"Luofu must be worth far more than I thought," Jing Yuan said dryly as he tightened his grip on the Starfall Reverie.
Behind him, the Lightning-Lord mirrored his stance, thunder coiling around its halberd in silent warning.
"To draw the gaze of so many Lord Ravager… I should feel honored."
"You think that puppet behind you can stop us?"
Celenova sneered as she raised her lance, eyes sharp.
But the moment X stepped forward and stood at Jing Yuan's side, Celenova expression turned serious.
She had witnessed the entire one-sided beating Ultraman X delivered to Phantylia earlier. Even with the Ambrosial Arbor fueling her regeneration, she had been completely overwhelmed.
"Be careful, That giant… he's an Emanator of both Abundance and Preservation!"
Phantylia hissed through clenched teeth.
Had it not been for him, her grand plan to make Luofu collapse under its own weight would have long since begun.
She would already have secured a perfect vessel crafted from the Ambrosial Arbor maturing fruit rather than ending up severed from the Arbor and beaten into a pitiful state.
Celenova's eyes lit up with a hungry, predatory spark.
"A dual-path Emanator…"
Her grin widened, sharp and thrilled.
"How delightful, something new to destroy."
A battle that stirred her desire to conquer and destroy.
She stamped once—exploding into a blur of steel and murderous intent as she lunged at X with crushing speed. Jing Yuan and his Lightning-Lord were ignored entirely.
Because Phantylia had already chosen them as her own opponents.
The moment Celenova moved, Phantylia also gathered her Destruction power, her aura swelling with the intent to grind Jing Yuan into dust.
A clash between titans!
The battle ignited instantly.
X had expected the sudden charge. His hand snapped up, catching Celenova lance mid-thrust. The tip hovered a hair's breadth from his armor.
Inside X virtual space, Daichi stared at the Lord Ravager and stunned.
The Lord Ravager… can work together?
The seven Lord Ravagers each embodied an extreme inclination of Destruction. Phantylia represented the self-destruction of the enemy
He wasn't sure what Celenova represented—but her appearance meant one thing.
Luofu had just become a hunting ground for another Antimatter Legion army.
Two Lord Ravagers at once was… a bit much.
Which meant there was only one option:
They had to die here. Both of them.
A shimmering green light pulsed across Ultraman X armor. Behind the two Lord Ravager, the enormous dragon-shaped roots of the Ambrosial Arbor began to stir.
The slumbering root-dragon… had awakened.
The massive tail swept through the mist, whipping towards the two.
"Impossible… the Arbor is alive!?"
Phantylia who was currently fighting against the Lightning-Lord, paled drastically. This was nowhere in her calculations.
The Ambrosial Arbor actions were completely unexpected.
Or rather, the enormous dragon-shaped roots shouldn't even be able to move!
The Arbor should have been nearly drained, she had consumed most of its power for her vessel. Even with X taking partial control, the Arbor couldn't possibly have recovered so quickly.
Yet the tail of the dragon-shaped roots was already upon them.
Had she and Celenova not been locked in battle, dodging would've been trivial.
Now? Impossible.
Celenova reacted first, one hand gripping her cavalry lance and the other pulling out a second spear from nowhere. She slammed it into the incoming tail, diverting the blow.
As Nanook vanguard, Celenova mastered countless weapons, a true master of all martial arts. Dual-wielding was nothing to her.
But being distracted mid-battle comes at a price.
With a sudden twist, X wrenched her cavalry lance and forced Celenova to retreat backward. At the same time, the Arbor's roots silently crept toward her from behind.
Seeing danger, Celenova released the lance entirely, spinning to hack the roots apart one by one.
Cut vines scattered through the air. She floated back, expression darkening.
Fighting on enemy territory is always irritating
she thought with a click of her tongue.
This damned fog hides everything. One mistake and those vines would drag me into whatever fate Phantylia nearly suffered.
Speaking of which…
Phantylia herself was struggling. The Arbor's roots disrupted her movement, and Jing Yuan seized the opening.
Thunder crashed down from the Lightning-Lord, while Jingliu quietly joined the fray to provide cover for the Lightning-Lord, veiling their assault.
Phantylia fell into a disadvantage almost instantly.
"The Xianzhou… always such a nuisance." Celenova muttered,
She remembered previous battles with other fleets. Cloud Knights who fought without fear blocked wave after wave of attacks from the Void Soldiers and Doomsday Beasts. Generals who could stand toe-to-toe with Lord Ravager. Never easy prey.
The Xianzhou Alliance Ships were truly a tough nut to crack.
But this time, she had brought a weapon capable of cracking even Xianzhou defense.
With a flicker, Celenova appeared beside Phantylia.
Her hand pierced straight into Phantylia chest.
"Celenova… y-you…!"
"Idiot."
She pulled her hand free—holding a golden flame.
Phantylia vessel went limp, collapsing with a thud like a puppet with severed strings.
"…What?"
Jing Yuan blinked also stunned by the action of Celenova.
A sudden betrayal among the Lord Ravager?
Celenova held the golden flame in one hand, and with the other she gripped the spear, plunging it into the ground where Phantylia body lay.
"Celenova are you insane!? You—!"
"This body of yours,will make a fine piece of bait."
Celenova interrupted as she twisted the spear.
Phantylia's vessel was yanked downward as if dragged or devoured by something beneath the ground, vanishing from sight.
Then a sounds rang out.
A wet, guttural chewing.
It's like a series of eerie gnawing sounds.
"What is that?"
Phantylia trembled. She recognized this feeling.
A Aeon power… beyond the Wall.
Outside the wall that was created by the Preservation Aeon.
And not just any...
A Emanator.
"When I passed the edge of the Wall, I picked up a little ancient beast gnawing on the boundary." Celenova said cheerfully.
Her smile stretched with excitement.
"I came to see if it could devour a Hunt Emanator."
She turned to X.
"But now…" She chuckled. "…we can add something else to the menu."
Her spear leveled at him.
"A dual-path Emanator, let's see if you suit its taste."