But the moment he removed his hood, everyone involuntarily gasped.
The eyes of the boy—no, those could no longer be called eyes.
Two masses of flowing crimson-gold flames burned within his eye sockets, illuminating his softly contoured face, yet making him look eerie and terrifying, like a demon emerged from the Abyss.
Those eyes were filled with a haunting strangeness.
It was as if something otherworldly was staring at everyone through them.
Clone Ron’s aura contrasted starkly with his handsome appearance, an almost tangible pressure that made the surrounding air grow heavy.
It was like a predator on the hunt, ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.
"Everyone, be careful!" Eliot growled in a low voice, "This is not an ordinary clone!"
"Hmph, it’s just an Alchemist’s clone, I want to see how strong it is!"
Disregarding Eliot’s warning, Kaiser charged at Clone Ron, his right arm swelling again, covered with thicker red scales.
"Kaiser, stop!" Eliot shouted, but it was too late.
Kaiser’s fist, full of frenzied momentum, struck towards Clone Ron’s head from the side.
This blow, if hit, would be enough to shatter the head of an ordinary opponent.
However, Clone Ron didn’t even turn to look at him; he merely sidestepped slightly and casually lifted his left hand.
"Ding!"
A clear sound of metal clashing.
Kaiser’s fist was blocked by a flowing metallic barrier, a thin, fluid shield wall shimmering with faint silver light.
The shield wall appeared precisely in the path of the fist, perfectly dispersing all the impact force.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Kaiser’s fist hung in mid-air, his triumphant smile frozen, turning into incredulous astonishment.
Clone Ron traced a strange rune with his right hand in front of his chest and gently pushed it towards Kaiser.
—Sound Wave Oscillation - Erosion State
Invisible ripples spread from his palm, accompanied by a chilling murmur, directly striking the target.
Kaiser had no time to dodge, his whole body struck as if by lightning.
Instantly, numerous black spots surfaced on his body, as if being eroded by some invisible force.
"Ah—!"
He let out a miserable scream, his body uncontrollably thrown back over ten meters, crashing heavily to the ground, convulsing, black foam oozing from his mouth.
"Kaiser!" Noren exclaimed, threads flying out, trying to pull the comrade back to the safe zone.
"Don’t go!" Eliot shouted sharply:
"That power is not an ordinary magic attack; it carries some bizarre erosive nature!"
Just then, Clone Ron casually raised his hand again.
But this time, his palm was aimed not at any of the Crystal Tower apprentices.
Rather, it locked onto Lina within the defense circle—the core maintaining the Crystal Tower Squad’s spiritual link.
Invisible ripples spread from his palm, accompanied by chilling whispers, directly striking Lina.
The vaguely audible words seemed to come from some distant starry sky, each syllable as if it could tear the soul apart.
Compared to Eliot’s "Starry Whisperer," this directly cast raving was evidently much stronger, like the difference between a candle and the sun.
It was an unweakened primal force, directly from the deepest darkness of the universe.
Lina had no time to react; her whole body as if plunged into acid, instantly covered with countless black spots, black liquid oozing from her eyes, ears, and mouth.
Her mouth opened, trying to scream, but she could only make weak whimpering sounds, filled with pain and fear.
Even more terrifying, through the spiritual link, this erosion effect instantly spread to all her connected teammates.
Kaiser, Jacqueline, Noren, and others without exception fell to the ground rolling, wailing in pain, their bodies showing similar black spots as Lina.
Their bodies uncontrollably convulsed, black tears streaming from their eyes, the same colored foam spilling from their mouths.
The most terrifying was Kaiser, doubly eroded, his whole body dissolving like black water.
In such a state where both soul and body are completely corroded, not even Valen could save him...
In an instant, the entire platform was filled with cries of agony and groans.
The elite team of the Crystal Tower, under Clone Ron’s single attack, was nearly entirely wiped out.
The geniuses who had fought so fiercely now lay on the ground like broken dolls, with no power to resist.
Only Eliot, who had disconnected from the spiritual link in advance, was spared, but seeing his comrades in such a terrible state brought a deep despair to his heart.
He couldn’t believe a single magic could cause such devastation.
The blonde young man wanted to go forward to help Lina, but his legs instinctively retreated.
The oppressiveness was like a mountain pressing on his chest, nearly suffocating him.
It was a fear stemming from deep within the soul, a primal survival instinct warning him to stay away from that terrifying existence.
Clone Ron didn’t spare a glance at the Crystal Tower apprentices lying all over the ground, as if they were mere ants on the roadside.
His gaze directly locked onto those clones that had been affected but had not yet completely lost their combat capabilities.