Azure’s giant hand of condensed mana worked in perfect sync with the tin staff. Every strike hit with thunderous force, leaving Night Frost’s spear barely able to hold. And Azure’s hands moved so fast as she loaded high-purity Magic Stones that it was dizzying to watch. That practiced technique seemed to have become pure instinct.

Night Frost’s spear let out harsh metallic shrieks each time it collided with the tin staff. Every impact left her arms slightly numb.

She knew very well this couldn’t go on. She had to find a way to break the deadlock.

But just as she was about to launch a counterattack, Azure’s Magic Cannon had already lashed at his limbs like a venomous snake. Night Frost’s heart jolted. She hurriedly drove the mana inside her body, forming a solid shield in an attempt to block the sudden attack.

The Magic Cannon slammed hard into the shield, erupting with dazzling light and violent energy waves. Night Frost only felt a massive force surging in from all directions, wrapping around her whole body. She clenched her teeth and did everything she could to keep the mana shield stable.

At that moment, Crimson Azure moved. She loaded four Magic Stones in one breath, and an even greater power burst from the tip of Azure’s Wand. It was pure mana, powerful and razor-cold, like a winter gale that made one shudder. Night Frost’s heart sank. She knew this attack was not something she could endure.

“Four elements...”

Now!

Night Frost dispersed the Crimson Gold Lance in her palm and lunged straight onto Azure. Her sharp claws, covered in dragon scales, locked onto Azure’s Magic Layer. She crushed that cicada-wing-thin layer with ease, then drove her five sharp fingers into Azure’s flesh.

Azure cried out in pain and stopped chanting. She hadn’t expected Night Frost to endure the tin staff’s attacks just to trade injury for injury. In that instant, she thought of someone who had been hiding in the dark the whole time.

Night Frost shouted at the top of her lungs—

“Crimson!”

Azure blanked for a moment. But from the corner of her eye, she caught the slight curve of Night Frost’s lips. In that instant, she understood.

She’d fallen for it.

That single moment of distraction made her miss her best chance to break free.

A scarlet figure tore across the sky. But her target was not Azure, who was “locked in a tight embrace” with Night Frost. It was the Guardian of the Seventh District, who was “fighting” the Zone Fifteen Guardian.

“The journey of the past stretches to Silver River. At the end of life, true splendor is finally seen. The galaxy lays down a corridor, the stars forge bright lamps. The long night will at last fly away, and eternal day will arrive!”

Crimson rapidly chanted the Magic Spell. Her hands, empty just a moment ago, instantly gripped a scarlet Wand condensed from the void itself. The Wand seemed to be made of countless tiny magic particles, gleaming with an alluring luster. With the slightest flick of Crimson’s fingers, it released powerful mana waves.

At the same time, the Magic Armor covering her body began to spread out in an exaggerated bloom, enveloping her whole form. Then it rapidly tightened until it matched Crimson’s figure perfectly. The armor was scarlet in tone, and the long scarlet ribbon trailing from it drifted lightly with her movements, like a dancing spirit.

“Still not enough! Just as I thought—climbing to the Ultimate Realm by your own power is practically impossible. Without a miracle, you’re just an ordinary person!”

The Guardian of the Seventh District stared fixedly at Crimson. This level was enough for Crimson to exchange moves with her, but it still wasn’t enough to win.

She knew Crimson had once glimpsed the scenery of the Ultimate. But once was only a coincidence.

When the Magic Armor slowly solidified, Crimson’s presence instantly surged to its peak. Last time, she hadn’t fully understood it, so she hadn’t been able to draw out the full power of the Ultimate Realm. But now...

Her control over mana had reached an entirely new level. She lightly danced the scarlet Wand in her hand, as if sketching invisible trails through the air.

The Guardian of the Seventh District felt a trace of unease. She gave up her little game with the Zone Fifteen Guardian and charged straight at Crimson, who hovered in midair. Her sharp scissors carried unstoppable force, moving so fast they were hard to follow.

But in Crimson’s eyes, the Guardian of the Seventh District’s movements were perfectly clear. She saw through her actions and turned sideways, dodging the sharp slash of mana.

Crimson gripped the Wand. As it moved with her hand, the “membrane” that had once blocked her began to tremble violently. All the mana in her body gathered into a torrent and crashed toward that layer.

Bang!

A deafening explosion went off inside Crimson’s mind. The “membrane” that had once seemed indestructible shattered on the spot. At the same time, mana flowed through every part of her body. It was as if that power had washed over her completely, leaving her lighter and stronger than before.

“How is that possible? How can someone grasp the Ultimate without borrowing a god’s power?!”

The Guardian of the Seventh District was in disbelief. She had never seen Order. In all her understanding, Crimson was the first Magic Maiden to ascend to the Ultimate without relying on outside power.

“That’s because your horizons are too low. You’ve never seen the scenery above.”

Crimson’s voice carried a trace of pride. But it made the Guardian of the Seventh District feel faintly stifled inside. She didn’t like the way Crimson stood now. That arrogance, as if everything in the world lay beneath her feet, made her deeply uncomfortable.

“I don’t care what method you used. But at the very top, there can only be one!”

