Xorr’Vaedryn and his teammates remained quiet at his taunt... they were still shocked, their eyes roaming between Levi and the abyss that had devoured their summons.
Arthur had gotten rid of their first army, which pushed them to double their efforts in the next one... they had invested more than 70% of their energy to bolster their forces. In the end, the same scenario repeated. Their armies had been eradicated before they could kill a single Daywalker under the eyes of billions of spectators.
How could they dare summon more?
To make matters worse, they had absolutely no clue how Levi had eradicated their army so effortlessly... which scared them more than anything else, as it was a first.
Whoaaah!!!
-What the hell did Levi do? What kind of witchcraft is this?!- Sergio exclaimed.
-Dear lord... this is my first time seeing a Summoner getting bitch-handled like this.- Rayan laughed.
-Hahaha! Serves them right! Summoners are the worst. All they do is summon troops to fight while they hide behind them like pussies!-
-Insane... I don’t think I have ever seen such a spiritual ability before.-
The spectators’ chatter broke across the sky, the majority shocked but thrilled. They had never seen an army of summons getting countered this badly. Although most of them had no clue how Levi pulled it off, they still cheered him on.
Meanwhile, Gamemaster Envy, Bishop Na’thir, Bishop Va’ren, and the rest of the authoritative powerhouses among the stands shared a different sentiment... their expressions a mixture of seriousness and intrigue.
"That Lantern... it might not be a replica of the Unburdened Wardens’ Lanterns, but why does it feel like it possesses their powers?" Bishop Va’ren frowned deeply.
His reaction was more or less shared by his peers, who were somehow familiar with the Unburdened Wardens, the guides of lost souls to their final resting place.
’He has already proved that his affinity to Aether energy is abnormal... now this?’ Bishop Na’thir held his chin thoughtfully. ’This can’t be related to his Radian Bloodline... Aether energy is as special as solar energy... it is extremely rare for one to be born with such a high affinity to it when no one has access to its realm.’
Bishop Na’thir and the others had a feeling that Levi’s Lantern was linked to the Aether Realm one way or another... their theory had some merit when considering that almost all summoners across the universe relied on the wandering wisps within the Aether Realm to breathe life into their summons.
After all, they couldn’t create summons with their own unique souls... that was some high-end-level technique. Instead, most summoners’ abilities opened one-way gateways to the Aether Realm to call for the wandering wisps to inhabit their creations.
If Levi was capable of pulling the wandering wisps inside the Lantern with a mere order, it could only imply that the Lantern’s authority over the wandering wisps was much higher than their own summoners’!
This could not be possible without sharing a connection to the elusive Aether Realm.
’This boy... he is truly a treasure trove of secrets.’ Bishop Na’thir’s gaze turned green with greed. ’I have to get my hands on them... I must.’
’Such immense spiritual power... I was planning to use him as a pawn to kill that bastard, but now...’ Bishop Va’ren licked his lips. ’His powers might be the missing piece to a high alchemical advancement.’
Bishop Va’ren understood more than anyone else just how important it was for an alchemist to be in tune with spirits and such... after all, most high-grade Potions or Evolutionary Formulas required a Wisp-Bound Artifact... one with a dormant wisp within it.
While Levi’s Lantern had shifted the enemies’ gaze to his importance for their goals, Levi kept his focus grounded in the game.
He knew that the moment the Lantern made an appearance, he would no longer be seen as a mere prodigy from a lesser planet... but as someone of universal talent, as not many beings possessed such immense closeness to the forbidden Aether Realm.
Yet, he no longer cared... he could not act weak anymore to avoid trouble when his friends and allies’ lives depended on him to lead them to victory.
Speaking of which, Nurah, Arthur, Shia, Evangeline, Tyrese, and the rest of Levi’s teammates showed a mixture of reactions.
Tyrese swallowed a little in dread, having no clue what had happened... his spiritual vision wasn’t as keen, so he couldn’t see the river of wisps flowing toward them.
The same wasn’t true for Jojo and the other Psych Specialists in the game... Daywalkers and Nightcrawlers alike.
"He didn’t kill the summons..." Jojo murmured in a daze. "It was targeted soul extraction... Absolute priority override... just what kind of Nightcrawler did he really sign with?"
Levi’s friends knew that he was digging deeper into the Aether Aspect, but still... this was the first time they began to realize that he was getting too good at it, too fast.
Only two had a tame reaction: Arthur and Jasmine... the only ones who knew of Levi’s secret.
Arthur stepped next to his brother and asked in a solemn tone, "Big Bro, what’s the plan?"
’I will deal with the werewolf,’ Levi uttered calmly while walking forward. ’Kill the summoners while they are defenseless.’
Levi recognized that if he failed to eliminate Fang before his partner joined, their situation would get much grimmer.
Hearing this, everyone showed a battle-ready face... However, just as they were about to follow Levi, a sudden horn pierced the air.
BWWOOOOOOOOM...
Everyone froze in place... Then, a second blast followed.
This time, the atmosphere seemed to shift as the abyss’s howls grew louder, and even the wind’s speed picked up, making it slightly harder to maintain their balance on the spinning rope.
Before anyone could react, Gamemaster Envy’s excited voice resounded loudly.
"It is time for the Jackpot to make an appearance! Keep your eyes wide open, the Winged Horn is about to spawn!"
Hearing this, the Rifters’ expressions turned serious... even Fang looked around him, awaiting the Winged Horn’s spawn.
The details hadn’t mentioned how many points this horn would give them, but everyone knew that the term Jackpot wasn’t used lightly by Gamemasters. A single Winged Horn might award them fifty points at once or even more!
"There! I see it!"
Mira’s pupils thinned as she raised a slender finger toward the sky.
A tiny golden horn hovered above the abyss’s gaping mouth... no bigger than a pigeon. Delicate angelic wings fluttered at its sides, keeping it suspended as it drifted lazily in slow circles, gleaming innocently against the darkness below.
Everyone’s expressions immediately turned ugly.
’That prick wants us to commit suicide!’ Arthur cursed.
His reaction was similar to everyone else’s, including the Nightcrawlers... when Gamemaster Envy saw their hidden glares targeting him, he merely smirked.
"Just to let you know... each Winged Horn is worth a hundred Giant Horns."
The instant these words left his mouth, the Rifters’ demeanor changed... they realized that the Winged Horns might be the definition of courting death, but there was no way in hell they were going to allow their enemies to claim them.
"Change of plans... The Winged Horn is our topmost priority," Levi said solemnly. "If they take it, we are done for."