Chapter 2821: Unique Artifacts It had taken Emery weeks to refine the painting, even with the assistance of Astral Link artifact. What he held was no ordinary high-grade Tier-7 treasure—it was a weapon, one that did not merely imitate mass or pressure, but invoked the authority of a mountain itself, dragging gravity, density, and inevitability into the battlefield. Once unfurled, it did not explode or strike; instead, it descended slowly, relentlessly, as if decided that whatever lay beneath it was no longer permitted to exist. That inevitability was both its greatest strength and its weakness. The long casting time and sluggish descent made it nearly useless against agile opponents, but against a fortress-like formation—something that chose to stand and endure—it became an inescapable judgment. "REINFORCE THE ARRAY!!" The Malachir elder reacted instantly, his hands weaving through ancient sigils as a pillar of concentrated cosmic light surged from his palms into the ship’s defensive array. The other Grand Magus followed without hesitation, their realms flaring as they poured energy into the formation, while even Ishtar—teeth clenched, face pale—forced herself to contribute, burning through reserves she had never intended to expose. Runes ignited across the freighter’s hull, stacking and interlocking as the barrier thickened, its structure growing denser with every breath taken aboard the ship. The mountain descended. Gravity screamed. Space itself warped as the crushing mass pressed downward. The array trembled violently, its runes flickering as fractures spread like spiderwebs across its surface. Magus aboard the ship were forced to their knees, blood spilling from noses and ears as their internal realms strained under the mounting pressure. Second by second, the weight increased. And yet—the ship endured. With a deafening groan, the summoned mountain began to fracture, its immense form splintering into countless shards of dark energy. The pressure vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, the remnants of the mountain dissolving into drifting motes that flowed backward into the painting, returning to silence as if nothing had happened at all. Ishtar let out a sharp, breathless laugh, relief twisting into hysteria as she threw her head back. "Hahaha—we held it down!" Her triumph lasted only a heartbeat. The Malachir elder staggered as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his hands shaking violently. The barrier—gave one final, brittle shudder before shattering like glass, fragments of fading light scattering into the air. The path was open. Emery’s wings flared instinctively as he prepared to dive in, Excalibur already rising in his grasp—but his body betrayed him. The prolonged chase, the continuous combat, and the activation of such a taxing artifact slammed into him all at once. His breath hitched, his vision dimmed, and his muscles trembled as exhaustion surged, forcing him to pause. While Emery was focused on breaking through the barrier, Caelthar had been waiting, compressing his power for a single decisive move. Above his open palm, a white stone pagoda, about arm’s length rose silently into the air. As the pagoda rotated, ancient runes pulsed rhythmically, like a living heart. Emery’s pupils constricted. He recognized it instantly. It was the same artifact from Shiva’s vision—the one that had taken Klea. Without warning, chains of energy erupted outward, lashing through the air with terrifying speed. Caught mid-movement, Emery called the super golem forward, its golden runes blazing as it intercepted the first wave of chains. The construct seized them with brute force—but Caelthar’s will answered immediately. At his command, the chains twisted violently, reshaping mid-air into terrifying ice serpents, their bodies thick and segmented, mouths opening to reveal rows of crystalline fangs. One serpent slammed into the golem’s leg, coiling tightly as freezing energy surged through the construct’s frame. Others slipped past, bypassing the golem entirely, curving inward from multiple angles. They came for Emery. Rather than retreat, Emery bent space around himself, compressing distance and folding trajectories—not to escape, but to surge forward. It was a far riskier move, but he could not afford to be stalled. His target was Caelthar, if he fell, the artifact would lose its master. "Stop him!!" Caelthar’s shout rang across the battlefield, urgency breaking through his composure. "Stop him or we all die!" That command snapped Trini into motion. Without hesitation, the Malachir Grand Magus joined forces alongside Ishtar, their artifacts and spells flaring simultaneously as layered bombardments descended on Emery’s path. The combined assault tore through the sky, forcing Emery to halt his advance. Pushing his resolve to its limit, Emery twisted his body and launched himself forward once more, forcing space to fold beneath his feet in a desperate burst of speed. For a fleeting instant, it looked as though he had slipped through the net— Only for danger to bloom behind him. The chains returned. Not lunging blindly this time, but anticipating his movement. Emery dodged left, then snapped right, narrowly avoiding two lashes—until a third struck from below and coiled around his arm with crushing force. The moment it tightened, Emery felt it. The true terror of the pagoda. His cosmic energy shuddered violently, spiraling out of alignment as if invisible seals had been stamped directly onto his meridians. The flow of Heaven and Earth that once answered his will turned sluggish, chaotic, partially severed. It was not mere suppression—it was containment. Emery grit his teeth and swung Excalibur in a brutal arc. The divine blade flared, its edge screaming as it tore through the frozen chain, shards exploding outward in a storm of frost and light. But before he could retreat more than a few meters, another chain surged up from below, wrapping around his legs and dragging him midair. The strain finally reached its limit. The Fourfold Dawns spun frantically around Emery, their layered defenses trembling under the relentless pressure. Cracks began to spiderweb across the radiant barriers, each impact from the pagoda’s chains driving more freezing authority into their core. Worse still, his flying spirit weapons—the Chromacircle Rings—started to scream in protest as fine fractures spread across their surfaces. Emery’s eyes narrowed. That pagoda artifact was no ordinary treasure. It had to be a high-grade Tier 7 artifact, one specifically refined to suppress cosmic authority itself. Another violent clash erupted. One of the spirit rings failed. With a sharp, crystalline crack, it shattered mid-flight. "Damn it..." The situation had deteriorated rapidly. With his cosmic energy being steadily sealed and his movement increasingly restricted, Emery made a decision without hesitation. He sheathed Excalibur, cutting off the Dao flow entirely—and in its place, ignited something else. Khaos. The moment that dark power surged outward, the air itself recoiled. [Primal Transformation] Dark fur erupted across his body as muscles swelled and restructured with violent force. The Devouring Beast within him awakened with sheer, brutal vitality. Even as more chains lashed out to bind him, the transformation continued, frost cracking against his expanding form. With overwhelming physical strength, Emery resisted. The beast raised its head and unleashed a deafening howl, a roar layered with rage and savage dominance. One by one, the chains began to break. The aura rolling off Emery’s transformed body was so terrifying that seasoned grand magus aboard the ship felt their hearts seize. "Half-blood..." Trini muttered under her breath, voice trembling despite herself. "How could he... be this powerful?" Side by side, Emery’s beast form and the white golem advanced, tearing through the remaining chains as they descended steadily toward the ship. Each step through the air felt inevitable, like the fall of an executioner’s blade. "All attacks!" Trini roared. Offensive spells detonated in overlapping waves, arrays flared to life beneath the ship’s hull, and concentrated beams of energy slammed into Emery’s body. Several strikes landed cleanly, explosions tearing across his fur and forcing him back just enough to buy precious seconds. Above them, the pagoda began to rotate faster. More chains poured out, and just as quickly, more were shattered—but the cycle continued, relentless and grinding. Emery was only meters from his target— When suddenly, Thunder roared overhead. A spear of lightning, vast and brilliant, descended from above like a judgment from the heavens, striking Emery head-on and forcing him to cross both clawed arms in defense. BAAAAMMMM—! The impact detonated in a blinding explosion of light, hurled him backward through the air. As he stabilized himself, eyes blazing, he looked up. There, standing amidst the storm clouds, was the source of the strike— One of the Astiel clan’s three Grand Elders. A three-cosmos Grand Magus. x x x