Chapter 2431 Attraction <TOC> Chapter 2433 ‘The Song’
Translator: SumTLMan
Is the color of the sea red?
Nisi was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized: “It’s blood! The blood of those sea beasts!”
Firo also said at this time, “I saw it, those sea beasts are biting each other, their blood has dyed the sea surface red.”
Although they were far away, with the abilities of wizards, it was not difficult to see the situation in the distance. It’s just that they had been completely distracted by the red fruit before and had neither the attention nor the means to look down. At this moment, within the domain, they finally saw the scene beneath the waves.
“Their blood not only dyed the sea surface red but is also being absorbed by Number 03, nourishing the fruit atop her head,” Angel said softly, looking into the distance.
Nisi and Firo had no doubt about Angel’s judgment because they too saw that the blood-red seawater in the distance was being drawn up by an unknown power, surging atop the waves. It was absorbed by the branches beneath Number 03’s feet. As a large amount of blood was drawn into Number 03’s body, the red fruit atop her head became even more lusciously red, its attraction climbing incessantly.
In just half a minute, the attraction had risen to another level.
Protected by the domain at this moment, they could clearly feel this change.
“Angel, can you increase the strength of this light shield?” Firo, struggling to resist the desire to gaze at the fruit, turned his head to look at Angel.
Angel shook his head: “Not at the moment.”
His right eye’s green rune had been cultivated for a while, but at that time, his focus was on understanding its characteristics, not thinking about enhancing its power. He believed there was room to strengthen the domain, but it required deeper understanding of the green rune before it could be achieved.
“Then we must resolve the crisis at hand before the fruit’s attraction becomes uncontrollable. Otherwise, we might all fall into its trap,” Firo said solemnly.
Angel raised his head to look at Canter in the high sky. The most urgent task at hand was definitely to make contact with Canter.
Firo: “I’ve tried using a long-distance sound spell to contact Like the Night, but the floating serenity around Like the Night is a high-energy level magical manifestation, almost as if it had its own consciousness, blocking all approaching transcendent powers.”
“I also tried to approach, but… the energy field is too chaotic, making it difficult to get close, just like now.”
As they spoke, the distant tumultuous waves and night once again clashed.
Canter behaved extremely recklessly, trying various methods to approach Number 03 and seize the fruit atop her head. The surrounding area, due to his power, showed large-scale energy voids, and there were even faint signs of spatial collapse.
And Number 03, relying on the fruit’s attraction as well as her strong control over the sea, continually restrained Canter.
It seemed that Number 03’s strength was indeed not as great as Canter’s, but due to various external factors, she managed to hold her own against Canter, resulting in a stalemate in the battle.
Firo looked at the boiling battlefield in the distance with a wry smile. Having allies too powerful was also a source of trouble.
“Then, I’ll let my soul servant try,” Nisi said.
Having finished speaking, a spatial rift suddenly appeared out of nowhere, serving as the entrance to the exile space. A bone armor knight emerged from the rift.
After appearing, the bone armor knight first paid his respects to Nisi, and then, without needing any verbal command, he took the initiative to step out of the domain and flew towards the night sky.
However, barely twenty meters into his flight, his trajectory suddenly changed, as if he had lost the ability to make decisions, aimlessly flying towards the distant waves.
Nisi’s expression turned ugly: “I can no longer sense his thoughts.”
This meant that the bone armor knight had escaped his control.
Given the direction the bone armor knight had taken, it was undeniable that he, too, had fallen for the “charm” of the red fruit.
This situation greatly alarmed Nisi, because his control over the bone armor knight was certainly not based on “trust and love.” While bonds could also be used, the emotions of the controlled would be very unstable, which is a major taboo in combat. Thus, for controlling any undead, Nisi employed soul magic: Touch of Soul. Only during peaceful times would he allow the undead, like those in the Soul Valley, to possess their self-consciousness by implanting the Touch of Soul.
By inserting his Touch of Soul into the controlled subject, he could thoroughly control the controlled individual, without fear of betrayal.
But now, even with the Touch of Soul, the bone armor knight was still out of control.
This implied that the attraction of that fruit had surpassed the limits of the Touch of Soul.
