Ed was undoubtedly feeling tense at this moment. As part of the backup plan, Noya's reply determined the direction of Ed's next actions.
The knight's sword in his hand trembled slightly, as if he was considering something, or perhaps he was afraid of something.
"You're already dead, what's there to be afraid of?"
Ed's tone was not impatient; it even sounded somewhat provocative.
"You've never died, how do you know it's not scary?"
In her spirit form, Noya's dragon scales stood on end like a cat in distress.
"But this is indeed risk-free; if you feel you can't handle it, you can immediately revert to the Root Network."
"Yes, yes, yes, even though you've said it several times, I still have to ask—this time it's really okay to run away, right?"
Hearing the Blue Dragon's question, Ed couldn't help but feel puzzled:
"You always run away, yet you still ask me if it's okay?"
But this time is different...
Noya's voice sounded somewhat guilty, and if Ed didn't know that she was still a cowardly lizard at heart, he might have thought that she had really changed.
"If I run away, are you sure you won't fire me?"
Noya asked timidly.
Hearing these otherworldly terms coming from the Blue Dragon's mind, Ed knew that Noya must have been learning a lot of strange and new knowledge from the players recently.
"No, but you must tell me before you run away."
Ed's tone became much more serious:
"I need to be mentally prepared so I can find someone to replace you."
Noya thought for a moment and asked:
"What if I just run away?"
"Then I will die."
Ed said with certainty:
"And then your dream will come true."
"Hmm? What are my dreams?"
Ed pointed to his side:
"Isn't this the stinking ditch of Klaf City you've always dreamed of?"
"Oh, this..."
Noya gave a slightly awkward response, then made a certain decision:
"Then I promise you, don't forget the reward after everything is over."
"Of course, I never go back on my word."
Ed responded seriously to the Blue Dragon, and then the green light in his eyes began to surge unrestrainedly.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Plant tissues, some emerald green, some grayish-white, and some dark brown, emerged from behind Ed, as densely packed as the back of a hedgehog.
After a brief period of wild, unruly activity, the branches, vines, and roots shot out in all directions, and with a series of clanging sounds, they were firmly embedded in the surrounding stone walls.
The Root Network, winding its way through the rock crevices, instantly connected to Ed's body, and the massive amount of nutrients from the Muller blood pump instantly changed course, heading towards Ed's body with the highest priority.
Ed, meanwhile, remained unfazed as he experienced all of this. He held his longsword upside down, let out a loud shout, and thrust it downwards with all his might!
"Bang!"
The knight's sword was halfway embedded in the sedimentary rock ground in front of him, and the ground began to tremble slightly.
Just like the resurgence in Adelaide a few minutes earlier, a similar earthquake swept through the entire Rotting Corpse Dark Lake once again.
The knight's sword in his hand seemed to have grown suction cup-like mouths, sucking tightly on Ed's right hand.
At this moment, even if Ed wanted to let go, he couldn't. He could only let this "divine artifact" that housed Noya's soul greedily Drain nourishment from him.
"Crack! Crack!"
The sounds of sedimentary rocks cracking, plants growing and pressing against their surroundings, and the ground trembling all combined to shake Ed to his core.
He was waiting for a crucial moment, a good opportunity to gain additional benefits.
As expected, Cuiske also realized the source of the problem, and the pace of the battle suddenly quickened.
His hands each gripped the neck of a Half-Treant Aggregate, while his other two hands, not responsible for supporting the sun, were busy transforming between various Aberration plants, completely pulverizing the already dead half-tree-humans.
The next moment, he thrust his hands out forcefully, and the two half-tree figures were sent flying instantly.
Amidst the billowing smoke, water vapor, and all sorts of other things on the water's surface, Cuiske suddenly spun around.
His figure was already tall, and now when he exerted force to turn his body, it was as if a 300-pound super fat man was dancing ballet.
Even with such a large movement, the Void Eye that Cuiske held in his last two hands did not tremble at all.
The ruthless and indifferent Void Eye scanned the entire underground space and locked onto Ed's location almost instantly.
After instantly killing three tree-men blocking his way, the giant Cuiske lunged towards Ed's direction.
As the giant drew closer, Ed smiled, but his brow furrowed slightly.
Even at this critical juncture, Cuiske did not forget to hold the sun-like Eye of the Void behind him.
Is that Adelaide's summoned creature?
Is it really that important?
How could someone be so careless while handling such a valuable item?
A familiar image surfaced in Ed's mind, and a wicked idea began to form along with it.
Cuiske, you'd better pray that Adelaide has spare eyes!
Otherwise, you'll face their wrath!
Cuiske ran closer and closer, while Ed remained unmoved, gripping his sword hilt and looking up at the giant.
Finally, Cuiske approached Ed, his body riddled with countless holes aimed at him, and at the same time, he raised one foot, ready to unleash War Stomp.
Now!
Ed suddenly raised his knight's sword, but he didn't call out the name Cuiske had heard several times before:
" Noya! Attack!"
"Roar!!!!!"
Ed's knight's sword did not leave the ground, but the ground rose along with him.
The rock strata collapsed, and smoke and dust rose everywhere.
A huge dragon head came into Cuiske's view.
"What?!"
Countless holes in his body simultaneously fired incredibly powerful bullets, but he couldn't retract his raised foot directly.
Before him, a dragon-like creature, almost as tall as him even when on all fours, began to emerge from the dust.
"Bang!"
Some of the projectiles hit the water's surface, some hit the rock walls, and most of the rest struck the previously unseen creature in the smoke and dust.
However, the attack did not seem to have any effect.
A sudden gust of wind arose, Cuiske heard something like a flag fluttering in the wind.
As the smoke cleared, a giant, emerald-green dragon stretched out its newborn body before him.
Unfortunately, Cuiske happened to be right in the path of the dragon as it stretched out its forelimbs.
Two dragon claws, resembling old tree roots, burst forth from the smoke and instantly gripped Cuiske's shoulders.
Just as Cuiske was about to stomp on the dragon, he Imbalance his balance and was pushed backward by the dragon.
The arms that had been supporting the Eye of the Void instantly lost their strength and slipped from their grasp.
In Ed's excited gaze, the cold sun began to accelerate like a billiard ball being pocketed.