That slight sigh was faint, yet it possessed an incredible penetration, echoing clearly in the ears of Klein and Ophelia.
Klein’s body was tense, mana jumping at his fingertips as he stood ready to release it at any moment.
His mana vision remained active, attempting to see through the black robe that enveloped the petite figure.
However, the black robe remained motionless, appearing to absorb all light and mana fluctuations, leaving only a blurred silhouette.
He could not distinguish the specific features beneath the robe, and he could only guess her gender based on her voice.
The robe itself contained powerful magic that far exceeded his imagination.
Veins bulged slightly on Ophelia’s hands as she gripped her sword, her golden pupils locked onto the dark shadow.
Her body leaned forward, poised to strike, her battle qi surging once more like a hunting leopardess, waiting only for the command to pounce.
The appearance of this figure had interrupted the combined strike from her and Klein, and this sudden turn of events filled her with vigilance.
She did not trust the intervention of any unknown power, especially at such a critical moment.
"Who are you?!"
Ophelia shouted, her golden battle qi vibrating with her voice as if to tear through the surrounding wind and rain.
There was no hint of retreat in her voice, only pure interrogation and wariness.
The black-robed girl did not immediately answer Ophelia’s question.
She simply raised one hand slowly.
That hand was slender, her fingertips lightly tracing through the air.
Accompanying the movement of her fingertips, several translucent arcane runes emerged out of thin air.
These runes seemed to possess a life of their own, instantly spreading across the sea and connecting with one another to form a complex and precise magic array.
The light from the magic array carried a cold arcane glow, shooting straight toward the massive monster in the distance.
"Roar!"
The monster let out an angry howl, its gargantuan body trembling violently within the light of the magic array.
The viscous masses of flesh and countless twisted faces struggled under the restraint of that arcane power, but the blood-red light around it was rapidly suppressed, unable to break through the seal of the runes.
Its struggle soon became futile, and its massive body was pinned to the sea surface by an invisible force, unable to move an inch.
Klein’s attention was completely captivated by that magic array.
His mana vision clearly captured the composition and energy flow of every single rune.
These runes were not a simple stacking of energy; they contained profound geometric structures and elemental coordination, forming a perfect suppression loop among themselves.
He felt a tremor rise from the depths of his heart, for the design of this magic array was marvelously ingenious.
This sophistication was not one of pure power, but a deep understanding and clever application of laws.
He even sensed a trace of familiarity from it.
This familiarity was not from any magic he had ever cast, but rather, it felt like a certain style.
The black-robed girl finally spoke after completing her task, her voice cold and carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion.
"I am not your enemy, nor do I intend to interfere in your battle."
She paused for a moment, her hands never stopping their work.
Another arcane rune flowed from her fingertips, reinforcing the restraints of the magic array.
"It is just that, for now, this thing cannot be killed."
There was an unquestionable certainty in her words, as if it were a fact already destined.
Klein’s thoughts were pulled away from the ingenuity of the magic array.
He looked up toward the direction of the black-robed girl.
Her words circled in his mind, triggering even more questions.
A being capable of easily suppressing the monster had said it "cannot be killed."
There had to be an unknown reason behind this.
He looked at Ophelia, and the two shared a glance.
Confusion and doubt filled Ophelia’s eyes, but she chose to trust Klein’s judgment, temporarily holding her position.
Klein took a step forward, his mana fluctuations leveling out to show he meant no hostility.
Of course, not all aggressive alchemical magic items required strong mana fluctuations to be activated.
"What is so special about this monster?" he asked, his voice steady. "Why can it not be completely destroyed?"
The girl kept her head lowered, the shadow of her hood concealing her face.
She seemed to be thinking, and a brief silence fell over the air, with only the howling of the gale and waves continuing.
"This thing..." her voice rose again, carrying an ancient sense of history that felt out of place with her petite stature.
"It is quite troublesome to explain. Do you truly wish to hear it?"
As she spoke, the girl raised her other hand, her slender fingertips pointing toward the crimson blood moon in the sky.
There was no complex chanting or elaborate spellcasting gestures; she simply made a light grasping motion.
Buzz!
An invisible tremor spread out.
The blood-red moonlight enveloping heaven and earth dimmed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The original thick, ink-like crimson was quickly washed away under the girl’s mana, like paint being diluted.
The moon itself was obscured by a layer of dark light, with only scattered moonlight piercing through that screen like broken silver splattered across the ocean.
The heavy scent of blood weakened rapidly as the moonlight faded, and the entire world seemed to clear significantly.
Klein’s pupils constricted.
He sensed the malice in the air that had made him extremely uncomfortable was vanishing at high speed.
Every move the girl made demonstrated a level of magical mastery far beyond his imagination.
This was an overwhelming display of power on an entirely different level.
He could not imagine how a person could achieve such precise and grand magical control; her understanding of laws seemed to have reached another plane entirely.
Ophelia also felt the changes in the environment.
The nauseating sense of filth had lessened considerably, and her mind was no longer as tense as before.
However, the immense strength displayed by the girl did not decrease her vigilance toward this unknown person; instead, it intensified.
If she could easily obscure the blood moon and suppress the monster, then her strength was likely not below her own current level.
The girl ignored their reactions.
After the blood moon was obscured, she raised her hand once more, her target still being the monster restrained by the magic array.
The arcane runes on her fingertips flashed again.
This time, the runes did not spread but condensed rapidly.
A cubic cage appeared out of thin air, completely enveloping the monster within.
The cubic cage was crystal clear, its surface flowing with complex magic engravings.
The monster’s howls became muffled inside the cage, its massive body compressed into the narrow space, unable to move.
The cubic cage began to shrink at an alarming speed. One meter, half a meter, thirty centimeters... the monster’s body was continuously squeezed and folded as the cage shrank.
Those originally hideous faces twisted and deformed, leaving terrifying marks on the transparent crystal walls.
But no matter how it struggled or tried to break free, the structure of the cage remained indestructible.
Ultimately, that gargantuan monster, that terrifying existence composed of countless illusory faces, was compressed into a miniature cube only the size of a palm.
It was crystal clear, with countless twisted shadows and flowing deep blue liquid faintly visible inside.
The black-robed girl reached out, her fingers slightly spread.
The small cube seemed to be drawn by an invisible gravitational pull, floating steadily into her palm.
She lightly closed her fingers, grasping the cube completely in her hand.
A massive monster capable of raising gargantuan waves and bringing endless malice was handled so effortlessly by a petite girl.
Klein’s heart pounded violently.
What kind of alchemical mastery was this?
It was not simple brute force, but an ultimate control over space, matter, and even life forms.
Such methods and power seemed to have crossed over from some distant world, carrying a grandeur that transcended the mundane.
Although Ophelia did not understand the techniques of alchemy well, her vast experience allowed her to realize how terrifying such magic items were.
The person before them possessed startling mastery in both magic and alchemy.
The black-robed girl finally turned around to face Klein and Ophelia.
Her hood still covered her face.
"This is not the place to talk."
Her slender palm lifted slightly, the cube imprisoning the monster in her hand emitting a faint arcane glow.
"Let us leave first."
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