she soared forward. Her first soul ring lit up and her fingers twisted sharply.

A blazing fireball tore through the air toward the Zhou sisters.

Fire.

Whether ice or wood, both were restrained by flame.

Matilda and Ursula were visibly shaken. As elemental soul masters themselves, they instantly recognized the danger.

Elemental-type… and more than one element?

Matilda's Wood Spirit was powerless against fire. Only Ursula had the means to resist.

A half-meter-long icicle appeared and slammed into the fireball midair.

Crimson and cobalt light detonated on impact, neither side gaining the upper hand.

Matilda acted at once. A vine lashed out toward Ray, her second soul ring glowing steadily as the suppressive force of Wood Spirit never relented.

Her first soul skill was Thorny Vines.

Her second was Wood Spirit.

Wood Spirit was a support-type soul skill that amplified her other abilities while suppressing all wood-attributed martial souls and soul beasts. Unless the opponent's wood attribute exceeded hers, suppression was unavoidable.

In other words, Ray was suppressed from the moment the battle began.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.