Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 506 Overwhelming Strength Of The Netherborn Empress

Like a cannonball launched skyward, Kael was sent flying by the Crimson Sky Wyrm.

Its maw gaped wide, a furnace-like glow accumulating deep within its throat. The surrounding atmosphere warped from the intense heat as flames rapidly amassed, even tinting the clouds above a deep crimson.

On the ground, Bjorn firmly planted his feet amidst the devastated earth, activating his skills with utmost efficacy. Mana surged outward from him in violent torrents, causing the very space around his body to distort dramatically before a colossal manifestation materialized behind him.

Clad in ancient armor adorned with weathered carvings, the giant warrior possessed five arms, each brandishing a massive shield, grander than any carriage. This manifestation immediately positioned itself before the Mistborn team as three Blazing Pterodactyls unleashed fiery breath from the heavens.

Resounding booms echoed without cease.

The colossal manifestation withstood the onslaught without yielding, its four shields maneuvering with surprising deftness, intercepting flames, talons, fiery dives, and explosive plumage.

Bjorn's face contorted with the immense strain, yet he unhesitatingly continued channeling mana into the construct.

Above them, the Crimson Sky Wyrm unleashed its devastating breath attack.

A searing pillar of fire engulfed Kael entirely.

Concurrently, dark clouds churned overhead, and lightning cascaded directly onto his position. The thunderous impact merged with the inferno, transforming the sky into a maelstrom of scarlet and azure destruction.

Blazing flames from below.

Crashing lightning from above.

The Catastrophe was unmistakably aiming to obliterate him completely.

For a fleeting instant, Kael's form vanished within the tempest of fire and lightning. Then, the Crimson Sky Wyrm registered a sudden surge of danger.

Yet, its reaction came too late.

Within the heart of the inferno, Kael concluded his skill's activation.

His axe moved.

The momentum behind the swing felt impossibly immense, as if an entire mountain had been hurled through the sky. The sea of flames parted instantaneously. A colossal shockwave ripped through the air, and the strike collided directly with the Crimson Sky Wyrm's maw.

Blood erupted outward.

A gaping wound was carved across its jaws, compelling the beast to recoil violently in agony. Its focus faltered for a critical moment, and the torrent of lightning bolts descending from the sky abruptly ceased.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm let loose a furious roar.

Its cry reverberated through the battlefield with such intensity that it cracked the very ground beneath.

But by the time the creature located Kael again, he had already vanished.

The Catastrophe swiftly glanced downward, observing Kael plummeting through the sky at a terrifying velocity. He conjured footholds beneath his feet, pushing off each one in rapid succession, moving so fast that afterimages blurred in his wake.

Portions of his armor were scorched black by the flames. The gem set into his helmet lay completely shattered, and several segments of the armor showed visible cracks.

Nevertheless, the Steam Suit sustained no critical damage.

The armor had served him commendably.

Kael's eyes fixed upon the Thorn Tyrant below.

His axe pulsed with an intensifying glow with each aerial step he took. The surrounding space subtly warped around the blade as mana coalesced into it with terrifying density.

Then, he materialized directly above the Thorn Tyrant Mini Boss.

He brought his axe down in a sweeping arc.

The force behind this strike carried the same overwhelming power as the one that had previously cleaved the fiery expanse. His objective was unmistakable.

To vanquish the Thorn Tyrant before it could fully embed itself and join the fray.

However, mere moments before the axe completed its descent, Kael abruptly altered the strike's trajectory.

The incandescent axe sliced through the empty air.

For half a second, the world stood still.

Then, the atmosphere detonated.

A monumental chasm ripped open across the battlefield as the delayed impact of the strike detonated into the ground, sending stone, soil, and mangled roots flying in every direction.

Kael remained suspended on an aerial foothold high above, observing the scene below with keen scrutiny.

The disruptive surge of mana from his attack had shattered the illusion concealing the target.

The Thorn Tyrant dissolved from view.

