Chapter 2733 Gem Magic <TOC> Chapter 2735 Cognitive Blockade
Translator: SumTLMan
Whether the Gray Merchant’s little trick would succeed need not be discussed for the moment, because even if it were to succeed, that could only happen after his second confrontation with the shadow giant.
The shadow fist that the shadow giant had shaped slammed mercilessly toward the gem shield the Gray Merchant had conjured.
The Gray Merchant had great confidence in his gem shield; that was why he dared to tinker behind the scenes. Yet what he never expected was that the massive shadow fist, the instant it touched the gem shield, actually… assimilated!
Yes, assimilated!
The Gray Merchant watched wide-eyed as the shadow fist turned into a mass of amber crystals. These crystals were rounded like precious stones, identical to the gems produced after he activated his bloodline, and they gleamed with a unique, regal luster.
Under normal circumstances, even if the shadow fist had been transmuted into a gem fist, it still ought to have been stopped by the gem shield, because a collision in the physical sense should have been resolved first.
But to the Gray Merchant’s complete surprise, the gem fist, at the moment it touched the gem shield, bypassed physical collision entirely and slipped through the shield in elemental form!
That sounds, and looks, simple enough; to put it plainly, it was just elementalization.
The reality, however, was many times more complex than it appeared.
Elementalization, true enough, only through elementalization could it pass through the gem shield. Yet there was a crucial point here.
Even in elementalization one must observe the fundamental laws of elements:
When different elements meet, their differing properties yield different outcomes, for example, coexistence, fusion, dissolution, explosion, or segregation.
Even when identical elements meet, differing inertia within the elements themselves and forms shaped by external influence can lead to divergent results. Although explosions are rare, they do occur; coexistence and segregation are far more common.
In this instance, the Gray Merchant’s gem shield, setting aside bloodline theory and speaking purely from an elemental standpoint, was undoubtedly of the earth branch, the metal and material branch, under the gemstone magic.
Within the metal and material branch, the most representative school is not gemstone magic but the metal casters.
Though metal caster and gemstone magic both belong to the metal and material branch, once elementalized the two still struggle to intermingle; their usual state is coexistence and segregation.
If even elements of the same framework, same system, and same branch quite often cannot fuse, one can appreciate how astonishing, indeed, extravagant, this strike from the shadow giant truly was!
Its extravagance lay in this: that mist-black fist, at the very instant it touched the gem shield, instantly analyzed the shield’s elemental composition, elemental condition, and elemental properties, then directly reshaped itself into an identical elemental structure, after which it elementalized, thereby passing through the gem shield!
Leaving aside whether an ordinary wizard could accomplish such a feat, the sheer difficulty alone was beyond imagination!
And most important of all, how had the opponent transformed his element? Was he not a shadow being? How had he become gemstone magic?
These questions surfaced in the Gray Merchant’s mind as the gemstone fist struck his chest and hurled him backward in a parabola through the air.
Although the agony in his body and the sharp sound of bones shattering in his sunken chest were deafening, these were minor matters to the Gray Merchant. What truly occupied his thoughts was… Why? How? What in the world?
Naturally, he had not forgotten the covert trick he was playing: those unstable elemental gems, could they injure this bizarre opponent?
The answer soon became clear.
After crashing heavily to the ground, the Gray Merchant forced a roll and pushed himself up. Once on his feet he beheld an unbelievable sight.
Opposite him stood no longer a shadow giant… but a gem giant.
Previously only one fist had turned to crystal; now the entire body had become gemstone.
The gem giant was wholly composed of amber crystal. Rather than a giant, it now better resembled… a Gemstone Earth Dragon, while the Gray Merchant, who actually possessed the Gemstone Earth Dragon bloodline, looked as bedraggled as dust.
Where once shards of shadow had drifted around the giant’s body, they had been replaced by a rainbow-hued mist of shifting light.
