"Uncle Burns, how are things going?"
Shike's gaze kept drifting toward the city walls and the vast Star-rank battlefield outside.
He hadn't advanced to Morning Star, so he naturally lacked Leilin's unique perspective. All he could see were vast stretches of space being torn apart—even the shockwaves were enough to destroy large numbers of buildings and set the defensive light barrier trembling. He couldn't help but look at Burns with some concern.
"Don't worry! They're fine! Morning Star Wizards won't do anything without profit, and that Sas and a few other Star-rank fire elementals are no match for your Fire Feather Clan's Star-rank powerhouses!"
Burns said, his expression somewhat peculiar.
"That's a relief!" Shike patted his chest, then his expression changed drastically. From the tone of Burns' words, he had sensed something bad.
Burns was far too familiar with those black-robed people. And what did he mean by "your Fire Feather Clan"?
He whipped his head around and saw the strange look on Burns' face. His heart sank. "Uncle Burns, you—"
Bang! Before the words could leave his mouth, a black scorpion had already crawled onto his neck, its black stinger piercing into Shike's artery.
Shike's eyes went white. The eighth-layer defense of the Fire Feather Technique was utterly useless. He collapsed unconscious on the spot.
"What's happening? The commander attacked Lord Shike!"
Some surviving officers stared at the scene, feeling their minds on the verge of collapse. If this were a nightmare, their only wish was for it to end quickly.
"This Shike is a spy! I discovered him long ago and have now captured him! Everyone, stay at your posts and don't panic!"
Burns quickly removed a gem-shaped key from beneath Shike's neck—inside it was a phantom image of a phoenix—and his words left the officers completely dumbfounded.
The Leader's illegitimate son, and a highly favored one at that, Lord Shike, was… a spy?
The officers all felt as though they were hearing the year's most ridiculous joke, but looking at Burns wreathed in flickering flames, not one of them could laugh.
"Commander, please release Lord Shike!"
Burns did not have absolute authority among the officers. Although several Star-rank commanders were still fighting or had already fallen outside, their subordinates remained. Even if Burns' own men accepted their commander's actions, the others absolutely would not!
"What? You want to raise your hands against me?"
The Star-rank Fire Feather Technique blazed to life. Massive flames coalesced into a terrifying phoenix phantom, and a domain-like wave of flame dominated the entire area.
The officer who had spoken up only had the ninth-layer Fire Feather Technique. Though he was considered strong at the Sky rank, before Burns he was nothing.
He stumbled back several steps, then flushed red and straightened his back. "The commander has detained Lord Shike without cause. Please present evidence that Lord Shike is a spy, otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
A flash of crimson light, and the officer who had just been speaking vanished without a trace, leaving only a pile of ash on the ground.
"Did you really think I wouldn't dare kill?" Burns sneered, then carried the unconscious Shike deeper into the building.
The officers looked at one another, but not a single one dared follow.
"What do you think?" From within a shadow crevice nearby, Leilin asked the two dukes.
"That Burns is probably Jupiter's Thunder's real mole. Locke was just a decoy or something!"
"Mm. And to have mastered the tenth-layer Fire Feather Technique—that's what I'm actually more curious about!" There was undisguised interest in Leilin's eyes. He himself had needed the Chip's assistance to harmonize the tenth-layer Fire Feather Technique with his essential point, so how had Burns managed it? Moreover, to have infiltrated the Fire Feather Clan for so long, even hiding his bloodline secret arts from the
"Regardless, Burns chose his timing well. Not only is the Crimson Eye occupied, but all the other Star-rank powerhouses are locked in battle outside. As long as the outer defenses remain under Burns' control, he has nothing to fear…"
Sure enough, after Burns killed without hesitation, the officers all retreated, not daring to step forward.
Burns let out a cold snort and headed deeper into the mansion. Anyone who dared to block his path was burned to ashes under his flames.
"What do we do now?"
Emma glanced at Leilin. She was finding it harder and harder to see through this young man.
Not only was he remarkably patient—if she had come alone, she would have acted during one of the previous opportunities long ago, rather than waiting until now when she could reap the maximum benefit. And this technique of hiding within the void, undetectable even to Burns, was truly impressive.
