Deviant: No Longer Human

But even as these ancient guardians awoke, Yuriko's thoughts remained consumed by her failure.

Her fingers trembling as she dragged herself further into the cave. Her legs were weak, her body barely responding.

The memory flashed in her mind, vivid and raw—the moment Wang Xiao had grabbed her, his eyes cold and merciless, his hand plunging into her chest, tearing her heart out as if she were nothing.

The pain, the shock of it, still resonated through her entire being.

Her feet shuffled across the cave floor, her blood continuing to trail behind her.

The fireflies seemed to hover around her as if they sensed the weakening pulse of her life force. The cave was alive now—massive trees towering over her, the golems standing on guard, their eyes glowing faintly as they watched her struggle forward.

But despite the ancient power she had summoned, Yuriko knew it wouldn't be enough.

THUD… THUD…

A massive golem stepped forward, its stone limbs groaning as it took its place beside her, its eyes glowing a deep emerald green. It bowed its head slightly in acknowledgment of her presence, but Yuriko barely registered it.

Her thoughts were too clouded, too consumed by what she had lost.

________

Xianthera!

BAM!

"Ah—!"

The fiery woman's scream echoed through the air as Wang Xiao flung her into the prison, a chamber crafted with his own hands.

The prison walls hummed with a dark, pulsating energy, sealing her inside with no hope of escape. The black mist that coiled around the bars was alive, its tendrils shifting and slithering, ensuring that her power would be suppressed.

She hit the cold floor with a hard bam, her fiery glare burning into his back as he turned away.

Wang Xiao didn't even spare her another glance, his expression cold and hardened.

He ignored the searing anger radiating from her eyes, her anger meaning nothing in the grander scheme of things.

She was no longer a concern.

His body shifted, dissolving into a mist that rippled through the air as he left her confined in the shadows of her new prison.

Outside, Wang Xiao reformed, standing tall as his expression flickered with brief frustration.

His mind churned, the events of the day, the constant, unexpected disruptions.

But then a smile curled on his lips, sharp and bitter, before he shook his head as if debating something internally.

It didn't matter. Not yet.

He had already ordered Yanyan to return Isabelle and his sister, Wang Xueying, to the surface world.

They needed to be far away from this chaos, especially after what they'd just witnessed in Hollow Earth.

That portal had to be sealed—for now, at least. There were too many unknowns in that world, too many variables.

"Hollow Earth…" Wang Xiao muttered to himself as he paced. The place was in ruins now, torn apart by the forces unleashed in his battle.

It was once a domain descended from the Pangeans, a race that had been adept in techniques far beyond the understanding of surface dwellers.

They had created vast formations, bending space itself to their will.

One of the strangest phenomena in Hollow Earth was the shared sun between it and the surface world, a direct result of the Pangeans' manipulation of space-time.

The spatial distortion allowed the same sun to exist in two worlds simultaneously, a feat that shouldn't be possible under any natural laws.

But that was all trivial now—nothing but shattered remnants of a forgotten past.

Hollow Earth was no longer livable, completely destroyed beyond repair.

And yet, even in its destruction, Wang Xiao had sensed something… something off.

He had detected a formation, hidden deep within the layers of spatial energy. And then there were the Chromasters—another offshoot of the Pangean descendants.

Their experiments in the past had led to the creation of Tartarus, known to the Greeks, but in the ancient realm, it was Xianthera.

It was a place that had crossed over many worlds, dimensions sealed inside it, where many of the strongest beings were imprisoned.

The connection between Hollow Earth and Xianthera was something Wang Xiao couldn't ignore.

But even that wasn't his primary concern at this moment.

No, his focus was on a far greater threat.

Wang Xiao clenched his fist, his face darkening as the memory of the attack burned in his mind. "Another true Transcendent… in this place?" he muttered, suprise filling his words.

It was rare to encounter someone of his level in this realm.

Most Transcendents had either died or were locked away in other dimensions.

But this unknown assailant—whoever had dared to attack him during his battle—was clearly powerful, and a serious threat to everything he had planned.

His grip tightened, divine energy surging under his skin. If that Transcendent wasn't eradicated, they could disrupt all of his plans for the future.

They had to be destroyed, no matter the cost. Wang Xiao's eyes glowed with cold, merciless determination.

Anyone who stood against him would be eradicated.

BOOM.

A faint rumble echoed through the ground, a reminder of the vast destruction he had already caused.

His fight with the Quasi-transcendents had nearly obliterated Hollow Earth.

The chaos, the destruction—it was almost unfathomable.

And yet, the true battle, the one that loomed on the horizon, hadn't even started.

If they actually fought…

The effects would be catastrophic, far worse than anything Hollow Earth had experienced.

Cities, lands, and entire ecosystems would be torn apart.

The delicate balance of space and time itself would shatter under the weight of such a clash.

Wang Xiao had avoided direct confrontation with this unknown enemy for that very reason.

He didn't want to unleash such a disaster on the world without understanding who or what he was up against.

But that bastard had forced his hand, sneaking in a cowardly attack while he was already engaged in battle.

His lips curled in a snarl, dark energy crackling at his fingertips. "Bastard," he growled.

No one attacked Wang Xiao and lived to tell about it.

"Eveline," Wang Xiao muttered to himself, turning his thoughts elsewhere for a moment.

She was checking on Isabelle and his sister, ensuring they weren't suffering from any lasting trauma after witnessing the utter destruction of Hollow Earth.

He needed them stable—especially Wang Xueying.

His sister's mind was fragile, and she was still recovering from the events that had brought them here.

But once Eveline returned, he would need answers from her.

He could sense there was more she hadn't revealed, more that she knew about this mysterious assailant.

The interrogation would begin soon, and he would drag every secret from her mind if he had to.

For now, he allowed himself a moment to breathe, his mind still replaying the events of the day.

Hollow Earth, the Pangean descendants, the Chromasters, and now, this new threat.

Everything was converging. And the timeline for his plans had been shortened.

But one thing was clear—he would emerge at top, no matter the cost.

Wang Xiao's eyes gleamed with a cold, calculated light as he stood at the edge of the destroyed battlefield, the winds howling around him.

His enemies were falling into place, and soon enough, they would all be crushed beneath his power.