The gems fired from the Gray Merchant’s tail, upon contact with the gem giant, passed straight through just as they had the gem shield earlier.
This opponent who called himself Eremy had once again elementalized, and this time simply assimilated.
Every gemstone passed cleanly through, without triggering a single explosion. In the end they followed their trajectories into the void and vanished.
Watching this scene, the Gray Merchant felt a ringing in his mind.
What kind of monster was he facing?
Why? How? What had happened? These questions echoed again and again in his head, yet no answer came.
Staggering to his feet, still without answers, he simply voiced his doubts to Eremy.
But the gem giant in the short distance only gazed down on him and said nothing.
The Gray Merchant laughed at himself:「Right, this is a duel, and I was foolish enough to probe my opponent’s abilities. Still, I must thank you… no, thank you, lord, for not seizing the moment to strike me down.」
The gem giant still said nothing, still made no move, merely regarded him coolly.
The Gray Merchant seemed to comprehend:「I understand, you desire a True Battle.」
He lifted his head; his expression grew solemn, and his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
「I shall meet your wish!」
Even as he spoke, blood-energy surged outward from his body. His muscles swelled, his limbs expanded, and his legs thickened like elephant trunks, strong and colossal. Crystals grew at a furious pace, covering his entire form!
This meant the Gray Merchant was ready for a real fight, his bloodline fully unleashed!
The draconic might of the Gemstone Earth Dragon climbed ever higher.
Confronted with that terrifying draconic pressure, Daus outside the arena could not help but shiver. The swordback sandworm bloodline in his body stirred, yearning to challenge the dragon’s might, yet fear born of bloodline suppression and dread held far greater sway.
Daus suppressed the agitation in his bloodline, brows knitted as he stared at the center of the battlefield:「What is he doing? Once the Gray Merchant fully releases his bloodline, even Eremy might not be able to keep him down.」
Daus had warned Angel earlier: it would be best to settle the Gray Merchant before his full release, or the consequences would be unpredictable.
Unlike modification wizards, blood source wizards use bloodlines of the same source; even after full release they suffer little in the way of side effects. And a fully released blood source wizard can be terrifying beyond imagination!
To Daus’s question only Vai responded.
「What do you know? My lord let the Gray Merchant fully release his bloodline for a reason. At the pinnacle of combat, it’s strength against strength!」
Daus was too lazy to talk with Angel’s brain-dead fan; he merely watched the distance in silence, waiting for the next development.
Nor was it only Daus, the Sovereign Wisdom, the Black Count, and Shrew were all wondering what Angel was up to.
Really, was it only for the sake of a bold, exhilarating fight?
The answer, of course, was no.
After Eremy transformed into a gem giant and let the gem bombs pass through his body, Angel personally ordered him to halt.
For Angel had at last sensed an abnormal emotion.
Yet this abnormal emotion was exceedingly subtle, flickering in and out. To avoid Eremy’s large movements dulling his perception, Angel had temporarily called Eremy off.
Angel understood priorities: defeating the Gray Merchant was clearly the most important task; locating 「Her」 was only a secondary objective.
That he dared stop Eremy now meant Angel was certain of victory, so he moved the secondary objective to the top of the list.
Once Eremy stopped, Angel began carefully tracing the source of the abnormal emotion.
With no riotous surrounding elements to hinder him, Angel quickly discovered its origin.
The answer surprised him.
For the extremely subtle emotion came from… the Gray Merchant himself!
Yes, his opponent, still locked in duel with him.
Angel now sensed two utterly different emotions within the Gray Merchant. The first belonged to the Gray Merchant himself, obvious, undisguised, and tinged with a slight goodwill. Angel could not tell why the Gray Merchant felt a curious excitement just now.
The second emotion also issued from the Gray Merchant, yet it differed in essence from any emotion another living thing might transmit, so faint, so intermittent, like something half-veiled behind gauze.
Even so blurred, Angel still detected this anomaly, because it had “parasitized” the Gray Merchant!
