She gradually gained the upper hand, as the duplicate began to show signs of fatigue.
Both were covered in blood, but the fighting spirit in their eyes remained undiminished.
The duplicate’s movements became erratic, clearly due to excessive energy consumption leading to a loss of control.
"It’s now!" Ron thought silently, but did not voice out to disrupt Dale’s fighting rhythm.
Seemingly sensing her master’s intent, Dale suddenly leaped back, creating distance.
Her hands were raised high, and all the surrounding water molecules were instantly mobilized, forming a lifelike water dragon in the air.
"Tide of Fury!"
The water dragon roared and dove downwards, directly crashing into the exhausted duplicate.
The immense impact sent the duplicate flying, crashing heavily against a crystal pillar with a muffled thud.
The surface of the crystal pillar displayed a spiderweb-like crack, from which red energy seeped out.
The duplicate struggled to stand, but Dale was already in front of her, eyes shining with the light of victory.
"You said you wanted to devour me," Dale’s voice was low, carrying a coldness beyond her years: "But on the contrary, what’s to be devoured is you."
She bent down, opened her mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
At that moment, her expression mirrored what the duplicate had shown earlier:
Innocence mixed with extreme cruelty, only her eyes retained a clear rationality.
What happened next was shocking, even to Ron.
Dale, like the most primal predator, tore open the duplicate’s throat, gulping down the dark red liquid.
Her actions were both elegant and brutal, as if performing an ancient ritual, each movement filled with a kind of primitive grace.
The duplicate struggled, eyes filled with disbelief, as if unable to comprehend being conquered in such a manner.
Her body gradually became transparent, eventually turning into countless specks of light disappearing into the air.
Instead of dispersing, these specks of light were all absorbed by Dale, merging into her being.
"I can feel it..." Dale murmured, her eyes slightly dazed: "Her power... her memory... they’re all mine now..."
Her body began to glow, as if infused with some mysterious energy.
Complex golden patterns surfaced on her skin, resembling scales, covering her entire body, forming a peculiar decoration.
The way the patterns flowed was like hidden currents in the sea, carrying a certain ancient and mysterious rhythm.
Dale’s body floated upwards, enveloped by a light of golden blue.
Her silver hair grew more lustrous, as if imbued with the essence of moonlight;
Tiny scale patterns appeared on the surface of her skin, each shimmering with a pearly sheen;
Her eyes turned completely pure gold, with starlike specks within the pupils.
As the light faded, Dale slowly descended, her entire aura transformed.
The conflicting sense of innocence and cruelty was gone, replaced by a harmony and balance.
"Master..." Dale opened her eyes, her golden pupils reflecting Ron’s figure, her voice filled with incredulous joy:
"I feel... so wonderful... it’s like I truly understand who I am for the first time... it’s as if all the water in the world is singing to me..."
Ron stepped forward, gently stroking her hair, with a satisfied smile on his face:
"Congratulations, Dale, you have evolved into a ’Pure-blooded Sea Siren’, a nobler, purer existence."
Dale looked at her own hands in amazement, with just a thought, water gathered at her fingertips, forming exquisite shapes—a bird, a flower, a fish...
These water shapes were precise to every detail, like masterpieces crafted by a sculptor, several times more accurate than before.
"I can feel my control over water has become much stronger... and..."
She blinked her large golden eyes, and said excitedly:
"My Charm Song has changed too, it’s no longer just an enticing lure for hunting, there’s so much it can do."
Dale tried humming a few notes, and the surrounding crystals immediately resonated, producing harmonious melodies.
Some damaged crystal pillars even began to repair themselves, the cracks slowly closing.
Ron smiled, patting the little sea siren’s head, and continued forward with Trish and Holt.
As they left, he habitually patted his waist:
"It should be almost time... to harvest that one..."
......
Eliot stood in the distance, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, quietly watching the terrifying being who defeated all opponents effortlessly.
His large ears were still trembling slightly, capturing every energy fluctuation, every minute sound.
This innate sensitivity had become a torment at this moment.
He could "hear" the painful moans of his companions clearly, the horror of the process of being eroded and tainted.
Kaiser, Jacqueline, Noren, Lina... the most outstanding apprentices of the Crystal Tower.
Were thus utterly defeated by the duplicate Ron’s strike, like leaves swept away by a gale.
Especially Kaiser, the always arrogant talent of strength, now reduced to a black paste, emitting a nauseating odor.
Eliot’s mind raced, trying to comprehend everything happening before him.
A normal trial duplicate could not possess such immense power, nor could it have such a clear sense of self-awareness and capability.
This defied all the rules he had known.
"Why not kill me?" he asked somewhat nervously, while his mind rapidly sought an escape plan.
His fingers discreetly reached towards his waist.
The duplicate Ron extended a finger, gently shaking it, like an adult scolding a naughty child:
"Because you’re useful, Wind Listener. Your talent can help me find certain... hidden things."
Eliot’s heartbeat skipped a beat.
He understood the duplicate’s intent.
The other party wanted to use his "Wind Listener" Special Talent to find something.
A peculiar feeling surged within him, causing him to feel vulnerable for the first time because of his talent.
"So, you just need a living navigator."
Eliot tried to maintain a calm tone, while quietly reaching for the emblem at his waist, hoping to activate it to escape at a critical moment.
"Smart."
The duplicate nodded in approval, the fiery eyes showing a hint of admiration:
"But I won’t give you too much time to think. Now, get to work."
Eliot could catch the slight change in energy fluctuation from the duplicate, signaling that if he didn’t cooperate, he would immediately suffer a fatal blow.
Although confident in a safe escape, he decided to first listen to what the other had planned:
"I need to know what you’re looking for; my talent requires a clear target to work."
The duplicate Ron took a moment to ponder, seemingly contemplating how much information to reveal.
He surveyed the surroundings, ensuring no threats were overlooked, then spoke:
"An ’Awakened’. He’s infiltrated this trial space and is undergoing transformation somewhere."
Eliot’s large ears instinctively perked up, beginning to capture the surrounding energy fluctuations.
This was the natural activation of his talent, needing no deliberate control.
He closed his eyes, allowing his senses to open completely, letting various information wash over like a tide.
To ordinary people, the world was composed of light and shadow, color and shape;
But to Eliot’s perception, everything turned into various frequencies and fluctuations.
Every material, every energy, every life form had its unique "sound."
He carefully discerned these "sounds," isolating the unusual frequencies mismatched with the spatial background.
Soon, he captured an extremely distorted energy fluctuation, the sound harsh and chaotic, like multiple disharmonious instruments playing at once.
"Interesting... I indeed heard some abnormal fluctuations."
Eliot said cautiously, not wanting to disclose too much prematurely:
"But it doesn’t belong to this space’s native energy pattern, more like something forced in."
The duplicate Ron’s eyes lit up, the fiery gold flashing intensely: "Direction?"
Eliot pointed towards a shadowed area in the northwest corner of the platform:
"That way. But I warn you, that energy fluctuation... is very chaotic, like a fusion of various forces. I have never ’heard’ such a twisted frequency."
The duplicate said no more, gesturing for Eliot to lead the way.