The Right Eye Killed the Tongue

Isaiah narrowed his eyes.

Lai Er's words struck him as somewhat strange.

This fellow seemed to be looking for trouble with the black marketeers rather than coming for him... Why was that?

Of course, what puzzled Isaiah even more was Lai Er's current condition.

Power leaked from him, his blood boiled, and the vitality of his entire body had been pushed to its peak, as if even his soul were burning fiercely to sustain that power.

That was what Isaiah's right eye saw.

Isaiah did know of certain Esoteric Sect forbidden arts that could temporarily enhance one's strength through similar means, but none had ever reached a level that even surprised him.

"It seems you truly have many secrets unknown to others," Isaiah said slowly. "Once I take you down, then I'll..."

Before he could finish, Lai Er shot forward with a swish and was already in front of Isaiah.

So fast!

Isaiah was slightly surprised. With such speed, it was no wonder Lai Er had slaughtered the entire black market headquarters in so little time.

And Star Relic Warlocks had never been good at dealing with opponents like this.

But Isaiah was an exception. After obtaining this eye, nothing in the world could possibly escape his sight.

Moreover, from the very moment he saw Lai Er, Isaiah had already prepared himself. With a sweep of his hand, a spherical space resembling a celestial body rapidly expanded outward from him.

The moment Lai Er stepped into that space, his originally ferocious stride suddenly grew heavy, as if his entire body had been filled with lead.

Arcane Art: Starfall Heel!

This was Isaiah's signature technique, and its effect was simple and brutal. Within this celestial space, every living being besides him would face ten times gravity!

Crack, crack.

A series of bones breaking rang out, naturally coming from Lai Er's body.

Under ten times gravity, Lai Er's speed was not the only thing affected. An ordinary human body would instantly collapse under such a sudden increase in gravity.

Bones shattered, blood vessels burst, eyeballs bulged.

Isaiah had lost count of how many bodies he had seen collapse beneath his arcane art. Lai Er was no exception. His body displayed all of those symptoms, as if it were about to fall apart entirely.

Yet that state lasted only an instant. It happened so quickly that, in Isaiah's vision, Lai Er merely paused slightly, like someone stepping on a stone while running. He staggered, but did not fall, and continued charging forward.

Any other Star Relic Warlock would likely have been left baffled, thinking their arcane art had failed.

But Isaiah would not. His right eye allowed him to see clearly that Lai Er's bones had indeed shattered in that instant, the blood vessels throughout his body had burst, and his bulging eyeballs had truly almost fallen out.

Yet in the next instant, Lai Er returned to normal. His shattered bones healed, the blood that had burst from his vessels flowed back inside, and his eyeballs rested securely in their sockets.

Isaiah was certain this was not something any healing spell could accomplish.

And healing was one thing, but that condition had only appeared on Lai Er's body once.

He was still within Starfall Heel and still under the effects of ten times gravity, yet his body seemed to have already adapted.

What an unprecedented monster.

Still, Lai Er had undeniably slowed down, allowing Isaiah to quickly retreat and temporarily maintain a relatively safe distance from him.

Then he swept his right hand again. His pure-white mage robe traced an arc through the Starfall space, leaving behind glittering stars across the monotonous black curtain, as if a god were creating the world.

Thus, a Star Sea took shape.

Isaiah drew a scepter from the dazzling Star Sea. At its tip was the hottest star of all, and the moment it appeared, the cold Starfall space gained warmth.

"How can mortals challenge the stars?"

Isaiah pointed his scepter at Lai Er. In an instant, the celestial bodies filling the sky became meteors, "falling" toward him.

"Die here."

Isaiah spoke each word slowly and clearly.

Yet Lai Er seemed to feel nothing at all and continued running forward.

Oh? Did he intend to withstand it with his body alone?

Isaiah raised an eyebrow.

Had Lai Er overestimated himself, or underestimated the stars?

Fine. Since he held the power of the stars in such contempt, Isaiah would let him experience it.

He would let him experience the despair of a mortal looking up to see meteors filling the heavens as they crashed down!

Isaiah lightly tapped his scepter. The rapidly falling celestial bodies ignited one after another, and fireballs filled the sky, setting the heavens ablaze. The entire Starfall space transformed into a scorching furnace!

"Sleep forever!"

Isaiah stood in boundless majesty, like a god incarnate.

Only gods could command the stars!

And mortals were destined to be unable to contend against gods!

Yet just before those celestial bodies struck Lai Er's body, Isaiah heard a low voice say, "Return."

His pupils contracted slightly.

