A white dragon formed from the swirling snow, carrying the pressure of tearing the sky apart, crashed violently into the holy light shield erected by Gabriel.

Click—!

The crisp cracking sound was particularly jarring in the strong wind.

The once sacred and dazzling golden light shield now resembled cracked glass, teetering on the brink of collapse under the relentless barrage of snowflakes. Golden fragments crumbled, transforming into streaks of light that vanished into the gray air.

Kochi, the man in the white suit, hovered high in the air, an elegant yet cruel smile on his lips. His right hand pressed down as he watched the caged beast struggle in its final moments.

Just moments before the shield was about to completely shatter.

Moria, who had been silently positioned on the flank of the team, slowly raised his head.

A darkness as thick as ink surged within those melancholy eyes.

At this moment, Zhou Huai's consciousness took over Moria's body and, without any hesitation, directly activated his newly acquired level 50 core skill—【Demon Lord Preview】.

This is ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ an extremely special skill.

Its only effect is to overdraw all current mana and prematurely release a high-level skill that can only be mastered after level 20.

Moria's level 70 skill is called: 【Demon Lord's Descent】!

In an instant.

A terrifying aura instantly erupted from Moria's frail body.

The already gray sky completely lost its color at this moment.

It wasn't obscured by dark clouds, but rather stained by a domineering blackness.

Behind Moria, the endless darkness writhed and converged wildly, eventually condensing into a terrifying phantom that was hundreds of feet tall.

The phantom wore a crown and tattered black armor. Although its face was obscured, its domineering aura, as if it regarded all things as worthless, made the entire snow-capped mountain tremble.

That is the monarch from the abyss, the ruler of eternal night.

"roar--"

A silent roar resounded deep within everyone's soul.

Moria remained expressionless, his pale hand casually slapping the overwhelming snow dragons before him.

The hundred-foot-tall demon lord phantom behind him made the same movement.

A colossal black hand, obscuring the sky and the sun, traversed time and space from the ancient past, carrying world-destroying power, and slammed heavily onto the surging white snow dragon.

Bang!

There was no stalemate, nor the expected energy explosion.

This is a crushing defeat in terms of status.

The white dragon, composed of countless sharp snowflakes, was utterly fragile before this black giant hand, instantly shattering and disintegrating into the most primordial ice crystal powder.

The giant hand, its momentum undiminished, swept across the area.

The originally raging and violent snowstorm was actually slapped away by this slap!

The space within a radius of several thousand meters instantly became crystal clear.

Even the perpetually swirling chaotic clouds were blasted open by this attack, revealing a huge hole and the eerie, distorted void behind them.

Suddenly, the view opened up.

The snow and wind barrier that had blocked their way had completely disappeared, and the majestic snow-capped mountain peak was now within reach.

The smile on the man in the white suit standing on the mountaintop froze.

For the first time, shock was evident in his pale blue eyes.

"This aura...they're up to no good..."

...

Deep in the snow-capped mountains.

This is the core of the entire ruins, and also the final destination of the golden torrent of life that runs through heaven and earth. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A huge altar stands atop a flat mountaintop.

In the center of the altar, the ancient and mysterious "pendulum of life" is suspended in mid-air, spinning wildly and emitting a buzzing sound.

Like a greedy heart, it recklessly devoured the golden light spots surging in from all directions, and then injected these purified life energies into the behemoth below.

It was a giant golden cocoon.

Compared to the one that resurrected Kujo Masakage, this golden cocoon was several times larger, with extremely complex divine patterns flowing across its surface, each pattern radiating a terrifying pressure.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

A deep, powerful heartbeat emanated from within the golden cocoon.

Each heartbeat slammed heavily onto the snow-capped mountain, triggering a minor avalanche, and even the surrounding space visibly distorted in sync with the frequency of the heartbeat.

As the golden light spots continued to merge, the heartbeat grew stronger, nurturing an ancient, primordial beast about to awaken.

Wearing the black and gold hunting robe that symbolized the majesty of the head of the family, Kujo Hiroharu knelt before the golden cocoon with utmost piety, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold ground, his body trembling with excessive excitement.

"Did you hear that...?"

"This is the voice of God..."

Kujo Hiroharu raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with fanaticism and obsession.

"My ancestor, the SSS-level powerhouse who once stood at the pinnacle of the world, Amaterasu Omikami—Kujou Naruya!"

"You're finally coming back!"

For this moment, he did not hesitate to sacrifice half a country and bear eternal infamy.

But if our ancestors are resurrected, it will all be worth it!

Just then, a subordinate dressed in a black bodysuit rushed up from the foot of the mountain in a panic and knelt down behind Kujo Hiroharu.

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"Someone has trespassed into the ruins!"

"Mr. Bhadra and Mr. Koch are fighting each other halfway up the mountain, but..."

Kujo Hiroharu didn't turn around, but just chuckled lightly, his tone somewhat nonchalant.

"Oh? You actually managed to find your way here, that's quite an achievement."

He stood up, patted the snow dust off his knees, his gaze never leaving the golden cocoon.

"It seems that old guy Kujo Masakage really is a good-for-nothing."

"I sacrificed so many lives to revive him and even gave him a Red Oni Corps, but he couldn't even stop a bunch of rats."

"What a waste of resources."

The subordinate swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he added, "Master, those people are very strong... and there are many of them. Mr. Bhadra seems to be tied down, and Mr. Koch is..."

Kujo Hiroharu waved his hand, interrupting his subordinate's report.

"It doesn't matter."

"It won't be long before our ancestors are resurrected."

"At that time, it doesn't matter who comes, or how many of them there are."

"Before the power of God, they are nothing but ants that can be destroyed at will."

He turned around, looking down the mountain, a mocking glint in his eyes.

"Let them struggle a little longer, it will serve as the first blood meal for our ancestors after they awaken."