In its stead stood Falsi, his comrade.

Had Kael followed through with his intended strike, he would have inflicted grievous harm upon her, or worse.

The instant he confirmed her identity, Kael pivoted towards Emily, shouting, "Cast a spell upon me to shield me from further illusions!"

Falsi immediately nodded and commenced the casting of supportive enchantments.

Simultaneously, the Iron Armor Rhino issued a furious bellow and charged forward. Its colossal crimson horn pulsed with intense light before smashing into one of the manifestation's shields.

The shield finally splintered into pieces.

Bjorn reacted instantly, activating additional skills to reinforce the manifestation while dedicating his full attention to impeding the summoned creatures. Beside him, the two remaining Mistborns maintained a relentless barrage of long-range attacks targeting Emily's summoned beings.

For a brief interval, all eyes were fixated on the summoned entities.

Like a phantom, Averon materialized before Falsi.

She was visibly startled.

"Averon, don't—"

"Apologies, but I must follow the boss's orders," Averon interrupted with a sigh, recognizing that utterly crushing the Mistborns would severely damage their reputation.

He truly wished to avoid exacerbating the political fallout. Defeating the Mistborns too decisively here could spell serious trouble down the line.

However, there was no other recourse.

Emily was incandescent with rage at this moment. And knowing Isaac's temperament, if Averon held back after Alice had been wounded, that brute would likely flay him alive.

Crimson sigils flared to life around Averon's fist.

He then drove the punch directly into Falsi's abdomen.

Her body contorted from the impact, launching her backward with brutal force. Simultaneously, the red sigils detached from Averon's arm, penetrating her suit and body.

Falsi's mana immediately became unstable.

Her active skills began to falter and collapse, one after another.

The healing and protective buffs sustaining the Mistborns vanished in an instant. More crucially, her cooldown reduction ability—which she had been using to aid her teammates—was completely disrupted. She would be unable to reactivate it for at least ten minutes.

At that precise moment, the Thorn Tyrant finished anchoring its roots.

Its form began to swell rapidly.

Vines thickened, and its colossal size increased. The verdant hue shifted to a deep crimson as the monstrous plant entered its Second Stage transformation.

Eager to demonstrate its potent capabilities, the Thorn Tyrant had instantly activated its Second Stage during the rooting process.

Its tendrils suddenly lashed out, expanding and contracting. Thousands of embedded thorns erupted outward in all directions, hurtling towards the Mistborns.

Then, its sunflower-like maw gaped open.

Unlike the venomous thorns present in its First Stage mouth, only a vast, crimson abyss, swirling with volatile energy, was now visible.

The mere act of gazing upon it felt perilous.

A beam of energy erupted from the chasm, blasting directly towards Kael.

Kael immediately pivoted, swinging his axe in a complete, devastating arc. He understood that this would likely be his final full-powered assault, now that Falsi's cooldown reduction was nullified.

Thus, he poured all his might into the strike.

The radiant axe carved a colossal ring through the air.

This ring expanded outward with astonishing speed, cleaving through countless incoming thorns before directly confronting the beam unleashed by the Thorn Tyrant.

Concurrently, the expanding ring surged towards Emily and her summoned beasts.

Despite the imminent danger, Emily did not budge an inch.

Kael caught just a fleeting glimpse of her expression before the Thorn Tyrant's beam overwhelmed the ring and slammed into him.

At that exact instant, Stoneward activated his skill.

A golden-brown luminescence enveloped both him and Emily, rerouting all damage directed at her straight onto him.

The beam violently hurled Kael backward.

His armor disintegrated piece by piece as his body ricocheted repeatedly across the battlefield, finally coming to a halt with a slide.

For several long seconds, he remained prone, his gaze fixed on the sky. Portions of his mist-body were visible through the shattered fragments of his armor. He had been vanquished.

Yet, a laugh escaped his lips.

He recalled the steely coldness in Emily's eyes from moments before.

