Sword Law quietly consumed source crystals within his Temple of Sorcery to replenish his source energy. He had brought one thousand source crystals with him for this descent. In a clash where he attacked without defending, source crystals represented not only offensive power, but also his health pool. Though a soul body was exceptionally difficult to mend, Sword Law could at least maintain his combat strength through healing wonders.
Yaxiu, on the other hand, was not severely wounded. Both his Dark Veil Armor and Refraction Protection could counteract Sword Law's assaults, but at the cost of rapidly burning through source energy.
Even with the borrowed virtual wings of the Spectre Prophet, his reserves remained limited.
Sword Law had no idea how many source crystals Yaxiu possessed—a hundred? Two hundred? Five hundred? Regardless, he was reaching his limit.
Just moments ago, Yaxiu had chosen not to block his Heart Sword Hunt Net with Refraction Protection, opting instead to endure it with Dark Veil Armor. Although he offset most of the damage by expending soul feather hue, Sword Law's Glazed Astral Sword still pierced his chest.
This was only natural. If anything, the fact that Yaxiu had held out this long already left Sword Law marveling at his extravagance. Sword Law was backed by the Kingdom of Heaven, whereas Yaxiu had ascended to demigod less than a month ago. Even more crucially, Yaxiu was not just dueling him; he had been shielding six companions the entire time, unable to free his left hand even now.
Not only the four women alongside the Sword Princess, but Felix and Daidalos were also being protected from afar via Yaxiu's Shadow Lock. Sword Law did not particularly approve of this refuse-to-abandon-a-single-soul approach—after all, sacrificing a few to preserve the whole was always better than total annihilation—yet he had no objection to Heaven's Viceroy possessing such a virtue.
Under the indulgence of the Sorcery Supreme, such benevolence would become a blessing to this world.
Unfortunately, Yaxiu was not yet Heaven's Viceroy. Without the backing of the Sorcery Supreme, his benevolence would only burn him to ash first. Sword Law brandished the Glazed Astral Sword, flicking away the traces of water and blood clinging to its edge.
Yaxiu seemed to realize something as well. He glanced at his own palm, then suddenly turned his gaze toward Vichy. Currently hypnotizing the girls, Vichy caught his look, though she could not decipher its meaning.
"Aren't you afraid," Yaxiu suddenly asked, "that I will take revenge?"
In all the fierce fighting up to this point, this was the first time Yaxiu had spoken. His voice was as clear as ever, not in the least as savage as his outward appearance. Yet Sword Law felt only pity in his heart. Even a fiend whose heart was cold as iron and devoured its own flesh could still be weakened by the soft spots within.
"I am," Sword Law replied. "Yet I am willing to live for my justice, and I am willing to die for my justice. Perhaps I must hurt others, but only through this can others survive."
"Indeed," Yaxiu said softly. "Sometimes one must hurt others just to survive.
"If it is hell you want, I will give you hell!"
*Snap!*
Suddenly, dozens of chains burst from Yaxiu's shadow, instantly piercing through the Realm of Suffering to bind every Legendary and Sanctuary sorcerer looking on from outside!
Wonder: Soul Reflection—Shadow Lock!
Victorica the Painter could not resist in the slightest. She could only watch helplessly as her soul was forcefully dragged out, crying out in shock before fainting dead away. The other Legendaries and Sanctuaries met the same fate. Though a tiny fragment of soul was left behind in their physical bodies, the vast majority was torn away by the chains and gathered into Yaxiu's grasp!
Still hypnotizing the girls, Vichy froze at the sight.
Sword Law immediately unfurled a resplendent sword net, but Yaxiu fought while maneuvering on the run, rapidly refining the lingering soul fragments in his hand to replenish a fraction of his source energy!
The Dark Veil wonder could inherently refine souls into either feather hue or source energy. It was only because the nine shadow swords had shredded Yaxiu's own soul into the tiniest wisps of darkness that it could previously only be used to fill feather hue; refining it into source energy required at least a sizable, intact soul.
Indeed, Yaxiu's source crystals were exhausted, but through soul refinement, he regained a measure of combat endurance!
Even when facing these Legendaries and Sanctuaries who had intercepted him, Yaxiu had not dealt a lethal blow, leaving them a sliver of soul that could recover after resting in bed for six months to a year. Yet if the battle continued to unfold like this...
Sword Law thought even further ahead. Four hundred meters above lay Jialesi, the Astral Capital with a population in the tens of millions!
If the people here were exhausted, would Yaxiu truly... step across into darkness?
Felix realized this as well.
She stared anxiously at Yaxiu, catching a bizarre glint in Vichy's eyes out of the corner of her vision. A terrifying possibility crossed her mind, and she stammered, "S-Sister Vichy... is the hypnosis not done yet?"
"They are demigods. It's not that simple."
"Sister Vichy..." Felix was on the verge of tears. "You will do your best, right?"
Vichy glanced at her, her thoughts unreadable, and let out a soft laugh. "Of course. I am the Spectre Prophet, after all."
*
Soon, Yaxiu's source energy scraped the bottom once more. He felt his heartbeat thumping like war drums. Despite wearing the heavy Dark Veil Armor, his body felt extraordinarily light; even the agony inflicted by the shadow swords felt as crisp and refreshing as a cool mountain breeze.
Battling an angel was truly exhilarating. Refining souls to replenish source energy was truly entertaining.
He knew his state of mind was very wrong, utterly wrong, but he needed to sustain this state and pursue this line of thought, because only in this way could he keep fighting on.
Perhaps he would have to hurt certain people. Perhaps he could no longer uphold his moral tenets. Yet there were people worth betraying everything for—even righteousness and justice.
Time to replenish source energy...
Yaxiu's gaze gradually shifted from the Legendaries and Sanctuaries nearby toward the sky above, a ravenous gleam welling in his eyes.
*You don't have to take their lives; wouldn't it be fine just to leave them a sliver of soul?* A dark murmur flowed quietly from the depths of his heart. *Breaching your moral principles just a little will let you safeguard everything you have... They belong to you. Only you have the right to hurt them. How could you bear to lose them?*
The undercurrent stirred up waves that swelled into a monstrous surge: *No one can take what is yours... no one!*
Just as Yaxiu's eyes grew hazy and hundreds of chains were surging out from his shadow, the maid's sharp cry echoed from behind:
"Yaxiu!"
Four muffled explosions rang out within the water coffins. The female sorcerers all coughed up a mouthful of bloody froth, their auras withering rapidly. Yet their sympathetic soul detonation produced an unexpected result—just as Sword Law was about to unleash the Heart Sword Hunt Net, the Coffin of Weeping Rain was violently shaken. The Heart Sword God responsible for targeting was instantly incapacitated. Not only was Sword Law's miracle interrupted, but the backlash from the miracle forcefully jolted the Heart Sword God straight out of the Temple of Sorcery!
Still, it was no fatal crisis; as long as the Heart Sword God was quickly returned to its place, the wonder could resume operation—
*Boom!*
Yaxiu trampled through Sword Law's shadow, lunging onto the Heart Sword God like a ravenous fiend. His Dark Veil Armor slammed directly into it, and even his nine shadow swords plunged into the god's form. The ruby longsword ruthlessly impaled the deity's body, unleashing a Soul Screech Sonic Wave that erupted violently within!
With a shrill, agonizing wail, the god dissolved into countless streams of light, and the water coffins shattered with a deafening roar!
The Coffin of Weeping Rain broke; the Heart Sword God perished!
Chapter 1103