One-Eyed Monster

Flames roasted the Diamond Wall, and in a short while, steam began to rise from its surface.

Upon seeing the effectiveness of his method, Wizard Yuga didn’t bother adjusting the temperatures anymore and directly summoned a Wind Spirit to fan the flames into a larger blaze.

Fire and water are natural opposites. In a confrontation between the two, it eventually comes down to who can maintain the greater momentum.

Where fire meets water, it is a matter of life and death, with no possibility for both sides to win. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Battle Pet mustered all its strength to conjure the greatest possible blaze. Its mission would be complete as long as it could vaporize these Water Folk, especially with the help of the Wind Elemental.

The Water Folk were not to be underestimated. Seeing the growing steam, they understood this represented their own losses, so they knew they had to draw more resources from their source to combat the raging flames.

The Water Folk increased their volume, and in a moment, the entire momentum reversed. The fire gave rise to thick Black Smoke that, against the darkness, formed heavy, wheel-like shapes.

Stan Sol could hear the groans of Battle Pet Fiery Blaze. The intensity of this confrontation was slightly beyond what it could bear. But if Stan Sol were to abruptly recall Fiery Blaze now, the diamond barricade and the Wind Elemental would collapse under the onslaught of the Water Folk. Once this line of defense was broken, the impact from the Water Folk would disrupt their Alchemy Array formation, and it was likely that someone would get hurt.

”Let me lend you a hand!” Suddenly, a ball of fire rapidly rushed over. The flames generated by Battle Pet Fiery Blaze swelled dramatically...

”Who summoned this Flame Elemental? Do we have another Wizard among us?” Wizard Yuga couldn’t help but ask, aware that there weren’t many Wizards here who could summon elementals—to be precise, he was the only Wizard present.

”It was not summoned by a Wizard; they are Spirits in their own right,” Kadi loudly responded to Yuga, knowing full well that it was the Little Black Hands lending a hand.

”Let’s not discuss this now. Let’s deal with the situation at hand first,” said Kevin, who had retreated after delivering a strike.

At this point, they had split into three groups: Stan Sol, Yuga, and others were resisting the Water Folk’s onslaught; Kevin, Milo, and others were battling the shards remotely controlled by Wizard Reed; and the remaining members, Great Mentor Guzan and Kuyi Tulan, were preparing the Alchemy Array.

Wizard Reed was, at this moment, incessantly voicing his complaints and anger. Although few people were listening to what he was saying, he carried on relentlessly.

Seeing Great Mentor Guzan and the others setting up the array, he remained unruffled. He was confident that he could ensnare everyone here.

However, his instincts once again took over his actions, as he instinctively determined that Great Mentor Guzan was the one who had hidden the Ancient Key. Only now did he realize he’d been kept in the dark all along. Previously, he thought someone had impersonated Great Mentor Guzan’s Spirit Power to lure him into a reckless advance, but now he understood it wasn’t an impersonation at all—it was Great Mentor Guzan himself. He wished he hadn’t missed that golden opportunity to strike.

If he had acted then, he might be on his way to the Black Crow’s Nest now...

However, he had misjudged the situation, thinking these people were trying to deceive him. Now I know I was overthinking, he realized. There aren’t so many traps in this world; sometimes, one just thinks too much.

And these people dared to use the real thing as bait! It really is true that the most dangerous place is the safest...

When Wizard Reed thought of this, he was filled with rage. He felt played, and now he wanted to retaliate! This was an instinctive impulse.

If rationality had dominated him, he would not have thought like this. He would probably have planned properly, confirmed his target, and then sought revenge upon achieving his goal.

Indeed, many find it difficult to understand instinctive impulses. Often, people don’t realize how impulsive they’ve been until after they’ve acted, perhaps even still thinking everything was normal.

Right now, Wizard Reed was in such a state. He once again clenched his fists, clearly intensifying his Puppets’ attack.

The new monsters made of shards were quick and reactive, truly experts in combat.

All of this was under Wizard Reed’s control. He was merely playing with them using his Puppets. He wanted to disgust them with this simple method before striking them with a much fiercer attack.

The new monsters sped up, aiming to break through the first line of defense with their speed advantage.

Guarding this line of defense were the battle-oriented Milo and Kevin, who grew more excited as the fight intensified. Even Brad was constantly trying to go Berserk, hoping to smash an entire assembled monster with a single punch.

But these assembled monsters were no pushovers. They could easily keep pace and were remarkably agile.

Unbelievably, these assembled bastards could dodge Kevin’s famously swift blade strikes.

What on earth is happening?! Kevin’s continuous misses were fueling his negativity.

His master had always taught him that every strike should hit its mark, a lesson Kevin had ingrained in his heart. A miss is the disgrace of the one wielding the weapon!

But before he knew it, Kevin had swung numerous empty slashes.

If this were an ordinary situation, Kevin would have been furious long ago. But the situation was special now; with Wizard Reed’s continuous assaults, he couldn’t let his emotions affect the overall battle.

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were all flustered. Including the instinct-driven Wizard Reed, the entire scene looked chaotic.

Even Great Mentor Guzan and Kuyi Tulan were entirely at their wits’ end, not knowing what to prioritize in the current situation.

Setting up the array was indeed important, but the Dark Wizard’s fierce attacks were pressuring everyone, leaving them scrambling to cope. They were eager to lend a hand, but their current mission did not permit them to do so.

Setting up a sealing array required an abundance of Spirit Power and physical resources. If they paused now, it would be extremely difficult to restart.

Now, they could only hope that the chaotic frontline could hold off these troublesome foes until the sealing array was complete. Only then could they deal with other matters.

Once they had made up their minds, they could not waver. Both Kuyi Tulan and Master Guzan understood this. At this moment, their hearts echoed with a single plea: Please, everyone, hold on!