Chapter 123: Black Feather
Outside, Trelina, held in Enzo's arms, opened her eyes.
She quickly wriggled free from Enzo's embrace and jumped to the ground, calling out worriedly to Mr. Ix, "Mr. Ix, I'm okay."
She then briefly recounted what had happened.
After hearing Trelina's description, Ix confirmed again, "Trelina, are you saying that the divine power this lad wields comes from Beast Deity Rexfit, not from himself?"
Trelina didn't understand why Ix was asking this way.
But upon reflecting on the facts, she nodded in agreement.
Ix burst into laughter.
His eyes turned exceedingly cold as he muttered to himself, "So this guy has lost his divine power... Well then, he can die for all I care!"
Electricity flickered in Ix's palm.
Seeing Ix's intent, Trelina hurriedly intervened, standing in front of Enzo and pleading, "Mr. Ix, stop!"
Ix retorted sharply, "Trelina, get out of the way! This kid is likely being targeted by dark Deity. If we don't eliminate him now, it will inevitably lead to a catastrophe once he leaves here."
These words were pure nonsense from Ix.
In reality, he only sought revenge.
Despite Trelina's account that Rexfit had temporarily controlled Enzo's body, not Enzo himself, Ix couldn't bear the humiliation he had suffered earlier.
Whether it was Rexfit or Enzo, they were both marked for death in his eyes!
Anger clouded Ix's judgment.
Thunderous energy emanated from his hand as he launched an attack towards Enzo, simultaneously using powerful mental force to keep Trelina away.
Unbeknownst to him, a fleeting black mist surrounded Trelina, disrupting his control. Trelina regained her mobility and shielded Enzo before Ix.
Ix cried out, "Trelina!"
A deafening roar erupted as Trelina and Enzo were blasted far away amidst the thunder. However, while Trelina appeared pale with blood at her lips, Enzo seemed unharmed.
He was protected by the Ring of the World shimmering around him, which had intercepted the thunderous strike.
Ix rushed over in regret .
And then he fell into a state of fear.
Enzo held the injured Trelina, black wings gently unfurling behind him. Though lacking the previous evil aura, they still exuded a terrifying presence akin to the abyss.
His eyes, especially, were cold and aloof as he looked down upon Ix.
"Do you want to kill me?"
Enzo questioned.
Coughing...
Blood spilled from Trelina's lips. Sensing the intent to kill emanating from Enzo, Trelina pleaded, "Enzo, Mr. Ix didn't mean it."
He didn't mean it?
Enzo couldn't believe these words any more.
Regardless, Trelina stood before him. Though it seemed unnecessary, it touched Enzo in some way, prompting him to nod. "I won't kill you, but there must be consequences." he declared.
Relieved that Trelina wasn't in mortal danger, Ix sighed and let go of his worries.
Enzo's words, however, made him laugh.
Mockingly, he said, "Kid, if it were the previous Rexfit, I might fear his divine power. But you? You're not even worth mentioning!"
Enzo sneered coldly.
Taking action was the best way to resolve conflicts indeed.
In his palm, the phantom of the Ring of the World appeared, rapidly expanding to envelop Ix and then shrinking back into him.
All this unfolded before Ix's eyes.
Yet he couldn't intervene any more.
The ring seemed unreal, untouchable. But as Ix became aware of his own state of being, he was astonished to find the ring there.
Uneasy, he shouted at Enzo, "Kid, what have you done to me?"
Enzo coldly said, "It's just a necessary punishment. From today onwards, your power will gradually diminish until you become a completely powerless ordinary person."
This was undeniably a cruel punishment.
Especially for someone like Ix, for whom power was their sole pursuit.
This only fueled Ix's anger even more.
He roared, "Kid,I will kill you!"
But when he tried to strike again, Ix was horrified to find his power imprisoned.
It was then that he understood the potency of this restraint.
At that time, Enzo paid no heed to Ix, instead gathering life energy effortlessly and channeling it into Trelina's body.
Soon, Trelina's injuries began to heal.
She expressed gratitude towards Enzo and glanced at Ix, torn by pity. She looked to Enzo, preparing to plead.
Before she could speak, however, Enzo coldly refused her.
"Miss Trelina, we are not acquainted. Moreover, he sought my life. Granting him mercy was already a great kindness." he stated indifferently.
With that, Enzo's wings behind him beat and he soared into the sky, swiftly leaving Trelina and Ix behind.
