X-019 reached it first.

Its mechanical limbs struck the water wall, but the force was dispersed. The impact was absorbed and redirected, throwing him back. Elyndra’s manipulation of space faltered for a brief second as the barrier disrupted her line of effect.

All of it had happened in less than three seconds.

Alice gained the permission from her God to activate the Divine Retribution skill.

A faint tremor ran through the sky.

Then it split.

A beam of holy fire descended, cutting through the air with overwhelming force. The attack carried an otherworldly and pure presence, and anyone who would look at it would feel as if they were being judged. The strength of Divine Retribution depended on the sins of its targets.

And the Florathi team had accumulated plenty while killing countless monsters to reach their level.

It all became fuel for the attack. The beam burned brighter as it fell.

It wasn’t quite at the level of what had struck the Crimson Sky Wyrm, but it wasn’t far off either.

If it landed cleanly, it would devastate them.

Zahard, the leader of Florathi team, moved.

His hand pulled back as multiple skills activated at once, layers of power stacking together. Then he threw his spear.

The weapon grew larger mid-flight, its form stretching as a blood-red aura wrapped around it. Faint strands of crimson lightning flickered along its length, coiling like living things.

The spear collided with the descending beam.

For a moment, everything froze.

Then—

A blinding explosion erupted.

Light swallowed the battlefield, and the shockwave followed immediately after. The force shattered nearby stone pillars, reducing them to fragments. The ground cracked under the pressure, and the air itself seemed to ripple outward.

Some of the stone surfaces closest to the collision began to melt.

At the same time, Emily raised her voice. This was their chance.

"Stoneward!"

The Abyssal Mammoth roared and charged forward.

Its massive body cut through the dust and light, each step sending tremors through the ground. The Florathi team couldn’t see clearly, their vision obscured by the explosion, but they could feel it coming.

That alone was enough.

Two members of their team stepped forward without hesitation. Both were tanks, their roles clear from the way they positioned themselves.

They activated their strongest defensive skills at once.

Stoneward crashed into them.

The impact was heavy, pushing both tanks back despite their preparations. The ground beneath them cracked further, but they held the line.

Behind all of this, Emily moved quickly.

She stored the Slime back into her Soul Space without wasting a second. Then she called out again.

The air shifted.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm emerged.

Its massive form took shape above them, wings spreading wide as it let out a low, echoing cry. The pressure of its presence alone changed the battlefield.

At the same moment, draconic wings came out from Alice’s back.

She grabbed Emily and Averon without saying anything and took off, lifting them into the air. Her vision was still partially obscured, but she didn’t rely on sight alone. She focused on the overwhelming mana signature above.

The Catastrophe.

She pulled Emily and Averon on its back.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm rose higher, claiming the sky within seconds. Emily recalled Stoneward into her Soul Space.

They had moved quickly, as if all of this was planned.

By the time the explosion began to fade and vision returned, they were already moving away.

The Florathi were stunned, seeing Emily, Averon, and Alice running away, leaving half of their team behind.

Elyndra, one of the Apex Overlord of Florathi team, reacted immediately. Her hand moved again, reaching out toward space itself, trying to grab and pull, to stop their escape.

But she didn’t get the chance.

Eleanor was already there.

She appeared in front of Elyndra without warning, her sword raised. Elyndra had to abandon her original action and shift her focus instantly, twisting her body to avoid the incoming strike.

The other Florathi team members moved as well.

They intended to chase after the Crimson Sky Wyrm, who was carrying Emily, Alice and Averon.

But Sera activated her skill.

A low hum spread across the battlefield.

Energy flowed outward from her, tracing patterns along the ground. Lines of light formed beneath her feet, expanding outward in a controlled radius.

Then something changed.

The Florathi team felt it immediately.

They could still move, but only toward her.

The moment they tried to retreat or shift away from the area, their bodies would freeze.

It felt as if they were being ordered to fight her.

Nothing else was allowed. Only fighting her was.

Zahard frowned slightly.

His gaze shifted toward Beila. The remaining gems behind the tall man were intact. None had shattered.

That meant one thing.

It meant that whatever skill Sera had used was not a debuff.

’What a strange skill,’ Zahard thought. He was currently recovering after blocking Alice’s Divine Retribution, so he had not chased Emily.

But he could feel that he could not take another step back.

"So all of that was just to create an opening for those three to escape? What exactly are you trying to do? With only three of them, they’ll run into trouble soon enough. They will be defeated by the first monster they counter," X-019 taunted.

