Death... and me

Gater was another Soul Transformation Realm Zasfin who was out on another mission. These first skirmishes were happening everywhere that can be considered important to the Zasfins, so the Soul Rulers' experts were being sent to various locations nonstop. Gater just so happened to be working on another task before this battle started.

Gater then looked at the situation ahead and could see how his own side's Soul Transformation members were having a hard time against the Stage Six Demon Beasts. "Four against three, but we're still slightly behind. Don't worry, Senior Jare. I'll join them and force the Stage Six Demon Beasts back. Perhaps we can even kill one or two of them."

Gater then took flight and was just about to move in the beasts' direction when Jare stopped him with a Spiritual Sense Message, telling him, 'No, leave them be. Although they are on the losing end, they can still hold those demon beasts for a long time. On the other hand, I have another place for you to be.'

Gater heard Jare's commands and couldn't help but ask, 'Do I really need to make a move on them?'

Jare nodded, saying, 'If possible, try to capture one of them. It's part of Ancestor Fikin's orders.'

The moment Gater heard that name, his expression turned serious, responding solemnly, 'Understood.'

Of course, one didn't need to think too much to know that Gater was told to stop Rean's group. He was at the Middle Stage of the Soul Transformation Realm, so Jare and Gater believed that it wouldn't be too hard of a task. It's just that getting close to the twins without them knowing was basically impossible. Unless, of course, you refrained from using Spiritual Sense.

However, in this case, even that wouldn't be of any help. One must remember that Gia was on the other side. With her Stage Seven Spiritual Sense, she could totally see Gater heading in the direction of the twins and the Minokawa. Naturally, she sent them a Spiritual Sense Message, saying, 'Retreat. There's a Soul Transformation Realm Zasfin heading in your direction.'

Rean and Roan nodded in response. However, they had no intention of retreating as one of them replied, 'There's no need. We have been waiting for something like this for quite some time.'

Gia was taken aback by their words. Not only that, she was even more shaken by the fact that Rean and Roan's Spiritual Sense could reach her location from so afar. After all, they were only in the Initial Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. 'How can their souls be so powerful?'

Of course, seeing that they stayed there, Gia tensed her legs, ready to dart in their direction. According to Phex's orders, she couldn't let the Minokawa die or be captured. The only problem was that she could see Jare looking in her direction, ready to come out as well. That's the only reason she hadn't taken flight yet.

'You two better not let the Minokawa die,' Gia said through a Spiritual Sense message.

Rean, Roan, and Kentucky smiled in response as they arrived at another formation. Gater was still some distance away, so they could use that free time to increase their merit points.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! boom!*

This time, no Zasfin tried to block the passage of Rean's group. Jare already knew that the average Nascent Soul Realm Zasfin would only die if they did that. Naturally, the formation was left empty.

Gater's mouth couldn't help but twitch after seeing that sight. Rean and the others knew that he was coming. Nevertheless, they went even deeper into their territory to destroy another formation. Wasn't that the same thing as saying that they didn't care about him? 'Some puny human slaves and a chicken want to cause trouble in front of me?'

Rean heard that Spiritual Sense Message and only laughed, responding, 'Hahaha! These puny human slaves and the chicken just destroyed the 11th Demon Beast Aura Repression Formation. Not to mention that we also killed seven Zasfins at a higher realm than us. I wonder how bad things would be if we weren't so insignificant.'

"Courting death!" After some time, Gater finally arrived in front of them and attacked straight away. Lightning and Fire Element gathered around him as his Rank Five Soul Mark shone on his forehead. In an instant, his power soared as thousands of Lightning-Fire Spears materialized in the surroundings.

'Thunder Fire Punishment!'

At the same time that the spears shot in the direction of the twins, another spear appeared in Gater's hand. He wasn't just good with long-ranged attacks but melee attacks as well. While his Thunder Fire Punishment covered the twins and the Minokawa's vision, he followed right behind.

'Lightning Body Flow!'

His speed immediately increased at least twice than before after using his movement technique. Not long after, a greater amount of Fire and Lightning Element gathered around his own spear, making the ones created through energy look like candles.

'Thunder Fire Destruction!'

Gater was told to capture them, but nothing was said about how badly injured they had to be. Besides, he had no interest in the Demon Bird since he didn't know it was a Divine Demon Beast.

