Juan was momentarily startled but quickly grasped Naira Sorkin's plan. Clever thinking in a crisis—no wonder he was still considered young!

Without hesitation, Juan raised his hands, directing two beams of light toward the Celestial Beast and the angel. The beams struck with unerring accuracy, and in an instant, both vanished from sight.

...

Within the Space of the Eight Gates.

Moon recognized the setting immediately, remembering the eight gates from before. She spread her wings, but before she could act, the Celestial Beast materialized in front of her!

Not good!

Rip!

The Celestial Beast lunged, ripping two wings from Moon in a brutal, sudden attack. Blood spurted from the torn wings, staining them as she forced her blood back to stop the bleeding. Yet, there was a far graver issue at hand—she understood their intention now.

Unlike last time, these hunters weren’t seeking to entangle her briefly and make their escape. They aimed to trap her within this confined battlefield, giving the Celestial Beast the space to tear her down without retreat.

The Celestial Beast’s eyes glowed a savage red. “Where will you run now?”

Desperate to escape, Moon launched herself toward one of the doors. But each time her wings flapped, the beast was on her in an instant, charging wildly, attacking with the fury of a predator. His strikes had no order, driven purely by instinct—a primal ferocity that made it impossible to predict his moves.

In this arena of life and death, a ferocious clash of angelic purity and bestial ferocity ensued, Moon’s blood scattering like rain. She fled, rushing through door after door, only to find each one led to a dead end.

As she stumbled through, the Celestial Beast’s relentless assault tore more of her wings and flesh, stripping her strength bit by bit. Each attempt to escape showed her that all eight doors were closed pathways—the path of life had shifted since she was last here.

With every broken wing and wound, her strength dwindled, her ethereal light dimming as if receding. Pain clawed at her as she tried another door, her vision blurring as her consciousness wavered. In the haze of agony, a familiar figure appeared before her—the one who had come to her room with the Angel Potion. He stood, waving to her like an omen of death, beckoning her closer.

A bone-chilling dread surged through her as the beast’s claws tore at her once more, her blood seeping down in a crimson trail…

...

Elsewhere, in the crack space.

Mei balanced a thick tome in one hand, while her other held a fine thread—the last remnants of a Fateline, fragile and flickering as if the slightest touch would break it.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Setting her book aside, Mei took out a quill, marking notes in her notebook with calm precision:

"Celestial Beast, Potential: S+. Possible consideration for secondary traits, evolution."

...

As Moon’s life ebbed, a vision flickered before her—a massive fire raging like the memory from seven years past. She could see it vividly: her mother driving, Moon beside her, watching the road stretch out under the sun. Then, in an instant, another car swerved into their path, speeding too fast, a drunk driver behind the wheel. The impact was brutal, metal folding into metal, and then—an explosion. Flames roared, consuming everything. Moon lost her legs in that inferno, but her mother… her mother was lost forever.

“Guilty…” Moon murmured, blood clouding her vision as the flames appeared to rise again, consuming her wings and her body. This time, it was real—the Gate of Fire surrounded her, the flames licking closer. And in the midst of them, Mei materialized, a dark silhouette wielding a massive black sickle. Her crimson eyes gleamed with finality as she lowered the sickle to Moon’s neck, enacting a sentence of death.

Moon’s body trembled, yet her will endured. Step by excruciating step, she dragged her broken form through the flames, her neck pressing through the sickle as if it, too, were just a mirage. Then, through the blinding agony, a bright light shone ahead. Moon lifted her head, blinking through the smoke—and saw her father’s face, as clear as if he were there.

She remembered that day in the fire, her father’s hands pulling her from the wreckage. He’d saved her, while her mother… her mother hadn’t made it. But now, here he was again, not a vision this time. The flames vanished, and she found herself held in her father’s embrace.

The Director of Asia cradled her gently. “I’m here now. It’s over. You’re safe…” he murmured.

Moon looked around, dazed. Tanks and helicopters surrounded them, the GPA having completely sealed off the area. In the distance, the Celestial Beast came charging out, only to be met by a tank shell.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the blast sent him careening into a distant mountainside, where fire and rubble rained down.

Naira Sorkin, watching from afar with Swordsmith and Juan, sighed. "The GPA moved quickly this time. I thought they’d hold out until dawn."

Swordsmith stroked his chin. “A pity. We were so close…”

Juan shrugged. “Perhaps it was destiny that she found the new path to life at the final moment. The heavens’ will can be elusive; some things are beyond mortal control.”

Swordsmith glanced at Juan, a skeptical brow raised. “Can’t you control the location of the path of life?”

Juan shook his head. “The heavens shift, destiny changes… it’s not something even I can calculate.”

Naira Sorkin took to the air. “Retreat! The GPA’s intervened this time. We may not have killed the angel, but she’s badly wounded. She won’t recover soon.”

“The next battle’s for the True Ancestor,” he added. “That’s beyond the GPA’s reach.”

He looked toward the crater. “I’ll check on the Celestial Beast. Hopefully, that shell didn’t kill him.”

Swordsmith chuckled. “Please, he’s tougher than that. A single shot isn’t enough to finish him off.”

...

Inside a massive crater, the Celestial Beast lay staring at the sky. Naira Sorkin descended, glancing down with curiosity. “What’s wrong? Did you get a concussion?”

The Celestial Beast sat up, rubbing a paw across his singed fur. “For a moment there, I thought I was heading to meet God…”

He touched his body, realizing he’d escaped serious harm, despite the burns streaked across his fur.

“I was in hunting mode, then that shell pulled me right out of it. Didn’t they promise it’d be a one-on-one fight?”

Naira Sorkin gave his head an affectionate pat. “You did your best. Better luck next time.”

The Celestial Beast snapped at Naira’s hand in response, but he managed to pull it back just in time. “Hey, hey, I was only showing some concern!”

The Celestial Beast rose to all fours, his claws scraping against the ground. “I’m heading back to tell Zero about this workplace injury. If he doesn’t reward me with a state banquet of food and drink, I’m going to bite his neck.”