In a mere instant, wildly growing vines and undergrowth, like a monstrous wave, twisted and crushed the surrounding houses, closing in on everyone in the blink of an eye!
But while others showed expressions of surprise and horror, Caelus's eyes, instead of anger, lit up with joy. "Twilight?! This power… Twilight, is that you!?"
There was no answer. Although he could feel that the power hidden within this familiar attack originated from the person he longed for day and night, at this moment, that power came roaring towards Caelus without any hesitation.
Caelus could sense that this power was far inferior to Twilight's full strength as he remembered it, but even so, if he were to be hit unprepared, even someone as strong as Caelus wouldn't escape a fate of being incapacitated.
Helplessly, Caelus could only choose to channel his power and, along with the others around him, shatter the attacking vines.
Everyone here was no slouch; in just a blink, the plants that had just blotted out the sky moments ago were all reduced to ashes under the explosive power.
Kevin stared at the burning remnants and severed roots around him, consumed by the flames of the Judgment of Shamash. Although he had repelled the enemy's attack, there was no joy on his face.
This was indeed the oppressive aura he had sensed not long ago, but the power and killing intent contained within it were on a completely different level…
Judging by Caelus's reaction, the attacker should be Twilight… So, was it because her friends and family were present that she deliberately lowered the power of her attack?
Even though she was forced to attack, could she still offer some resistance…? Perhaps the idea that stronger individuals could better resist manipulation was correct.
Kevin's gaze flickered towards the location of the Astral Express crew, a guess forming in his mind, and his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened.
The next moment, Kevin unhesitatingly transformed into a meteor and shot off into the distance!
He had no intention of fighting the approaching enemy. Even though he knew Lee was in the enemy's grasp, he still chose to retreat without hesitation at this moment, proceeding according to the previously planned strategy.
Of course, he didn't want Lee to be controlled for even a second longer, but… he couldn't do it.
If Kevin were to evaluate his own growth throughout his long life, it would probably be a clear understanding of his own arrogance and weakness.
In countless reflections and nightmarish illusions, he had recognized that all the tragedies he had created were ultimately due to his own weakness, and the arrogance of not recognizing that weakness.
If not for that, Lee wouldn't have suffered so many tragedies because of him—she wouldn't have died.
Now, the chance to save Lee was right before him. This might be the only opportunity Kevin would encounter in his life, so he couldn't tolerate any possibility of failure.
He would no longer delude himself into thinking his own power and will could overcome any enemy. Since it was a fact that the enemy was stronger than him, then he would abandon direct combat and use despicable threats to achieve his goal!
It wasn't just him; a considerable number of figures in the crowd also began to act according to the plan, heading to other locations to threaten the safety of the Blue Earth!
But the next moment, all surrounding sounds suddenly vanished—not because the environment was muted, but because everything nearby had silently frozen in place at that instant, devoid of movement.
And so it was for those who were about to scatter to various parts of the Blue Earth. Although they could still think and speak, they couldn't move an inch.
This development only horrified everyone. They had anticipated that their opponent might be extremely powerful, but they hadn't expected that the other party could control all of them in a single instant… The plan to threaten the Blue Earth had gone bankrupt before it even began.
And at this moment, everyone's gaze turned towards the sky, towards the figure stepping out bit by bit from the void.
Pale long hair, golden-green eyes. The moment Caelus saw that familiar figure, his excitement could no longer be contained. Even though his body couldn't move, his voice, filled with ecstatic joy, still echoed around. "Dabai... Twilight! Haha… I knew it was you! I just knew it was you! I just knew you were here!!"
Unlike the excited Caelus, March 7th and the others were immediately plunged into confusion. After all, the Twilight before them was drastically different from the one they had always known.
But soon they realized—wasn't this the appearance of Twilight after they had resurrected her through the Transmutation Arcanum?
"Twilight, are you… are you okay?" March 7th, usually so lively, found herself at a loss for her usual playful demeanor when the person she missed so dearly truly appeared before her. She just stammered, unable to say much, only staring blankly at the expressionless figure in the sky with tear-filled eyes. "I really missed you so much…"
Facing the teary-eyed March 7th and other excited family members from the Astral Express, Twilight, who was usually the most protective of her own, showed no reaction at all. She just stood in the air, looking down at the people below with an indifferent gaze, as if looking at a group of unfamiliar ants.
"...No, March." Amidst the silence, the excitement in Dan Heng's eyes eventually turned into heaviness. "This person is not Twilight—this is indeed Twilight's body, but the one currently using her to control us is definitely not Twilight's consciousness!"
"Heh…"
To everyone's surprise, after Dan Heng's words came out, Twilight, who had remained expressionless in the sky, suddenly let out a light chuckle.
"Is it really okay to say such things so casually? Maybe I just have some difficulties, so I'm deliberately pretending not to know you? Arbitrarily assuming the other person is as you imagine them to be can sometimes lead to big misunderstandings… You might as well ask those colorful-haired folks next to you; they should have a lot of experience with that."
The Astral Express crew subconsciously followed Twilight's gaze. They saw Elysia and the others from the Previous Era, all with grim expressions, staring intently at Twilight. If looks could kill, they probably would have riddled her with a thousand holes by now.
"Who on earth are you… What have you done to Lee!" Elysia desperately wanted to rush up to her, grab her by the collar, and punch her a few times to force her to reveal everything—but right now, Elysia couldn't move at all. She'd be lucky not to get beaten herself.
"I am Twilight—"
"Shut up, you shameless creature! You are definitely not her—" Himeko's teeth were about to shatter.
At this moment, she only regretted not having arranged for more satellite cannons in the sky beforehand, so she couldn't blast this imposter, this vile creature before her, into smithereens. "That child would never show such a genuinely mocking, malicious smile!"
"Heh, if it matches your impression, it's the real deal. If their behavior doesn't match your impression, you refuse to acknowledge them… Although it has nothing to do with me, it's quite annoying."
Twilight's expression returned to indifference. And behind her, a figure silently walked out.
"After all, your meaningless emotions always bring trouble."