Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2431: Chapter 2432: Shadow Avatar

Is the seawater red?

Nis was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized: "It’s blood! It’s the blood of those Sea Beasts!"

At this time, Ferro also said, "I saw it, that group of Sea Beasts is tearing at each other, their blood has stained the sea surface red."

Although the distance was far, with a Wizard’s abilities, seeing distant situations wasn’t difficult. It was just that they had been completely focused on the Mysterious Fruit before, with no thought or way to look down. Now, within the Domain Field, they finally saw the scene beneath the waves.

"Their blood not only stained the sea surface red, it’s also being absorbed by Number 03, nourishing the fruit above her head." Angel said softly, looking into the distance.

Nis and Ferro did not doubt Angel’s judgment because they also saw the blood-red seawater surging up the waves under an unknown force. It was being absorbed by the branches at Number 03’s feet. As a large amount of blood water was drawn into Number 03, the red fruit above her head became more vivid and enticing, and its allure was constantly rising.

In just half a minute, the allure rose another level.

Under the protection of the Domain Field, they could clearly feel this change.

"Angel, can the strength of your light shield be increased?" Ferro tried hard to suppress the desire to gaze at the fruit and turned to Angel.

Angel shook his head: "Not at the moment."

The green Pattern in his right eye, he had settled for a period of time, but back then he focused on understanding its traits, not on enhancing its power. He believed the Domain Field could definitely have room for increasing strength, but it would require a deeper understanding of the green Pattern.

"Then we must solve the current crisis while the fruit’s allure is still controllable. Otherwise, we could all be trapped in it." Ferro said solemnly.

Angel raised his head, looking towards Kanter in the high sky. The most urgent matter was definitely to get in touch with Kanter.

Ferro: "I tried to use the Distant Voice Spell to contact Lord Like Night, but the floating night around him is a manifestation of high-energy Magic Power, seemingly conscious, blocking all approaching Transcendent forces."

"I also tried to approach, but... the Energy Field is too chaotic, it’s very difficult to get close, just like now."

As they spoke, the distant giant waves and night once again clashed.

Kanter displayed very crazed aggression, using various methods to try to approach Number 03 and seize the fruit above her. The surrounding area became a vast energy void due to his power, with even faint signs of space collapse.

Meanwhile, Number 03 relied on the fruit’s allure and strong control over the sea to constantly restrain Kanter.

It seemed that Number 03’s power was indeed inferior to Kanter, but due to various external factors, she managed to hold Kanter off, making the battle stalemate.

Ferro looked at the boiling battlefield in the distance, wearing a bitter smile. Too strong an ally can also be troubling.

"Let me have my Soul Servant give it a try," said Nis.

Upon finishing his words, a space crack appeared out of nowhere, this was the entrance to the Exile Space. A Knight wearing bone armor stepped out from the crack.

After appearing, the Bone Armor Knight first saluted Nis silently, then without any verbal command, it began to step out of the Domain Field, flying toward the night sky.

But just as it flew less than twenty meters, its trajectory suddenly changed, as if it lost judgment, it dully flew towards the distant waves.

Nis’s expression was grim: "I can no longer sense its thoughts."

In other words, the Bone Armor Knight was out of control.

Judging from the direction the Bone Armor Knight headed towards, there was no doubt that it too had succumbed to the "charm" of the red fruit.

This situation made Nis very shocked because his control over the Bone Armor Knight was certainly not based on "trust and love", although bonds could be used, the emotions of the controlled would be very unstable, which was a huge taboo in battle, so Nis used Soul Sect spell techniques: Touch of Soul for controlling any Undead. Only during leisure would he allow the Undead self-awareness, for instance, the Undead in the Soul Valley weren’t planted with Touch of Soul.

By inserting his Touch of Soul into the controlled object, he could completely dominate the controlled, without worrying about betrayal.

But now, even with Touch of Soul, the Bone Armor Knight was still not under control.

This meant that the fruit’s allure had already surpassed the limitations of Touch of Soul.

Nis believed that even the allure of a top-notch Succubus could hardly suppress Touch of Soul. But now, the fruit’s allure had rendered Touch of Soul useless.

