Book 21, The Peak – Chapter 41, Can He Actually Be...?
“Whoosh...”
Within the multicolored reaches of chaotic space, illusory ‘meteors’ of light and energy flew everywhere, forming the flood of rainbow-colored chaotic energy that filled the region.
More than ten figures were standing there within chaotic space, astonishment on all of their faces.
“I didn’t imagine that Orloff actually taught his ‘Golden Samsara Body’ to Augusta! Hmph, the blood essences of the Four Divine Beasts...in the end, they ended up in Orloff’s hands.” The Chief Sovereign of Destruction, Wodred, had a sunken, sinister look on his face. “It seems that Linley traded the blood essences of the Four Divine Beasts to Augusta, and Augusta then gave it to Orloff!”
The look on Wodred’s face grew increasingly ugly. “Linley, he...ugh!” Wodred felt frustration burning in his chest . Right at this moment, however, a hazy, illusory phantom began to emerge from Augusta’s body.
“Eh?” Linley was startled. He grew cautious, instantly fusing his water-type Sovereign clone and wind-type Sovereign clone back into his main body. “Linley, if you want to stay alive, you’d best depart!” Augusta said coldly.
“If you have any techniques, put them on display. Otherwise, I’m going to strike again.” Linley seemed quite magnanimous, but in reality, he was extremely cautious right now. He no longer felt certain he knew everything there was to know about Augusta; if he continued to attack with abandon, he might be tricked. It was best to be careful and defend, and first investigate the situation.
“Hmph. Die, then.” Augusta let out a cold sneer. Linley grew all the more cautious.
Augusta’s eyes flashed like lightning as he stared coldly at Linley. The illusory images surrounding his body suddenly spread out, forming into an enormous illusion of a golden titan that was a hundred meters tall. The awe-inspiring aura of the titan caused even Linley to grow anxious. “An innate divine ability? What sort of divine beast is Augusta? But he can’t be; he has 182 children!”
Linley had never heard anyone say that Augusta was a divine beast.
“BANG!” A golden blur shot out from Augusta’s moth, shooting at high speed towards Linley. Linley focused his concentration and used his Life Overgod Sword to block. But when that golden, illusory light struck against Linley’s Life Overgod Sword...
“Bang.” It disappeared.
“What?!” Linley was shocked. “That weak?” Just now, judging from Augusta’s attitude, Linley had thought that Augusta was preparing some supreme technique against him. He never imagined that this was just a fake technique. The attack power of that golden illusion probably wouldn’t have been able to scratch Linley, even if it had hit him head on. Clearly, it was just meant to make him nervous.
“Haha, Linley, you really are easy to fool.” Augusta’s wild laughter resonated in Linley’s mind.
“I was tricked again!” Linley’s face changed. By now, Augusta had already moved ten thousand kilometers away.
“Swoosh!” Linley instantly increased his speed to the limit, once more chasing at high speed. But within a short period of time, Linley understood something. “The Golden Samsara Body only allows him to strengthen his body, and make his material attacks slightly stronger! This is much like how my Dragonform strengthens my own body. However, given that I am ten times stronger than him, that increase in physical power isn’t able to change the balance of power by much at all.”
“Bang!” The inky jade fused power within Linley’s body was wildly bursting forth. Linley, in Dragonform, was constantly, ceaselessly closing the gap between himself and Augusta, as he continued to chase at full speed.
“Linley actually managed to increase in power by this much! That bit of power gained from the ‘Golden Samsara Body’ technique is completely useless against him.” Although Augusta acted arrogant and brash, in his heart, he felt miserable. Glancing backwards, he saw Linley continue to chase after him, and he said to himself...“Orloff, come quickly! Otherwise...”
The Celestial Realm. The Orloff Gardens.
There were eight Sovereigns who lived within the Orloff Gardens. One of them was naturally the master of the Orloff Gardens, Orloff.
“Linley actually managed to increase in power by this much and drive Augusta to such a state?” The white-haired, white-robed Orloff stood straight, his gaze cold and calm. “If he’s forced to his wits end, given Augusta’s temperament, he will definitely do ‘it’...and Wodred and the others will definitely be able to guess...”
