Lu Yuan looked at the cross-section of Great Ascendant's severed arm.
Black roots had already emerged from the cracks in the cut, spreading outward. The Seed had burrowed deep into his body before the arm was torn off. The severed limb had only removed the surface; its roots ran deeper than anyone had imagined.
Great Ascendant did not hesitate. The temperature of his mechanical body was abruptly pushed to its limit, and visible flames coiled around the metal surface. The outer layer of skin covering his frame instantly blackened and curled under the heat, peeling away from the metal in strip after strip.
A massive humanoid metal skeleton was exposed in the space atop the tower. Gold and silver alloys intertwined to form its torso, gears at its joints spun at high speed, and steam poured from every gap in the frame.
His head was a smooth metal sphere with two silver-gray pupils embedded directly into it, nothing else surrounding them.
It was the first time Lu Yuan had seen Great Ascendant's true form.
Moreover, Great Ascendant seemed even stronger in this state, because the high temperature had slowed the roots spreading from the cross-section of his severed arm.
The Attendant beside The Earl moved before anyone else.
The instant Great Ascendant took the Seed from Skull, the smiling man had already supported The Earl's arm and retreated three steps.
His smile vanished. One hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist, the other on The Earl's shoulder. He did not leave immediately, but he could flee at any moment. He seemed to be confirming something.
Arthur did not retreat.
The moment the Seed burrowed into Great Ascendant's arm, Arthur's gaze swiftly swept toward the Dean, his lips moving slightly.
The Dean nodded.
The old man's steps