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Chapter 209: Psychic Nest-Returning Bird

Bluebird tried his best to stop his legs from shaking. He felt like he didn't really belong in this battle. Maybe it was foolish of him to listen to Asmodeus’ instructions.

Twenty minutes ago, Bluebird was trapped inside the barrier like everyone else. He watched Sila’s fight with a feeling of indifference. It wasn’t that he looked down on Sila. It just that he had gotten used to seeing Sila’s battles so he didn’t find it shocking like the rest of the audience. He was more concerned about himself.

Bluebird knocked on the barrier a few times and found that Ramiel’s barrier had a soft yet strong texture.

“How could Sila break it easily?” Bluebird muttered to himself.

—Darling can get out easily too, you know?

The voice that he was very familiar with interrupted his line of thought. Bluebird’s face was pale. It was this voice that always suddenly echoed in his head, causing people around him to think he was kind of crazy, talking to himself.

“Asmodeus! I told you I won’t let you out! Also, stop calling me darling,” said Bluebird.

—I said Darling can easily get out, not me. Why do you always underestimate yourself? Don’t you remember when you defeated tons of enemies in Zhongsuyuan City?

“That wasn’t me. I wasn’t that strong. You controlled me.”

—Everything I did, you are also capable of achieving. I didn’t use my own powers at all. Don’t you know that the essence of magic is timing? You just have to use the right spell at the right time.

Among the demons of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lucifer was the strongest, there was no doubt about that. Opposite Lucifer in the rankings and heralded as the weakest was Asmodeus. However, that only considered when she was alone, not latched onto someone else like a parasite.

Although she was the weakest and didn’t possess any powerful or fraudulent skills, she was the master of control. Even though she was a psychic type, she was proficient at using every kind of skill, regardless of the energy type required, including magic spells that needed great timing to be used effectively. It was speculated that there was no skill she didn’t know about and that she could use skills even better than her host.

The nature of her psychic power was the mind that understood everything as if it all belonged to her. She understood mother nature as well as understood the desire of every single being she met.

With her by your side, she would always be with you and understand you, using her power to help you. In a sense, she was the perfect lover, anyone’s dream girl.

Bluebird touched the barrier and activated Psychic Nest-Returning Bird in his mind. Instantly, the barrier trapping him vanished.

“Oho? It really worked.”

—Let’s get out of this place before someone spots us, Darling.

Bluebird agreed with her. He looked around and found that everyone was busy focusing on Montra and Sila. He sneakily retreated, step by step. However, Montra’s next statement shattered his hopes.

“Black Star Warlord and Star-Finishing Warlord, step back. Both of you, go and take care of the Blue-Colored Catastrophe.”

—Darling~ Why didn’t you hide your presence? We got caught, you see?

Asmodeus’ tone of voice was teasing, like she was a young girl caught while eloping with her lover.

‘Damn. Hiding my presence? How could I do that? Playing dead?’ Bluebird was spewing curses in his mind when he turned his head to both Dragon Warlords and scratched his head.

“No need to mind me, everyone. Hehe~”

Bluebird had already clad his feet with magic reinforcement. If there was one thing he was incredibly good at, that would be escaping.

—Wow~ You said you were weak, but I must say your utilization of power for movement is top-notch, Darling~

Bluebird didn’t care about Asmodeus’ comments. Before he even finished saying he was going to use his ultimate strategy, he darted off.

Lost Ghost’s roar followed behind him, but Bluebird didn’t stop running. He got an edge since he had a head start.

Lost Ghost was the slowest among the Five Dragon Warlords. Nevertheless, the javelins he materialized were much faster. Several of them continued to fly at Bluebird, though he could dodge all of them, albeit barely.

Relying on his two feet, sometimes Bluebird tapped the ground, sometimes he tapped off walls, sometimes he used levitation spells, and sometimes he threw himself with magic power. He could evade any incoming attacks.

