With the three he had just picked, that made a total of four Divine Wood Fruits.

This haul had far exceeded his initial expectations.

"SCREEE!"

Piercing screeches echoed from all directions, growing closer and closer.

The encirclement formed by the Wind God Winged Dragons was slowly closing in.

Their enormous silhouettes appeared and disappeared between the massive boughs.

’I can’t stay here any longer!’

"Black King! Retreat!"

Raylo issued the retreat order to the Black Dragon through their Master-Servant Contract.

"Sun! Let’s go!"

Raylo patted the Golden Dragon’s neck, signaling for it to immediately turn and charge toward the sky, toward Astra’s battlefield.

’Only by rendezvousing with Astra will we have a chance to escape!’

"ROAR!"

Sun let out a roar. Its massive draconic body executed a magnificent tail whip in mid-air, and with a powerful thrust of its golden Dragon Wings, it prepared to ascend.

At that very moment, however...

Raylo caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. In a nook below and to their side, concealed by layers of massive leaves, a familiar, soft, jade-green halo flashed for an instant before vanishing.

’There’s another one!’

"SCREEE!"

A shrill cry, accompanied by a foul-smelling wind, rushed toward them from directly ahead.

An especially massive Wind God Winged Dragon was the first to rush them.

Its giant, War Axe-like beak glinted with a deadly cold light as it viciously pecked down at Sun’s head!

"You’re courting death!"

A cold glint flashed in Raylo’s eyes.

The instant the Wind God Winged Dragon attacked, the Divine Weapon Broken Flow in Raylo’s hand transformed into a streak of silver light and slashed out decisively!

"Broken Flow!"

A crescent of Sword Qi, dozens of meters long, shot from the blade. With a sharpness that could tear through anything, it struck faster than the initial attack, viciously slashing into the Wind God Winged Dragon’s crest!

"CLANG!"

A piercing, deafening sound, like metal striking metal, rang out.

The Wind God Winged Dragon let out a pained screech. The Sword Qi had actually carved a massive gash into the huge, axe-shaped crest on its head!

’Now!’

"Coal Ball! Teleport!"

As he slashed with his sword, Raylo had already given the order to Coal Ball, who was nestled in his arms.

"Mrow!"

Coal Ball’s Obsidian-like eyes suddenly blazed with brilliant starlight.

A profound surge of Space Magic Power erupted from its tiny body!

"VMMM!"

Spatial Energy rippled out like a tide, instantly enveloping Raylo and his mount, Sun.

For a moment, the surrounding scenery became distorted and blurry.

In the next instant.

Raylo and Sun’s figures abruptly vanished.

And then...

Space warped, and when the distorted scenery around them cleared, Raylo and Sun had reappeared beside the Divine Wood Fruit hidden by the foliage.

Without a moment to spare to examine the fruit, Raylo’s Broken Flow once again became a silver gleam, slashing out like Lightning!

"SNAP!"

The stem of the fruit snapped.

Raylo snatched the heavy fruit into his arms and immediately roared at Sun.

"Go! Full speed! Straight up!"

"ROAR!"

Sun knew the situation was critical. It let out a heaven-shaking draconic roar and pushed its speed to the absolute limit. Its massive body became a streak of golden Lightning, carrying Raylo straight up along the impossibly thick trunk of the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood, madly charging toward the battlefield high above, a place shrouded in Catastrophe Level power!

"SCREEE! SCREEE! SCREEE!"

Their actions had thoroughly enraged the surrounding flock of Wind God Winged Dragons.

Dozens of Wind God Winged Dragons let out heaven-shaking roars as they converged from all directions, frantically trying to intercept and pursue the streak of golden Lightning.

A volley of incredibly sharp Wind Blades, condensed from the Wind Element, shot toward Raylo and Sun from all directions like a torrential downpour!

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The Dragon Power Shield on Sun’s body flickered violently under the dense assault, sending out circles of ripples.

Man and dragon, pursued and cornered by dozens of powerful Winged Dragons, engaged in a thrilling, desperate flight for their lives—a dance on a razor’s edge!

"BOOM!"

A streak of golden light, like an arrow flying upstream, broke through the layered blockade of branches and leaves, finally bursting out from the massive, labyrinthine green canopy!

