Unbreakable Defense

Amon's clones were his safeguard against the Main Body's death, as well as his primary means of gathering intelligence and seeking out information.

Whenever he arrived somewhere new, he would disperse his Time Clones.

Since he currently lacked the ability to forcibly use Parasitism to control others, his clones could only walk among the outside world with the same appearance as him.

He did not want others to know about his greatest trump card, so disguises for his clones were necessary.

Amon's clones had to wear clothes in all sorts of different styles and arrange their hair differently...

Some who operated around the Main Body and came into frequent contact with the Main Body's acquaintances even had to steel themselves and smack their own faces a few times, minimizing the risk of being recognized.

Of course, none of that was a big deal. For the clones, the greatest sacrifice was having to change their habits and not wear monocles!

That practically went against Amon's very nature!

Dressed as a merchant, Amon silently watched the two people facing off. Yan Jin always seemed to end up fighting all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons.

He was not surprised in the slightest that she could run into conflict with someone just by going out for a meal.

Or rather, if a day passed without an incident, that would be what surprised him.

"Romier, Level 40 defensive battle Soul Elder."

Romier revealed his Martial Soul: a thin, translucent purple curtain of light.

"Level 40?" Yan Jin froze.

"What, is that surprising? Among the Academy students qualified to participate in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, my Soul Power Level is the highest."

Romier had deliberately announced his Soul Power Level in the hope that Yan Jin would back down in the face of difficulty.

"What does having high soul power matter? We won't know until we fight." Yan Jin was a practical fighter and never judged by surface-level stats.

"Great Eruption!"

Romier's smile remained unchanged. He pressed his right index and middle fingers together, and purple light flowed around them as a thin curtain of light appeared at his fingertips.

Like an insurmountable wall, the curtain of light firmly blocked Yan Jin's attack.

Yan Jin frowned. It felt somewhat similar to Amon's solidified soul power, but the substance it formed was even tougher.

"I don't believe it..." She increased her soul power output.

More lava surged from her arm, sending ripples across the light curtain.

Seeing this, Romier's second Soul Ring flashed, and the curtain of light stabilized once more.

He simply stood there with one hand extended and the other in his pocket, letting Yan Jin attack as she pleased.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got? Didn't you eat enough... I'll give you one hand."

With his free left hand, he picked his nose and looked down at Yan Jin, who only reached his chest.

After hammering away futilely for a while, Yan Jin began considering a countermeasure.

Retracting the lava, she charged forward.

She threw a probing punch, only for tremendous force to surge from the Barrier and leave her arm aching from the impact.

"It's useless. So far, no soul master with a lower Soul Power Level than mine has ever broken through my defense." Romier remained perfectly composed.

Aside from Amon, this was the first time Yan Jin had suffered a setback at the hands of someone her age. She said indignantly:

"Which class are you from?"

Romier dug at his ear and said disdainfully, "You guess."

Yan Jin snorted. "Even if you won't tell me, I can still find out. Once I figure out how to deal with you..."

After Yan Jin left, Romier let out a breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his temple, muttering:

"Where did that little monster come from? She's no worse than that Ice Cube from Class One."

In the Library, Amon placed the open book on the table, leaned back slightly, and raised a hand to adjust the lower rim of his glasses. "A very interesting ability," he murmured.

Within a certain range, Amon's clones could directly transmit information through their minds to the Main Body or other clones.

He then used a method similar to signal relay stations, passing information continuously through one Time Clone after another to extend that range over a great distance.

Having watched the battle between Yan Jin and Romier through a clone's perspective, he developed some interest in the young man, who appeared to be in his twenties.

Not far in front of him, Vidal held a pen and a notebook, organizing information on noteworthy Academy students and analyzing which ones were competitors and which ones could be recruited.

Vidal suddenly stopped writing and asked:

"Amon, have you considered the team composition? The Soul Master Tournament mainly consists of team battles, requiring soul masters with different specialties to work together.

"I'm not worried about the Academy competition. With the strength you, Yan Jin, and Lei Yin have displayed, victory won't be difficult as long as the remaining members aren't too weak.

"But since you said your future goal is to win the Soul Master Tournament, the remaining team members must be considered carefully.

"You are an auxiliary-type soul master, Yan Jin is a power attack-type soul master, and Lei Yin and I are agility attack-type soul masters...

"According to a balanced team composition, we should also need a soul master with healing abilities, a control-type soul master, and a defensive-type soul master.

"I've met some talented students before, but according to your vision, they don't quite meet the requirements."

Amon smiled and shook his head. "Vidal, there's no need to think so much about it now. In two years, the answer will reveal itself... We only need to settle on a general direction.

"There is still plenty of time. A small unexpected event could overturn every detail of the original plan, so there is no need to think too thoroughly before things truly draw near.

"Do you know someone named Romier? He should also be a third-year student. His Martial Soul is a kind of defensive light curtain."

"Romier? You mean 'Vile Romier'?" Vidal blurted out.

"So you know him. Can you tell me about him in detail?" Amon asked with interest.

"Romier... He wasn't born into nobility, but he is very talented, and his Martial Soul belongs to a particularly unusual type. Brady, Aria, Hai Shan, and Franco have all tried to recruit him, but there has been no result so far." Vidal answered naturally, almost without thinking.

"No result means he has neither agreed nor clearly refused... Is he holding out for a better offer?" Amon instinctively came to that conclusion.

"You could put it that way, but I think he is more hesitant than anything else," Vidal said quietly.

"Hesitant?"

Vidal nodded.

"Yes. Romier's ability is very powerful. There is almost no attack he cannot block. Well, of course, I mean within the same rank.

"His Martial Soul is Barrier. The effects of his first, second, and third Soul Rings all increase the Barrier's defensive strength.

"But its flaws are also obvious. His Barrier cannot leave his body, and it can only deal with attacks from one direction.

"Romier has no ability to restrain his opponents. He can only ensure that he himself is not defeated. If other teams learn about his abilities beforehand, they can easily counter him.

"So when Brady and the others invited him, although they promised generous rewards, they hoped his choice for the Fourth Soul Ring would benefit the team more.

"And that goes against Romier's original intentions."