Dark Demon only had four on their side, yet they were harder to handle than the orcs, like four winter wolves cutting through a herd of boars.

Under the blessing of a Law Domain, their power flared like a storm-tide, far beyond what their mid-tier surface suggested.

Divine Realm mages differ from divine-tier orcs like hawks differ from oxen: they fly, they blink, they unleash god-spells, the kind that can fell a small city like lightning strikes a lone tower.

So sure, they’re both “divine-tier,” yet the gap yawns like a canyon.

Orcs can’t cultivate magic, so their range is a bare plain; unless they smother a mage at the bell like a grappler clinching early, they get battered back like waves on a cliff.

The four from Dark Demon favor dark and curse magic, a night wind and black thorns—that’s their hallmark.

Against most, that’s fine; against Lingsaki with the Book of Night and Lingxiao whose kit hard-counters them, it’s sand against tide.

Once the sisters unfolded their domains, the four were pushed under like reeds in a flood.

Their spells fizzled like damp firecrackers, and they had to guard from every direction like stags ringed by hunters.

In quality, their magic wasn’t in the same tier as Lingxiao and Lingsaki’s, a lantern against a lighthouse.

That sting bit deep: stronger by a grade on paper, yet beaten down like grass under sleet.

The Law Domain they’d banked on had already lost its teeth, like a blade dulled on stone.

It couldn’t compare to the sisters’ Day-and-Night Heaven Domain; even a domain near Overdeity Level is just “near,” like a mountain shy of the peak.

“This’ll go bad if it keeps up. Sooner or later, we lose,” one said, breath like frost.

“Damn it! We’re Divine Realm mages—are we really that far from those two girls of the Mizumi Clan?” another snapped, anger crackling like static.

“Worlds apart. Look at those two Mizumi girls—they toss Supreme Divine Spirit Medicine like it’s a common heal, like rainwater from a gourd.

We won’t even pop a potion to boost spell output, and even if we did, it’s a drop in the river.”

“Yeah… can’t win at all,” someone sighed, voice trailing like smoke.

Without noticing, the four from Dark Demon let the fight slip and started chatting, like soldiers around a fire.

Seeing it, Lingxiao and Lingsaki stopped their spells, staring speechless, like swans watching ducks quack.

“No choice. I joined Dark Demon to scrape up cultivation resources,” one admitted, words heavy as wet clay.

“Crossing the Mizumi Clan? Let the higher-ups figure that out,” he added, pushing the blame like a cart uphill.

“We’re Divine Realm mages! In Dark Demon today, we’re upper-middle, a ridge above the plain.

How can you say something so irresponsible?” another flared, pride prickling like thorns.

“Then do you have a way to beat them?” the first asked, calm as a still pond.

“…No. If I could beat them, I wouldn’t be slumming in Dark Demon; I’d have carved my own force already,” he said, bitter as cold tea.

“Hey, don’t spill your heart out like rice on the floor! If they hear, the fallout’s brutal,” another hissed, fear flicking like a shadow.

“Right. Thanks for the reminder. Let’s do our part,” the first breathed, steadying like a tree in wind.

“We won’t aim to beat the Mizumi girls—just go all out and keep our hearts clear.”

“Oh? That sounded cool,” someone laughed, sparks amid ash.

“Yeah, beating them is fantasy; do what we can.”

“Agreed. Let’s push again. This time, no more holding back—use that move,” the last said, resolve hardening like ice.

“Mm!” they answered together, a single chord.

Was it an illusion? Lingxiao and Lingsaki felt the four grow more united, like four streams joining a river.

“Their nature doesn’t seem awful. At least they aren’t dead-set on being our foes,” Lingxiao murmured, her hostility thawing like frost in sun.

“They’re still our enemies as long as they stay in Dark Demon,” Lingsaki said, eyes calm as night water.

“Forget it. Let’s finish them fast and go help dear brother.”

“Mm. End this boring fight first,” Lingxiao agreed, mood cool as moonlight.

Since the four chose to pull their strongest kill move, the sisters decided to show real skill, blades out of the sheath.

Quickly, magic elements gathered around Dark Demon’s side like stormclouds stacking over a ridge.

Their Law Domain kept feeding orderly force into the spells like a river into mills; no surprise—they aimed to release god-spells, and at peak divine-tier.

A giant dark magic sigil unfurled under their feet, lines like black vines.

Magic turbulence spilled out, making the air tremble like a taut drum.

Curious about what kind of god-spell they’d attempt—looked like they wanted to force-fuse their four god-spells like their domain earlier—the sisters didn’t interrupt.

They prepared their own next magic, calm as cranes on a shore; they were confident they’d win, and the four shot them grateful looks, odd for enemies across a battlefield.

Soon, the four’s god-spells were almost ready.

Fusing the god-spells into one matched the sisters’ expectation; fusing that with the entire Law Domain blew past it like a comet.

Four god-spells plus a domain in full merge—its destructive force would reach Overdeity Level, a tidal wave against a cliff.

“We got careless! No choice—bet it all,” Lingxiao said, tension like a drawn bow.

“Yeah. We were overconfident. Didn’t think Dark Demon had this card,” Lingsaki answered, face set like iron.

God-spell fused with the Law Domain meant the attack pattern was clear as a map under lamplight—

“Eternal Oblivion!” they roared, the name cold as a tomb.

