Goddess
The battlefield had become almost unrecognizable.
The mountains around the Thunder Temple were covered in craters. Lightning continued to flash across the black sky while water energy spread across the ground like waves.
Chenwei was still standing.
Barely.
The blue water armor covering his body had begun to flicker.
Crack…
A small section of the armor disappeared from his shoulder.
Chenwei looked down.
"…Uh-oh."
Another piece vanished.
Then another.
His half-dragon mask began breaking apart into particles of blue spiritual energy.
Chenwei's expression became serious.
"Dammit."
He knew what was happening.
His Water Dragon Spirit Beast was running out of energy.
Raika stood several meters away, surrounded by thunder.
Her eyes were still glowing red.
The Demon Queen's influence continued to control her mind.
Raika raised her Thunder Spear.
Chenwei immediately moved.
BOOM!
He launched himself into the air.
A lightning bolt passed beneath him.
He twisted sideways.
Another one came from above.
He spun in midair and narrowly avoided it.
"Too slow!"
Chenwei thrust both hands forward.
WHOOSH!
Several Water Balls shot toward Raika.
She moved through them effortlessly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chenwei suddenly appeared behind her.
"Got you!"
He threw a punch.
Raika turned.
CRACK!
Her Thunder Spear blocked the attack.
The impact sent Chenwei backward.
He flipped through the air.
Then—
ZAP!
A Thunder Ball struck his side.
"ARGH!"
His body was thrown sideways.
Before he could recover—
BOOM!
Another Thunder Ball hit him.
Chenwei crashed into the ground.
The blue armor covering his body shattered.
CRACK!
The Water Dragon mask disappeared.
The remaining armor dissolved into tiny blue particles.
Chenwei tried to summon his aura.
Nothing happened.
He clenched his fist.
"Come on…"
Nothing.
"Water Dragon!"
Silence.
Chenwei's eyes widened.
"No…"
His Spirit Beast had completely run out of power.
The Water Dragon's presence inside him had gone silent.
Chenwei fell onto his back.
Blood trickled from a small wound on his forehead.
He tried to stand.
His arms shook.
But he couldn't even manifest his basic spiritual aura anymore.
Raika slowly approached.
She had only a few scratches across her body, with a little blood visible from them.
Her red eyes remained fixed on Chenwei.
"Pathetic."
She lifted her massive Thunder Spear.
"I never imagined that such a small mortal could make me struggle this much."
Chenwei stared upward.
The enormous spear rose above him.
Its sharp tip pointed directly toward him.
He couldn't move.
The spear began descending.
Chenwei's eyes widened.
"…Damn."
The spear was only centimeters away—
WHOOOOOOSH!
Something came flying from far away.
A tiny object.
It spun through the air.
Raika suddenly sensed it.
"What—?"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The object struck the Thunder Spear.
A gigantic shockwave exploded across the battlefield.
Raika was forced backward.
Her spear flew from her hands.
It crashed into a distant mountain.
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!
The mountain collapsed.
Raika stared in disbelief.
Then she looked back toward Chenwei.
Something small was lying beside his head.
A simple-looking metal staff.
Chenwei blinked.
"…What?"
He looked at the tiny staff.
"Where did that come from?"
Raika's expression changed.
Fear appeared in her eyes.
"No."
She stepped backward.
"That can't be."
Chenwei slowly looked at her.
Raika's voice trembled.
"That weapon…"
She stared at the staff.
"That's one of the Five Legendary Weapons."
The storm around her suddenly became unstable.
"One of the God-Tier weapons."
Chenwei picked up the staff.
It looked surprisingly simple.
Just a long, heavy metallic staff.
But the moment his fingers touched it—
BOOOOOOM!
An enormous golden-blue aura exploded from Chenwei.
The entire sky shook.
The black thunderclouds began disappearing.
One after another.
The darkness above the mountains vanished.
Golden light spread across the battlefield.
Then—
A beautiful blue sky appeared.
Raika looked upward.
Her red eyes widened.
"No…"
Chenwei slowly stood.
The staff was in his hand.
Golden-blue energy surrounded his body.
He floated several meters above the ground.
Raika stared at him.
"That is impossible."
Chenwei looked down at the weapon.
"I don't even know what this thing is."
Raika's voice became almost a whisper.
"The Water God's weapon…"
Chenwei raised an eyebrow.
"Water God?"
Raika looked terrified.
"How did you get the Water God's weapon?!"
