With the most audacious attitude, speaking the most cowardly words, while Ian and his entourage were still bewildered, unsure if Elg was admitting defeat or threatening them, the black-haired scholar’s long hair suddenly surged like a waterfall, transforming into giant bird-like wings enveloping his entire body.
Immediately after, Elg’s figure blurred, his whole being became translucent, clearly intending to escape into the Domain of Void.
"Riddler, huh? Solve the riddles and then run?"
Having been praised with the most audacious attitude and riddling words, Ian, finally reacting, simply responded.
At some point, a pitch-black longsword was already tightly held in his hand.
Then, in an instant, Ian completed the actions of stepping forward, adjusting his breath, swinging his arms, and slashing, with lightning speed unleashing a tide-like sword aura.
No, it’s not a metaphor. It was truly ’lightning’ turning into ’tides’, with an incredibly profound Water Element Origin interweaving to create a lightning storm, transforming into an unstoppable wave, rushing toward Elg!
If it were an ordinary sublimated sword technique, no matter how imposing, it couldn’t hit Elg, who’s already shifted into the Domain of Void form, but this sword wielded by Ian contained not only the surging Origin but also a part of hidden ’Primal Aether’ at its very core!
This force, possessing the ability to affect both the Domain of Void and the material world dual phases, struck Elg’s body amidst his slightly surprised expression.
The thin robe was cut open, the translucent flesh that gave an unusual sensation was shredded, gray-black blood gushed out, and Ian, grasping the most precise timing, exhibited eighty percent of his strength with a single sword, instantly severely injuring Elg who was, amidst his transformation, finding it difficult to evade!
This sword directly cleaved this black-haired scholar from right shoulder to left pelvis, leaving a wound that ground the viscera and severed the spine!
—Assuming Elg truly had such body parts.
[I forgot... Before you became a renowned researcher... You were a genius swordsman who could almost unscathedly clear the South Sea Great Labyrinth...]
Taking this hit directly, Elg’s expression did not change a bit—but his lower body turned into a mass of pitch-black, writhing, amorphous flesh... and this flesh was not wasted.
Originally intending to pursue and capture Elg, Ian suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
It was not the Foresight View, nor the Silver Chip, but simply a chilling sensation he felt from the body instincts he had honed over many years!
Buzz! The black flesh decomposed in an instant, transforming into a sky full of pitch-black fiery chains, these flame flow chains made of Void’s Spiritual Fire, burning wisdom and memory, swarming toward Ian like thousands of the most agile and swift snakes!
—Is this how the Thousand-Star Beast preys on others’ thoughts and memories, assimilating other lives?!
—Can’t let these things spread!
In the first moment, Ian recognized the terrifying nature of these flame snakes before him. He displayed a heavy expression, abruptly stopping his pursuit of Elg, and instead cleaved through hundreds of sword strikes in an instant!
This was the ’Sword Net’ technique he grasped after training dozens of times with the Green Tide, according to that subordinate who did nothing but swordsmanship, he could even use this sword technique to block the path of a school of sardines in the tide!
Immediately, a storm of sword blades surged, the colorless Spirit Energy flames exploded and then dissipated—Ian cleaved through all the flame flow chains rushing toward him, and towards Yisen Gard and the others, using purely swordsmanship!
Undoubtedly, Ian once again blocked the enemy’s attack unscathed, but Elg, having decisively abandoned half of his body, completely escaped into the Domain of Void.
[Ian, your greatest weakness is your pursuit of optimization, that is the Prophet’s flaw. Your desire to protect all companions unscathed allows me to escape.]
His last words echoed eerily in the Crimson Court: [As for now, let us keep each other’s identities secret.]
After speaking, Elg’s Void fluctuations suddenly disappeared, evidently leaving this area.
Ian, with a solemn expression, sheathed his sword, muttered: "I like teaching others, but I’m not a riddler!"
But obviously, Elg couldn’t hear, nor would he return.
"Ian, that guy probably isn’t the real Elg."
After the brief confrontation and battle ended, Anfa, feeling somewhat guilty, stepped forward and apologized: "I should have helped you just now... but both of your timing was too fast. Although I could keep up, I was afraid of obstructing your actions..."
"What’s there to apologize for, that guy was originally targeting me." Ian waved his hand, even a True Dragon might not necessarily come out well when facing a derivative of the Thousand-Star Beast.
After all, the opponent is uniquely named, a Sparkkind Creature with the ’Fallen Empires’ prefix in the Silver Chip!
Anfa and others couldn’t find the opportunity to assist, which was normal. Actually, if Elg hadn’t suddenly decided to leave, Ian couldn’t even find a flaw to strike.
At this moment, Ian’s mind was indeed filled with countless doubts—he couldn’t understand why Elg would risk exposing themselves as a Thousand-Star Beast to communicate with him and claim they were alike... Although Ian had no prior knowledge of what the Thousand-Star Beast was, it clearly was a secret that couldn’t be discovered by other forces, or even the Four Great Orthodox Churches!
Even his own Silver Chip might be slightly safer than this message... then again, could Elg mistakenly assume he was some ’monster’ because of the Silver Chip?
But that couldn’t be possible. Ian could sense that Elg couldn’t perceive the specifics of his body’s condition; the ’monster’ in his words was actually Ian’s soul, or perhaps the personality or something.
"I tracked through the Domain of Void just now."
At this moment, Sio, ending her semi-trance state, returned to her senses and solemnly reported her observations to Ian and the others: "Everyone, the direction Elg fled... is exactly our destination, the Abyss!"
"He may want to enter the Subspace Labyrinth first!"
"Should we pursue him?" Yisen Gard spoke up, noticing Ian’s frown, he approached to comfort him: "Don’t worry about not understanding the problem for now, as long as we go to the Abyss together to capture him, with our abilities, we won’t have trouble uncovering the problem, will we?"
"That’s true." Shaking his head, coming out from deep thought, Ian sighed, setting aside the mysteries surrounding Elg.
Then, he made a fairly important decision: "Everyone, I think it’s time."
Ian raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to look at him, calmly saying: "I’ve decided to act alone with a fake identity for a while starting now!"
"Anfa, Sio, and Yisen Gard. Let’s go with what we initially planned."
"Knight Mahdi of the Secluded Valley, it’s time to make an appearance!"