Seeing that Serwin ignored all warnings and continued to pry open the coffin lid, Hao Yun and Dao Lao realized he was determined to help Eliena obtain the core necromantic energy. They stopped wasting words and refocused on the magical barrier in front of them. Meanwhile, Eliena concentrated entirely on absorbing the necromantic energy, as Hao Yun and Dao Lao struggled to break through the barrier.
With a loud “clang,” Serwin finally removed the coffin lid. Purple-black demonic energy burst out like a flood, throwing the coffin away and surging from a deep, hidden well beneath it. Even Eliena, upon seeing the well, appeared shocked; she hadn’t expected it.
The energy spewing from the well was undoubtedly the remaining necromantic energy and black magic left by Anselin. However, instead of the pleasure of absorption, Eliena was now forced to open her mouth wide, her body convulsing as she passively absorbed the aggressive energy.
“Hahaha! Archbishop Anselin, do you see? We’ve succeeded! When you return, we will finally conquer this planet!” Serwin, thrown aside by the energy, screamed fanatically as he saw Eliena suspended in mid-air by the energy influx.
Hao Yun, still trying to break the magical barrier, couldn't help but curse, “You madman! Anselin is dead! You’ve only released her power for Eliena to absorb! You’re insane!”
Serwin laughed dryly, shaking his head, “Hahaha! You fools don’t understand Archbishop Anselin’s intentions! She never left us!”
Serwin’s health seemed to deteriorate rapidly after breaking the seal, his voice weakening. Despite this, his excitement was uncontainable. After praising Anselin fervently, Serwin pointed to the suspended Eliena, saying, “She is merely a vessel, a better one for Archbishop Anselin to be reborn. Anselin is the true master.”
With those words, Serwin’s arm dropped lifelessly, and he died on the spot, his eyes remaining fixed on Eliena with a look of devout joy.
Hao Yun and Dao Lao exchanged puzzled glances. Serwin’s words implied a premeditated plan by Anselin, hinting at a hidden conspiracy beyond their knowledge. This ominous feeling prompted them to look back at Eliena, feeling a deep sense of foreboding.
Their fears were soon confirmed as the energy surge from the well abruptly stopped, and the ground began to tremble. A piercing wail, different from the previous demonic whispers, echoed from the well. More black energy surged out, accompanied by ghostly howls, forcing its way into Eliena’s mouth. Eliena began to cough violently, initially dismissing it as a reaction to the rapid absorption of energy. But as the coughing worsened, she realized something was wrong. She clawed at her neck and chest, her body writhing mid-air in a grotesque display.
“No! No! No—! This is my body! Get out!” Eliena screamed, writhing as if struggling against an internal foe.
This internal conflict caused a disruption in the magical barrier confining Hao Yun and Dao Lao. Dao Lao seized the opportunity, using his light-weapon, now a giant hammer, to smash the barrier. With a sound like shattering glass, the barrier broke, freeing them.
Despite their freedom, Hao Yun and Dao Lao hesitated to attack Eliena immediately. For one, she was engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Moreover, their necromantic energy tracking system was erratically shifting her power level between four and six stars. Uncertain about the system's malfunction and wary of their weakened state, they decided to observe Eliena from behind a storage shelf for the moment.
"What's going on? Could our system be malfunctioning? What's wrong with Eliena? Has she lost her mind?" Hao Yun glanced at his necrotic detector and then at Eliena, still fighting in the air, puzzled.
"I almost wish Eliena had gone mad from absorbing the necromantic energy. That way, she'd soon explode and save us a lot of trouble," Master Gu grumbled irritably. It was clear he was frustrated that despite his superior strength, Eliena had managed to overpower him in their recent skirmish.
"However, according to the system's readings, Eliena's instability doesn't seem to be caused by the necromantic energy. Our system isn't malfunctioning either. It's just continuously updating its readings based on Eliena's fluctuating necrotic levels," Dao Lao continued.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"So, you're saying Eliena's necrotic level might actually be reaching six stars? That burst of necrotic energy earlier was actually six-star level?" Hao Yun asked incredulously, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Given Hao Yun's abilities, he could at most contend with a four-star necrotic energy. However, even Dao Lao, at his best, could only hold his own against a five-star necrotic energy. And in his weakened state, he couldn't even gain an advantage against Eliena, who had a power level of four and a half stars. So if Eliena's power had surged to six stars, what methods did they have to counter it?
