The void shattered, and a crimson figure materialized directly beside Joanna.
Infinite flames danced gently around him, rippling with crimson radiance — he was unmistakably a peak fifth-level Great Wizard!
With an expressionless face, he reached toward Joanna. The crimson-gold flames formed into sharp claws, cracking apart her innate defenses layer by layer.
"Flame Throne!"
Clarke roared, positioning himself in front of Joanna. The flame claws struck mercilessly into his body, shattering his steel armor instantly and scorching the flesh beneath to a charred black, revealing the bright silver metallic skeleton underneath.
Within the Aranol Maze, the only wizard who could move freely was the Flame Throne himself — its master!
Clarke spurted blood from his mouth as he and Joanna were sent flying backward.
"Brother~ ah! Brother!!!"
Joanna screamed, her eyes instantly turning blood-red. "You dare hurt my brother — I'll kill you..."
Semi-transparent threads emerged from Joanna's hands, slicing through the void with ease as they surged toward the crimson figure hovering in midair.
Boom! Crimson-gold flames erupted, colliding with the translucent threads. Under the searing heat, the threads began to slowly melt away.
Not far away, Joanna's face turned pale.
"Joanna, stay back!" Clarke rose to his feet once more, as if the fatal wound in his chest meant nothing at all.
"Flame Throne! I've waited for this day for a very long time!"
Hummm! The massive black greatsword in Clarke's hand suddenly radiated the terrifying aura of a high-grade magical artifact, its keen light brilliant and blinding — even the void itself was being torn asunder.
"Sorrow of the Earth!" Clarke roared, and behind him, the phantom of a desolate, empty landscape materialized.
A aura of decay surged from his body, coalescing into a terrifying blade of sword-light.
"The smell of decay and death is not something any living being should wield!"
The crimson figure in midair spoke slowly, a crimson flame sword manifesting in his hand as well.
"In the name of fire — your only destination is eternal deathly silence!"
The entire world seemed to tremble and cry out as countless fire-element particles automatically coiled around the flame sword.
Crack!
Two terrifying blades that transcended the limits of space clashed in the next instant. The dark-green force of withering entwined with the crimson energy of flame, ultimately forming an all-annihilating storm.
BOOM! Within the storm, a streak of red sword-light flashed, and Clarke's entire body was sent flying.
No — it was more like "half a body." The lower portion of Clarke's body from the waist down was gone, as if he had been bisected, exposing a mechanical spine and translucent cultivation fluid.
The energy storm dissipated, revealing the crimson form of the Flame Throne. He looked at Clarke's wound and suddenly let out a laugh.
"It's not mechanical augmentation — it's a puppet of a soul servant! The real Clarke perished long ago, didn't he?"
He turned his gaze to Joanna, whose eyes were already glistening with tears.
"Quite the soul-splitting technique. No wonder you two were never separated — because you were never two people to begin with! Clarke was your courage, your longing, your hatred? After splitting those qualities away, all that remained of your true self was weakness!"
"No! My brother isn't dead!"
Joanna shrieked like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, tears spilling from her eyes.
"Don't... cry... Sister!"
On the ground, Clarke — now only half a body — smiled and tried to comfort her, but his expression had grown rigidly stiff, his voice broken and halting, until it finally became mechanical.
"Oh! Let me think... Back during the massacre, it seems only one little girl survived. Could that have been you?"
A strange smile appeared on the Flame Throne's face. "To pin your dreams on someone else — even after advancing to the fifth level, you're nothing but trash!"
Words sharp as a blade instantly drained all color from Joanna's face.
"No! I'm not! Ah..."
She clutched her head, teetering on the edge of a complete breakdown.
The Flame Throne wore a smug expression and was about to push her further when his face suddenly changed.
Wisps of black aura were seeping from Joanna, who held her head in her hands. The dangerous energy was so potent that even he felt the urge to retreat.
"What's going on? Right — she's a descendant of that remnant bloodline. Could it be..."
The Flame Throne's pupils contracted sharply. Massive chains of flame materialized and shot toward Joanna, but he was already a step too late.
Joanna raised her head and let out a piercing scream.
"SHRIEK!!!" Endless waves of terrifying energy instantly enveloped the entire area...
Crash! The fifth-level Flame Sovereign — a horrifying fire elemental shaped like a crocodilian — collapsed to the ground, the flames across its body extinguishing inch by inch.