In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

Everyone at the lighthouse held their breath, not daring to utter a sound. Gazing at the two figures confronting each other like gods and demons in mid-air, they felt their hearts tremble, and an apocalyptic sense of oppression enveloped the entire lighthouse.

Shi Geng's expression remained unchanged, his eyes calm as still water. The power of the surrounding domain surged wildly once again, and the light in the entire airspace suddenly receded, instead condensing into a giant light sword tens of feet high. The blade was filled with the sharpness of destruction, locking onto ASH from afar and slashing down.

Charles was pinned to the spot, his eyes red-rimmed, struggling and screaming, "Stop! Don't hurt her! She's my mother!"

But his resistance was futile. Ash had already completely taken over the body and was not bound by human feelings at all. He only wanted to eliminate Shi Gen, this variable.

Shi Geng naturally ignored Charles's roars and pleas. His eyes were cold as ice, and the giant lightsaber, which was tens of meters long, was filled with deep starlight. The sword pressure overwhelmed the surrounding area, and the air was cut by the sword's edge, producing a series of buzzing sounds.

He slightly lowered his wrist, exerted force with his arm, and the giant lightsaber, carrying an overwhelming momentum, slashed down fiercely towards Mayweather, who was residing in ASH.

ASH's expression remained as still as the starry sky, utterly unmoved. His mechanical voice rang out indifferently: "Attempting to reverse the trajectory is futile."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and waved it. A massive amount of energy surged and gathered, condensing into a thick, barrier-like star shield in front of her. Layer upon layer, with interwoven patterns, it fiercely resisted the giant sword that was slashing down on her.

Boom—!

The giant sword and the Star River Shield collided with a deafening roar, and a violent energy shockwave instantly swept across the entire lighthouse. The metal hull trembled violently, and countless metal fragments flaked off from the dome.

A blinding burst of light erupted, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes, leaving only a deafening roar that lingered in their ears.

Cracks spread across the Star River Shield like a spiderweb, and it teetered on the brink of collapse. Mei Wei's figure swayed violently under the impact of the immense force, and the Star River patterns on her face flickered on and off.

Charles watched with a heart full of anguish, his eyes red as he roared incessantly, struggling against the invisible restraints with all his might, but he could not break free. He could only watch helplessly as his mother's body was drawn into the fierce confrontation, filled with helplessness and despair.

The giant lightsaber crashed down on the Star River Shield, cracks spread rapidly, and the entire lighthouse trembled slightly.

The body of May, who was being inhabited by ASH, shook violently. The starlight on her face flickered, but she remained completely devoid of emotion. The cold, mechanical voice rang out again: "Even if you have a domain, it is not enough to overturn fate."

Before she finished speaking, her energy surged dramatically, enveloping the entire lighthouse airspace in dense starlight. Countless strange patterns emerged from the void, spreading along the shield and wrapping around Shi Heng's giant lightsaber in reverse.

Those patterns, like shackles, gripped the sword tightly, attempting to imprison the domain power on it and dull its sharpness.

Shi Geng's eyes narrowed. Without even trying to break free, he unleashed his fifth martial arts domain at full power, the domain's power sweeping across the land. The energy binding the sword instantly dissolved upon encountering the domain's power, dissipating into specks of light.

He pressed down hard on his wrist again, and the power of the greatsword rose once more, finally causing the shield to collapse under the strain.

The violent energy exploded in all directions, and Meiwei's body was shaken back repeatedly, her aura chaotic and erratic, as if she could collapse at any moment.

Charles's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse with tears: "Enough! Shi Heng, I beg you, stop! Don't hurt her anymore!"

He desperately tried to break through the invisible confinement, his veins bulging, but he was still firmly locked in by ASH's energy field, and could only helplessly watch his mother's body suffer one severe blow after another.

Shi Geng glanced coldly at Charles, who was constantly yelling and causing trouble, his expression indifferent, his voice cold and piercing: "Noisy."

The moment he raised his hand, the miniature star floating in his palm suddenly flew out, carrying a powerful magnetic field and a sharp wind, and went straight to suppress Charles.

What are you whining about? Go tell my little star in my palm.

The star hurtled through the sky, the strong wind tearing through the air, and in an instant it was almost upon him. Charles's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with fear, and in his panic he had no way to dodge.

At this critical moment!

Mavis, who was under ASH's control, trembled violently, and a struggle flashed across her starry face.

His previously lifeless and indifferent eyes suddenly cleared for a moment. He broke free from Ash's control and spoke abruptly, with a heart-wrenching urgency:

"No—! Stop!"

This shout simultaneously triggered an instinctive surge of energy field around him, hastily erecting a temporary barrier in front of Charles and forcefully stopping the impending attack of the stars.

hum!

The star slammed into the temporary galactic barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. The barrier trembled violently, cracks spread rapidly, and violent shockwaves swept outwards.

Shi Geng raised an eyebrow slightly, his attack paused for a moment, and his gaze darkened.

May's consciousness only briefly broke free from its shackles; the clarity on her face vanished in an instant, her eyes were once again covered by the deathly starlight, and her body swayed before being completely taken over by ASH once more.

But the moment of emotion he felt just now, and the urgent cry to protect his child, were clearly seen by everyone.

Charles, still in shock, stared at his mother's face, which was flashing in and out of focus in mid-air. His eyes instantly reddened, and his heart ached with a mixture of sorrow and pain. He was completely disoriented.

The deafening aftershocks of the collision slowly dissipated, and the star barrier that Meiwei had hastily erected shattered inch by inch under the immense impact of the miniature stars, turning into countless tiny stardust fragments that drifted away with the wind.

The brief awakening of consciousness exhausted Meiwei's remaining awareness. The starry patterns on her face trembled wildly, and the human warmth that had just emerged was instantly swallowed up by the cold silence. She once again became ASH's puppet.

The mechanical, monotonous voice rang out again, devoid of any emotion: "The parasite is exhibiting abnormal mental activity, interfering with the removal process. Remove it first."

As soon as she finished speaking, streams of data appeared on ASH's starry face, indicating that she had chosen to erase May's memories directly, eliminating the possibility of her being affected again.

"Mother……"

Charles stood there, slumped in place, the shock he had just felt turning into bitterness and pain. He had witnessed his mother briefly break free from control to protect him, only to have her body forcibly taken over by that strange entity. His heart was breaking, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

ASH looked down indifferently, his energy gathering once more, transforming into a colossal shadow of a starry river that blotted out the sky, carrying the eerie aura of the Mana ecosystem, and crushing towards Shi Gen, enveloping the entire airspace in a suffocating sense of oppression.

Shi Geng remained calm as he fully unleashed his fifth domain. A faint moon-like phenomenon rose behind him as he simultaneously activated his magnetic field and mental power, facing the colossal starry shadow head-on.

Charles, standing to the side, looked at his mother, whose consciousness had been forcibly sealed and who was now just a cold shell, and then at Shi Geng, who was standing up to fight. His faith crumbled quietly, and complex emotions surged wildly in his heart. He didn't know whether to resent or be confused.