It was Raylo and Sun!

Behind them, dozens of Wind God Winged Dragons were in hot pursuit. Countless Wind Blades and blasts of Energy Breath clung to them like bone-gnawing maggots, refusing to let go.

Several wounds had already appeared on Sun’s body.

Fortunately, its defense was among the best for a Giant Dragon. Although it was wounded, the injuries were only superficial and didn’t hinder its movement or ability to fight.

High above them, Astra’s massive body, formed of pure Thunderbolt, was now within reach!

"Your Excellency, Astra!"

Raylo shouted with all his might.

"ROAR!"

Astra, locked in a fierce struggle with the Jade Dragon Emperor, instantly sensed Raylo’s approach.

The next second.

The Sea of Thunderbolt covering half the sky suddenly diverted a tributary stream.

A torrent of pure Thunderbolt descended from the heavens like a waterfall of Divine Punishment, precisely crashing down upon the pursuers behind Raylo and Sun!

"SCREEE!"

A shrill, agonizing, and utterly despairing cry echoed between heaven and earth.

Before Astra’s Catastrophe Level torrent of Thunderbolt, the dozen or so Wind God Winged Dragons in pursuit were as fragile as paper dolls.

The instant their bodies touched the Thunderbolt, they were utterly incinerated into charcoal from the inside out by the berserk, destructive energy!

In an instant, their life force was completely extinguished.

In a single strike, the pursuers were annihilated!

Raylo and Sun finally charged into Astra’s Thunder Light Force Field.

The terrifying pressure that had nearly crushed them suddenly lifted.

"Black King! Return!"

Raylo used their contract to summon the Black King, who was still entangled with a few Wind God Winged Dragons on the other side.

After receiving the command, the Black King feinted to force its opponents back, then, without a backward glance, transformed into a streak of black light and shot into Astra’s Thunder Light Force Field.

It, too, was wounded.

"Let’s go!"

Raylo said in a low voice.

’Treasure in hand. We can’t stay here.’

"ROAR!"

Astra let out a heaven-shaking draconic roar. Its sky-blotting Thunderbolt Dragon Wings gave a mighty flap, preparing to transform into a bolt of thunder and swiftly carry everyone away from this Catastrophe Level battlefield.

However...

"Do... you... think... you can escape?"

A cold, malevolent will, filled with endless venom and chilling killing intent, radiated from the expanse of jade-green divine light across from them.

The Jade Dragon Emperor was utterly enraged!

’His Treasure, stolen. His guards, slaughtered.’

This was an utter humiliation, the likes of which it had not suffered in millennia!

If it allowed these thieves to simply swagger away from right under its nose, its majesty as a Dragon Emperor would be nonexistent!

It would leave these damned insects here... forever!

"ROAR!"

The Jade Dragon Emperor let out an earth-shattering draconic roar.

Its massive draconic body suddenly erupted in a blinding light!

"VMMMM!"

A vast, majestic power of nature, with the Jade Dragon Emperor at its center, swept out in all directions like a bursting flood!

The next second.

With the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood at its center, for dozens of kilometers in every direction, the entire Endless Forest Sea instantly "woke up"!

"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!"

The earth trembled violently, tearing itself apart.

Tens of thousands of massive branches and roots shot out from all directions—from the sky and the earth—like countless tentacles, madly weaving their way toward Astra in the sky!

They swiftly intertwined and converged in mid-air, forming an immense, airtight, spherical cage made of the toughest ancient wood—a cage that was rapidly closing!

This cage blotted out the sky, completely enveloping Astra, Raylo, and thousands of meters of the surrounding space!

Every single branch shimmered with a jade-green radiance, containing terrifying, Catastrophe Level Power.

This was one of the Jade Dragon Emperor’s most powerful Control Class spells.

This was a Catastrophe Level prison, constructed by using its own Power of Origin as a catalyst to mobilize the power of the entire Endless Forest Sea—a prison that could never be broken!

Raylo’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

He looked up at the enormous cage closing in from all directions, blotting out all light. An unprecedented, suffocating sense of despair instantly washed over him.

’It’s over.’

’We’re trapped.’