Book 19, Metamorphosis â Chapter 48, The Death of Linley
Magnus was a Highgod Paragon. The range of his divine sense was quite wide, far surpassing that of ordinary commanders. But in terms of distance, it was still incomparable to that of a person using Sovereignâs Might! In particular, when a Highgod Paragon used Sovereignâs Might, the reach was astonishingly great.
âSo there he is!â Magnus revealed a hint of a smile on his face.
âSwoosh!â Magnus drilled into the ground.
Bebe, who saw this from far away, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes red. He knelt on the desolate ground, powerless, as he said in a low voice, âBoss, Boss! You have to live! You swore that you would reach the pinnacle of training. Donât die just like this!â
Reisgem, freed from his bonds, discovered that Reihom was already near the brink of death. âReihom!â With a furious howl, Reisgemâs body completely arched backwards, and then he shot the violet spear in his hands forward with full power.
âSwish!â Space tore apart as the violet blur, covered with black light, shot towards Chegwin.
âEh?â Chegwin had to relinquish giving Reihom a final deathblow and instead hurriedly block the spear.
âClang!â
Chegwinâs body was knocked backwards, but he was completely uninjured.
âDonât even think of killing Reihom.â Reisgem hurried over, staring furiously at Chegwin. Chegwin just leisurely smirked at Reisgem. âReisgem, you want to protect this Reihom? Yes, if you protect him, I really am not able to kill him. However, itâs pointless. You arenât able to protect someone whom Mr. Magnus plans to kill.â
Reisgem knew this all too well; once Magnus returned, Reihom would be finished.
âReihom, hurry and run.â Reisgem sent mentally. âThe farther, the better. Itâd be best if you fled across the river, to the other side of the Planar Battlefield.â
âAlright.â Reihom didnât mince words. His body immediately shrank, and he flew at high speed towards the Stellar River.
âHm?â Chegwin wanted to block him, but Reisgem stood in front of him.
âHmph.â He wonât be able to escape.â Chegwin laughed calmly. Oman was by Chegwinâs side as well. Oman and Chegwin, together, feared neither Reisgem nor Bebe.
The Planar Battlefield. Deep underground.
Linley was burrowing underground at high speed.
âI ran so far. He shouldnât be able to catch me. However, using Sovereign power to sense is quite troublesome.â Linley said to himself. âStillâŚwhy are there two people using Sovereign power to track me?â Linley didnât understand. Given that he himself was using Sovereign power, Linley naturally could easily detect that others were using Sovereign power to search for him.
âLinley, you wonât be able to escape.â A voice rang out in Linleyâs mind.
Linleyâs face changed. âMagnus!â
Linley, who had used Sovereignâs Might, could sense Magnus searching for him.
âOne of the auras of Sovereign power belongs to Magnus. Then the other one?â Linley murmured to himself.
But at this moment, another voice echoed in Linleyâs mind. âHurry up and turn left. Move in a straight line towards the left.â Linley was startled. This voice was actually Bluefireâs! Clearly, Bluefire had also used Sovereign power to send him a message through divine sense. Hearing Bluefireâs voice, the hope in Linleyâs heart swelled.
âDonât drop your guard. That Highgod Paragon is fairly close to you. Iâm quite a distance away. Hurry and turn left!â Bluefire sent frantically.
Linley didnât hesitate any further, immediately moving at high speed to the left.
As for Bluefire and Magnus, the two both began to chat through divine sense fueled by Sovereign power.
âHalt, Magnus. Why donât you release Linley.â Bluefire said.
âImpossible!â Magnus didnât hesitate at all, continuing to pursue after Linley at high speed. His speed was far faster than Linleyâs. Bluefire could clearly sense that Magnus was constantly drawing closer to Linley, making Bluefire even more frantic. He worried that he wasnât going to make it in time.
âIf I want to kill someone, no one can stop me.â Magnus didnât give Bluefire any face at all.
Highgod Paragons didnât fear other Highgod Paragons. Although they were all powerful, they also werenât able to do anything to each other. As for SovereignâsâŚunless it was absolutely necessary, they wouldnât get involved in the affairs of Highgods.
