The clone’s ability to practice spells was no different from the main body’s training. Chaun could stretch one second into several seconds or even more than ten, but his training time was ultimately too short, still preventing him from fully mastering the Archon-level spell, Great Vortex.

When a Senior Archon cast the Great Vortex spell, they could perfectly distinguish friend from foe, only paralyzing the enemy. Furthermore, as their understanding of the Great Vortex deepened, they could even alter it at will—for example, changing an area-of-effect attack into a single-target strike.

The great battle had reached a point where the Psions were beginning to suffer casualties against the High Apes. Seven or eight Psions had fallen, while the High Apes had lost nearly half their number; at least twenty apes lay dead on the battlefield, roughly half of them utterly dismembered. Limbs were strewn everywhere, and masterless light-sabers and staves lay scattered about.

The instant the Great Vortex was unleashed, Blade shifted his footing. His entire body transformed into a whirlwind, plunging into the mass of High Apes to hack and slash. Simultaneously, he used his psionic power to sweep up a dozen light-sabers from the ground near and far, accelerating them instantly to hyper-speed. They streaked through the air, leaving over a dozen colored trails that pierced back and forth through the High Ape ranks, much like a master tailor threading multiple needles at once.

Among the streaking light-sabers, some bored through ape chests without resistance; others whipped around an ape's neck to pivot toward another target; still others swept horizontally through a cluster, instantly bisecting several apes at the waist or chest.

In that briefest moment, the traversing light-sabers, from every angle and direction, riddled the immobilized apes with holes and carved them into fragments.

“Stop!”

Gangdi, a hundred meters away, had sensed that something was amiss the moment Blade deployed the Great Vortex spell. He had intended to restrain Master Yan Shouyi and rush to the rescue.

However, before casting the Great Vortex, Blade had been closely monitoring the overall battlefield situation. To avoid wasting his already depleted psionic energy, he timed his move perfectly.

The moment the Great Vortex spell was cast, the two Master-level experts were locked in a stalemate in their full-power duel, while the battle between the Psions and the High Apes was mutually restraining.

Blade had waited patiently for this precise opportunity for a long time.

Gangdi ultimately failed to reach them in time. This was because Master Yan Shouyi had also spotted the opportunity and used every ounce of his skill to delay Gangdi for two critical seconds, allowing Gangdi to break free and charge out, albeit with injuries.

Two seconds were just enough for Blade to complete this wave of attack. He then withdrew the red chains of the Great Vortex spell. Although he could not control the spell’s enemy-or-ally identification feature, canceling the spell was something he could manage. Otherwise, letting all the Psions remain immobilized for a full twelve seconds would allow Gangdi to seize the chance, unleash a Master-level spell, and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Once the chains were withdrawn, the Psions, still vividly remembering the sensation of being paralyzed, saw that all the apes who had been attacking them were now lying dead on the ground. They looked around with complicated expressions, trying to locate Blade and demand an explanation for casting such a dangerous, indiscriminate spell without their consent.

But Blade remained cloaked in invisibility, impossible for them to find no matter how they searched.

“My apologies; I was momentarily desperate just now. If I offended anyone, please come to Gray Port City in the Asteroid Belt after the battle concludes, and I will host a banquet to calm your nerves.”

Blade understood their thoughts. Not wanting to alienate these Psions after eliminating the apes, he offered an apology.

Yet, in the span of those few seconds, the Psions had already shifted their attention elsewhere. Gangdi, arriving a step too late, was charging toward them in a towering rage.

A few nearly Master-level Psions, still possessing reserves of strength, rushed forward wielding their light-sabers, jointly holding Gangdi back. Master Yan Shouyi, having arrived only half a beat later, immediately followed up after the quasi-Masters absorbed the initial impact from Gangdi, engaging him once more.

“Those at the quasi-Master level, come help me. Everyone else, proceed to the control room as planned,” Yan Shouyi transmitted the command directly into their minds as he swung his sword.

“Yes.”

The Psions instantly split into two groups. A dozen or so senior Psions flashed toward the direction Gangdi had come from. Meanwhile, several quasi-Masters formed an encirclement with Master Yan Shouyi, pinning Gangdi in the center for a pincer attack.

With five or six light-sabers striking simultaneously, Gangdi guarded left and right with his light-staff. After a dozen exchanges, he gradually fell into a defensive position.

Blade’s silver light-saber was particularly elusive, hovering on the periphery, searching for an opening to strike Gangdi from tricky angles, which greatly infuriated Gangdi. However, he couldn't focus enough to pinpoint Blade’s exact location.

While brandishing his light-staff, Gangdi suddenly stamped his feet heavily on the ground, generating a circular shockwave that surged outward like a ripple. Everyone retreated to evade, but Master Yan Shouyi countered by kicking out a blade-shaped, sharp shockwave that pierced straight into the circular wave, causing the ground within a meter radius to instantly explode.

