Unfortunately, that dashing figure did not remain so for long.
Miqi, whom Neo had sent flying with his surprise attack, landed and knelt on one knee, supporting herself with her blade, anger showing in her eyes.
But the sand armor on her body began rapidly peeling away like cascading quicksand. There was no one inside the armor, and even those previously vivid eyes vanished without a trace.
Using a decoy to cover the original self's counterattack was common in combat, especially among assassins, for whom it was practically an essential skill. But this was the first time Kallen had seen it executed to this standard.
The ground beneath Neo's feet turned to sand, while four sand steles appeared, attempting to trap him completely.
However, Neo did not dodge. Instead, he rapidly cast a spell art and said in a low voice toward the ground beneath him:
"Tower of Light!"
In an instant, a Tower of Light began appearing with Neo's position as its origin. Instead of rising upward with its tip pointing skyward in the usual manner, however, it extended downward.
This was a demonstration of an extremely thorough understanding of light spell arts: the Fun Seeker's inverted Tower of Light.
A powerful collision of spell arts occurred underground, triggering a violent explosion.
Kallen completed his defensive formation just in time, enclosing himself and the VIP Carriage within it, avoiding any serious impact.
Amid the smoke and dust, Neo initially thought he had thwarted his opponent's sneak attack. But soon, a woman's phantom appeared behind him. She extended both hands, invisible threads wound between her fingers, poised to sever Neo's neck.
Neo thrust the greatsword in his hand backward, but it had no effect whatsoever on the woman's phantom. She seemed not to exist at all, yet the chill constantly