Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Lillian was enveloped in a translucent golden protective shield, her medium-length golden hair fluttered, revealing jade-like tender pointed ears and a delicate neck.
Black fog surged and converged, like a sharp sword, stabbing straight towards her.
Both Colin and Yasi's faces showed a look of surprise.
Whoosh!
At the critical moment, Colin instinctively pulled Lillian to dodge to one side.
However, everything was too sudden, and the sword-like black fog still hit Lillian's abdomen.
Swish!
The Ancient Tree Spring Necklace flashed a pale green light, and a drop of clear spring water was fed into Lillian's mouth by Colin.
After doing this, Colin suddenly realized that Lillian's injuries were far less severe than he had imagined.
Although it could be considered a severe injury, her body had not split open, she had not died instantly, there was just a penetrating wound.
"Octavia..."
The black fog dissipated, and Yasi, clad in pitch-black armor, did not pursue his advantage. Instead, he stared at Lillian, murmuring.
"What's with your pointed ears?" he questioned.
Lillian, pale-faced, did not respond.
Only then did Colin notice that her appearance had undergone another transformation,
perhaps fully activating her bloodline; Lillian now looked indistinguishable from a High-Level Elf.
Her beautiful pointed ears, pale yet delicate skin, and refined features which could be considered top-notch even among the Elf clan.
If he remembered correctly, this youthful appearance of Lillian he had seen only a handful of times, and now was the first time he had scrutinized her so closely.
'Lillian Senpai... seems to have become even more beautiful?'
The external change was just superficial; the transformation in her bloodline was the essence. Colin knew that Lillian's Elf bloodline had once again been elevated.
On the other side, Yasi had also come to this realization.
Seeing that Lillian did not respond, he suddenly became disinterested in speaking.
He turned to glance at Colin but chose not to take the opportunity to attack Colin, who seemed to be at the end of his strength.
Instead, he attacked the twisted trees again.
He had not forgotten his purpose; as long as he could interrupt Atbolde's recovery, he would have all the time he needed to deal with Colin and the others.
By this time, the eerie green glow of the twisted trees had almost completely enveloped the tree.
Yasi couldn't help feeling a bit more anxious.
Whoosh!
The next moment, Colin, after putting down Lillian, once again blocked his path.
"Get out of the way!" Yasi shouted irritably.
Boom!
The black fog, sharp as a cone, shot furiously towards Colin!
The Steel Temperature Resistance Field held momentarily before shattering once again, as did the Knight Armor.
As Colin was sent flying, the black fog cone drove straight in, striking another penetrating wound in his abdomen.
Fortunately, thanks to his Superbrain Talent and powerful body control ability, Colin managed to survive, without sustaining fatal injuries.
Strong Life Talent functioned as usual, desperately healing his bodily injuries.
However, the injuries caused by the black fog often left corrosive energy, slowing down the healing process more with each instance where the wounds did not fully recover.
Yet Yasi had once again headed towards the twisted trees.
Colin took a breath.
The chilly air of the snowy night was piercing to the heart, and his heart pounded violently from the battle, his blood still boiling.
He watched Yasi's rushing figure and met him once more!
Boom!
The next second, Colin was sent flying back even faster.
At this point, the ground cloaked by the black fog barrier resembled land plowed by a cannon, pockmarked with one hole after another.
These were all impressions made by his body.
The falling snow drifted calmly, treating everything equally, covering all but the latest holes with traces of white.
"Cough… cough, cough!"
Colin, shaking, stood up, coughing softly a few times. Through the wound in his abdomen, the falling white snow behind him was clearly visible.
"Give up, you can't take any more of my hits," Yasi said calmly. "As long as you cooperate, once I get the Black Mist Token from Atbolde and sign a contract with me, I'm willing to spare your life."
Yasi was not without depletion; his Black Mist Armor had visibly thinned a bit, and his voice was slightly breathless.
Though the Black Mist Armor was formidable, the strength of his own body was somewhat lagging.
Colin covered his mouth and coughed softly a few more times.
Yasi waited patiently.
However, after a few seconds, Colin continued to cough softly.
"I'll give you three seconds to think!" Yasi, his eyes cold, counted down. "Three... two... one!"
But the response he received was a flickering light of fire.
The orange-yellow Fireball stretched out, quickly forming a figure of the Fire Element.
"Ungrateful!" Yasi snorted coldly.
The black luminescence rushed towards the twisted trees.
Colin instinctively wanted to intercept again, while not forgetting to summon another Fire Element.
However, this time, Yasi waved his hand and threw a clump of black fog towards him.
Colin agilely dodged, but the black fog, as if sentient, caught up with him again.
Had it not been for his heavy injuries, the black fog wouldn't have been able to interfere with him at all.
But now, Colin could clearly feel his movement slowing due to the black fog.
Yasi was drawing nearer to the twisted tree.
Colin also felt his heart being squeezed tighter by an invisible hand, making it nearly impossible to breathe.