Book 16, Starmist Sea – Chapter 11, So It Was Him
The waves of the sea rolled about. The green-haired Ganmontin and the second leader Dimon both stood there in mid-air, staring calmly at Linley’s group.
“That’s the leader of the Knifeblade Island group.” The employer, Aches, immediately recognized Dimon. The others recognized him as well, and as they did, their hearts sank...as the second leader of Knifeblade Island, Dimon’s power was obvious.
And yet, right now, Dimon was seemingly following behind that green-haired man, as though he were a subordinate.
“Boss, trouble’s coming.” Bebe sent through divine sense.
“No rush. Let’s wait and see.” Linley watched Ganmontin calmly. At his current level of power, Linley was more than capable of fighting against most Six Star Fiends. More importantly...Linley had that Sovereign’s Might. If he used Sovereign’s Might to attack...
Even a Seven Star Fiend was nothing to fear!
“Hey, leader of Knifeblade Island, what’s your name? I forgot. But you fled last time, fellow. Why are you back this time?” The big-bearded ‘Bates’ barked unhappily. “What, last time, when we spared your life, you didn’t feel gratitude, but instead came back and actually brought someone else over? Fine then, today, we’ll just deal with both of you.”
Ganmontin and Dimon didn’t say a word.
Ganmontin’s flashing green eyes swept past Linley’s group. He carefully inspected every single person to see who was the legendary hidden expert. As he looked, Ganmontin couldn’t help but frown. “Aside from those two Highgods, it seems there isn’t a third Highgod!”
During the last battle, Boff had lost a Highgod clone and was now just a God.
The entire squad only had two Highgods. One was Delia, and the others was Bates.
“The situation isn’t good.” Ganmontin was an expert who had entered Purgatory before. Naturally, he wouldn’t drop his guard. “This hidden expert can actually escape even my notice. It seems his power isn’t any lower than mine. At the very least, his ability in hiding his aura is quite powerful.”
Ganmontin thought rapidly, then came to a decision.
“Dimon, the Soul Mutate you spoke of. Which one is it?” Ganmontin sent through a divine message to Dimon.
The reason he had brought Dimon was solely to have him point out the Soul Mutate. Dimon looked towards Olivier while saying through divine sense, “Lord Ganmontin, it’s that man with the long gray cloak who has hair that is black streaked with white.”
Ganmontin’s gaze immediately rested upon Olivier, a crafty look flashing through his eyes.
Linley’s group was puzzled. The two had destroyed their metallic lifeform, but hadn’t said a single word. What were they intending, exactly?
“You, greenie! Why are the two of you blocking our path? If you want to say something, hurry up. We don’t have time to waste with you!” Bebe, wearing his straw hat, wasn’t afraid at all, and he loudly shouted towards Ganmontin.
Ganmontin began to laugh.
“Haha...” Ganmontin emitted an ear-piercing laughter, the sound of it bizarrely causing the area within hundreds of meters to echo, while outside of this area, no sound could be heard at all. The sound of the laughter bored directly into the skulls of Linley’s group.
“This is the ‘Profound Truths of Sound’ of the Elemental Laws of the Wind.” Linley immediately recognized it.
The Profound Truths of Sound fused the ‘Sound Waves’ and ‘Music’ profound mysteries. Linley had already completely fused them. This Ganmontin actually used this to ‘ambush’ them, but clearly, the power of Ganmontin’s laughter wasn’t too great.
“How painful.” Aches, Tam, and the others all held their heads.
As for Linley, Bebe, Delia, and Olivier, they weren’t as bad off.
Ganmontin glanced at the people who his laughter hadn’t affected, then chuckled. “Everyone, I am Ganmontin! Today, I have only come to take a person away. I don’t actually want to harm the rest, and I hope you won’t block me either.”
Take someone away?
Linley was puzzled. “Who in our group is worth this sort of high-level figure coming out?” For Ganmonton to be capable of having Dimon by his side like a manservant meant that his power was definitely greater than Dimon’s, most likely at a Six Star Fiend level or perhaps even a Seven Star Fiend level.
