Chapter 364: Overconfident Victory
In the face of Sophia's threats, Irving remained surprisingly calm. Although he felt his strength was being suppressed, he believed he could still engage in a balanced fight against Sophia using his skills and the weapons at his disposal. Even if he was slightly weaker in terms of raw power, he was confident he could rely on his techniques to secure a victory.
"I know what you're thinking. You plan to defeat me with your skills in the upcoming battle. But I must tell you, in the face of the powerful Blood Moon, no technique will be of any use," Sophia warned, as if she had sensed Irving's true intentions.
At this, a hint of a smile crossed Irving's lips. "Do you really think you've already won? The Blood Moon in the sky is indeed powerful. But don't forget, we are not in the Shelter Game world. In the real world, there are many other forces at play. They will not allow you to eliminate me so easily. Moreover, the official organizations will not permit you to completely destroy Starling City."
For Irving, gaining more time to prepare meant increasing his chances of victory. So, he was merely stalling for time by talking to Sophia.
Sophia let out a cold laugh at his words. "Starling City is no longer part of the real world. The power of the Blood Moon is so strong that it has even distorted space. Right now, Starling City exists neither in the real world nor in the Shelter Game world."
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Sophia's response provided Irving with additional information. He had not anticipated that the power of the Blood Moon could even warp space. However, after careful consideration, he realized the implications. If the Blood Moon's power could transform humans in the real world into werewolves, it suggested that the Blood Moon possessed the ability to penetrate different spatial dimensions.
With that in mind, it was reasonable to conclude that such a powerful force could, to some extent, distort space. This also meant that Irving's opportunities to maneuver were actually greater. Although the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl would face suppression in the real world, if they were no longer in the real world, then the suppression on the Taikoo Flame Pearl would be significantly less.
Irving activated the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl without hesitation. As a surge of silvery light enveloped him, a thick barrier materialized around his body, effectively blocking the encroaching power of the Blood Moon. Sophia's expression shifted; she seemed taken aback that Irving had found a potential way to turn the tide.
However, her surprise was short-lived as she quickly regained her composure. Looking at Irving coldly, she said, "You don't really think this will free you from my control, do you? Even if you escape my grasp, you cannot evade the control of the Blood Moon."
As soon as Sophia finished speaking, the massive moon in the sky emitted a pink glow once again. Wherever the pink light shone, illusory figures began to materialize. These shadows gradually morphed into werewolves. An almost endless number of werewolves appeared in the alternate Starling City.
While the werewolves themselves were not particularly powerful, their presence was not intended to attack Irving. Sophia transformed all the werewolves into blood. As the blood pooled together, another obelisk rose from the ground.
The combined power of the two obelisks overwhelmed Irving, leaving him unable to maintain his defenses. The strength of the Taikoo Flame Pearl was thoroughly suppressed. The thick barrier around Irving began to thin rapidly under the immense pressure. He felt a crushing weight and attempted to counterattack with all his might, but every effort was in vain.
A smile reappeared on Sophia's face. "Stop struggling! Your two friends are about to transform into werewolves! Once they do, you won't stand a chance of turning this around."
At that moment, Sophia truly believed victory was assured. With Irving's power being completely suppressed and his friends posing no threat to her, she was confident that with the aid of the formidable Blood Moon, she could ascend to an even higher existence.
Irving was filled with pain and regret, realizing he should have heeded the advice of the Knowledge Fairy. If he had brought the Knowledge Fairy with him, she would have been able to help him navigate through this predicament. The power of the Knowledge Fairy could at least counterbalance Sophia's Blood Moon strength.
But now, regret was futile. Irving even found himself missing Vicky, as he came to terms with the grim realization that he was likely to be killed by Sophia here.
Just as Irving began to feel despair, he suddenly heard the distant sound of a bell. The moment the bell rang, the werewolves summoned by the Blood Moon fell into a state of intense agony. They turned on each other and quickly began to dissipate.
Sophia's expression twisted into one of rage as she heard the bell. She screamed hysterically towards the direction of the sound, "Why do you always have to oppose me? Why do you insist on competing for the Blood Moon power that belongs to me?"
At that moment, Sophia's emotions were a whirlwind of extreme anger. Irving was puzzled by her intense rage, but for him, the situation was somewhat favorable. At least he no longer had to endure such overwhelming pressure.
The sound of the bell grew clearer, and simultaneously, the two obelisks began to show signs of abnormal change. Cracks appeared on the surfaces of the obelisks, and the heartbeat within them slowed down.
Seeing this, Sophia's fury intensified. She dashed toward the source of the bell, seemingly intent on destroying the bell that was making the noise.
The instant Sophia left, Irving quickly reactivated the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl. This time, the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl helped him break free from the suppression of the Blood Moon. Finally, Irving could move freely again.
His first instinct was to rush to his companions. He needed to ensure that Aron and James were not in grave danger.
The situation for Aron and James wasn't dire. Though both had been affected by the Blood Moon's power, they had not been transformed into werewolves. With Irving's assistance, they soon returned to their normal state.
Aron, looking somewhat panicked, asked Irving, "What exactly happened? I felt like my mind was going crazy. I even considered killing all of you."
James, standing beside Aron, quickly added, "My experience was similar to Aron's. I also felt like my thoughts were spiraling out of control."
In response to his two frantic companions, Irving maintained his composure. "This is normal! We all just experienced the influence of the Blood Moon's power. Sophia used that immense power to trap us in this distorted space. We need to find a way out of here as quickly as possible.
However, this task must be left to you two because I have something more important to do! I must defeat Sophia myself!"
After saying this, Irving dashed toward Sophia's direction with determination.
Although Aron and James believed that their most important task was to find a way to escape, with Irving already far away, they could no longer communicate with him. James could only helplessly say, "We can't help Irving during the fight, so let's quickly find a way out. I'm sure there must be a flaw in the Blood Moon's power."
Aron agreed with James's assessment. The two of them began searching for an escape route around the city center of Starling City. While the power of the Blood Moon was gradually weakening, it still fully sealed Starling City in the alternate space. No matter what methods they tried, James and Aron could not find a way out.
Meanwhile, Irving finally located Sophia. She was engaged in battle with Jony, who was standing next to a massive bell—the very one that had just rung. The power Jony wielded was unfamiliar to Irving, but given the current situation, he couldn't afford to dwell on it.
Without any communication with Jony, Irving jumped straight into the fray. With both Irving and Jony working together, they quickly began to suppress Sophia. However, Sophia was not so easily defeated. The blood-red moon still hung in the sky, radiating immense power. She continually drew strength from it, making herself even more formidable.
As the battle progressed, Irving noticed that his stamina was rapidly depleting. He realized that he could not continue fighting like this. He shouted toward Jony, "Do you know how to get out of here? Continuing to fight is futile. We need to leave immediately!"
Jony quickly responded, "To escape, we must destroy the Obelisk in the city center! If you want to take on that task, I'll hold off Sophia. But I must warn you, you need to act fast. If you can't destroy the Obelisk quickly, we'll all be trapped here forever."
Jony's words only fueled Sophia's rage. She launched an all-out attack on Jony, and Irving realized that Jony's statement was indeed true. In light of this, Irving immediately returned to the city center of Starling City.
By the time he arrived, the two Obelisks were covered in cracks, and Irving felt confident that he could easily destroy one. He raised the Chaotic Arrow and the Staff of Calamity, preparing to attack the Obelisk. However, to his astonishment, the Obelisk remained completely unyielding against his full-force assault.