In her eyes, it didn’t matter how Crimson had advanced. What mattered was that this world could only have one king.

And that king had to be her.

“You go first.”

Crimson told the Zone Fifteen Guardian to leave first. She was going all out now. This battle was no longer something the other girl could interfere in. She still had another task to complete.

Then Crimson turned her gaze toward the Guardian of the Seventh District. The sentient scarlet ribbon coiled around Crimson’s Wand. Then Crimson pointed the Wand at the Guardian below. The Guardian of the Seventh District felt every hair on her body stand on end, as if facing a mortal enemy.

They were both in the Ultimate Realm, yet the power and pressure Crimson displayed made the Guardian of the Seventh District feel a level of strain she had never known before.

Crimson’s scarlet ribbon whipped through the air, dancing with her will. Suddenly, it carved a dazzling arc through the sky, carrying a shrill gale and blinding light as it shot straight for the Guardian of the Seventh District’s vital point.

The Guardian of the Seventh District raised her scissors horizontally and blocked Crimson’s thunderous strike. She immediately grabbed for the ribbon as it snapped back. Her goal was clear—use it to drag Crimson over, close the distance, and turn the battle around. But the ribbon was sharp as a blade. It sliced straight through the Guardian’s Magic Layer and cut into her flesh.

Taking advantage of the instant the Guardian of the Seventh District froze, Crimson smoothly pulled the ribbon back. Then, with the hand gripping her Wand, she threw a punch at the Guardian.

The Guardian of the Seventh District cut through space with her Magic Armor and tore open the void to dodge Crimson’s blow. She tore through the void again and appeared behind Crimson. Her sharp scissors came down toward Crimson’s head, wrapped in a howling gale.

Seeing Crimson pin down the Guardian of the Seventh District, strands of silver light began to coil around Night Frost. She planned to awaken the Formation she had buried several days ago. The Formation was too difficult. Even though she had set it up, it couldn’t be activated without special means to guide it open.

“Formation, rise!”

Far beneath the Qian Corporation in the Fourth District, in a deeply buried underground space piled high with countless Magic Stones, a Magic Tool began to operate. It rumbled like a steam engine. Then vivid Array Patterns emerged one after another, circling above the Magic Tool.

At some point, a formation disk had appeared before Night Frost. If one looked closely, one could see ant-like Array Patterns crawling all over the palm-sized disk. Look even closer, and the flowing lines on it were strikingly similar to the patterns surrounding the Magic Tool beneath the Qian Corporation.

The silver light around Night Frost seemed to come alive. At her command, they darted into the formation disk before her like lively little spirits.

As more and more silver light poured in, the Array Patterns inside the disk shone brighter and brighter, as if they had been activated. They broke free from the disk and landed everywhere within Night Frost’s sight. It was as if the whole space had been covered by this mana, and even the surrounding air turned heavy.

Azure knew she had to destroy the formation disk behind Night Frost. So she dismissed the tin staff and made the giant mana hand grab backward. But because of that, the pressure on Night Frost lightened considerably in an instant.

Night Frost tore away a chunk of flesh from Azure’s shoulder, then spat out all the Black Flame she had been building up in her throat since the battle began.

The Black Flame instantly engulfed Azure. She felt a scorching, agonizing sensation spread through her whole body, and her giant mana hand also dispersed at once under the sudden attack.

The Guardian of the Seventh District wanted to break free from Crimson and destroy the formation disk, but Crimson stood before her like a mountain. There was no smashing through her in a short time.

Seizing the chance, Night Frost grabbed the formation disk in her hand and rapidly retreated. Under her gaze, the Formation that covered the entire battlefield slowly took shape.

The battlefield was split apart by the massive Formation. The Zone Fifteen Guardian stood outside it, guarding the Formation. The Guardian of the Seventh District faced Crimson, while Night Frost faced Azure.

“Heh. So after all that effort, you just wanted to split us up? This Formation is flashy but useless.”

Night Frost ignored Azure’s words and continued controlling the formation disk instead. The silver light around her gradually dimmed. From here on, she no longer needed to borrow the power of Order.

Under Night Frost’s guidance, thick fog began to spread through the area. This fog was not naturally formed. It was something Night Frost had carefully rewoven by combining her father’s notes with the power of the formation disk.

Very few people could stitch together a lump of formation disk that cleverly.

At least, that was what Night Frost believed.

The dense fog spread quickly, shrouding the entire battle zone in hazy mist. Under its cover, Night Frost’s figure became faint and elusive, as if she had merged with the surroundings.

“Cheap tricks!”

The moment the words fell, Azure sensed a surge of mana spreading at her side.

Clang!

Metal crashed against metal. It had happened too suddenly, so Azure had no choice but to use her Wand to block the attack.

Azure focused her eyes and saw that the opponent in the fog was also holding a Wand. She knew that Wand’s design very well—

It was Crimson’s Wand!

Could it be that Crimson had come over?

So this was what the smokescreen was for?

“What petty little tricks.”

Azure muttered.

Seeing her first strike fail, Crimson’s figure retreated and vanished back into the mist. And at that exact moment, a Crimson Gold Spear knocked aside the weapon and thrust straight at Azure’s brow.