The Intent of the Arrow

“Phew...”

Feeling the surge of immense power flowing from her wrist, Xia Duo exhaled a long, deep breath. Her gaze fixed with unwavering determination on Yuta, who had already been lifted off the ground by the giant claw.

“Teacher... this is the last time I will call you that. Thank you for telling me that my arrows lacked ‘Intent.’ I’m finally starting to understand... Keep your eyes open for this one!”

Xia Duo spoke softly, the aura radiating from her body beginning to shift.

The fire within her had once burned as fiercely as her battle qi, hot and restless. But now, everything seemed to settle into a profound silence. She reached a level of peace and focus she had never experienced before.

If Moen’s support could be considered a standard value of one, then the support provided by Angela—one of the continent’s top powerhouses—was undoubtedly a five or perhaps even higher.

Under normal circumstances, a common human body would find it nearly impossible to withstand such a massive enhancement. The slightest deviation could cause the muscles and meridians to collapse; the risk was extraordinarily high.

But now, Xia Duo had entered a state of still water. Every movement she made became flawless, compressing the risks of over-enhancement to the absolute minimum.

With total concentration, she poured every drop of her battle qi into the Sacred Wood Arrow without reservation. The light emanating from the arrow grew increasingly dazzling, blinding to the eye.

“Number Sixteen... She actually...?” Inside the palm of the giant claw, Yuta watched the scene below in shock.

He had never expected that a casual remark he made earlier would allow Xia Duo to grasp the mysteries of Intent in such a short time.

When her power reached its peak, Xia Duo silently raised her longbow and released her hold on the arrow.

With a long, vibrating hum, the Sacred Wood Arrow—now nearly indistinguishable from the light itself—shot from the string, streaking toward the giant claw in the sky.

At the same time, Xia Duo’s longbow, having delivered its final strike, shattered into countless fragments under the force of the massive recoil.

“Not good! Master, help me!”

Yuta’s pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpricks. He sensed a threat within that arrow powerful enough to end his life. Without hesitation, he screamed toward the rift.

Before his voice could fade, the knuckles of the giant claw suddenly writhed. The original black scales transformed magically into solid bone plates, forming a fortress-like wall of bone to shield Yuta’s body.

Simultaneously, Yuta exerted every ounce of his remaining strength, releasing all his mana to condense a shield seal of interwoven black and grey outside the claw.

However, just as the shield began to take shape in the air, Angela arrived before him, spear in hand.

Even though the tip of her spear was stained with black blood, its power remained formidable. Under her assault, Yuta’s mana shield was torn to shreds like fragile paper.

In that exact moment, the brilliant Sacred Wood Arrow streaked past Angela’s side and struck the bone plates on the giant claw.

Upon impact, the bone wall—which had seemed as smooth and impenetrable as obsidian—failed to slow the arrow for even a second. The projectile punched straight through, leaving a gruesome, gaping hole.

But because the bone armor had interfered, the arrow that should have pierced Yuta’s heart veered slightly off course, burying itself deep in his left shoulder instead.

The massive impact sent Yuta’s withered body flying like a kite with a broken string, slamming him hard against the side of the giant claw.

“Aaaagh!”

Yuta let out a blood-curdling scream. Then, enduring the agonizing pain, he growled through gritted teeth, “You actually thought to use a Sacred Wood Arrow against me! Too bad—as long as this arrow didn't kill me, I can neutralize it!”

With that, he began to circulate another power within his body, intending to absorb the energy-filled arrow just as he had done before.

However, Angela only gave a contemptuous smile. She tossed her spear into the air, pressed her palms together, and quickly formed a hand seal.

“Did you think I would give you the chance? Explode!”

At her command, the arrow embedded in Yuta’s shoulder suddenly detonated. The sudden, violent shockwave instantly tore off his left arm, sending blood spraying like a fountain.

Already in a weakened state, Yuta’s vision went dark from the blow, and he nearly lost consciousness from the pain. It was only by absorbing a sliver of life energy at the last second that he managed to seal the wound. However, he had completely lost his ability to fight.

Seeing Yuta fall, Angela immediately flew toward the giant claw, intending to rescue him and Lian from its grasp.

But just as she reached the halfway point, a new rift tore open in the sky. Another pitch-black giant claw lunged out, aimed directly at Angela.

This sudden attack caught Angela off guard. Her slender frame was struck by the massive claw and hurled away, only managing to stabilize herself on the ground several hundred meters away.

Although her armor had absorbed most of the impact, preventing a fatal injury, it meant she had lost the precious opportunity to seize Yuta and Lian.

In her desperation, Angela didn't have time to worry about the state of her weapon. She rapidly gathered her mana and, in the blink of an eye, transformed her spear into a streak of light, hurling it at the claw in the sky.

However, the giant claw that had swatted her away simply gave a casual flick, easily neutralizing her fierce attack.

“Hmph! For a priest, you’ve done remarkably well. But before you try to chase us, I suggest you take a close look at your surroundings.”

A cold sneer, like muffled thunder, erupted from the rift in the sky. The voice carried a strange sense of familiarity that made Starlight’s heart skip a beat; he felt as though he had heard it somewhere before.

At that moment, everyone snapped to attention and looked around. Countless tiny cracks had appeared out of thin air throughout the city, like flowers of evil blooming silently in the night.

Each rift acted as a gateway to a dark abyss, and from within them, pitch-black figures leapt out.

Their auras were strikingly similar to the monsters they had annihilated earlier, but their forms were much closer to humans and elves, and they trailed long tails behind them.

As soon as these humanoid monsters hit the ground, they displayed unimaginable agility and speed, scattering to every corner of the city.

Their objective was clear: every single one of them was targeting an elven priest.

Without the support of their companions, the combat power of most priests was almost negligible. Furthermore, the death power radiating from these monsters placed a lethal suppression on them.

In just a few breaths, dozens of priests were overwhelmed and knocked unconscious, ruthlessly dragged into the spatial rifts by the monsters and vanishing without a trace.