"Interesting... How am I still alive?"
His voice reflected his wonder and amusement.
However, to everyone, the quality of his voice was empyrean.
Regardless of what this being just said, every single one was filled with trepidation.
No one dared to move.
'What is he? He doesn't have an ounce of Innate Energy yet why do I feel like he is godlike...' Michael thought that there is no way the person in front of him was mortal.
'Where did this divine being come from....?' Alistair could not help but trembled in the presence of this unknown figure.
'My instincts are telling me that he could kill all of us with a single thought... ' Byron was sweating bullets as he felt like just meeting his eyes could spell him his doome
'Forget fighting... my soul is telling me that I should drop to my knees and worship this being...' This was the first time Yumi felt in complete prostration to a being. She felt utterly defeated right now.
'I feel like if I step forward, I die. If I step back, I die. Just existing in his line of sight feels like walking a tightrope over an abyss.' Victoria did not dare move like everyone else because she did not know whether this person was a friend or foe.
She did notice something rather stranger, 'Is it just a coincidence that he and Dylan has the same eyes? He is even wearing the same clothes as him....'
But she immediately trashed that idea because there was no way that sweet boy would be this overwhelming and overbearing.
'A god...' Kris could not even control himself. He ended up kneeling first. He even prostrated himself to this white-haired man.
A heavy, suffocating silence dropped over the area.
Nobody blinked.
Nobody even dared to draw breath, terrified that the mere sound of a mortal inhaling might annoy the entity.
The absolute disconnect between his casual, amused words and the apocalyptic pressure radiating from his silent silhouette was enough to drive a lesser warrior mad.
The universe was screaming at them to run, but their bodies knew better: before a being like this, there was nowhere in existence to hide.
The person who broke the silence was ,of course, the white-haired man, "I see. I understand it now. This is "me" after all. Hmmm, they seem to be with the Mansion. Haha. "That method" actually worked, though still incomplete..."
It seemed as though he had gained an epiphany. He was piecing things together the more he observed himself. The more he did, the more amused he got.
"This is so interesting though haha."
Everyone was trying to decipher his words as well.
"How unsightly. My host's hand was dislocated... Let us fix that..." After he said, his words. It was as though his body obeyed his command. The body actually fixed itself!
"There you go." He said while stretching his hands as though nothing happened to it. Not an ounce of Innate Energy was used in this entire process.
"?!" The faces of the onlookers were befuddled because such a miraculous thing happened. It was as if his words were willed into existence
Byron was the first among them to try and converse with this godlike entity. He bowed respectfully and greeted, "My most humblest of greetings to you, Oh great one. May my unworthy self beseech the reason for your arrival?"
"Hm, who is this supposed to be?" Yet, the white-haired man ignored Byron entirely while looking Leila who he was holding in his hands.
"..." Byron was very much disturbed by this indifference. He was an esteemed Half-Saint. Most people would grovel to their feet once he decides to show themselves. Yet, he can't put on airs in front of this person.
Continuing disregarding Byron's presence, the white-haired man let go of Leila and he beckoned his fingers upwards. Leila was now somehow levitating in mid air.
After observing Leila. he mused, "Ah, so this is Leila. How romantic of "me" to save you. Hoho, your soul is also rather mystifying!"
*Badump*
He distinctly heard the sound of a heartbeat coming from somewhere, "Oh!"
Then, his gaze focused on Victoria while saying, "I never would have thought that I would encounter the mythical Heart of the Sword Sage with my own eyes."
"A-are you referring to me, Great One?" Victoria also stammered as she replied.
"No need to be overly formal with me. The "me" from before does owe you a favor after all." The white-haired man said casually.
"Ah... Is that so, Great One? However, I would like to offer my apologies for I don't feel like I'm worthy to speak casually with you." Victoria kindly declined.
'What does he mean by "the him from before"? Is this man really Dylan? Is he currently possessed?' Victoria immediately realized what this man was referring to.
"Hmmm, I guess whatever makes you feel uncomfortable." The white-haired man did not mind it that much. He was rather easygoing despite the aura that he carries.
Byron, seeing that this otherworldly being was rather amicable, tried raising his head, "Oh great one, I-"
Then, the white haired man looked at Byron the same moment that he raised his head, "Who allowed you to raise your head after bowing to me?"
His tone seemed offended. His aura became more hostile as his gaze looked at Byron like an ant.
