Looking up at Killian and his invincible posture, Ophelia could only shake her head and smile helplessly. It seemed like she had underestimated Ace's friends several times over.
Judging by the power he displayed when killing Diya and forcing Wodred to flee for his life, even without the support of their battle formation, Killian's power had surpassed her by at least one clear level, but with the battle formation…
Looking at the power each of them was radiating, even if she stood on the side of the opposing Sovereigns, the final victors would definitely be the Golden Sun Pirates.
She had never seen an Overgod in action first-hand, but she doubted even they would be a match for the combined might of the Golden Sun Pirates, regardless of whether they had condensed their Overgod body or not.
Ophelia wasn't the only one feeling mixed emotions as they were pressured by the tyrannical and overbearing aura of Killian and the other Golden Sun Pirates. Whether they were Sovereigns or deities, they all understood that they didn't stand a chance – if they really chose to stay and fight, their only outcome would be death.
After saying his piece, Killian barely paid the crowd any attention. Instead, he indifferently grabbed the wind-type Chief Sovereign Spark hovering in the air in front of him, seemingly studying it intently.
The majority in the crowd were only High Gods, and many of them were experts of the Laws of Wind – be they Paragons or Commander-level experts, all of them were qualified to fuse with the Sovereign Spark and with the option of breaking through to the Sovereign Realm naturally no longer available to them, this was their next best option, especially considering the fact that it was a Chief Sovereign Spark. They would instantly be one of the foremost experts in the universe.
Still, none of them showed any hints of greed or desire. Killian's display of power force had snuffed that out – if he could do that to two Chief Sovereigns, what chance did they stand?
As they stared at Killian cautiously, many assumed that he was trying to decide what to do with it, but they couldn't have been any further from the truth. In reality, Killian felt a little emotional as he looked at it.
He was admiring how far he'd come – he clearly remembered the days when he was still just a mortal and couldn't even imagine the might of a Sovereign. Even after becoming a deity, and a three-way soul mutate at that, even the weakest of Sovereigns were beings that he could only look up to, but now… aside from Augusta, whose other persona was a genuine Overgod, he was currently the strongest Sovereign in the entire universe.
Killian only indulged in his emotions for a few seconds before casually tossing the Sovereign Spark into one of the spatial tears still open from his last attack.
Killian's actions shocked all those watching to no end. Even if he was an exceedingly powerful Sovereign who didn't need the Sovereign Spark personally, it was still a treasure capable of producing a top-tier expert.
That act in and of itself truly highlighted the difference between the experts of the Yulan Plane and the rest of the universe – they really belonged to two different leagues!
As they watched the Sovereign Spark disappear into the vast expanse of Space with the spatial tear, Killian tossed it into slowly closing, and all of them felt itchy to make a move. Still, with the tyrant that was Killian still standing over them, none of them dared to make a move. Well, almost none of them.
Ophelia glanced at the handsome young man by her side. His name was Fiurten, and he was none other than her husband. Both she and Fiurten had grown up in the Divine Fire Plane and had gone through one life-and-death experience after the next side by side. Even as she grew more and more powerful and antagonised one powerhouse after the next, Fiurten remained by her side through it all.
It should also be mentioned that even though, in terms of innate talent, he wasn't quite at the level of his wife, he wasn't too far behind. Whilst Ophelia was born with the Innate Yang Physique, Fiurten was born with the True Sky Physique.
Because of that, not only was he able to become a Paragon of both the Laws of Wind and four Sabre-based concepts, but thanks to his physique, his wind-type divine power was ten times as powerful as others at the same level.
He was still only a deity, but even among the top deities of the Yulan Plane, he would still be powerful enough to rank among the more powerful ones.
Still, as powerful as he was, Ophelia was very much aware that he was unhappy with his current level of power. Although with a wife as powerful as his, it wasn't likely they would face any danger; he still wasn't happy to just let his wife stand in front of him alone, protecting them from danger – as her husband, even if he wasn't able to be the one doing the protecting, he at the very least wanted to stand beside, facing whatever adversity may come their way together.
