The Hard-Fought Battle

Just as Eleya's 【Judgment】 was about to strike Carlton, Luo Wei noticed that he and his desk had vanished into thin air.

The heavy blunt weapon swung through empty air, causing Eleya to pause momentarily before she retreated to Luo Wei's side, her gaze sharp as she scanned their surroundings.

"Where did he go?"

"Since you already know this is a world of my creation, you should also understand that killing me within it is impossible," came the reply.

From the darkness behind them, a gas lamp flickered to life, illuminating Carlton as he set down the book in his hands.

"All you can do is hide?" Eleya sneered before charging at him again.

This time, due to the close proximity, Luo Wei saw clearly how Eleya's 【Judgment】 seemed to pass through a faint, translucent shadow—Carlton and his desk once again disappearing without a trace.

"Eleya Christine, the Holy Maiden of the Church," Carlton mused from the side, his tone contemplative. "So impulsive and reckless. It's hard to believe the meticulously calculated scheme was your doing."

Luo Wei turned toward him. The old man's face no longer carried its usual weariness; instead, his sharp eyes scrutinized Eleya with cold precision.

"Using new divine arts to infiltrate the Wegener Church... If not for today's events, your plot might have succeeded."

"I suddenly find myself curious," Carlton continued. "As the mastermind, you could have stayed hidden behind the scenes. Yet here you are, trapped in my domain. Why?"

"Killing you is enough to seize control of Wegener," Eleya retorted, her body blurring into a streak as she launched another, even fiercer assault.

Just as before, Carlton reappeared unscathed a short distance away.

"It's not that simple, is it?" He slid the book back onto the shelf with deliberate calm.

"Wait a moment..." Luo Wei gently pressed Eleya's hand, signaling her to hold back.

Attacking his projections in this domain was pointless—they needed to find his true body.

Eleya glanced at Luo Wei's pale face before turning back to Carlton, her gaze turning even colder.

She had indeed been too hasty. Luo Wei's injuries couldn't afford delay.

Carlton observed their joined hands and raised an eyebrow. "Ah... I see now."

"So, our city's hero is on the verge of death, and you're here to save him?"

His gaze shifted to Luo Wei, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You certainly have a way with women. Does Ophelia know about this?"

"Don't pretend to be a caring father," Luo Wei replied flatly. "You don't deserve to mention her."

"Oh?" Carlton countered. "Since I brought her back, have I ever mistreated her?"

"Even when she secretly formed factions, I turned a blind eye. Under any other ruler, such acts would be treason—punishable by death."

He spread his hands. "As a father, I've been more than lenient. Isn't that enough?"

"Lies," Luo Wei scoffed. "You let your children tear each other apart, playing the indifferent ruler to hide the secrets in this study."

"You've always wanted her dead. The only reason you held back was because she was no real threat—and still useful."

Carlton's brow furrowed slightly.

"Old liar, need me to jog your memory?" Luo Wei sneered. "The Antius Dragon Tomb. You knew the dangers below, yet you sent her to her death. If not for sheer luck, she wouldn't have survived."

He could have listed more examples.

In fact, during his last "reload," the emperor had already decided to eliminate Ophelia—simply because she shared the same talent.

"Enough!" Carlton's expression darkened abruptly.

"Struck a nerve? Hit too close to home?" Luo Wei taunted.

"Spouting nonsense. The one who shouldn't be left alive is you!"

As Carlton spoke, an oppressive force materialized in the air.

Luo Wei's breath caught, his throat constricting as if an invisible hand had seized him.

At the same time, Eleya struck.

When 【Judgment】 came crashing down, a shockwave erupted from Eleya and Luo Wei, spreading outward at terrifying speed. The entire study trembled as if struck by an earthquake—bookshelves toppled, pages scattering like snow.

Luo Wei recognized this wide-area attack. Her logic was clear: if Carlton was hiding here, she would destroy everything.

Sure enough, the force gripping Luo Wei abruptly vanished.

From a shadowed corner of the study came a hurried rustling.

