Planck believed that there was still a chance to save Sidney, and even if there weren’t, the latter had served Red Leaf Forest Asylum for many years—there was no glory, but there was hard work.
The Legendary Mage’s life force field unfolded, his mind nudging at the void, pulling down a projection and constructing a unique three-dimensional space. This space replaced the original sewer, attached to the God-chosen Continent, yet remaining independent in Planck’s mind.
In this space, the Void Lord could not conceal his thoughts and intent. A humanoid tentacle monster was sprawled on top of Sidney, its hands covering Sidney’s eyes, tentacles entwined with and manipulating his limbs, all the while whispering in his ear.
Feeling Planck’s gaze, the Void Lord lifted its head, its disjointed features twisting into a smile, "My student, he envies your talent, afraid that one day you will become the dean. What an ugly fellow indeed!"
Sidney roared, his mental sanity rapidly slipping away. His flesh began to fuse with the humanoid tentacles, and his teeth morphed into white tentacles.
Suddenly, a sanctified light flood the dark space, dispelling wretched darkness, infusing power and hope.
Planck transformed into a humanoid light bulb, his dazzling radiance acting like an invisible hand, dragging the humanoid tentacle monster away from Sidney’s body.
The Void Lord’s facial features stretched long, tentacles fiercely wrapped around its student, at the points of bodily contact, the already fused skin and flesh were tearing, creating vomit-inducing white flesh-mush.
Seeing itself about to be separated, the Void Lord also unleashed its own life force field.
Two unique spaces, two vastly different darknesses collided, indescribable sounds making Wayne feel dizzy and nauseated, his saliva flowing copiously, his teeth on the verge of sour collapse.
His ears were continuously buzzing, affecting his vision with double images. Where the two darknesses met, he saw a multitude of the Four Elements bursting forth.
Although not as numerous as in the Elemental Space, they were enough to fill Wayne’s essence of life.
The Four Elements seemed tamed, each knowing the way home. One second they were in chaotic entanglement, the next they were neatly divided, each finding its direction back to their master.
Wayne drooled at the sight, his fellow villagers had been imprisoned in the basement, subjected to devastation and torment. Someone had to stand up and save them.
But alas, they could not be saved!
To take battle profits at this critical juncture, even if Planck won, he would have to settle accounts with him afterward.
Putting himself in others’ shoes, Wayne could imagine the scene.
Planck rubbing his hands like a fly, smiling like an evil god, "You little rascal, how well you play the part, come here, ’grandpa dean’ will give you a check-up."
After a brief stalemate, Planck drove the Void Lord out of Sidney’s body. The humanoid tentacle monster stayed within its own space, one eye on the student, the other on Wayne.
"Marshall, your life has merged with the void, the God-chosen Continent is no place for you to tread, go back. Here, you are no match for me," Planck said firmly.
Without being foolish, the Dean indeed exuded great authority.
Not just in presence, but also in many magic tools—rings, medals, Holy Grails, crucifixes, keys, necklaces...
These magic tools orbited around Planck, each tool with its own aura.
They left Wayne dumbfounded, wondering just what kind of being the old man was, and how wild his ways were.
So many beliefs—could you even keep up with them all?
One day, what if you were distracted and sang praises to the Nature Goddess in front of the Goddess of Death? Wouldn’t you just drop dead on the spot!
"Hehehe, I haven’t merged my life with anything, on the contrary, I have found the true essence of life," the Void Lord swayed its humanoid form, claiming itself as the perfect life, and said proudly, "The shells of mortals bound my thoughts; now, my body, shaped by life magic, is the primordial life form and the essence of the entire universe."
Planck shook his head, unwilling to argue with a madman, lifted his left hand, condensed a blood crystal spear, and with all his might threw it, piercing the Void Lord’s head.
Before the Void Lord could retaliate, the hand hidden beneath the white lab coat threw out a rope of sunlight, snaring Sidney around the neck and dragging him to its feet.
Darkness surged, and Wayne’s vision blurred momentarily as he found himself back in the familiar sewers.
