Someone broke through a formation set down by the almighty Black Raven?!
This was the thought that ran through the old man's head, making him stop the attack on Daneel who was right in front of him, defenseless.
Although he could launch the attack, kill Daneel and turn around to face the newcomers, he did not wish to take the risk.
After all, when fights happened between those on the level of Champions, just a millisecond was usually enough to decide victory and defeat.
If he chose not to pause his attack, he would be taking the risk of finding himself in the state of 'weakness' which could be taken advantage of by the other party to launch a devastating blow.
Hence, keeping the flaming gauntlet at the ready, the old man turned around to face those who had newly arrived.
….
Meanwhile, Daneel had hastily ordered the clone to stand down. Although he had wished that there was a way he could conceal the trump card of exploding his clone to launch a deadly attack, he had reluctantly chosen to use it as there was no other way. Yet, now, it seemed that his wish might come true.
The two women who had arrived first sighed with relief on seeing that Daneel was safe. After shooting a glance at him, the woman who had spoken said, "Good. Now come with us quietly. The council will evaluate your crimes before passing judgment on you."
It was as if these words had some hidden meaning which made the old man feel relieved. At least, this was what Daneel observed from his position. The broad back of the old man which had been tensed till now had just relaxed, and he spoke in an idle tone. "I'll pass. If you are talking about the council even after acting as first responders, then it means that you are still small fries in whichever of the Big 4 you are from. Do you think I am dumb? Why would I break my seal and stay here knowing that the Big 4 will detect it and send someone? Their response time is 3 minutes. By then, I'll have killed you and departed. You must have used some treasure from the sect to break through the formation. Give it to me, and I'll consider sparing your lives."
Although these words were said with a silent confidence, Daneel could see that they were another attempt by the old man to gain some benefits without personally having to fight for them himself.
This was because every 2 seconds or so, a slight quiver ran down his back which was almost imperceptible.
Apparently, whatever injury it was that had made him spot out black blood was still affecting him.
"Small fry?! Do you know who she-"
"Don't bother, Molan. He'll find out soon enough. You-why don't you try attacking? We will see whether I'll have to say the same thing about 'sparing your life' if you choose to."
As opposed to the confidence in the old man's tone which had been silent, this woman was speaking in an outright arrogant manner, challenging the old man to carry out his threat.
It seemed as if even the old man had senses some sort of threat, as he disappeared from his position in the next moment and reappeared beside the Natural Energized Training Chamber.
The formations that had been taking so much time started unraveling at a much faster pace, and it seemed that he would be able to teleport away with the chamber in very little time.
Yet, seeing this sight, the arrogant woman who was standing in the air with a cold look on her face nodded and said, "So you have sense after all. No wonder you evaded the Big 4's eye for so long. If it were any other member of the Big 4 who appeared as a first responder, maybe you would have gotten away, as your statement regarding the three minutes was right. Sadly, you met me. Molan, apprehend him."
Nodding, the other woman landed on the ground slowly before clasping some item between her hands.
Daneel could never have guessed that this other woman was someone powerful enough to take down someone near the level of a Champion. This was mainly because she only looked like a young girl who hadn't even matured completely yet. How could it be possible for someone so young to grow that powerful?
As he watched on with a puzzled gaze, the woman spoke a few words silently before rays of light exploded from between her hands.
Indeed, Daneel had no other way to describe it. Some sort of mechanism had been used in these grounds to keep the surroundings lit, but it was almost like this light was inferior in quality to that which now shone vibrantly in the air.
After taking apart her hands, this solid light converged into a shining ball which the woman stepped into.
Yet, when she stepped out, she had changed drastically.
Her eyes were completely white and shone with the same intensity as the light before, while her hair had also turned white and was now floating in the air as if gravity no longer effected it.
Apart from these most obvious changes, even her skin was glowing softly, as if that light was now suffused inside her body.
Blinking for a bit as if just waking up from sleep, the woman looked around before her eyes landed on the old man who now had a horrified look on his face.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would find himself face to face with one of the strongest individuals in his entire continent.
It was just as the other woman had said. His luck was truly bad.
If it were anyone else, he could have definitely gotten away.
But in front of this woman, he knew that now that he was under her eye, he wouldn't be able to run anywhere in the continent by hoping to evade her pursuit.
Throughout his life, he had only depended on one thing to keep him alive: his ability to judge when to take a fight and when not to.
It was this and his cunning nature that had let him reach his current level.
Of course, if it weren't for that damn enemy of his, he would already have been a Champion by now.
Stopping whatever he was doing and falling to his knees, he bowed low before saying, "Matron! Pardon me! I did not know that I was actually threatening your heir! I was only in this Kingdom because I wanted to help the people and make them stronger for the coming fight. Please pardon me if I have done anything in that pursuit!"
In his head, he was counting down the time. This ability, known as "Incarnation" allowed a Champion level figure to descend into someone they had previously bonded with. They would retain their full magical prowess, but it would place a strain on the host if they stayed for too long. This Matron was someone who cared about those under her, so she would definitely leave before reaching the time period where damage would start setting in.
One minute. He needed to delay for one minute. After that, he would still have another minute to make his escape before others arrived.
"Matron, as I reported, I found some plants that looked demonic in nature. I do not have a sample now, but on inquiry, I found out that they were sent and collected by this Kingdom in which this man has been residing. I suspect that he stole these forbidden substances and tried to use them to increase his own power. There is no way that his actions were to increase the power of the people, as he says."
"Oh? Do you by chance have one of those plants with you? I know his plan, he wants to run after my incarnation's time period is over. Regretfully, under the Power Retention Accords, I cannot attack him unless I have solid proof about his wrongdoings. Girl, by breaking through the simple formation, you've triggered the real one laid down by that damn crow. Even I can't teleport out of here, in this body at least. I don't want to let him go, but I might not have a choice. Don't worry, he won't hurt you- he wouldn't dare to."
As this woman who looked all-powerful at this moment said these words with frustration, the man who had been disregarded so far by everyone present shakily stood up and took something out of his inner pocket.
Holding out the Echer plant which he had brought as part of another plan which hadn't been needed to be used, Daneel said, "Is-is this the plant you were talking about?"