Nis didn’t know if that allure was "Energy", but if it really was energy, it would definitely be a high-energy crush.

No wonder even a top Wizard like Kanter of the Night was affected by it.

...

Although Nis had already judged in his heart, he still had some disbelief, he kept sensing the Bone Armor Knight, trying to awaken the Touch of Soul, but the result was the same, he did not get any response.

The Bone Armor Knight continued to fly step by step towards Number 03.

If someone could look at it from the front, they’d find that the Ghost Fire under the crevice of the bone helmet, which was ghostly green in the past, had turned bright red.

This bright red was completely consistent with the color of the fruit above Number 03’s head. Even the frequency of the Ghost Fire’s vibration matched the frequency of the fruit’s shaking.

The Bone Armor Knight was completely influenced by the fruit, constantly trying to approach and pluck it.

But as it stepped into the battlefield range between Number 03 and Kanter, the surrounding energy directly poured into the bone armor.

Bam——

With a great sound, the bone armor turned into white dust, and the Knight Undead hidden beneath it was torn into fragments by the manic energy.

Watching the scene from afar, Nis felt his heart was faintly bleeding.

The shattering of the bone armor didn’t matter, since it was made from locally-sourced bones, but the Knight Undead inside was a soul servant he often used.

Its importance was comparable to that of his strange disciple’s "Virgin Star" and "Daisy Star".

Now, seeing the soul servant’s demise with his own eyes, Nis was naturally very upset.

"Even the soul servant couldn’t resist the allure of the fruit... This is simply unbelievable. What exactly is that fruit, where does its allure come from?"

No one could answer Nis’s question.

Nis looked at Reynaud: "Has Number 03 ever exhibited a situation like this before?"

Reynaud was equally confused and shook his head: "I don’t know, I’ve never seen Number 03 like this."

Reynaud vaguely had a suspicion; not only had he never seen it, but perhaps nobody else in the laboratory had either... because if they had known Number 03 had such formidable power, she might not have been Number 03, but Number 01. After all, the laboratory based power supremacy as the standard, Number 01 is the strongest in the lab.

"There’s no need to consider the anomaly of No. 03 right now. What we should be concerned with is how to establish contact with Lord Night," said Ferro.

Nis: "Even the soul servants controlled by the Touch of Soul, these undead creatures almost devoid of self, are attracted by the fruit. I really can’t think of any other way."

After a moment of silence, Angel spoke up: "I’ll let Earl Mi give it a try."

"If even Lord Night can’t resist it, can Earl Mi succeed?" Nis knew of Earl Mi and understood its capabilities. Earl Mi’s combat strength could rival True Knowledge Level, but it was still significantly weaker than Lord Night.

"We won’t know until we try."

Angel wasn’t planning to send Earl Mi as cannon fodder. No matter how strong Earl Mi was, it wouldn’t last long in that energy-ravaged battlefield.

Hence, he planned to conduct an experiment first.

Earl Mi could create several shadows resembling shadow avatars. When it divided into shadow avatars, its main body’s strength would decrease by a notch. The more avatars created, the weaker its main body would become.

Angel planned to send the shadow avatars to scout ahead.

Except for being weaker than Earl Mi’s true body in overall strength, the shadow avatars were similar to Earl Mi in other respects. If even the shadow avatars couldn’t resist the allure of the fruit, then Earl Mi’s true body definitely couldn’t either.

Nis: "The shadow avatars, belonging to energy bodies, are similar to the soul servants in fundamental respects, but the shadow avatars lack desire, which is crucial. Will the desireless shadow avatars still be attracted by the fruit?"

With this question in mind, the shadow avatar stepped out of the Domain Field.

Earl Mi directed the shadow avatar to fly straight toward Kanter. Initially, the shadow avatar adhered to this order, but after a few seconds, its movements suddenly slowed.

Then, its head abruptly turned, looking toward the distant No. 03.

The originally invisible dark eyes seemed to emit a faint crimson hue, as if reflecting the distant luscious fruit.