Surrounded by malicious emotions, Angel paid special attention to the few strands of goodwill; and as the only member of the Traveling Merchants organization who felt goodwill toward him, the Gray Merchant drew Angel’s notice all the more.
Thus, when a discordant emotion appeared upon the Gray Merchant, Angel perceived it at once.
He called it “discordant” because the Gray Merchant bore goodwill toward Angel, whereas that hidden emotion was the direct opposite, harboring clear malice toward him.
Such malice, left adrift in the void amid chaotic, savage emotions, would have gone unnoticed by Angel. But anchored in the Gray Merchant, the contrast was stark.
In Angel’s view only three possibilities explained this sudden malice: First, the Gray Merchant had multiple personalities and another persona felt hostile toward Angel. Second, some lifeform or energy form similar to Eremy or an elemental companion resided on the Gray Merchant, and that intelligent being bore malice toward Angel.
The third possibility was the covert watcher:「that one.」
Angel naturally favored the third. The first two were merely “possible,” whereas the watcher was certain to be spying in secret.
Hence, to Angel the third possibility loomed largest.
Yet if it truly was her spell, Angel was genuinely amazed. He had imagined 「She」 would peer through a magic formation, observing the duel from the godly perspective, or else lurk near the arena.
He had not expected her to stand right on the arena, in the guise of his opponent, observing him at close range.
Angel could not fathom what he had done to offend her, that she singled him out so.
Was it, could it be because of that oil painting he had destroyed? Was the painting so important that the entire Noah family could be set aside while she pursued her own agenda?
Angel did not know the cause, but the malice was unmistakable.
Having tentatively fixed「Her」location, Angel withdrew his perception to avoid discovery.
At that very instant, he heard the Gray Merchant’s voice:「I understand, you desire a true battle.」
Angel:「? ? ?」What are you talking about?
Before Angel could recover, the Gray Merchant was already activating his bloodline, eyes blazing with fighting spirit:「I shall satisfy your wish, lord!」
Angel:「…」
In only a few seconds the Gray Merchant’s tone had turned so hot-blooded? Judging by his gaze, refusing to “burn” with him would be an offense.
And where in the Source World had the Gray Merchant gotten the notion that Angel wanted a “true battle”?
If Angel wanted a true battle, would he have sent Eremy in?
Angel was utterly baffled, but seeing the Gray Merchant’s swelling muscles and surging blood energy, he knew delaying was no longer an option.
It was time to decide the match.
……
Activating one’s bloodline actually requires little time. Especially for blood source wizards with pure bloodlines, even fully released, they can activate while fighting, needing no more than two seconds.
Yet the Gray Merchant had already spent nearly twenty seconds merely activating.
His bloodline form was taking shape little by little: first crystals and gems oozed from his skin; next scale and armor of crystal spread across his body; then muscles bulged, bones warped step by step, and draconic might climbed to its peak.
One emblematic sign was the Gray Merchant’s mask: from covering his whole face at first, it shrank into a “brow-ornament,” then into a “hair-clasp,” and at last became a decoration upon the crystalline scales.
Thus one could see his body was steadily enlarging.
Would this make him stronger? No, this would make him more dashing.
Of course, dashing was not the Gray Merchant’s aim. He was merely waiting for his foe, waiting for Eremy to act.
The instant Eremy showed intent to fight, he would plunge into combat.
In his mind this was a “true battle,” the necessary respect for his opponent.
After striking poses for half a minute, Angel finally came to himself and slowly extended his hand, pointing at the Gray Merchant.
At that signal the Gray Merchant knew the battle had begun!
Without hesitation the colossal “Gemstone Earth Dragon” leapt skyward, controlling every muscle spindle to transform into a spinning wheel of jagged crystal, rolling down upon Angel to crush him!
Chapter 2733 Gem Magic <TOC> Chapter 2735 Cognitive Blockade