“I have no other choice!” The white-robed elder, Orloff, waved his hand. Instantly, the entire Orloff Gardens began to rapidly shrink in size, then transformed into a blurry light that flew into Orloff’s body.
“Lord Orloff!” The servants in the garden, along with the other seven Sovereigns, all stared at him, puzzled. Why had Orloff taken away the Orloff Gardens?
“Slash...” Orloff’s face was heavy but calm. With a wave of his hand, he tore a rift in space in front of him, then immediately stepped into chaotic space.
These seven Sovereigns were the seven Sovereigns who had chosen to serve Orloff. Manlu and Borte were amongst their number as well. “Lord Orloff seems to be in a bad mood.” Manlu said with a frown. “In the past, no matter what difficulties Lord Orloff encountered, he would face them with a smile. Nothing was able to affect his temperament. But just now...”
A blue-haired, three-eyed beauty said, also puzzled, “What’s more, Lord Orloff rarely takes the Orloff Gardens with him when he travels.”
“Let’s go. We’ll go take a look as well.” The Sovereign of Fire, Borte, waved his hand as well, also tearing a rift in space, then immediately took the lead in entering it. The other six puzzled Sovereigns didn’t hesitate; they immediately charged into chaotic space after him, all wanting to learn what had happened.
But when they spread out their divine sense...
“What!?” The faces of the seven Sovereigns changed. “Linley and Augusta, two Chief Sovereign-level experts...” By the time they entered chaotic space, there were already more than twenty Sovereigns watching this fight. “No wonder Lord Orloff went over there. So it is because Augusta is in trouble.” Those subordinate Sovereigns all knew about the relationship between Orloff and Augusta. “Let’s go. Let’s fly over there, but let’s stay some distance away. Otherwise, if we are hit by any ripples of power, we might die from them.”
The seven Sovereigns also drew closer. Actually, many of the spectating Sovereigns were drawing closer towards Linley and Augusta. Only, at the same time, they maintained a minimum distance of at least a few billion kilometers. At this distance, given a Sovereign’s reaction speed, they should be absolutely safe.
Energy ripples couldn’t possibly travel so far and still have enough power to injure a Sovereign. Linley and Augusta were only a few hundred kilometers apart. To close from ten thousand kilometers to a few hundred; from this, one could tell the difference in speed between the two.
A thousand years ago, Linley’s speed was already slightly faster than Augusta’s. Because his power had increased tenfold when he fused the four profound mysteries together, although that was primarily in terms of attack power, and his speed hadn’t increased by much, it had still increased by a bit. The Profound Mysteries of Explosion did, after all, contain some aspects that would help one move more quickly. Augusta’s body was transforming and his speed was increasing, but even so, he was still somewhat slower than Linley.
“Oh, Orloff came?” Linley’s divine sense easily located Orloff. Augusta discovered Orloff’s arrival as well. Overjoyed, he hurriedly sent to Linley, “Linley, the news that you are chasing after and trying to kill me has already made its way to Lord Orloff. You should know...that after this Planar War, Lord Orloff owes me yet another favor. If you dare attack me, Lord Orloff will definitely kill you.”
“Hmph. Augusta, save your strength. There’s no point to you threatening me.” Linley laughed coldly, and his speed increased once more as he pulled to within two hundred kilometers.
“Linley.” A warm, gentle voice rang out. “Lord Orloff.” Linley replied with great courtesy. Orloff was currently hurrying over from the Celestial Realm, while Linley and Augusta had just flown out from the Divine Light Plane not long ago. The distance between the two planes was simply too fast. Even if Orloff flew over at maximum speed, he would most likely still need several minutes to arrive. For Sovereigns...a single second was enough to exchange countless blows. Multiple minutes? That was enough for Linley and Augusta to finish their fight to the death.
“Linley, Augusta is my good friend. No matter what sort of hatred you and Augusta bear each other, I would like to urge you, Linley, to temporarily let it rest.” Orloff sent. “Impossible.” Linley refused. “Give me some face. What do you say?” Orloff was still very calm.
