The Chase
She gripped the Sky Punishment Staff embedded in her left shoulder with her right hand and forcefully pulled it out. As the staff was pulled out, more blood gushed from the wound, forming a horrifying pool of blood on the ground.
But Jielusi did not waver in the slightest; she raised her blood-stained staff, her movements as steady as a rock.
"Please, teacher, take a look." Her voice was icy cold and devoid of any emotion. "The power of Shadow Form that you tampered with and gave me back then!"
The battlefield was littered with corpses, mostly enemy bodies, with a few scattered remains of comrades.
A dark, gravitational field suddenly unfolded silently around Jielusi, like a giant vortex. Souls drifting across the battlefield were pulled toward Jielusi by an invisible force, converging at the tip of her staff.
Every soul drawn in was mercilessly shattered the moment it touched the staff, emitting a chilling shriek. Their energy was drained by Jielusi, and the originally dazzling light-elemental gems on the Sky Punishment Staff gradually lost their holy radiance, turning into a deep black that seemed capable of devouring all light.
Only when a teammate's soul gets close does a glimmer of clarity flash in Jielusi's eyes, weakening the pull on them.
Katharine seized the opportunity and cast a spell of deliverance. A soft white light enveloped them, releasing their fallen comrades. Their souls left their final wishes in the holy light, transforming into starlight that rose into the sky, departing peacefully.
With no more reservations, Jielusi's eyes completely lost their sparkle.
The black sphere at the top of the staff swelled, and the gem on it could not withstand the pressure, cracking and emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound.
"Goodbye!" She slowly raised her staff and pointed it at Javier's head.
"... you..."
"Soul Annihilation!"
The energy erupted suddenly, and the area above Javier's chest instantly lost all color. His body was pierced by the soul power contained within the magic, and the damage directly impacted his soul.
Amidst heart-wrenching screams, Javier's soul was torn apart, shattered into pieces by the magical gale, with wisps of his soul drifting away like willow catkins.
Jielusi coldly watched all of this until she had shattered Javier's soul into countless holes and forced it out of his body, then suddenly stopped and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
A fellow member of the Star Sand arrived, quickly bandaged her wounds, and then covered her with pure white healing light.
In the air, Javier's tattered soul, like a rag doll, wailed in agony for a long, long time.
****
Behind the Sheltered Valley, on the battlefield, the wind howled.
Su Ming squinted his eyes, which were stinging from the wind and sand, and could barely open them. He had prepared all sorts of equipment before setting off, but he hadn't expected to need a pair of goggles.
At this moment, he was clinging tightly to Qiluo's back, gripping the unicorn's mane with both hands, chasing after the Fate Manipulator Aideluzi with all his might!
That's right, pursue!
Without any probing or confrontation, just as Su Ming made up his mind to fight to the death, Aideluzi, the Fate Manipulator of the Temple of Light, who was known as the number one person below the Saint Rank, turned around and fled!
Since entering the other world, Su Ming had never experienced such a contradictory battle—both easy and difficult.
Aideluzi was clearly out of practice; his attack skills were clumsy and awkward, and his grasp of the situation was even worse than that of Su Ming, a complete novice.
This usually aloof master was used to hiding in the back and controlling the battle puppets, using his Magic Power mainly to strengthen the connection and repair these cyborg weapons.
Now, the battle puppet force has suffered heavy losses, and the remaining few have been pushed back. Aideluzi, with his abundant Magic Power, is finding no suitable way to use it.
The pressure he exerted on Su Ming was even less than the minimal intensity of training he had with Zijin!
The difficulty lies in the fact that Aideluzi's defense is ridiculously tough! Excellent equipment, skillful shield spells, and abundant Master Rank Magic Power reserves!
Even more troublesome is that the Fate Manipulator unfurls a pair of metallic mechanical wings behind him, moving at an astonishing speed with an unpredictable and erratic trajectory, making them extremely difficult to lock onto.
If it weren't for Qiluo's relentless pursuit, Su Ming would have been left far behind, unable to even see her shadow anymore!
The unicorn's wings surged with azure Magic Power light, leaving a dazzling starlight trail behind it as it flew swiftly at low altitude, like a blue comet.
Su Ming tried various attack methods, but all of them failed.
Although the buckshot fired from the QBA211 shotgun could hit its target, it could only create a few fleeting magical ripples on the opponent's solid shield.
His strongest armor-piercing skill at this stage, "Bone Spear - Final Speed," has an orb that travels too slowly in the first phase to catch up with this slippery opponent.
Worse still, after witnessing the terrifying destructive power of the anti-aircraft missile's linkage warhead, Aideluzi is now extremely vigilant about everything on Su Ming's side—whether it's magical fluctuations, alchemical weapons, or unicorns, he immediately creates a safe distance at the slightest sign of trouble.
A Master Rank expert, facing Su Ming who had not yet advanced to the level of Magister, not only chose to flee without a fight, but also ran around in all directions like a frightened bird.
This is utterly absurd!
Reason told Su Ming that he should stop while he was ahead. After all, there was a gap of one and a half levels of strength between them—he had not yet advanced to the level of Magister, while his opponent was a Master Rank- level being, a level higher than Magister.
But deep down, Su Ming was really reluctant to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
From a tactical perspective, allowing Aideluzi to escape would have very bad consequences.
For example, the true information about the attack on the Divine Might Prison would be leaked immediately, and Aideluzi might take retaliatory action—whether it's gathering powerful people to make a comeback or sending war puppets to continue harassing them, these are all huge hidden dangers.
The best option is to eliminate the problem completely!
But unfortunately, Su Ming was helpless against that indestructible "turtle shell".
****
Behind them, a dozen Azure Sky Battle Puppet broke free from the Iron Crown Imperial Guard ' entanglement and gradually caught up, their metal wings creating a sharp whooshing sound.
If this drags on any longer, it will be Su Ming's turn to escape.
"Qiluo." Su Ming took a deep breath and made a decision, "Let's try one last attack. If it fails, retreat immediately."
"You have other tricks up your sleeve?" Qiluo's eyes lit up, a flash of excitement crossing her face. "Impressive!"
Su Ming activated the "Meteor's Tear" on his body. This was a one-time magical accessory that Zijin had carefully crafted for him, which could boost his Magic Power by a level for a short period of time.
As spiritual energy was injected, the runes on the suit lit up one by one, and meteor-shaped light began to swirl around Su Ming, forming a dazzling star ring.
Qiluo's horn also lit up. "Moon's Offering!"
A halo of interwoven green and gold appeared, enveloping Su Ming completely. For the first time, he felt the Magic Power within his body surging so powerfully.