"That girl is utterly ruthless," he mused inwardly.

Her combat prowess was already formidable, but what truly astonished him was her mental fortitude.

Emily could have easily evaded that final onslaught. Remaining stationary had been a calculated risk, even with the Abyssal Mammoth and Iron Armor Rhino guarding her. There was no absolute certainty they could entirely negate the incoming damage.

Yet, she stood her ground, unwavering.

Her objective extended beyond merely eliminating the Mistborns; she aimed to shatter their public image, demonstrating their inability to even scratch an Adept like herself.

Her unmoving stance was a deliberate declaration.

Kael, an Apex Overlord, failing to land a blow on her was a profound insult to the Mistborns and the Lord of Mists himself.

"Sheesh, that dragon girl really wore me out."

"If not for her, I might have been capable of launching an even more potent attack."

Despite these reflections, Kael felt no shame in his defeat. If anything, his mist body churned with intensified vigor, carrying undertones of exhilaration rather than frustration.

This grueling battle had been immensely satisfying.

Painful, exhausting, and brutal.

But undeniably satisfying.

"Get up, you fool!" Bjorn's bellow resonated across the battlefield.

Kael tilted his head slightly towards the source of the command. Even from his current position, he could discern the strain masked beneath Bjorn's angry roar.

Bjorn already understood the battle was lost.

Nevertheless, they were compelled to persist in their fight.

Their sole objective now was to stall for time.

Bjorn's colossal avatar persisted behind him, though fractures had begun to spiderweb across multiple defensive shields. The construct, boasting five arms, continued to fend off incoming assaults from summoned entities while verdant roots violently erupted, engulfing the battlefield around them.

Within Bjorn's mind, thoughts raced at an incredible pace.

He had no current knowledge of the Water Elemental Spirit's or Emily's team's whereabouts, yet their arrival was expected imminently. Emily had been ambushed by Serisa previously, a situation that undoubtedly prompted her to summon reinforcements. Bjorn anticipated the Water Elemental Spirit's appearance.

If they could endure until the spirit arrived, resorting to surrender would inflict minimal damage upon the Mistborns' esteemed reputation. A defeat at the hands of a formidable entity like the Water Elemental Spirit would be deemed natural and understandable.

Such an outcome was vastly preferable to utter devastation by Emily, who, by technical definition, was still only an Adept-level cultivator.

From an external viewpoint, the situation undoubtedly appeared dire for the Mistborns. Emily had acquired the Thorn Tyrant, and the dynamics of the battlefield had decisively shifted, leaving the Mistborns overwhelmingly outmatched.

However, Bjorn possessed knowledge that eluded others.

Special Dungeons possessed the capability to amplify their resident monsters. This particular Great Dungeon was indeed a special one, bestowing enhancements upon all creatures spawned within its confines, with a particular emphasis on immensely powerful beings such as the Thorn Tyrant. Yet, now that Emily had successfully subdued the Mini Boss, it was no longer benefiting from the Dungeon's boons.

The Thorn Tyrant remained a creature of immense and terrifying power. Individually, none of the Mistborns possessed the ability to contend with it.

But could they stall its advance?

This was Bjorn's prevailing belief.

Meanwhile, Emily seemed capable of perceiving the very thoughts coursing through Bjorn's mind.

Her expression remained unyieldingly cold as she fixed her gaze upon him from a distance.

She harbored no intention of allowing this conflict to drag on, particularly after Alice had sustained injuries.

Her attention gradually shifted toward the Thorn Tyrant.

The gargantuan entity immediately adjusted its posture slightly under her focused gaze. It had been meticulously observing Emily's reactions since earlier, attempting to ascertain her level of satisfaction with its combat performance. Discovering her attention once more directed at it, the Thorn Tyrant understood. She desired further destruction and bloodshed.

[How dare they inflict harm upon our comrade! Allow me to impart a harsh lesson upon them, Master!]