"Found you!" Eleya's eyes locked onto the source.

Carlton's illusion solidified into reality. His gaze was venomous as Eleya closed in, but instead of fleeing, he uttered a single incantation.

In the next instant, Eleya's killing blow met a surging tide of magic.

Her eyes widened—this power wasn't just equal to Hawkins' earlier assault; it far surpassed it.

With a deafening crash, the magic repelled her violently.

Carlton wasn't finished. Another chant, and a dozen azure comets streaked toward them, trailing blue flames.

"Ring Magic?" Eleya shielded Luo Wei, bracing to withstand the comets with sheer physical might.

"High-tier Ring Magic," Luo Wei corrected, yanking her behind him instead. He tossed out several magic crystals—gifts from the Witch.

The collision of crystal magic and Ring Magic erupted in a dazzling burst of light.

Carlton cast again. A frigid blue greatsword materialized in his grip, its edge slicing horizontally toward their waists.

"He even knows Battle Magic?!" Luo Wei dodged, grateful for his enhanced reflexes.

Barely avoiding the bisecting strike, he found himself facing yet another spell.

His limbs grew stiff, movements sluggish—eerily reminiscent of the Witch's 【Puppetry】.

"Black Magic too?!"

"Luo Wei! Watch out!" Eleya threw herself in front of him, eyes locked on Carlton's next move.

But Carlton didn't engage further. Instead, he unleashed an almost-instantaneous high-level spell.

In that moment, Luo Wei felt an invisible force crush down on him. His body bent under the pressure, spine creaking, bones groaning in protest.

"This is... Gravity Magic..." he gritted out.

There was no denying it—the old bastard's arsenal was vast. He wasn't just proficient in multiple schools of magic; he'd mastered them.

Of course, Luo Wei knew full well—this wasn't his true power.

Including Ophelia, none of the members of the Wigner royal family currently possess innate magical talent.

Thus, Carlton's magic still stems from his abilities within the Dreamlands.

This is his domain—he can interfere with and influence reality, even altering the fundamental laws within a certain range.

In other words, since it's the power of "what I believe," as long as he wills it, mere magic isn't too difficult to achieve.

What puzzles Luo Wei now is...

Is this all there is?

True, Carlton, wielding supernatural power, has beaten the two of them into a rather sorry state, even nearly crushing Luo Wei into paste. Yet, Luo Wei still feels something is missing...

Even if Carlton were to unleash that terrifying 9th-circle spell [Soul Torrent], a favorite of the witch, it would still feel lacking...

Strange...

Luo Wei falls into deep thought—this might just be the key to turning the tide.

Eleya would never imagine that, even as Luo Wei is being crushed to death, his mind is occupied with such musings. She only grows more frantic, launching a frenzied assault on Carlton.

But the cunning Carlton vanishes into the study as he did at the start, his true form hiding who-knows-where.

"Luo Wei, hold on!" Eleya smashes the ground in fury. "Come out, you old bastard! Show yourself!!"

The ground trembles under her blows, but unlike before, Carlton's true form isn't shaken out.

"He might be hiding farther away..." Luo Wei gasps out.

"Then what do we do? What's your plan?" Eleya anxiously strokes Luo Wei's face—his eyes are bloodshot, his features twisted in agony.

"Wait... just a little longer..." Luo Wei is stalling for Ophelia to dismantle the "anti-magic field," but she needs more time.

"We can't wait any longer—you're going to die!" Eleya snarls. "Ophelia! What the hell is she doing?! How could she fail us now?!"

"Don't blame her... she's under pressure too..." Luo Wei forces the words through gritted teeth.

He feels his ribs breaking. The witch's enchanted crystals, stuffed into him as makeshift talismans, are cracking one after another. Once they're gone, he'll be pulverized in an instant.

"There's only one way..." Luo Wei locks his bloodshot eyes onto hers. "Bring out the other Eleya."

With Ophelia taking too long to break the "anti-magic field," Luo Wei has no choice but to resort to this—even if he dreads facing that colder, ruthless version of Eleya.