Although in the past, Linley felt good-will towards Orloff, the current Linley couldn’t help but feel a hint of anger towards him. In the past, when Augusta had deceived Linley and taken his Four Divine Beasts blood essences, the Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, had been his accomplice. And now, Orloff was urging him to spare Augusta!
“My apologies. Today, he must definitely die!” Linley’s attitude became even more unyielding. Linley and Augusta were now less than a hundred kilometers apart.
“Linley, can it be that you insist on killing him right in front of me?” The Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, finally grew angry. His words became somewhat fierce as well. “I wanted to be friends with you, but you...if you insist on doing this, then in the future, I will have no choice but to kill you! I imagine that if I want to kill you, there’s no one who can stop me!”
Linley’s heart sank. Orloff was going to act? But in the next instant, he made his decision and planned out his retreat.
“Linley, if you give up now, you and I will remain friends.” Orloff sent. “Are you suggesting that we previously were friends?” Linley sneered. “If we were friends, why would you help Augusta deceive me? He said he would return free will to my mother, but that was a pure lie. I refuse to believe that you, the exalted Chief Sovereign of Fate, wouldn’t know about the secrets of restoring free will to an Angel.”
Orloff let out a sigh. “Linley, so that’s what you are so angry about. Originally, I was asking a favor from Augusta, so I had no choice.”
“Linley!” Orloff’s voice suddenly grew sharp. This was because...Linley was now less than twenty meters away from Augusta. “Kill!” Linley showed no mercy at all; the Life Overgod Sword in his hands once more shot out. “Crackle...” The irresistibly sharp sword energy formed into a beam. In the face of that being, the fabric of reality in chaotic space was as weak as tissue paper. It was easily pierced through as the beam of sword energy landed on Augusta’s body.
The sword energy beam was simply too thick; the Lightsaber was unable to completely block it. The beam of energy passed through Augusta’s waist, actually bisecting Augusta in half as his waist was transformed into dust.
Augusta’s speed slowed, and Linley instantly arrived.
“Orloff, I have no other choice!” Augusta suddenly laughed loudly, and madness appeared in his eyes as he stared at Linley. “Linley, in countless years...no one has ever been able to force me to this state. I have no choice but to violate the pact between Orloff and myself. You...shall die now!” The deep, berserk voice echoed within Linley’s mind.
But Linley just laughed coldly in his heart. Augusta had tried this trick last time; to frighten him with a bluff. “What, you want to use the same tactic twice in a row?” Linley sent back. “I know exactly how strong you are now. Unless you truly have an innate divine ability or some other unique attacks, there is nothing you can do. Unfortunately, you do not.” As he spoke, Linley once again lifted up his Life Overgod Sword. The bisected Augusta was no longer able to dodge as easily as he had in the past.
Augusta’s face was just cold and emotionless...and then, he let out a savage howl as he raised his head. “Rumble...” Blurry, illusory images suddenly appeared.
The phantom of a Vermillion Bird appeared from Augusta’s head. His left side released the phantom of an Azure Dragon that was three meters long, while his right side released the phantom of the divine beast, White Tiger. Beneath his vanished waist lay the phantom of the divine beast, Black Tortoise.
Augusta stared coldly at Linley.
“Impossible!” Linley howled wildly in his heart. This technique, amazingly enough, was the supreme technique which the Chief Sovereign of Destruction, Wodred, had developed after researching the fused innate divine ability of the Four Divine Beasts – Spacetime Paradox!
“Wodred said that he only told the Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, about his supreme technique, and that he had Orloff swear an Overgod oath that he would not teach it to anyone else! The Chief Sovereign of Destruction couldn’t possibly have taught it to Augusta. Then...” A light went off in Linley’s head.
Linley stared in astonishment at Augusta, who was currently executing ‘Spacetime Paradox’. “Can it be him?”
Right at this moment, the surrounding space in chaotic space was already beginning to twist, distort, and change, thanks to this ‘Spacetime Paradox’ technique...