Chapter 763 - 282: Amber_5

"Above, huh?"

Even though neither her vision nor Magical Power Perception could detect the enemy's attack, Emerald Sparrow had instinctively set up a thread barrier in the brief interval following the last strike, giving her some preparation. When the ghostly hand reached out from above, her threads first sensed the impending attack.

Strangely enough, it seemed the attacker did not intend to use magic or Magic Technique, so despite the tricky angle of attack, it was still relatively easy to dodge once perceived.

This time, Emerald Sparrow once again evaded the attack.

The same attack repeated a third time, then a fourth... Just as Emerald Sparrow was about to adapt to the attack's rhythm, she suddenly sensed something was amiss.

Things felt... not quite right.

She had the feeling her reactions were starting to slow.

Moreover, there was a strange power, as if stripping something away, constantly interfering with her thoughts, making her feel dazed.

■ Like ■■■■■■ force

Fragmented characters abruptly emerged in her mind.

What happened to ■■?

Thinking became sluggish, her consciousness fragmented, and Emerald Sparrow found it increasingly difficult to analyze her situation.

But clearly, the opponent wasn't planning to give her time to regroup, as another attack followed swiftly. This time, even though Emerald Sparrow managed to evade with almost instinctual reflexes, it couldn't stop her state from further deteriorating.

Mental interference was followed by disruptions in her magic.

At some point, Emerald Sparrow suddenly noticed her magic operation becoming erratic.

Her condition continued to worsen, and she still couldn't figure out what ability the enemy's Heart Understanding brought, but the remaining rationality told her: she could no longer afford to hold back.

For abilities that couldn't be countered with ordinary means, she had to resort to special methods.

So, perhaps it was indeed time for Bloom.

Determined, Emerald Sparrow stretched out her hands, slowly intertwining them as silver-blue threads in her hands wove into a silver-blue bud. Magic poured into the bud through the threads until the bud gradually lit up.

She spoke.

"Great Prosperity Bloom—"

"No way."

A voice emerged from somewhere, interrupting Emerald Sparrow's chant. Then, the Black Cat, who had been refusing to reveal themselves, finally poked their head out from somewhere.

The long witch robe draped over their body, the large witch hat overshadowing their face. As if cloaked in filth, a dirty amber dye mingled with black spots poured down from the wide brim of the witch hat, staining the entire Magic Clothing in a muddy color. Underneath the wide robe was a neat, red underlining, with chains of silver coins hanging from the inner side of the robe. On their chest hung a large pendant like a pocket watch, yet the watch face was completely shattered, the hands erratically jumping.

The cat claw-shaped prosthetic limb now lacked claw-like attachments; instead, the left hand was covered by fingerless gloves. At this moment, the Black Cat was directly staring at the bud in Emerald Sparrow's hand, and then let out a short sound.

"Disarray."

The moment the word was spoken, the thread bud in Emerald Sparrow's hand, poised to bloom, vanished instantaneously.

The abnormal situation left Emerald Sparrow momentarily stunned.

"Sorry, Captain, I told you, I'm serious,"

The Black Cat tugged at the brim of their witch hat, hiding their eyes, refusing to meet Emerald Sparrow's gaze: "Though I've never seen the Captain's Bloom, it might possess troublesome abilities. I want to win, so even though it seems a bit underhanded, I can use it right now."

Emerald Sparrow remained silent, instead attempting to sense with magic, yet found no trace of the thread bud's existence, as if it had been forcibly erased by something.

This performance rendered the Black Cat's ability increasingly mysterious.

Spatial teleportation, the ability to erase objects; compared to the original powers of Grasp time, the change was indeed drastic. Making it difficult for Emerald Sparrow to immediately discern the truth.

■■■ occurred?

Once again, chaotic characters invaded Emerald Sparrow's mind.

Yes, there was unsolved interference, and the sluggish sensation in magic operation, what connection did these have with the original Grasp time?

There were still many questions, but neither time nor the situation favored Emerald Sparrow. The Black Cat's ability continued eroding Emerald Sparrow's state; she was left without time to slowly unravel the opponent's powers, not even knowing if she would still be able to think in another moment. In this scenario, she had only one quickest, most intuitive verification method left.

She gathered several Magic Silk Threads, then directed them in different directions, threading through her Magic Body.

Ah, indeed.

Emerald Sparrow thought so.

In this unfavorable situation, she finally grasped a glimpse of her opponent's ability.

—The threads bypassing her body disappeared after traversing a certain distance within the Magic Body.

Clearly still within the same Magic Body, yet the threads failed to successfully pass through to the other side of the body. Combining it with the original ability of Grasp time, the answer was already apparent:

"...I understand now, it's flow speed."

Emerald Sparrow suddenly said: "Time is displaced."

As her words concluded, seemingly validating her judgment, new chaotic characters surged into her mind:

What happened to ■■?

■, ■ indeed.

And now, Emerald Sparrow also understood the source of these characters; evidently, they were fragments of her previous thoughts and considerations, interrupted.