He looked around but couldn’t find the Dark Area; however, in the seams where spaces collided, he noticed the Four Elements bursting forth continuously.
Wayne swallowed hard, wishing he could immediately take his fellow villagers away from the battlefield. Considering that the two Legendary Mages were near, he decisively smeared oil on his feet and ran.
Run first, talk later. Now was not the time to take advantage.
After taking a couple of steps, Wayne realized something was off. Why were there two gulp sounds? Who else was swallowing saliva?
The Golden Mage lay like a dead dog in the Dark Area, motionless; but back in the sewer, he was wide awake, now eyeing the masterless Four Elements, calculating whether to seize the opportunity to scoop up a fortune.
In the end, fear won over greed, and like Wayne, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
Seeing Sidney awake, Wayne didn’t dare to linger. Clutching his handgun, he ran towards the sewer’s screams, while Sidney glanced dismissively and said, "What’s the use of running? Even if you can escape Lundan, you can’t escape their sight."
As he spoke, Sidney felt a cramp in his abdomen. His insides churned as if something was crawling up his esophagus to his throat.
Sidney’s complexion changed drastically; he quickly stuffed his hand into his mouth, trying to induce vomiting to throw it up.
Excruciating pain shot through his fingertips. His mouth was wet, and two fingers were bitten, bleeding profusely.
"Sidney, my promise still stands. Offer him to me, and I won’t come looking for you again." The Void Lord’s voice emanated from Sidney’s mouth; under this enticing sound, he forgot his resentment and fear towards his teacher, and began to chase after Wayne following the commands.
The Void Lord was in a hurry to get Wayne; he didn’t hesitate to split his own thoughts into two, one part to hold Plank back, and another hidden inside Sidney.
The part holding back Plank was likely a lost cause. To prevent Plank from becoming suspicious, a significant portion of thoughts were used for rearguard and cover, suffering heavy losses.
The Void Lord felt as though he was cutting flesh from his own heart, comforting himself that he had succeeded strategically. He avoided meaningless fights, and now, as long as he could get Wayne and recover the Elemental Space, all sacrifices were worth it.
Under the urgency of the Void Lord, Sidney moved with wind under his feet, acting swiftly. But his thoughts and consciousness were irreversibly eroded. His eyes turned white, foaming at the mouth with tentacles, beyond saving unless a medical miracle occurred.
It was inevitable. The Void Lord, to ensure his strategic deployment, was so ruthless he didn’t spare even himself. Sidney, his student, was just a tool from beginning to end; why would he care about the life or death of a mere tool?
Sidney’s mental faculties were severely damaged; he forgot the ways of a Mage and knew only to chase after Wayne with all his might, while Wayne, warned by his Supernatural Sensing, sped away faster than a rabbit.
Wayne’s life constitution was far beyond that of a normal person. He was strong, fast, and had great stamina. In Sidney’s state of magical amnesia, the distance between them gradually increased.
Finally, under the rebuke of the Void Lord, Sidney became inhuman. His body emitted a vast swarm of foaming tentacles, and his eerie manner of crawling was incredibly fast, making even other bizarre beings shudder at its strangeness.
Close behind, Wayne heard the sound of tentacles rubbing against the walls, turned sharply, fired off several shots, and continued to sprint forward.
This time, the Life Barrier did not appear, and the bullets pierced straight through the jelly-like foam.
It could breach defenses! Health would drop!
Wayne, seizing the moment, waved his hand to create a wall of earth and flames to block, trying to deplete the Tentacle Monster’s health bar through a war of attrition.
The idea was sound, but as the Void Lord progressively took over Sidney’s body, more horrifying thoughts bred even more foam. Within a few breaths, Wayne’s enemy was no longer Sidney.
A flood of foamy tentacles surged through the sewers, enveloping Wayne from all directions.
Seeing enemies on all sides, Wayne had no choice but to abandon his escape. Just moments ago Plank had interrupted spellcasting; now, Wayne had to show the Void Lord what true terror was.
Death Knight, it’s your time to shine!