Nevertheless, because he needed to keep dodging, his speed fell. Both hunters were gradually approaching him.

Yardpirun didn’t want to show suspicious behavior so she attacked him for real. Although her semi-transparent sword waves weren’t as powerful as the black javelins, they were difficult to spot. Yet, Bluebird still managed to dodge them all as if he had a third eye.

—So you are emitting magic power from your body to enhance your detection ability, Darling? It’s a nice idea, though you will die if you make a wrong move and get hit by even one of the attacks since you lack defense.

‘Fufufu. I won’t get hit. Although I might look like this, I succeeded in evading Zero for three days straight without being caught. No one can beat me in an escape contest!’

—Who is Zero, Darling?

‘Ehh? You don’t know? He is the second strongest player, though he is the fastest in Monster Soul.’

The situation between Bluebird and Zero happened many years ago due to Bluebird trying to get his hands on one of the most useless pieces of news: Zero’s real face under the mask.

Bluebird wanted to find out what Zero looked like, so he transformed himself into a bird and secretly observed Zero for a while. He was close to obtaining the juicy news but Zero noticed him first, resulting in the hunt.

Zero chased after Bluebird for three days straight. Honestly speaking, regarding speed, Zero was far above Bluebird. If it was a contest of running from one location to another, it was sure that Zero would leave Bluebird in the dust.

However, chasing required more than speed. Bluebird fled while luring Zero toward monsters, transforming into his bird form while summoning his bird minions, using traps, and so on. He used every trick or strategy he could think of.

That experience had honed his ability to flee even further, making him a master of running away. However, the whole time he was unaware that the main reason he could manage to survive was thanks to Zero wanting to catch him alive, so Zero didn’t use his full strength in order to kill him.

—Anyway, Darling, why don’t you fight? These two are weak. Just use the card. Give me only a minute.

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‘Are you crazy? They are two Dragon Warlords, you know? I will simply die in that one minute.’

—I really mean it. The man moves like a sloth. His power is the kind that can limit opponents’ movements in order to kill them once and for all. Sadly, he should have practiced Mind Concealment. He would be a threat if he could mix some concealed javelins in his usual attacks. Otherwise, he should have used Psychic Impact on his javelins to change their trajectory mid-air. This man is simply bad at being creative, which greatly contradicts the nature of his power that requires tactfulness.

Bluebird was pondering whether psychic ability was that adaptive when Asmodeus continued.

—As for that woman, she used to be my host so I know she is holding back. I remember the time when she handed me to you. She probably fell in love with you, Darling.

Bluebird flinched, resulting in one of the sword waves grazing him. Once he regained his composure, he hurriedly started dodging again.

‘What did you just say? Is that true?’ asked Bluebird.

—Darling~ What a bad boy~ How could you show interest in another woman in front of me? I’m angry, you know~

Despite what she said, Asmodeus’ tone of voice was devoid of anger. Rather, she seemed to be having fun teasing Bluebird.

‘Don’t joke around. Is what you said true?’ Bluebird asked again.

—I am not sure about that. What I’m certain of is that she is definitely going easy on you. Given her ability, she should have been able to completely erase the presence of her attacks. Instead, even your shabby magic detection could sense them.

‘Damn. Don’t call my move shabby... whatever. By the way, can you always tell what an opponent’s power and characteristics are?’

—How about no~? I just used your Information Analysis skill. You have such a good skill but you rarely use it. Darling, you are quite stupid, you know?

‘Crap... It can be used in combat? I always thought it was similar to other inspection skills.’

—You can, with the help of the essence of psychic, Darling. Don’t you know? Want me to tell you?

‘I’m a magic type!’ Bluebird shouted inwardly.

—Ah~ You bravely say it, Darling~? Even though your ability regarding magic skills is so mediocre.

Bluebird lost his temper. ‘Just make it short! Are you going to tell me or not?!’

