Book 20, The Crown’s Riddle – Chapter 3, Power

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Odin lowered his head, staring in terror at Sayant, who lay stricken on the ground. He sent mentally, “Lord Prefect, Lord Prefect!” Odin was now truly frantic. Having seen Linley’s displayed power, Odin now knew...there was no way he could resist at all. In his desperation, all he could do was place his hopes on Lord Prefect Sayant.

“Shut your mouth!” Sayant snarled angrily through divine sense.

Sayant’s eyes were red, and his heart was filled with rage. He had been kicked to the ground with so many soldiers watching. This was an insult! For someone of Sayant’s status to suffer this sort of humiliation was something that had to be avenged. But he didn’t have the ability to do so at all!

The surrounding soldiers all stared at Linley, stunned, then at Sayant, who lay there on the ground, covered in blood.

“To attempt to gain revenge will only result in one thing. Death. I have to endure it. Endure it!” Sayant felt all the more humiliated with so many people staring at him. “If I die, then everything is finished. Linley probably really is a Paragon. Even if others hear of this story, it’s not embarrassing for me to have lost by his hand.” This was how Sayant consoled himself.

He, Sayant, worried about his face. Odin, however, was worried about his puny little life.

“If I don’t run now, I’ll have no hope.” With a ‘whoosh’, Odin dove underground, wanting to hide himself underground and flee.

“Hmph.”

Linley smiled calmly, and then his body transformed into a blur as he moved to stand below Odin.

“Whap!” Linley delivered a slap directly to Odin’s face, knocking him flying into the air. Odin slammed into the side of the castle wall like a sandbag. With a low, thudding sound, the castle wall split apart. “How terrifyingly fast.” Odin had yet to recover from his terror, but Linley was already once more in front of him.

Odin looked at Linley, his face filled with terror.

Linley just reached out calmly while sending out 108 surges of earthen yellow energy which formed into a cocoon, completely binding Odin within it. The terrifying compressive power made it so that Odin wasn’t able to move at all.

Even Hemmers, an expert whose material attack power was comparable to Paragons, was dramatically impacted by this technique of Linley’s.

How could a mere Seven Star Specter possibly have the power to resist against the oppressive power of Linley’s Will?

He was paralyzed!

“Yale, you choose how he dies.” Linley turned to look at Yale, who flew over, his eyes filled with savagery.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Odin howled, frantically trying to break free from the oppressive power binding him.

It must be understood that even when Linley had just become a Highgod, his Gravitational Space was already capable of making it hard for ordinary Seven Star Fiends to resist. Now that it was infused with the power of his Will, it was increased more than a hundredfold in strength. Odin was like a trapped beast in a cage; although he howled with savagery, he wasn’t able to extricate himself at all.

“You want to kill me? Haha...kid, you think you are worthy of killing me?” Odin’s eyes were scarlet red as he stared at Yale, contempt in his gaze.

“Linley, if you are so tough, kill me yourself!” Odin howled.

By now, Odin realized that there was no hope.

Sayant, Anita, their subordinates, and the soldiers all quietly watched from far away as Odin struggled like a trapped beast. Earlier, they wanted to intervene, wanted to attack and drive Linley back, but after Linley made his move, they no longer had any thoughts of fighting back.

“Kill you myself?” Linley laughed calmly. “In your dreams.”

“Hmph.” Odin suddenly laughed coldly, and a translucent ripple shot out from Odin’s eyes, shooting towards Yale.

“Crunch.” The earthen yellow cocoon which surrounded Odin spat out a translucent sword-shaped ripple which destroyed this soul attack. Linley gave Odin a disdainful, calm look. “Odin, now that you are trapped within my Gravitational Prison, you aren’t able to fight back at all. Don’t try to be tricky.”

“Make your move.” Linley looked at Yale.

Yale nodded slightly, a deep azure spear appearing in his hands.

“My brothers. My wife. My children. My parents...” Yale’s body was trembling, and his lips were white as he stared at Odin. And then, Yale suddenly bent backwards like a greatbow being pulled, then savagely exploded forth, throwing the spear in his hand forward with endless power and sending it piercing towards Odin.

Swooosh...

“Clank!” The deep azure spear pierced towards Odin, but it wasn’t even able to break through his skin.

Yale was stunned.

