The air trembled under the collision of heat and darkness. The Phoenix Empire's envoy lunged forward, her spear wreathed in flames that carved molten scars into the earth. The sheer heat was enough to make the stones hiss and crack.
Liu Shen moved like water through the inferno, each step flowing yet precise. Abyssal shadows curled around his limbs, turning aside each spear thrust as if the flames themselves feared to touch him.
Yu Meixing's gaze was fixed on the envoy's spearwork. "Phoenix Sky-Splitting Spear… one of their imperial arts. She's not a mere messenger—she's one of the Flamewings."
Lei Qing grinned, lightning flickering faintly between his knuckles. "Then she'll make a good warm-up."
The envoy spun, the sweep of her spear pulling the flames into the shape of a great bird. With a deafening cry, it dove toward Liu Shen, talons of molten fire aimed to pierce his heart.
Liu Shen did not step back. He raised his hand, and the darkness thickened, shaping into the claw of some abyssal beast. Shadow met flame—talon against talon—and the ground beneath them fractured from the force. The phoenix of fire screamed before shattering into a storm of embers.
"You've grown bold, Demon Sovereign," the envoy hissed, her breathing steady despite the clash. "But boldness will not pierce the Empress's will."
Liu Shen's eyes gleamed faintly. "The Empress's will?" He took another step forward, the abyss around him pressing against her like a physical weight. "Tell me, if her will is unbreakable… why is she afraid to face me herself?"
The woman's expression flickered—only for an instant—before she thrust her spear again. This time, the weapon's tip flared so brightly that the world seemed to vanish into light.
But as the brilliance peaked, darkness burst through it—Liu Shen's form appearing within arm's reach, his fingers already gripping the shaft of her spear. The heat around her collapsed into suffocating stillness.
"You've delivered your warning," he said softly, his voice like a whisper in the void. "Now deliver this in return—"the spear shattered in his grasp, the fragments falling like blackened petals—"I'm coming."
The envoy staggered back, the aura of abyssal might clawing at her lungs. Then, without another word, she turned into a streak of fire and vanished into the skies.
Yu Meixing approached, her expression unreadable. "You've just declared open war."
Liu Shen's gaze turned to the distant glow of the Phoenix capital. "No," he murmured. "War was always coming. I've simply lit the first torch."
In the far distance, the phoenix cry came again—this time echoing like the roar of a thousand soldiers.