Chapter 198: Jing Yuan: Lord Nanook, I Want to Report Her
"The General's meaning... is that you wish to see the others?" Phantylia's voice turned frigid, a clear note of anger finally surfacing from beneath her theatrical poise. "I'm afraid you won't have that opportunity."
The spectral brilliance cloaking her massive form shifted once more. The deep, abyssal blues and purples that defined her began to churn and boil, settling into the violent, blinding hue of molten gold. A furious, golden-red radiance erupted, scorching the very air.
"Whoa, Phase Three," Leon remarked playfully.
"You've clearly been playing too many video games," March 7th shot back, her voice a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. "Now is not the time!"
While the battle before them had reached a terrifying crescendo, the atmosphere on Leon's side remained stubbornly relaxed. A cruel, almost delighted smile spread across Phantylia's colossal face. An interesting idea had just taken root in her mind: turning the celebrated General of the Luofu into a Void Ranger of the Antimatter Legion... now that would be a truly exquisite performance.
The power of Destruction gathered in her palm, condensing into a sphere of light that pulsed with that same blinding, golden-red energy.
With a single, contemptuous gesture, she blasted it outward.
An irresistible shockwave of pure power tore across the battlefield. The force was absolute, sending everyone—save for Jing Yuan, who was deliberately "left behind"—flying through the air. The terrifying pressure made the very atmosphere of the Scalegorge Waterscape tremble and wail.
"It matters not," Phantylia's voice boomed, dripping with condescension. "The final struggles of ants always seem so exceptionally tragic."
"In the next act, I plan to turn all of you into Void Rangers." Her gaze swept over the scattered heroes. "Let the power of Destruction erode your flesh and blood, recasting you as mere pawns on Lord Nanook's grand chessboard."
Her focus narrowed, locking onto the lone figure standing amidst the devastation. "And it's decided... we shall start with this arrogant Xianzhou General!"
Before her voice had even faded, a massive, gnarled root of the Ambrosial Arbor burst from the stone floor, stabbing straight toward Jing Yuan's heart. The general's figure flickered, evading the lethal strike by a hair's breadth.
But in the next instant, Phantylia simply curled her five fingers in the air. Pure, unadulterated power of Destruction solidified into an invisible cage, seizing Jing Yuan and locking him firmly in place. The fact that he alone had been spared from the initial blast was no accident; it was the core of her design.
[Aha: Who would have thought~? Even at a time like this, Phantylia is still thinking about Nanook. (Aha-Aha-running.jpg)]
[Nanook: Hmph.]
Nanook's curt reply, however, seemed to carry an undercurrent of something akin to amusement. This Phantylia, at least, had not entirely embarrassed him.
[Lan: Tsk.]
Leon chuckled to himself, not the least bit surprised. When her own life wasn't under any real threat, Phantylia was undoubtedly a qualified Lord Ravager, a true practitioner of the Path of Destruction. If she weren't, she never would have received Nanook's blessing in the first place.
"If the Xianzhou's General is turned into a Void Ranger... will the Luofu not stage a wonderful internal conflict for us to enjoy?" Phantylia mused aloud, the thought clearly delighting her. "Now that is the kind of 'Destruction' that makes things interesting."
Her massive, spectral face drifted closer to the imprisoned Jing Yuan, her eyes filled with the serene composure of one who held absolute victory in her grasp.
Jing Yuan's glaive had been blasted from his hand, and his body was now completely restricted, suspended helplessly in mid-air.
But to Phantylia's faint surprise, the face of the general held none of the resentment or despair she had anticipated. Instead, a playful smirk was beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth.
"Heh..." he began, his voice calm and clear. "Phantylia, if you truly wish to destroy the Xianzhou, why not come to the Luofu in person to face me? Why hide your head and show your tail, sending only a disposable avatar?"
On the current Xianzhou Luofu, there were five Aeons... plus one suspected Aeon, who happened to be standing right there on the battlefield. Even excluding Leon, with the legendary High-Cloud Quintet now gathered in one place, Jing Yuan was supremely confident in their ability to suppress Phantylia.
Since that was the case... it didn't seem too unreasonable to "file a complaint" against this particular Lord Ravager, did it?
Phantylia was infamous throughout the galaxy for her myriad avatars, infiltrating countless civilizations with a hundred different faces. Based on his judgment, Jing Yuan was certain that the entity before him was nothing more than a puppet.