With but a thought, Linley made his Sovereign power become translucent, drifting outwards like spiritual energy. The scope of this spiritual energy was very great, and it easily detected the location of Magnus. âNot good. Heâs actually just three kilometers away from me. Bluefire?â He expanded the scope to fifty kilometers, but still didnât discover Bluefire.
Linley was frantic.
Although Linley was prepared to die, he wouldnât so easily die.
âTwo kilometers.â Linley could clearly sense how the other was continuously drawing closer at astonishing speed. âOne kilometer!â
Five hundred meters. Given Magnusâ speed, even if he was trapped within the Blackstone Space, he would still be able to catch up to Linley. Linley gritted his teeth. âNo other options. This is my only option!â Bluefire was clearly too far away and was still on the way. Linley could only grit his teeth and suddenly dive downwards.
âOh, suicidal, arenât we?â Magnus laughed calmly, his speed not slowing at all.
The deeper one went into the underground of the Planar Battlefield, the more dangerous it was. At a certain death, spatial rifts would appear. These places were places which even Highgod Paragons were rather leery of. Once one broke through into a spatial rift which transported you into âchaoticâ space, one would be lost within. That was a terrifying thing indeed.
Linley making this arrangement was akin to diving into death in search of life!
âThree hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred metersâŚâ Linley could clearly sense how Magnus was still drawing closer to him, even within the Blackstone Space.
âWhoosh!â Linleyâs body continued to dive underground.
âWhoosh!â Suddenly, a spatial tear that was multiple meters long appeared, slicing past his body, causing a patch of earth and rock to disappearing.
âHere we are.â Linley understood that he was already at the borders, while at the same time, Linley also discovered through his divine sense that a hundred meters below, there were many spatial rifts.
âIf you are able to do so, keep going down.â A disdainful sound rang out.
Linley used his divine sense to scan. He clearly sensed that Magnus was just twenty meters above him. But suddenly, Linley became overjoyed. âBluefire!â Bluefire was less than ten kilometers away. Earlier, when Linley fled and Magnus pursued, they were moving in the same direction. Magnus naturally had to waste quite a bit of time while chasing him.
But as for Linley and Bluefire, they were moving in opposite directions towards each other.
âHeâs quite fast.â Magnus noticed Bluefireâs astonishing speed as well. âHe seems to be a level faster than me.â Magnus instantly understood that the newcomer possessed a terrifying level of power.
âStill, he wonât make it in time.â
Magnus gave the below Linley a cold look.
âLinley, thereâs actually someone who appears to be a Paragon who has come to save you. However, he wonât make it. To show my respect for him, I will let you die under my most powerful attack.â Magnusâ voice rang out, while at the same time, a translucent globe of light appeared in his hand. This fist-sized globe of light actually had a lotus petal hovering within it.
Linley didnât dare go down any further. He just frantically flew forward, wanting to pull away from Magnus.
âStay your hand!â Bluefire thundered.
âHmph.â Magnus just let out a cold sneer.
âSwish!â
The translucent globe of light shot out like lightning, tens of times faster than even Magnus himself. Linley was only able to move half a meter before that translucent globe of light entered Linleyâs body, at a speed which made Linley completely unable to dodge. The translucent globe of light directly entered Linleyâs mind.
âBreak!â Linley, through his Sovereign power, wildly attacked that translucent globe of light.
This translucent globe of light violently expanded, encompassing the entirety of Linleyâs damaged soul-protecting Sovereign artifact. And then, like pushing through rotting garbage, it broke through the bandage, and the lotus petal charged directly into Linleyâs sea of consciousness.
It was like a meteor smashing into water.
Linleyâs spiritual energy was completely unable to block it.
This translucent lotus petal slowly swiveled, emitting blinding light, like a small sun illuminating Linleyâs sea of consciousness. It rapidly shot towards Linleyâs soul, as well as the souls of Linleyâs three divine clones! Linley frantically used his Sovereign power to clash against it, but it was like an egg smashing into a stone; he wasnât able to do anything to it at all.
The swiveling translucent lotus petal emanated thousands of rays of light, which stretched out to the four souls in Linleyâs body!
âFather. Boss Yale. Second Bro GeorgeâŚand Delia, your elder brother. They will all return. I didnât disappoint you!â This was Linleyâs final thought, and at this moment, the corner of Linleyâs lips curved upwards slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. And then, his consciousness was completely exterminated.
