In the smoke and dust of the explosion, tree vines carried the Silver-Eyed One backward.
He crashed heavily against the huge trunk of the corpse tree, then slumped there motionless, quietly watching the smoke and dust settle.
The massive canopy overhead swayed uneasily, and the loud echoes of the explosion reverberated through the area.
A mercury figure emerged from the smoke and dust, seemingly unaffected by the steam bomb's explosion.
From the glowing silver mist conjured by the illusion, the sounds of bells and whistles could be heard.
Brilliant Moonlight flew out from the silver mist, and the mercury figure raised his arm—
Clang!
Amidst a grating sound, the mercury figure's right arm was split in half, but as the silver moon vanished, it quickly regenerated.
He stood in place and opened his mouth; as the sound of wind appeared, the silver mist conjured by the illusion was rapidly sucked into his mouth.
Seeing that the illusion was about to fail, Xia De waved his hand, sending another silver light, then took a step back, and the candle in his hand reignited.
But the mercury figure seemed to be able to see Xia De, charging directly towards him.
He seemed to have no spellcasting ability, raising his right arm high; the mercury writhed and transformed into a longsword, striking at Xia De.
Without thinking, Xia De's fingertips transformed into a silver blade.
He raised his hand to block, and the broken mercury sword spun away, while Xia De looked at his hand in surprise, not expecting this unformed Miracle to have such power.
Under the Silver-Eyed One's control, the mercury within the mercury figure flowed, and his right arm slowly regenerated.
Xia De immediately swung his right hand, thrusting towards his head:
"Chaotic Time Blade!"
The glowing mercury left arm blocked Xia De's attack, but it was also severed by the sharp Moonlight.
Then Xia De raised his hand again and thrust forward, the Moonlight short blade at his fingertip striking towards the mercury figure's chest, but it was blocked again by the slowly regenerating right arm.
But this was within Xia De's expectations, because a Moonlight short blade suddenly appeared in the air, piercing into the mercury figure's head.
The Silver-Eyed One, slumped at the base of the tree trunk, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and the mercury figure in front of Xia De dissolved into mercury, covering the ground.
"Is that a Miracle of time?"
The panting Silver-Eyed One asked loudly under the tree vines' eerie blue light, but he received no answer from Xia De.
Xia De, still breathing heavily, scrutinized him; the Silver-Eyed One's current power seemed to be less than Three-Ring.
"Save me, if you save me, I'll reward you.
Whatever you want, I can give it to you! god's gift box, and other things.
Save me, you won't lose out."
Xia De originally didn't want to bother with him, but seeing that the other party had started begging, he immediately understood that he was truly at his limit.
He took out his revolver and fired a few shots, then, regardless of whether he missed or if the bullets were useless, Xia De recovered while asking the man under the tree:
"I don't mean to humiliate you, I just want to say, I originally thought that a High-Ring Sorcerer's life would be full of twists and turns, having experienced so many stories, you would surely have a firm resolve, the determination and courage to face death, and even want to fight to the death.
But your current performance is truly disappointing."
"The courage to face death?
No, young man, you wouldn't understand.
death is the most terrifying thing in this world; when you reach my stage, you'll be just like me."
Xia De looked at the Silver-Eyed One, and the Silver-Eyed One also looked at him with pleading eyes:
"Save me, I'll reward you."
Xia De narrowed his eyes:
"death is the most terrifying?
No, there are always some things that are greater than life."
The Outsider had seen those selfless people in his hometown, and in this world, he had also seen the determination of the Church's Ring術士.
"No, death is the most terrifying; to live, I can sacrifice everything!
I have the determination to give everything."
The Silver-Eyed One said in a weakened tone, without the dominance he had when he wanted to kill Xia De just now.
But that tree also seemed to understand his meaning; the tree vines behind him wriggled even faster, and the Silver-Eyed One screamed, shrinking under the tree and no longer moving.
These words made Xia De realize that the other party was completely different from him.
His current cowardice and pleading were merely for the sake of survival.
This was probably the traditional type of villain, who would use power recklessly when he had it, and do anything to survive when he lost it.
Miss Bei Ya Si's feud with the Silver-Eyed One began with a chance encounter during a One-Ring mission, but then continued with relentless searching.
The hatred had been entangled for many years and finally came to an end today.
Choosing this guy as a "fated enemy," if he had a chance to escape, it would definitely cause big trouble in the future.
But the Silver-Eyed One was destined to die today.
Xia De had recently liked to view a person's life as a "story."
As a High-Ring Sorcerer not from the Church or an academy, the Silver-Eyed One's tumultuous life ending with his death at the hands of The Chosen during a ritual, such a life story was truly complete.
The Silver-Eyed One, curled up under the tree, still wanted to speak, but the sound of the stone door being pushed open made both of them look towards the entrance simultaneously.
