Chapter 576: Canyon

"You actually showed up in person. That was unexpected," Charles commented, turning to look at Julio standing next to him.

"I had to come, else I wouldn't be at ease. With his head as a warning, the rest should fall in line. I just didn't expect it to be him, though."

As soon as Julio's words fell, the black floating island shrouded in shadows crashed powerlessly to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Is it appropriate to use me as bait without even telling me?" Charles questioned again.

Julio cast an icy side glance at Charles. "I never trust anyone, and that includes my own son. So what makes you think I'd trust you? Truth be told, you could be in league with the Fhtagn Covenant too."

Swoosh!

A burst of white flames suddenly engulfed the dark shadow that enveloped the floating island, and the island burned away rapidly.

With a darkened face, Harold led his mages to emerge out of the rubble. Despite being in dust and ash, they were unscathed.

"We can talk about this later. Let me handle the matter at hand first," Julio replied. Taking a step forward with his right foot, he then charged toward the mages alone.

Anna approached Charles from the side. Casting a glance at Margaret, she linked her arm intimately with Charles' before leaning her soft lips close to his ear and whispered, "Aren't you going to help? You plan to just stand here and watch?"

"He can deal with it first," Charles replied, his voice carrying a hint of hostility. "We haven't settled the issue of him using me as bait. Since he claims to be the strongest in the Subterranean Sea, I'm curious to see how powerful he really is."

On the distant battlefield, a fireball the size of a small house hurtled through the air. However, Julio didn't dodge; instead, he charged straight into it.

A trail of afterimages followed him as he emerged from the fiery sea of flames and came face to face with a female mage.

Charles had expected Julio to use some attack to dispatch the enemy. But contrary to his anticipation, Julio simply rammed into the female mage, and the latter's body shattered like glass upon impact.

"Charles, look at Julio's neck; he sprouted some dark green scales. It's probably related to his formidable physical strength," Anna exclaimed as she peered through binoculars; Charles had no idea what she got it from.

"Rumor has it that he is indeed formidable. However, the source of his strength was never mentioned in those circulating stories. He probably has some unique method," Charles speculated as his eyes remained fixated on the battlefield ahead.

Watching Julio relentlessly slaughter his followers, Harold's eyes turned red with rage. He mustered all his strength to bellow a complex arcane incantation.

Julio gradually slowed down. Though there was no water nearby, his clothes and hair began to dampen and dissolve rapidly as if soaked by an invisible liquid.

Charles contemplated if he should intervene, but before he could make a move, Julio flicked his right thumb against his little finger. Instantly, the debuff on Julio was transferred to another nearby mage.

"The relics on him are powerful too, probably the best among the entire seascape," Charles voiced his analysis.

"They do seem impressive," Anna concurred. "I'll ask him about them later. If he sells all those relics to you, that will significantly increase your chances of surviving your explorations."

"Do you think that's possible with his personality?" Charles retorted.

Margaret had been listening in on their conversation. Just then, she turned silently and walked toward 134. She had noticed the little girl's malevolent gaze on Charles' back.

Faced with Julio's formidable strength, Harold and his group of mages stood no chance. Even if they were to combine their efforts and cast a powerful, collective spell, they only managed to leave a tiny scratch on Julio's stomach.

Harold surveyed his surroundings; the encirclement around them did not even intervene. Bodies of his fallen comrades were also strewn across the ground. Realization sank in—it was an utter defeat. He had fallen into their trap from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, Julio was looking at Harold, his gaze like that of a cat toying with a mouse.

Harold blinked. The sudden sound of cracking bones echoed. A violent shudder coursed through his body as he felt the intense pain of a broken rib. He looked down to see a gory, flesh-torn crater on his left chest.

Harold felt as though pieces of bone shards had pierced through his lungs. With every breath he took, it felt as if his chest were scorched by fire.

"Don't put up too much of a struggle; it would be a hassle to put your shattered pieces back together. I still need your head to intimidate the others," Julio commented coldly.

"You… You don't know the power you're fighting against! Do you really think you're strong? In the presence of the Great One, you are nothing!" Harold bellowed in a strained voice.

Harold forcefully twisted off the black crystal from his staff. The subtly glowing crystal exploded into fine powder. Grabbing the powder, he shoved it into his mouth.

An eerie, violet light began to emanate from within Harold; the surroundings trembled ever so slightly.

Julio's brow furrowed slightly, his calf muscles also tensing in preparation. It was time to end off the old mage once and for all.

Just then, Charles' fear-filled cry shouted from behind Julio, "Run!!"

The next second, a piercing steam whistle blasted through the chaos—four short blasts, it was a signal to take urgent evacuation.

A hint of disdain flickered across Julio's face.

Such reactions from this mere thing in front of me? I have killed my fair share of Western Seas' mages before. A threat of this level…

But before Julio could continue his train of thought, he felt a relic embedded within his body shatter. It was a relic meant to forewarn imminent danger. It had served him faithfully for decades, and even in the most dire situations in those years, it had never shattered. However, it had actually shattered today.

Thud!

Julio's figure vanished into thin air, leaving only a cracked patch of ground where he had stood.

Having heard the ship's whistle, everyone began to scatter rapidly, making a hasty retreat. Seeing their cowardly actions, Harold burst into loud, mocking laughter.

"Hahahah! Are you afraid now? Mere mortals! I wield the power of the Divinity, I—"

However, Harold's arrogant boast was swiftly cut off as his figure vanished from sight.

Everyone instantly turned around to look but was stunned by the scene before them. Where Harold had been standing, a vast, unfathomable canyon had appeared out of nowhere.

It was a real canyon that appeared out of thin air without any sound or forewarning signs.

Everyone was taken aback, their eyes widening in shock as they tried to understand the scene before them. What they couldn't see, Charles could see.

A massive, cylindrical root shimmered with an eerie purple light as it slowly rose from the depths of the canyon and then retracted back into the purple mist above.

A Divinity?

The thought flickered through Charles' mind. However he didn't feel any mental corruption; there were no hallucinations or visions clouding his senses, too.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Charles felt that this presence was far more powerful than any Divinities he had ever encountered before.

Julio silently returned to the group. He said nothing, but he was tensed up like a coiled spring. Charles could see the fear in Julio's eyes. Julio has seen the root, too.

Julio stopped next to Charles. After an extended pause, he finally looked up and said, "Issue an edict to your people not to use magic on the surface. It will attract…attract… attract… bad things."