Seeing the smug expression on the Mechanical Empress's face, Jeremy spoke in his usual calm tone, "Do you really think I'll let you leave so easily? Do you honestly believe that, given our inability to escape, I would allow you to step into the Dark River without a fight?"
Though Jeremy's voice remained steady, everyone could sense that he was on the verge of erupting. He had already prepared himself for battle. In his mind, he was confident that he could eliminate the Mechanical Tutor at any moment. Once that was done, he could focus all his strength on defeating the Mechanical Empress.
The Mechanical Empress took a step back, her face still composed. "You can attack me right now if you want, but I don't think you'll win. Here, I can harness the power of the deity soul remnants."
No sooner had she spoken than the Mechanical Empress extended her left hand. The flickering flames from the wall sconces gathered rapidly into the palm of her hand. These flames were the remnants of deity souls, and in mere moments, they were converted into High-Dimensional Data.
With the aid of this powerful High-Dimensional Data, the Mechanical Empress quickly transformed into a massive mechanical monster, towering like a mountain.
"What a shame. I thought we could continue working together. It seems, though, that a battle is unavoidable," she said, her tone still coldly confident.
Upon seeing this transformation, Jeremy immediately used his King of Time and Space ability to seal the Mechanical Tutor. Without missing a beat, he charged straight toward the Mechanical Empress.
At the same moment that Jeremy launched his attack, Ritchie and the War God sprang into action. Ritchie manipulated the surrounding shadows, sending them to assault the Mechanical Empress's subordinates. Meanwhile, the War God brandished his weapon, directing it at the nearest mechanical monster.
In the distance, near the edge of the Dark River, the cyclops moved slowly and silently, seemingly oblivious to the fierce battle unfolding nearby.
Though both Jeremy and the Mechanical Empress had immense confidence in their combat abilities, neither was able to land a decisive blow on the other. Their clash was far from over.
The battle between Jeremy and the Mechanical Empress reached a stalemate. Neither of them could overpower the other, and the same could be said for the War God and Ritchie, who were unable to quickly defeat all of the Mechanical Empress's subordinates. As a result, the fight along the edge of the Dark River showed no signs of ending anytime soon.
However, the collapse of the Tower of Exile continued unabated. While Jeremy and the others were locked in combat, the core structure of the Tower of Exile had completely crumbled. Even the Mist of History that surrounded the Tower was rapidly dissipating.
Soon, Jeremy and the Mechanical Empress noticed several powerful figures battling in the sky above. Although The Fool had not personally descended, its projection was still causing significant trouble for The World. Despite The World having control over the activated Map of All Things and Stars, its power was severely limited.
Taking advantage of this, The White Tower wielded the High-Dimensional Data it controlled, transforming it into a formidable weapon. Faced with the combined assault of these two Apocalypse Game masterminds, The World was inevitably slipping toward defeat.
Seeing this, Jeremy couldn't help but feel disappointed. What he didn't expect, however, was that the Mechanical Empress was even more disheartened than he was.
As soon as the Mechanical Empress saw her allies struggling, she decided it was time to negotiate with Jeremy.
Facing the Mechanical Empress's full-force assault, Jeremy also unleashed the entirety of his power. Though the Longsword of the Undying had been shattered, Jeremy believed he could still use its fragments to strengthen his own abilities.
At the same time, Jeremy continuously used his King of Time and Space ability to create one trap after another for the Mechanical Empress. Though their battle was intense, it was clear that the fight between them would not determine the ultimate outcome.
Despite the fierce combat between Jeremy and the Mechanical Empress, their strength paled in comparison to that of The World and The Fool. The final outcome hinged entirely on the battle between these two powerful entities, and their fight was far from reaching a quick conclusion.
The Fool, through its projection, summoned wave after wave of powerful monsters. Although these creatures couldn't defeat The World outright, they forced The World to divide its focus in order to deal with them. This gave The White Tower the perfect opportunity to launch surprise attacks during the battle.
Despite his best efforts to adapt and evade, The World found his strength rapidly diminishing. While his responses were impeccable, he was gradually being worn down. Realizing he couldn't possibly defeat both Apocalypse Game masterminds at once, The World made a swift decision to escape.
"It seems you've been preparing for this fight all along. In that case, I won't waste any more time with you. I have no intention of engaging in a decisive battle on a battlefield you've already laid out!"
With this, The World made his move to flee, knowing that staying any longer would only lead to his inevitable defeat.
The World shouted loudly in the direction of the two Apocalypse Game masterminds. Then, in a flash of white light, he quickly flew toward Jeremy's position. At the same time, the Map of All Things and Stars rapidly shrank, turning into what appeared to be an ordinary map.
Of course, The Fool and The White Tower weren't about to let their opponent escape so easily. Both of them immediately pursued him at their fastest speed.
The three most powerful entities were now hurtling toward Jeremy and the Mechanical Empress, bringing an immense wave of pressure. Jeremy could feel the weight of their presence and was forced to activate his King of Time and Space ability. His plan was to open a portal and escape from this dangerous zone as quickly as possible.
However, to his shock, he found that his King of Time and Space powers were being suppressed. He couldn't open a portal, and worse, he wasn't even able to use his teleportation abilities in the midst of the battle.
The Mechanical Empress wasn't faring much better. Though she hadn't been directly attacked, the sight of The White Tower rapidly approaching filled her with terror. Her face showed signs of pure fear.
"Is my master coming to destroy me? What should I do now? Should I attempt to cross the threshold and escape?"
A flood of questions swirled in the Mechanical Empress's mind. She knew the situation was incredibly perilous, but despite her fear, she hesitated and couldn't make a decision in time.
Just as the Mechanical Empress thought she had figured out her next move, she suddenly realized she could no longer move at all.
She had been locked in place—completely immobilized by The White Tower!