Qiu Sheng chanted the magic spell once more, utterly obliterating the quicksilver before her. Surging lightning then struck the silver figure ahead, splitting its seemingly indestructible body cleanly in half from the center.

The scattered quicksilver in the air slowly began converging inward. Yet the raging lightning refused to fade. Hidden in the shadows, Lu Shi swung her dagger with all her might. The magic stone atop it erupted with boundless darkness, gently adhering to the blade.

This strike brimmed with power—enough to cleave the magic stone before her in two. But at that instant, an unknown force yanked the stone skyward. It pierced the pitch-black storm clouds and landed in the hands of a figure hovering midair.

“More hindrance than help…”

The voice carried innate authority. Qiu Sheng and Lu Shi tensed instantly. Its owner was unmistakably a Chapter Three. Against her, the two stood no chance.

There was no doubt—Moon Owl had to step in.

A deep, heavy surge of mana tore through the heavens. Above the ink-black clouds, an Abyssal Rift ripped open in a single breath. A figure clad in a black trench coat leaped from the spatial fissure, twin daggers in hand, descending at blinding speed toward the airborne silhouette.

But the daggers only shredded the black-robed figure’s mana layer—not the clean strike Moon Owl expected. This opponent was strong.

“I am Aphrodite, one of the three pillars of the Seekers, the Magic Maiden who commands space. You have overstepped. I now invoke the Scales of Judgment.”

Aphrodite drew a pair of scales from her bosom. Their material was indiscernible, yet radiated immense mana. Landing between them, two mana tendrils lashed out to bind Moon Owl.

Moon Owl wasn’t foolish enough to be restrained. She slashed her dagger—layered space before her exploded. Boundless spatial mana surged toward the scales.

Enveloped in warped space, the tendrils froze. With a flick of her wrist, Moon Owl seized the trapped scales. Only the self-proclaimed pillar of the Seekers remained.

Unshaken, Aphrodite caressed the spatial box at her waist. The square container condensed into a dagger. She thrust forward—a hole pierced reality. Sensing the breach, the scales flashed into light and returned to her palm.

Moon Owl’s eyes widened. A mere gesture transformed it into a spatial magic tool. Spatial confinement would barely slow her.

“The judgment continues.”

Though empty, the scales tilted. An indescribable pressure descended upon Moon Owl’s head, growing heavier—like an invisible scale hovering just above.

“You… are guilty.”

Moon Owl ignored the verdict. If space couldn’t hold her, exile would. Ten thousand miles away—even if she tore through dimensions, returning would cost time.

“O traveler wandering the cosmos, pause and show mercy—rend the void and reality! Behold me: crushing mountains, soaring past morning stars…”

Mana erupted from Moon Owl, swirling around Aphrodite. Space shattered. Invisible hands dragged her into the void.

Aphrodite’s calm facade cracked. Her dagger couldn’t breach the fractured space. She hadn’t expected Moon Owl’s spatial spell to reach this level. Her link to the Seekers’ Spire faded—she was being pulled beyond this realm.

A simple magic tool wouldn’t suffice. She disliked sharing spoils with *them*… but escape demanded their aid. She reverted the dagger, crushed a magic stone from the box. The moment it shattered, the greedy ones would come rushing.

“Divine mercy—Ritual of Magic Armor!”

“O great gods, grant your decree! Let star rivers forge the hall, eternal lamps pave the stairs. We offer the longing for visions, the Blood of the Earth… Unseal—now!”

Her black robe melted away, revealing dark hair. She slowly opened eyes devoid of life. Raising her hands, she bathed in cascading mana and Abyssal Aura. Darkness coalesced into a tailcoat at her touch. A gentle stroke of void summoned a black top hat, roses pinned along its brim. She drew a cane, placed the hat, clasped her hands devoutly—and a massive Eye Orb manifested.

Light flashed from the orb toward her brow. Her forehead parted; the orb resized, embedding gently at its center. She lifted her magic stone—now etched with a new spell.

“The cycle of creation and destruction, life and death—Transmutation of All Things—”

A spear pierced the void. Light bloomed in the darkness. An iron chain descended. Aphrodite grasped it—and a colossal force yanked her upward.

Moon Owl’s expression tightened. Two more Chapter Threes appeared. One she recognized: the Zone Fifteen Guardian of the Order Keepers. The other, cloaked in black—surely the last pillar of the Seekers.

Aphrodite’s exile had been interrupted. She was trapped within a spatial fissure. The Seeker hurled an iron lock into the void—Moon Owl felt space pierced, a path forged straight to Aphrodite.

No time left. Moon Owl unleashed her power and charged. If Aphrodite returned, she’d face three Chapter Threes—impossible odds.

The Order Keeper closed in. Moon Owl knew her wind-based arts. Sensing mana flow, she dodged two invisible blades effortlessly.

As they clashed, Moon Owl tore space before her—appearing before the Seeker. One hand sealed the rift; the other slashed the chain. But the fragile-looking links hardened instantly.

No matter. Toss one segment into the rift—the chain would break.

The Zone Fifteen Guardian reacted in a flash. She raised a hand toward Moon Owl—air violently evacuated from her lungs. Moon Owl clutched her chest, reinforcing her mana layer against the suffocating pressure.

Almost there. Seal this rift—Twelfth District would face only two Chapter Threes…

Then—a silver figure burst from the rift. The same silver silhouette whose magic stone had been taken. She’d never been exiled. She’d lain hidden near the fissure, waiting.

The quicksilver spike held all her mana, aimed at Moon Owl’s heart. Reinforced mana layer? Useless. Her quicksilver bypassed defenses.

Qiu Sheng shot forward like lightning. Lu Shi melted into shadow. But invisible spatial walls caged Qiu Sheng. Lu Shi emerged faster—only to be repelled by a light barrier. The Order Keeper.

Lu Shi dove back into darkness—but couldn’t approach. Within this space, mana vanished. She was just… ordinary. She could only watch as the silver spike pierced toward Moon Owl’s heart—

—and froze midair.

All eyes turned to a silver-haired girl who’d appeared from nowhere. A black-and-white checkered skirt. Mana shaped like a clock glowed in her palm, aimed at the suspended spike.

“Time stop.”

Moon Owl ripped space shut, sealing the silver figure within the void. She dove through and landed before Illusory Glass.

“Thank you.”

“If I hadn’t come, sister… you’d have died here again.”

Illusory Glass’s tone carried the weight of lived death. She’d already walked this path. While healing underground, she’d tampered with time, sensed her future ascension to Chapter Three—and intervened.

Together, Qiu Sheng, Lu Shi, and Illusory Glass destroyed the silver figure. But judgment followed.

Moon Owl emerged from space once more, exiling Aphrodite as before. Yet Aphrodite’s act summoned two Chapter Threes. One trapped the trio and went to rescue Aphrodite; the other engaged Moon Owl.

Within the sealed space, the three felt no mana—truly ordinary. The Zone Fifteen Guardian was formidable. Moon Owl wanted to save them first. But the Guardian used them as hostages, freezing Moon Owl’s move.

A split-second delay. Air flooded Moon Owl’s veins, halting her blood. Then—the pre-positioned wind blades raining from the heavens struck true.