On the other side, just as Yang Wei guessed, two other rare-quality Fire Mages, followed by a group of elite Half-Drows, joined the previous attackers.
The battlefield grew more chaotic, the heat from the combined fire magic intensifying the already dire situation.
Mai's breathing became heavier, her body trembling from the strain as the Giant Mech Hands struggled to withstand the relentless onslaught of the raging fire tornado.
The protective shield around them, though holding, was beginning to falter. Everyone inside the shield could feel the unbearable heat—skin burning as waves of scorching air pushed against them.
The physician woman who had followed Yang Wei, her physique too low to withstand the heat, had already fainted.
Her body lay limp, beads of sweat rolling down her pale skin. Yang Wei cursed under his breath; his Dragon Blood Vine still coiled tightly around her in a defensive stance to offset the heat for her.
Ram's eyes flicked between the distressed faces of his companions and the growing number of Half-Drows being attracted by the commotion.
"We can't let this drag on," he muttered to himself, controlling the Sword Grass around him, he was about to combine all the shattered blades to use Shattered Sword, Linger's special talent that he had never had a chance to unleash before.
By combining it with Precise Strike from the Thousand Leaf Pinnacle, he knew he could drastically increase his attack power and pierce through their enemies' defenses and disrupt their formation.
Just as he was about to gather sufficient spiritual power, Mai suddenly interrupted him. "Wait!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the flames.
Without another word, she pulled out three small capsules from her belt and threw them toward the laughing group of Half-Drows.
Yang Wei, confused by Mai's sudden action, hesitated, his fingers brushing against the Thunder Talisman he had been preparing to help Ram improve the attack strength.
He looked at her, perplexed. "What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
But Ram already knew. He had seen those capsules before—the space capsules Mai used to store the mechanical units she got after Su Mu killed the old woman.
The Half-Drows on the other side, still unaware of what was coming, continued concentrating their spiritual power, preparing to finish off the group inside the protective shield.
Their confidence was high; to them, their prey was trapped like cornered animals.
"Boom!" The capsules exploded as soon as they entered the firestorm, releasing three Silver-grade mechanical units right in the middle of the Half-Drows.
First, Strider Unit, landed with a mechanical clank, its agile legs immediately propelling it forward to engage the nearest Half-Drow.
"The ancient and great Goddess of Wildfire, you gave us life, you are our ancestor—" His voice rose in fevered devotion, his eyes almost glowing with madness.
"You are our faith—please accept our sacrifice and protect your believers." He raised the golden crystal toward the broken statue beside him, casting strange, twisting shadows next to the huge statue.
The firebird let out a piercing cry as it sensed the shift in power, its power started to rise, and a violent gust of wind gathered from nowhere increasing its power.
It flared its wings, the flames that danced along its feathers intensifying, and with a violent gust of scorching wind, it blasted Selina backward.
The force of the wind sent her skidding across the ground, her claws digging deep into the earth to slow her momentum.
Selina snarled, her rage building as she clawed her way back to her feet, ready to charge again.
But the Half-Drow Leader wasn't done. His chanting reached a fever pitch, the golden crystal glowing so bright it nearly blinded her.
With a withered, exhausted expression, the Half-Drow Leader turned back to Selina, a bitter smile curling his lips.
"Haha, see you next time, if you can survive what's coming next," he said, his voice low and strained. "It won't be long. We will be back soon and return ten-fold damage for what you've done."
Before she could react, the light from the crystal surged again, and in an instant, the Half-Drow Leader and the hundreds of rare-quality Half-Drows surrounding him ceased their actions for a second before disappearing in a blinding flash.
Leaving Selina standing amidst the chaos, her chest heaving with fury.
However, this did not bring relief to Selina; instead, her eyes widened as her gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before her.
The Fire Mage Leader had vanished, but the golden crystal, now floating above the firebird, cracked with an ominous sound, releasing an overwhelming flood of intense golden light.
The radiant glow was being funneled directly into the firebird, warping its shape.
The huge bird of flames began to contort and grow, its fire body stretching and transforming into a seven to eight-meter-tall phantom of a humanoid woman, made entirely of pure flames.
Despite the fire's ethereal nature, her figure bore an eerie resemblance to the broken statue—the same haunting face, the same regal posture. Her fiery eyes seemed to stare directly into Selina's soul.
A bolt of ice shot through Selina's veins, freezing her in place for a second. Even if it was just a clone without complex emotions, she felt Fear—pure and undeniable— as it gripped her heart.
"Shit," she hissed under her breath, realizing what was happening. "It's a Divine power crystal..."