Chapter 1398: 156. Abnormality

"Please... wait a little longer."

"I'll soon find a way to save you."

The black-robed figure slowly extended that deathly pale hand and touched the bubble before him.

His movements were so gentle, as though he were admiring some priceless treasure rarely seen in the entire world.

And in fact, that was exactly what it was.

There was no sunlight, yet the bubble was still astonishingly beautiful, giving off jewel-like colors as they flowed across its surface, making one unconsciously become intoxicated by the sight.

Of course, what was even more alluring was the door located inside the bubble—that door he had painstakingly searched for so long, the door he had once even believed he would never be able to reach.

It was right there.

Right at... his fingertips.

The black-robed figure took a deep breath. His pale hand reached into the bubble and firmly grasped the door handle.

The cold sensation still passed through the special magical device and reached his skin. It was so real that even the body beneath his black robe could not help trembling slightly from excitement.

"Haa..."

His emotions gradually calmed along with his breathing. The black-robed figure no longer hesitated, and his palm slowly exerted force...

As the handle was gently pressed down, the sound of wood rubbing against wood, filled with an ancient simplicity, came from between the doors.

And then...

"Hey, black-robed guy."

A familiar voice:

"Although I admit I suffered a silent loss, isn't it a little too early for you to start celebrating your victory? Aren't you looking down on me a little too much?"

"..."

Beneath the black robe, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He abruptly turned his head.

A face filled with grief and indignation entered his sight.

He broke free from the Illusion Magic?

So quickly? How was that possible?

This was Heart Nightmare, something only an extremely small number of people in the Illusion School could use. When a Truth-Rank powerhouse used this move, even a Crowned one could be affected for a period of time.

What right did that guy have to...

But there was already no time to think deeply about it.

At the same time as the black-robed figure withdrew and retreated to the side, the long mace had already appeared in his hand in an instant. The second level rotated, and a pitch-black void unfolded above his head. An enormous demonic beast as large as a mountain revealed itself and shielded him behind its body.

Then, almost at the same time.

Bright firelight illuminated the deathly silent sea of stars. The girl walked out from the flames, her hair scattering like that of a Valkyrie. In her hands was a crimson greatsword taller than she was, runes flickering across the blade as it was wrapped in continuously surging and sweeping flames. Those scorching waves of fire bursting from extreme compression rapidly collided with one another, as if capable of devouring all things.

The waves of flame crashed into the demonic beast,

"Roar——"

The enormous demonic beast roared furiously, every hair on its body standing on end. Their color was like steel needles, and it actually showed not the slightest fear toward the flames around Ariel as it swung a fist at her.

"Hm? A demonic beast specially summoned to deal with my flames?"

Ariel raised her brows slightly.

Between her brows and eyes, traces of the pain from just now still remained.

That had been an illusion she could not bear to look back on.

An ultimate terror that even she had never anticipated.

Muen was one thing. She had long since grown accustomed to that guy being stolen away by all kinds of seductive shameless cows.

But in that illusion, Miss Muse... the pure sanctuary within her heart, had actually also been stolen away by those bastard seductive shameless cows and viciously humiliated.

And she could do nothing. In that dream of extreme terror, not only could she not resist, she could not even escape.

She could only watch from the closest possible observer's perspective as Miss Muse was slowly played with by them... developed... until finally, amid rolled-back eyes and two trails of tears, she was molded into the shape those seductive shameless sluts wanted.

What was most terrifying was that even when Miss Muse later returned to her side, after experiencing the baptism of those huge-breasted cows, she could no longer be satisfied with Ariel's pitifully barren little green meadow.

She... could never go back.

Damn it!

Too... too damn infuriating!

Ariel ground her teeth.

Although she knew it was an illusion, merely seeing those scenes, thinking of those scenes, and feeling the psychological shadow those scenes had left behind even now was enough to make her more and more furious beyond endurance.

Therefore...

"Just a mere demonic beast, and you think you can stop me?"

Ariel raised her sword high, leaped into the air, and continued slashing toward the enormous demonic beast.

"Roar..."

Faced with the raging flames attacking once again, a trace of human-like disdain appeared in the demonic beast's eyes. It was itself a demonic beast capable of controlling flames, and after the enormous effort spent on its later cultivation and strengthening, its resistance to fire had almost reached an extremely abnormal degree.

A weak human, no matter how angry she was, could still—

Boom!

A thunderous blast that shattered all silence gave the demonic beast its answer in an instant.

The waves of flame sweeping toward it suddenly split apart, and patterns like an inverted Sacred Tree flashed instantly within the blazing flames.

That brief brilliance actually made even the flames born from Divine Favor appear so dim.

That was... lightning!

Another Divine Favor!

"Take this..."

Faint arcs of electricity surrounded Ariel's entire body. Nearly all of her long black hair stood upright, lightning roaring as it coiled around the greatsword and condensed into a light of judgment that would annihilate all filth!

"Thunderfire Sword!"

Her furious shout resounded across the sea of stars.

Lightning and fire descended alternately within the demonic beast's terrified gaze.

Those steel-like hairs and that thick layer of hide were no longer useful. They were instantly pierced through by the lightning, and immediately afterward the flames poured inside. Although it was clearly a living creature, it was like a spark falling into a pile of dry firewood, instantly setting the demonic beast's entire body ablaze.

