Saving Seele

"Seele, it's only been a day or two since we last saw each other. Why does it feel like your fighting skills have gotten so much worse?"

Jing Yan said with a laugh.

At that moment, Seele was still fighting Fragmentum Creatures inside the Stagnant Shadow formed by the Fragmentum's corruption.

She darted and dodged, barely finding time to call back, "Easy for you to say. If you're so good, why don't you try?"

The instant she finished speaking, the spot where Seele had been standing was struck by a dazzling red crystal blade. But she was no longer there.

Even so, the slash in the ground and the blinding sparks that erupted when the blade collided with the earth at a speed almost too great for the naked eye to follow made onlookers furrow their brows and shudder. They realized this was no easy fight; the slightest lapse in attention could put her in grave danger.

If the person fighting here weren't the battle-hardened Seele, but some other Underworld warrior—say, one of the people present—they felt that escaping the Fragmentum Creatures' encirclement would already be an impressive feat. Trying to turn the tables and kill them was out of the question.

Although every move Seele made seemed like a dance on the brink of death, keeping everyone on edge, she seemed to have turned the tide. She was gradually taking the initiative and had successfully made the Fragmentum Creatures interfere with one another's attacks.

The Fragmentum Creatures weren't very intelligent, either. In just a minute, they had "cooperated" with one another to get in each other's way several times. Seele had seized the opportunity to wound one of them, then darted away to wait for her next opening.

She was like a ghostly hunter, flitting through the shadows before suddenly appearing to deal her enemies a devastating blow.

Her movements were so elegant and dazzling that they left everyone astonished.

Hearing her, Jing Yan said no more and walked forward.

"Not bad, Seele. You look a little more fired up, but you're still too slow."

Jing Yan stopped a few meters from the battle.

"Stop!"

Jing Yan's brow twitched, and he spoke those two words.

The instant he uttered them, the space around them seemed to ripple faintly.

Then, something astonishing happened.

The Fragmentum Creatures inside the Stagnant Shadow ahead seemed to freeze in place. Their entire forms were fixed where they stood, not moving in the slightest.

This was clearly the result of Jing Yan's divine power.

But it didn't end there.

Jing Yan examined the structure of the Stagnant Shadow. Strange Fragmentum phantoms flickered in and out of view in the air, while shards of crystal floated around. None of this had been caused by his [Verbal Domination].

It was a wonder wrought by the Fragmentum's power and laws.

Jing Yan looked at it and felt he might have understood something.

[Illusion Domain]

He immediately unleashed his Illusion Domain, covering the Stagnant Shadow.

He had never entered the true Fragmentum.

That was because it was, in fact, another world—an eerie domain conjured by the power of "Destruction." The risks of entering were too great.

But a remnant area like this, which had seeped into the world as it now existed, was perfect for research.

Moreover, Jing Yan had already learned something.

As an Aeon, even though his power was now extremely weak—not only inferior to that of other Aeons, but even less abundant than the power of other Aeons' Emanators—his understanding of the Aeons' power in the world was still extraordinarily profound.

He found that when his [Illusion Domain] came into contact with the Stagnant Shadow, he could sense some of its laws.

Beyond traces of the power of "Destruction," there was something else.

Why did the Fragmentum appear?

Because there was a Stellaron.

Wherever a Stellaron existed, rifts in the Fragmentum would form.

If space were a sheet of paper, the Stellaron would be a heavy ball, pressing down on the paper and revealing what lay beneath it.

In addition, the Stellaron's power of "Destruction" could radiate outward, twisting and affecting things that existed in another dimension.

Some of these things were reflections or transformations of living beings in this world. Others were vessels for the memories of historical events that had taken place somewhere, replaying and echoing them—visible, but untouchable.

In short, if the power of "Destruction" could provoke and influence the will and even the forms of Fragmentum Creatures, then Jing Yan's power of "Eros" should be able to do the same!

And Jing Yan's [Illusion Domain] was precisely that kind of ability.

Before, this ability had only been a field of divine energy, capable of creating illusions but not physical forms.

But things were different now.

The Fragmentum Creatures changed beneath the cover of Jing Yan's [Illusion Domain].

Jing Yan successfully forced out the power of "Destruction" inside them, replacing it with his own power of "Eros" to influence and control them.

At that moment, the Fragmentum Creatures had completely changed. Their forms had become bizarre and otherworldly, and as Jing Yan's thoughts shifted, their bodies warped and changed as well.

Interesting.

Jing Yan thought to himself.

This still wasn't the area where the Stellaron was kept. That was in the Upper District, inside the Forbidden Zone.

Even so, the power leaking from the Stellaron could affect the Underworld to such an extent.

Of course, the main reason was that the Stellaron's very existence twisted the world and caused the Fragmentum to appear. Its influence on the Underworld was secondary.

Still, Jing Yan had grown more and more curious about the Stellaron's power, and looked forward to seeing how much his divine power would improve once he obtained it.

At that moment, he tried reshaping the Fragmentum Creatures he had influenced, molding them into an entirely new form.

Jing Yan tried turning one into a completely different shape.

The Fragmentum Creature instantly took on a new appearance.

Jing Yan had had enough of playing around.

After all, something like this was a little too shocking.

The people nearby might find it all a bit too bizarre.

Otherwise, Jing Yan might have played around with it some more. It was a bit like sculpting dolls, after all.

"Jing Yan?"

Seele exclaimed in surprise.

Although she had seen something like this before, she was still taken aback.

The last time Jing Yan had saved her, he had used a strange power to fight the Fragmentum Creatures and make them stop.

But this time, it had been even more straightforward. He had stopped multiple Fragmentum Creatures at once, even with the Fragmentum's power bolstering the Stagnant Shadow.

Jing Yan's power really did seem strange.

Of course, what surprised her even more was that there were a number of Mechanical Vanguards following behind Jing Yan.

What was going on?