Peiāer hadnāt expected that even now, Nerela still refused to engage her in direct combat.
The other party transformed into a black shadow and immediately disappeared into the passage she had come from.
āSheās going to the Magic Reservoir? Will she run into Saul?ā
Although Peiāer had left Saul alone in the passage when chasing Nerela, she believed that boy with his miraculous methods would find a way to break free from the traps Nerela had set.
But if he encountered Nerela head-on during his advancementā¦
Peiāer was about to give chase when she suddenly felt entangling forces behind her.
She turned back to see her own riddled body, seemingly extending an invitation to her, its long-absent master.
Peiāer paused for a moment, thought of Saul outside, and still pursued without hesitation.
However, she had just reached the fork in the passage when she saw Saul and the fake Wind Sprite Nerela.
Strangely, Saul had one hand pressed against the fake Wind Spriteās forehead, while the latter remained motionless, allowing him to do as he pleased.
At this moment, Saul also saw the Old Witch and noticed that her expression differed greatly from her usual carefree demeanor.
āOld Witch, or should I call you Lady Wind Sprite?ā
Peiāer pursed her lips. āEven if you use honorifics, I canāt feel any respect. You might as well call me Old Witch, or⦠you can call me Peiāer directly.ā
āUh, Iāll stick with Old Witch then.ā Facing such a face, Saul couldnāt bring himself to say the name āPeiāer.ā
Peiāer mentally rolled her eyes but didnāt mind. āYouāve advanced to second-rank? So quickly?ā
āActually, the preparations were completed when I finished the Magic Reservoir. Plus, this second-rank imposter who was pretending to be the Wind Sprite helped me upgrade the Magic Reservoir, so everything fell into place naturally.ā Saul casually glossed over his years of preparation work.
Even so, Peiāerās gaze toward Saul carried a few more traces of wariness.
She looked at the motionless Nerela. āWhat did you do to her?ā
āSheās already dead.ā
Peiāerās heart jumped.
Not only had Saul quickly completed his advancement, but he had also killed Nerela in such a short time? This guy had just reached second-rank and could already easily kill a veteran second-rank wizardāwasnāt that a bit too exaggerated?
Peiāerās wariness increased further.
She stepped forward to examine Nerela and discovered the latter had indeed lost all signs of life. It was just that she had died too quickly, and Saulās method of killing was too bizarre, making her body appear no different from a living person.
In front of Peiāer, Saul stored away the fake Wind Spriteās corpse. āMy original plan was to advance to second-rank, kill Wind Sprite, then quickly escape. But I discovered this Wind Sprite was completely fake, while the real Wind Sprite had been hiding her identity by my side for a year.ā
āOld Witch, can you tell me what exactly happened to you now?ā
Peiāer stared intently at where Nerela had disappeared. After a moment, she sighed softly. āFollow me.ā
However, Saul pointed toward the passage they had come from. āNothing else is urgent, but can you disable the traps the fake Wind Sprite set? Otherwise, Iām afraid my subordinates will fall apart.ā
Peiāer nodded. āThat also requires going to another cave. There are controls for everything there.ā
The two quickly arrived at another cave.
Peiāer went to control the Magical Golems to stop attacking and switch to defensive mode. She also commanded the Spider Mother, who had become a puppet, to transmit the order āstop attacking, continue lurkingā through spider silk.
After completing all this, Peiāer returned to Saulās side.
At this moment, Saul was observing the fragmented woman standing in the middle of the cave, his gaze lingering on her shattered face and the hand missing a section of finger.
āNow, can you tell me what exactly happened?ā
Peiāer walked to her original body. āActually, even now, I feel like Iāve been having a dream.ā
She suddenly placed both hands on her original bodyās shoulders. Then a terrifying scene occurredāthe Old Witchās body actually began to slowly melt.
But these melted parts didnāt drip down. Instead, as if guided by some force, they slowly flowed through the cracks of the fragmented body before her.
