As Iris shifted her focus to the remaining seventy-one warriors still standing, the rumble in her mind gradually calmed down, and memories with strange and unfathomable powers suddenly surfaced.
She wanted to arrange her thoughts properly, but time was something she couldn't afford.
Iris roared, "EVERYONE…," but her voice caught in her throat as she beheld the scene before her. The broad rocky passage was ablaze with an astonishing flickering brightness, almost forcing her to squint.
However, it wasn't the brilliance that halted her words; it was the source. Instead of a flickering white flame, a tall humanoid figure stood erect, studying them with an intensity that seemed to scrutinize each individual.
She strained to see the being's face clearly, but its humanoid shape, like the rest of its body, seemed to embody white flames, obscuring any distinct features.
Iris needed no confirmation; she could recognize him at once. Despite the unconventional form, she could unmistakably identify the humanoid figure before her – White Flame!
Without hesitation, Iris opened her mouth and spoke one of the few memories she had absorbed in just three breaths.
"STAR GUARD SHADOWS!"
Almost immediately, a sphere of divine light enveloped the area before expanding outward, embracing Iris and the other eighty-one warriors in its brilliant aura.
Iris felt her pupils contract as she witnessed the humanoid flickering White Flame turning his head in her direction, advancing in the air towards her.
Gritting her teeth, Iris's mind swirled with various thoughts as she desperately tried to figure out her next move. Suddenly, a loud voice resounded beside her.
"STAR GUARD SHADOWS!"
The divine protective barrier thrummed with intensified light, its radiance growing brighter as numerous voices resonated in the air. They tapped into the unknown power within the 'Divine Blood' coursing through them.
Iris observed with satisfaction as White Flame, advancing toward her, abruptly collided with the protective barrier.
Despite his determined attempts to breach it, he was repelled each time, unable to pass through.
"It's working," a voice rang out from the crowd, echoing Iris's sentiments and those of everyone present.
A smile graced her lips as she shouted, "EVERYONE, PREPARE TO ATTACK!!" With each thwarted effort by White Flame to breach the barrier, she sensed a slight tremor within her body, realizing that it wouldn't withstand the assault for much longer if they continued like this.
"LIGHT STRENGTH GROWTH!" Iris bellowed. She felt a sudden surge of strength coursing through her veins, her blood boiling with newfound power.
The winged mark on her forehead radiated a pulsing divine light, inducing a calming sensation.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her magical energy, now composed of several wisps of divine energy, wrapping it around her body and sword.
As White Flame's attacks intensified, Iris and various others who had acted swiftly charged toward his direction.
Their goal was to buy more time for the others going through the process, knowing the divine energy flowing through them had an effect on the formidable being before them.
BANGG!!
Iris swung the edge of her great sword against the lower midsection of White Flame. Instead of cutting through him, the blade stopped midway, delivering a powerful blow that knocked White Flame backwards with a thunderous explosion reverberating against the rocky walls of the cave. The force also propelled Iris backwards due to the rebound.
As she regained her composure, before White Flame could react, a spear impacted the side of his head, almost piercing through before coming to a halt.
The force, however, sent White Flame crashing into the rocky passage walls with a resounding, 'BOOM!!,' his body creating a deep pit within.
White Flame parted his lips for the first time, a sharp exhale escaping as he began to break free from the imprint he had formed on the rocky surface.
Despite their inability to injure or harm him, the sight of White Flame being pushed back, coupled with the sharp intake of breath after enduring their attacks, sent an intense wave of overwhelming emotion surging through the hearts of Iris and the others.
Perhaps—
Perhaps today, they might finally get the chance to defeat the White Flame.
That hopeful thought ignited in the minds of everyone present.
"EVERYONE, ATTACK!!" Iris screamed, her body surging forward with extreme speed as White Flame was on the verge of fully extricating himself from the wall imprint.
Various waves of magical energy erupted from the Crystalforge Clan's Elite Warriors, spreading outwards like a ripple within the rocky passage.
The collective magical pressure emanating from the dense magical energy in the air was enough to force any lesser-ranked warrior to their knees and send shivers down their spines. Nevertheless, in front of the deadly barrages of various high-ranked warriors, each strike aimed at him with the intent to kill, White Flame, who had been silent throughout, finally opened his mouth and spoke,
"Let there be darkness."
Darkness fell like a curtain upon their eyes, causing Iris and the others to freeze in their steps.
They couldn't hear, sense, or see anything around them.
"I will cleanse the earth and rid it of you, filthy invaders," a cold, emotionless voice echoed in their ears, sending shivers down their spines and causing the hairs on their skin to stand on end.
Immediately after the voice ceased, a bright flash of light erupted within their vision, almost blinding them and sending them flying backwards.
"Arrghh!!" Iris groaned uncomfortably as she quickly regained her composure.
However, the moment she decided to take a good look at her surroundings, her eyes widened in disbelief, mirroring the reactions of several others.
…....
At the same time
"BOOOM!!" "BOOMM!!"
Orion and the others halted their footsteps, the cavern walls around them trembling once more alongside the thunderous sounds that echoed within their ears.
"What was that?" Seth asked with a frown, squinting in the direction of the noise.
Although they had ventured deep into the mountains, where sunlight couldn't penetrate, they were warriors with keen eyesight that allowed them to see even in the deepest hour of the night. As such, the darkness around them posed no challenge.