Nisi believed that even the charm of top succubi would hardly suppress the Touch of Soul. But now, the attraction of that fruit had rendered the Touch of Soul ineffective.
Nisi did not know whether that attraction was an “energy,” but if it truly was energy, it definitely constituted a high-level overwhelming power.
Without a doubt, even top wizards such as Like the Night Canter would be influenced by this.
…
Although Nisi had already made a judgment in his mind, he still somewhat refused to believe it. He continuously sensed the bone armor knight, attempting to awaken it with the Touch of Soul, but still, he **received no response.
The bone armor knight steadily flew towards the location of Number 03.
If one could see him from the front, they would notice that the ghostly fire beneath the seams of the bone helmet had changed from its former ghostly green to a vivid red.
This vivid red was completely identical to the color of the fruit atop Number 03’s head. Even the frequency of the ghostly fire’s vibrations matched the frequency of the fruit’s shaking.
The bone armor knight was thoroughly influenced by the fruit, continually approaching it, attempting to get closer to and pluck it.
But as he stepped into the battlefield range between Number 03 and Canter, the surrounding energy directly poured into the bone armor.
Bang——
Accompanied by a massive sound, the bone armor turned into white dust, and the knightly wraith hidden within the armor was torn into pieces by the raging energy.
Witnessing the scene from afar, Nisi felt as if his heart was bleeding.
The shattering of the bone armor was of no consequence, for it was crafted from bones found on-site, but the death knight within it was a favored soul servant of his.
Its importance was comparable to his disciples’ “Twin Star” and “Daisy Star.”
Now, watching the demise of his soul servant, Nisi was naturally distraught.
“The soul servant couldn’t resist the attraction of that fruit… This is simply unbelievable. What exactly is that fruit, and where does its attraction come from?”
No one could answer Nisi’s question.
Nisi turned to Reynolds: “Has anything like this happened with Number 03 before?”
Reynolds was just as confused and shook his head: “I don’t know; I’ve never seen such a thing with Number 03.”
Reynolds had a suspicion that not just he, but perhaps no one in the laboratory had seen this before… because if they knew Number 03 had such powerful capabilities, her designation might not have been 03 at all, but rather 01. After all, the laboratory valued strength above all, and Number 01 was the strongest in the lab.
“Considering Number 03’s anomaly isn’t necessary now. What we should be most concerned about is how we can contact Like the Night,” Firo said.
Nisi replied, “Even a soul servant controlled by the Touch of Soul, a death knight almost devoid of self, was attracted by the fruit. I really can’t think of any other way.”
After a moment of silence, Angel spoke up: “I’ll have Eremy give it a try.”
“Even Like the Night couldn’t resist; can Eremy do it?” Nisi knew of Eremy’s existence and understood its strength. Eremy’s combat abilities were comparable to those of the true knowledge level, but they still fell short of Like the Night’s.
“Let’s find out.”
Angel wasn’t preparing to send Eremy to be cannon fodder. Even with Eremy’s strength, entering that energy-ravaged battlefield, it wouldn’t last long.
So, he planned to conduct an experiment first.
Eremy could split into several shadows, somewhat like shadow avatars. When its Shadow Splits into shadow avatars, its own strength decreases accordingly, with more avatars resulting in a greater decrease.
Angel planned to send the shadow avatars to scout ahead.
Aside from being generally less powerful than Eremy itself, the shadow avatars shared most of its other characteristics. If even the shadow avatars couldn’t resist the fruit’s attraction, then Eremy itself would surely fail as well.
Nisi pondered, “Shadow avatars are energy beings, much like soul servants, but shadow avatars are devoid of desire, which is important. Will shadow avatars, devoid of desire, be attracted by the fruit?”
With this question, the shadow avatar stepped out of the domain.
Eremy had the shadow avatar fly directly towards Canter, and at first, it obeyed this command. However, within a few seconds, the shadow avatar’s movements suddenly slowed.
Then, its head abruptly turned, gazing towards Number 03 in the distance.
In a darkness impenetrable to the naked eye, a pair of black eyes faintly emitted a crimson hue, seemingly reflecting the lush, tempting fruit in the distance.
The next moment, the shadow avatar abandoned its aim to soar skywards, instead, flying towards Number 03.
