Chapter 1759 Striking Back From The Brink <TOC> Chapter 1761 Calming the Hearts
Translator: SumTLMan
Hayley’s talons, glinting with a sharp light, were nearly in front of Toby’s eyes.
Hayley was ready to risk everything and kill the Serpent-Bird first. Seeing the dark mist, she didn’t even attempt to dodge but aimed to forcefully break through.
However, in the end, she was forced to stop.
The dark mist that Toby spat out from his mouth seemed to have the characteristics of the legendary Gorgon’s gaze. The moment Hayley’s body came into contact with this dark mist, one could visibly see her hand getting encased in a stony sheath.
“Stone poison?!” Hayley realized when her hand became immobilized. Moreover, the stony layer was spreading all over her.
Fear, anger, and a touch of resentment and despair flashed across Hayley’s eyes.
If her attack was intercepted or directly blocked, she would have accepted it.
But why did it have to be petrification?
Although petrification isn’t an incurable poison, having missed this golden opportunity, finding another such opening would be nearly impossible.
Sure enough, after Toby expelled the dark mist, he raised his head high in defiance. Although he didn’t step back, Hayley had already experienced the sturdiness of his defense before. Everyone’s joint attack couldn’t breach it, let alone her alone. The only way to defeat this Serpent-Bird was to strike its eyes, but with its head raised in vigilance, sneaking an attack was nearly impossible.
Fighting head-on wouldn’t work, which brought her to despair. How could Hayley not be desperate?
Toby’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. Under such terrifying malice, Hayley found it hard to move, let alone find the time to counteract the poison spreading on her.
As Hayley felt her fate was sealed and there was no escape, there was suddenly a rustling in the distance.
Toby’s gaze involuntarily shifted in that direction, and a glimmer of hope shone in Hayley’s eyes: This was her chance!
Of course, it wasn’t an opportunity to attack. To deal with Toby, she needed a comprehensive plan and specific tools tailored to him. She lacked all of this at the moment.
Thus, fleeing was the best strategy.
Although there was resistance in Hayley’s heart, she ultimately had to face the reality. She was well aware of her emotional vulnerability and realized her guard had been let down. Any counterattack at this moment would be like a cornered animal making a desperate last stand.
Being a witch, she needed to regain the logical mindset of her profession.
Hayley didn’t pay attention to what the Serpent-Bird had seen. She didn’t even attempt to counteract the petrifying toxin that had spread to half of her body. Instead, using her unpetrified hand, she swiftly retrieved a glistening golden rune-scroll from her space pouch.
Feeling the peculiar aura emanating from the rune-scroll, Toby was about to inspect the situation when Hayley, without any hesitation, tore it open.
The surrounding spatial energy became chaotic, creating a rift-like crack in space!
However, this crack was contorting wildly, appearing unstable.
This was to be expected. Given that Toby’s recent advancement to the Omen Sign was still affecting the surroundings, the ambient energy was in disarray. Hayley’s forceful attempt to open the planar passage with the rune-scroll naturally led to such spatial instability.
If one were to flee into the planar passage during such times, the chances of mishaps occurring are high. This is because, within the planar passage, the instability could potentially lead to a spatial collapse.
Regardless, at this point, Hayley didn’t care about the risks. This was the only escape plan she could think of. Without any hesitation, she plunged into the crack.
Her luck and audacity were commendable. At the moment she delved into the rift, the ever-changing planar passage was fortuitously just right, allowing her safe escape.
The entrance to this planar passage between planes had an exceedingly fleeting existence. After Hayley ventured within, it began to gradually vanish. Toby indeed had a brief window to plunge in; however, embarking on such a perilous endeavor held him in hesitation. Before he could act, a distant call from Gloria halted him.
Gloria’s resounding “Stop pursuing!” not only made Toby freeze in his tracks but also captured Hayley’s attention.
As the rift was about to seal, Hayley turned her gaze to glimpse the world outside the crack.
Immediately after, her pupils contracted sharply.
She spotted a woman, one who seemed vaguely familiar. Yet, what truly astonished Hayley wasn’t the woman but the man beside her…
Could it be——Angel?
The passage’s rift closed opportunistically. Lost in contemplation, Hayley recalled she had no particular grudges with Angel, but there were whispers of a brewing feud between Angel and Massaro.
Back then, Hayley was quite pleased with the prospect. After all, she didn’t have a high opinion of Massaro, even though they both held paramount positions in the Profound Alchemy Association.
Upon reflection, did Angel and that woman seem to align with the Serpent-Bird’s cause?
What binds them together? Hayley couldn’t pinpoint it immediately, but she was now certain of one thing: if she sought revenge on the Serpent-Bird in the future, perhaps she should start by tracing Angel’s whereabouts.
Of course, this remained a distant aspiration for Hayley, one she couldn’t achieve in the near future.
Furthermore, an imminent dilemma stood before her. Hayley glanced back at the enigmatic planar passage; it appeared serene on the surface, yet she faintly perceived a tremor emanating from a distant depth.
Such signs could very well herald the impending collapse of this spatial realm.
In the hope of confronting the Serpent-Bird in the future, it is imperative to escape from the planar passage. This might be as tough a battle as any they’ve faced before.
Hayley took a deep breath, deciding to first neutralize the petrification poison before facing the unpredictable twists of her destiny.
…
While Hayley struggled for her life within the planar passage, Toby, whom she deeply resented, had now transformed into an inconspicuous little bird, nestling pitifully in Angel’s neck.
Once he felt sufficiently comforted, Toby hopped onto Angel’s palm, appearing ready to share his grievances with everyone.
However, before he could do that, Toby had another task at hand.
Blushing slightly, he lowered his head and quickly pulled out a buckle-style red cape from his Snowy Feather, tying it around his neck. The energy disturbances in the environment made the cape flutter noisily.
This red cape seemed like Toby’s badge of honor. The sound of it fluttering instantly changed his previously shy demeanor, making him look as majestic as a knight in battle armor.
Toby was extremely pleased with his appearance, admiring himself for quite some time before remembering that it was time to Share the Grievances.
His crimson bean-like eyes welled up, the look of injustice evident.
Just as Toby was about to start his tale, Gloria waved her hand dismissively, “Let’s discuss this later; it’s not safe here.”
Gloria’s sentiment was echoed by Angel. Although the void seemed empty, Angel couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched by eyes from a great distance.
No one could be certain if a powerful entity from the vast reaches of the void was observing them.
To avoid any potential issues, it was best to leave the area promptly.
Chapter 1759 Striking Back From The Brink <TOC> Chapter 1761 Calming the Hearts