Zephyro, floating in mid-air, naturally noticed Lygus, who had appeared at the same time as him.
Although he had never met him, he had heard of him from his colleagues—the first seat of the Genius Society, the creator of Nous, the genius who created The Irontomb.
However, Zephyro had no intention of interacting with him. Their gathering here was merely to witness the birth of The Irontomb. This time, he had come privately just to see this new Lord Ravager, the Wither, and perhaps lend Phantylia a hand if the opportunity arose. If not, so be it.
Zephyro's gaze fell upon the Wither once more. He couldn't help but marvel at the sight of it.
The Wither was simply born for "Death." No one was better suited for the path of destroying the Abundance. It was a natural counter to all life, practically tailor-made to fight against Yaoshi.
As for the Wither, after it had dealt with the [Strife] Titan, it had turned its attention to Castrum Kremnos. It could sense millions of vibrant life forces there, waiting for it to reap. It had even spotted Fu Zhu.
However, Zephyro's appearance had caught its attention.
The Wither turned to face Zephyro, a low hiss emanating from its empty skulls.
Zephyro, with his right hand behind his back, gave it a casual nod, as if it were a greeting.
"Pay me no mind. Do as you please, think as you will."
After saying this, Zephyro intended to retreat to the side and act as a spectator. He was only here to meet his "new colleague" and to see if he could rescue Phantylia. After all, they all served under the same master; if he had a chance to save her and let her continue contributing, he would. If not, then it couldn't be helped.
However, the moment Zephyro moved, the Wither's gaze followed him.
Hm? My new colleague has its eyes on me?
Zephyro silently summoned his weapon, his voice turning icy as he spoke to the Wither, "Your target should not be me."
The only response he received was a shriek as the Wither launched a volley of azure skulls at him.
Zephyro casually raised his sword and slashed at the skulls. After a series of explosions, he staggered a few steps in the air, a look of surprise on his face as he stared at the Wither before him.
Even though he had blocked the attack with his weapon, he could still feel his life force rapidly draining away!
Before Zephyro had much time to think, the Wither charged him, and the two immediately became locked in a chaotic battle.
---o---
Lygus watched this scene unfold. He couldn't resist teleporting onto the city wall, maintaining a ten-meter distance from Fu Zhu and the others as he observed the battle between the two Lord Ravagers.
Lygus was even considerate enough to raise a barrier for Castrum Kremnos, protecting the people within from the shockwaves of the Lord Ravagers' battle.
"Well, now. Did you get sick and suddenly become a saint?"
Fu Zhu had been keeping an eye on Lygus from the moment he appeared. Seeing him now "protecting" Castrum Kremnos, he couldn't help but mock him.
Dan Heng and the others watched Lygus with wary expressions.
Lygus, however, paid Fu Zhu's taunt no mind. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the battle outside. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt an immense pressure, and his body uncontrollably fell downwards. He landed half-kneeling on the ground, barely managing to resist being crushed completely.
The bewildered Lygus turned his head toward Fu Zhu, just in time to see him lower the finger he had been pointing.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, there is no need to be so vigilant. I admit, I intensely disliked your existence, but that was before."
"So you really like him now?!" March 7th stared at Lygus in disbelief. She never thought her boyfriend's charm was so immense that it even worked on Intellitrons!
Lygus fell silent, unsure how to respond to March 7th's comment for a long moment. After a dozen seconds, he finally spoke again, his voice calm.
"After you personally created a being that specifically targets [The Abundance], I am now merely curious about you."
"Hey, answer my question! This is really bothering me!" March 7th shouted, seeing Lygus completely ignore her.
Lygus continued to ignore her, his burning gaze fixed on Fu Zhu.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, hypothetically, if I were willing to halt my current plan and terminate The Irontomb, would you be willing to cooperate with me to kill Nous in a different manner?"
Lygus was genuinely curious now. Since Fu Zhu could create a being like the Wither to specifically target the Abundance, could he also create something that could utterly destroy Nous?
Hearing this, Fu Zhu couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Lygus, didn't I already demonstrate for you before? Nous is already shut down by me. If I want to make a move, I can eliminate It at any time."
"Then your meaning is?" Lygus began to grow excited.
"But I refuse your proposal!"
Fu Zhu's voice suddenly rose several octaves. He stared at Lygus with a beaming smile and said, "I, Fu Zhu, have always enjoyed saying 'no' to people who think they have it all figured out! Amphoreus is mine, and whether or not Nous should be killed is for me to decide. You don't get a say!"
Lygus's initial excitement was instantly extinguished. He shook his head and sighed.
"If that is the case, then we shall see who prevails."
Sparks suddenly erupted from Lygus's body, and he collapsed into a pile of scattered components.
"So boring. He runs fast."
Fu Zhu curled his lip, averting his gaze from the pile of parts that was once Lygus, and turned his attention back to the two Lord Ravagers fighting outside.
With Lygus gone, the barrier he had set up also disappeared.
Fu Zhu watched as the shockwaves of the battle began to creep toward Castrum Kremnos. He took out a wooden bow and drew the string, aiming at the two Lord Ravagers outside the city.
"Mem, help me add some particle effects. We're both Emanators, can't lose to them in terms of presentation."
"Mem!"
Mem chirped once, her two small paws beginning to wave in front of her. Countless pixelated points of light began to converge on Fu Zhu, while some particles swirled around him, forming concentric circular arrays hundreds of meters wide.
The sheer scale of the display immediately drew everyone's attention. Even Zephyro, who was locked in a desperate struggle with the Wither, couldn't help but spare a glance in Fu Zhu's direction.
For some reason, Zephyro felt no energy from the arrays around Fu Zhu. But the single, ordinary-looking arrow nocked on the bowstring gave him a sense of fatal danger born from years of combat intuition.
Zephyro immediately disengaged and shot high into the sky. A second after he moved, the arrow was loosed.
In that instant, the world was plunged into darkness. A trench over a hundred zhang wide was carved into the plains before Castrum Kremnos, and the Wither's form vanished within that momentary flash of white light.
Fu Zhu stared, stunned, at the scene before him. That one shot had cost him 50 experience levels!
"Mem, I just told you to add some particle effects. How did you end up tacking on other commands..."
PS: Ten thousand words tomorrow.