Chapter 198: The Star Whisperer

Chapter 198: The Star Whisperer

The dark red crystal pillars surrounding the platform pulsed with irregular light, casting eerie yet ample illumination across the duel arena.

"Jaclyn, watch your left!"

Elliott shouted a warning as his fingers carved an arc through the air.

A razor-sharp gust of wind materialized instantly, slicing toward a clone attempting to ambush its teammate.

This marked the third wave of clones they had encountered since entering the Core Area.

The first two waves had appeared individually, making them relatively easy targets.

But now, they faced a mixed squad of three to four clones, significantly elevating the combat difficulty.

"These clones are deliberately coordinating!"

Lina, maintaining the spirit link, directed her floating orbs of light to strike with precision while noting in alarm how the clones always managed to cover or evade at the last moment.

"Stay focused!" Elliott’s voice remained calm and firm.

His unusually large ears twitched slightly, attuned to every subtle sound and energy fluctuation on the battlefield:

"Stick to the original plan—each of you handle your designated area. Don’t let the chaos distract you!"

The battle grew intense.

Though Crystal Spire’s apprentices were individually powerful and well-coordinated, the opposing clones seemed to inherit traits of Abyssal Creatures.

Not only did they possess formidable Regenerative Capacity, but their combat styles were unpredictable and ever-changing.

As the stalemate continued, Caesar suddenly spotted an opening.

A black-robed clone had faltered during the chaos—a new apprentice from the Black Mist School who had just entered the Core Area.

It wasn’t Luo En, Holt, or Cui Xi, but one of the two other Sequence members.

"I’ll handle this!" Caesar’s eyes burned with excitement.

His right arm swelled by more than half in an instant, its surface rippling with dense red scales resembling legendary dragonhide.

He launched himself like a cannonball, plowing through a massive boulder blocking his path.

The stone shattered into countless fragments under his fist, erupting like a miniature explosion.

—Flame Dragon Claw!

With a guttural roar, Caesar’s fist, cloaked in scorching energy, smashed into the clone’s chest.

The clone, clearly unprepared for such a ferocious assault, hastily raised a mana shield.

But against a strike rivaling a small siege hammer, the barrier crumbled like tissue paper.

"Phew!"

A dull thud echoed as the clone’s chest caved in. Its body flew backward like a severed puppet, slamming into a crystal pillar with a deafening crash before going limp.

Seconds later, the clone’s form began disintegrating into countless motes of light.

Instead of dissipating, the light particles converged toward Caesar as if drawn by an invisible force.

"Aaahh!" Caesar let out a guttural cry straddling agony and ecstasy, his body enveloped in a pale golden glow.

He distinctly felt an unfamiliar yet immense power surging into his bloodline, fusing with his essence to become part of his strength.

It felt like sipping millennium-aged wine, a sensation of intoxicating fulfillment.

"Hahaha! Unbelievable!"

As the glow faded, Caesar flexed his arm, his eyes blazing with frenzied light:

"My strength has increased by at least thirty percent! My mana reservoirs have expanded too!"

He raised his right hand, conjuring a fireball noticeably larger than before, radiating waves of heat that twisted the surrounding air.

The fireball’s edges writhed with irregular, living-like patterns.

"I told you those Black Mist School bastards were nothing!" Caesar declared smugly, his voice dripping with disdain:

"They’re just weaklings surviving on potions and shoddy magic. They don’t even deserve to stand beside us! Look at this clone—it couldn’t block a single punch from me. This is their strongest? Ridiculous!"

He straightened his chest, scanning the battlefield for his comrades’ approval.

"Caesar, focus on the battle!" Elliott’s warning came too late.

As Caesar reveled in his power surge, the air abruptly grew damp, thick with an overwhelming plant-based aura.

The ground trembled violently as something massive surged beneath the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone surface at an alarming rate.

"What the—?!"

Before Caesar could turn, dozens of thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping his limbs and torso with viper-like speed.

The vines grew at an astonishing rate, cocooning him in a tight green chrysalis within moments.

Covered in barbed thorns shimmering with eerie purple luster, the vines clearly carried potent toxins.

Simultaneously, on the platform’s opposite side, a hulking Earth Elemental Golem emerged, charging directly at the immobilized Caesar.

Each thunderous step shook the arena as the Golem’s rocky fists, capable of obliterating walls, raised high.

