Just as everyone assumed Zhong Shenxiu was an absolute idiot, just as the mages were about to unleash their spells, Zhong Shenxiu finally made his move! Suddenly, a black flame, shimmering with dark light, erupted and enveloped Zhong Shenxiu.
This uncanny blackness was so conspicuous in the daylight, so starkly contrasted against Robin’s blade! No one knew what this strange darkness truly was, nor what purpose it served!
Zhong Shenxiu seemed deliberately ostentatious, orchestrating such a massive spectacle. He wanted these people to understand that bullying a child was unacceptable!
More so, he wanted them to witness the fate awaiting anyone who dared provoke him, Zhong Shenxiu! This sudden turn of events was utterly abrupt, stunning everyone into silence once more!
Shock! Shock flooded everyone’s senses like a tsunami, drowning all reason!
Shock! Shock swept through everyone’s very souls like a typhoon!
In that moment, every mind went utterly blank; they simply could not grasp what had transpired. Some even began to descend into frenzied desperation: Heavens!
What in the world is this black flame? Gods!
Please grant us guidance in this confusion! Lord!
Do not test your subjects further! We cannot bear it!
... Unlike them, Robin watched Zhong Shenxiu with pure excitement; her current mood could only be described as 'elated.' She had never dreamed she would fight alongside her Master; this was the very thing she had yearned for in her dreams!
Unconsciously, Robin's aura surged with even greater intensity! Angelia's shock had reached its zenith.
She never imagined the boy she had always underestimated would emanate such bizarre power; it was utterly unexpected! What power was contained within that black flame?
Why did it feel so terrifying? Angelia now sat awkwardly slumped on the ground, staring dumbly at the small figure of Zhong Shenxiu in the distance—that youthful silhouette!
Influenced by Zhong Shenxiu, Christopher’s rage subsided, cooling instantly as if a bucket of water had been tossed onto a fire. Regaining a sliver of composure, he finally realized the utter foolishness of his actions!
Christopher was now consumed by regret; why on earth did he have to provoke these two fiends? Were they something he could afford to cross?
Good heavens! Why are these two so impossibly freakish, each trying to outdo the other?
Has the world changed, becoming a domain ruled by children? Gods, someone tell me what is happening?!
For Christopher, regaining sanity was worse than not regaining it at all, because now he was being driven to the brink of collapse! However, if anyone deserved to be called the most shocked, it should be the mages.
They had clearly heard Zhong Shenxiu tell Robin, "Leave the mages to me entirely." They weren't fools; even a fool would now grasp the true implication of those words! Operating under the guiding principle of "strike first or suffer later," these mages finally unleashed their spells.
Thus, fireballs, sharp projectiles, and bolts of lightning began hurtling towards Zhong Shenxiu’s position. But then, something utterly bizarre occurred.
Not just ordinary bizarre—extraordinarily bizarre! The spells launched by the mages weren't striking Zhong Shenxiu; instead, they inexplicably veered mid-flight to strike their own allies!
The truth was, these mages had no idea that the moment they witnessed the black flames and radiance emanating from Zhong Shenxiu, they had already fallen victim to his dark sorcery—"Confusion"! "Confusion" created severe illusions within the mages, rendering them utterly incapable of accurately pinpointing Zhong Shenxiu's actual location.
Every piece of sensory information relayed to them was false! Everything before their eyes could be an illusion; every person standing beside them could potentially be Zhong Shenxiu!
Such was the effect of "Confusion"! It was merely a minor spell, not particularly powerful, but for these mages who had never experienced an illusionary realm, they possessed absolutely no resistance and were instantly ensnared!
Now, forget attacking Zhong Shenxiu; they couldn't even discern which figure before them was real and which was phantom. They were completely submerged in "Confusion"!
"Damn it, what's going on? Why are we attacking ourselves?
Are they tired of living?!" In an instant, shouts and curses erupted within the 'Double Axe Mercenary Corps,' resulting in countless casualties. Even their leader, Christopher, was struck by a fireball, sustaining a severe injury!
What is the most frustrating thing? This kind of dog-eat-dog scenario!
The most agonizing part was that they didn't want to fight each other, yet they were helplessly forced into it! "We don't know what's happening; we seem unable to distinguish direction at all!" the mages cried out in terror, desperate to explain themselves before their own comrades struck them down with swords!
As the chaos slightly subsided, everyone noticed one person who had been watching them all along with a faint smile: this person was none other than Zhong Shenxiu! Could all of this have been his doing?
In that instant, a cold sweat broke out across everyone's backs. This child was definitely not human; he was surely a demon!
At this moment, no one dared to look down on the boy again, because the child was truly formidable! To call Zhong Shenxiu a demon was actually quite accurate.
Why was he called a genius prodigy? The character for 'ghost' (Gui) foreshadowed his demonic potential!
Those in the Cultivation World understood that if this prodigy ever became truly ruthless, he would be more demonic than the actual devils! Now, the entire morale of the 'Double Axe Mercenary Corps' was completely shattered by this single move from Zhong Shenxiu.
They dared not prolong the fight any further, and thoughts of escape began to bloom in their minds! In their own words, these two children were utterly beyond human, and staying here would certainly lead to a very painful death!
But could they truly escape? Was it that simple?
In the presence of Death and the Demon, was escape ever easily granted? The answer was no!
As the saying goes: He who seeks to kill shall be slain by others! In the very next moment, Robin moved; man and sword merged into a streak of shadow, charging into the throng!
That was a sword that struck terror into the heart—no, at this moment, it was no longer just a sword, but a fatal streak of white light! In this instant, everyone thoroughly understood how terrifying it was when Death and the Demon cooperated!
But by the time they understood, it was already too late! Zhong Shenxiu glanced at the time, deciding it was time to conclude things; time to bring this utterly pointless battle to an end!
He, this spectral genius from another world, was finally about to unleash a fraction of his true strength!