Phantylia, the enigmatic Lord Ravager feared for destroying countless civilizations, had always been the one to toy with mortals and bring ruin to worlds.
But today, the tables had turned; for the first time, she experienced what it meant to be the one toyed with.
Yet, Phantylia's core wasn't bound to her physical body. As she sensed her vessel weakening and defeat becoming inevitable, she looked at Pei Guang and his fully charged party, preparing for one last taunt.
"Heh… I admit defeat this time. But this body was merely a construct. Your destruction is inevitable."
Before she could make a clean getaway, however, Pei Guang delivered a line that instantly reignited her fury.
"Oh? See that? Classic arrogant villain talk. Smug, condescending, and completely delusional. She's the textbook definition of a brat—except bigger. A big brat. Scaaary stuff!"
The moment he finished, Phantylia, who had planned to abandon her body and escape, was overcome with the urge to strike back. Unfortunately, her fragile state left her unable to act.
And just as she prepared another taunt, the party cut her off with their most devastating attacks yet.
Under the rhythm of the whimsical battle music, Welt conjured twenty-one Stars of Eden, unleashing a full barrage upon Phantylia's battered body.
Meanwhile, Dan Heng summoned a Pink Bunny Golem, an enormous watery construct glowing with vibrant energy. From its adorable appearance, one might mistake it for a child's plaything—until it delivered an earth-shattering slap that sent Phantylia reeling.
-1 HP. Instantly healed.
Phantylia lashed out reflexively.
0 HP damage. No effect.
The Pink Bunny was weak, slow, and absurdly cute—but its sheer resilience made it infuriating. As it pummeled her repeatedly, Phantylia couldn't shake the feeling that the battle had somehow devolved into a children's cartoon.
While Welt and Dan Heng took the flashy approach, Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th showcased the raw efficiency of teamwork.
Pei Guang stood as the unyielding shield, absorbing blows with well-timed parries. Stelle hid behind him, poking at Phantylia's defenses with her flame-laced spear, chipping away at her weakened body.
March 7th provided relentless cover fire, loosing arrows as fast as she could draw her bow. Her damage output wasn't impressive, but the humiliation it brought was.
And their defense? Practically impenetrable. Physical attacks? Bounced off Pei Guang's shield. Path-based powers? Countered by Stelle's spear and March 7th's layered ice barriers. Group-wide buffs? Constantly refreshed by March 7th's abilities.
All the while, Silver Wolf stood in the backlines, tweaking their stats with Aether Editing, keeping their buffs optimized and Phantylia's despair steadily rising.
Silver Wolf, in particular, was having the time of her life. Facing down a Lord Ravager, modifying vectors, and launching precision attacks—it was everything a hacker like her could dream of.
Sure, it wasn't as flashy as the Astral Express crew's victory against the Lord Ravager with the Stellaron Hunters, but it was still a once-in-a-lifetime highlight.
Puffing out her chest in pride, Silver Wolf couldn't help but grin. After all, not everyone gets to slap a Lord Ravager silly and live to tell the tale.
Facing the relentless assault from Pei Guang's team, Phantylia abandoned any plans of spouting more threats. At this point, she had given up on her body and was already preparing to escape.
However, before fleeing, she left behind a fragment of Destruction's energy to make it seem like she was still inside, hoping to trick Pei Guang's group into believing she hadn't run away.
Just as her energy form was about to make its getaway, Seele suddenly emerged from the shadows. In her hands, she held the Preservation Trash Can.
Before Phantylia could react, Seele flipped the can over and slammed it down, sealing Phantylia inside. With a swift motion, she secured the lid, locking it tight.
At that moment, the trash can seemed to stand a little taller, as if proud of itself. After all, for a trash can, there was no greater honor than locking away garbage and ensuring it stayed inside, never to see the light of day again.
Trash cans never let garbage escape; and once something is inside, it's garbage.
The moment her energy form attempted to flee and saw Seele and the trash can approaching, she froze.
Then, regaining her composure, she sneered. "You think this can stop me?"
Trapped inside the trash can, Phantylia tried to activate her Path's powers to escape. Among the Lord Ravagers, she might not have been the strongest in direct combat, but her ability to flee was unmatched.
Yet, when her escape attempt failed, Phantylia felt her metaphorical heart skip a beat.
At that moment, somewhere else in Xianzhou, Fu Xuan shuddered without knowing why.
And now, there were two people—Phantylia and Fu Xuan—who shared the same unfortunate experience: Being sealed inside a trash can.
Sadly, Phantylia's energy form lacked a sense of smell, so she couldn't fully appreciate the "unique atmosphere" inside the trash can.
To make matters worse, the trash can's design was purely physical. It could only be opened through manual means, leaving her, as an energy-based being, completely powerless. All her attacks were categorized as non-physical by the trash can's strange properties.
That was something only the mysterious trash can knew.
Unfortunately, the trash can wasn't one for explanations. It wouldn't talk—it only fulfilled its duty!
Sealing Phantylia inside, Seele raised her arms in triumph and shouted, "Ah Guang! Everyone! I caught her!"
While Seele celebrated, Phantylia's physical body finally began to dissolve.
Pei Guang, ever the pragmatist, immediately collected what was left. After examining the remains, however, he could only frown.
Phantylia's body, reconstructed from the first fruit of the Ambrosial Arbor, had been ravaged by Destruction's power. Any trace of Abundance's strength had long since faded.
Worse, the overwhelming influence of Destruction made the remains nearly unusable—any part repurposed would result in a permanent reduction to maximum health.
And structurally? Unlike the Abundant Ebon Deer, Phantylia's form was merely an unstable construct.
It might have looked human and felt soft to the touch, but beneath the surface, it was little more than hollow wood.
It couldn't be salvaged for crafting or restoration.
Still, after some careful inspection, Pei Guang managed to identify a potential use for the leftovers…
He then approached Jing Yuan and patted him on the shoulder. "Jing Yuan, this is your reward! Come on, the best and biggest trophy—we're saving it for you!"
Right in front of Jing Yuan was Phantylia's enormous severed head.
Jing Yuan froze, his expression stiffening. "This…"
Pei Guang smirked. "What, you're not going to accept it? That's like slapping me in the face!"
Hearing that, Jing Yuan steeled himself. "Of course, I'll take it! It's just... I feel a little embarrassed. You and your team did most of the work. Logically, this prize should go to you."
Pei Guang waved him off. "If you don't want it, we can always give it to the Arbiter-General. Honestly, if we had an MVP ranking for this fight, the Lighting Lord would be at the top."
Jing Yuan was about to respond when he suddenly felt a surge of feedback from the Lighting Lord. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Alright then! I'll accept it on its behalf. But... what exactly am I supposed to do with it?"