Rip!
The air was torn apart in an instant, and a deafening sonic boom echoed across the heavens and earth.
Lynn's figure suddenly turned into a dazzling streak of starlight, cutting through the sky like a falling meteor, speeding away at an astonishing pace.
His speed was unbelievably fast far beyond the maximum velocity of a Tier-1 aircraft leaving behind a brilliant trail of light in the vast, open sky.
And yet, there was not the slightest trace of relief in his heart.
The chill still clung to him like a shadow.
He could feel it clearly that bone-chilling killing intent had never once left him, like a venomous snake watching its prey, its fangs sinking in without letting go.
Behind him, that ferocious figure was still in hot pursuit.
The Seventh-Circle Knight mounted on a fifth-circle warhorse!
The wind howled past his ears. Lynn's eyes were sharp, the scenery around him streaming by like flowing water.
But soon, he noticed something.
His speed was dropping.
His pupils narrowed slightly, a hint of gravity settling in his heart.
The first burst from the Starlight Shoes had ended…
And the enemy had not been shaken off by much.
"Still not far enough…"
Lynn's gaze darkened slightly, thoughts racing. A flicker of killing intent flashed through his eyes.
"If I burn the remaining two charges and he still catches up…"
He didn't finish the thought.
He had already made his decision.
BOOM!
The heavens trembled, and fierce winds howled!
Starlight erupted again without hesitation, Lynn triggered the Starlight Shoes twice in a row!
Starlight burst forth, the air twisting violently around him.
His figure was swallowed by stars, vanishing once more into the distant sky.
Ten seconds later
The wind howled, grass and dust flew up, and a dark figure charged forward!
It was the knight on his warhorse, his entire presence radiating a sharp and merciless aura.
He lifted his head slightly, eyes like blades, scanning the lingering traces of Lynn's escape.
A cold smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he muttered softly:
"A burst escape technique… and he used it twice in a row?"
"Heh… I wonder how many more times you've got left."
Snap!
He clamped his legs tight.
The Fifth-circle warhorse let out a deafening shriek. Its wings unfurled, stirring a violent wind as it shot into the sky like thunder!
Across the vast grasslands, beneath a high sky with scattered clouds, the gentle wind stirred the sea of green, making the fields ripple like emerald waves.
Lynn finally came to a halt in this place.
The breeze played with the edges of his robe.
He took a deep breath, his eyes calm and deep as well.
All three bursts of the Starlight Shoes had now been used.
But his lips curled into a cold smile.
"This place… is far enough from the Goddess Army. It's finally safe to use the Spirit of Azure Sky."
And if that's the case…
"Perfect."
He looked into the distance, his gaze icy.
"Let this place… become the grave of that knight who's chasing me."
He didn't have to wait long. Just a few seconds later
BOOM!
A thunderous warhorse shriek split the silence!
A violent gust swept through the sea of grass as a dark streak flew in from the horizon, finally transforming into a towering figure descending from the skies!
Seventh-Circle Knight Faol slowly landed.
His warhorse gently flapped its wings, kicking up dust in the wind.
He stared at Lynn coldly, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
"Run… run, why'd you stop?"
He spoke in a clumsy, broken version of the wizard tongue, his voice dripping with ridicule and disdain.
Clang!
Faol flipped his wrist cold steel flashed!
This time, it wasn't a bow but a razor-sharp longsword!
The blade quivered slightly, radiating a chilling aura.
He dismounted slowly.
The oppressive pressure of a Seventh-Circle Knight spread like a tidal wave, engulfing the land for a kilometer around!
That grim killing intent made the very air feel heavier.
To him, this patch of land was now his hunting ground.
As a Seventh-Circle Knight, he could cross hundreds of meters in a single breath using nothing but the terrifying power of his body.
And Lynn… was barely a kilometer away.
In other words, this First-level wizard's fate life or death depended entirely on his mood.
The wind howled.
A deadly stillness and murderous pressure filled the space between heaven and earth.
Facing the approach of the Seventh-Circle Knight, Lynn's expression remained unchanged utterly calm.
He was analyzing, gauging just how likely it was for the knight before him to escape.
A moment later, he had his answer.
Lynn narrowed his eyes slightly, and a mysterious green light quietly emerged from his chest, flickering like a spark, yet pulsing with a life force so potent it made the heart tremble.
