Chapter 10: Meeting
"What a powerful feeling!"
In just an instant, of the three cyan water droplets, one had completely transformed into energy, merging into Linley's main body, repeatedly strengthening his Dragonform scales. The defensive power of Linley's scales was increasing at a breathtaking speed!
Of the three cyan water droplets, only two remained now.
"Huh?" Linley suddenly snapped awake. "Six lightning azure dragons?" Linley was greatly startled.
Six azure dragons crackling with lightning roared as they charged toward Linley.
Earlier, just four lightning azure dragons had not only shattered his Pulse Guard armor but also left him severely injured and near death. But now, with six lightning azure dragons, Linley didn't have time to form his Pulse Guard armor. The only action Linley could take was—
"Whoosh!" He darted away, trying his best to dodge.
But how could the speed of a human body match the speed of an attack?
"Boom!"
The six roaring lightning azure dragons all slammed fiercely into Linley, causing an explosion that made the surrounding yellow sand walls tremble.
"Boss!" Bebe saw Linley being bombarded by the six lightning azure dragons and was terrified, his heart sinking.
"No, don't die." In the distance, Nisse's heart was filled with panic.
She didn't know what to do.
"If Bebe's boss dies, Bebe will definitely be heartbroken. His boss did this to save me." Nisse could only stand far away, powerless to intervene. This feeling of helplessness filled Nisse with guilt.
Bebe, distracted by Linley's attack, momentarily lost focus—but how could one lose concentration in a battle between experts?
"Losing focus in battle?" The gaunt man's lightning-wreathed sword slashed fiercely at Bebe, sending him flying through the air. At the same time, a phantom lightning serpent ignored Bebe's defenses and plunged directly into his body.
Soul attack!
"Huh?" The gaunt man suddenly turned his head to look behind him.
After enduring the explosive impact of the six lightning azure dragons, Linley now stood in place. His cyan-golden dragon scales shimmered with a cyan light. Waves of powerful aura emanated from these scales, so strong that even the gaunt man felt a chill of fear in his heart.
"What, what kind of aura is this?" The gaunt man couldn't believe it.
He was certain—what he feared wasn't Linley himself, but the aura contained within those dragon scales.
Linley's cold, dark-golden eyes locked onto the gaunt man. The corners of his mouth curled slightly upward, making it impossible for the gaunt man to tell if Linley was smiling.
"I should thank you," Linley said calmly.
The gaunt man was stunned. Thank him?
Linley, however, knew the truth. If the gaunt man hadn't nearly shattered his main body, the energy from the cyan water droplet wouldn't have suddenly surged into him, transforming his body. Linley had no idea how to use those cyan water droplets before.
Now, although one droplet was consumed,
Linley was overjoyed.
Because he could clearly feel the overwhelming power in his Dragonform state! Absolute power! The power of the physical body!
"Boss!" Bebe's delighted voice rang out. [Mark 1]
"What!" The gaunt man turned back in shock. Bebe had taken his soul attack and survived. "How is that possible? A midgod, hit by my soul attack, and still alive?" The gaunt man couldn't accept it, but a thought suddenly struck him. "Could it be... does he have a soul defense artifact?"
"Impossible, how could it be?" The gaunt man couldn't believe this deduction.
Soul defense artifacts were very special!
Unlike ordinary swords, knives, or armor, which were easy to forge, there were very few people in the entire Infernal Realm who could forge soul defense artifacts. Many highgods didn't even have such power. And the strangest thing was... soul defense artifacts weren't sold!
When Linley and the others arrived in the Infernal Realm, they hadn't found any place selling soul defense artifacts. If they were available, Linley would have bought one for Delia long ago.
Because, once a person was killed, their soul defense artifact would inevitably be shattered. And shattered soul defense artifacts were generally useless.
Moreover...
It wasn't just that. The material of soul defense artifacts wasn't some ore—it was soul force. For example, the soul defense Sovereign artifact Linley obtained required soul force to repair. Because... soul defense artifacts were inherently made of soul force.
Just a special composition!
Because they were made of soul force, soul defense artifacts couldn't simply be claimed by dripping blood on them. Many mysteries were involved! Only the artifact's original forger, using specific methods, could allow someone else to use it.
Thus...
Anyone who possessed a soul defense artifact must have received permission from its forger.
And those who could forge soul defense artifacts were invariably peerless experts in the Infernal Realm! Each of them had reached a terrifying level of mastery in the path of the soul.
"This straw-hat kid has a big shot backing him?" The gaunt man deduced this conclusion.
"And this dragonman! His aura is terrifying." The gaunt man was shocked. "What's going on? One has a soul defense artifact, and the other's defense is this monstrous."
In the distance, Nisse was overjoyed: "Bebe's boss isn't dead, and Bebe is fine too. Great, great!"
"Haha, boss, let's kill this bastard together," Bebe communicated via soul.
"Alright!" Linley felt exhilarated.
The immense power surging through his Dragonform body made him want to unleash it.
"Whoosh!" Bebe, dagger in hand, shot toward the gaunt man like lightning.
"Whoosh!" Linley stomped hard on the ground.
Linley's entire body sprang like a coiled spring, moving so fast he became a blur. His right leg swung like a guillotine, carrying a cold, sharp cyan-golden light, slashing directly at the gaunt man's neck.
Too fast!
"Whoever you are! Die!!!" The gaunt man was enraged.