"Are you sure about that? From what I’ve seen, they’re more than capable of handling themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if they can deal with a Mini Boss." Avery smiled faintly.

Zahard’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He understood immediately.

’They’re stalling.’

Until now, the other team had fought in silence, focusing entirely on execution. But now they were talking. That alone was enough to reveal their intent.

’They split their forces because they don’t want to waste time fighting us here. That girl... Emily. She has multiple Overlord summons. Even with fewer people, she can still progress through the dungeon,’ he thought.

He shifted his stance slightly, feeling the lingering strain from blocking Alice’s attack.

"What about you three? Do you really think you can stop all six of us on your own?" Zahard asked, his tone calm but probing.

Zahard, X-019, and Elyndra were all Apex Overlords, but Zahard was far stronger than the other two.

Along with another High Overlord from their team, he could match Avery for a time.

The rest of his team would overwhelm Eleanor and Sera. After that, they could regroup and deal with Avery before pursuing the others.

The plan was something so easy to come up with—and succeed at—that Zahard didn’t understand what gave Avery’s team the confidence to split.

"An Adept taking on Mini Bosses? Even if she can tame monsters, there has to be a limit. Her summons must require energy to maintain, or maybe they have a time limit. I doubt she can sustain them long enough to win against a Mini Boss. Unless you’re saying she has something like a Netherborn bloodline," Zahard taunted with a small chuckle.

...

Livestream.

[IronClad_77]: What did I just watch? That was less than half a minute.

[ManaJunkie]: Are you kidding me? That beam alone could wipe out a Sector!

[SilentSpectator]: The Florathi blocked it. They actually blocked that.

[ManaJunkie]: Well, duh. They are the most likely candidate to win the competition.

The chat scrolled rapidly, messages flooding in faster than they could be read.

Everyone had expected strong teams.

But this—

This was overwhelmingly strong.

[SkyBreaker]: So this is what top-tier Awakeners can do?

[NoobHunter]: Mom, I’m going to the wilderness today! I need levels!

[ArcaneEyes]: You’ll die in five minutes brat. Sit down.

Excitement mixed with disbelief. People were imagining themselves in that kind of battle, imagining themselves fighting like that.

It was exhilarating.

[Watcher_09]: Wait, why is Emily running away?

[RuneThinker]: Yeah... with only three people, that’s risky.

[ShadowFox]: You think Goddess Emily can’t handle it?

[ShadowFox]: Hmph, did you all forget Goddess Emily’s Lord Quest? She can defeat anything easily!

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember1112]: Exactly. She’s built different.

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember0847]: Goddess Emily can never lose!

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember2151]: +1

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMemberi7891]: +1

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember...]

[GoddessEmily....]

[Goddess....]

[...]

[BoldSoul]: Goddess Emily is amazing. I could marry her.

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember0001]: Excuse me?

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember2294]: Blasphemy! Kowtow three times and turn yourself into a eunuch, junior! Otherwise, don’t blame this senior for exterminating your ten family lines!

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember7710]: Know your place!

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember1818]: We will not accept anyone sullying our pure and innocent Goddess, even in thoughts!

[BoldSoul]: Wait, I didn’t mean—

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember0001]: No, you meant exactly what you said.

A horde of people with the chat name "GodessEmilyFanClubMember" came out to insult or scold BoldSoul.

[JealousMage]: I’m more jealous of that bastard Isaac. He gets to hold Goddess Emily’s hand every day.

[LogicUser]: Hold hands? Are you serious, lil bro? They live in the same house. You think that’s all they do?

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember4452]: Watch your words, neighbor above.

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember9033]: Goddess Emily is pure. Don’t you dare say anything about her!

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember1209]: She’s innocent. She probably doesn’t even understand what you’re implying.

[LogicUser]: You people are insane.

LogicUser’s message was drowned out by the flood that followed.

The chat kept moving, faster than anyone could properly follow, as new comments stacked over the old ones without pause.

[GoddessEmilyFanClubMember5521]: While I agree that Goddess Emily is innocent, I... think Lord Isaac has already put his dirty hands on her.

That single line shifted the tone again.

More users joined in, almost immediately.

[StormCaller91]: Yeah, that guy looks like a playboy bastard.

[NightWatcher]: He’s definitely the type.

[BlazeCore]: That Isaac guy is clearly a lecherous person. He must be tormenting her and forcing her to do shameful things.

[EchoMind]: True. Just look at his livestream today. He saw a beautiful woman on street, and approached her instantly.