—I will, I will~ The essence of psychic is ‘Creativity’, Darling; the ability to use power in a different way in order to unlock the bottomless potential of your skills. Just Psychic Nest-Returning Bird alone is enough for you to get out of this situation, you know?

‘The tailorbird’s racial skills aren’t suited for combat! Psychic Nest-Returning Bird is just a skill to deactivate another skill. Worse off, the power that gets canceled will just return to the original user.’

At first, Bluebird was glad that he could finally use Psychic Nest-Returning Bird, the ultimate skill of the race he belonged to. However, after he took some time reading its description, he discovered it was, in fact, a disappointing skill.

Not only did he have to touch the opponent’s power directly, but the canceled power would also simply return back to the power’s owner, replenishing their energy.

In conclusion, it was a skill that couldn’t deal any damage to opponents or affect the flow of the battle. In a sense, it was as expected from a racial skill of the peaceful tailorbird race.

—Darling just sucks at using it. The Tailorbird King could bring a fight against Lucifer to a draw, you know?

‘A draw in a fight against such a monster? Are you sure you aren’t making that up?’ Bluebird didn’t believe in Asmodeus’ words at all. Based on what he was told, Lucifer was an unimaginable super strong monster. If what she said was the truth, did that mean the Tailorbird King possessed equal strength to Lucifer?

—Actually, you could say that Orcus, the Tailorbird King, always fought evenly with every single monster. He was kind, so he had never won nor lost. He was the number one draw master of the Monster Realm.

Bluebird was contemplating which action he should take. He could continue fleeing until the overall fight ended. If he kept at it, he could hold off two Dragon Warlords to himself, which was a good move for his team. However, if he were to take action and die, both of them would be free, and the overall situation could get worse.

Seeing that Bluebird was hesitant, Asmodeus continued to persuade him.

—Women love strong men, you know~? Maybe she will find you more charming. I mean Boss.

Asmodeus had a chance to delve into Bluebird’s mind once, so she knew the complicated relationship between the two. She used it to persuade Bluebird into following her instructions.

And it worked. Bluebird contemplated for a while before making a decision.

‘What do I need to do?’

Asmodeus made a grin in her mind.

—First, go there. I will explain the proper ways to utilize Psychic Nest-Returning Bird when you arrive.

Bluebird immediately changed his direction. Seeing where he was heading, the two Dragon Warlords felt suspicious. He was heading into a dead end surrounded by Ramiel’s barriers.

Bluebird stopped his feet with his back against the barrier. Finally, the two Dragon Warlords successfully cornered Bluebird.

Lost Ghost didn’t want to miss the chance so he activated Rhythm of Subduing Earth. The visible black psychic power crept along the street to where Bluebird was standing.

Bluebird was about to dodge it by jumping, though Asmodeus prevented that.

—Don’t dodge!

Bluebird decided to listen to Asmodeus. His entire body was dyed by the black psychic power, completely restraining his movements. He couldn’t even move his finger.

“Here I was thinking you were formidable. As it turns out, you are nothing much,” said Lost Ghost. He materialized an axe in his hand. Meanwhile, Yardpirun was secretly worried. She didn’t understand what Bluebird’s intentions were.

—Now, use Psychic Nest-Returning Bird. However, be sure to remember that you don’t have to plainly give the opponent’s power back to them. During the split second in which the power is about to return, it will be yours. You have to seize that chance to contaminate it with your own power. With that, when it returns to its owner, it will be harmful to them. Be warned, though. The stronger the power, the more power you need to spend to contaminate it.

Bluebird activated Psychic Nest-Returning Bird while mixing a part of his magic power within. Since the power was impure, Lost Ghost couldn’t take it back. As a result, Bluebird was free from the restraint while Lost Ghost became the one who couldn’t move.

Lost Ghost was shocked that his own power, Rhythm of Subduing Earth, suddenly returned and bit himself. He tried to cancel the skill but found that he couldn’t. Unbeknownst to him, his skill belonged to Bluebird temporarily.