However, Rean, Roan, and Kentucky didn't panic after seeing this. Light and Dark Elements gathered around all three of them. Sure enough, they intended to fight head-on! 'There's no Dimensional Realm to retreat anymore, so give it your all!'

'Life Style, First Form, Enhancement!'

'Death Style, Second Movement Form, Shadow Air!'

'Death World!'

'Death Style, Fifth Form, Mirage Assault!'

'Death Style, Third Form, Three Claws of the Dragon!'

'Life Fire, Flame Emperor Slash!'

Rean and Roan opened their own barrage of attacks exactly the same way they did with the Zasfins before. Well, not exactly. The ones who used those attacks were the clones created by the Mirage Assault. The twins stayed behind. Sure enough, the outcome was very different.

*Boom, boom, boom, boom!*

The clones went ahead first, using the twins' skills against the Thunder-Fire Punishment Spears.

However, one couldn't underestimate the power of the Soul Transformation Realm, after all. All the four clones could do was create a gap in front before they were obliterated. Right behind that gap came a raging Zasfin at a speed even higher than the energy spears that were destroyed. Gater then looked at Kentucky, who was right in front and shouted, 'First, let me send you to the next world, chicken!'

Kentucky didn't seem to be afraid, though. 'Ha! You and what army?' His body then burst with black and white flames before it all concentrated on his beak. Kentucky was also flying, just like Gater. Not to mention that he was a Divine Demon Bird, so he wasn't much slower even though the difference in cultivation was over an entire Realm.

'Kawa's Divine Thrust!'

Kentucky wasn't that good at naming his own attacks. Rean told him that he called his meteoric attack Fried Chicken Cannonball before. However, for some reason, Kentucky didn't seem to like that. In fact, he didn't like any of the names the twins used for the attacks he used before he obtained sentience.

Leaving that aside, this attack focused Kentucky's full strength in the hardest part of his body, his beak. His defense overall was already very high, with his blade feathers and scales hidden behind. However, compared to his beak, it was still a little lacking. Not to mention that there was a risk of the attack falling between the gaps if he was unlucky. Last but not least, Kentucky didn't underestimate the power of a Middle Stage Soul Transformation Realm Zasfin, who also had a Bloodline Mark on top of that.

*Boom!*

Beak and spear soon collided, creating a momentary balance between the attacks.

"What?!" Naturally, Gater was shocked by that. Their cultivation realms were so far from each other, not to mention the fact that he specialized in raw power attacks. Even with that, the Demon Bird showed the same level of power as him. How could he not be shocked?!

'Do you have time to let your attention deviate from the chicken?' Rean said through a Spiritual Sense Message.

Gater felt a chill on his back as the twins appeared by his sides. No, to be more precise, it was as if they had materialized there.

Shadow Air and Death World! This domain-like technique and the Shadow Movement skill showed their frightening synergy once again. Not only that, but Rean and Roan used the Spiritual Sense bending skill at the moment Kentucky and Gater clashed, making it even harder for Gater to notice their movements.

Gater's initial plan was to kill the Demon Bird in a single strike. He was sure he would be able to do that. Following that, he would catch the humans behind Kentucky with his momentum since they could flee to other sides. One must remember that the twins' clones only created a gap in front of the barrage of the Thunder-Fire Punishment Spears. Surrounding them was just even more spears. With that, they could only retreat in one direction, behind. However, that would be the case only if Gater succeeded in getting rid of Kentucky.

Worst of all, the twins reacted way too quickly. What does that mean? Obviously, it meant that the twins were sure that Kentucky could hold him down, even if just for a second!

'Death and Life Style, Seventh Form, Sun and Moon Obliteration!'

Rean's body shone like a sun while Roan's body became completely devoid of light. Those two extreme opposing powers then gathered on their Black and White Stars before shooting against Gater. The Seventh Style was the latest attack created by Rean and Roan, using the Fifth Style, Destroyer, as the base idea.

The Fifth Style, Destroyer, forced Light and Dark Elements to turn chaotic inside their weapons before releasing the destructive energy.

The Seventh Style, however, didn't gather that destructive power inside their weapons. Instead, that phenomenon happened after Rean and Roan released their energy, forcing them into chaos at the point of encounter. Not only was that many times more powerful since the twins could totally focus on their main elements alone, that also saved their weapons from the damage created by the chaotic energy that was previously stored inside before release.

*BOOM!*

*Arrrggh!*

The result was an explosion that had strength far surpassing anything a Nascent Soul Realm could hope to achieve alone.