The moment the first flame node shattered, the entire altar trembled.
A deep, metallic sound echoed through the temple as chains dragged across the bones of the earth.
Above me, Lian Xueyi's wrists jerked against the burning restraints.
The chains flickered.
Not broken.
But weakened.
Her crimson eyes widened for the first time.
"You actually found the seal array…"
I didn't look up.
Not because I didn't want to.
Because I couldn't afford to.
The entire Crimson Sect was descending on me.
Sandaled feet slammed against stone.
Robes snapped in the heat.
Steel hissed through the air.
I ripped the spear free from the shattered left pillar and turned just as the first disciple lunged.
His curved blade came for my throat.
I tilted sideways.
The blade scraped past my cheek.
Hot.
Too close.
I slammed the butt of the spear into his stomach and twisted my body, using his momentum against him.
He crashed into the altar steps.
Another came from the right.
This one carried a flame staff.
I dropped low.
The staff passed over my head and struck the obsidian floor, exploding in a burst of sparks.
I drove the spear upward into his shoulder.
He screamed and fell back.
But there were too many.
Five.
Seven.
More pouring in through the broken temple gates.
And behind them—
Zhu Kain.
He walked forward slowly, crimson blade dragging across the floor and leaving a glowing line in the stone.
His calm frightened me more than the others' aggression.
Because calm meant confidence.
He still believed he had already won.
"Persistent little rat," he said.
The golden half-mask glinted in the firelight.
"You should have died when the first node broke."
I tightened my grip on the spear.
Blood ran down my shoulder from the earlier slash.
My breathing had grown uneven.
The temporary flame step was still active, but I could feel my muscles beginning to burn.
ARINA's voice sounded in my mind.
"Warning. Host stamina dropping."
A blue panel appeared.
Stamina: 41% Flame Step Remaining: 04:32. Seal Nodes Remaining: 2
Four minutes.
Two nodes.
And an entire sect is trying to kill me.
Perfect.
I glanced at the altar.
The second node glowed on the opposite pillar.
Far right.
Past Zhu Kain.
Of course, it had to be there.
Lian's voice came from above.
"Do not face him directly."
I looked up.
Her silver hair danced in the firestorm, and despite the chains binding her, her expression had shifted.
The hostility was fading.
Concern had replaced it.
Interesting.
The panel blinked.
Favorability Updated -10 → 0
Neutral.
We had finally crossed the first wall.
But there was no time to think about that.
Zhu Kain moved.
This time I saw it.
A subtle shift in his shoulders.
The tightening of his wrist.
The moment before the strike.
I ducked just as the crimson blade cut through the air.
The pressure alone split the pillar behind me.
Stone fragments exploded outward.
I rolled across the floor and came up running.
Straight toward the second node.
Three disciples intercepted me.
I triggered Flame Step.
The world blurred.
My body moved faster than I thought.
One step.
Two.
A streak of crimson light followed my feet.
I slipped past the first disciple.
Drove my elbow into the second's jaw.
Spun behind the third and kicked him into the second node pillar.
The rune cracked.
Not enough.
Still active.
Damn.
A staff slammed into my back.
Pain exploded across my spine.
I staggered forward.
Another blade cut across my arm.
The spear almost slipped from my grip.
Zhu Kain's voice rang through the chamber.
"Break his legs."
The disciples rushed again.
I clenched my teeth.
No.
I wasn't dying here.
Not before finding Professor Mehra.
Not before learning why I had been brought to this world.
Not before saving her.
I planted one foot.
Turned.
And used the spear like a staff.
Years of self-defence training under Professor Mehra had never prepared me for a battle like this, but fundamentals were still fundamentals.
Distance.
Timing.
Momentum.
I swept low.
Three disciples lost balance and crashed into one another.
Before they could recover, I drove the spear straight into the cracked node.
CRACK.
The second flame seal shattered.
The temple roared.
Above me, one of the chains binding Lian Xueyi snapped apart in a burst of fire.
A shockwave blasted through the chamber.
Everyone stumbled.
Even Zhu Kain took half a step back.
Lian's aura surged.
Flames spiralled around her like a living storm.
Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"One more."
The panel flashed.
Seal Nodes Remaining: 1 Emergency Reward Pending
One left.
The final node stood at the centre seal beneath the altar.
The most obvious place.
Which meant the most heavily guarded.
Zhu Kain's calm expression finally cracked.
His eyes burned with fury.
"You dare!"
The crimson blade ignited brighter than before.
Dark red fire wrapped around it like blood.
This was different.
He was using his full power now.
He rushed forward.
Faster than before.
Too fast.
I barely raised the spear in time.
The impact shattered it in half.
The force sent me skidding across the altar steps.
Pain exploded through both my hands.
The broken shaft fell from my grip.
Weapon gone.
Stamina low.
Final seal still intact.
Zhu Kain stepped onto the altar.
"You have done enough."
He raised the blade toward my throat.
And smiled.
"Die."
A voice thundered above us.
"Touch him—"
The chains blazed white.
"—and I will burn this entire realm."
For the first time, real fear crossed Zhu Kain's face.
Lian's aura had grown monstrous.
The fire around her no longer looked like flames.
It looked like wings.
Phoenix wings.
ARINA's voice echoed sharply.
"Phoenix Mark Resonance Detected."
A golden panel unfolded.
Hidden Skill Unlocked Skill: Phoenix Strike Duration: One Use
Heat surged through my chest.
The faint mark beneath my shirt blazed alive.
A burning symbol spread across my skin.
Power rushed into my limbs.
I moved.
No hesitation.
I stepped beneath Zhu Kain's guard.
My fist ignited in golden fire.
And drove upward into the final seal.
BOOM.
The altar exploded in light.
The final node shattered.
All the chains broke at once.
The entire temple shook violently.
A pillar of crimson and gold flames shot upward.
And then—
She descended.
Lian Xueyi landed before me like a falling star.
Silver hair blazing in the firelight.
Eyes glowing like molten rubies.
The air itself bent around her power.
Every disciple froze.
Zhu Kain's face turned pale beneath the mask.
The goddess was free.
She slowly turned toward him.
Her voice was cold enough to freeze the flames.
"You chained your sovereign."
Her hand rose.
A ring of fire formed above her palm.
"Now face judgement."
I exhaled hard and forced myself upright.
The first seal had broken.
No.
All of them had.
And the real battle was only beginning.