“Ha...haha...” Odin raised his head, laughing loudly, laughing wildly. “Linley, oh, Linley. You want your friend to kill me? Haha. He’s a Demigod! I’m a Seven Star Specter, a Highgod! My energy defense alone is comparable that of a Highgod artifact. His bit of attack power isn’t even capable of breaking through my skin. Haha, kill me? In his dreams!!!”

Yale’s face turned pale.

“I...I...” Yale’s body trembled. “I want to get revenge, but I...”

Linley had already captured Odin and gave him to Yale for Yale to kill, but Yale’s attack power was simply too low; Odin was, after all, a Seven Star Specter. Even if he didn’t use his fused profound mysteries in activating his divine power, his material defense was still close to a Highgod artifact in strength. In terms of soul defense, Odin, who trained in the Edicts of Death, was even mightier. Yale wasn’t able to harm him at all.”

Odin glared savagely at Yale, as though he wanted to eat him alive. “Punk, you want to kill me? In your dreams! The power you possess isn’t enough to even harm a single hair on my body!”

“Odin.” Linley gave him a calm glance.

“Linley, what are you being so arrogant about?” Knowing that he was about to die, Odin actually became fearless, and he stared at Linley, laughing loudly. “Didn’t you want your brother to kill me? Unfortunately, he’s too weak. Even though you captured me and gave me to him for him to kill, he still isn’t able to do it. It is fated that he will never be able to personally take revenge! Haha...I still remember the look on the faces of Yale’s family members when they all died. How delightful!”

“Bastard!” Yale bellowed.

“You aren’t able to kill me. There’s no way you’ll be able to personally take revenge.” Odin laughed delighted.

A layer of frost appeared on Linley’s face.

“Absorb this into your body, then activate it.” With a flip of his hand, Linley produced a drop of black liquid, which floated towards Yale.

“Huh?” Odin’s face changed.

“Aren’t you very powerful? You are only an ordinary Seven Star Specter, and one who trains in the Edicts of Death. I want to see if your body is tough enough to withstand a strike which uses Sovereign power!” Linley laughed calmly.

Yale’s eyes lit up.

“Third Bro, thank you.” Yale immediately absorbed the drop of Sovereign’s Might into his body, and then, with a ‘bang’ sound, black light exploded forth from Yale’s body as a terrifying aura spread out from it. Yale held that deep azure spear, which swirled with black light. Yale let out a deep growl...

“DIE!”

Yale struck out as fast as lightning, stabbing wildly with that deep azure spear towards Odin.

“NO!!!!” Odin only had enough time for one final, miserable scream.

Yale didn’t stab directly into Odin’s head; he wildly, randomly stabbed, leaving more than ten bloody holes throughout Odin’s body before finally piercing through his head!

“Huff, huff...” Yale panted wildly as he launched several more stabbing blows, then began to tremble.

Odin just lay there limply, not responding all. His divine artifacts fell out of his body, but because of the repulsive force, they remained next to him.

“Dead. Odin’s dead. I personally killed him.” Yale raised his head, laughing wildly, but his tears flowed downwards. Yale seemed to be gripped by madness.

But seeing this, Linley only let out a sigh of relief.

Yale was releasing the hatred that had been pent up deep within his heart. Afterwards, he would be much better.

A long while later, Yale finally regained his former calm. He turned his head to look towards Linley. A grateful look; that was it. Linley laughed, then walked over and patted him on the shoulders. “Let’s go.” They were brothers who had played together since they were youths. Some words simply didn’t need to be said.

George and the others felt happy for Yale as well.

And then, Linley’s group of experts boarded their metallic lifeform and left.

As for Sayant, the Lord Prefect of Northbone Prefecture, he and his men all looked at each other, letting out mental sighs of relief.

“Lord Prefect, this Linley is too, too powerful.” A nearby azure-robed man said in a low voice. “Odin was a Seven Star Specter, but he was trapped by Linley to the point of not being able to fight back. What sort of technique is this? Also, Linley’s speed is utterly inconceivable.”

Given how fast they were, when ordinary commanders encountered Paragons, they weren’t able to fight back at all.

“Given how fast he was, and how he could use energy to trap a Seven Star Specter...while only using ordinary divine earth power...” Sayant’s face was solemn. “This Linley most likely truly is a Paragon.”

The people by his side were all stunned.

Paragon?

“Let’s go. All of you, go back!” Sayant’s face was sinister, and his voice was dark.