Highgod ParagonsâŚeven a Highgod Paragon of wind like Bayer who used a soul attack was able to make Linley dazed and unable to respond. When a Highgod Paragon of Fate like Magnus made his move using Sovereign power to execute his supreme attack?
If Linley was able to resist an attack such as this, then Highgod Paragons really wouldnât live to their reputations.
âYou thought youâd go deep underground and find life from death?â Magnus glanced into the distance, where Linleyâs body lay there in the earth, with no hint of life at all as Sovereign power leaked from him. âThis sort of method is effective against experts who specialize in material attacks, but useless against experts who specialize in soul attacks.â
Soul attacks could be executed at long range.
Deep in the Planar Battlefield, there would be no place to run!
âEh?â Magnus suddenly turned to stare in the distance.
âCrackleâŚâ The surrounding earth was instantly burned into nothingness, and Linleyâs body lifted into the air. A white-robed figure descended from the skies. Upon arriving by Linleyâs body, he stretched his hand out, gently resting it on Linley.
âEh?â Bluefireâs forehead creased slightly.
âYet another Paragon has appeared in the universe?â Magnus lifted an eyebrow, looking towards Bluefire.
Bluefire just let out a cold snort. His body rose upwards, and the earth that blocked him all transformed into nothingness. âInteresting.â Magnus rose into the skies as well.
Reisgem and Bebe both cared about Linley; they, too, hurried towards this direction. Oman and Chegwin also hurried over. The four of them all used Sovereign power; naturally, they discovered Bluefireâs presence.
âBluefire, Bluefire.â Bebe held a hint of hope in his heart.
But moments later, when Linley suffered the soul attack, Bebe clearly sensed that Linleyâs soul began to weaken at an astonishing speed. The souls of Highgods were very powerful. Bebe could sense it like a sun. But now, Linleyâs soul aura was growing weaker and weaker, until finallyâŚ
It could no longer be sensed!
Bebeâs tears silently began to drip down.
His BossâŚhad died?
Died?
âAaaaaaaaah!â Bebe howled in utter misery, but just as he started howling, the sound cut off.
The nearby Reisgem, seeing this, knew that the situation was bad. In addition, he too reached out with his Sovereign power divine sense, only to find that there was no hint of life within Linley at all.
âDead?â Reisgem was stunned. âImâŚimpossible!â
Soon, Reisgem and Bebe saw in the distance a white-robed figure. As for Linley, his body lay there on the ground, without any hint of life. His Sovereign power had completely dissipated as well. As for Magnus, he stood there calmly.
âMagnus!â Bebeâs eyes were crimson, and his tears streaked downwards. He bellowed, âRemember me, I will definitely kill you, definitely!!!â
âIâll wait for you.â Magnus gave a calm laugh.
Kill a Paragon? If a Paragon wanted to flee, even a Sovereign wouldnât dare say claim complete confidence in being able to kill the Paragon.
âLetâs go.â Magnus said calmly.
Oman and Chegwin nodded slightly. Magnus immediately led Oman and Chegwin to leave. Suddenly, Magnus turned to look towards Bluefire. âWhatâs your name?â
âYou arenât worthy of learning it.â Bluefire said calmly.
Magnus raised an eyebrow, gave a cold snort, then turned and led Oman and Chegwin away.
On the desolate ground, Linley just lay there, not a hint of life coming from his body. Bluefire stood to one side, while Reisgem and Bebe flew over. Reisgem said in disbelief, âImpossible. He couldnât have died, just like that. He has the Soulstone my mother gave him. How could he have died, just like that?â
Bebe, who was moving towards Linley, suddenly sensed something. âEh? The Bossâ soul?â
At a closer distance to Linley, Bebe could faintly detect the existence of Linleyâs soul. Only, Linleyâs aura was so weak as to be at the absolute lowest limit. Even Bebe, whose soul was linked to his, had to draw near in order to just barely detect it.
âThe Boss is alive!â Bebe called out in delight.
âI already scanned him.â Bluefire shook his head and sighed. âLinley is indeed not yet dead, but, his soul is like a tiny flame flickering in the cold wind, about to go out at any point. And thatâs only because he has this âSoulstoneâ which is constantly providing him with energy, giving him a chance at life. Otherwise, he would have died long ago.â