Embedded with countless Crystallized Bones, its body glowed with ominous blue light, making it far more menacing than an ordinary Earth Elemental Golem.

"This energy—it must be Cui Xi and Holt’s clone from the Black Mist School!"

Jaclyn exclaimed, but the group remained pinned down by their own adversaries.

"Hahaha!" Nolen cackled, doubling over in laughter:

"You were just bragging about how weak the Black Mist apprentices are, and now you’re getting wrecked by their clones! Where’s your pride now, Caesar?"

"Shut up and help me!"

Caesar thrashed violently within the vines, cursing furiously.

His muscles bulged, red scales glowing fiercely as he strained against the tightening grip.

But the vines, as tough as steel cables, resisted his enhanced strength.

"Damn it! These vines are way tougher than before!"

The Earth Elemental Golem closed in, its massive fist raised high, ready to strike.

Blue light flickered in its hollow eyes as the weapon’s surface crackled with elemental energy, preparing to unleash a devastating shockwave upon impact.

A massive shadow loomed over Caesar, death’s scythe ready to reap his life.

In the nick of time, an ultrathin blue thread shot from afar, wrapping around Caesar’s leg with pinpoint precision.

With a sharp tug, he was yanked backward, vines and all.

The Golem’s fist slammed into the ground, shaking the entire platform.

A crater meters wide formed at the impact site, its edges splintered into jagged fragments, revealing the strike’s terrifying power.

A semi-transparent mana residue layer shimmered at the crater’s center, like a still pond, showcasing the residual destructive force.

"What a clumsy fool."

Nolen retracted his thread with a sigh:

"Don’t expect me to save you next time. You saw them organizing a counterattack but still stood there gloating. You deserved that beating."

Elliott and Lina exchanged glances, their expressions tinged with exasperation.

"You should’ve let him take the hit, Nolen."

Lina said calmly, her delicate fingers still weaving the spirit link:

"It wouldn’t have killed him—maybe a few days of bed rest at most. That kind of lesson would’ve taught him that arrogance on the battlefield can be a fatal flaw."

Elliott nodded in agreement:

"He might’ve learned the importance of caution in combat. After all, the more self-assured someone is, the more they become a prime target. Now that he avoided even that, he’ll probably grow even more reckless next time."

Caesar’s face turned ashen, both from his earlier humiliation and his teammates’ unmasked mockery.

Yet he dared not challenge Elliott or Lina—despite his formidable strength among Crystal Spire’s new apprentices, their innate talent and power were universally acknowledged as genius-level.

Plus, both hailed from powerful family backgrounds. In this world ruled by strength, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his fury.

"Wait and see—I’ll unleash everything on those damned clones!"

Caesar snarled, tearing apart the remaining vines clinging to his limbs. His eyes locked onto the approaching Holt clone.

His knuckles cracked ominously, the scales on his skin blazing an even fiercer crimson under his fury.

"You'll see what true power means!"

But just as he was about to launch his attack, the atmosphere across the battlefield shifted abruptly.

A strange chill spread through the air—not a drop in temperature, but a bone-deep, suffocating fear.

Several perceptive Crystal Spire apprentices shivered involuntarily, as if some ominous presence were drawing near.

More clones surged from all directions, quickly assembling into a tightly coordinated squad.

Among them were clones of Cui Xi, Holt, and others from the Crystal Spire—except two figures were conspicuously absent.

"What are these clones doing?"

Jaclyn eyed the enemy warily, her fingers crackling with unstable arcs of electricity.

"They’re—"

"They’re forming a team!"

Eliot’s pupils contracted sharply. His large ears quivered violently, detecting subtle fluctuations in spiritual energy. "Worse—they’re establishing a spirit link! Just like ours!"

True to his words, Clone Lina stood at the center of the opposing squad, hands sealed in a mystic gesture. Countless tiny lights floated around her, weaving a complex mana network that linked all the clones together.

These glowing motes shimmered like stars, forming a miniature constellation. Threads of mana connected every pair of points, creating an intricate neural network.

"Damn it!" Eliot cursed. "Everyone, pay attention! These clones don’t just mimic our appearances and foundational abilities—they’ve replicated our tactics and coordination patterns too!"

Even more troubling, these clones seemed enhanced.

Their aura was stronger than their originals, exuding a subtle but oppressive presence with every movement.

Adding to the danger were the two new members—Cui Xi and Holt from the Black Mist School. Cui Xi’s mastery over natural spells and Holt’s Earth Elemental Golem were formidable assets.