"Follow him, of course!" Leilin smiled, pointing at Burns ahead of them.
"He's definitely Jupiter's Thunder's mole. We just follow him, and the traps, schemes, and even the blame will all fall on him. All we have to do is swoop in at the end and seize the Fire Source Stone…"
"Haha… Leilin, you truly live up to being my student—sufficiently cunning! I love it!" Gilbert laughed heartily, looking thoroughly pleased, which made Emma roll her eyes discreetly.
Burns moved swiftly, carrying Shike to a place Leilin knew well—the very spot where Locke had used the Earth Tray.
"Could it be…" Leilin watched Burns' actions, a vague guess forming in his mind.
Sure enough, he saw Burns pull a disc from inside his coat—in its center was an eye composed of countless blood vessels—and couldn't help but shake his head, exasperated by Locke's actions. "This chess piece was probably meant specifically for delivering equipment and confusing the enemy…"
The earth parted like rippling water, revealing a deep passage.
Burns sneered and immediately rushed down. Leilin and the three dukes exchanged glances and followed.
Soon, the outer crimson magical array from before appeared before Burns, then shattered like a butterfly into countless fragments that drifted away.
Burns was thoroughly familiar with this place as well. He made straight for the massive central chamber, where a faint crimson glow still flickered at the outer edge of the innermost magical array.
Hummm! A layer of flame barrier rose, blocking Burns' path.
But the light in Burns' eyes only grew more intense. "This is it! This is it! The barrier personally set by the Crimson Eye!"
A flash of blue light from his finger, and the perpetually unconscious Shike snapped awake.
Shike's eyes were unfocused for a moment, then he became alert. "This is—the underground chamber! Uncle Burns, you've actually betrayed—"
"Take a good look. Who exactly is your Uncle Burns?"
'Burns' sneered. His muscles and bones shifted, and the red feathers that marked him as a member of the Fire Feather Clan rapidly faded away.
In the blink of an eye, Burns had transformed into someone else entirely. The domain fluctuation of a Morning Star
"Uncle Burns… he's already dead, isn't he…" Upon seeing this, Shike actually felt relieved. If Burns had truly betrayed him and his father, he wouldn't have known what to do.
"Heh heh… You still don't understand? I am Burns, but Burns is not me! Forget it—there's no explaining things to a native like you…"
'Burns' chuckled, and Shike's heart immediately sank.
"Did you think I brought you here for any reason other than the fact that breaking this barrier requires at least the tenth layer of the Fire Feather Technique and the Leader's bloodline aura?"
'Burns' sneered, about to step forward and act.
Shike shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Better wait a moment first!" But a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, almost making him think he was hallucinating.
"Leilin? He didn't die at the plaza?"
When he opened his eyes, he found Leilin standing before him—and even across from him, Burns' face showed several traces of… wariness?
"As I expected—I sensed something off about you from the start!" Burns stared at Leilin, his hands still trembling. His previous attack had been effortlessly deflected by Leilin, which meant this person before him was his equal!
"You were probably just guessing before, after all—a dead man like Locke couldn't have given you much information!"
Leilin responded calmly, but even as he spoke, his Fire Feather Clan features were rapidly receding. By the time he finished, he had transformed into a dark-haired warlock with an eerie, unsettling air.
"So it really is you! A remnant of the Ouroboros Ring!" Burns' face was twisted with rage.
Shike's mouth hung open as he stared at this unfamiliar Morning Star Wizard, completely stunned.
"So… so you were deceiving me too! Hahahaha… Whether it was you or Locke, you're all liars! Liars! Did you think you could just toy with me like a fool?!"
Shike roared, large teardrops streaming down his cheeks, as if the cold, composed instructor from before had never existed.
"Broken by the truth?" Leilin shook his head, with no intention of explaining.
After all, while he had used the other party, he had also just saved his life. They were even—a fair transaction.
In Leilin's mind, once he had saved Shike, all previous help and favors were naturally settled. Shike's feelings were never part of his consideration. If the other party was foolish enough to attack him or obstruct his plans, then he simply wouldn't hold back.