“Whooooosh.” A wild wind howled, and the wind slashed across the land like knives.

Ironknife Gorge. Within the castle.

Within the wide, empty area, there were two giant teleportation arrays. Suddenly, one of them flashed with countless sparkles of light, and the surrounding Bloodridge soldiers couldn’t help but to turn their heads to look.

The light dissipated, and a group of people merged.

One of the Bloodridge soldiers recognized them, and his eyes lit up. He hurriedly bowed. “Greetings again, milord.” Last time, when Linley had used this teleportation array to depart, this soldier had clearly seen Linley and knew that Linley had the Bloodridge Sovereign’s medallion.

“Mm.” Linley nodded slightly. “We will wait here momentarily. We will leave in a bit.”

“Please feel free, milord.” The Bloodridge soldier smiled.

Linley’s group waited there in the air above the vast, empty area. Bebe mumbled, “Boss, it should be fairly fast for you to arrive from the Yulan continent. Why haven’t you arrived yet? It’s been a thousand years since I’ve seen Ninny, and Nana...” Bebe missed his wife and daughter.

“We are almost here.” Linley said with a laugh. “It takes a bit of time for us to all fly from the Yulan continent to the Arctic Icecap...”

“Linley, little Wharton is coming as well, right?” Hogg was rather nervous and excited.

“Yes, Father.” Linley laughed and nodded.

His father hadn’t seen Wharton in a very long time. Wharton had been sent off to the O’Brien Empire very early on, and when his father had died, the last mental impression he had of Wharton was most likely the toddler Wharton. Linley said with a laugh, “Father, I imagine once you see Wharton, you won’t be able to recognize him right away.”

“I will definitely be able to recognize him.” Hogg was completely certain.

“Oh, we just entered the teleportation array. We are coming.” Linley said. His divine fire clone was coming alongside this large group of people.

Immediately, everyone turned to look at the teleportation array, only to see it once more flash with countless specks of light. Moments later, the light finally, completely vanished. A large group of people was gathered there, with the leader being Linley’s divine fire clone and Delia. The divine fire clone flew towards Linley, merging into him.

Upon merging in, the five souls intermixed.

Instantly...

Linley’s four mutated souls began to send surges of spiritual energy towards the divine fire clone’s soul, which slowly began to change. After all, the five souls were one to begin with.

“Father.” Wade, Taylor, and Sasha all ran towards Linley.

“FATHER!!!!” Wharton stood there, staring at Hogg, stunned.

Hogg stared at this burly, muscular youth in front of him. Wharton had a hint of Hogg in his face, and was fairly similar in appearance to Linley as well. But more importantly...when Hogg looked into Wharton’s eyes, it was as though he was looking back into the big eyes of toddler Wharton. “Wharton?” Hogg said softly.

“It’s me, Father.” Wharton ran forward, tightly embracing Hogg.

“Wonderful. Wonderful.” Hogg couldn’t keep his eyes from turning red.

After a long while, the two, father and son, separated.

“Father, look. This is your grandson, Wade. This is Taylor. This is your granddaughter, Sasha...” Linley walked forward, laughing as he made the introductions.

Wharton hurriedly made some introductions of his own. “Father, this is your grandson, Cena...and him. Arnold, quick, come over here. This is your great-grandfather. Father, this chubby-faced fellow is Arnold’s son.” Many people had come on this trip. Everyone who had reached the Saint-rank had come, leaving behind only a few people.

“Wonderful. Wonderful.” Hogg nodded repeatedly. All he could do was repeatedly smile.

“Alright, Father, let’s head to the Skyrite Mountains first.” Linley laughed.

This giant group of people immediately boarded the metallic lifeform and flew out from Ironknife Gorge.

Those Bloodridge soldiers all stared there, stupefied. They glanced at each other.

“Important people really are different! In one breath, he brought an entire family of more than a hundred people to the Infernal Realm. Grandfathers, grandchildren...there really were quite a few people.”

“Right, Captain. Why did you address that brown-haired man as ‘milord’. Who is he?”

“You don’t know this, but last time, when I was on duty, that brown-haired man came bearing the medallion of the Sovereign, using it to activate the teleportation portal for free! Even most Emissaries don’t possess that medallion. Only a person with a certain status will be able to acquire a treasure like that.” The Bloodridge soldiers, bored, chattered amongst themselves.

As for Linley’s family, they all made haste towards the Skyrite Mountains.