"..." Shun De fell silent, done with this nonsense.
'I need to kill this lunatic in one move. He's only Level One.'
Shun De attacked without warning, but Shen Zuo didn't move at all, stone scales simply appearing across the center of his chest, blocking the arrow.
Shen Zuo smiled calmly.
"You think I'm stupid enough not to have sensed the Attrition Phantom since the start of our conversation? Trust me, neither level nor energy is going to help you here. Even if you drained ninety-nine percent of my strength, you'd still be in trouble. You guys are stuck in a huge problem because of your obsession with levels and your rush to rank up."
Shun De was stunned.
"H-how? Are you using Formations to protect yourself or what?"
Shen Zuo laughed at his reaction.
"It's simpler than that. You warriors rank up, but you never actually raise the quality of your energy."
There were two methods of training. The first was expanding the Pit, meaning increasing the amount of energy a person could hold, without improving the energy's quality.
The second was raising the energy's quality, using reinforcement points to fuse the energy, increasing its density and purity.
The first method raised one's rank directly, and as rank rose, a person's ability to output a Phantom's power increased too. For example, a Fireball Phantom at Level One fires a small ball with a limited explosion radius, but using that same Phantom at Level Two doubles its power. True, a person could still increase the fireball's strength through training, but that was far too slow for a world where everyone chased instant power, overlooking poor energy quality and low efficiency.
The real problem was that rising energy and rank meant needing more and more reinforcement points just to change the lake's color, so people started hunting for supporting Phantoms that stored energy and dove even deeper into training their ranks, neglecting the far more important training entirely. Those who trained both methods together found their advancement far easier.
Overall, there were five levels everyone knew how to reach, and five colors of energy a person could train toward.
Blue: the starting point, reached by anyone entering the First Rank. Followed by green, then red, then yellow, and finally purple.
Shen Zuo sighed.
"I don't think you understand the situation you're in."
He stepped a little closer and began explaining calmly:
"You really think killing me would free your friends? Or do you just not care about them? Listen, they're under his control right now. I could kill you this instant, but I don't intend to keep them under my control. If they ever found out I killed you, they wouldn't submit to me, and I might be forced to kill all of you then. That's exactly why I let you survive in the first place."
Shen Zuo paused for a moment, then smiled calmly.
"And on top of that, I have a full Enslavement Phantom. You wouldn't even be able to think freely, you'd end up no different from your friends in the end, except they're actually better off than you, they can still think."
"..." Shun De didn't know what to do. No matter how he thought it through, he couldn't find any way out of this situation.
"Why do you think I won't betray you at the first opportunity? And why did you pick us out of everyone? Do you think this is funny?"
Shen Zuo closed in on Shun De, only a few steps now separating them.
"I don't think you'll betray me, because you'll be working with your friends. You won't betray anyone except them. And second, you won't be able to bring them back to full consciousness so the three of you can conspire against me. I picked you because you're the best. I never found this kind of bond in any other team. You guys are unique."
'Damn it... if I'd known, I would've split up the team just to avoid this.'
Shun De cursed internally, then began crumbling under the weight of the situation.
"At least tell me what you want from us... ugh, damn it! How did things end up like this?"
Shen Zuo smiled.
"Why don't you stop the Attrition Phantom instead of stalling like this? Tsk, seriously... do I need to beat you half to death just to prove my words are true?"
Before Shun De could answer, a brief silence settled over the place, broken only by the sound of blood drops hitting the ground.
But Shun De quickly caught another sound.
Distant wingbeats.
He lifted his head slightly, listening closely. The sound drew closer gradually, echoing between the cave walls, until it became impossible to ignore.
Then shadows appeared, moving at the end of the passage.
The flapping stopped, and the hawk emerged from between the rocks, hovering above them for a moment before landing beside Luo and Cha Ji, who'd arrived behind it.
Luo looked around in confusion, then his eyes landed on Shun De.
"Shun De, you were here? Why didn't you stay inside the hollow?"
Shun De didn't answer. He knew these words were coming from the real Luo, but he also knew that if Luo gave an order to kill him, he wouldn't object.
Shun De fully broke down.
"Damn it... guys, how weak are you, that a worthless bird managed to turn you into his followers?"
Shen Zuo smiled.
"Since threats didn't work on you, how about a challenge instead?"
Shun De looked puzzled and asked:
"What's that?"
Shen Zuo's energy began leaking into the cave floor, spreading slowly around him.
"It's simple. I'll redirect the Pack Leader Phantom's effect to myself, and the moment the Formation begins, the bond between me and your friends will become far stronger."
Shen Zuo looked directly at Shun De.
"But I'll give you one chance. I'll fight you, and I'll restrain my own strength at the start. Your job is to push me into using my full power. It doesn't matter how you do it, what matters is that you make me admit you forced me to bring out everything I've got."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"If you succeed, I'll cancel the control over Luo and Cha Ji, and let them both regain their freedom. If you fail, I won't ask you to fight me again."
Shen Zuo smiled.
"All I want from you is to swear on your honor to be loyal to me, and to stop this pointless resistance of yours."
Shun De stayed silent. He wasn't ready to agree to this condition, but he realized this might be his only chance to save his two companions.
So he decided to take on the challenge, without making any promise to Shen Zuo.
In the next instant, the energy spreading across the ground began gathering around Shen Zuo, and the Pack Leader Phantom's effect began gradually shifting.
The massive Formation began taking shape bit by bit, its lines spreading across the cave floor and connecting to one another. Shen Zuo's energy flowed through them continuously, and with every passing moment, the lines grew clearer, as though the Formation's completion had become just a matter of time.
Shun De felt something shifting around him. The energy filling the place wasn't just some passing force; it pressed on him from every direction, making him feel as though something heavy was slowly closing in on him.
He looked at the ground, then at Shen Zuo.
'If this Formation completes... there'll be nothing I can do.'
The markings etched into the ground began trembling slightly, then lit up one after another with a golden-yellow energy. The light spread across the lines at an even faster pace, and the unfinished parts of the Formation began connecting to one another.
Shun De's breath grew short.
Not much time left.
As for Shen Zuo, he stood calmly in place, watching th
e Formation as it neared completion.
And the last of the lines began to appear.
Shun De suddenly attacked the cave itself...