"Clang!"
His long sword clashed with the dragon scales on Linley's right leg, producing a metallic sound. After absorbing one cyan water droplet and being strengthened to a terrifying degree, Linley's dragon scales were no weaker than highgod artifacts in defense.
Linley's body was forced down.
"How is this possible!" The gaunt man's face changed drastically. Today's shocks were too much for him.
Bebe also swooped in.
"You have a soul defense artifact, so I'll use material attacks!" The gaunt man once again released four lightning azure dragons from his body, charging at Bebe. Bebe didn't dodge at all, instead meeting the four lightning azure dragons head-on.
"Boom!"
The four lightning azure dragons struck Bebe, dispersing into sparks, but Bebe was completely unharmed.
"Die." Bebe's eyes blazed with killing intent.
"How is this possible!" The gaunt man's mind was in chaos. Linley's monstrous dragon scale defense, Bebe's soul defense artifact... and now Bebe's terrifying physical defense—each shock drove the gaunt man to the brink of madness. "Who the hell are they!"
"Swish!" A steel-like dragon tail lashed out like lightning.
"Clang!"
The divine sword clashed with the dragon tail, and the gaunt man used the force to flee backward. He stopped thinking and focused on one thing—escape!
"Monsters, both of them!" the gaunt man cursed. "Defenses that monstrous, plus soul defense artifacts—are they young masters from some ancient clan? But why would clan young masters, at the midgod level, be out here without protectors?"
The gaunt man knew well.
The Infernal Realm had a long history, and naturally, there were ancient clans!
These clans had stood for countless ages, relying on their unique abilities. It was normal for their young masters to possess soul defense artifacts. Linley and Bebe's behavior fit that profile perfectly.
But why would those lofty young masters get involved in an escort mission?
"Brother, kill him!" Nisse's voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh?" The gaunt man snapped back to attention.
But—
A black gleam flashed before his eyes. Before the gaunt man could react, the black light entered his body.
He collapsed with a thud.
"Hmph!" Salomon stared coldly at the corpse on the ground.
"Brother." Nisse ran over immediately, throwing herself into Salomon's arms, crying. "Brother, I almost died just now, wuwu..." After experiencing the terror of death and worrying about Linley and Bebe, seeing her elder brother finally made her break down.
"Don't cry." Salomon quickly comforted her.
"Brother, if it weren't for Linley, I would have died," Nisse said, looking up at her brother. "Just now..." She began recounting what had happened.
Salomon listened to his sister's story, then turned to look at Linley. Linley's Dragonform startled him slightly—his knowledge was far greater than his sister's. Salomon bowed respectfully and said, "Linley, thank you this time. You saved my sister's life. I, Salomon Boey, will never forget this!"
Linley didn't pay much attention to the surname Boey.
He had never heard of the Boey family.
"Brother—" Nisse looked at her brother Salomon in shock.
Her brother rarely revealed his identity. Why was he doing so now?
"For Bebe's sake, I would risk my life to save Nisse," Linley said. At the same time, he reverted to his earth deity form, and Pulse Guard armor formed on his body again.
"Boss." Bebe and Linley exchanged glances.
"Let's go quickly," Linley urged. "I don't know how Delia is doing." He had been worried about Delia all along.
Thus, Linley, Bebe, Salomon, and Nisse began walking together through the desert castle. After his Dragonform had been enhanced to a monstrous level, Linley had made a decision.
"With my main body's Dragonform material defense this strong, plus the soul defense Sovereign artifact, I have sufficient defense against both material and soul attacks. So, facing an ordinary highgod again, I should be able to kill them. But... the soul defense Sovereign artifact is damaged!"
Linley was still a bit worried.
"Ordinary highgods' soul attacks can't find weak points. But back when I went to Moon Lake and was hit by the soul poison of the Godslayer Arrow, that poison found the gap in my soul defense Sovereign artifact and attacked my soul." Linley understood.
The enemies he had faced so far weren't strong enough.
When he encountered powerful highgods, they could direct their soul attacks to find the gap and strike through it.
"So, this trump card can't be fully revealed."
Unless it was a critical moment, Linley wouldn't easily expose the secret of his Dragonform. After all, only hidden trump cards were truly threatening. Besides, his Pulse Guard armor wasn't weak either.
The four of them walked side by side, still unable to find Delia.
"Strange, why isn't the desert castle changing anymore?" Bebe muttered.
Linley noticed this too.
"Perhaps the one who set up the desert castle is busy fighting and doesn't have the mind to alter it," Salomon said. He was right... at that moment, the green-robed elder, Mr. Wind, was locked in the final battle with Reimons.
"Boom!!!"
A terrifying explosion occurred, and the entire desert castle seemed to lose its support. The yellow sand cascaded down, and in the blink of an eye, the desert castle turned into countless piles of sand.
The desert castle was gone!
With its destruction, everyone could see the sky and the blood-red sun.
Many corpses lay on the desert. Countless demons had died, and the survivors stood on the sand, almost all of them stunned, including Inigo and his men.
"What happened?" Inigo didn't understand why his teacher's controlled desert castle had collapsed.
Linley looked around and spotted Delia in the distance, her face pale. Beside her was the Death God puppet. "Delia!" Linley rushed over joyfully.
"Linley!" Delia's eyes lit up with happiness, and she ran toward him as well.