One-Eyed Monster

Kadi naturally didn’t understand Hustace’s explanations. Although Hustace felt he had already explained things quite clearly, Kadi still couldn’t grasp the mystery behind them. Kadi didn’t understand what the Symbols Hustace mentioned meant, nor did he understand what searching for similar Symbols entailed. Under Hustace’s narration, everything became very complex and seemed to have no connection to what was happening before their eyes.

In Kadi’s view, Igor has his eyes closed, but what he’s doing is hard to figure out. It’s possible Igor is just sleeping; after all, he must be exhausted from the Inner World. Then again, it’s not impossible that Igor is delving into his Inner World once more, especially since the enemy is an unknown quantity, and who knows what new trick they might pull... Kadi could only guess wildly like this because he couldn’t comprehend Hustace’s explanation. However, his guesses were, after all, just shots in the dark. Even with Hustace’s explanation, he was completely lost as to what was actually happening.

Accompanied by sinister laughter—”HEH HEH HEH, HA HA HA!”—the entire Moonflow Stream was now enveloped in an eerie atmosphere. Wizard Reed’s remnant was running rampant, completely disregarding everyone present. In the eyes of Wizard Reed’s remnant, these people were mere Insect Worms, incapable of amounting to anything, so it took its time. This sliver of remnant seemed to carry not only Wizard Reed’s desire for revenge but also his arrogance. The ”HEH HEH HEH, HA HA HA!” laughter was the best evidence of this.

Regardless, the eerie scene had taken shape, and with no significant changes occurring, no one present altered their actions—except for Kadi and Hustace. Kadi was completely puzzled. Indeed, Hustace’s explanations are just too vague. Probably no one could understand what he means. Hustace, seeing Kadi’s confused demeanor, also felt somewhat perplexed. I thought my explanation was clear enough, but this one-eyed fellow just doesn’t get it.

Hustace saw Symbols leaping on Igor’s body. These Symbols formed scenes that directly showed him what Igor was preparing to do next. But these Symbols were also peculiar; he couldn’t describe them with existing language, only offer a vague phrase or two. These ambiguously spoken phrases don’t seem problematic to me; I can understand them, at least. However, he didn’t realize that to Kadi, who knew nothing of this, his vague answer was like an arcane text. What does it even mean, Igor’s Symbols acting with other Symbols? Kadi had no idea. This required further explanation from Hustace. Yet, Hustace showed no intention of elaborating.

So, what exactly were Igor’s ”Symbols”? They were, in fact, the Spirit Power coalescing and being released from Igor’s body. Hustace now possessed the Scholar’s Numerical Sensing Skill, though he himself was unaware of it. He could perceive the direction and intent of others’ Spirit Power fluctuations. In other words, if he could properly master the Scholar’s skills, he could predict their future actions. At least now, he could see the fluctuations of Igor’s Spirit Power, and through them, he was subconsciously calculating Igor’s intentions.

He could sense that Igor seemed to be searching for something similar to another presence. Although he couldn’t clearly discern what this ”similar thing” was, he generally understood that it seemed to be related to the Dark Force. Hustace relayed everything he perceived to Kadi in his own terms. If Kadi weren’t Igor’s friend, I wouldn’t be wasting my breath like this.

”So, you’re saying Igor is looking for something similar to the Dark Force?” Kadi finally pieced it together after a long moment of thought.

”That’s the gist of it,” Hustace confirmed.

Hustace’s reply also drew the attention of the others, but they weren’t particularly interested in the conversation. Firstly, Kadi and Hustace were being rather long-winded. Secondly, everyone else needed to remain vigilant; diverting their focus to the discussion could prove more detrimental than beneficial. Even the Witch Spirit, Kuruto, who had been uncharacteristically silent for a while, kept his mouth shut, to say nothing of the others. Although Kadi had helped them establish a connection earlier, in their eyes, he was still a mischievous child. A child might occasionally offer significant help, but most of the time, they were just prone to troublemaking. Consequently, whatever Igor was up to failed to capture anyone else’s serious attention.

What exactly was Igor doing? His actions might seem radical, but they were necessary.

The remnant of Dark Wizard Reed had gained immense power through a sacrificial ritual—a power sufficient to engulf everyone present. Moreover, with each passing moment, this power grew stronger. Igor was searching for a resonance. He intended to provoke the remnant of Wizard Reed, using this resonance to force the Dark Wizard to reveal itself.

A truly powerful entity wouldn’t bother hiding, not from mere Insect Worms. It would simply disdain to show itself. This was the mentality Wizard Reed’s remnant currently held. Why flaunt my strength before those I can crush with a flick of my wrist?

Igor aimed to use a specific kind of resonance to make this remnant manifest.

But what kind of resonance? Igor pondered for a long time and concluded that approaching it from an emotional angle was the most reliable method. Judging by the laughter emanating from the Dark Force, its dominant emotion was arrogance. Therefore, Igor decided to mirror that very emotion.

Imagine, for a moment, an Insect Worm laughing arrogantly in your face. How would you react?

Just as Igor anticipated, the remnant of Wizard Reed appeared.

A shadow gradually rose from the land scorched by the Evil Flame. If one weren’t paying close attention, they might mistake it for a small mound of earth pushing up from the ground.

Everyone, already on high alert, finally witnessed a change. Their spirits lifted instantly. The wait wasn’t in vain!

”Form ranks! Form ranks!” Kuyi Tulan roared, recognizing the gravity of the situation.

The signature formation of the Alchemy Workshop was the Imprisoning Cage. They intended to construct this cage around the patch of scorched earth, infusing it with their Spirit Power to achieve complete confinement. Kuyi Tulan’s intention was clear: strike before the enemy could react, imprisoning it completely and giving it no opportunity to retaliate.

The Alchemists sprang into action—setting up the formation, extracting essences, exchanging positions—each demonstrating a high level of tactical acumen. Kuyi Tulan’s natural leadership compelled the others to obey his commands. Everyone willingly dedicated themselves to the service of Kuyi Tulan’s Alchemy Workshop.

No one knew that the reappearance of this Dark Force was, in fact, Igor’s doing.