“Take someone away? Who?” Bebe asked.
“Right. Who are you taking away?” Aches asked as well. This group all felt nervous, afraid that they would be selected.
Ganmontin smiled as he said, “The person I am taking away is him!” As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand and pointed towards Olivier!
Instantly, everyone turned to look at Olivier!
“Me?” Olivier’s face changed, and his eyes were filled with disbelief. He had only been in the Infernal Realm for a few hundred years and he hadn’t offended any powerful foes. Why would they take him away?
“Olivier!” Bebe called out in surprise.
Linley and Delia both began to frown, while Aches, Tam, and the other Gods let out sighs of relief.
“Why is this person taking Olivier away?” Linley’s thoughts flashed through his mind. Olivier had spent the vast majority of his years in the Infernal Realm in the Amethyst Mountains with Linley. He had never encountered any ultimate experts. The only thing special about Olivier was...”
His soul mutation!
“Could it be that the reason he wants to take Olivier away is related to the fact that Olivier is a Soul Mutate?” Linley couldn’t help but guess this.
“Hey, why do you want to take away Olivier? Olivier is one of us. You want to take him away just because you say so? Absolutely no way!” The big-bearded Bates snorted. Bates’ words caused Linley, Bebe, and the others to feel joy.
“This Bates is a fine fellow.” Linley said to himself.
Ganmontin laughed loudly. “Oh, so his name is Olivier. I can tell you plainly...” Ganmontin swept Linley’s group with his gaze, his eyes slowly turning cold. “Today, Olivier must leave with me. If anyone wants to stop me, there will only be one result...death!”
Ganmontin’s green glowing eyes, violet lips, and cold voice caused everyone to feel their hearts tremble.
“He’s using the Profound Truths of Sound yet again.” Linley said to himself. “This person can utilize the Elemental Laws of the Wind quite freely.”
Ganmontin, seeing that the Gods seemed to be rather in dread of him, then immediately began to smile again. “But of course, if you don’t block my path, I naturally won’t kill you. Right now, I’ll give you all a chance...aside from Olivier, the others can all leave safely. Everyone can leave now!”
“Leave?” The God-level Fiends all hesitated.
“I’ll count to ten. If by then there are people still remaining, that means they are my enemies. The result will be...” Ganmontin suddenly made a serpent-shaped longsword which gleamed with green light appear in his hands. He casually waved the sword, which blurred while causing the world to be filled with a beautiful sound.
“Slash!”
Space itself had a large crevice split open within it, while at the same time, the sword blur carried what seemed like countless wind blades, charging downwards towards the sea like thousands of soldiers in an army. “Boom!” The sea rumbled, and instantly, the water beneath that point for hundreds of meters around turned into a massive hole that was dozens of meters deep.
Moments later, the surrounding water filled the gap, and immediately a series of waves could be heard.
Aches, Tam, Wilburn, and the other Gods all had very ugly looks on their faces. Linley, Bates, and the others all had solemn looks on their faces. The Infernal Realm’s planar walls were very stable. To slash open a crevice within the Infernal Realm was proof of having displayed terrifying power.
“One!” Ganmontin smiled as he spoke. “Two. Three...” Ganmontin’s counting speed was unhurried, and his voice wasn’t loud, but hammered down upon the hearts of every single Fiend present.
Those God-level Fiends glanced at each other, all hesitating.
“Everyone, no need to waste your lives for me.” Olivier said bitterly.
Immediately, the employer, Aches, was the first to turn towards Olivier and say apologetically, “Forgive me.” As he spoke, he immediately flew away. As Aches left, immediately the other Gods all left as well.
By the time Ganmontin counted to ten, Boff and Wilburn flew away as well. They were all God-level Fiends, of no use at all.
“Nine!” Ganmontin’s gaze once more swept the five remaining figures. “Everyone, if you don’t leave now, you won’t have the chance later.” But the five didn’t pay him any mind at all.
