The news of the Kux magus' death cas a shock. Everyone had seen the strength of Ramos the Blazing Wind, and to think that such a powerful figure could die in less than an hour was something difficult to believe.
While Beatrice and Yord were still questioning the hysterical Kux noble, Emery decisively called out for the rest of the group to finish off the remaining beasts as soon as possible. It becomes more imperative to kill these beasts before their master arrives.
"Ku ku!!"
With Emery's command, Twik went on the offensive and used his mastery over plant elements to create dozens of roots that charged out of the formation aggressively. The ground trembled as thick, sinewy roots erupted, chasing after the desolate beasts.
Simultaneously, VIA unleashed suppressing fire from the plasma turrets. The turrets hummed to life, their barrels glowing with a deadly blue light as they unleashed a relentless barrage of plasma fire. With enough sampling of the tiger's ability, the artificial being was able to calculate the beast's movement more accurately, increasing its hit rate and forcing the beast to retreat.
The coordinated actions were fully intended to create an opening for Emery's next orders.
"The King Rhino first!"
Emery pointed out the crack on the rhino's crystallized right side, a result of Magus Tobin's previous clashes with the beast. Demonstrating flawless teamwork, the turtle half-blood used his immense physique to restrain the king rhino in place. Emery then focused all his strength into one piercing strike enhanced with [Void Blade] aimed directly at the crack.
The beast roared in pain as the blade pierced through, revealing its bleeding flesh.
"Livi Now!!"
The Baphomet swiftly unleashed her powerful innate ability, [Infernal Form]. She turned into flaming smoke and whisked into the exposed flesh, burning the rhino from the inside out.
Emery continues his barrage of attacks from the outside, while Livi creates massive damage from the inside. Within a minute, the gigantic rhino lets out a final, anguished roar before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. Livi emerged in smoke, her face pale, as the innate skill had taken a large amount of her strength.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Next one!" Emery shouted.
The rhino had been Emery's primary target due to its threat to their defensive formation. With it taken care of, Emery turned his attention to the wounded white tiger. The odds were now in their favor, with three against one.
ROAARR!!!
The gigantic tiger sensed its predicament, and shifted to a defensive stance, calling out to the rest of its pack for protection. Six yellow tigers formed a protective barrier around their leader, their eyes glowing with feral determination.
Emery, undeterred, pressed on. He expertly maneuvered through the battlefield, and with Livi and Magus Tobin on his side, they managed to break out the tiger's defense, cutting down two more yellow tigers with swift, lethal strikes. Blood and fur flew as the beasts fell, but the White Tiger remained elusive, evading his every attempt to land a decisive blow.
At that crucial moment, VIA's urgent voice cut through the chaos.
[Warning! Flying figures approaching fast—beasts and humans]
"Dammit!! Kill that tiger, quick!!" Emery shouted, and all three managed to surround the white tiger, ready for the killing strikes.
Sensing its imminent doom, the tiger unleashed its killer move. In a blinding flash, it transformed into a chain of lightning, dodging away from Emery's attack with incredible speed.
Just as Emery was about to make another attempt, a thunderous voice echoed through the battlefield, stopping him in his tracks.
"YOU DARE TO KILL MY BEAST!!"
The voice brought the battlefield to an abrupt halt. The surviving beasts ceased their attacks and retreated a safe distance from the formation. A tense silence fell as all eyes, including those of Emery and his companions, turned skyward.
Majestically soaring toward them was a gigantic bird, the Golden King Roc. Perched atop its back were two men. To everyone's surprise, one of them was the Kux formation expert, standing behind the hunchbacked slave master, Mo Yan. As for Grand Magus Ramos, his unmoving body was clutched like baggage in the Roc beast's claws.
As they descended toward the formation, Edgar, the Kux noble, shrieked in terror. "He… he really killed him... and Master Riven... he gained control of Master Riven!!"
Emery quickly assessed the situation. He detected faint signs of life emanating from Ramos' body, a mere flicker indicating he was still alive. The formation expert, Riven, however, stood motionless, his expression blank and devoid of life—controlled like a puppet.
