BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Pitch-black explosive mana met in the air with an opponent of yin and yang, creating a massive storm of energy that wrapped around the camp and razed anything in the vicinity.
A depression in the thickly packed rock around Rose, Ruyue, and Elena was formed several kilometers deep, but the island of land on which they stood remained untouched.
"Keuk…!"
"Ahh!"
Ruyue and Elena winced in pain but refused to move.
Rose was the most important person in this operation. No matter what happened, if she was interrupted, all of them were fated to die!
The yin-yang duo's strength did not match the level of a Supreme, but their combined power was just above that of a High Commander. When they faced this explosive burst that only contained a portion of the enemy's power, they were able to deflect it without taking much damage.
"Be careful. He's going to get worse from here."
Ruyue cued Elena in, understanding the behavior of men with oversized egos more than anyone else as someone who was raised by one, and prepared her mana again without hesitation.
"Go big this time?" Elena asked.
"We don't really have a choice," Ruyue responded in the same second.
"Tch. How annoying."
"This situation is too dire for annoyance, but, yes, I agree."
The duo exchanged glances and released their mana together.
As Elena had a singular specialization in Life, Ruyue's absolute Yin didn't completely synergize with her mana. To compensate, Ruyue used exclusively Death Mana in tandem with her sister, creating a beautiful blend of black and white in the air before them.
As they did so and the effects of the previous explosion cleared away, Hans' furious expression became clear.
It was not a matter of power. If it was, he could've killed everyone here in an instant.
But, though he had no qualms with using power to bully the weak, this was not a situation that allowed it.
Pride wasn't the only factor. When one became a Divinity and their Legend became a truly pronounced part of their existence, one needed to stay true to their desires to continue forward on the path they chose.
At his level, Hans was also subjected to this. He spent so long refining and defining the Divinity he was to inherit, and the identity it had was "Tyranny."
He didn't just want to suppress everything with absolute power, he wanted everyone under him to gaze at him in fear. He wanted to be absolute in their hearts before they died.
If the opponent was equal to him, such a thing could be accomplished through victory and torture, but for these ants who still dared to stand up to him despite the difference in power that should've inherently given them such an attitude, he needed to be more direct.
The longer they resisted, the more he wanted to just crush them.
But he held himself back.
That wasn't the satisfaction he desired.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions of mana with no particular laws backing them rang out in every direction.
Even without laws, Hans could output power and complexity in his mana that simply couldn't be fathomed by these younger geniuses.
Yet, regardless of their incomprehension, they continued moving towards their goal.
They lost almost half of their people in the first few seconds of this interaction, and as more and more time passed, the death toll only increased.
Su Ren, Long Chen, and Aishia fought desperately in the front to block as much of the explosive force as possible, but the enemy didn't have problems bypassing their barriers.
It was the same with Atticus and the Xue Siblings.
The turtle shell made of stronger members couldn't protect the weaker ones.
Said weaker individuals also didn't desire protection.
They fought as well, using everything their mana and bodies allowed to help their leaders resist.
The wild energy in the atmosphere was amplified continuously. The brutal struggle continued.
In total, 35 people died thus far.
Blood splattered on Long Chen's face. His eyes were cold and cruel, filled with burning fury towards the enemy.
"DAMMIT!" He roared again.
He couldn't find the time or energy to say anything else. He only wanted to express the boiling rage within.
Su Ren and Aishia were quieter, but their thoughts weren't much different.
However, Rose was working.
As long as she could finish in—
"AHHHHHHH!"
A piercing scream came from the backline, sending shivers down their spines.
There, Hans, who hadn't moved until now, stood with Xue Yue dangling from his grasp.
"Did you consider yourselves important?"
He grinned cruelly.
"Did you forget your place?"
"Agh…ack…ghh…"
Xue Yue struggled in his grasp and tried to escape, but her every move made his claws dig deeper into her skin.
"Get your hands off her!"
Xue Fang appeared behind him, his sword already in motion.
"Xue Fang, retreat!"
Su Ren shouted hastily, but it was too late.
"Haha, what a touching sight."
Bang!
Hans merely waved his hand backward.
The physical force contained in this slight motion…
…tore Xue Fang apart.
"AAARGH!"
He roared in pain as his sword arm was blasted into shreds.
The entire right side of his body was bloodied, with chunks of his organs visible through the holes punctured through him.
"None of you can touch me."
Hans' body turned ethereal.
When he reappeared, he was already at Aishia.
Shiiing!
He swept his arm through the air again, and both of her legs were severed from her body.
"You are merely ants. Ants attempting to fell a lion."
BANG!
He clenched his fist.
That was it.
A terrifying shock spread through Xue Yue's body.
It wasn't enough for her to die.
Her entire body was exploded into blood mist that sprayed onto her comrades.
"SISTER!"
Xue Fang roared in pain.
He charged forward, ignoring his injuries, and summoned all his mana into his remaining arm.
"Again?"
Bang!
Before Hans could act, Su Ren intercepted and grabbed Xue Fang, throwing him several hundred meters away.
Of course, this meant he was subjected to the attack that would've killed the man.
"Khhhh…!"
Su Ren's durable body didn't fail him, but he couldn't say he didn't feel the pain.
A gust of wind. That's all that hit him.
Yet, he was internally bleeding from several organs.
This was not a good situation.
However, his eyes did not go to Rose.
None of theirs did.
Even if Hans had an inkling that she was plotting something, he didn't know how integral she was.
The second they showed him she was their last hope, it was over for them.
"You take me for a fool, don't you?" Hans commented grinningly.
"Did you think I didn't know?"
He flashed before Ruyue and Elena.
"The only reason I didn't touch her is because the Lord wants her."
Even if Rose couldn't be damaged too much, Ruyue and Elena could.
He couldn't kill them, sure, but torture was absolutely an option.
"Haha, I cannot wait to see the expression on that man's face when he comes to know of this. Will he rage, or will he crumble? To lose his people not to a great Emperor, but to me! Hahahaha!"
His heinous claws shot out.
Time seemed to move in slow motion.
From the safety of her position, Rose finally opened her eyes.
"Done."