The demonic beast struggled, but it was completely useless. Even its counterattack was easily blocked by Ariel. It could only let out desperate roars within the flames before finally turning into a lump of pitch-black charcoal, becoming one more piece among the countless fragments drifting through this vast sea of stars.

With the demonic beast blocking the way dealt with, Ariel's gaze once again fell upon the black-robed figure not far away.

"So that's how it is."

The black-robed figure had also regained his composure. Looking at Ariel's deep, multicolored eyes, a trace of realization appeared within his stiff and unpleasant words.

"Delusion-Breaking Eye..."

If it was this, then there was nothing strange about it.

After all, this was the natural nemesis of the Illusion School, a special constitution they hated most while also loving most.

What they hated was that all falsehoods in this world were almost as if nonexistent before those eyes, naturally including their Illusion Magic. What they loved was that, by seeing through all falsehoods, the illusions they themselves constructed would also become even more realistic.

These eyes were extremely rare. He had not expected to encounter them here.

"Now that you know, why don't you obediently surrender?"

Ariel ground her little canine teeth and sneered: "I'm telling you, just now I was only careless for a moment. From now on, those little tricks of yours won't have the slightest effect."

"Surrender?"

The black-robed figure tilted his head slightly: "Why should I surrender? You don't seem to be my opponent."

The demonic beast he had summoned had been easily killed by the girl before him.

But that was something he had thrown out precisely to be cut down.

Although the demonic beast was dead, it had already bought him more than enough time.

"That sneak attack just now was your last chance."

The black-robed figure raised the long mace high, and on that miniature nine-level tower-like body, five levels actually began rotating simultaneously at this moment!

Ariel's expression changed drastically. After what had happened just now, how could she still fail to realize the current situation?

So that strange magical device was not limited to using only one kind of magic at a time!

But Ariel quickly calmed down again.

Indeed, they might have misjudged the capabilities of that strange magical device, but even if different types of magic could be used simultaneously, the restrictions on this black-robed figure had to be extremely severe.

Otherwise, why would he have gone through so much trouble before instead of simply throwing several different spells directly in their faces at once?

More importantly...

"I might really not be able to do anything to you alone, but don't forget, from beginning to end, I was never your only opponent!"

"Or rather, I'm not even your real enemy!"

Ariel crossed her arms over her chest smugly.

This guy thought his Illusion Magic was strong?

Quite the opposite. Using Illusion Magic had been a completely terrible move.

After all, she was not the only person in this world who possessed the ability to break through falsehoods.

Although a certain guy did not have the Delusion-Breaking Eye, all those strange abilities on his body were no worse in this respect.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Even though they were in the sea of stars, the sound of footsteps rang out.

Ariel knew that guy was showing off again.

Sure enough, very soon, that familiar aura appeared beside her.

"How does it feel? After working so hard for so long, only to discover that everything you did came to nothing. Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

Ariel lifted her smooth chin toward the black-robed figure and mocked him.

Then she saw the other party freeze for a moment before slowly beginning to retreat, the emotion called terror clearly radiating from beneath that black robe.

Huh? That effective?

Ariel was surprised. Originally she had only wanted to mock the other party a little, but this guy... was actually cooperating this much?

Could it be that the showing-off ability of her most, most beloved Miss Muse had once again...

"ARIEL!!!"

Peles's voice suddenly exploded inside Ariel's mind.

Shock, confusion, furious rage—emotions from her own teacher that Ariel had rarely ever experienced were all mixed together within that sharp, distorted roar, instantly gripping Ariel's consciousness tightly.

"RETREAT!! Get away from there... get away from that person's side!"

Her body moved faster than her thoughts.

Almost by instinct, Ariel flashed away from the position where she had just been standing, crossing several hundred meters in a single breath.

That still was not enough. She instantly laid down several defensive magical arrays around herself, then raised the Heavenfire Greatsword, Divine Favors of lightning and fire surging simultaneously.

Only then did she finally have enough room to wonder...

Why?

Why did her teacher want her to leave Miss Muse's side? Why were both the black-robed figure and her teacher acting so... terrified at this moment?

When there was a question, naturally she wanted an answer.

Ariel subconsciously turned her head and looked in that direction.

Then... her heart suddenly contracted.

——Miss Muse was indeed standing there.

Ariel could be certain, because even the long dress that emphasized her figure had been personally chosen by Ariel.

But at this moment, Miss Muse was a little different.

His body, his limbs, his face, none of them had changed in the slightest.

And yet, across that same body, those same limbs, that same face, some kind of strange twisted lines were constantly flickering.

It looked like a wrongly drawn figure on a canvas being continuously scribbled over by countless chaotic lines, yet no matter how much it was scribbled over, that existence that should never have been able to "come alive"... was still there.

He was there.

She was there.

He. She. He. She. He. She. He...

It.

Buzz——

Murmurs and whispers poured into her mind.

All kinds of insane thoughts began assaulting her spirit.

Ariel gritted her teeth, guarded her mind, and forcibly suppressed these abnormalities.

"You did this?"

She glared viciously at the black-robed figure: "You used Illusion Magic on me again?"

"...",

The black-robed figure visibly froze for a moment.

Immediately afterward, he tightened his grip on the long mace. His tone became obviously strange as he asked in return:

"You think... I would use Illusion Magic twice on someone who possesses the Delusion-Breaking Eye?"