One-Eyed Monster

Crises are often unforeseen, usually occurring unnoticed. The Ghostly Flame guided these Malice Spirit Entities, leading them to strike back. The once furious, black sea slowly lost its surging momentum to these Malice Spirit Entities. This group of Malice Spirit Entities continually attacked the dark sea. They soared freely in the storm, seemingly unaffected by the control of the original sea. They were originally like fish and shrimp in the sea—creatures entirely dependent on it for survival. But Igor and Stan Sol had inadvertently set them free. Now, using Ghostly Flame, they had conquered them and compelled them to fight side by side.

Wizard Reed was indeed taken aback by this sudden change; the shock was so great it felt as if his very organs were trembling. However, after some thought, his excitement only grew. I’ve finally met a worthy opponent! he mused. Now I can truly demonstrate my strength. He would show these self-proclaimed superior beings that the Power of Darkness was truly endless. And that it was invincible. Although the counterattack would require some time to brew, he had already made all necessary preparations. The scent of blood, the color of darkness—everything stimulated his nerves. He had every reason to be excited.

Through Igor’s perspective, Kadi saw the attack launched by these Malice Spirit Entities. We could escalate things even further, he couldn’t help but think. Since it’s come to this, why not make the stage even grander? A grand stage requires a big heart, and a big heart generates great Energy!

”Igor, I think we can play a little crazier!” Kadi’s eyes lit up, looking every bit like an excited child; at some point, he had even picked up this reckless streak from Igor.

”Hmm?” Igor, always a bit slow on the uptake, had no idea what Kadi was talking about. He was busy coordinating with Stan Sol to command the attacking Malice Spirit Entities and was in no mood for games, much less to indulge in madness at such a critical moment. However, Kadi was his friend, after all. He felt he should at least show some concern, so responding was the minimum courtesy, even if his reply was utterly perfunctory.

But Kadi didn’t seem to mind. He pressed on, ”I’m saying, let’s make the stage even bigger! Our moon should make a proper entrance too!”

There was no greater regret in the world than this: having many ideas but lacking any power to implement them, being able only to shout from the sidelines. It was a truly sad state of affairs. Kadi couldn’t fully unleash his imagination in this Inner World, even though it was quite fertile. He could only voice his imaginative ideas and have Igor carry them out. But this approach had its limitations. For one, Igor often needed time to understand what he was saying. For another, Igor wasn’t always willing to help implement his ideas. So, Kadi often found himself stewing in anxiety.

This time, however, was different; Igor completely understood Kadi’s idea. He moved the moon closer, then further away, allowing it to play a crucial role. This development naturally affected Wizard Reed over at Moonflow Stream. Wizard Reed didn’t understand what an Inner World was, but he could feel his sea coming under attack.

Are they trying to disrupt my rhythm again? he thought. Too bad, they’ve used this trick before. I won’t fall for the same thing twice. This time, the moon’s changing distance failed to affect the entire sea.

Kadi was still wondering about this when he suddenly noticed a change on the sea’s surface. The waves on the sea surface began to swirl, then rose like whirlwinds. With a great RUSH, these waves then stood upright, forming arms and legs. They looked entirely human, except they had no facial features and only one leg—truly resembling a Water Folk.

WHOOSH—A Water Folk glided across the sea surface at an unimaginable speed. The target of these Water Folk was simple: the Malice Spirit Entities squeaking and chattering on the sea. The Water Folk’s onslaught sent the Malice Spirit Entities sprawling, losing their balance and tumbling into the sea. And that wasn’t all. Any Malice Spirit Entity that fell into the sea was immediately pinned to the seabed by a corresponding Water Folk, vanishing without a trace.

”What’s happening?!” Igor exclaimed in disbelief. More Water Folk kept emerging from the sea surface, their speed far exceeding his imagination.

”What should we do?” Igor asked again. He felt ignorant in the presence of the two commanders. The enemy was clearly counterattacking. Stan Sol, already struggling to control the Ghostly Flame, was finding it hard to cope. The enemy’s counterattack had caught them completely off guard.

The Great Mentor observed everything but remained silent. He wanted to see how Kadi and the others would deal with these bastards. The Water Folk attacked relentlessly, shattering the peace. RUSH, RUSH, RUSH! They surged forward, one wave after another, endlessly.

A welcoming gift, Wizard Reed thought. He had used this method of attack many times before. All his previous enemies had been defeated by these Water Folk. Their individual attack power might not seem formidable, but they were relentless and inexhaustible; they could undoubtedly wear down and overwhelm any opponent.

Igor and the others knew they had to counterattack, but for the moment, they were still deep in thought. The Ghostly Flame was about to lose control over the Malice Spirit Entities. Perhaps it was because these entities had endured too much torment in the dark sea. Now, upon seeing the Water Folk, they began to scatter and dodge, completely ignoring the guidance of the Ghostly Flame in Stan Sol’s hands. They seemed desperate not to return to that sea.

”Igor!” Stan Sol, on the verge of losing control, was also thinking furiously. He felt that if they didn’t offer the Malice Spirit Entities some glimmer of hope, they would lose their powerful backing.

”What is it?” Igor sounded a little flustered. Such a negative emotion was uncharacteristic of him. However, Igor had been under immense strain recently; perhaps the anxiety stemmed from the constant high-intensity thinking he had been subjected to.

”Does your word still carry weight here?” Stan Sol finally asked after a long pause, his meaning unclear.

”Hmm?” Igor failed to understand.

Igor didn’t understand, but Great Mentor Guzan caught the underlying implication. This Stan Sol wants to use Igor’s imagination to deal with these unexpected Water Folk...

”If you are still in charge here,” Stan Sol said, ”and if we have both the moon and the sun at our disposal, I think we can control these Water Folk quite easily!”

”Hmm?” Igor turned his head to look at Stan Sol, still completely baffled.