“Ten!”
Ganmontin had counted to ten, but five were still remaining. They were Linley, Delia, Bebe, Olivier, and Bates!
As for Aches, Tam, Wilburn, and the other seven, they had all flown far away. From a distance of three kilometers, they stared towards this scene. Aches said softly, “Everyone, don’t be worried. I expect that the mysterious expert who used the Blackstone Prison last time should be one of those three; Linley, Bebe, or Olivier. When that expert attacks, perhaps he will be able to defeat Ganmontin!”
The other six felt their hearts firm up. In the Infernal Realm, very few people would choose to throw their lives away.
Their choices were correct.
“Who knows which one of them is the expert.” Wilburn said softly.
“I hope he can defeat Ganmontin.” Boff said as well.
Right at this moment, above the boundless Starmist Sea, Linley’s group of five was hovering above the surface of the sea, standing opposite from Dimon and Ganmontin.
After counting to ten, Ganmontin was already feeling extremely unhappy. Prior to this, he had used the ‘Profound Truths of Sound’ through his laughter to test Linley’s group. As early as then, he had expected that the hidden expert should have been one of the people in front of him, but who would have imagined that none of these people left.
He had counted from one to ten, but his ploy of his had no effect at all. Whether or not those seven Gods left had no affect on him at all.
He, Ganmontin, wanted to get the hidden expert to leave!
If he could avoid battle, he would! After all, he had no way to discover who the opponent was. Ganmontin was even wondering...“Could this hidden expert be a Seven Star Fiend? Could it be that when resisting the forces of Knifeblade Island, he was hiding his true power?”
“Hmph. Who cares what you are. If you hide yourself like a coward, I imagine you can’t be too strong.”
Ganmontin wielded his green serpentine longsword, grinning. “I didn’t expect the four of you are really chivalrous. You are actually willing to die for Olivier. Since that’s the case, I’ll oblige you.” Ganmontin laughed as he looked at Bates. “Your power isn’t bad. The first one I’ll deal with is you.”
Bates’ face changed slightly.
“Linley, if you don’t act, then I’m going to leave.” Bates hurriedly sent with divine sense. “I’m not a match for that old fellow!”
“Ganmontin!”
A voice rang out, and a figure suddenly appeared in front of Bates. His entire body was covered with azure-golden draconic scales. Beneath the dazzling light of the Violet Sun, he was very eye-catching. Those two dark golden eyes stared at Ganmontin. It was the transformed Linley!
“Ganmontin, today, you’d best leave. I don’t want to fight you.” Linley said.
Linley wasn’t completely certain of his ability to win this battle, but if he had to, he would use the Sovereign’s Might. However, Linley was rather unwilling to.
“So it was you!” Ganmontin was shocked. He stared at Linley in surprise, and then began to laugh loudly. “I didn’t expect that a core member of the Four Divine Beasts clan was hidden in your group. I am Ganmontin. Might I ask who you are?”
“Linley!” Linley said calmly and directly.
“Haha, Linley.” Ganmontin laughed loudly as he spoke. “Today, I’ve come here not for myself, but for my Lord Commander.”
“Commander?” Linley was stunned. He couldn’t help but think back to what the juvenile amethyst beast he had met back in the Amethyst Mountains had said. “Back then, that juvenile amethyst beast had said that he was a commander in Purgatory!” A commander of Purgatory was a position which Linley had yet to fully understand.
But given the power of the juvenile amethyst beast, Linley could guess.
“As a member of the Four Divine Beasts clan, I imagine you wouldn’t want to ruin the affairs of my Lord Commander.” Ganmontin laughed calmly as he spoke. Ganmontin was very self-confident. Even the clan leader of the Four Divine Beasts clan most likely wouldn’t offend his Lord Commander. Ganmontin laughed as he looked at Linley.
“Ganmontin, I’d like to ask you to leave.” Linley said calmly.