Watching Iyas and the other survivors flee the waters in complete disarray, a sinister smile crept across Leilin's lips.
The one who had been secretly intervening, generating massive dream force fields, was none other than him.
Normally, due to the limitations of dream power, Leilin—despite his knowledge of most dream magic below the fifth level—had been unable to harness that force effectively.
But Belinda's appearance, combined with the fifth-level Devil White Phosphorus Serpent bloodline on the Dreamless Mask, had given him exactly the conditions he needed!
The Devil White Phosphorus Serpent naturally possessed the ability to commune with the Dream World, and by analyzing the energy circuits within Belinda's body, Leilin had quickly familiarized himself with this domain. Since Belinda had harbored absolutely no suspicion toward her fellow clansman "Nick," gathering intelligence or performing subtle scans had been effortlessly simple.
What followed was easy. Having slipped away from the battlefield unnoticed, Leilin chose to expend a portion of the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent bloodline, triggering a massive tidal surge of dream power that rescued Iyas and the others in one fell swoop.
After all, to both the Mother of Myriad Serpents and the Eye of Judgment, the Foul Bird was still an ally—and its forces naturally deserved some degree of care from Leilin.
Moreover, he would need to contact the Foul Bird later, so he naturally couldn't afford to appear lacking in this regard.
And to conceal his own identity, dream power was the ideal choice—he could even frame the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent clan for it. It was killing multiple birds with one stone.
"A show of goodwill has been delivered. Now for the welcoming gift!"
A glint of cold light flashed through Leilin's eyes as he gazed toward the center of the massive dark-red mist.
There, enormous golden lightning—like swords cleaving through the very sky—had torn open a terrifying passage.
"Who are you? Why did you rescue Iyas and the others?" Golden lightning crackled densely around Beclark, radiating an intense power of judgment.
The dark-red mist wall exploded outward instantly, allowing it to glimpse a blurred figure.
Standing before it was a colossus wreathed entirely in dark-red mist, its body towering over five meters tall.
Vast quantities of dream power had even formed a menacing suit of armor upon the giant. Across the armor's surface, numerous dark-red vortices churned, reabsorbing scattered fragments of dream energy.
"Someone who's come to take your life, naturally!"
A deep, rumbling voice emanated from within the mist giant's body.
This blunt answer caused Beclark's expression to darken completely: "I'll kill you, you cowardly wretch!"
The aura radiating from the opponent was formidable, but it had not broken through the fifth-level threshold. This discovery put Beclark at ease, and what rose in its place was fury—how dare this creature interrupt the great Lord Beclark's game? Utterly unforgivable!
Moreover, the opponent's concealment actually suited Beclark's own plans quite well.
He had been treating Leilin as a powerhouse of the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent clan, and the appearance of one near the Heir Continent's coastal waters—someone who had even rescued followers of the Foul Bird—had left Beclark somewhat at a loss.
Now things were simple. Since the opponent had not revealed their identity, he would simply treat them as an unknown dangerous entity and eliminate them!
Without hesitation, Beclark unleashed his most powerful attack almost instantaneously.
"Evil King's True Eye—Death Ray!" A death ray far more terrifying than before erupted from his eyes, with dense golden lightning suffused with the power of judgment subtly flanking the beam.
From a distance, the death ray resembled a horrifying lance gilded with golden threads, hurtling toward Leilin with unstoppable resolve.
"A quick decisive fight, then? Perfect!" Leilin observed his opponent's actions and silently nodded—this was his plan as well. After all, the opponent's status as a fifth-level priest made him somewhat wary; there could be hidden trump cards. And even if the opponent merely summoned a clone of the Eye of Judgment, that would still be a serious matter.
In previous ritual battles, the most they had done was borrow a fraction of their respective Supreme Beings' power. If this opponent had actually summoned a clone possessing sovereign intellect, Leilin would have had no confidence in remaining undetected under its gaze.
"Decent power—comparable to an average fifth-level killing move!"
Watching the death ray streak toward him, Leilin offered a calm assessment. But strangely, though the distance between the death ray and himself was mere meters, it seemed to span an infinite chasm that could never be crossed. This disorienting sensation nearly made Beclark vomit blood from sheer frustration.
Now that his bloodline seal was fully released, Leilin—while having to endure the Myriad Serpent Curse Mark's bloodline drain—had also recovered his peak strength, possessing the terrifying power to clash head-on with the Throne of Flames!
And Beclark was clearly nothing more than an ordinary fifth-level powerhouse. For Leilin, he was simply not enough.
"To capture him alive while concealing my true identity, the only tools at my disposal are the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent bloodline and dream power!"
Leilin regarded Beclark from across the distance as one might regard an ant: "Consider yourself honored—you'll experience the treatment once reserved for a peak Dawn Wizard..."