The Heavy Silver hammer Ray had thrown earlier flew back into his grasp, pulled by Silverfalls Vine. With a hammer in each hand, he stepped forward.

"I'll harass it from the side," Raziel Phoenix said, already fading into the shadows. "You handle it head-on."

The Horned Dragon roared again, fury overwhelming its hesitation, and charged.

Ray shot a strand of Silverfalls Vine onto a branch, yanked himself upward, flipped cleanly over the beast, and landed squarely on its head.

His left arm came down.

The Horned Dragon reacted instantly, twisting its neck and thrusting its horn upward.

Golden light exploded.

Ray released his Golden Dragon Claw, dodging the horn and gripping the dragon's skull instead.

For a split second—

The Horned Dragon slowed.

Bloodline suppression.

That instant was enough.

Pu!

Golden claws pierced through scale and bone like paper.

The Horned Dragon collapsed without even managing a cry.

A yellow halo rose from its corpse and flowed into Gold. The little snake let out a delighted cry as golden radiance wrapped around its body.

Ray stared at his right hand as the scales faded.

When his claw pierced the skull, it had felt like punching tofu.

No resistance.

No struggle.

Dragon-type soul beasts… really are my natural prey.

He punched the Horned Dragon's head with his bare left fist.

Thud.

The rebound made his knuckles ache.

Golden Dragon Claw… truly terrifying.

But it wasn't without cost. That brief usage had drained nearly thirty percent of his soul power.

Still—

Without his bloodline, this victory would've been impossible.

"So brutal…" Raziel Phoenix muttered, staring at the corpse in disbelief. Moments ago, this monster had chased him to the brink of death.

Now—

It lay dead at Ray's feet.

ereRaziel Phoenix gave Ray a hearty thumbs-up. "If that had been a real soul beast, you'd already be absorbing a hundred-year soul ring. Too bad this is just the spirit ascension platform."

Ray exhaled slowly. "It wouldn't have gone so smoothly if it wasn't a dragon-type soul beast."

A soft yet urgent voice suddenly cut in from the side.

"It's not exactly a dragon. And stop chatting. Help me!"

Silver light flickered, and a slender figure flashed into view. A green glow flared beneath her feet as Lily dashed toward them at astonishing speed.

A thunderous howl erupted behind her.

Raziel Phoenix sucked in a breath. "That thing… It's enormous!"

Ray froze for half a heartbeat.

The thousand-year Crystal Bear burst out of the thicket like a charging fortress. Trees in its path crystallized instantly, turning translucent before shattering into powder beneath its advance. It wasn't charging anymore. It was bulldozing the forest itself.

Silver light flashed again. Lily appeared directly behind Ray, her face pale as she leaned on him for a moment, clearly at the end of her stamina.

Ray swallowed.

This bear was on a completely different level from the Horned Dragon.

Without hesitation, he crouched, wrapped both arms around the fallen Horned Dragon's corpse, and lifted.

Golden scales shimmered across his right arm.

With a roar from deep in his chest, Ray hurled the massive corpse straight at the charging Crystal Bear.

*

"Heavens… that strength is unreal!" Aaron exclaimed, eyes wide.

At the same moment, Volt finally woke up, his face still ghostly pale. The memory of the spider's leg piercing his body sent a chill through his spine. Compared to Barbara's experience, the aftereffects he felt were far worse.

Barbara, meanwhile, stared at the screen in silence.

Ray had crushed a hundred-year Horned Dragon with a single strike.

Barbara knew with bitter clarity that even with his martial soul and strongest soul skill, he wouldn't have been able to break that creature's defenses.

And now… a thousand-year soul beast.

Just imagining that golden claw landing on himself made his scalp prickle.

Numbers during testing were one thing. Seeing it now was something else entirely.

Throwing that corpse so casually…

Several thousand kilograms of strength suddenly felt terrifyingly real.

Can they really kill a thousand-year soul beast?

The thought cooled the resentment in Barbara's heart. Without realizing it, he found himself rooting for the trio.

*

"Hou—!"

The Crystal Bear roared as it caught the flying Horned Dragon corpse by its legs.

Dark golden crystals spread rapidly from the point of contact, crawling up the corpse like frost. In the blink of an eye, over half the body was crystallized.

The bear slammed it downward.

Boom!

The lower half shattered into countless glittering shards.