"Don't worry. Based on my experience, Eliena's current strength is at most five stars. As for the system detecting a six-star necrotic level, it's likely the upper limit of that burst of energy. It's the maximum potential Eliena could reach with further enhancement," Master Gu explained.
"So, how powerful are necrotic energies with a combat level of six stars?" Hao Yun inquired.
"Necrotic energies with a combat level of six stars are elites among their kind. Under normal circumstances, encountering such levels of necrotic energy is rare. They are high-ranking commanders within the necrotic energy hierarchy and are usually exterminated during divine battles under special supervision from the Divine Realm. Hmph! I never expected us to encounter such a big fish here. It seems luck is on our side!" Master Gu couldn't help but jest.
"Forget about luck! If this is considered lucky, I'd rather have a run of bad luck! At this rate, we're no match for Eliena at all! We need to find a way to call for backup! Oh, Dao Lao, has Master Gu responded? Have any other pursuit officers responded to your distress signal?" Hao Yun asked anxiously.
Master Gu sighed in frustration. "Master Gu has replied. However, their action plan has not yet been approved by the Space-Time Line Management Center. The main reason is to ensure the stability of the Elf Planet's timeline. But regardless, ensuring the stability of this timeline is our top priority."
"That reason sounds far-fetched! I can't shake the feeling that they're not planning to send reinforcements at all," Hao Yun grumbled discontentedly.
Master Gu shook his head, maintaining his unwavering faith in the Divine Realm. "There must be reasons from above. We shouldn't speculate recklessly. Besides, with the discovery of such high-level necrotic energy, it's unlikely the higher-ups will allow it to wreak havoc in the mortal realm."
"What do we do now? Just tough it out here? This is just my luck! If I had known there would be no reinforcements, I would've refused to join this mission!" Hao Yun complained bitterly.
"Talking about it now won't help. If I had known we would encounter such high-level necrotic energy here, I would have called for more pursuit officers to join the mission. We wouldn't be in this passive situation now. Ah! It's partly my fault for being too careless. In the past few millennia, encountering necrotic energies with a combat level of six stars during pursuits, let alone five-star levels, has been rare. We were too optimistic about this pursuit mission, leading to complacency during the preparation phase and landing us in this predicament," Master Gu admitted with self-reproach.
Master Gu then turned to Hao Yun. "But don't worry. While Master Gu and the others can't come to our aid proactively, they have already set up a tight net around the periphery of the Elf Planet. So, Eliena and that necrotic energy won't be able to escape. We just need to hold off Eliena as much as possible until other pursuit officers arrive to support us."
"What if we can't hold off Eliena?" Hao Yun asked.
"The worst-case scenario is that we use the point teleportation function to leave this place. Since Eliena can't escape from here either, we can return to base for some rest and then come back to continue the fight. And once we forcefully initiate the point teleportation function to leave, Master Gu can use our encounter with an extremely powerful enemy as a reason to define this mission as an extremely special emergency, and apply for reinforcements from above again. This way, there's a greater chance they'll get approval to send reinforcements to support us," Master Gu explained.
"In that case, why don't we use the point teleportation function to escape now, and then quickly have Master Gu use it as a reason to apply for reinforcements again? Besides, after returning to the space base, we can also restore our condition. That way, wouldn't it be more effective for us to come back and deal with Eliena?" Hao Yun suggested immediately. Though he couldn't accept this sneaky escape tactic and defeating Eliena this way felt unsportsmanlike, if it helped capture Eliena, he thought it was worth a try. After all, no matter how hard he tried, he was definitely not Eliena's match.
"Hey! If only things were as simple as you think! If we use the point teleportation function to force our way out of here, the higher-ups will assess our situation before leaving to determine if our reasons for seeking support are valid. Once they realize we've intentionally sought support by avoiding or retreating from battle, they will impose severe penalties on us."
"In the Divine Realm, our role is akin to that of special agents. Our purpose is to complete special missions as much as possible through individual combat. So, if we keep calling for support at every turn, our existence loses its significance," Dao Lao explained.