Echoes of the Past

Chapter 119 The Eye of Aging? The Eye of Shockwave!

Several approaching auras caused Almahern to retreat into the shadows.

Realizing that this group was after Big Mouth Living Erosion, she roughly guessed their identities.

With Slatur's arrival in Keren, the Owls, the Inner Guard, and the local guards are highly active, and the patrol and control area has been expanded.

Its enormous mouth devoured matter from a distance, scraping away at the ground, which alarmed nearby patrol personnel.

The closest person practically flew past, stepping on Almahern's shadow.

She didn't have time to warn anyone, nor did she have time to think about why she should warn anyone.

Battle is imminent.

"Click!"

What was unclear during the confrontation was exceptionally clear from the perspective of an observer.

The space locked by the giant mouth collapsed inward at a certain point, and the air was rapidly compressed.

Three or four ancient trees, each tens of meters tall and requiring more than ten people to encircle, along with a dense thicket of shrubs, exploded with a deafening "crack" at the same instant, creating a cloud of grayish-white wood chips that resembled a suddenly blooming, deathly gray flower.

A thin layer of blood mist permeated the sawdust.

"It's not compressed air—this thing's sluggish effect is air distortion!"

It's a very basic application, so at the physical level it manifests as air being compressed and coalesced inwards to become a high-density projectile.

If he fully masters the technique, the spatial distortion will also compress the person onto the air cannon that is about to be fired.

"What monster!"

Alma Hearn's long-held sense of superiority was stung.

Awakening grants the Eye of Aging, with no cost or side effects, unaffected by the Black Mist's tremors, allowing unimpeded movement between the Black Mist and Nora's sides.

She could push open that forbidden door whenever she wanted, and no one could stop her.

While other living beings are filled with worry, their ears echoing with the "call" of the black mist, she can smile, pick her ear, and scoff, "Inferior species."

To date, Almahern has not seen a perfect adaptor that can rival her own.

"Your power is neither pure nor unique—did you steal and fuse fragments of gods and demons?" She swallowed hard. "With such a mixed fusion, won't you go insane?!"

Almahern had assumed that all the warriors who rushed in had perished in the cataclysmic explosion.

"Click!"

Another loud bang.

Large swaths of trees were wiped away, as if someone had casually erased them from a canvas, leaving not even a stump behind.

Then came the explosion of magic, the deafening roar making the air tremble.

Flames leaped in the woods, quickly igniting into a raging inferno, thick smoke billowing into the sky, carrying with it the smell of burning.

Amidst billowing smoke, a figure was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the branches of a tree not far from her. The branches and leaves cushioned the impact as the figure slumped to the ground.

The battle continues in the distance.

Almahern glided forward and took a look. He was a young man about the same age as Suiyue, wearing the owl insignia.

It was hit head-on by the explosion and thrown into the air. When it landed, blood was coming out of its mouth and nose, but it was still breathing.

"Tsk, what kind of physical abilities do the Evil Deer and the Radiant Owl have?"

Even so, they still definitely couldn't beat that big-mouthed monster.

After a few seconds of thought, Almahern clapped her hands, and a pair of pitch-black palms extended from the shadows where she was hiding, wrapping the unconscious Owl like a blanket.

She leaped into the air and gazed into the distance.

The fierce battle left only one Dawn Owl, whose temples were graying, and he was probably the one who cast the spell in the explosion.

Instead of continuing its ferocious devouring and erasing of everything around it, the giant mouth pried open the illusory upper and lower jaws with its bare hands, forcibly preventing the eruption of divine and demonic power.

When his strength is exhausted, that will be the moment he dies.

Glancing at the arm that was missing a chunk of flesh and was still in excruciating pain, Almahern snapped her fingers, ordering the shadowy hand below to carry the wounded man away first.

The rapidly approaching presence from behind made the last remaining old owl turn around.

"What the hell?!"

Distracted from speaking, the force of his jaws nearly broke his arm; the bones cracked under the strain, and blood seeped from between his fingers.

"I refuse to believe that the Aging Eyes are ineffective against you!"

Almahern's piercing eyes shot down at the thorns that were growing wildly behind the giant mouth and were about to turn into tentacles.

The thorns, resembling insect appendages, snapped off instantly, turning into powder before even hitting the ground and drifting away in the wind.

However, when the Demon Eye unleashed its power at the illusory body of the Big Mouth, it was unable to break through its defenses.