Rocks of all sizes and shapes flew upward, each carrying immense kinetic energy, scattering everywhere like shrapnel from artillery shells toward the surrounding Psions.

Blade saw many fragments flying toward him, so he activated his light-saber, whirling it into a disc. Any stones that hit the edge were instantly vaporized by the saber’s energy.

Through the dust-filled haze, Blade’s eyes could still track the sharp shockwave, which had only slightly diminished after penetrating the circular wave, continuing its straight trajectory toward Gangdi.

Gangdi’s imposing figure flickered, reappearing at the entrance of the passage where the Psions had advanced from. That entrance was blocked by fused and re-solidified alloy chunks due to the presence of ancient giant beasts in the corridor.

With a flick of his wrist, Gangdi swung his light-staff in a swift circle, slicing an opening in the alloy block and clearing the path. He squeezed into the throng of giant beasts and vanished without a trace.

Master Yan Shouyi pursued, attempting to hold him, but after a few exchanges, Gangdi still managed to escape into the tunnel. Large waves of giant beasts poured out, blocking the path of pursuit.

Just before Gangdi disappeared into the passage, Blade felt him glance back. A voice echoed in his ear: “Blade of the Tran Mercenary Group, you killed Kordemi and so many of my subordinates. Don't think you can escape. I will make you pay with your life! I will seek you out next time!”

This was not merely a sound but a wave of psionic energy carrying this message, transmitted to everyone present before Gangdi vanished completely and utterly.

Ape Masters possessed the ability to control ancient giant beasts, making it effortless for the beasts to clear a path. Psion Masters could also control them, but not so easily. They would first need to expend significant effort to erase the imprints deep within the mind of every single ancient beast, and then implant their own. This method was no secret; every Master knew it, but the entire subjugation process took at least several seconds to complete. Subduing a continuous stream of beasts on the spot was not advisable.

“He got away,” Blade said, allowing his form to become visible.

“It’s inherently difficult to eliminate an Ape Master; such things happen frequently. I’ve had many narrow escapes myself. It’s nothing extraordinary. However, your mercenary group recently eliminated Mika, Bensar, and Kordemi consecutively—that is something truly exceptional.”

Master Yan Shouyi clapped Blade on the shoulder. As he spoke, he had already resealed the tunnel entrance, killing the fire-lizards and giant centipedes that had poured out.

“You flatter me, Master,” Blade replied respectfully.

“Come, let’s check the main control room.”

Master Yan Shouyi waved his hand.

The group arrived at the control room to find it already occupied by the senior Psions. The Ape staff officers inside were corralled into a corner of the room, ordered to disarm, squat down, and clasp their heads, guarded by several Psions. The rest were operating the various consoles. The apes were kept alive so they could be consulted if any issues arose; clearly, under the influence of the Charm spell, the Ape staff officers were proving to be completely forthcoming.

Seeing Master Yan Shouyi enter, a senior Psion stepped forward to report: “Master, the control room is fully secured. We have control over all equipment. Those apes—” He gestured toward the squatting staff officers in the corner— “—have deleted most of the data; our people are working hard to recover it. All defensive cannons within the fortress have been deactivated.”

“Mm, good,” Master Yan Shouyi nodded.

Blade noticed the complex looks the others directed at him, a mixture of awe, displeasure, and anger. He knew this was because of the indiscriminate Great Vortex spell.

So, he stepped forward and apologized once more, offering an explanation.

After listening, one quasi-Master sighed, “Forget it. If you hadn't used that move, we don't know how many more comrades we would have lost trying to eliminate these apes, and victory might not have been certain even with heavy casualties. While your spell was indiscriminate, it indirectly saved the lives of some of our comrades. We should be grateful.”

Another quasi-Master stepped back two paces, waving his sword: “Very well. Since you did save some of our brethren, let’s write off the account concerning the indiscriminate paralysis.”

Blade’s ears twitched, and he immediately grasped the implication: only the ‘bad debt’ of the indiscriminate action was being written off; the ‘good account’ of assisting in the destruction of the High Apes was not canceled out alongside it. This was clearly magnanimity.

“I do not agree. Isn't that consequentialism? We cannot deem the process good just because the outcome was favorable. The process is always crucial. How can we not condemn the act of attacking indiscriminately?” a senior Psion argued heatedly.

Blade nodded. There were many principles in the world, some contradictory. Even within the conservative Psion Order, not everyone viewed a single event in the same light. Divergent points of view caused ideological sparks to collide, which was quite proper.

“Alright, you have voiced your condemnation, and Colonel Blade has apologized. Let this matter rest. The process is important, and the result is important. We cannot ignore the process because of the result, nor can we ignore the result because of the process,” Master Yan Shouyi concluded definitively.

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