Chapter 146: A Karmic Debt
*Era of the Origins... The Confines of the Kingdom of Nothingness...*
The sky of the first era was nothing more than an open wound, an expanse of purple clouds and violet lightning where Khao energy stagnated like a gaseous poison.
The smell of the end of the world saturated the air: a bitter mixture of iron, sulfur, and spiritual decomposition. In the middle of the smoking ruins of a draconic outpost, two silhouettes ran at breakneck speed toward a spatial rift that shimmered with an unstable glow.
BaiShe, whose white linen tunic was now soiled with ashes and blood, maintained a steady pace despite his lack of Qi. At his side, Yi Lan, the Hundred Faces Demoness, acted as a shield, her nine pink tails whipping the air with predatory nervousness.
The Rakshasa invasion had reached its climax. These creatures, born from the accumulated hatred of the fallen Origins races, poured in by the millions onto the domains still standing. Behind the duo, a dozen Rakshasa Valets were hot on their heels. These monsters, recognizable by their hornless masks and chalk-white skin, moved with a speed that defied human perception.
"They are getting closer, Darling..." murmured Yi Lan, her voice betraying fatigue.
"The portal will not hold for more than a few minutes. The space is already collapsing under the pressure of Khao." ...
BaiShe adjusted his monocle, his silver pupils analyzing the probability vectors of their survival. His Omega Heart, which he had just stabilized at the cost of a ritual sacrifice, beat at a slow rhythm, filtering the toxic emanations of the battlefield.
"Only flight is our only variable of success" he replied in a monotone voice, ignoring the Qi explosions that shook the ground.
Simultaneously, three Rakshasa Valets leaped from the shadows, their claws surrounded by a corrosive violet aura. Yi Lan did not wait for the signal. She thrust her right hand forward, activating her art of illusion.