Upon witnessing this, an eerie silence fell over the crowd.
Seconds later, as the shadow avatar entered the energy battlefield and remained in a stalemate for about half a minute, it ultimately exploded, vanishing into nothingness.
With the explosion of the shadow avatar, Eremy’s aura noticeably weakened, significantly reducing its power.
The outcome of the shadow avatar’s attempt made it clear that Eremy, even in its true form, would undoubtedly face the same fate.
Angel sighed, allowing Eremy to return to the shadows to heal.
“The shadow avatar, born without desire, couldn’t withstand the fruit,” Nisi shook his head in dismay, turning to the others, “You see the situation now. It’s not just about contacting Like the Night; merely stepping outside this protective light barrier might expose us to the fruit’s influence.”
“Moreover, the sea creatures below are dying in increasing numbers…”
Beneath the distant waves, the sea turned a stark, pure red, teeming with blood drawn into the fruit, making its color even more vibrant.
“The attraction is growing stronger, and Angel’s light barrier won’t hold much longer,” Nisi said, “What do we do now? Should we leave and seek external help? With Like the Night’s strength, he shouldn’t die so easily.”
Nisi proposed a solution, but the situation involved more than just Number 03. The Ziz cub at the laboratory was either dead or in a dying state… With the City of Phantasm’s pursuit team possibly arriving at any moment, did they truly have time to seek external assistance?
For a moment, everyone was at a loss.
Firo’s gaze lingered on the distant fruit, and even within the domain, his eyes showed signs of enthrallment, with a faint urge to move forward.
Firo managed to suppress the impulse, closing his eyes. After a long while, as his heartbeat gradually stabilized, he spoke with a hint of self-mockery, “I used to think Night Butterfly Witch had the greatest attraction over me. Now, I’m starting to doubt that.”
Nisi pondered, “Actually, I’m beginning to question if it’s really ‘attraction.’ The fact that even a shadow avatar couldn’t exempt itself feels odd. Could it be a different kind of power? Perhaps, a law?”
The group shook their heads in uncertainty, clueless about the true nature of the fruit.
Just then, a faint voice emerged beside them, “Laws are traceable, but that fruit… it’s different.”
Everyone froze for a moment, stiffly turning their heads.
Beside them, unnoticed until now, stood an old man with white hair.
Nisi was not familiar with the newcomer, and his expression immediately became wary, “Who are you?”
Firo, on the other hand, gazed at the white-haired old man, his eyes flickering, as some of his long-buried memories seemed to slowly unravel. He hesitated slightly before saying, “You are the one from yesterday…”
Only Angel, respectfully performed a bow, “Lord Enforcer.”
The visitor was indeed the Enforcer that Angel had encountered on the first level of the laboratory not long ago.
Angel thought it would be a while before he encountered the Enforcer again, yet, to his surprise, it was only a few minutes before the Enforcer appeared once more.
“Lord Enforcer!” After confirming the visitor’s identity through Angel, Firo and Nisi quickly expressed their respect.
The Enforcer waved his hand indifferently.
Facing an existence beyond legendary, Firo and Nisi did not know what to say at the moment, appearing somewhat uneasy.
Angel, having spoken with the Enforcer before, was not too nervous. Seeing that Firo and Nisi were silent, he took the initiative to speak, “Lord, do you mean that there is something wrong with the attraction of that fruit?”
Angel did not ask why the Enforcer appeared there; if the Enforcer wished to tell, he would naturally do so.
However, Angel knew that the Enforcer generally does not intervene in the affairs of the Southern Region, and his appearance could potentially be judged by the World Will as interference.
Thus, Angel believed that the Enforcer’s presence was definitely not without reason.
Perhaps, it was also because of the fruit borne by Number 03.
“Indeed, there is something wrong, that fruit is not an ordinary fruit.”
After a pause, the Enforcer slowly said, “It is a Mysterious Fruit that is about to ripen… or rather, a Mysterious Object.”
“Mysterious Object?” Angel sharply looked up, a flicker in his eyes as if he had thought of something, “Lord, is the state of that fruit… out of control?”
The Enforcer, smiling, nodded his head, “You do understand well. However, it is not completely out of control, it is in a semi-uncontrollable state.”