"I..."
Byron's entire body down to the very cell was telling him that one wrong move, he was going to die.
The white-haired man was about to raise his hand to do something calmly. However, his unhurriedness was something someone took advantage of.
To everyone's surprise, Yumi suddenly moved. There were strings that rose from the ground. They were attached to Byron's and Kaiden's feet!
She actually pulled Byron close to her and the unconscious Kaiden with her with one single movement. She was breathing heavily but she managed to successfully do what she set out to do.
While the white haired man dilly-dallied, Yumi dared to make a move. She used her hell threads to dug through the ground covertly. Because her threads were fine and microscopic in nature if not woven into anything sharp, these allowed her threads to spread through the ground and secure her master and her target.
"Big Bro Kai!" Victoria only realized that Kaiden was once again taken. She was still trembling but she tried to move!
"Master, let's get out of here now!" Yumi told Byron who was still recovering from the shock that he experienced.
"Die! Nightsever!" Victoria once again appeared to attack Yumi.
"Go away, little girl! Advent of Darkness" Byron had already recovered and used his darkness explosion to blow her away!
*Boom*
"Hoho, what an interesting development!" The white haired man only seemed amuse. He was the one who blocked Byron's attack.
However, it would be inaccurate to say that he blocked it when the Dark Innate Energy from the attack dissipated by itself. It was as though Innate Energy itself was afraid of this man!
"But can you bear the consequences of your actions?" He added with a smile.
"..." Byron looked at him for a short moment as he organized his thoughts.
'How embarrassing! To think my disciple has had to intervene and be my savior!' Byron said in self-deprecation.
He then tried to think more rationally, 'It is an impossibility that there is an individual in this backwater country that has a higher cultivation base than the Sect Leader. Albeit his aura seems to be that of a god, it must be caused by a divine artifact, perhaps even an ancient amulet, a talisman, or a law fragment! That must be it! It's possible that it can initiate mental attacks and negate Innate Energy.'
Using this assumption, Byron felt like gained more autonomy with his own body yet his instinct were still trying to tell him that facing this man meant certain death!
"Regardless of what special artifact/treasure/talisman or fortuitous encounter you may have had or currently using, I strongly believe that you are not as strong as what you seem." Byron spoke confidently but his expression failed him, making it seem like he was trying to convince himself rather than the foe.
"Is that so? Would you want to gamble upon that belief?" The white haired man smiled.
"I would rather not. But I'm not the sort of person who would engage in a losing fight so I must have to retreat like what my cute disciple proposed." Byron tried to keep his false bravado. He revealed a Void Flicker Stone in his hands and activated it.
"That's a Void Flicker Stone!" Victoria noticed and she tried to get up to try and disrupt the Void Flicker Stone.
"Although, we have failed the mission, we were able to at least identify how much of a threat you are, Victoria. Additionally, I have Kaiden as my bonus prize." Yumi boasted as the Void Flicker Stone enclosed her with Kaiden and Byron.
The runes and the spatial energy that the Void Flicker Stone emitted was already covering Byron and Yumi as well as Kaiden.
'They are about to escape...' Alistair and Michael who was too affected by the presence of the white haired man finally gained their focus back. But the scene they woke up to was their enemies actually retreating!
"No!" Alistair wanted to initiate an attack but the Void Flicker Stone was already in effect as it covered those three with a globe of spatial energy.
"Splitting the Cloudy Skies!" The attack landed on the globe of spatial energy but it did not do anything!
The Void Flicker Stone used the very fundamental concept of space itself to transport its user from their current location to a location they set its coordinates to provided that it is within the limits of the Void Flicker Stone.
It operated at a higher realm and power than any power a Half Saint like Alistair could muster.
The white haired man was unhurried and unbothered. He genuinely seemed to enjoy watching everything unfold. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers
*Snap*
Then, at the end of that snap, the globe of spatial energy also popped like a balloon!
*Pop*
Byron and Yumi could not believe their eyes. Similarly, Victoria, Alistair, Michael and even Kris were in disbelief because someone actually not just interfered but completely broke the activation of a Void Flicker Stone that used the Laws of Space!
He did that with a snap of his fingers?! How absurd is that?!
To be able to break the laws of space, they could only look at the white-haired man in dread. This man really had the strength of a God!
"As I have said earlier, can you bear the consequences of your actions...?"