"Gate One opened."

"Equipment setup complete."

"Verification finished."

"No errors detected."

"Gate Two opened."

"Doomsday Spear loaded."

"Identity confirmed."

"Verification passed."

"Target alignment adjusted."

"Magic Stone mana charged."

"All systems ready!"

Eye Orb stood at the control panel. Firing this spear—costing many times more than the launcher modified from the elder’s mana cannon—was a sinful waste. But they had no better choice.

Everyone in Aklatia sprang into action. Shattering the Abyss felt like the proudest feat of their lives. Though Eye Orb handled most of it, they finally tasted the rare thrill of participation.

"Doomsday Spear—first test… No. First combat deployment—fire!"

…

Blood gave Lujin Lushi no room to retreat. Her scythe sliced the air with sharp rips. A bloody whirlwind erupted, instantly swallowing the surroundings.

Lujin Lushi faltered. Their black-and-white wings trembled violently in the gale, threatening to shred apart. In a single clash, they were already losing ground.

They drew a sharp breath, gathering every ounce of strength. With a powerful flap, their wings blazed with dazzling light—shattering the crimson vortex and surging toward Blood.

As black and white feathers collided midair, a sun-like explosion erupted behind them, flooding the battlefield. Fiery light tangled with blood mist. Under its cover, their forms darted like wind.

Unfazed, Blood slashed through the flames. Her body dissolved into crimson mist, coiling tightly around Lujin Lushi.

Trapped with no counter, Lujin Lushi dove without hesitation into the ground’s shadows.

As they vanished, the mist swirled aimlessly for a moment, then slowly sank.

*"How do we fight this?"*

Their greatest dilemma. Hidden in shadows, they knew—ordinary attacks wouldn’t touch this mist.

*"What are you discussing?"*

Blood’s voice, sharp and eerie, echoed through the shadows—a whisper from the Abyss. A wisp of crimson mist coalesced into a blood-hued bust.

Lu Jin and Lu Shi’s hearts hammered. They’d thought shadows were sanctuary. Now, danger lurked everywhere. *How did she get in? This place isn’t safe!*

*"Run!"*

Lu Jin shouted. They burst from the shadows, sprinting away—but the mist clung relentlessly.

Just as they neared the edge of the shadowed zone, fine blood rain fell from the clear sky, drenching them. A suffocating grip seized their throats, as if countless hands choked them.

*"I get it… it’s the breathing. We inhaled the mist."*

Their faces turned grim. The threat was inside them now.

They channeled mana to purge the foreign blood. The internal mist—merely a fragment of Blood’s body—couldn’t withstand their combined will. But Blood wouldn’t let them escape easily.

Cunning, she manipulated the lingering mist within them while hefting her massive scythe, swinging down with crushing force.

*"You purge—I’ll strike!"*

Lu Shi materialized a void-forged dagger and shot forward like lightning. Her blade traced a sharp arc toward Blood’s throat.

Blood retracted her scythe instantly. Metal clashed—a deafening *clang*—and the ambush dissolved.

But distance was close enough!

Lu Shi flapped her wings. Black-and-white feathers pierced Blood’s form. Sparks flew. Joy flickered on Lu Shi’s face—then vanished.

Blood lunged, scythe trailing foul blood aura. Lu Shi dodged, but the shockwave sent her flying backward into the shadows.

Lu Shi struggled up, chest burning with internal injury. *I can’t fall. Letting this "Human" Abyss expand dooms the Twelfth District.*

*"We haven’t lost yet… O black-and-white wings—"*

Her voice froze mid-sentence. Terror flashed in her eyes. Icy fingers clamped her throat like iron vices—no escape.

Air turned to ice. Only faint gasps remained. Her hands flailed uselessly as the grip tightened.

*"Cleared!"*

Lu Jin’s cry sparked hope.

They unleashed their mana—a roaring inferno. Wings unfurled behind them, blazing brilliantly, then shattered into a rain of black-and-white feathers drifting like sacred snow.

Blood squeezed for the kill—but grasped only air.

Wings swept past. Lu Jin and Lu Shi appeared on either side of Blood. Two voices rang as one:

*"Darkness devours the moon, night shrouds the light. From lurking shadows, forge a prison—bind with hands of shadow!"*

*"Sanctus bells pray, cathedral hymns rise! Holy fire reforges the sacred rose—the rose’s heart ignites a blazing seed."*

The Rosefire Pistol pressed against Blood’s torso. Shadowy hands bound her. Feeble? Yes. As Chapter Three, Blood could’ve brushed them off with a flick.

But this wasn’t the true strike.

When black and white wings merged, even the weakest blow became a killing art.

*"O black-and-white wings—fallen beneath the Abyss, sacred before the gate, light and shadow entwined… Now, heaven and abyss converge!"*

Wings spun. Weak attacks surged into a torrent of overwhelming power.

Howling winds. Black-and-white light slashed the sky like blades—cleaving Blood in two. Disbelief lingered in her eyes as she fell.

Sensing Blood’s heartbeat cease, tension melted from Lujin Lushi’s faces.

*"We won!"*

Embers smoldered. Smoke hung thick. Tattered wings trembled in the breeze, feathers interlaced. They knelt, gasping—exhausted, yet eyes gleaming with dawn’s light.

She approached the expanding Abyss, palm hovering gently above. Ready to tear a rift and rescue Qiu Sheng and the others—

A cold drop slid down her neck.

She spun. Stared.

Blood sizzled on the scorched earth.

Her eyes widened. Blood’s "dead" form was slowly reassembling, fed by the blood.

The Crimson Scythe pierced their abdomen. *How?!* Blood—surely dead—had returned!

*Of course…* Killed by Night Frost once, yet returned. Resurrection. Immortality.

That split-second lapse cost everything. Truly at their last breath… One slight pressure, and they’d die.

Then—

A crimson-black light tore across the heavens like a meteor, radiating energy far surpassing Chapter Three’s.

Lu Shi snapped first. *Don’t know what it is—but it’s our last chance!*

She yanked the scythe deeper, closing the gap. Inky shadows wrapped Blood’s body.

The spear descended—transcending time, space—its tip striking the boundary between the "Human" Abyss and the mortal world.

The world shuddered.

A shockwave erupted—shredding air, shaking earth. Amid deafening roar, all visible matter vanished into nothingness.

Lujin Lushi. Blood. The "Human" Abyss.

Only scorched, crimson earth remained.