He also possessed six soul rings—but his were two yellow and four purple. He understood all too clearly how vast the gap was between himself and a Soul Emperor with black rings.

The nine swords arranged themselves into a rotating wheel of death and spun toward him without mercy.

Alfred's fury had stripped him of restraint.

Oswin didn't even have time to explain. He summoned his martial soul instantly. Massive wings unfurled behind him, majestic and radiant. He raised his hands, calling down a blazing sphere of lightning and light to meet the incoming swords.

Bang!

The difference was immediate.

The lightning sphere shattered, while the icy swords continued forward unimpeded, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

Oswin roared and activated his fifth soul skill. A thunderous lightning bird burst forth to intercept the spinning wheel.

His Thunder Peng martial soul was powerful—undeniably so.

But his opponent was Alfred.

Alfred of the frozen heavens.

And Alfred was enraged.

*

Off the stage, a silver flash appeared.

Lily reemerged, clutching Ray tightly in her arms.

His body was riddled with wounds, most of them clustered around his upper torso and right thigh. For an ordinary person, these injuries would have been fatal many times over.

Lily clenched her teeth, holding him as though she might lose him if she loosened her grip.

Suddenly, a golden light burst from her body, enveloping them both.

Moments later, it condensed—forming a cocoon of radiant light that sealed them away from the outside world.

A thunderous draconic roar tore through the sky.

At the very instant the lightning bird collided with the wheel of swords, an azure dragon surged into existence. Its massive form coiled through the air, interlocking perfectly with the blue lightning bird as the two forces fused and struck together.

Conrad arrived beside Oswin in a flash. Rivals though they were, they had known each other for decades. In a moment like this, standing idle was unthinkable.

An ear-splitting alarm wailed throughout the stadium, sharp enough to rattle the bones. Given the magnitude of the Skysea Alliance Tournament, only a madman would dare stir chaos here and challenge the authority of the entire Alliance.

Boom—boom—boom!

Nine deafening explosions rang out in succession. Each blast sent waves of frost surging outward, flooding every corner of the stadium. The remaining spectators shuddered violently, their breath turning white as an eerie sheen washed over the sky. Elemental energies spiraled out of control, colliding and tearing at one another.

Too powerful.

The crowd was utterly stunned. This was a clash between three six-ring powerhouses. Words like "astonishing" or "terrifying" felt woefully inadequate.

Alfred stood unmoving at the center of the storm. His expression remained calm, indifferent even, as the violent shockwaves snapped his robes like banners in a gale.

Conrad and Oswin were forced back ten steps. Conrad's face had gone pale, while blood trickled from the corner of Oswin's mouth.

Conrad bellowed furiously, "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble at the Skysea Alliance Tournament!"

Alfred did not answer.

He simply raised his gaze.

The Skyfrost Sword gleamed in his hand as a terrifying aura erupted from his body.

All six of his soul rings ignited simultaneously.

Despite all three being six-ringed Soul Emperors, Conrad and Oswin felt an overwhelming suppression press down on them. Their bodies stiffened, soul power circulation turning chaotic and sluggish.

Horror crept into their hearts.

Alfred wasn't even thirty, and yet he possessed two black soul rings.

Fighting him head-on would be madness.

From the stands, two people had been watching the match from the very beginning. Jacob's face was drained of color as he muttered anxiously, "Ray… he'll be fine, right? He has to be fine. Big sis Scarlet, he's fine… right?"

Scarlet didn't answer.

She had come today to observe Lily, preparing for their promised battle. Knowing both oneself and one's opponent was the path to victory.

But she had never imagined the match would unfold like this.

As a spectator, she had seen everything clearly. In the final moment of the Forest of Ice, Ray had shielded Lily with his own body. Even as the icy branches pierced him, he never loosened his hold.

That image struck her straight in the heart.

They were just children—yet such instinctive, selfless resolve had shaken her deeply.

In that moment, every grievance she had ever held toward Ray dissolved. His place in her heart rose silently, irreversibly.

This was the first time she had ever seen someone give so much for another.

His body had been riddled with wounds. Any one of them could have been fatal. And he had already been gravely injured in their battle just days ago.

Maybe he…

Scarlet's fingers curled slowly.

She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.

She sighed inwardly. There was nothing she could do. That man with the blue sword—he must be Ray's teacher.

Alfred did not pursue the attack.

Maintaining his crushing aura to suppress Conrad and Oswin, he descended calmly to where Ray and Lily had disappeared. His gaze settled on the golden cocoon, and a faint frown creased his brow.

Life pulsed from within.

He couldn't see what was happening inside, but he could clearly sense two distinct life forces.

They were alive.

Suddenly, massive shadows swept down from the sky.

The moment Conrad saw them, he finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Raziel Phoenix looked up—and froze.

Twenty colossal mechas descended from above, each towering ten meters tall.

At the forefront hovered a regal purple mecha, its entire frame radiating overwhelming power. Behind it followed four yellow mechas, and trailing them were fifteen white ones.

Though all were similar in size, the energy fluctuations they emitted were worlds apart. The combined output of the white mechas barely compares to the might of the purple one alone.

Mechas were classified much like soul rings and spirit souls.

White mechas were the most basic. Used primarily for training and city defense, they relied solely on manual controls. Their mobility and energy reserves were limited, and ordinary people could pilot them.

Yellow mechas were the military standard. Faster, sturdier, and boasting larger energy reserves, they could be powered by energy or soul power and even interface with spirit souls, though they were still manually operated.

Purple mechas stood near the pinnacle. Custom-built with a pilot's martial soul in mind, their synchronization was extraordinary. Mobility was extreme, and the fusion between mecha and martial soul ran deep. These were known as personal mechas.

Above even them were black mechas—super mechas. Forged from rare materials using near-impossible methods, they allowed perfect integration between spirit soul and machine. They felt less like tools and more like extensions of the body. Only Soul Emperors with Spirit Sea–level spiritual power could pilot them, and even then, mastery was rare.

At the very top were red mechas—divine mechas. Living creations forged through personal craftsmanship, fused with essence, martial soul, and top-grade materials. Only such machines could rival a battle armor master.

Even then, the gap remained.

The twenty mechas formed a tight encirclement around Alfred.

The white units raised three-meter-long soul cannons, all aimed squarely at him. The purple mecha drifted forward, looming with oppressive force.

A single purple mecha was enough to suppress a Soul Emperor.

With their arrival, Conrad finally believed the situation would be brought under control.

But not everyone shared his confidence.

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