Ripples spread across the black mist on the body's surface, gradually dissolving the aging power of the Demon Eye.

"Living erosion?" Old Owl asked in surprise.

"It's an Adaptor," Almarhern corrected, her tone laced with arrogance. "It bit me, and I won't allow such a powerful kin to exist in this world!"

Old Owl struggled to understand her fragmented language system—at least he could tell she was angry.

"You can't hold on any longer. Let go and help me attract attention. I'll use my magic eye to turn it into an old thing."

"I'm doomed," the old owl warned. "Be mindful of your surroundings."

Almahern was startled and looked around. There was something sticky and invisible, like sugar threads, swirling around her.

The area within a 50-step radius centered on the large mouth was locked.

"Listen—" The old owl's arm veins bulged, blood vessels beneath his skin stood out, and blood seeped from his skin. "I don't know who you are, but since you want to help—I'll give you an opportunity!"

"Blood Burning Technique!"

A dark red aura suddenly surged from the old owl's body.

That was the light emitted by every drop of blood burning within him, the light that belonged to life itself.

The Blood Burning Technique uses blood and qi as fuel and lifespan as firewood.

After the Black Mist Era, high-ranking magic warriors felt that "martial arts" were difficult to utilize, so they used ancient books from the Gray Star Era to revise and replicate their magic techniques.

Unlike the Gray Star era, which was simply a basic version that relied on overdraft and reliable recovery through sleep and nutrition, this improved version addresses the shortcomings of the version with unsuitable explosive power, as well as the fatal flaw of not being able to die.

To fight against the black fog, one must be prepared.

Rather than being trapped in it, tormented by gods and demons to the point of wishing for death, it is better to die a heroic death!

Ordinary magic warriors lack the judgment to face death, so the threshold for learning this skill is level 7.

The moment Elmar Hern saw the Blood Burn spell, she understood everything.

The old owl suddenly pushed its arms outward.

The illusory upper and lower jaws of the giant mouth were torn open.

The mouth, which had only briefly appeared when the "click" sound rang out and was wriggling with black mist, was now exposed to the air without any cover.

She retreated to a safe area and took aim.

"Any last words?"

"You dare bring my owl companion?"

"If I know someone who can't speak human language, they might be able to communicate."

"Then—tell them to help me see the day when the black fog dissipates."

She hovered in mid-air, looking down at the writhing abyss that had been forcibly opened up by the old owl.

Gray light surged from her pupils, and the aura of decay poured down, a vast torrent flowing straight into the depths of the black mist.

A strange force, not belonging to its size, exploded from deep within its torso, and its illusory upper and lower jaws suddenly snapped shut.

The old owl's figure vanished from that space, along with the ground where he stood, all crushed into dust.

His blood slowly spread through the churning dust, turning the entire sky a shocking red.

Almahern was sent flying backward by the shockwave from the compressed air, tumbling twice in the air before barely managing to regain her balance.

Deep within that churning mass of gray and red dust, a decaying glow flickered deep within the monster's mouth!

It's working!

The monster felt an unusual pain and made a muffled sound like a person desperately trying to cough something up when thick phlegm is blocking their throat.

"Click-clack-click-clack!"

Unexpectedly, four consecutive feints sent Elmar Henn flying backward, leaving a dark afterimage in the air.

Looking up again, Big Mouth, still on all fours, turned and ran towards the still dusty forest path.

The four deadly breaths she exhaled before leaving left her with lingering fear. Sensing that the next batch of reinforcements was already on its way, Elmar Hern dared not linger any longer. She took the unlucky owl she had just rescued and fled towards Kren.

Slatur, having just finished inspecting the Sicklewater stronghold, quickly learned of the news.

Six local Kren mages, four Radiant Owls, and one inner guard were killed in action.

Upon hearing the messenger's description of the damage at the scene, Nan'an couldn't help but exchange a glance with Huoya.

He is a glutton.

The name was decided upon by the two of them not long ago.

It originates from the "eating impulse" brought about by gluttons.

"Your Majesty, please return to the city immediately," the scribe quickly advised.

Slatur was not stubborn, but before getting into the carriage, he couldn't help but say something.

"Are we too weak, or is that monster too strong?"

The messenger lowered his head.

"Sir Kelombor — has been sacrificed."

Slatur clearly knew the value of this veteran owl.

He slowly closed his eyes and instructed the clerk: "Confirm the list of the dead and send an order back home—compensate their families. They died fighting against high-level live erosion, so the rewards should be increased accordingly."