It was obviously an exceedingly simple word, nothing special at all, something even a one-year-old child could say. Yet Isaiah sensed an irresistible power within it.

That power surpassed him, surpassed the stars, and even surpassed the gods.

It seemed to stand above everything.

Before Isaiah's mind could even react, his body responded first—abruptly turning the scepter aimed at Lai Er and pointing it at the ground.

Thus, at the final moment, the meteors about to engulf Lai Er changed direction. They made an extremely abrupt ninety-degree turn in midair and smashed downward in a manner utterly defying reason.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The meteors fell, and the earth trembled.

The black marketeers Lai Er had killed earlier could not even rest in death. In an instant, they vaporized beneath the extreme heat, leaving not even scraps behind.

The enormous black market headquarters instantly became ruins, while the rising flames seemed capable of warping the air itself.

Under such an assault, no living creature should have survived.

Except Isaiah, who styled himself a god within this space.

And Lai Er, who had just twisted a god's will.

This was... the tongue's power!

Isaiah finally came back to his senses, but it was already too late. Lai Er had reached him.

And because Isaiah had abruptly changed where the meteors landed, he had suffered severe backlash and could not recover immediately.

This was bad.

Isaiah could only watch helplessly as Lai Er reached out and pressed a hand against his head.

He did not even have time to struggle.

With a rip.

Lai Er tore his head off.

Blood gushed out, and the Star Sea collapsed.

Isaiah's body swayed before falling straight down.

"Isaiah... was killed just like that?!" Carter, who had been watching from afar, widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief. "How is that possible? He's the strongest person in the world today, isn't he? And he was killed just like that?"

"Star Relic Warlocks can only reach their best state under ideal conditions." Diana, borrowing Carter's body, looked up at the moonlit night sky with sparse stars. "Tonight's sky is unfavorable for him. Tomorrow night is Spotless Night, when he planned to fight the tongue to the death. But that battle came early. Even so, Isaiah should not have been killed. He clearly held every advantage just now..."

Ordinarily, outsiders could not see through Starfall, but Diana currently possessed the gaze she had won from Hand Eye. A servant's body was an extension of her will, so she could see what was happening inside clearly as well.

Thus, she had personally watched Isaiah, despite holding every advantage, suddenly get killed by Lai Er.

It had truly happened in an instant. One second, Isaiah's Starfall was about to strike the ground and Lai Er appeared unable to hold on any longer. The next second, Isaiah's head was in Lai Er's hand.

The abruptness of it was like some awful plot written by a third-rate author. Ordinary people truly would not understand what had happened, or why Isaiah's Starfall had suddenly veered off course.

But Diana had seen it. Lai Er's lips had moved.

He had said something.

Diana slightly narrowed Carter's eyes.

Could it be... the tongue's rule?

She phrased it as a question because even Diana could not be completely certain. The Forbidden Book's records of Visas's body parts and their rules were incomplete. Only those clearly held by a particular church and thoroughly researched would be documented in detail, such as Rhine's three pieces—the left middle finger, right thumb, and left eye—and Holy Sound's piece—the ear.

But the tongue had been lost for a long time. Even Contract Land only vaguely knew that it had fallen into Lyra's Land of Corruption and triggered the series of disturbances that followed. No one could say for certain what its true rule was.

However, since every rule was connected to its corresponding body part, combined with what Lai Er had just displayed, Diana could think of only one possibility.

Lai Er had controlled Isaiah's actions through words, forcing him to redirect Starfall.

If that was true, then what a terrifying rule it was, influencing others without them even realizing it.

Wait, if that was the case...

Diana suddenly thought of something horrifying the more she considered it.

Had the tongue used this rule on them in Peach Blossom Paradise? Was she currently under the influence of that rule?

"Master?" Carter sensed Diana's emotional fluctuation. "What is it?"

The rule of contract was not mutual. As a servant, Carter could conceal absolutely nothing from Diana, his master. His body and mind were completely open to her. But a master did not need to do the same for a servant. Thus, Diana did not voice her concerns and merely said, "Nothing." Carter did not press further, only asking, "Then what should we do now?"

"It is troublesome that the tongue killed Isaiah, especially with the gathering about to begin," Diana said. "It will be especially troublesome for the Star Relic faction. They will certainly demand an explanation from Contract Land. But that has nothing to do with me. What I need to consider now is... Hm, wait."

Diana widened Carter's eyes.

"What is this? That fellow Isaiah's presence... has returned?!"

"He isn't dead!"

Lai Er, holding Isaiah's head in his hand, gasped heavily as his body trembled without stop.

His blood was nearly burned dry, and the domination just now had accelerated the process.