An uncountable number of roots erupted violently from beneath the ravaged battlefield. The ground fractured and split apart dramatically as thick, crimson vines surged from all directions, hurtling towards the Mistborns.

The roots ensnared them instantaneously. Poison-infused thorns raked across their Steam Suits, while a cascade of detrimental effects permeated the mana systems of their armor. While the poison itself had minimal impact due to the Mistborns' incorporeal forms, the status ailments, however, proved overwhelmingly effective.

The roots constricted with even greater force. Metal cried out under the immense pressure.

Bjorn, with considerable effort, managed to deflect several vines aimed directly at him. Each tendril was as massive as a dwelling and possessed a terrifying destructive force. Even with the aid of his avatar, he could not adequately shield everyone simultaneously.

"Kael! You absolute fool! Stop dawdling!" Bjorn bellowed in frustration.

Kael merely offered a dismissive shrug from his prone position.

Roots coiled around his damaged armor, crushing sections of it into oblivion, yet he exhibited no inclination to resist. His demeanor suggested a palpable acceptance of defeat.

Subsequently, realizing Bjorn could no longer discern his presence amidst the swirling chaos of roots and debris, Kael transmitted a telepathic message.

'Give up, bro. You'll be sleeping outside tonight.'

Bjorn experienced a moment of stunned silence.

The cause of his shock was not the message's content, but the sheer casualness with which Kael delivered it.

Bjorn, being married to the Lord of Mists, held the status of Kael's brother-in-law. However, Kael rarely employed the term "bro" during critical junctures such as this.

Unless… Unless Kael no longer perceived the situation as dire. This implied he had already conceded defeat in his mind.

Kael's voice continued to echo within Bjorn's consciousness. 'I'm just stating a fact, but you ought to realize you're the one facing big sis's fury later. I'm already in the clear. I fought without holding back, so I'm safe, and I fought to my heart's content, so I genuinely don't care anymore.'

Truthfully, he still harbored a desire to continue the fight.

However, his armor was on the verge of complete destruction, and the pervasive exhaustion was finally taking its toll.

Contemplating this reality only served to underscore Alice's fierce determination. Despite having sustained injuries far more severe than his own, she had resolutely refused to cease fighting earlier.

In comparison to her, perhaps he was the one exhibiting normal behavior.

'I suppose even among battle-crazed individuals, there exist different tiers,' he mused internally.

"What!?" Bjorn roared, his attention consumed by the relentless assault of roots, leaving him no capacity to activate the necessary artifact for a telepathic response.

'I explicitly instructed you to engage Alice with lethal intent. However, you held back due to the competition's parameters, which is precisely why we couldn't neutralize her swiftly and aid Serisa adequately,' Kael remarked with a sneer.

Kael vividly recalled his confrontation with Alice. From the outset of their battle, he had accurately assessed her nature.

She was a berserker. Much like himself.

For individuals of their disposition, the most formidable asset was never an overbearing aura or a devastating offensive technique.

It was the capacity to [heal].

Alice wielded the ultimate ability for someone consumed by the thrill of combat. By virtue of her self-healing, she could engage in unrestrained, reckless fighting without reservation.

This was the very reason Kael had advocated for overwhelming her instantly with maximum force, ending the engagement before it could escalate.

Yet, Bjorn had exercised restraint.

The circumstances were, after all, within the confines of a competition.

Employing truly fatal attacks posed a significant risk of inadvertently ending Alice's life.

At that precise juncture, one of the formidable roots of the Thorn Tyrant descended from above with immense force.

Bjorn's manifestation deployed its defenses too late.

The colossal root impacted Bjorn directly, subsequently impaling and immobilizing him beneath its sheer mass.

The surrounding tendrils constricted further around the other Mistborns. Spikes tore through their Steam Suits repeatedly, while the metal groaned and buckled under the intense pressure.

Then, amidst the pandemonium, an unexpected hand grasped Emily's.