Kain viewed the oncoming attack with a smile. Inside his rune formation, he was safe. He knew they would not be able to break through it with a simple attack, even if it was an attack from a tier 5 warrior.
Within a fraction of a second, the attack Chitra launched, hit directly on the rune formation shield protecting Kain.
However, the second the attack was initiated, a silver glow suddenly materialised to cover the rune formation shield of Kain. And this silvery glow was made up of ancient runes.
Once the attack reached the silvery glow, it reflected the attack right back at Chitra like a mirror with the same intensity.
"That's precisely why one should exercise caution in situations like this," Alex remarked, turning his gaze towards the so-called "allies" who had come to assist him, and casting them a pitiful look.
Without hesitation, he teleported to the interdimensional farm, thereby avoiding bearing the brunt of the attack himself.
Chitra swiftly noticed Alex's disappearance and the subsequent reflection of the attack. Understanding the implications, she took immediate action to disperse the attack by employing a counterforce.
Creating a similar energy fist, she launched it against the oncoming attack to dissipate it. The moment they collided, a giant vortex of energy formed at the place, creating giant shockwaves that radiated outside.
The shockwave combined with the radiated energy created a turbulent wind that picked up the scattered dust and stone inside the hall, forming a giant tornado. It took a couple of seconds for the riled-up environment to calm down.
Already fatigued upon reaching the centre of the ancient formation, Chitra had now wasted a considerable amount of her energy due to her foolish impulsiveness.
Neither she nor her tribe possessed complete knowledge regarding the ancient runes or the underground city, which made it imperative for her to approach the situation with caution.
It became evident to her that the man in the centre of the formation possessed a level of mastery over it, indicating his superior understanding of the underground city and its workings. Realizing this, she concluded that defeating this man would be hard.
'The white-robed man might have known about this. That might be why he called out to stop my action. I should have listened to him.' Chitra thought in regret.
However, a glimmer of hope remained within Chitra. Despite losing some energy, she sensed a higher energy density within the room, which seemed to facilitate her energy recovery. With time, there was a possibility that she could fully regain all the energy she had lost.
-
Upon his return from the interdimensional farm, Alex was greeted by the sight of dust and debris strewn across the floor.
Observing the incompetence of the supposed "allies" who had come to assist him, and recognizing the superior intelligence of the adversary he faced, Alex found himself compelled to reassess his strategy of engaging in direct combat. He realized that his calculations had been skewed by overestimating the strength of a tier 5 warrior from the Divine Butterfly Tribe.
'Kain has yet to suffer any significant losses. He possesses an abundance of energy and effortlessly manipulates us. The only setback he experienced was when I suddenly teleported the children away from him, resulting in the loss of a valuable experimental subject. Though he expressed anger towards me, I have not seen a hint of desperation in his face,' Alex observed, his thoughts consumed by the situation.
'His expression doesn't resemble someone on the losing side.' this realization abruptly dawned on Alex, prompting him to reevaluate the entire scenario.
At that moment, it became clear to him that they were mere pawns in Kain's intricate game. They were nothing more than experimental subjects to him, rather than genuine threats.
What led Alex to this conclusion?
The belated realization stemmed from the failure to inflict any harm on Kain's physical body. In contrast, Kain had achieved remarkable feats far surpassing their capabilities.
Kain always maintained control of the situation.
Since their entrance into the underground passage, they had encountered various dangers that they managed to overcome, albeit with some difficulty. Even in the case of Alex, Kain appeared to be deliberately stalling, attempting to buy as much time as possible.
He never intended to kill them.
When Kain mentioned allowing Alex to regain his strength, he spoke honestly.
But for what purpose?
Why was he doing all this?
Alex was inundated with unanswered questions. Perhaps he was merely overthinking, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something troublesome was about to unfold.
Interestingly, Chitra experienced a similar foreboding sensation to what Alex was feeling, but the danger she perceived seemed even more intense.
"White-robed man! For a moment, I thought you had escaped, leaving us behind," Karthi called out to Alex, a note of suspicion in his voice.
He continued, "We have much to discuss, so don't disappear as you usually do."
Hearing these words from the imposter who had stolen his identity, Alex couldn't muster any goodwill. After all, the theft of his secret identity had proven that this person was dishonest.
He wondered what someone like that could possibly have to say to him.
Despite his reservations, Alex nodded in agreement after hearing Karthi's words. Meanwhile, Chitra was filled with curiosity and longing to understand why the white-robed man had intervened to prevent her from attacking Kain.
She wanted to know all the information that Alex possessed.
It took some time for Alex to introduce himself, explain Kain's nature, and elucidate the properties of the shield. He even went so far as to share his speculations about the potential dangers that lay ahead.
As they listened to the account of Kain's actions, a burning anger ignited within their hearts. The man sheltered behind the peculiar shield was far more cruel than they had ever imagined. How could someone kill children and subject them to experiments?
Chitra, Karthi, and their protector meticulously analyzed the information, ultimately deciding to join forces and confront the evil man known as Kain.
"Based on your explanation, the shield protecting Kain has three functions. First, it provides a defence against physical and energy attacks. Second, it can reflect energy attacks. Third, if the shield is subjected to a force surpassing its limit, it can teleport him away," Chitra inquired, seeking confirmation that she had accurately grasped all the details.
"Yes," Alex affirmed.
"How did you discover the functions of the rune shield?" Chitra questioned further, curious about his methodology.
"Through experimentation and analyzing the mana properties stored within the runes," Alex replied.
"You possess the ability to do that?" Chitra asked in surprise.
"Yes," Alex confirmed.
"It seems you possess the abilities of both a mage and a warrior. What exactly are you?" Karthi, who had been following the conversation between Alex and Chitra, suddenly interjected.
Karthi believed that the white-robed man was someone from the Primal Chaos Tribe, considering his bloodline. Thus, he was perplexed as to how this individual could also be a mage. He wanted to unravel this mystery.
Upon hearing the question, Alex paid no heed. While he considered them allies, he saw no reason to divulge his secrets. His gaze turned piercing, silently conveying his reluctance to answer.
"HA ha ha! Let's save those questions for later. Right now, let's focus on figuring out how we can defeat him," the gentle old protector suddenly laughed, lightening the atmosphere. He didn't want Karthi to antagonize the white-robed man.
Even if Alex was not a person from their tribe, they wished to make him an ally rather than an enemy.
Seeing this, Alex turned to reveal his plan to defeat Kain. He pointed to a glowing dome-like structure present inside the hall and said.
"That might be our only way to defeat him. Kain seems to have control over it, which, in turn, enables him to manipulate the ancient rune formations that surround us. If we can sever his connection to it, we can reduce him from his current invincible form to nothing more than a master mage."
"Why bother breaking the connection? We can simply destroy the entire thing," Karthi interjected with a hearty laugh.
Everyone looked at him with a mixture of pity and incredulity. It seemed he hadn't been paying attention to anything that had been said. This thought reverberated in the minds of everyone present, including his protector.
In the beginning, Chitra had some doubts about who the real white-robed man was among the two. Now, she could firmly say that it was Alex and not Karthi. Karthi would have never been able to achieve feats achieved by the white-robed man, she was sure of that.
"In truth, attempting to destroy the ancient runes is futile. Their resilience is unlike anything I have ever witnessed," Alex responded, emphasizing the futility of such an approach. He then motioned for the group to gather closer to him.
Whispering his plan, Alex ensured that their conversation remained out of Kain's hearing range. He even constructed a mana shield around him to block the sound waves from escaping.
Despite Kain seemingly disregarding their presence while preoccupied with something, Alex believed it was essential to take precautions against him.
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