Glancing back up at Killian and the other Golden Sun Pirates, her eyes narrowed as she made her decision.
Before anyone realised what had happened, she tore through the void and entered chaotic space, hurriedly chasing after the Chief Sovereign Spark of Wind.
She knew it was a risk; after all, although Ace had been the one to give her her Sovereign Spark, her connection to him and the rest of his family and friends didn't exceed that of a passing acquaintance. Still, it was a calculated risk.
Although she didn't know Killian personally, she could tell he was the type of person unbothered by external matters. As long as she didn't do anything to directly offend him or his loved ones, he was unlikely to care about her actions.
By the time Fiurten realised what his wife was intending to do, she had moved too far away to even think about stopping her. Still, it did nothing to lessen his concern. He hurriedly turned his attention back to Killian and his group; thankfully, it seemed they had no interest in stopping Ophelia. In fact, judging by their expressions, it almost seemed as though the Golden Sun Pirates were more amused and intrigued than anything else – as though they were merely watching a good show.
Seeing that, many of the others interested in the Sovereign Spark in question couldn't help but curse themselves, wishing they had been more decisive. Unfortunately, it was too late. Not only was Ophelia a Sovereign, she was publicly recognised as the strongest Sovereign. Or at least she was before Killian revealed his power.
As a result, with the headstart she had, even if there was someone foolish enough to stand against her, they had fallen too far behind.
Well, that was the case for most of them, but there was one person who felt differently.
Although Ophelia was without a doubt the most powerful of the Sovereigns outside of those in the Yulan Plane, she wasn't the most feared. That title was reserved solely for a man by the name of Kartias.
Not only was he one of the two Intermediate Sovereigns of Space, but he was also the only being outside of the Yulan Plane who had managed to become a paragon of Space. In terms of power, he was no weaker than most of the ordinary Chief Sovereigns, but what really made him so terrifying was that, as a paragon of the Rules of Space, not only was he overwhelmingly powerful, but he was also incredibly slippery – he could come and go as he pleased with no one able to stop him.
There had been several instances where he was encircled by multiple Chief Sovereigns; even so, he had been able to easily escape their pursuit without a care in the world.
If it had been a direct confrontation between them, Kartias would never dare to oppose Ophelia. But as it was more of a race than anything else, he was more than willing to bet on him.
Ophelia's speed was terrifying; it hadn't even been two seconds since she made a move, but she was already virtually on top of her target. She reached out her hand, intending to grab it, but just as she could practically feel it, the space surrounding the Sovereign Spark warped, and before she knew what was happening, it disappeared.
As surprised as she was, she was still a supreme expert. The instant the Spark disappeared, Ophelia's eyes frosted over as she summoned her Sabre and struck out at a seemingly empty location in space.
In that moment, Kartias' eyes constricted into pinholes as he was overwhelmed by the threat of death. He had been so confident in his abilities of concealment that he hadn't even factored in the potential of being found into his plans. Still, as an expert known for his escape and evasion abilities, he still managed to dodge, albeit barely.
He had barely dodged her last strike when he heard Ophelia's cold and indifferent voice ring in his ears.
It sounded more like she was talking to herself as she said that clearly; it had been too long since she had last made a move, if even a little Intermediate Sovereign dared to get in her way.
It was only as her second strike neared that Kartias realised his mistake. He had never met Ophelia before, and because the only time she had made a move was shortly after becoming a paragon, back when she had singlehandedly fought all three Sovereigns of Fire – including the Chief Sovereign of Fire – to a standstill, his understanding of her power was severely outdated.
Realising the errors of his ways, he unhesitantly tossed the Sovereign Spark in his hands in one direction before fleeing as fast as he could in the opposite. Even so, he wasn't able to leave without forfeiting an arm.
Ophelia watched as Kartias escaped, but aside from a cold snort, she made no attempt to stop him. Instead, refocusing her attention back on the Sovereign Spark, which would now belong to her husband. Thankfully, this time, there was no one foolish enough to get in her way!