Raziel Phoenix grimaced. "That thing's insane. Lily, just what kind of disaster did you drag over here? This might be one of the strongest thousand-year beasts in the elementary platform."

Even as he spoke, his body was already moving, Light Dragon Dagger in hand, slipping toward the bear's flank.

Lily panted, irritation flashing in her eyes. "I didn't provoke it. It provoked me."

Ray ignored their banter.

Silverfalls Vine snapped taut as he hurled both Heavy Silver hammers toward the Crystal Bear's head.

This thing is terrifying…

It wasn't fast like the Horned Dragon, but its offense and defense were on an entirely different level.

So this is what a thousand-year soul beast really looks like…

Rather than fear, Ray felt his blood boil.

This was real combat. A chance he would never get outside the spirit ascension platform.

Bang! Bang!

The Crystal Bear raised an arm and blocked both hammers. The impact forced it back a single step, cracks rippling across the crystallized skin.

Then it roared.

Yellow light surged across its body as it charged straight at Ray.

"You two fall back!" Ray shouted. "Raziel Phoenix, what's its weakness?"

"The neck!" Raziel Phoenix answered instantly. "Its skin's harder than copper, and its bones are iron, but the neck is fragile. All its nerves are concentrated there!"

"Got it."

Ray yanked on a strand of Silverfalls Vine and launched himself skyward, narrowly dodging the bear's pounce.

Good. A weak point.

If there was ever a place to test the Golden Dragon Claw, it was here.

"You two keep it busy!" Ray shouted midair. "I'll finish it!"

The Crystal Bear's claws slammed into empty space. With a furious roar, it tore a tree from the ground and hurled it upward.

Ray smashed the trunk apart with his hammers, but the force knocked him flying.

The bear charged again, arms spread wide.

Pu!

An invisible blade sliced across its neck.

The Crystal Bear bellowed in pain, spinning toward its attacker.

"Come on!" Raziel Phoenix taunted, slashing again as another blade of light streaked out.

At the same time, green light enveloped Ray. Lily's wind element surged, arresting his fall. With another pull of Silverfalls Vine and a burst of wind, he shot back into the air.

Icicles formed in midair beneath his feet, giving him just enough footholds to change direction.

Below, a halo flared as vines of Silverfalls Vine wrapped around the Crystal Bear's legs.

Ray hadn't expected them to bind it. Slowing it would've been enough.

But something strange happened.

As the Crystal Bear strained to break free, golden light flickered briefly through the Silverfalls Vine.

For a heartbeat—

The bear froze.

Just one second.

That was all Ray needed.

His soul power didn't drain at all this time. The Silverfalls Vine, strengthened by the first seal, held firm without cost.

Raziel Phoenix seized the moment, turning and retreating at explosive speed with Lily's wind pushing him along.

Ray's eyes burned.

Golden scales erupted across his arm.

The Golden Dragon Claw descended.

As Raziel Phoenix withdrew, a massive fireball detonated beside the Crystal Bear's head. Lily had already shifted positions, launching her assault from the flank.

The three formed a triangular encirclement, pinning the Crystal Bear in the center. The beast stamped the ground in fury, torn between targets and unable to decide whom to crush first.

"Raziel Phoenix, go for its belly! Lily, its eyes!" Ray barked orders while firing a strand of Silverfalls Vine toward a tree branch. With a powerful pull, he flung himself behind the Crystal Bear in a smooth arc.

This kind of coordination came naturally to them now.

Raziel Phoenix abandoned concealment altogether. His figure flickered as both daggers appeared in his hands, one radiant, one invisible. He slashed forward, releasing twin blades of light that ripped toward the Crystal Bear's abdomen.

Pu! Pu!

The Crystal Bear roared in pain and rage. Now it knew exactly who to target.

It charged straight at Raziel Phoenix.

But before it could reach him, a barrage of blazing fireballs slammed into its eyes. They were smaller than before, yet far more numerous.

The Crystal Bear raised an arm defensively and lowered its head. Having already crouched to protect its belly, it was forced to compress itself even further.

That instant was all Ray needed.

He surged in.

The hammer in his right hand was drawn back, while the left guarded his chest. Golden light burst from his arm as the Golden Dragon Claw emerged. The hammer descended toward the Crystal Bear's neck with a deafening whistle.

This was everything.

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