The corners of his lips curled up as he spoke coldly:
"Villains always die from talking too much... you're no exception."
Buzz
In the next instant, a brilliant, transparent green crystal slowly floated out from his chest.
The crystal was pure and translucent as if it held nature's most untainted vitality.
As it spun in the air, it refracted countless emerald beams dreamlike and surreal.
The moment the crystal appeared, it was as though the world itself… awakened.
Whoosh…
The grass, which had been no more than a few centimeters tall, suddenly surged with boundless vitality. Bathed in the green glow, it began growing wildly!
Thirty centimeters… fifty… one meter!
In an instant, the plain beneath his feet transformed into a lush green forest. Countless vines came alive, writhing, twining, and spreading around Lynn!
And not just beneath him
The green light surged outward, rushing toward the direction of the Seventh-Circle Knight!
A flicker of doubt passed through the knight's mocking expression. His brows furrowed slightly he sensed something was wrong.
But he had no time to react.
Swish!
The green radiance enveloped him in an instant!
Not just him his mount, the Fifth-Circle Warhorse, was also swallowed by the light!
"What is this?!"
The knight's pupils contracted. He could feel it his limbs, his body, even the flow of his blood was being bound by some unseen law of nature!
This force was not a cold sealing spell, nor a heavy gravity technique it was a suppression rooted in the very essence of life itself!
It didn't merely manipulate plants it commanded life.
Wherever the green light passed, all life was reshaped and redirected.
The Seventh-Circle Knight and his warhorse were as if swallowed whole by the earth itself completely bound, utterly powerless to break free!
Bang!
The knight thrust his longsword into the ground, hoping to use the force to break free, but the moment the blade touched the earth, the wildly growing vines coiled around it, consuming it instantly!
Lynn watched this unfold, a cold glint in his eye, lips curling slightly.
"It's over."
But just then
"Hm?"
Lynn's eyes twitched. He sensed something unusual.
On the knight's body, a faint ripple had begun to appear.
The fluctuation was subtle barely perceptible. If not for Lynn's sharp senses, he might have missed it entirely.
But he recognized this energy.
Not long ago, in the temple of the Weave Goddess, he had felt this very same force.
It was the intertwining of faith and divine power.
Lynn's gaze hardened, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
"As expected… anyone who can move freely within the army must hold a special status."
More importantly, this knight carried a divine protection granted by a god!
The green light continued to suppress the knight, but the faint divine power within him clashed against the power of the Azure Sky Spirit.
The two forces were locked in a deadlock.
No, if anything, the Azure Sky Spirit was slowly gaining the upper hand.
Lynn could feel it.
The divine power was weakening bit by bit, it was being worn down!
Given enough time, the Azure Sky Spirit's green light would eventually crush the divine protection and fully suppress the knight.
But the issue was… time.
Lynn's expression darkened.
For the divine power to completely dissipate, it would take at least several more minutes.
And the problem was the Goddess's army likely wouldn't give him that long.
A chill of foreboding crept into his heart.
With the status that the knight held, someone had probably already noticed something was wrong. Help might be on its way from the main army.
The situation was critical. Lynn had to make a decision now.
And just then
Buzz…
The Azure Sky Spirit floating before his chest began to tremble slightly.
A faint, intermittent mental ripple flickered within it like a will that had long been dormant, slowly stirring awake.
Lynn's pupils contracted, and then joy flashed in his eyes.
"Maple?! You're awake?!"
That familiar mental presence he could never mistake it.
If there was anyone among Lynn's allies who could truly give him a sense of safety, it was none other than Maple.
Even if the otherworldly beings had reconciled with him, even if they were now allies…
Even if Maple had once deceived him, had kept many secrets…
He still trusted Maple the most.
In contrast, those alien beings no matter how sincere they seemed signed peace treaties, gifting rare opportunities…
Even taking him to absorb divine faith to strengthen his spirit Lynn remained deeply guarded.
After all…
That treaty? He hadn't signed it by choice.
He had been forced to.
Its contents were so complex that even now, Lynn had only deciphered a small portion most of its hidden clauses remained obscure and enigmatic.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Now, while absorbing the goddess's faith power to enhance his spiritual strength felt incredibly satisfying, who knew when that otherworldly being might betray him completely?