Once on the carriage, he finally learned about the Glutton's strangeness from Nan'an and the Bewitching Crow.

"Is it really possible to steal fragments of gods and demons, fuse them multiple times, and still retain sanity?"

"If there's a theoretical ceiling, then it's possible to reach it," Nan'an said. "It seems we've encountered a theoretical player."

Suiyue muttered to herself, "Won't there be more and more theoretical players like this? —"

The thought of such a monster walking the streets of Kren like a normal person sent chills down even Slatur's spine.

Nan'an was alright, having witnessed the Aging Demon Eye sneaking in multiple times just to eat and drink, he felt he had become somewhat desensitized.

Around noon, Slatur, who had returned to the Consul's residence, learned of new developments.

"The list of dead has been reduced by one? Who survived?"

Upon learning that a Radiant Owl had been resurrected and abandoned on the main road outside the bustling city of Kren by unknown individuals, Slatur was at a loss for words.

The incredibly efficient owl had already prepared the list not long ago, and the communication array had completed the transmission.

It is estimated that at this time in Angze, the families of the fallen are already preparing for the funerals.

Nan'an accompanied him and met this lucky person.

The burst of magic created by Kelombor stunned him, and he had no recollection of what happened afterward, only vaguely hearing a woman cursing.

The coup resulted in the Cat's Eyes, who had come with the Senate envoy, being forced to stay behind.

The Shadow Eater's [Silent Image] came in handy, and based on the magical aura surrounding the Lucky Guy, a humanoid silhouette was reconstructed.

With just one glance, both Nan'an and Huoya couldn't help but frown.

What does it mean?

Could the Eye of Aging be involved in this?

Suiyue grumbled, "What a troublesome woman."

Nan'an highly agrees with this incisive assessment.

Slatur discovered that Kren was a goldmine; the amount of information he received in just one day was greater than during the Double Crown Coup.

"That's interesting. Someone who gives even Elu a headache, constantly darting between the two sides—Nan'an, what was that Gray Star slang you just used?"

"A divine being."

"Hmm, that's interesting. I've learned something."

Nanan had no prejudice against Almahern, only bias.

Nan'an reluctantly agreed to believe her previous confession of massacring villagers, though whether she accepted it was another matter entirely.

After all, even the crows admitted that that was the same principle that the deer used to follow.

In other words, waiting for Elkeson to enter the game is also a possible outcome.

The problem is that, in Almarhern's eyes, the massacre was a pleasurable outlet for her pent-up emotions.

Would someone like that actually try to save someone?

"I bet she suffered a huge loss at the hands of the gluttons, and out of spite, she impulsively offered her help," Nan'an commented. "It's like dogs fighting, and when they can't win, they wag their tails and call for outside help."

Perhaps because he had never dealt with Almahern, Slatur felt that regardless of intentions, the fact remained that he had saved Yaoxiao.

Of course, being a pragmatist, he patted Nan'an on the shoulder, expressing his strong agreement with his dog training theory.

"I support the domestication of stray dogs."

The owls mobilized to track down the glutton, but to little avail.

As dusk fell, Nan'an, who was heading to the Linshui base to arrange business matters with Oka, suddenly sensed a subtle, almost imperceptible, feeling of being watched.

"Come out, I can smell it."

As soon as Nan'an's voice drifted out through the carriage curtain, a shadow suddenly appeared not far away.

"I guessed it was you." Nan An got out of the car expressionlessly.

Suiyue followed behind, speaking bluntly: "I bet you got taught a lesson by the Gluttons and are still angry, so you came to Nan'an for help, right?"

"The Glutton—that big mouth? How did you know?" Almahern asked in astonishment.

"Stop talking nonsense, have you ever fought a Glutton?"

"We've already fought them."

Nan'an turned around and was about to get into the carriage.

"Stop, my Demon Eye—it worked, but it didn't work."

"Can you speak human languages?"

"In short, my radiation on his body was completely ineffective, but it was effective when it hit inside his body—however, he was still not very affected and was able to jump around."

Nanan couldn't see Elmar Hern's face clearly in the distance, but that didn't stop him from attacking.

"I thought the Eye of Aging was some kind of powerful divine or demonic ability, but how come it's so pathetic in actual combat? And you call yourself the Chosen One? Besides stomping noobs, what other impressive performances can you deliver?"

"The Eye of Aging? The Eye of Shockwave!"

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