One-Eyed Monster

Dawn Peak fell silent for a moment. This silence was not right at all, somewhat akin to the calm before a storm—a bit oppressive and somewhat stifling.

Qi Liu couldn’t help but poke out the head he had kept tucked in, wanting to see what exactly was happening in the place blocked by the stone. This prolonged silence was indeed too strange. It made Qi Liu feel incredibly stifled. It was as if he were a fugitive being hunted, who had finally found a corner to hide in, not daring to breathe. He could only hear the rhythmic clicking around him—the footsteps of his pursuers...

People are like that sometimes. The more they sense something is wrong, the more they want to know what’s happening outside, unable to resist exposing the position they’ve hidden so well.

Of course, Qi Liu wasn’t the type to be good at hiding. He was merely sheltering behind a rock; if someone were truly after him, he would have been captured and butchered long ago.

The safest person on the mountaintop right now was probably Qi Liu. He had no ties to any of the factions present and was a complete bystander. Apart from the unconscious Hustace, he was likely completely overlooked.

But this didn’t affect the unfolding situation. Qi Liu had chosen to come here himself and was prepared to bear the consequences. When factions clashed, bystanders always suffered collateral damage, and Qi Liu was such a person. He was constantly wondering when this conflict would end.

Now, however, the entire mountaintop was silent. This silence made him even more restless, because he knew an even larger battle was about to begin.

Qi Liu found he had nowhere left to hide. The mountaintop was barren; other than that conspicuous large stone, he couldn’t find anywhere that felt safe.

He felt safe near that huge stone because those two strange individuals were always guarding it.

A voice in his heart told him that, compared to the Alchemy Workshop, these two people were more trustworthy.

So he desperately wanted to move Young Master Hustace behind that large stone. But the current situation didn’t seem to allow it; the strange silence had brought everyone’s actions to a halt, and everyone’s gaze, without exception, was fixed on those two Soul Puppets.

It was the two Soul Puppets ceasing their attacks that had caused this silence. The two Soul Puppets stood motionless, facing Estev and Stan Sol, with the well-prepared Alchemists behind them. The two Soul Puppets were surrounded, seemingly in an extremely disadvantageous position, attacked from both front and rear.

But the people surrounding these two Soul Puppets didn’t dare to act rashly. They were all observing, wanting to see what new move the Soul Puppets would make, or if they were about to unleash some unimaginable secret technique...

Such wariness towards the Soul Puppets, creations of Wizards, was only human nature. No one would readily act against something unfamiliar.

The Soul Puppets emitted a low, gurgling sound, like a series of muffled groans—GURGLE, GURGLE—but remained motionless.

The restless crowd consisted of experienced fighters who could naturally control their impulses at this moment. This was their prudence, and also their typical battle composure. Although they all understood that situations in battle changed rapidly and there was no room for hesitation, when facing the Soul Puppets, they had no other option.

They even felt that this battle would be recorded in the annals of the entire continent, and their actions would provide future generations with effective methods to deal with Dark Wizards.

At the same time, they also felt a sense of helplessness. The Dark Arts had finally developed in the shadows and could now contend with the six major professions.

No one knew what this truly signified.

The tranquility was shattered by a guttural sound; it came from the two Soul Puppets again. They resumed their violent movements, but this time, instead of launching a beast-like attack on Stan Sol and the others as before, they adopted a very strange tactic.

The two Soul Puppets began to tear at each other like two wild dogs fighting over food, refusing to release their grip until the other was destroyed.

The sight was indeed terrifying. The stench of decaying flesh and corrosion pervaded the entire mountaintop. Bunan, unable to withstand such a scene, vomited immediately. Even seasoned veterans couldn’t help but frown. The spectacle of them devouring each other was unbearable. Although the beings gnawing at each other were not true Living Entities, the visual and olfactory assault was still too intense...

Merely being able to stand firm and watch such a sight was already commendable; expecting anyone to react was asking too much.

The two Soul Puppets quickly finished devouring each other. It was like a dogfight where one eventually bites the other to death. The only difference was that wild dogs were replaced by Soul Puppets, and the outcome was one completely devouring the other.

The Soul Puppet that had devoured its companion didn’t undergo any significant outward change. It looked as grotesque as before; if there was any change, it was that it had become even more repulsive...

The Soul Puppet swayed its body like a wild dog emerging from a river, shaking off water droplets. This movement made those surrounding it extremely wary. At this point, even a sneeze from the Soul Puppet would have made them tremble.

After shaking, the Soul Puppet underwent noticeable changes. First, its eyes began to glow red, then its arms, and finally its entire body...

It glowed a brilliant red, like wood or an iron bar heated red-hot by flames, making observers feel as if immense heat was about to erupt from its body...

”Not good!” Stan Sol suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone’s gaze to him.

”It... is... going... to... Self-Explode!” Stan Sol was not like the Great Witch Biggs, who would be flustered by many expectant gazes. He was a man of few words, rarely speaking unless necessary, and wouldn’t be easily startled or speak rashly without forethought.

Self-Explosion? The Alchemists and Estev were stunned for a moment upon hearing this; then, realizing the danger, they became vigilant. The Self-Explosion of a Soul Puppet was something they had only heard about in ancient tomes and tales from Wandering Bards. They never imagined they would witness such an event in person.

But witnessing the Self-Explosion of a Soul Puppet was not something to celebrate. A Soul Puppet contained too much deathly energy and Spellcraft. Ordinary people had no chance of survival after a Soul Puppet’s Self-Explosion; the massive deathly energy alone was enough to send them straight to the Eternal Tranquility Realm.

Not to mention the numerous unknown forms of Spellcraft...

The Soul Puppet glowed intensely red, leaping about erratically like a wild horse suddenly reined in, frantically stamping its hooves.

”Its target...” Estev’s eyes suddenly took on a peculiar glint. He watched the Soul Puppet continually leaping about, and it seemed he had discerned a pattern...

This Soul Puppet wasn’t kicking recklessly; it had a direction. At this moment, its chaotic stamping seemed more like a wild bull gathering momentum for a charge.

To Estev, its direction seemed very clear, which was why he sensed something was amiss.

The Soul Puppet was gathering momentum, aiming for the large, conspicuous stone precisely behind him...

That stone marked the location of the mountain’s seal—the place where the gate was located.