Large magic arrays surged out around the four like blooming nightflowers, siphoning all law-energy from the domain like wells drinking a lake.

Then they primed the whole Law Domain to detonate, a fuse snaking through dry grass.

Right: only by using the four god-spells as the trigger and letting the Law Domain self-detonate could they spark Overdeity-level destruction, a sun bursting behind clouds.

A slip would send the blast’s aftershock across the forest like wildfire.

Don’t be fooled by Lingxiao blocking Lixin’s earlier attack; that dark-thunder shell held little law-force, just raw might at peak divine-tier.

If it had carried law-force like iron in the river, she might not have stopped it.

This time, four Divine Realm mages went all out, and their near-Overdeity Law Domain married to their god-spells—no need to say how vast the self-detonation would be, a volcano under ice.

“Lingsaki, we have to switch to defense! If we meet it with attack, the aftershock grows like ripples, and dear brother might get caught!” Lingxiao’s worry spilled first, then action like a pivot.

“Even defensive magic won’t halt the domain’s aftershock,” Lingsaki sighed, breath soft as mist.

“Let’s at least shrink the spread to a pond instead of a lake. Best not to touch dear brother.”

“Not ‘best.’ ‘Absolutely,’” Lingxiao snapped, resolve bright as noon.

They spent the last of their strength, forcing their casting format to flip from attack to defense like turning a blade flat.

They reached their strongest defensive magic under current limits, armor of light and night.

“Day-and-Night Heaven Domain—full defensive mode!” Lingxiao called, voice ringing like a bell.

A domain is the best shield; high-tier wards layered over the Day-and-Night Heaven Domain like lacquer.

Together, they unleashed Perpetual Day • Night-Sky Ward, a fresh barrier over their bodies like glass over flame.

Then the dark arrays radiating from the four cracked under the load like ice under foot, and blew apart.

One blast fell like tossing a burning magic sphere into a powder store, and the chain reaction ran, a beadwork of fire.

It tugged the Law Domain into self-detonation, a field turned furnace.

The law-charged explosion surged far beyond the sisters’ forecast, a wave rearing out of fog.

Under the shock, the Day-and-Night Heaven Domain shook like a drumskin, ready to split; if it shattered, the sisters would suffer heavy wounds like trees splintered in gale.

No choice—they poured auxiliary magic in to steady and brace, hands firm like carpenters propping beams.

“Ugh! It hurts—my body feels overdrawn,” Lingxiao groaned, pain like lead.

“Lingxiao, hold. Once the blast weakens, we can snatch a Holy Healing Fruit,” Lingsaki said, calm a cool lake.

“…Mm,” Lingxiao answered, grit tight as knuckles.

Like a little boat in a sea storm, they barely kept the domain steady, bobbing against black waves.

But the Law Domain’s explosion had only begun; weakening wasn’t on the wind, it grew stronger like a fire fed logs—four god-spells woven in won’t finish quickly.

The four from Dark Demon looked paler than ash, one breeze from collapsing like stalks.

They’d overdrawn hard, breaths shallow like moths at dusk.

“Hmph—serves you right!” one coughed, spite a spark in soot.

“Feeling cocky? Now you taste our strength,” he needled, pride brittle as glass.

“Cut it. Down the recovery potion and get ready to bolt,” another snapped, survival sharp as a knife.

“Dying to your own blast is the ugliest end,” he said, shame like a stain.

“Yeah. Full self-detonation will hit soon. If we don’t run now, we won’t make it,” the last warned, urgency a drumbeat.

They hadn’t joined Dark Demon out of heart; still, a chance to kick someone in a pit was sweet in that camp, like salt on meat.

“Trying to run? Stay,” a cold girl’s voice cut in, chill like moon frost.

A gust of icy wind swept through, freezing the four from Dark Demon where they stood, bodies lacquered in frost like statues.

Lixue flashed to the sisters’ side like a white shadow, and fed them two Holy Healing Fruits, sweetness like sunlight on snow.

“Phew—saved!” Lingxiao exhaled, relief washing like warm rain.

“Lixue, you got back just in time; we were about to fold,” she said, gratitude bright asstars.

“Lixue, did you finish the orcs?” Lingsaki asked, tone steadier, heart quieting like nightfall.

With their bodies back to peak, and Lixue returning at the key moment, the sisters finally relaxed, shoulders dropping like branches after wind.

“Mm. Those orcs only brawl up close, tusks against shields—no threat to me,” Lixue said, voice cool as ice.

“But this looks bad,” she added, eyes up like a hawk.

“The people from Dark Demon pulled a madman’s move,” she noted, awe flickering like sparks.

She watched the Day-and-Night Heaven Domain being eaten by black flame, edges crumbling like charred paper.

She’d seen domains forced to self-detonate; a voluntary self-detonation was new, like a comet no one charted.

“Lixue, we finish this headache, then go help dear brother!” Lingxiao’s desire rose first, words crisp like bells.

“Of course,” Lixue answered, promise steady as stone.

She lifted her gaze to the sky and drew the Icemoon Bow, string taut like a silver line.

Ice Sword Aura gathered along the string like frost weaving glass, forming ten crystal arrows, clear as winter lakes.

“Flower Moon • Cage,” she whispered, name blooming like a pale blossom.