Chenwei smiled.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
The staff suddenly released another wave of energy.
BOOOOM!
Chenwei's eyes glowed blue.
He raised the staff.
"Well…"
He pointed it toward Raika.
"Looks like somebody just gave me a new weapon."
Raika's Thunder Spear flew back into her hand.
Thunder exploded around her.
"Then I will destroy you!"
She charged.
Chenwei vanished.
BOOM!
The two collided in midair.
Thunder crashed against the golden-blue energy of the staff.
Chenwei swung.
Raika blocked.
KLANG!
The impact sent a shockwave through the mountains.
Raika attacked again.
Chenwei ducked.
The Thunder Spear passed over his head.
He spun around and struck her armor with the staff.
BOOOOM!
Raika flew backward.
She stopped herself in midair.
"Thunder Arrow!"
A storm of lightning arrows fired toward Chenwei.
Chenwei swung the staff.
WHOOSH!
A circular wave of water energy exploded outward.
The arrows disappeared inside it.
Raika rushed through the wave.
"Thunder Ball!"
A massive sphere of lightning formed in her palm.
She fired it directly at Chenwei.
Chenwei crossed the staff in front of himself.
BOOOOOOM!
The Thunder Ball exploded.
But Chenwei remained standing.
He looked through the smoke.
"Not bad."
Raika's eyes widened.
He was completely unharmed.
Chenwei grinned.
"Now my turn."
He swung the staff.
WHOOOOOM!
A gigantic blue-golden wave blasted toward Raika.
She crossed her Thunder Spear in front of herself.
The wave struck.
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!
Raika was thrown through several clouds.
Chenwei followed.
The two continued fighting across the sky.
Staff against spear.
Water against thunder.
Every collision created another shockwave.
Then Chenwei suddenly stopped.
He looked at Raika.
"Raika!"
She attacked again.
Chenwei dodged.
"Listen to me!"
CRACK!
He blocked another strike.
"You aren't the Demon Queen's puppet!"
Raika's expression remained blank.
Chenwei grabbed the Thunder Spear with the staff and pushed it away.
"You're a Guardian!"
Raika's red eyes flickered.
Chenwei shouted—
"Remember who you are!"
Raika froze for half a second.
"You don't belong to her!"
Her head suddenly began hurting.
She grabbed her forehead.
"AAAGH!"
Chenwei lowered his staff.
"You have a mission!"
Raika stumbled backward.
"You were chosen to protect this world!"
Her breathing became heavier.
"You're supposed to maintain the balance of this world!"
Raika screamed.
"STOP!"
She clutched her head with both hands.
"I…"
Her red eyes flickered.
"I have to…"
She fell to her knees in midair.
"Get out…"
Chenwei watched her.
"That's it."
Raika's voice trembled.
"I have to get out…"
The red glow in her eyes began fading.
"I am not…"
She gritted her teeth.
"HER SLAVE!"
BOOOOOOM!
A burst of spiritual energy erupted from her body.
Her massive Guardian form began shrinking.
The thunder armor disappeared.
The gigantic divine body slowly returned to its normal form.
Raika fell to her knees on the ground, still holding her head.
The red glow disappeared completely.
At the same moment, the mysterious staff in Chenwei's hand began dissolving into golden-blue particles.
Chenwei looked at it.
"Wait…"
The weapon disappeared completely.
Its energy flowed directly into his body.
Chenwei looked at his empty hand.
"…So you just came here to save me and then disappeared?"
The Water Dragon's faint voice echoed inside him.
"Don't get used to it."
Chenwei smiled.
"Fair enough."
He landed on the ground.
Raika was still sitting there, holding her head.
Her massive Thunder Spear had transformed.
The divine weapon shrank and changed shape until it became something completely different—
an electric guitar.
Raika slowly opened her eyes.
Her normal expression had returned.
Chenwei looked at her.
Then at the guitar.
Then back at her.
He extended his hand.
"Welcome back."
Raika stared at his hand.
Chenwei smiled.
"Welcome back to the team, singer."
Raika blinked.
Then she grabbed his hand.
"You're seriously calling me that?"
Chenwei laughed.
"Absolutely."
The moment their hands met—
WHOOSH!
Teleportation energy surrounded them.
The destroyed mountains disappeared behind them.
And the two vanished from the Thunder Temple.
The battle was over.
But elsewhere on the battlefield, another fight was about to begin.
Lily vs. Sahara — the Earth Temple Guardian.