The Wind Spriteās body, having absorbed the Old Witchās body, rapidly began changing. The cracks on her body were quickly filled.
Her weak breath was also gradually recovering.
Conversely, the vitality on the Old Witchās side was rapidly diminishing.
āClang!ā
When all the material from the Old Witchās Perfect Body had flowed into the Wind Spriteās body, her disproportionately large head fell to the ground with a loud crash.
The severed finger tied in her hair floated up lightly and reconnected to the Wind Spriteās palm.
The Wind Spriteās dull eyes blinked and regained their luster.
This process took about fifteen minutes.
Saul stood quietly to the side throughout, watching the Old Witch reclaim herself.
Wind Sprite Peiāer looked at Saul with an unprecedented presence. āNow, Iām clear about what happened.ā
She led Saul to a cluster of icicles in the corner of the cave.
āTwo years before you entered the Borderland, I encountered terrifying pollution while attempting to advance. Even if I could successfully advance in the end, I would lose myself due to the pollution. What would exist in this world then would only be a mindless killing monster.ā
āSo I forcibly aborted the advancement, but this also caused my mental power and magical power to suffer severe backlash, nearly dropping me to second-rank. This attempt also made me understand that in the Borderland, advancing to fourth-rank is simply impossible! Because the rules here donāt allow it!ā
āAfter the failed advancement, I originally planned to consolidate my forces and quietly recover from my injuries, but I was betrayed by those around me. You saw herāthat second-rank wizard Nerela who impersonated me. She informed Clark about my severe injuries. Clark actually wanted to take the opportunity to pull me into his Dream Kingdom. If he had truly completed devouring me, he might have been able to attempt advancing to fourth-rank.ā
Peiāer sneered. āOf course, if he also advanced in the Borderland, heād probably end up worse than me!ā
Saul crossed his arms, analyzing the current situation. āClark took advantage of your injury to try devouring you, while your subordinate Nerela impersonated your identity, stabilizing the situation in the Borderland. This was probably to buy time for Clark to safely devour you. But Nerela isnāt truly third-rank after all. Even if she could borrow your presence to intimidate the wizards at the Cliff, she couldnāt do so indefinitely. After all, as soon as she made a move, observant people would notice something was wrong, so she was desperately eager to advance.ā
Peiāer nodded. āThe pollution accumulated in her body made her unsure she could survive the advancement, so she secretly sent people to test your pollution-cleansing abilities. However, she probably discovered through Justin that you were building a Magic Reservoir, so she changed her mind and decided to risk using the Magic Reservoir for rapid advancement. Previously, when impersonating me, she pretended to be injured and rarely left this cave. Even when she came to seize your Magic Reservoir last time, she first had three wizards exhaust your strength, then appeared at the end to directly take the Magic Reservoir without engaging in combat at all.ā
Peiāer turned to Saul again. āHowever, she didnāt expect that even such brief action would let you discover the flaws, and you were audacious enough to secretly enter the Cliff for a counterattack. If you hadnāt provoked me to come in, I donāt know how long it would have taken me to recover my self-awareness.ā
The questions about the fake Wind Sprite were basically resolved.
But the Dreammaker Clark behind her was still a major problem.
Saul spread his hands. āFirst, congratulations on reclaiming yourself. Then, may I boldly ask whether you can now break free from Clarkās devouring?ā
Peiāer bit her lip. The tough presence she had just shown, once softened, gained a pitiable quality.
āIām not confident.ā
Seeing Peiāerās expression, Saul understood that even though she had reclaimed herself, her condition was definitely not as good as before. Her spiritual body might even be weaker due to Clarkās years of devouring.
He continued asking, āHas Clark discovered that youāve recovered your self-awareness?ā
āIāve temporarily sealed these icicles. For a few days, he wonāt be able to detect the changes here.ā Peiāer slowly shook her head.
Saul stroked his chin. āThe enemy is too strong, and reinforcements need time to develop⦠For now, we can only play along with their scheme.ā
(End of Chapter)
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