The clones launched a synchronized assault.

Cui Xi’s clone summoned countless vines bursting from the ground, weaving a massive net that surged forward.

Holt’s clone charged ahead atop its Earth Elemental Golem, shielding the others.

Clone Lina remained at the center, maintaining the spirit link while directing dozens of glowing orbs for long-range attacks.

Their coordination was flawless, like a battle-hardened elite squad.

The Crystal Spire team immediately shifted to defense, but the clones’ synergy was overwhelming. They seemed to anticipate every move.

Jaclyn’s lightning web was evaded effortlessly. Nolen’s silk traps missed entirely. Even Eliot’s wind blades only grazed a few clones.

Within ten minutes, Eliot’s team was driven back to the platform’s edge, their defense crumbling. The clones grew bolder, each attack sharper than the last.

"This won’t work!" Eliot’s brow furrowed as he scrambled for a counter-strategy.

If they kept defending passively, they’d be picked off one by one. They needed to break this stalemate, turn the tide.

Suddenly, he recalled a desperate measure that might shift the battle.

"Everyone, execute Operation ‘Starfall’!"

As he barked the order, Eliot retrieved a small hexagonal crystal device from his Storage Bag.

This precious alchemical artifact, "Star Whisperer", was borrowed from his family’s treasure vault. It contained a processed, weakened fragment of Star Whispering energy.

Crafting such a device required rare materials—special metals extracted from meteorites fallen from the stars, followed by complex alchemical formulations. Finally, a mage with powerful, stable spiritual energy had to seal the Whispering’s mysterious syllables inside.

The process demanded immense resources and carried extreme risks. Legend told of a genius alchemist who, during the sealing ritual, was consumed by the Star’s power due to a spiritual energy fluctuation. His hollow shell had repeated the Whispering endlessly until the School executed him.

Because of this, fewer than twenty such devices existed in the entire Crystal Spire—priceless strategic assets capable of countering certain Abyssal Creatures, as Star Whispering naturally suppressed Abyssal forces.

Eliot had discovered during his research that the device could affect any entity with Abyssal traits.

Normally, he’d never risk using such a precious artifact, since each activation drained most of its mana, requiring long periods to recharge.

But these clones clearly bore Abyssal characteristics—they’d feel its effects.

He quickly explained his plan. "If I’m right, these clones will fall into spiritual chaos within moments. That’s our opening!"

Lina nodded, reinforcing the team’s spirit link by subtly shifting her fingers. Her eyes flashed a faint violet—a sign of her fully activated innate talent.

Eliot inhaled deeply, channeling a thread of spiritual energy into the device.

The hexagonal crystal began to vibrate, its surface runes glowing brighter, forming intricate mana circuits.

"Star Whisperer—activate!"

The crimson core within flared blindingly, emitting an eerie, low hum.

This sound didn’t seem physical—it resonated directly with the soul. Each tone carried unfathomable meaning, stirring profound reverence.

Eliot felt an alien, ancient force surge from the device, targeting Clone Lina.

Though weakened, the Whispering still radiated a chilling authority—a voice from the deepest stars, each syllable holding reality-bending potential.

The effects were immediate.

Clone Lina clutched her head, her body convulsing in agony. Around her, the clones all showed similar symptoms—clearly affected through their spirit link.

Their movements slowed, their attacks losing precision.

"Just as I thought!" Eliot’s expression hardened. "Clone Lina shares Lina’s perception-based inspiration, making her especially sensitive to Star Whispering!"

He turned to his team. "Now! Strike your counterparts while they’re spiritually unstable. We must secure the bloodline enhancements before things get worse."

As Eliot prepared to lead the counterattack, his sensitive ears quivered violently—so fast their edges blurred.

A bone-deep terror pierced his body, an invisible ice spike stabbing his heart.

This wasn’t ordinary fear—it was primal, instinctual. Like a mouse facing a serpent, paralyzed by existential dread.

"This isn’t right! I have to sever the spirit link!"

Voice taut with urgency, Eliot instinctively cut his connection to Lina.

His innate talent, "Hearer of Winds", had activated passively—a sign the threat exceeded his expectations.

A soul-deep warning screamed: Death approaches.

His teammates hadn’t even reacted when a figure emerged slowly from the shadows at the platform’s edge.

A plain gray robe cloaked a slender youth. His unremarkable, almost delicate appearance would make him blend into any crowd.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end