Hearing Leon’s words, the three Cleaners could not help but be taken aback.
Why should they prepare to face Director Edward? Could it be...
"Do you think Director Edward has been controlled?!"
The female Cleaner, Mona, was the first to speak, her face full of shock as she questioned:
"Why do you think that? Did that person give you a hint just now?"
"It didn’t give me any hint, but the possibility is very high."
Leon said with furrowed brows:
"Director Andre has already crossed the difference between man and god, so even if his body is destroyed, he wouldn’t die immediately. And when I went to the Realm of the Dead to fetch you, I indeed didn’t see his soul, so he should have been captured like Nicole.
And in the absence of his direct legion and the Cleaners from the Gemini Branch, that Atifie No.0 still concluded that Prince Andre had a higher chance of winning. Plus, it didn’t mention anything about Director Edward’s situation from the beginning, seemingly avoiding something deliberately.
So, I can only suspect that the controlled Director Edward is the reason behind Prince Andre’s seventy percent chance of winning."
Indeed... if that’s the case, it makes sense.
Exchanging glances for a moment, the three Cleaners from the Scorpio Branch couldn’t help but feel a flush of despair in their hearts.
No one knew better than them how strong Director Edward was.
Even after absorbing most of their soul power, although Leon’s displayed level was also astonishing, it was still far behind Director Edward.
Not to mention anything else, the existence of the "difference between man and god" alone was an insurmountable chasm.
Don’t be fooled by the mere one-point gap between 59 Leon Value and 60 Leon Value; it’s like 1℃ water is still liquid, but at 0℃, it’s starting to freeze. This 1 point difference in Contamination Value is the beginning of a qualitative change.
Once a Cleaner’s power reaches the standard and successfully crosses the difference between man and god, there will be an earth-shaking change in their "density" or "presence," making it increasingly difficult to be "shaken."
It’s like a gentle breeze can ripple a lake’s surface, but even a level ten gale can only lift and shatter ice without causing ripples; after a Cleaner "freezes," abnormal objects with insufficient status find it hard to "move" them.
And although Leon’s strength was astonishing, when facing the already "frozen" Director Edward, his highly powerful abnormal objects would surely have their effects greatly diminished.
If Prince Andre could really control Director Edward and fully utilize his strength, not to mention having a thirty percent chance of winning, there might not even be a 0.001 percent chance!
"Seniors, don’t be discouraged. We might not necessarily lose yet."
Having personally experienced the difference between man and god, Leon naturally understood the disparity behind that 1 point Contamination Value. But feeling the despair rising from the souls of the three Cleaners, he still spoke to encourage them:
"If they could really fully control Director Edward and let him exert his full strength, then that Atifie No.0 would not have come to greet us, so the control method must be imperfect.
If I were to guess, they either cannot perfectly reproduce Director Edward’s strength, or when Director Edward goes all out, he might break free from their control, having an ’output’ limit that is not too high, and may not necessarily overpower us greatly."
Could the control be less than perfect?
Hearing Leon’s analysis, the three Cleaners couldn’t help but calm down a bit. The female Cleaner with the best psychological composure pondered for a while before clenching her fists and speaking proactively:
"Yes! When we were attacked before, Director Edward’s body was also half-destroyed, and at his level, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to repair, so Director Edward’s strength must be somewhat diminished!"
"And the soul should also have issues."
Recalling those Cleaners from the Gemini Branch who were hacked to pieces by Leon, Frankie tugged at his beard thoughtfully:
"When Leon was fighting those Cleaners from the Gemini Branch earlier, I took the opportunity to observe their souls and felt that their souls seemed a bit stiff, with a slight delay in their reactions each time.
If their method of controlling Director Edward is the same as that used on those Cleaners from the Gemini Branch, it could also have this problem."
"Now that you mention it, I do feel something is off."
After hearing Frankie’s words, Ruben also poked his head out and began to analyze:
"Aside from their souls, their fighting style also seemed awkward, as if those Cleaners from the Gemini Branch were always too ’rigid’ and their development of their abnormal objects was highly peculiar.
For example, if I were using those abnormal objects to attack Leon, I wouldn’t use full force again after finding it ineffective the first time. I would conserve my energy and try to attack the ground under his feet to force him to move.
But those Cleaners from the Gemini Branch seem completely unconcerned about expendings and don’t consider adaptability, always attacking full force without restraint. This might also be an exploitable flaw."
Damaged body, delayed soul, and rigid fighting style?
Noting the potential flaws analyzed and identified by the three individuals on the controlled Scorpio Director, Leon, who was on his way deeper into the palace, couldn’t help but slightly lift the corner of his mouth.
Although the three seniors were indeed shaken upon learning the grim situation and the potential need to face the controlled Scorpio Director, they immediately calmed down upon hearing there was still a chance. They began to rack their brains to analyze the situation and desperately search for potential turning points.
This could only mean that as elites of the Scorpio Branch, the three seniors were all top-notch regarding psychological composure and professional skills.
And considering their familiarity with the Scorpio Director, as long as they could maintain their composure and provide more intelligence on the Scorpio Director, perhaps he, Leon, might be able to wrestle with Edward!
With the determination to fight tooth and nail, Leon passed through the transparent glass walkway of the Crolock Palace amid the analysis of the three Cleaners, bypassing the clock-like circular corridor and arriving outside the main hall door referred to as the "Preservation Hall" by Feiliya.
And just as Leon was about to push the door open, a mechanical voice suddenly came from inside the main hall.
"Everyone, gathering you here today is to discuss a significant matter concerning the Kingdom’s future."
Curiously pushing the door open and seeing the source of the voice, Leon’s pupils suddenly contracted.
On the throne in the center of the "Preservation Hall," the middle-aged man speaking had a cut across his forehead, his upper scalp lifted back, leaving the place where his brain should be empty.
Although his facial features appeared familiar and resembled Andre somewhat, the middle-aged man seemed completely oblivious to his open skull and continued to narrate with a blank expression:
"After being assessed by Atifie, my daughter Feiliya’s brain has talent surpassing hers tenfold, so it was suggested to extract her brain and make it into a new core... what do you think?"