Chapter 21: Serpent’s Coil

The Sovereign's serpentine form blotted out the sun, its void-black scales devouring the light as it descended. Lin Wei stood firm, the mortal-qi-infused shard blazing like a star in his grip. Yuelin crouched beside him, her bloodied hand pressed to the earth, channeling the fen's lingering spirit energy. Lin Mei hovered above, her hybrid flames twisting into a storm of cobalt and shadow.

"Annoyance," the Sovereign hissed, its voice shattering the air. "You cling to dust."

Lin Wei hurled the shard. It pierced the serpent's underbelly, mortal qi erupting in a supernova of light. The Sovereign recoiled, its scales blistering and sloughing away like ash.

[Sovereign's Integrity: 75%.]

[Mortal Qi Efficacy: 89%.]

"Again!" Yuelin shouted, her voice raw.

But the shard's light dimmed. Lin Mei dove, her void-tinged flames lashing the Sovereign's eyes. "It's adapting!"

The serpent's tail slammed into the fen, sending tidal waves of corrupted water crashing over them. Lin Wei grabbed Yuelin, dragging her onto a skeletal leviathan's rib as the surge swept Lin Mei into the voidwater's depths.

"Mei!"

Her ghostfire erupted underwater, purging the corruption in a burst of steam. She surfaced, her form flickering between corporeal and spectral. "I'm… fine. Keep it busy!"

Yuelin's fingers dug into the bone beneath them. "The fen's spirits—they're still here. Use them."

Lin Wei pressed the shard to the leviathan's spine. The ancient beast's skeleton shuddered, its hollow eyes igniting with mortal qi. Across the fen, other bones stirred—a legion of spectral guardians rising from the mire.

[Ancient Pact Activated: Mortal Legion Summoned.]

[Duration: 10 minutes.]

The Sovereign struck, its fangs snapping at the phalanx of bone and light. The guardians retaliated, their qi searing the void scales. Lin Mei soared above, her flames carving sigils into the serpent's hide as Yuelin channeled the fen's energy into the shard.

"Now!" Yuelin roared.

Lin Wei plunged the shard into the leviathan's skull. The fen erupted, mortal qi surging into a colossal spear of light. Lin Mei grabbed it, her hybrid essence screaming as she drove it into the Sovereign's heart.

[Sovereign's Integrity: 0%.]

The serpent dissolved into a maelstrom of void energy, its final roar a promise: "This… is not… over…"

The fen fell silent. The mortal guardians crumbled, their task complete. Lin Wei collapsed, the shard now a lifeless husk in his hand. Yuelin slumped against the bones, her palms scorched from channeling raw qi. Lin Mei dropped beside them, her flames guttering.

"We did it," Yuelin whispered.

"No," Lin Mei said, staring at the sky. "We survived."

Above, the stars blinked back into existence—but their patterns were wrong. Distorted. A new constellation coiled like a serpent, its eyes void-black.

[Sovereign's Essence: Dispersed (Regeneration Progress: 0.1%).]

[New Threat Detected: Celestial Corruption.]

In the fen's depths, the water stirred. A figure emerged—cloaked in tattered star-maps, their face hidden beneath a hood. They lifted a hand, and the shattered shard flew to their grasp.

"Fascinating," they murmured, their voice echoing with the weight of dead suns. "Mortals who maimed a god. You'll make fine… allies."

Yuelin's blood ran cold. "Who are you?"

The figure vanished, leaving behind a single word etched into the air:

"Astralon."