One-Eyed Monster

Igor and his companions didn’t smell the scent of fear. Although they were on edge, the gap in strength prevented them from truly sensing such feelings.

They were not like the Dark Wizard Reed, who had quickly adapted to the deceit within the Inner World and responded in a short time.

Although Stan Sol possessed great combat experience and insight, he too had limitations. These Ancient Hunters knew very little about the Dark Arts. Furthermore, he had previously exhausted a significant amount of Spirit Power casting the Incomplete Moon, making his reactions several beats slower than when he was at full strength.

Kadi was even less concerned. A born optimist, he had believed early on that their victory was in sight and saw no need to prepare an escape route…

Great Mentor Guzan detected a slight fluctuation but couldn’t fully confirm it. Witnessing Igor and his companions’ bold yet naive counterattack, he was momentarily stunned, his mind going blank as if it had short-circuited, unsure of what to do…

The others were still waiting for orders from Igor and his companions…

The rhythm of Guru Mountain suddenly slowed, creating a sense of lethargy.

Igor’s Timeline was greatly extended, and he didn’t know how to adjust. This protracted duration challenged his initial determination.

The drawn-out passage of time felt torturous, making even breathing difficult. The persistent thought that something major was about to happen hammered at Igor’s nerves, leaving him restless. He had to control the giant bird while also trying to figure out with Stan Sol how to restore what was missing from those Malice Spirit Entities. His mind was a complete mess; he didn’t know which task to tackle first. This was simply agonizing.

This sense of calm… that’s what felt so wrong!

Igor conveyed this feeling to Kadi and Stan Sol, but their responses were completely different.

Kadi’s expression suggested Igor was overthinking, believing he was simply letting his imagination run wild because he had nothing better to do.

Stan Sol, however, wasn’t as tense as Igor had thought he would be. He advised Igor to remain cautious but not to become overly nervous and create his own panic.

This left Igor even more confused. One said he was completely overthinking it; the other agreed his concerns were valid but warned him not to frighten himself. If their opinions had aligned, Igor wouldn’t have been so anxious. He dreaded these kinds of decisions. Usually, when faced with such a choice, he would toss a branch to decide. But now, even if a branch were in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to toss it. Both opinions seemed reasonable, leaving him utterly unsure of what to do.

At this moment, he missed the old lady from when his Scale of Faith had first opened. She always patiently told him stories and then guided him on what to do...

Now he was like a headless fly...

The giant bird he was controlling seemed to be affected by him as well; the frequency of its wingbeats grew sluggish…

But the sea’s color seems to have changed slightly, Igor mused. Is it because the tide is receding?

Wait! Igor suddenly realized something was wrong. The sea level is dropping, and it’s dropping fast!

No!

The sea isn’t dropping; it’s gathering in another direction! He could vaguely see a huge Water Wall standing in the distance.

This Water Wall was constantly moving, seemingly preparing to strike a sudden blow somewhere!

”Sol!” Igor shouted, not knowing how else to warn his companions.

His shout had barely faded when a thunderbolt suddenly descended from the sky, striking the giant bird with a RUMBLE.

Luckily, this bird was a legendary Divine Beast. The thunderstrike didn’t inflict much harm; it merely pecked at its wing and let out an angry CAW.

Before long, the entire sky turned completely black. The sun Igor had summoned was enveloped by a mass of dark clouds, rendered immobile.

”My God, what is happening!” Kadi exclaimed, utterly stunned by the sight before him. He couldn’t believe the ocean seemed to have awakened again; he had originally expected to see it filled in.

The massive Water Wall swiftly moved beside the giant bird and, with a MIGHTY CRASH, smashed into Igor’s avian summon.

CAW— The bird flapped its wings. Drenched to the bone, it struggled to take flight again. Its opponent was the vast ocean, but it had never known fear!

”Igor, the opponent is fighting back!” Stan Sol, equally startled, stated the obvious. In truth, he had absolutely no idea what to tell Igor.

”I know. And the wind has returned!” Igor sighed. At the same time, he felt a ferocious gale. No, this isn’t just a strong wind; it’s a full-blown hurricane!

The hurricane swept directly towards Igor’s bird, showing no mercy. No matter how desperately the giant bird flapped its wings, it couldn’t evade the hurricane. It could withstand the impact of the Water Wall and endure a lightning strike, but against this hurricane, it was utterly helpless.

The bird was swept into the air by the hurricane, its agonized CAW echoing through the heavens. It had spent its entire existence battling the ocean. To be confronted by a hurricane now filled it with deep resentment.

”Can’t you pull it down?” Kadi couldn’t stand it any longer. He felt that Igor should be capable of controlling what he had summoned.

But Kadi was mistaken; Igor was utterly powerless at this moment.

”I’ve lost all control!” Igor shouted, ”What the hell is going on!”

Stan Sol strained to perceive everything that was happening, trying to understand the nature of the opponent’s attack.

”I want to summon the moon, summon the Stars, but now I can’t summon anything! I don’t even have the strength to retrieve the sun and the giant bird! This is my Inner World! How can I have no control at all?” Igor blurted out all his confusion.

”Our Spirit Power is being suppressed!” Stan Sol declared, having found the root of the problem.

Suppressed? Igor didn’t understand the implication.

”The opponent’s strength far exceeds ours, and it seems they’ve realized this,” Stan Sol explained, his desperate efforts to comprehend the situation finally bearing fruit. ”Although they don’t appear to possess techniques for controlling or summoning within an Inner World, they are adept at suppressing our Spirit Power. Moreover, this ocean of theirs doesn’t seem to be a creation of their Inner World; it’s likely one of their formations!” His analysis was sharp and to the point.

But Igor wasn’t concerned with these details at the moment. He only wanted to know: what should they do now?

”So, what do we do next? Just wait to be crushed?” A hint of helplessness laced Igor’s voice.

Stan Sol, too, felt a wave of helplessness, unsure how to answer.