This spear was clearly Crimson’s meticulously prepared killing move—blindingly fast, terrifyingly powerful. Azure had no time to think. She swiftly channeled her mana, crossing her wand before her chest. The mana at its tip clashed violently with the Crimson Gold Lance.

*BOOM!*

The collision unleashed a deafening roar. A crushing force slammed into Azure, sending her stumbling backward. Gritting her teeth, she barely steadied herself. Seizing the opening, Night Frost struck again, aiming to end it in one blow.

Azure’s spiritual sense swept through the mist. Yet when fully extended, not even a trace of life registered. Nothing stood beside her.

“Blocked my perception?”

She retracted her spirit, dispersing her mana to intertwine with the surroundings—but the chaotic mana currents made pinpointing the source impossible.

A chill shot down her spine. *An illusion… the Formation!*

She scanned frantically. Only endless white fog remained, swallowing the world whole.

*RIP!*

A gale of condensed mana shredded her gossamer-thin Magic Layer. In an instant, Azure’s Magic Armor tore apart—blood gushed from her shoulder.

The pain was real. Her mind remained anchored in reality, not trapped in illusion. *Could the mist blind my senses?* Yet her spiritual sense flowed freely… yet detected zero living presence.

Something was deeply wrong.

*Fine.*

She’d blind-bomb the area. If Night Frost powered the Formation, shatter its array disc—and the whole array would collapse. Its range was smaller than two of her Magic Cannons’ blasts.

Just as her fingers brushed the Spatial Box for a Magic Stone—

A hand seized her wrist. A crimson wand pressed cold against her back. Azure froze. Dense mana radiated from it… and that unmistakable rhythm of the Ultimate Realm.

“Guide my aim! Targeting Spell!”

Azure tapped Crimson’s shoulder with her wand. Though swift, Crimson couldn’t avoid the mana mark.

Through it, Azure sensed Crimson halt within the mist, then begin circling deliberately—like a tiger stalking prey, waiting for one misstep.

“Another one!”

Azure spun. A flick of her wand sent magic bullets slicing through fog like arrows. A flash of crimson-gold flame flickered—then vanished.

Confirming Night Frost’s position, Azure raised her wand and blew gently. Mana particles swirled into the mist, each carrying a thread of her spirit. She felt them cling to two humanoid shapes.

“Found you.”

From her bosom, she drew a grayish-brown Magic Stone—taken from the fallen Magic Maiden last time. A true Chapter Three Magic Stone.

Its mana, fused with Ultimate Realm power, would erupt purer and fiercer than Zun Huang’s replica. Azure knew: this stone could level ten miles. Array disc, Crimson, Night Frost—even the Calamity Dragon—would turn to ash.

The two figures closed in like phantoms, flanking her silently.

Night Frost’s hair whipped wildly. Her eyes burned. With each spear swing, scorching mana surged like a volcano. Black Flame coiled at the tip, hungry to incinerate Azure.

Crimson was faster. Crimson ribbons coiled tight around Azure’s limbs, pinning her arms—blocking the stone’s insertion.

*Shatter.*

Azure’s decoy shattered like glass. Her true body stood directly beneath Crimson.

Earlier, she’d woven the decoy with scarce mana, hidden herself with a Concealment Spell. While Crimson fixated on the fake, Azure slotted the stone home.

*CLASH!*

Spear wreathed in Black Flame met wand. Night Frost knew: Azure’s power lived in that wand. Without it, even as Ultimate Realm, she’d be weaker than the most ordinary Chapter Three.

Black Flame consumed all—even wands.

On contact, the wand’s glow dimmed. The flames flared hotter, strangler-vine tight.

*CRACK.*

A sharp porcelain-like snap echoed through the silent mist. Azure’s heart clenched.

No time. She shattered the Magic Stone outright, bypassing conduction. Raw mana erupted from the wand’s tip like a volcanic cataclysm.

“Like leaves to roots, water through stone—inescapable! Let mountains crumble, oceans churn, stars fall—the Celestial Crush of All Things!”

Mana surged skyward, tearing at the heavens; plunged earthward, churning like a buried dragon.

The ground split—spiderweb cracks vomiting rock and soil. The sky stretched upward, clouds blotting out light.

Night Frost staggered under the crushing gravity. Crimson advanced, wand aimed at Azure’s brow—final blow ready.

Azure hadn’t fully mastered the stone’s power. She, too, was trapped in the gravity’s core.

*Bitterness.* Everything had reached its finale… why fall *here*?

Ribbons coiled the wand in Crimson’s hand. Mana gathered. Despair clouded Azure’s eyes. Gritting her teeth, she fumbled in her Spatial Box for a spare stone, a backup wand—

But the gravity she unleashed made even loading impossible.

*CRACK.*

Azure’s head snapped up.

Crimson’s body was webbed with cracks. They spread rapidly, fracturing her form.

Her thigh crumbled—wood chips flying.

Then the upper half collapsed with a dull thud.

“A… wooden statue?” Azure gasped.

*Of course.* Infused with Crimson’s fragmentary power, animated to ambush her in the mist. No life signs. Chaotic mana—all to hide the truth.

This replica was weak. Only mist and surprise created the illusion. The real Crimson would’ve crushed her effortlessly.

But the Celestial Crush shattered it.

As if accepting its end, the statue hurled its half-charged Magic Cannon straight at Azure.

Crimson light filled her vision.

*BOOM!*

Impact. Shockwave. Azure flew backward like a severed kite, crashing hard to the earth.

The crushing gravity faded. Night Frost emerged within the Formation, glancing at the two shattered statues—one Crimson, one herself. No living soul remained here… except Azure.

*Who was now dead.*

Night Frost summoned Azure’s wand and Spatial Box before her.

“It’s over. Revenge is mine.”

The words barely left her lips—

The Spatial Box erupted in blinding light.

It had exploded.