The golden vortex mark on Ning Yu's forehead lit up, and at that very moment, Leon's gaze shifted from the distance to her.
His expression turned fervent and excited.
"Yes, yes, this is the power!"
A hazy gray mist began to spread around, enveloping everything near Ning Yu.
The terrifying red lightning shockwave that Lacy had just unleashed dissipated within this gray fog, vanishing completely.
However, strangely, the gray fog did not last long. It seemed to be drawn by some kind of force, quickly dispersing into the surroundings.
"What a magnificent power, this sublime knowledge and truth!"
Leon, standing in the distance, spread his arms wide as if embracing something, while the yin-yang fish above his head spun faster and faster.
It seemed that the gray fog had been drawn away by the ritual he was conducting, which explained why it dispersed so quickly.
With the fog gone, Ning Yu's figure was revealed in the center.
Her silver hair floated gently upward, her bangs parting to reveal the golden vortex mark on her forehead. Her eyes, filled with divine authority, gazed proudly like those of a deity.
Ning Yu held her Blood Kite sword upright in front of her, and from the front, it seemed to split the golden vortex on her forehead in two.
Meanwhile, Lacy was now nothing more than an unrelenting combat machine. The massive sword in her hands, brimming with terrifying energy, swung once again.
The six-winged light wings on her back flared violently as she launched a deadly and resolute attack toward Ning Yu.
"Don't blame me."
Ning Yu slowly closed her eyes, and just as Lacy's attack reached her, she stepped back into the mist.
As she moved through the fog, Ning Yu finally saw the part of Leon's ritual that was invisible to the naked eye.
A towering surge of energy twisted and gathered above the yin-yang fish on his head, rising into the sky until it reached the boundless heavens.
The gray fog around her, generated by her [Mist Walk], was also being drawn away, converging toward the center of the yin-yang fish.
If she didn't disrupt his ritual soon, the power bestowed upon her by the Moon Princess would likely be completely drained.
......
At this moment, all the survivors on Blue Star—whether in the base, hiding at home, or tucked away in some remote corner—witnessed the strange phenomenon in the sky.
Blue Star, which had already been plunged into the darkness of night, was now illuminated as brightly as day by the towering pillar of light.
A deafening roar echoed in everyone's ears, like the rumble of an earthquake.
Even the zombies wandering the streets turned their heads, looking up at the strange phenomenon in the sky, tilting their heads in confusion.
Lin Hao, standing on the high platform of the Ark Base, along with Ji Mengyao and Wu Di not far away, all wore expressions of concern.
This terrifying phenomenon, resembling a nuclear explosion, unfolded before everyone's eyes, filling them with intense unease.
"Mengyao sister..."
Shen Qianqian, her face tense, held Ji Mengyao's hand, biting her lip as she stared at the towering white light.
"Will Sister and Ning Yu be okay? Where did they go...?"
She was scared.
But more than the strange phenomenon, she feared never seeing her sister and Ning Yu again.
"Don't be afraid."
Ji Mengyao's heart was also in turmoil. In the face of such supernatural phenomena, she felt utterly insignificant.
She tightened her grip on Shen Qianqian's small hand and gently patted her head, saying,
"They'll be fine. When they come back, we'll make them buy you lots of snacks as compensation."
Shen Qianqian didn't seem cheered by the mention of snacks. She wanted to say something but remained silent.
Lin Hao, standing high above, adjusted his glasses. The strange phenomenon also unsettled him.
Although the most important reason for his survival was now gone, there were still things that tied him to this world.
He looked down at the countless Ark survivors who had woken from their sleep and were now outside, watching the strange phenomenon with anxious hearts.
His thoughts were complex and countless.
......
Realizing that creating more gray fog only accelerated the absorption and rotation of the yin-yang fish, Ning Yu quickly emerged from the mist near Lacy.
She no longer took detours but stepped directly out of the fog in front of Lacy, swinging her Blood Kite sword toward Lacy's arm holding the massive sword.
As expected, Lacy reflexively attacked the spot where Ning Yu had appeared, her combat reflexes impeccable.
But this was exactly what Ning Yu had anticipated, allowing her to enter [Moon's Moment].
In the frozen time, the Blood Kite bypassed the cracked greatsword and instead sliced through Lacy's precise mechanical body, leaving several deep cuts.
By the time [Moon's Moment] ended, Ning Yu was still standing in front of Lacy, who continued to stare at her with lifeless eyes.
But her body had already fallen apart like a precisely dismantled machine, revealing the transistors inside, now shattered on the ground.
Her head fell to the ground, and the cracked greatsword slipped from her grasp, vanishing into the void.
For some reason, Ning Yu felt that in the last moment of the time stop, she had glimpsed a faint golden light in Lacy's eyes.
But now her head lay on the ground, motionless, her eyes dimming as the energy supply was cut off.
The light wings on her back disintegrated into firefly-like sparks, scattering into the void and disappearing.
"Truly remarkable. You managed to kill Lacy in her true angel form in such a short time."
Leon's voice came from afar, filled with admiration.
"As expected of power derived from the origin, something no mortal could ever hope to contend with."
"But I am about to reach that place and comprehend the supreme truth."
His body began to float, merging into the yin-yang fish.
"Leon, what is it that you seek?"
Ning Yu no longer paid attention to the mechanical ruins of Lacy's body on the ground. She walked gracefully toward the yin-yang fish, her Blood Kite in hand, and called out her question.
"I seek only true wisdom."
Leon's voice echoed faintly from within the yin-yang fish before he completely disappeared into it.
"There's one thing you probably never considered."
A confident smile bloomed on Ning Yu's face, like a lotus in the snow.
"You only see me as the key to the origin, but have you ever considered the possibility..."
She raised her hand, letting the Blood Kite float in the air, while her other hand seemed to summon something.
"That I am not just the key to the door, but also the embodiment of the restraining force!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!!!"
The entire space suddenly trembled violently, causing even the rotation of the yin-yang fish to momentarily halt.
Deafening explosions seemed to echo from a distant place.
Shen Yiyue slowly materialized beside Ning Yu, landing next to the Blood Kite.