A golden spike erupted from behind the beast, slamming into its back with a deafening crash.

The spike didn't pierce its hide, but the violent vibration disrupted its balance, throwing the massive body airborne and stunning it for a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

Ray dove.

The two figures overlapped in a blur.

The bear swung its claws wildly, but its movements were sluggish, its strength dulled by the resonance of the golden Silverfalls Vine vibrating through its body.

Ray met its claw with his own.

Clang!

Metal screamed against metal.

This time, he didn't fly back.

Gravity, momentum, and the reinforcing pull of his golden vines held him firm. Both arms recoiled from the impact—but Ray landed squarely on the bear's shoulder.

He raised his leg and kicked hard at its neck.

The impact felt like slamming into solid steel. Pain surged up his leg, but the bear's head still snapped sideways from the force.

A vine seized the opportunity, coiling around the bear's thick neck.

Ray grabbed the vine with both hands.

With a roar, he kicked off the bear's back, his muscles bulging as he twisted his entire body and heaved.

Midair.

He strangled the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear.

Caught off balance and airborne, the massive soul beast lost control of its trajectory. Its claws slashed uselessly through the air as its body was flipped upside down.

Ray clung to it, muscles screaming, then arched backward with all his strength.

Boom!

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear slammed into the ground.

Earth exploded outward. Trees shook. Dust billowed.

When it settled, an unbelievable scene emerged.

The bear lay prone, its massive body pinned to the forest floor.

Ray knelt on its back.

Raziel Phoenix stared, stunned into silence.

That's a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear…

He just threw it down?

Cold light flickered in Ray's eyes as his golden claw closed around the bear's neck.

The neck.

Its weakest point.

And Ray was confident in the strength of his grip.

At that instant, the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear's massive body flared once more with dark-gold radiance.

Ray's claws pierced through the light, but the resistance was immediate and overwhelming. The crushing force he relied on was blunted, its power stripped away layer by layer. His golden dragon claw could endure the pressure, yet the rest of his body could not.

Before he could tear open the bear's throat—

Boom!

The golden light exploded outward.

Ray was hurled away like a broken leaf in a storm.

Even so, his claws scraped deep as he flew, ripping free a chunk of flesh from the bear's neck. Dark crimson blood, threaded with shimmering gold, sprayed into the air.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear roared in agony, the sound thick with rage. It vaulted back onto its feet, eyes burning. It had not tasted injury in countless years. That a human child had wounded it was an affront it could not forgive.

Yet its defense remained terrifying. Even when seized, there was no guarantee Ray's crushing force could truly break it.

The bear did not give him time to recover.

Its claws swept forward in a killing arc.

Ray was still airborne, his body unsteady. He had nowhere to dodge. Violetta's ice wheel was too far away. Lily remained engulfed in multicolored light, still preparing her spell.

He tried to summon his Silverfalls Vine—

Nothing.

The dark-gold aura had thrown his soul power into chaos, severing his control.

So this is it…

A bitter smile crossed Ray's face as he stared at death rushing toward him.

Then—

A figure leapt between him and the bear.

The claws fell.

The body was torn apart in an instant. The protective layer of soul power shattered like glass, scattering into nothingness. Yet that fleeting sacrifice was enough.

"Raziel!" Ray shouted.

Even though no one truly died within the spirit ascension platform, the pain of being ripped apart was no illusion. The trauma would linger long after revival.

As Raziel Phoenix's form disintegrated, Ray caught the look in his eyes—calm, resolute.

As if he were saying: Avenge me.

Grief and fury exploded within Ray's chest.

Using the Mysterious Heaven Method, he forced his turbulent soul power back into order and twisted away from the bear's follow-up strike. Rolling across the ground, he lashed out again and again, sending vines of Silverfalls Vine snapping toward the beast.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, driven mad by bloodlust and pain, ignored Violetta and Lily entirely. Its gaze locked onto Ray alone.

It wanted him dead.

Clothes torn, body screaming with exhaustion, Ray retreated step by step. Yet his eyes burned brighter than ever.

Raziel… I will avenge you.

Violetta provided desperate support from afar, firing ice spears whenever an opening appeared. With the terrain and his instincts, Ray narrowly avoided every lethal blow, escaping by the width of a hair each time.

"Ray!"

The sound of Lily's voice cut through the chaos.

Ray's eyes flashed.

The Silver Impaling Array erupted beneath his own feet.

Spikes launched him skyward, carrying him cleanly over the bear's claws.

At the same moment, four brilliant lights—blue, red, yellow, and green—burst into existence around the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear. They spun, intertwined, and transformed into mystical elemental chains that wrapped tightly around its body.

The bear howled in fury.

Dark-gold energy surged outward, but the chains diverted and dispersed it, locking it in place.

This restraint could not last more than a second.

Blood spilled from the corner of Lily's lips as she strained to maintain control.

Ray fell from above, a streak of gold, claws aimed straight for the bear's head.

Clang!

His claws tore through fur—but stopped dead against the skull.

His heart sank.

Even this… isn't enough?

The bear snarled and wrenched free. The elemental chains shattered into countless motes of colored light that scattered like stars. Lily spat blood and collapsed into Violetta's arms.

"Die!" Ray roared, eyes bloodshot.

He poured everything he had into his claws.

They trembled.

Crack—crack!

A sharp sound rang out.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear's raised arms suddenly fell limp.

Ray's grip loosened as his strength drained away. At the final moment, his crushing force had activated.

The bear's ruthless eyes dimmed. Its massive body tilted, then crashed heavily to the ground.

It was dead.

Ray leapt away just as it fell, rushing back to Lily and Violetta.

"Lily, are you okay?" His voice shook.

Lily's eyes were closed, her face deathly pale—but a faint smile curved her lips.

Seeing that smile, Ray finally exhaled.

As long as she was alive, everything else could wait.

"Let's go back," he said hoarsely. "We need to check on Raziel Phoenix."

The thought of Raziel Phoenix's sacrifice twisted his heart.

Just as he raised his hand to press the exit button, Violetta grabbed his arm.

"Captain… look."

She pointed behind him.

Ray turned.

The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear's corpse had dissolved into particles of dark-gold light. Yet instead of dispersing completely, the light condensed—slowly taking shape.

Something lay on the ground, shimmering.

Ray approached, stunned.

It was shaped like the bones of a human hand, dark-gold in color, etched with cloud-like patterns that seemed almost alive. It wasn't metal, yet it carried an immense weight and a faint pulse of vitality.

He picked it up, nearly staggering under its heaviness.

"What is this?" Ray asked, bewildered. "Do you know?"

Violetta shook her head, equally stunned. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's a soul bone," Lily said weakly.

"A soul bone?" Ray and Violetta exclaimed in unison.

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