The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1802: Killer Squad

April touched down several dozen meters distant, her eyes bulging in sheer terror.

From her spot, faint signs of combat were visible around Rex's position. Sparks flew not far off to the left, where Amanir and Linthia clashed as well.

A ruthless surprise attack.

At last, the reason behind the Black Rift's unnaturally fierce howls became clear. Such fierce winds typically blew only close to the ocean—and they were far from any coast. This gale was fabricated, crafted by hands, a disruption designed to catch even Rex's sharp senses off guard.

Word had spread that Rex was an intruder from the Mortal Realm.

A werewolf.

Mortals might remain clueless about the Spirit Realm, but the reverse wasn't true here.

Ever since the Mirza incident, the whole realm had collaborated to investigate the Mortal Realm, archiving the details in protected vaults scattered worldwide. The Haeltara Empire, of course, possessed entry to such a vault.

Learning all there was about werewolves proved simple.

Keen senses. Swift reactions. Terrifying healing. Full moon. Flower bane. Pure silver. All of it.

Every detail served as extra assurance for pulling off this ambush successfully.

Yet the roaring gale shocked April the deepest.

A treasure known as the Fan of Chaos sprang to her mind, capable of whipping up such chaos. It warped spaces within the Black Rift to disorient voidal beasts or summon trapping rift storms. Among the empire's most treasured, unmatched artifacts, it stood out.

Her father wielded that very treasure.

"Ethan..." April spun toward the snake-like man next to her, yanked her hand free from his grasp, and shoved him back. "Are you insane?" True bewilderment sharpened her words. "I thought only nobles have a cold heart. You sold him out? You lured him into a trap? Answer me, did you really do this willingly?"

Ethan averted his eyes, dodging her stare.

That quiet response caused April to flinch. Then a mocking snort escaped her.

Open scorn.

Scorn for Ethan's betrayal of Rex after the trust he'd received.

"Is this what you did when you wandered away?" She pressed further. "To contact the royal knights?"

No reply came.

Ethan kept his mouth sealed, refusing to speak.

Perhaps he simply couldn't muster the words. But that hardly changed anything.

"He called you his friend..." April glared at this treacherous figure. "And this is how you pay him back?"

"Once we arrived at the bubble, we would be enemies. That’s what he implied," he responded—yet even as he uttered it, the absurdity rang clear to him. He'd exploited Rex's vulnerability, a truth he couldn't escape.

"Keep telling yourself that," April hissed with contempt. "I’m not going to betray him."

April whirled around, ready to bolt.

Her arm hung useless, and wounds from Stelios still plagued her, yet she wouldn't stand idle as Rex faced peril. A gust swept across her frame, halting her abruptly.

A pressure met her throat.

She glanced sideways. Ethan stood close.

At her neck sat a dagger, its icy gleam biting into her flesh with a slight nick. A thin stream of blood trailed to her collarbone. Instead of drawing a cry, the sting only fueled her fury.

Her expression warped into a grimace.

"You’re not going anywhere," he declared firmly. "Don’t make me force you to stay, April."

"I’m not in my best shape, but do you think you can stop me?" April sneered.

He'd misjudged her severely.

Greenish force rose from the earth and surged up Ethan's form, boosting his strength.

A single glance told April exactly what fueled it.

Emperor Dominar's might was aiding Ethan.

"Damn you..." she muttered under her breath, her frame trembling with fury. "Aren’t you the one who was begging him to stop? Do you think he’s going to stop with this? No, Ethan. You are not fixing this. You’re fueling it, and he will only do worse."

"He’ll stop," Ethan shot back, though he hesitated before adding, "He’ll stop when he’s dead."

Boom—!

April and Ethan jerked their sights downward.

The earth didn't shatter—it extended. Sharp, forking cracks raced at them, resembling not a gash in the soil but a bony claw reaching for their legs. They both dodged aside as the terrain ruptured with a deafening roar.

Through the shadowed void, a pillar of pure scarlet force burst forth—a furious fountain.

It blazed the heavens and weighed the atmosphere with such heavy force that breaths were snatched away.

This crushing aura didn't bypass April either.

Beyond the gloom, Rex fought back. She yearned to charge to his side. Given her state, joining the fray seemed impossible, but words might sway things. Slim as the odds were, the royal knights could yet heed her plea.

But Ethan shook his head.

Should she push toward Rex, he'd strike her down.

April tilted her head skyward.

Next to the scarlet surge, another force emerged.

A wave of green, richer than jade—a deep vitality surpassing Eternal Spirit or Master Eternal Spirit levels. It rose not in opposition to the scarlet but to envelop it. Like a protective canopy of timeless willow, it wrapped the crimson shaft, easing the oppressive force and taming the blaze.

Denying what this energy represented would make her a fool.

The Reap and Sow Echo formed the empire's very core. It sustained the soil's richness and secured the emperor's rule from his earliest days. Through it, he claimed dominion over all, from solid objects and primal forces to, seldom, abstract essences.

Any power source turned into his personal reserve for unleashing might.

He stood as an unstoppable force, tireless.

Clashing with him promised a grueling, prolonged struggle.