In contrast, there was Maple.
Although it had once deceived Lynn and hidden many things from him, at the end of the day, it was a nature wizard just like Lynn, of the same lineage, sharing the same fate.
More importantly...
At this point, Lynn already had the power to exert influence over Maple's will. Even if he couldn't fully suppress it, at the very least, their control was evenly matched maybe even tipping 60-40 in his favor.
But if things went south with that otherworldly being?
That would be a total loss. Zero to ten. No chance of victory.
So, in this moment of danger and uncertainty, Lynn desperately needed Maple to wake up.
Not just to uncover the true intentions of that being named Qi but more importantly, to find a path forward.
Huu...
Haa...
The spiritual fluctuations within the Spirit of Azure Sky gradually stabilized. Perhaps because the seal had kept it dormant for too long, Maple's will was still groggy upon awakening, responding to Lynn only after a couple of seconds:
"…I'm still drowsy, not fully recovered. I won't stay conscious for long."
Maple's voice carried a hint of fatigue, but through the Spirit of Azure Sky, its consciousness extended outward.
Soon, it noticed the Seventh-Circle Knight restrained by the green light in front and sensed the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Hmm? You're not in the Wizard World anymore?!"
Maple's voice shot up sharply, tinged with shock. Then, as if realizing something, its tone turned abruptly grave.
"If I'm not mistaken… this must be the 'Gods' Civilization' world, isn't it?"
"How the hell did you end up here?!"
Maple's spiritual fluctuations grew unstable it was shaken by the situation!
It scanned Lynn's condition and immediately furrowed its "brow" if it had one.
"Wait a minute, you're only… a mid-tier First-Level Wizard?!"
"That means I couldn't have been asleep for that long!"
"Has the Civilization War already begun?!"
In Maple's memory, just before it fell asleep, Lynn was still a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice!
Even though he'd now advanced to a mid-First-Level Wizard, that was only a matter of a few years at most a decade. That shouldn't be enough time to get involved in something this dangerous...
Unless something truly extraordinary had happened.
Maple's voice turned increasingly anxious, almost panicked.
In its understanding, Lynn should have remained in the Wizard World, steadily growing stronger at his own pace.
But now? He'd crossed into the realm of the Gods' Civilization?!
That was a death wish!
Maple's heart sank it knew exactly how hostile the relationship was between the Wizard World and the Gods' Civilization.
If a war of civilizations broke out, at Lynn's current level, he'd be nothing more than cannon fodder...
It wasn't a being prone to fear. Even in the face of life-or-death crises, one can remain calm and analyze the situation. But Lynn's actions were so far beyond expectations!
After all, Lynn was the one its survival depended on!
If Lynn died, it died too!
So whether out of self-preservation or genuine concern, Maple had no choice but to start thinking hard about the bigger picture.
"What's going on right now…"
Lynn fell briefly silent. He could feel that Maple's emotions indeed held a trace of anxiety but more than that, there was genuine concern for him.
He took a deep breath and replied in a low voice:
"I know you have a lot of questions... I know you're worried... But don't panic just yet…"
"The current situation is even more complicated than you think!"
His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the Seventh-Circle Knight still trapped nearby, his tone turning cold:
"This isn't the time for explanations…"
"First, we deal with this guy! We need to finish him off quickly, or we're going to have even bigger problems…"
Maple would let out a long sigh but knew now wasn't the time for deep discussions.
Its spiritual sense extended through the Spirit of Azure Sky and observed the Seventh-Circle Knight, along with the divine power lingering on him.
"Divine energy… and not from a low-tier god, either…"
"I don't know how you managed this, but if the Spirit of Azure Sky has gathered this much power enough to bring me to consciousness then with this energy, dealing with that knight won't be a problem…"
"…However, I do have an idea…"
Maple's will murmured, and in the next moment, the Spirit of Azure Sky floating before Lynn's chest suddenly emitted a dazzling green light.
It instantly enveloped the Seventh-Circle Knight and his warhorse, sealing them each inside a separate maple leaf.
Simple. Direct.
Just like that otherworldly being, Qi had once done.
The two maple leaves fluttered in the wind, flying toward the Spirit of Azure Sky, and were quickly absorbed into its core.
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