"Enslavement path… he can enslave magus," Emery muttered, the grim realization sinking in.
Mo Yan's power was more terrifying than they had imagined. Not only could he control beasts, but he could also enslave magus, turning them into mindless thralls.
Seeing the impending threat, Magus Yord's expression turned serious. He swiftly upgraded the formation, throwing several more flags and inscribing multiple runes, causing the entire formation to gleam with intensified spirit energy.
"Do not leave the formation!" he commanded, his fear palpable.
The Golden King Roc finally landed about a hundred meters outside the formation. The hunchbacked Grand Magus, Mo Yan, calmly descended, his powerful aura reverberating with each step until he reached the ground. The Kux formation expert followed silently behind him, his expression blank.
"I didn't realize your little group could deal so much damage to my beasts," Mo Yan said, his eyes scanning the battlefield, He took sinterest in Livi and Twik before settling on Magus Heorgar, who was still hovering in the air. A malicious smile played on Mo Yan's lips.
The old hunchback magus stroked his long beard thoughtfully, a sinister glint appearing in his eyes as they began to glow with an eerie light. Suddenly, the formation barrier surrounding Emery and his companions trembled violently, the air crackling with raw magical energy.
Magus Yord, who was responsible for maintaining the barrier, was instantly overwhelmed. His hands moved frantically, inscribing runes in mid-air, pouring every ounce of his energy into bolstering the faltering defenses. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, evidence of the tremendous effort required to keep the formation intact against such formidable power.
After a minute, the old grand magus frowned, a look of irritation crossing his face. "Annoying formation," he muttered, clearly displeased that his efforts had not yet broken through completely.Emery stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the Grand Magus with a steely resolve. "We have informed the Magus Alliance. You'd better leave quickly," he declared.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe old grand magus's lips curled into a mocking smile. "You are the one in charge, aren't you?" he said. His gaze shifted to Livi and Twik, "And these two beautiful creatures are yours?" he continued, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Hand them over to me, and I might let you keep your life."
Not only were Emery's threats ignored, but the grand magus retaliated with his own.
Their tense conversation was abruptly interrupted by a sudden grunt from Grand Magus Ramos. Flames began to form, burning the King Roc's claws as Ramos struggled to break free.
"Elder, you are still alive!" Edgar exclaimed, his face lighting up with hope at the sight of Ramos's resistance.
However, in that very moment, Mo Yan's ability activated, swiftly restraining Ramos. With a casual flick of his finger, Ramos's body was yanked forward, bringing him face-to-face with the hunchbacked grand magus. "You have quite the resistance..." the grand magus remarked, a frown creasing his forehead.
Without warning, the grand magus extended his hand, and a spectral arm materialized, its ghostly fingers wrapping around Ramos. The Kux grand magus's spirit was forcefully wrenched from his body. The ethereal manifestation of Ramos struggled violently, attempting to break free from the spectral arm's grasp.
The grand magus's eyes glowed with a malevolent light as he tightened his grip on Ramos's spirit. The spectral arm shimmered with dark energy, and the Kux grand magus's ghostly form writhed in agony, its attempts to escape growing weaker by the second.
This was undoubtedly the grand magus's method of enslaving his target, an ability that struck fear into the hearts of those witnessing it.
Emery's gaze hardened as he watched the horrifying display. The realization that Mo Yan had the power to turn a grand magus like Ramos into a mere puppet was chilling.
"No!! No!! Help him!!" shouted Edgar, his voice filled with desperation.
Emery understood the gravity of the situation but remained motionless. The stakes were high, yet his attempts to gauge the grand magus's true strength had been frustratingly fruitless. Despite VIA's and his own efforts to analyze Mo Yan, they had gleaned nothing beyond his last known historical data. This lack of information only underscored the formidable nature of Mo Yan's spirit defense, which effectively concealed his abilities.
While Emery deliberated, the hunchback magus turned his attention to Riven, the Kux formation expert, and commanded, "This will take several minutes. Now, I want you to prove your worth and destroy that formation before I am finished."
"Yes, master,"