Marshall Malone and Ripley sensed danger and quickly shielded Bonnie Hale, bracing themselves against the remaining three stars.
Seven thunderous explosions echoed through the cosmos as the incoming stars were shattered once again.
At the same time, Leo grunted and staggered back three steps.
Marshall Malone and Ripley fared worse, screaming in pain as they were flung backward by the immense force.
Bonnie Hale, now unprotected, was swept away by the violent shockwave along with Marshall Malone and Ripley.
In the void, Falk’s triumphant laughter rang out, “Kid, how does it feel? Do you see my power now?”
Leo glanced behind him, feeling a chill in his heart.
Bonnie Hale was barely conscious, clearly unable to use her miraculous healing Esper anymore.
Marshall Malone and Ripley were also severely injured. Though they struggled to stand, their shaky state showed they were no longer fit for battle.
The situation now depended solely on Leo!
Sensing Leo’s growing battle intent, Falk sneered, “What’s wrong, kid? Still not giving up?”
“Give up? Ridiculous!” Leo retorted proudly, “Old man, the only one who will lose is you!”
Behind him, Marshall Malone gritted his teeth through the pain and said, “Leo, as far as I know, Darkwood Revelation uses the power of stars, endlessly and infinitely.”
“To break it, there’s only one way: find its core and destroy it.”
“Damn it!” Falk’s anger flared as his secret was exposed. “So what if you know? Do you think I’ll give you the chance? This time, I’ll end you all!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a buzzing sound filled the cosmos.
This time, more than a dozen stars aligned in a row, roaring towards Leo and his companions.
The sheer momentum was terrifying; the vast universe trembled violently as if it were the end of the world.
Marshall Malone and Ripley’s eyes filled with fear.
Leo’s expression turned cold as he shouted, “Sword, come!”
The Divine Dragon Sword appeared in his hand.
Gripping the sword, Leo roared and unleashed his full power, transforming into a raging dragon that soared to meet the aligned stars.
In an instant, the cosmos was filled with a dazzling blood-red light and an overwhelming aura, as magnificent as a rolling nebula.
Then came an explosion that seemed like the end of the world.
The aligned stars were pierced by the fierce dragon in one strike, shattering into brilliant fireballs.
In the chaotic universe, Falk’s shrill scream echoed, “No…!!”
Boom!
With another earth-shattering explosion, the Divine Dragon Sword struck a seemingly empty spot in the void, revealing a person.
It was Falk.
Falk’s chest had been pierced by the Divine Dragon Sword. With an expression of disbelief, he disintegrated into bloodlight and vanished into the cosmos.
With Falk slain, the scene returned to the cave.
“Is everyone alright?” Leo sheathed the Divine Dragon Sword and asked.
“Don’t worry, we won’t die,” Marshall Malone replied with a pale smile.
“That’s good,” Leo sighed in relief.
“The guardian of the treasure has been dealt with. Now let’s figure out how to move the treasure,” Bonnie Hale reminded them.
Leo pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up with an idea. “I have a method we can try.”
“What method?” Marshall Malone and the others perked up.
“In Daoist magic, there’s an array called the transportation array. It can teleport people and objects to a specific location within a certain distance.”
“I think we can use this array to transport the treasure back to Atraria without anyone knowing.”
“However, given the size of the treasure and the distance involved, I’m not very confident it will work.”
Ripley urged anxiously, “We have no other options. Let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.” Leo climbed atop the iron chest mountain to retrieve his backpack. He then jumped down and took out cinnabar, yellow paper, a wolf hair brush, and other tools for making auxiliary talismans. He found a clean spot on the ground to set everything up.
Once ready, Leo squatted down and dipped his brush in cinnabar. He wrote four auxiliary talismans and rolled them onto four small bamboo sticks to make four small flags.
Leo swiftly placed a flag in each corner of the cave before returning to his original spot.
He waved his hand for Marshall Malone and the others to step back before using his strongest Spiritual Power to activate the secret spell.
Immediately, the four small yellow flags in the cave’s corners began to hum and emit a white light that enveloped the entire treasure.
Marshall Malone and the others watched with anticipation and nervousness.
Leo pointed at the treasure and shouted, “Transfer!”
White light flared as the treasure trembled violently as if controlled by an immense force trying to lift it off the ground.
However, after two or three minutes, the treasure still hadn’t been successfully transported.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Leo had no choice but to give up. “It’s no use. The treasure is too large and too far away.”
“What do we do now?” Marshall Malone and the others were disappointed.
Unwilling to give up, Leo thought hard until his eyes brightened with another idea. “Wait! I have another method.”
“What method?” Marshall Malone and the others were overjoyed.
“It’s too difficult to transport it all at once. But if we create a large enough Inner Space and use the transportation array to move the treasure into it, it should work.”
“Then we can retrieve it from Inner Space once we’re back home.”
Marshall Malone exclaimed happily, “That’s a great idea! Let’s try it.”
Leo nodded and began chanting a secret spell while forming hand seals. Finally, he pointed at the space above the treasure.
A blinding white light flashed in mid-air before disappearing instantly.
Marshall Malone and the others blinked in surprise. When they looked again, the massive treasure had vanished without a trace.
They cheered in excitement, feeling their injuries heal significantly in their elation.
Leo sat down heavily to recuperate and replenish his Spiritual Power.
Marshall Malone and the others also sat down to treat their severe injuries.
After more than half an hour, they were ready to leave.
But Leo had no intention of retracing their steps. “There must be another exit leading directly here. It should be convenient for coming and going. Otherwise, those treasure guardians wouldn’t have arrived so quickly. Wait here while I find this exit.”