Where each moment edged the foe nearer to defeat.

Gradually, the lush glow drew the furious scarlet lower and lower, until the final spark faded.

The fight had ended.

Ethan held his tongue.

April required no words from him to grasp the outcome.

She dashed into the shadows.

Ethan stayed rooted.

With the danger passed, halting her served no purpose.

Her fingers gripped the blanket tightly as icy fear chilled her core. Wild thoughts bred terror within. Yet the truth mirrored the nightmares plaguing her thoughts closely.

When the distant shapes sharpened into view at last, her breath hitched.

Rex knelt on the ground.

His form had shifted back to human.

Swollen veins snaked over his whole body beneath the skin like wriggling serpents. The sight was grotesque, particularly those pulsing in his throat. Crimson glow lingered in his eyes. Lethal. Savage. Twin gems craving nothing but slaughter and gore.

Spiky tendrils twisted under his skin, a coiling network that twisted and plunged like ocean serpents.

Each thorny pierce through broke the surface to trap his sinews and clamp his limbs, holding him fast.

Directly below him bloomed a vivid pink flower.

This flower channeled the greenish vitality that restrained Rex's wild power and Laws.

Three Rings of Tanya orbited his head like a crown of light. Emperor Dominar's legendary relic, whispered to be the earth's ancient boon to him. One drained bodily might. Another sealed Spiritual Veins. The third reportedly bound the spirit.

Just two of the trio shone brightly.

Not even all three could fully subdue Rex.

The mind-binding ring must have failed, given Rex's seething wrath.

A dozen royal knights encircled him.

Their cloaks and gear marked them as the empire's elite warriors.

This squad could battle any foe head-on.

"As expected of a trash from the Mortal Realm. His barbaric rage is disgustingly strong." A royal knight sneered down at the struggling Rex. "I injected dark silver into his bloodstream and also more than enough dose of Archaic Scorpion Venom to knock out a Voidal Prince, and he’s still conscious and kicking."

From the flank, another royal knight stepped up and unleashed a brutal right swing.

His metal-clad fist crashed into Rex's jaw with force.

That blow would shatter most heads, yet it barely fazed Rex.

Just a thin line of blood dripped from his nostril.

He fixed a piercing stare on the striking knight, as if boring past the visor.

"What are you glaring at, punk?" The royal knight struck again. Now infused with life energy, it cracked the bone in Rex's nose. The snap thrilled the knight with a chill of delight. "That felt really good."

Rex tongued the loosened tooth from his mouth and spat it aside.

Ferocity etched his features. Rage still blazed in his gaze.

"Move out of the way," A broad-shouldered royal knight shoved his fellow back. "It’s my turn."

The royal knights lined up, each unleashing their fury on Rex in sequence.

Pummeling without mercy.

A savage blow to the cheek. To the nose. To the lips. To the opposite cheek.

Every impact echoed with a snap that might unsettle even a seasoned fighter.

It was pure thrashing.

Once his features turned to pulp, they shifted aims.

With jeering laughs, a royal knight rammed his knuckles into Rex's abdomen, spattering blood from his lips.

"Hey, look at this," the royal knight displayed his gauntlet to the group. Knuckles bent inward, a tiny fracture marred it, smeared in crimson. Warmth from the blood seeped through to his flesh.

A few let out whistles, since striking Rex felt like hammering stone, "This animal has a hard face, I’ll give him that."

Rex's head drooped now.

A strand of blood and spit dangled from his mouth to the dirt below.

About then, the remaining royal knights returned.

Precisely three in number.

Floating nearby was a sealed blossom of shimmering pink, forged from dense, pure life energy. Muted, steady pounds echoed from inside its glowing folds—the desperate flails of a captive who'd strayed into the bloom's trap, now hammering its ghostly confines.

"Only one?" questioned the broad-shouldered royal knight, his cape edged in gold.

His helmet hid it, but the scowl was palpable.

"Yes, the other one got away. She’s a slippery one," answered the royal knight wearing a feathered helm. "That one is an anomaly. I can’t sense her aura or presence—for that matter. Let’s keep our guards up. At least until we reached the royal bubble."

In that moment, the feathered knight eyed Rex.

He strode over, positioned himself in front of the prisoner, and crouched.

Deliberately, he threaded his fingers through Rex's dense dark locks and tugged sharply.

Via the narrow visor, he locked eyes with the invader.

"This is the man who was creating a ruckus lately," he muttered while scanning Rex's battered visage. Disappointed. "Thought he’s some old monster riddled with scars, but he’s only a boy. Even my new, shining ass-wipe back home is older than him."

The group erupted in laughter.

Missions uniting them all were rare, yet this one felt pointless.

A couple could have handled it easily.

"Get a lick at him, Woody. We all already did."

"You won’t get a chance when we get to the royal bubble."

"His regeneration is strong, so don’t even worry about breaking a few bones."

"Should I...?" Woody's mouth twisted into a lewd grin beneath his helm as he seized Rex's jaw and pulled back for a strike. Yet his fist froze at a sudden yell that yanked his attention elsewhere.

"You bastards!" April stormed forward like a furious beast. "What do you think you’re doing?!"