Varian and Sia couldn't even react to the attack. Forget the level 7 Varian, even Sia, a very strong level 8 barely registered the crumbling of space.
Both of them only said 'I qu—' out of the necessary 'I quit'.
They just needed a slight moment. The blink of an eye. A fraction of a second to recite those last letters.
Booom!
The attack didn't give them that chance. If it was just a split second late…
Space was crushed. The wind was blown away. A vaccum was formed.
Due to the sheer speed at which the wind was blown away, the temperature of the air skyrocketed.
Boom!
As if a small nuclear bomb was set off, an explosive phantom fist packed with tremendous energy reached the duo.
A bright light filled the hall and the stage started cracking.
"I qui—"
Julius' lips raised in satisfaction. He already knew what would happen. The attack got them just a moment befor—
"-t"
"What?!" Julius's figure blurred and he reached their location in an instant.
The phantom fist that was about to crush Varian and Sia was held by two bloodied hands.
"Ku-Arghhh!" Evander yelled as he pushed back against the phantom fist.
He never intended to defeat it. His intention right from the moment he sensed the horrifying aura was to delay it.
"Arghh!" Evander channeled all the chi in his body as he gritted his teeth. His shirt broke instantly and his muscles bulged.
Ssss!
The phantom hand pushed him back and even after using his complete strength, Evander was being pushed back.
His skin was torn apart and blood spilled out of his arms. His muscles ripped apart and his bones were broken like soap bubbles. All his internal organs churned and everything inside him became a mess.
But.
Evander did the impossible.
He held the phantom fist for one little moment.
He delayed the attack of the strongest Sovereign for a split second.
"-t" Varian and Sia managed to finish their declarations thanks to him and they disappeared right away.
The next moment, the phantom fist blasted Evander. His body bent into a strange arc and he was blasted into the endless darkness.
"You…!" Julius clenched his fists as his anger flared.
If he was focusing on Evander from the start, then he would've prevented him from even trying.
But the reason he didn't was…
"Urgghh!" a desperate scream echoed from Charles Xander.
Boom!
The attack of the phantom hand sent terrifying shockwaves across the stage before they finally reached him.
"F-Fathhh..!" Charles looked at his father in desperation.
Julius glared at Charles for a split second before snorting and saying. "I quit."
"W-Wha…" Charles' eyes shot wide open as a chilling realization crept in. His eyes turned bloodshot and he glared at his father.
"I…I hope you die a dog's deat—!" Charles' words stopped abruptly as the aftermath of the attack destroyed every inch of his body.
Even till his head blew up into pieces, Charles remained glaring at Julius. He couldn't believe that his death came at the hand of his own father of all people.
A light enveloped Julius and he vanished into the royal garden.
*** *** ***
"Master…" Varian's mind was filled with the figure of the man who stood up to save them at the last moment.
But he had a more pressing issue now.
"Where is this?" Varian's brows jumped as he sensed the auras.
Level 7. Level 8. Level 9.
He held Sia carefully with his telekinetic power. She too spread her mind sense and furrowed her brows.
They seemed to be in a large clearing in the middle of a giant forest. There were many, many terrifying auras in the vicinity. Some of them even surpassed the aura of Evander.
The place sent shivers down their spines. Apparently, the exit was different from the entry.
The giant blue vortex a few miles in the distance reinforced his belief.
He didn't know where it'd lead, but since he and Sia ended up here despite being of different levels, that meant this was a…
…a common exit.
'That bastard!' Varian's brows jumped and he put all his strength into his legs and telekinetic power. "Sia…let's go!"
Sia only had the time to nod before they shot towards the vortex.
Boom!
'Boo! Wake up!' Varian yelled at the ghost that started to shake. It wasn't just Boo, the ghost ship itself started to light up bit by bit.
As promised, the wings lifted the seal outside. Now, it's only a matter of time before the ghost ship was reactivated.
Besides, they were just two miles away from the vortex.
Varian's heart was still tense, but seeing the ghost ship kickstart its basic functions, a part of his worry alleviated.
'Just a bit…just a bit.' He gritted his teeth as they dashed to the vortex.
'If ghost ship starts first, we'll jump into ghost ship. If we reach the vortex first, we'll jump through it.'
Boom!
The ground cracked at their speed and they were finally at an arm's reach from the vortex.
Varian's face lit up and Sia's bloodied face showed some of relief when the familiar pressure descended.
The ghost ship was almost activated. The blue vortex was just at hand's reach.
If only a moment…
Varian's face contorted and he pushed Sia in front of him. This way, she'd be the first to enter the blue vortex.
Sia's eyes widened at the realization and her face paled.
"G—" Varian didn't even have the time to say 'Go' when the space exploded in the distance.
Julius' killing intent locked onto the two and he kicked the ground.
Whoosh!
Varian's eyes turned dark from despair while Sia opened her mouth to say her last words. "I…"
Boom!
The distance of a few miles between them was halved before Varian could even think and Julius raised his arm to throw the punch.
'With this, you're done!' Julius punched out.
The punch, capable of breaking down the moon itself, destroyed everything in the surrounding hundred miles the moment it was released.
As it approached Varian and Sia, their bodies started to break down. Their skins cracked, their muscles ripped apart and their bones started to shatter.
Just another moment and their bodies would be crushed under the pressure!