"Ultimately... Phantylia, you are nothing more than a coward," Jing Yuan's voice was sharp, every word a piercing dart. "A coward who covets the Abundance's Ambrosial Arbor, one who fears death while pretending to preach absolute destruction."
In Leon's eyes, a wonderful play was unfolding.
[Jing Yuan]: Hello? Is this the Antimatter Legion customer service?
[Nanook]: Who is this?
[Jing Yuan]: I'd like to make a report under my real name! That one in your family named Phantylia isn't following the Path of Destruction properly. She's over here flirting with Abundance!
[Nanook]:...Hmph? Is that so?
This was just too much fun.
Leon casually turned the little theater in his head into a chibi animation and tossed it into the Aeon chat group.
[Aha: Hahahaha! I approve of this fun!]
[Nanook:...]
[Lan: Do you require my assistance in "cleaning house"?]
[Fuli: Light Cone Record: "The Lord Ravager Who Refused to Embrace Destruction".]
[Yaoshi: One who is unwilling to embrace Destruction... hmm. I can grant her the blessing of Abundance, to help her endure forever.]
[Qlipoth: Observe. Even an Emanator of Destruction is unwilling to embrace true Destruction.]
The Aeons tacitly fanned the flames, and the atmosphere in the group chat grew decidedly cheerful.
"Hmph... Glib-tongued," Phantylia scoffed, though she felt no real anger. The advantage was hers; Jing Yuan's words were merely the desperate howls of a defeated dog. As for "fearing death"...
She had to admit, her dedication to "Destruction" wasn't entirely pure. When there was no danger to her own existence, she was a steadfast Emanator. But if she were to truly face a dead end... she would never "embrace Destruction." Otherwise, why would she have gone to such lengths to hijack the Ambrosial Arbor, thirsting for this "everlasting and indestructible" body of Abundance?
However, in the next second—
A brilliant flash of lightning suddenly erupted from around Jing Yuan's captive form.
By imprisoning him, had Phantylia not also inadvertently locked a portion of her own power and attention onto him?
"Lightning-Wielding Thunder-Clapping Lord... I summon thee!"
The towering, spectral phantom of the Lightning-Lord materialized behind Jing Yuan. The massive glaive in its hand erupted with ten thousand feet of raw lightning, and from directly behind Phantylia—
A single, devastating slash pierced straight through her arbor-husk body.
Simultaneously, a dragon's roar echoed from Dan Heng, a piercing sword whistle sang from Jingliu, and the fragmented hum of a cursed blade connected from Blade.
Three distinct killing intents erupted in perfect, brutal unison.
Phantylia's borrowed body, ravaged from within and without, began to crumble and disintegrate inch by inch. As his bindings vanished, Jing Yuan fell from the sky.
Dan Heng moved in a blur, catching the general before he hit the ground.
No one noticed as the destroyed flesh dissolved into motes of golden light, which then drifted silently into Leon's pocket.
"Well done, General of The Hunt," a disembodied voice hissed, as Phantylia's spectral Suiyang form tore itself free from the collapsing plant-like shell. "But what I lost was merely a body I fashioned at will. How much longer can you hold on?"
"The day of the Xianzhou's destruction is coming."
Seeing her painstakingly acquired body destroyed sent a pang of secret hatred through her, but it wasn't a total loss. Even so, she had gained something. Her body was gone, but she had gained valuable experience. Next time, she would surely be able to obtain a far more satisfactory vessel.
"Go, little pawn of Destruction," Jing Yuan said, stepping away from Dan Heng's support. He stood tall, waving a hand dismissively to disperse Phantylia's lingering phantom. "Tell the Legion that the vengeance of The Hunt will surely come for them."
"General, are you alright?" March 7th asked, rushing over with a worried expression.
"I can still hold on," Jing Yuan replied, shaking his head wearily.
"Quick, come here, let me check your pulse..." Bailu also jogged over, gesturing for the general to hold out his hand.
"It seems our past chemistry hasn't entirely disappeared," Jing Yuan said, extending his hand to the young healer with a faint smile. He then looked toward Blade, Dan Heng, and Jingliu.
"Hmph." Blade snorted coldly and turned his face away.
"Mm," Dan Heng hummed in quiet acknowledgment.
"I only helped you to fulfill my own purpose," Jingliu added, her voice soft but distant.
Jing Yuan chuckled, a genuine warmth in his eyes. "Phantylia is truly a terrifying enemy. If she hadn't been so intent on injecting the power of Destruction into my body to turn me into a Void Ranger, the outcome of this battle might still have been undecided."
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