Yamile charged at the enemies guarding the warehouse. The women empowered by Kalanak's force immediately launched attacks against her, striking with sharp thorns and spears.

Naturally, Yamile dodged them with ease—her goal was to buy time for Zhao to complete his rescue mission. But when she looked inside the warehouse, she was shocked to see that Zhao's gunshots couldn’t save Marten. Every bullet bounced back as if hitting an invisible wall.

"Why did the second shot fail?" Yamile muttered while deflecting enemy attacks.

"Is this the demon’s power?" she added.

---

Zhao couldn't believe a mysterious force was simply restraining his bullets. His rifle was now empty, and not a single shot had cut through Marten’s ropes.

Suddenly, a Kalanak appeared and attacked. “HIHIHIHIHI! So here you are,” the Kalanak said, floating above Zhao.

“I’ve been discovered,” Zhao murmured.

The Kalanak attacked instantly, transforming her hair into sharp spikes. Zhao dodged by zigzagging between the building walls. When he got close enough, he drew his black sword. With one powerful slash, the sword cut through the Kalanak’s chest. She screamed in pain—and died instantly!

“One strike and she’s dead. This sword is incredibly powerful,” Zhao whispered in awe, marveling at the black blade in his hand.

Now Zhao felt more confident. He charged forward to catch up with Yamile, who was already surrounded by Kalanak.

---

Yamile had grown more skilled with her trident. She blocked various Kalanak attacks with ease. And she wasn’t just defending—her trident wounded several enemies.

“Damn it, there are so many of them!” she muttered.

Now four Kalanaks surrounded her, ready to attack together. They intended to unleash their sonic wave attack.

They had cornered Yamile. “Draw water from the ground. Press your palm against the earth,” Niroki’s voice whispered to her.

Yamile followed the instruction. She pressed her left hand to the ground and immediately sensed water beneath the surface.

A second later, the Kalanak attacked in unison. But Yamile was just as quick. She instantly formed a wall of water around her for protection.

“Damn you!” one Kalanak shouted in frustration as the attack failed.

Yamile then thrust her trident into the water surrounding her. Instantly, the water transformed into a long whip. Her next attacks were devastating—she lashed the whip with force, overwhelming the Kalanak.

“Aaaah!” screamed one of them after being struck.

Yamile kept up her assault until three Kalanaks collapsed, unconscious on the ground.

There were still a few Kalanak left, now flying rapidly. They dodged Yamile’s whip with ease.

Seconds later, Zhao arrived and slashed one of them. The blow severed the Kalanak’s left arm, making her scream in pain. Now Zhao stood beside Yamile, ready to fight together.

“My shots didn’t work earlier—what now?” Zhao asked, panting.

“We’ll figure that out later. For now, let’s kill these Kalanak,” Yamile commanded.

The two fought with renewed spirit. Yamile, who had mostly defended before, now launched fierce attacks with Zhao beside her.

Yamile and Zhao stood side by side in the middle of a battlefield now littered with rubble and puddles from earlier attacks. The remaining Kalanak were more cautious. They hovered in the air with glowing red eyes, reassessing their strategy.

“I’ll draw their attention. You strike from behind,” Zhao whispered.

Yamile nodded. She raised her trident high, and the water around them began to tremble. Zhao leapt forward and slashed at a Kalanak that was flying too low, forcing the creature to the ground. Yamile then lashed her water whip, wrapping the Kalanak’s body and slamming it into a nearby wall.

Duum! The sound of the impact echoed. The Kalanak lay motionless.

The two remaining enemies panicked. They raised both hands, forming a small cyclone that rapidly spun faster. A sonic boom erupted from the vortex.

“Sound attack again! Duck!” Zhao shouted.

Yamile immediately shielded both herself and Zhao with a dome of water. The blast hit the dome hard, shaking it but not breaking through. As the sonic wave faded, Yamile dropped the shield and sprang into action.

This time she leapt high, spinning her trident in her hands and hurling it at one Kalanak, who was exhausted from using too much energy. The trident pierced his chest and brought him down.

Zhao wasn’t idle. He dashed toward the last Kalanak that was still hovering low. With a high jump, he swung his sword downward. The Kalanak dodged, but Zhao had anticipated it. He kicked the demon in the gut with his left foot, slamming it to the ground, then quickly stabbed his sword into its heart.

The Kalanak were all defeated. “Let’s go save Marten now!” Zhao yelled, sprinting toward the warehouse. Yamile followed right behind him.

But suddenly, a bald and muscular man leapt at them, sending both Yamile and Zhao flying into a wall.

“Ow, that hurts!” Yamile shouted.

Zhao winced in pain, clutching his shoulder. “What kind of power is that?”

The bald man, who had been guarding Biacca and Marten, was clearly powerful. “You must be wondering what my power is,” he said.

“My name is Nathan, and I wield the power of the Poccog demon,” he continued.

Nathan walked toward the injured Yamile and Zhao. Strangely, the ground within two meters of him lifted slightly, as if some invisible wall pushed the earth.

“He has an invisible shield,” Yamile whispered.

“So that’s why my shots kept failing earlier,” Zhao said.

Zhao refused to sit idle. He got up and grabbed his sword. With all his might, he slashed downwards, sending a wave of black energy at Nathan. Unfortunately, it couldn’t penetrate the shield.

“His defense is insane,” Zhao muttered.

Then two more men appeared beside Nathan: Kido and one of his guards.

“I didn’t expect you two to be this strong. All my efforts gathering the Kalanak were wasted,” Kido said with a sinister smile.

“I’m Kido, their commander. And I swear, both of you will die here by the power of my Banas demon,” he declared.

Kido prepared to attack. He raised his hands, forming a massive fireball. With all his strength, he hurled it at Yamile and Zhao.

BLARRRR!