The Silver-Eyed One stopped speaking, and the vines beside him dimmed, allowing him to hide in the darkness under the tree trunk.
Xia De, meanwhile, looked at the candle in his hand; the candle lit up, and his figure also vanished from the room.
Then, Miss Annette and a strange man in a black suit with a feminine demeanor crashed through the stone door, followed closely by Miss Bei Ya Si, who was pale and had blood on the corner of her mouth.
Miss Annette held the golden short knife that had almost stabbed Xia De at the Sunday banquet, while the man held a blood-colored longsword.
The two rushed in, clashing swords with clanging sounds like blacksmithing, but neither could truly strike the other.
The short knife and the blood-colored longsword collided in the air, leaving trails of afterimages in the dim light.
Xia De, hiding nearby, watched in surprise as the purple-eyed Diviner clashed with his enemy, realizing for the first time that she was so skilled in cold weapon close combat.
Eventually, the man holding the blood-colored longsword was the first to take a step back, and Miss Annette did not pursue, also taking a step back and then being supported by Miss Bei Ya Si.
Both ladies seemed to be injured, and the three stood in a standoff.
An eerie blue light illuminated them, and Xia De saw that the man held a long candle in his hand; that should be the labyrinth candle.
The man was not surprised by the giant tree, while Miss Annette and Miss Bei Ya Si looked in surprise at everything in the huge room.
"You actually don't need to fight me.
This tree is already out of control; do you see the Silver-Eyed One over there?
It needs the flesh and blood of a Ring術士 to make this tree quiet down again.
Since there are two of you, and I've already sacrificed one person, why don't you offer another person..."
The man holding the blood-colored longsword spoke with an unusually elegant and calm tone; in such a dangerous environment, this composure was truly infuriating.
The longsword in his right hand emitted a bloody glow.
But this should be some kind of Miracle, not a relic, because Xia De did not feel the whisper element.
"Damn Vampire."
Miss Annette cursed in a very unladylike manner.
"Oh, madam, that's a bit racist."
The man in the crisp black suit shook his head and said, gesturing with his sword, taking two steps in place, his leather shoes making thudding sounds on the ground:
"I am PentaCircle, and the two of you combined are only PentaCircle.
I admit, the Sunlight Gun just now did hurt me, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me.
I don't want to kill you, it's just that the tree still needs sacrifices."
"You're injured, so you can't suppress me; do you think I can't tell?
Although you are a Five-Ring Sorcerer, how much power can you still exert now?"
Miss Bei Ya Si, supporting Miss Annette, also mocked, even injured, the young girl was still so strong:
"I can feel the whisper element on you from two rooms away."
"You can see that too?"
The man asked in surprise, then asked in that very elegant and magnetic voice:
"Are you a Ring術士 of the Sun Church?
Oh, madam, do you know the Blood Spirit School?
Someone as talented as you, why not join us.
The evolution of blood will help us transcend mortal bodies, and on the inevitable End Day, only we can survive.
The school has mastered the secrets of God, we know ancient things, we know the truth of the Old God's fall.
We have even discovered the wealth left by the Old God; join us, sacrifice your companion, and I can promise that you will be allowed to enter the 'Creation Birthing Chamber' to gain even greater power."
"There's no need to disgust us with the Vampire's repulsive talent."
Miss Bei Ya Si said with a frown.
Xia De, standing by, was even more surprised; the other party seemed to truly be a "Vampire," and "Vampire" was not some rhetorical device.
If this was true, then this was the first alien race Xia De had seen in this world; he knew that in the past history of this world, there existed many humanoid intelligent creatures, but they were very rare in this era.
"Tsk tsk, again with such racial discrimination; actually, I prefer the term 'Vampire'.
You don't understand the Blood Spirit School, you don't know what kind of power we wield."
"45."
Miss Annette, panting heavily, suddenly said.
"What?"
The man asked in confusion.
"46."
Miss Bei Ya Si also followed closely, counting.
"What are you calculating?
Or are you trying to scare me?"
He vigilantly looked around, but besides the giant tree, there was nothing else here.
He watched the withered Silver-Eyed One under the tree, thinking he was about to do something, but at this moment, Miss Annette also counted to the last number, which represented the invisibility limit of the 【Bordor Candle】:
"47."
A dreamy light appeared almost touching the effeminate man's face, and Xia De's figure emerged; the arc-shaped light blade in his hand had already struck the enemy's face the moment he appeared.
The brilliant light reflected in the man's yellow vertical pupils; even as pain erupted, he was still captivated for a moment by the silver moon's color.
The silver moon seemed to be deeply imprinted in his pupils, which slightly changed, as his racial talent allowed him to feel an unusual power within this Moonlight.
