"Commander Dasatama!" Lao called out, his face lighting up with relief. Reinforcements had arrived at last. With the spatial array shattered, the trapped cultivators could escape the forest and fall back to safety.

"You have all fought valiantly!" Dasatama declared, his voice ringing with authority. "Now, let us eradicate this dark horde once and for all!"

The commander's confident demeanor re-ignited the spirits of the Sky Squad. Their internal cores swelled with renewed vigor as they drew upon environmental mana once again, dropping into synchronized combat stances.

The twenty-five elite masters from central command charged into the fray, providing immediate heavy support to the young vanguard. The sudden influx of high-tier cultivators threw the dark army into total disarray. As the clash intensified, Warrior Jiro requested permission from Dasatama to decouple from the unit and reinforce the other sectors.

Meanwhile, Dasatama blurred forward, steel in hand, intent on aiding Barsha in her isolated duel against the dark general leading the sector: Samoa.

Side by side, the leader of the continental martial alliance and the Leader of the Sky Squad joined forces to confront one of the Five Gates. It was a historic moment for the martial world—a testament to the monumental contributions the Sky Squad had made in standing against the Demon Lord's forces.

Yet their opponent was a Gatekeeper, requiring absolute vigilance. Rumors maintained that the combat parameters of the Five Gates approached those of Lord Demon Shura himself.

Barsha continued deploying her high-speed Ghost Speed techniques, weaving through the destructive arcs of Samoa's dark blade. Though she evaded direct hits, the kinetic shockwaves forced her to repeatedly deploy defensive aura barriers to absorb the residual impact.

Samoa brought his dark greatsword down with terrifying force against Barsha's dual daggers. Locking her stance, Barsha drew continuously upon atmospheric mana to reinforce her parry. Yet despite her core overflowing with environmental energy, Samoa's dark magic seemed equally limitless, expanding in density with every passing second.

Recognizing the sheer kinetic disparity, Barsha executed a swift backstep to create distance. Samoa immediately extended his greatsword, channeling a long beam of dark energy that streaked directly toward her. Before the beam could strike, Dasatama flashed onto the scene like a bolt of lightning, interposing his broadsword—forged from the rarest, most resilient alloy on the continent—to intercept the attack.

CLANG!

The collision generated an immense shockwave that flattened the surrounding terrain. Even from a distance, Barsha could feel the terrifying energy density released by the two grandmasters.

Samoa pressed his dark magic forward, pushing his core output to its absolute ceiling. Dasatama held his ground; his custom-forged broadsword had been designed specifically for high-volume mana absorption, capable of containing vast kinetic loads without fracturing under strain.

The two combatants locked their energy outputs in a fierce stalemate.

"So, you are the so-called God of War—the supreme martial artist of the continental alliance!" Samoa sneered, his grotesque face twisting into a cruel grin. "Today, your legend ends! You chose the wrong enemy to cross!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Samoa's dark magic suddenly wavered. Barsha had circled behind his massive frame at blinding speed, unleashing a flurry of high-density dagger strikes directly into his exposed back. The focused kinetic damage forced a sharp gasp of pain from the Gatekeeper.

Deep lacerations opened across Samoa's back as dark, corrupted blood splattered onto the soil. Almost instantly, his mutated cells began squirming like tangled writhing worms, attempting to knit the torn flesh back together. Yet the sudden agony ruined Samoa's focus, breaking his forward pressure against Dasatama.

Dasatama seized the split-second opening without hesitation. As a battle-hardened veteran who had survived countless clashes against high-tier dark cultists, he understood that a single moment of distraction could decide the outcome of a battle.

Any lapse in an enemy's stance was a golden opportunity to be exploited to the absolute fullest. The moment Samoa's forward pressure faltered, Dasatama launched a decisive counter.

Grasping his broadsword with both hands, Dasatama propelled his frame forward like a kinetic torpedo, driving directly toward Samoa. Caught off guard by Barsha's extreme velocity, Samoa found himself completely unprepared for Dasatama's full-yield assault from the flank.

His split concentration proved fatal. Dasatama's broadsword hummed with a volatile combination of internal aura and environmental mana, generating a roaring vortex of wind that pulverized everything in its trajectory. Spinning as he advanced, Dasatama drove his blade past Samoa's guard.

Samoa attempted to interpose his greatsword, but his fractured focus slowed his reaction time. Dasatama's rotating slash bypassed his defense entirely.

CRACK!SRING!

Dasatama's broadsword cleaved straight through Samoa's torso, bisecting the dark general at the waist. The force of the strike sent the upper half of his body sliding off his legs. Yet even as a severed torso, Samoa maintained enough conscious control over his dark core to trigger the rapid regeneration mechanics of Blood Black.

Dark, serpentine tendrils erupted from the severed wound, squirming wildly as they attempted to reconnect the upper and lower halves of his body. Such was the unnatural resilience of high-tier dark magic.

Yet the excruciating pain of being bisected remained absolute. Before the dark tendrils could complete the reattachment, Barsha descended upon him once more, her twin daggers thrusting with terrifying precision. Her current velocity approached the legendary domain of her grandfather, Saint Ganada—a level of mastery that forced even Dasatama to inwardly marvel.

The new generation was rising to inherit the world, and Barsha stood as living proof that the rumors surrounding Ganada's lineage were entirely true. Her daggers blurred into thousands of continuous thrusts, raining down upon Samoa's severing point to disrupt his cellular regeneration.