But he had not yet taken away all the black marketeers from Nameless Town. That would not do.

He had to use up every bit of the power Visas-sama had lent him, leaving no future trouble behind.

But at that moment, he felt the weight in his hand suddenly lighten.

He lowered his head and saw Isaiah's head turning into dust in the wind. Soon, nothing remained in his hand.

Lai Er was somewhat confused. Before he could figure it out, the broken stones on the ground and the scattered energy around him began gathering again.

Everything before his eyes seemed as though someone had pressed the rewind button, rapidly reversing.

The Starfall space that had previously collapsed gathered again, and Lai Er went from reality back into the Star Sea.

Lai Er abruptly turned his head and saw Isaiah standing behind him completely unharmed, no different from before... No, that was wrong.

That eye!

Lai Er saw that Isaiah's right eye was releasing endless energy like a black hole.

"What a powerful rule," Isaiah said softly. "With my strength alone, I really would have been killed by you... Ah, there is no need to try again. I have already plugged my ears. I will not listen to another word you say."

Isaiah tapped his ear with a finger, then sighed.

"Sure enough, Visas's power is what stands above all else. Whether stars or divine power, neither can compare to a few words casually spoken by him."

"How could one not yearn for such power?"

"Fortunately, rules also differ in rank and strength. The rule I possess..." The Star Sea in Isaiah's right eye began to revolve. "...still surpasses yours."

"Remember this. My rule is called..."

"Eternity."

"He really came back to life." Carter stared at the reconstructed Starfall space in the distance and muttered, "How did he do that? He definitely died in that situation, right? I didn't sense any fluctuations of magic or divine power."

Diana said nothing, but her expression was grave as well.

Because she was certain Isaiah had absolutely died just now. All life had left him.

No matter what method Isaiah used, he could not have hidden it from her gaze.

Nor could it have been any magic or divine art. At least, Diana knew of no magic or divine art capable of reviving someone whose life force had been completely extinguished.

Unless it was...

Diana could think of only one possibility.

At that moment, Carter sensed something and turned toward the other side.

"Master, someone is coming."

He had actually been forced to this point.

Isaiah was in a terrible mood because he had not wanted to expose the existence of his right eye, especially in such a public setting.

That was why he had fought earlier with strength fitting everyone's perception of a Star Relic Warlock, all to conceal this eye.

But he had still been too arrogant and allowed Lai Er to kill him instantly.

Yes, he had truly died just now. It was only that his right eye had pulled him back.

This was not resurrection, nor was it some advanced healing spell. It was the right eye's rule—Eternity.

With this eye, Isaiah had frozen and copied the most brilliant starry sky of the past century, allowing himself to fight beneath such a sky forever.

But what this eye had preserved was not merely that starry sky. It had also preserved Isaiah, who had been gazing up at that sky at the time.

That was Eternity's true meaning.

Of course, this did not come without a price.

Black blood seeped from Isaiah's eye, and his already aged body paid an even greater price.

But that was not the key issue. The key was that Isaiah had never wanted to reveal this eye. Otherwise, he had ten thousand ways to kill Lai Er.

Fortunately, before Isaiah and Lai Er fought, Lai Er had already killed nearly all the living people here. Aside from one or two black marketeers who had no idea what was happening, there should have been no one else who saw that scene.

Otherwise, Isaiah would have had no choice but to personally silence them after the battle.

So what now?

Isaiah could sense that many people were approaching, likely support forces from the other churches or Contract Land.

Then Isaiah could not expose the existence of his eye even more, so he had to continue hiding his strength.

Fortunately, Isaiah had also seen Lai Er's problem—he was about to die.

Isaiah had determined that Lai Er's current power truly came from burning his soul. Though he did not know why Lai Er was doing this, he knew Lai Er could not hold on for much longer.

If nothing unexpected happened, Lai Er would die from burning out his soul the moment the support forces arrived.

Then Isaiah only had to hold out until then and make a move that matched his current apparent strength, allowing him to claim all the credit for killing the tongue without arousing anyone's suspicion.

At that thought, Isaiah slowly backed away, his body swiftly merging into the Star Sea.

"It's time to end this." Isaiah said to Lai Er, "Come help me complete the final performance."

Lai Er truly had reached his limit by then. He could no longer hear what Isaiah was saying, yet he stubbornly wanted to take down this last black merchant.

So he charged at Isaiah, still moving incredibly fast, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

But he lunged at empty air. Isaiah had vanished.

Before him lay a boundless Star Sea.