Yardpirun was surprised to see what Bluebird could achieve. In any case, in front of Lost Ghost, she had no choice but to take action, otherwise, she would look suspicious. The invisible sword waves flew at Bluebird, though—if one looked closely—they would see that her aim was his shoulder instead of his head as it should have been.

—Darling, your next lesson is on altering the result of a skill. As long as the power is there, you can alter its result to be beneficial to you. Tap your foot on the barrier. Change its shape to protect yourself.

Bluebird’s heel touched the barrier. He closed his eyes and activated Psychic Nest-Returning Bird. A part of the barrier was disintegrated. Then, Bluebird controlled it to take shape in front of himself, blocking the invisible sword waves.

Bluebird opened his eyes and found that he was still alive and the barrier was properly protecting him. He smiled, though Asmodeus scolded him.

—Don’t stop! Keep injecting your magic power into it, Darling. Please remember that you have to maintain your power in order to alter the opponent’s power. Now, let’s control the barrier to imprison these two.

Bluebird was heartened by the consecutive successes. He waved his hand with a motion that he thought was the coolest while controlling the barrier to imprison both Dragon Warlords.

“You... How can you...? Such a complex and strong barrier comparable to what Ramiel created...?” Lost Ghost wondered.

“Fufu. Such a simple barrier. It’s a given that Sir Bluebird could make it. There is nothing that Sir Bluebird can’t do,” Bluebird said with a loud voice.

—Darling didn’t make it, though~ You just restructured Ramiel’s barrier. If a monkey possesses your skill, it could do it as well.

‘Ouch. You hurt my self-esteem, you know? ...Really, even a monkey could do that? By the way, this is quite tiring.’

—It sure is. Ramiel’s barrier is a high-level power, so it requires spending more of your magic power. I will use this chance to impart upon you the last method to utilize Psychic Nest-Returning Bird.

‘There is still more?’

—Do you see the fog lingering around your ankles, Darling? That’s the Dragon Domain Abode of the Angels. Its ability is to greatly increase the regeneration rate of health points and energy resources for those the skill owner recognizes as allies. However, as long as you maintain the skill’s equilibrium, you can alter not only the shape but also the target. Understand? As long as the number of the targets stays the same, you can alter who the skill registers as targets.

Bluebird concentrated. Asmodeus didn’t distract him and let Bluebird build up his power.

—Change the Dragon Domain so that it recognizes the big guy as its enemy, then replace him with you.

Bluebird followed what Asmodeus said. Soon, Montra’s Dragon Domain registered him as one of Montra’s allies while Lost Ghost became the enemy. As a result, the speed of Bluebird’s power regeneration increased.

His magic power was constantly replenished at a rate faster than he could spend. Within Montra’s Dragon Domain, Bluebird was certain that he could easily cast Psychic Nest-Returning Bird over and over.

—Darling, you are free to choose how you’ll punish these two now. It’s completely up to you~

Bluebird put on a solemn expression and looked at Lost Ghost with contempt.

“Kukukuk. The Dragon Warlords are so shoddy. You already ended up like this even when I only used ten percent of my power. Sigh. You are not even worthy of dying by my hand.”

Lost Ghost gritted his teeth and tried to break the barrier. He was cursing Bluebird non-stop. He was unaware of the fact that Bluebird actually had no way to kill either Warlord. Bluebird didn’t possess a single skill that could penetrate the barrier.

“See you again, Lady~” Bluebird blew a kiss at Cheris. Her face reddened for a very brief moment.

‘So cool! I’ve always wanted to play the main character role.’ Bluebird thought to himself while leaping forward. He used his maximum speed to rush to where Montra and Sila were fighting.

Bluebird’s current goal was to show his coolness before Montra canceled his Dragon Domain.

When dawn arrived, the title Blue-Colored Catastrophe would surely be inscribed in Monster Soul’s history as one of the legends.