The next moment, the shadow avatar abandoned its goal of flying and instead headed toward the direction of No. 03.

Seeing this scene, everyone fell silent.

A few seconds later, the shadow avatar entered the energy battlefield, stalled for about half a minute, and then exploded, completely vanishing.

With the shadow avatar’s explosion, Earl Mi’s aura suddenly diminished, and its strength dropped significantly.

The outcome of the shadow avatar made it clear that even if Earl Mi’s true body went, the result would be the same.

Angel sighed, letting Earl Mi return to its shadow to heal.

"Even the desireless shadow avatars couldn’t resist the fruit." Nis shook his head and sighed, turning to the others: "You all saw the current situation. Now, we can’t even think about contacting Lord Night. If we just leave this light barrier, we’ll likely be affected by the fruit."

"Moreover, the sea beasts below are dying more and more..."

The ocean under the distant waves had turned a pure crimson color. A large amount of blood was being absorbed by No. 03, making the fruit’s color increasingly vibrant.

"The attraction is clearly increasing, and Angel’s light barrier won’t hold for much longer either." Nis: "What should we do now? Should we leave first and seek outside help? With Lord Night’s power, he shouldn’t die so easily."

Nis proposed a solution, but the issue wasn’t just No. 03. The Schiz embryo in the laboratory might already be dead or in a dying state... The hunting squad from Phantom Spirit City could arrive at any time. Do they really have time to call for external help?

At that moment, everyone seemed at a loss about what to do.

Ferro’s gaze drifted toward the distant fruit. Even within the Domain Field, his eyes showed a hint of intoxication, even a slight impulse to move forward.

Ferro forcefully suppressed his inner urge, closed his eyes, and after a long while, as his heartbeat gradually calmed down, he said with a hint of self-mockery: "I once thought the Night蝶 Witch was my greatest temptation, but now I’m beginning to doubt it."

Nis: "Actually, I’m now wondering, is it really attraction? Even the shadow avatars couldn’t resist it. It feels strange, could it be another ability? Perhaps, a kind of rule?"

Everyone shook their heads, none could discern the nature of that fruit.

At this moment, a faint sound rose beside them: "Rules are traceable, but that fruit... is different."

Everyone paused, turning their heads with some stiffness.

Beside them, unbeknownst to them, appeared an old man with white hair.

Nis did not recognize the newcomer and immediately adopted a wary expression: "Who are you?"

Ferro, on the other hand, kept glancing at the white-haired old man, flickers of recognition flashing in his mind as if some long-buried memory was slowly surfacing. He hesitantly said: "You’re the one from yesterday..."

Only Angel respectfully bowed: "Observer, sir."

The newcomer was the Observer whom Angel had encountered recently on the first floor of the laboratory.

Angel had thought it unlikely to encounter the Observer again so soon, but just a few minutes later, here he was.

"Observer, sir!" Upon confirming the newcomer’s identity from Angel, Ferro and Nis hurriedly showed their respect.

The Observer nonchalantly waved his hand.

In the presence of an existence above Legend, Ferro and Nis were at a loss for words, their expressions somewhat uneasy.

Having conversed with the Observer before, Angel wasn’t overly tense. Seeing Ferro and Nis’s silence, he took the initiative to ask: "Are you suggesting, sir, that there’s something unusual about the fruit’s allure?"

Angel didn’t question the Observer’s presence since he knew the Observer would speak when ready.

However, Angel understood that the Observer typically refrained from meddling in Southern Domain affairs; his presence could be seen as interference by the World Will.

Therefore, Angel believed the Observer’s appearance here was not without reason.

Perhaps it also had to do with the fruit produced by No. 03.

"It’s indeed unusual. That fruit is no ordinary fruit,"

The Observer paused before continuing slowly: "It is a soon-to-mature Mysterious Fruit... or rather, a Mysterious Object."

"Mysterious Object?" Angel’s eyes widened, a flicker of realization in his gaze: "Sir, is the fruit in a state of... disorder?"

The Observer smiled and nodded: "You understand well, but it’s not completely disordered yet, only in a semi-disordered state."