Trelina felt a pang of injustice.
She glanced at Ix, sighing, "Mr. Ix, you're too impulsive."
Ix shook his head.
He didn't see himself as impulsive. He wanted to kill Enzo not just because of his own humiliation, but also because of Enzo's identity.
Enzo was from the Barren Mountain region.
If Enzo grew stronger, it would inevitably strengthen the Barren Mountain and other impoverished regions nearby, posing a threat to many dynasties in the outer domains.
For this reason alone, Enzo had to die.
But now, Ix clearly couldn't accomplish that. He also keenly felt his own powers dwindling.
"All right, Trelina, let's return to the Solar Dynasty." Ix said finally.
With that, Ix opened a spatial passage and departed with Trelina, leaving behind the Heart of the High Tower. He had no choice.
Meanwhile, Enzo flew for a long while before landing on a mountaintop. After ensuring it was safe, he sat down to rest, reflecting on his gains from this encounter.
His greatest gain was the reformation of the totem.
Moreover, the Ring of the World totem that had reformed was incredibly powerful, with numerous abilities. What Enzo had discovered so far was just the tip of the iceberg.
Next, there was the inheritance of hidden knowledge.
Thinking about this, Enzo couldn't help but murmur to himself, "This world is even more vast than I imagined. The Barren Mountain, Blue Sea—these places are merely small corners. According to Rexfit's residual memories, even the Solar Dynasty's outer domains do not encompass the entirety of the world. Beyond the world, there are the stars..."
The enormity of the world gave Enzo a sense of unreality.
But quickly, he dispelled that feeling.
He then used his mental powers to sense his current physical state. Thanks to Rexfit absorbing numerous life energies, Enzo's body was in an unprecedentedly good condition. With the totem reformed, his strength had also been restored.
Not only that, but it had further improved.
Level 5!
The abundant power made Enzo immensely gratified.
Shortly after resting, Enzo stood up again. Black feathers condensed behind him, a residual memory from Rexfit known as the Black Feather, accessible for learning as long as one possessed supernatural powers.
With a flap of his wings, Enzo took flight once more.
Soaring through the high sky, he surveyed this unknown space in Coull ruins. After flying for half a day, he finally spotted the figures of Freya and Nellies in a valley.
Enzo descended swiftly and landed beside them.
"Enzo!"
Freya and Nellies exclaimed upon seeing him, curious about the black feathers behind him.
However, now was not the time for that discussion.
Several supernatural creatures surrounded Freya and Nellies.
Their aura was roughly Level 3 to Level 4.They were not particularly strong.
However, Freya hadn't fully recovered, and Nellies wasn't exceptionally powerful either. Dealing with them was proving challenging, and both had sustained injuries.
Seeing this, Enzo said, "Rest for now."
Freya was about to say something when she witnessed the supernatural creatures instantly pierced by vines. Enzo then walked over to the deceased creatures and extracted their essence.
Returning, Enzo noticed Freya's expression and asked in puzzlement, "What's wrong?"
Curious, Freya spoke up, "You've recovered?"
Enzo nodded, "Yes, I've recovered, and even made some improvements."
Upon hearing this, Freya fell into deep silence.
It seemed that every time they parted and reunited, Enzo brought her surprises.
No,these were shocks.
The speed of his improvement was astonishingly rapid, almost frightening.
Nellies, unaware of Enzo's past, didn't find anything amiss and instead felt joyous. At this moment, she no longer felt embarrassed about being Enzo's servant.
"By the way, why are there so many supernatural creatures gathered here?"
Enzo asked during the interval while treating Freya and Nellies. The gathering of so many supernatural creatures in one place was clearly abnormal.
Supernatural creatures also had strong territorial instincts.
Freya shook her head slightly and pointed to a nearby cave, speculating, "It might be because of what's inside there."
Enzo glanced over and suddenly sensed something stirring.
He quickly retrieved it.
Black threads twisted and entangled into a ball, vibrating incessantly. This was the "curse" extracted from Nellies' chest.
In reality, it was an incomplete and corrupted soul seed. Now, this soul seed was exhibiting unusual behavior. Could there be another part of the soul seed inside?
Enzo felt it necessary to investigate further.
With the healing effects of life energy, Freya and Nellies quickly recovered from their injuries.
Afterward, the three of them headed towards the mouth of the cave.