"I have already become a single star." Isaiah's voice came from every direction. "With your vision, there is no way you can find me in a Star Sea like this."

Indeed, just as Isaiah had said, countless stars lay before Lai Er.

How many were there? Thousands, or tens of thousands?

Lai Er did not know. He could only attack wildly through the Star Sea like a headless fly, but it had no effect whatsoever.

"Give up." Isaiah said. "You do not possess eyes like mine. Everything you do is futile."

The moment his words fell, a shooting star flashed past and pierced through Lai Er's calf.

Bone shattered, and blood poured out.

But the wound did not heal as it had before.

"As expected, you have reached your limit." Isaiah said leisurely. "Give up. Your soul is already like a candle flame in the wind."

Lai Er refused to give up and charged forward once more.

"We're almost there!"

The church trio was rapidly closing in.

After entering Nameless Town, they had been continuously shocked by the misery around them. Mina in particular was filled with anxiety.

Because only after entering did she discover that the Stars Array had not been activated, and tonight was another night of bright moon and sparse stars, leaving little stellar energy to draw upon.

What was going on? Hadn't her teacher already made preparations to act tonight?

Then why had she not seen even the slightest sign of preparation?

Could it be that her teacher no longer intended to conceal the existence of his eyes?

Mina could not understand. She could only keep quickening her pace.

At last, she saw her teacher's Starfall Space and breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what had happened, as long as the Starfall Space remained, it meant her teacher still had control over the situation.

Starfall Space was a power her teacher could use without relying on the stars. As long as the battle could be resolved within it, there would not be any...

But at that moment, Mina saw a brilliant light ignite within the Starfall Space.

Lai Er's body was already covered in wounds, yet very little blood flowed from them.

Because his blood was nearly burned dry.

He had only his final breath left, yet he still could not find Isaiah's incarnation within that vast Star Sea.

"I told you." Isaiah's voice rang out again. "With your vision, there is no way you can see me."

Lai Er's face was full of unwillingness.

Then, at that moment, Bai Wei's voice sounded in his mind.

"Don't rush. Look carefully."

The instant those words fell, Lai Er's vision became clear.

The stars filling the sky no longer obscured his sight, and the boundless night sky no longer left him lost.

Everything was so clear, so bright.

All things beneath heaven and earth fell into his eyes.

He turned his head and saw the brightest one among them.

It seemed as though he could pluck it with a casual reach.

And when Isaiah realized that Lai Er was no longer attacking blindly, Lai Er was already before him, his fingers only a few centimeters from Isaiah's right eye.

He found me?!

How was that possible?!

Isaiah's heart filled with horror.

But Isaiah had just been distracted, thinking about how he should explain things after the other church members arrived. By the time he wanted to switch positions, it was already too late.

Lai Er was far faster than him, and before Lai Er, his eye seemed like a star that could be plucked at will.

Intense fear and fury surged into his heart.

How dare you touch my eye!

His body instinctively responded, and the power he had always concealed poured forth at that moment.

The star he had transformed into released the most extreme light and heat, like a true sun.

The sun collapsed.

At that instant, the entire Starfall Space was filled with the purest white light. Then it surged violently into the true night sky, illuminating it as well. Anyone who dared look directly at it would be blinded in an instant. The power that spilled out could be felt clearly throughout Nameless Town... no, even in De La Town a thousand miles away.

When everything ended, the Starfall Space dispersed.

Only Isaiah still stood where he was.

Everything that had been within the Starfall Space before—the ruined buildings, the scattered corpses, and Lai Er, who had nearly taken his eye—was gone.

The universe they had occupied had been destroyed by Isaiah, so naturally everything had returned to silence.

Yet Isaiah felt no joy of victory, only an indescribable palpitation.

It was not because Lai Er had nearly taken his eye. Even if he gave Lai Er ten thousand more chances, Lai Er would never be able to take it. Their strengths were simply not on the same level.

The reason for his unease was the only thing before him that had not turned into nothingness—a finger.

Isaiah picked up the finger, and his unease gradually turned into... fear.

Why was it... a finger?!

When Diana looked toward Isaiah again, he was already surrounded by church knights and Contract Land Guardians.

That brilliant light from before had inflicted greater damage on Diana, whose vision was clearer than most, so she needed more time to recover. By the time she looked again, the battle had already ended.

"Master..." Even Carter was shocked by the strength Isaiah had displayed. "That just now was..."

Although she had not seen the end, Diana could already be certain.

"Isaiah is the right eye." Diana said softly. "He killed the 'tongue.'"

"So he already has four body parts."

Diana paused.

"Next, we'll see how many he is willing to hand over."