Every time the writhing, snake-like tendrils reached out to fuse his torso back to his legs, Barsha's high-yield dagger slashes shredded the connective tissue back to dust.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

Samoa bellowed in a terrifying mix of rage and agony. Barsha pressed her advantage relentlessly, knowing such a critical opening would not present itself a second time. She blurred around his frame in a continuous arc—striking from the left, right, above, and below—drawing upon atmospheric mana to replenish her output mid-strike. Her high-velocity Afterimages multiplied across the clearing, making it appear as though thousands of Barshas were attacking from every conceivable angle simultaneously.

CLANG!SRING!SLURP!

"HAAAAA!"

Barsha refused to grant Samoa a single millisecond to recover. She drew in atmospheric mana at an unprecedented rate, discharging massive volumes of light aura with every strike. Had it not been for her hellish conditioning and the celestial essence of the Heart Dragon expanding her core, her reserves would have been completely depleted by such an extreme output.

Watching the display, Dasatama remained thoroughly astonished. It was as if the phantom of Saint Ganada himself had manifested through Barsha. He had personally witnessed Ganada cast high-tier illusions in the past, filling an entire battlefield with lingering Afterimages through raw velocity—the absolute pinnacle of an assassin's Ghost Speed.

You should be proud, Saint Ganada, Dasatama thought, a sense of deep reverence washing over him. Your legacy lives on through your granddaughter. She has become an extraordinary warrior, fighting with boundless courage!

Realizing it was time to deliver the final blow, Dasatama refocused his internal core. He knew better than to underestimate one of the Five Gates; Samoa was likely compiling his dark magic beneath the onslaught. The Gatekeeper possessed a vessel as tough as reinforced steel and a regenerative property that defied mortal limits. Despite Barsha's relentless high-velocity flurry tearing his flesh to pieces, the dark cells continued squirming, striving to reconnect.

Demonic regeneration!

Dasatama raised his broadsword, channeling his core parameters to their absolute peak. Environmental mana rushed toward the steel tip, drawing lightning bolts from the sky above until the blade radiated a blinding, incandescent glow.

"Sun Break!"

Grasping the hilt with both hands, Dasatama stabilized the volatile energy swelling within his weapon. Pulling the sword back to his right side, he prepared to execute a full-yield slash. The seamless fusion of his internal core and atmospheric mana generated a staggering concentration of destructive force.

"Taste this, Samoa!"

Dasatama surged forward, aiming to vaporize Samoa's vessel entirely while Barsha kept the Gatekeeper pinned down. It was the ultimate window to obliterate the dark general beyond any possibility of regeneration!

Closing the distance in a fraction of a second, Dasatama brought his broadsword down with enough kinetic yield to shatter a mountain into dust.

The terrifying arc of light descended directly upon Samoa's regenerating frame.

BLAAAAAAR!WOOOOOSH!BOOOOOOM!

The broadsword struck home, vaporizing the target into fine black ash. Yet it was not Samoa's body that dissolved into nonexistence—it was Gold, Samoa's top lieutenant!

Realizing his master was on the verge of being eliminated by two supreme martial artists, Gold had abandoned his duel against Lao and Dasatama's vanguard. Leaving Silver and Bronze behind, Gold had intercepted Dasatama's ultimate strike at full velocity, placing his own body in the path of the Sun Break to shield his sovereign.

Dark magic enveloped Gold's frame as the incandescent light consumed him, shattering his vision until everything faded into total darkness.

Gold's vessel was obliterated, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dark dust that failed to trigger Blood Black regeneration. Dasatama's strike had been so absolute that it destroyed Gold's cellular structure before his dark core could activate a recovery response.

The lieutenant's body disintegrated into black ash and drifting vapor, vanishing entirely. Yet behind him, the sacrifice had bought Samoa the seconds he needed: the Gatekeeper had successfully reattached his torso, his cellular structure fully restored.

Samoa's eyes ignited with blood-red fury as a dense shroud of crimson and black magic surged around his frame.

Seeing his most loyal lieutenant lay down his life so he could regenerate made Samoa's dark core throb with unbridled rage.

"HAAAAA!"

Dark magic erupted outward in a violent shockwave. Discarding all restraint, Samoa deployed his ultimate trump card as one of the Five Gates.

Demon Full Transformation!

His combat parameters multiplied exponentially as his physical vessel expanded to monstrous proportions. Eight jagged horns sprouted from his skull, his arms swelled with terrifying muscular mass, and his lower limbs lengthened, lifting his height to match the ancient forest trees.

A massive dark greatsword materialized in his scale-covered hands.

Samoa's visage transformed completely into that of a giant, reptilian abomination, covered in thick, iron-hard scales. His skin hardened into a plate armor far tougher than any forged steel, and his heavy breath spewed scalding black vapor into the air.

Once a dark cultivator activated this ultimate form, returning to a human vessel was impossible without centuries of deep isolation.

"Every single one of you dies today!" Samoa's thunderous roar echoed across the forest, the sheer acoustic force shaking the earth beneath their feet. He had transformed into a true monster!

Barsha and Dasatama executed high-speed backsteps, creating distance between themselves and the giant abomination as they began rapidly drawing in atmospheric mana to prepare for the coming clash.