Chapter 1047: Brief Battle [part 2]
Eli stood, gripping his staff with deceptive casualness. He studied the acclaimed Sage, emotions warring across his features like storm clouds.
Was he truly a Sage? Was he lying? A Paragon in disguise? How could he read the speed of that attack? How did he deflect a Paragon’s power so effortlessly? A Sage? A Sage???
Questions cascaded through his mind like an avalanche—he was devastatingly confused.
Northern lowered his sword until the tip nearly kissed the ground.
"So... my turn?"
Eli’s eyes narrowed to slits as he braced himself. Of course, he didn’t know that nothing—absolutely nothing—could prepare him for what was about to unfold.
Northern drew a deep breath... then exhaled. And vanished. Literally.
Nahia’s eyes went wide as saucers.
’What tri—’
Before her thoughts could form, another impact thundered across the battlefield. She couldn’t grasp what had transpired—everything had moved faster than her eyes could track.
But the impact was devastating. It shattered the ground and launched stone fragments skyward like deadly confetti. The first shockwave rippled outward, violently displacing everything in its path. Even the airship behind them shuddered—something that hadn’t happened when Eli’s attack landed.
Dust and debris shrouded the battlefield’s center, concealing the outcome from all eyes.
Nahia’s hands clenched into fists, barely restraining herself from plunging into that storm of dust. Worry gnawed at her because of the massive shockwave, her brow creasing with confusion and skepticism. Yet she remained defiantly confident in her Headmaster’s inevitable victory.
Until the obscurity cleared.
And they all could see.
Her face twisted in denial.
"What?"
Her eyes trembled like leaves in a hurricane.
"T–T–That c—cannot be!"
The others merely exhaled, as though they’d been holding their breath for the expected result.
Selis appeared stunned as well, but not devastated like Nahia. Where Nahia felt terror, Selis felt awe.
’I guess... he really can defeat a Paragon.’
At the battlefield’s heart, Eli had collapsed to one knee. His staff lay nowhere in sight, and Northern’s blade hovered at his throat, the steel nearly touching his Adam’s apple.
He swallowed hard, staring at Northern with raw disbelief etched in every line of his face.
"What? Do you want a rematch?"
Eli sighed and shook his head, a rueful smile ghosting across his lips.
"No. I admit defeat—complete and utter defeat. I underestimated you gravely... even when I thought I could measure your strength, I was still blind."
Northern scoffed.
"Whatever you’re thinking right now, after witnessing this... is probably still you being blind."
He released the illusioned Hefter and extended a helping hand to Eli.
"Welcome aboard."
Eli stared at the offered hand for a heartbeat, then grasped it and allowed Northern to pull him upright.
"Don’t feel bad. I’m a cheater—it was only natural that I’d defeat you."
By then, Nahia had stormed over.
Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at Northern.
"You cutthroat! You cheated! I knew it—you could never defeat the Headmaster fairly!"
"Nahia. Stop. You’re only embarrassing me."
Eli’s stern warning cut through her tirade like a blade.
She immediately fell silent, shrinking like a scolded puppy. Her head dropped, and she bowed slightly.
"I apologize to the Headmaster."
Eli regarded her with a gentle smile, sighed, then slipped his hands into his robes.
"Please, Sage Rian, lead the way."
Northern guided them toward the airship. The group walked together, Northern and Eli trailing at the rear. As they approached the ship’s stairs, Eli’s gaze swept over the vessel’s intricate, alien design.
"What is this... it doesn’t look like it was forged here..."
Northern answered with casual indifference.
"Yeah, some unique builder crafted it—probably a Tyrant himself or someone who served one closely. Later, the Origins reshaped it into a Prison, then Chaos Prince added his own touches to make it home. That’s pretty much the story."
Eli stopped dead, forcing Northern—who was already climbing—to halt and glance back.
"What?"
Eli’s frame trembled slightly.
"So... uhm... Sage Rian... I don’t understand... why am I coming with you?"
Northern’s brow furrowed.
"What do you mean? Having a Paragon on the team would be a tremendous asset to the crew."
Eli forced out a weak chuckle.
"Ah ah... I see..."
Northern’s frown deepened like a chasm.
"Why the question? Don’t tell me you want to break your word now?"
"Ah ah ah... it’s not that... it’s just that I think I’m having a crisis of confidence right now. I’m not sure I deserve a place here... I’m a Paragon, yet I’ve never even glimpsed a stool the Chaos Prince sat on, let alone owned his former airship."
Northern’s expression softened into a smile.
"Oh, that’s it? Don’t worry about it—at least you know who Chaos Prince is. Let’s go."
Eli climbed the stairs, and when he finally reached the deck, his face drained of all color. His expression turned rigid as marble, and his hands flew open—white sparks crackling around his fingers like miniature lightning.
Northern sensed the shift in atmosphere and quickly raised a cautioning hand.
"Please, you don’t need to do that. They’re all my subordinates."
Eli halted the summoning and straightened his spine. His gaze darted between Northern and the creatures looming behind him, bewilderment washing over his features like a tide.
A humanoid monster with onyx skin and ivory lines etched across his body stood at one point, gripping a staff crowned with a crescent moon. His presence radiated power like heat from a forge.
Another—obsidian-skinned and leaner than the first—commanded the deck’s far end. His eyes were sharp as razors and narrow as slits, sending ice-cold tendrils crawling up Eli’s spine.
Sweat rolled beneath his robes.
There was a smaller horned creature, a knighted figure draped in a flowing white cloak, and even a massive white wolf lounging somewhere in the background. Yet none of them unnerved him like these two titans.
Even though Northern had asked him to relax, Eli found it impossible. How could anyone expect calm in the face of such ferociously powerful monsters? The very suggestion was outrageous. Every instinct screamed at him to flee this cursed vessel immediately!
He turned to Northern, his expression a mixture of disbelief and dawning horror.
"Sage Rian... really... who in the world are you?"
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