At this moment, Karl was quite bewildered. Space magic? What in the world was that?
If his ability were to be categorized, it was Time magic.
His plan was to expose his ability to control time, making his enemies despair.
But looking at the trio in front of him, he quickly felt relieved.
Compared to the astonishing ability of stopping time, spatial transfer indeed sounded more acceptable to people.
He only needed to exert a little more effort to achieve his goal.
Karl looked down at the three of them from above, raising his hand again: "Because you encounter power beyond your comprehension, you choose to deny its existence, and then live a mediocre life."
His finger once again pointed at Chris.
"Feel it with your body, then break the cage that imprisons your cognition."
Chris's face instantly turned pale, and panic flashed in her eyes. The swelling in her stomach and abdomen was still stimulating her nerves.
She subconsciously took a step back, her voice panicked: "No...don't!"
The first time, he had put so much, she didn't dare to imagine what would happen if it happened again.
The next second, the entire world around them fell silent.
Chris's panicked expression froze on her face.
Karl stood up and walked towards the pile of gems behind him. These were all gems left by Evil Dragon Karl. In a sense, he was as rich as a nation.
He carefully selected and weighed a variety of oddly shaped gems in his hand, murmuring to himself: "This gem... Hmph, it Will break, won't it?"
He wasn't a devil; after all, Chris was the first woman he had encountered since his awakening, so she held a special commemorative significance.
After some selection, Karl gathered six gems the size of his thumb.
Although the gems were a bit uneven, it wasn't a big problem.
He held these gems and walked in front of Chris.
Chris's face was filled with fear, but she still couldn't hide her sacred beauty.
Apparently, she hadn't been able to control it with her muscles.
Karl glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze and threw the gems one by one.
Although the size of the gems wasn't perfectly suitable, due to the Time Stop, no damage occurred.
These lacerations would become apparent the moment Time Stop was released.
"So beautiful." Karl couldn't help but embrace her slender waist, giving an evil, charming smile... Chapter 6: I've Become a Villain?
"Ah?!" Chris shrieked. The sudden sharp pain made her cry out. She clutched her abdomen and fell heavily to her knees.
Fear, pain, and helplessness appeared in her eyes.
The tearing and muddy sensation from behind her made her almost unable to breathe.
And unlike last time, she could clearly feel hard foreign objects being placed inside her body.
"Chris!" Will exclaimed, his voice astonished.
He had been trying so hard to maintain the magic array, yet Chris was still injured, making his efforts seem like a pathetic joke.
Sylvie quickly squatted down and firmly supported the tottering Chris. "How are you?"
Chris was in too much pain to speak, her body trembling slightly.
"I..."
Chris opened her mouth but couldn't speak the truth.
The gems inside her body, and not just one—that abnormal sensation, even she was ashamed to speak of it. She tightly gripped Sylvie's hand, her eyes filled with terror and helplessness:
"He...he can really use space magic, he can directly put weapons into our bodies. That kind of magic array...it's impossible to defend against."
Sylvie heard this, still finding it hard to believe: "Ho...how is that possible?"
She looked up at Karl, her eyes lost.
If Karl was truly so powerful, able to freely teleport weapons into their bodies, then wouldn't all their previous efforts have been a joke?
Karl would only need to teleport a longsword into her body, and she would surely die.
This thought sent shivers down Sylvie's spine. She looked at Chris's pained expression, and her faith began to waver.
They had thought they were prepared to face any difficulty.
But now, it seemed, was it really as Karl had just said, that they knew nothing about power?
Karl saw the change in Sylvie's expression and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he had planned, the priest's mentality had already collapsed.
Only two enemies remained out of three.
And Sylvie's courage and faith had begun to waver, which would greatly reduce the strength she could display.
Of course, even if Sylvie's strength decreased, the difference between killing him with one strike or two was still there.
"Don't be confused." Will suddenly spoke. He still maintained the magic array, his eyes firm: "If Karl could use space magic at Will, he wouldn't have said so much to us. This is all his trick, trying to break us down psychologically."
Will's gaze turned to Sylvie, his eyes filled with deep emotion: "The you I like is the one who bravely wields her sword no matter what hardship she encounters."
Sylvie listened to Will's words, and after a brief silence, she re-gripped the sword in her hand: "I understand. I have nothing left to fear.
For this country, for Dad, Mom, and my sister, I Will fight to the end with a portion of your strength."
"I Will support you, just like countless times before." Will smiled with relief when he saw Sylvie's fighting spirit ignite.
He turned his head to look at Karl, his eyes unyielding: "Karl, let me show you the determination of the humans you have trampled upon."
Sylvie's eyes had cast away the confusion and hesitation from before, leaving only a strong Will to fight.
Chris also endured the severe pain and stood up, raising her staff.
"Damn it." Karl was stunned. He had successfully made these three believe he was invincible.
But apparently, these three had decided to risk their lives, not to defeat him, but with a death wish, wanting to use their lives to demonstrate the so-called human Will.
"Do they have to go this far?" Karl sighed inwardly, but his face showed no panic.
Although the reactions of these three were extreme, everything was still under his control.
Now was the final moment.
Whether he lived or died depended on this next tremble.
"Hahahahaha." Karl suddenly burst into loud laughter, the dragon's unique booming laugh echoing through the hall, arrogant and mocking.
He stopped laughing, his gaze sharp, sweeping over Will, Sylvie, and Chris:
"My existence is the foundation for maintaining peace in this country. Now, you actually want to kill me in the name of this country. How ridiculous."
The three heard this, their expressions peculiar. Sylvie was the first to recover, her face instantly turning ashen, her eyes flashing with anger:
"Enough! Are you still toying with us?"
"Wielding weapons to kill enemies, using violence without restraint, that Will only bring more misfortune." Karl rested one hand on his chin, his tone unhurried, completely inconsistent with his dragon image.
Hearing this, Sylvie felt a wave of absurdity surge in her heart.
Karl, the Evil Dragon who had wrought evil for decades, causing countless families to be broken and destroyed.
To hear him speak of "violence bringing misfortune" made her feel both ironic and ridiculous.
"Sylvie." Karl said softly: "If there were no demonic beasts, and all humans could live in peace, creating the peaceful world you speak of, would people then be happy?"
This question surprised Sylvie.
Although she didn't want to discuss issues with an Evil Dragon like Karl, the power Karl had just displayed made her instinctively feel that he was unconquerable.
Instinctively, she didn't want to fight immediately.
"Of course they would be happy!" Sylvie glared at Karl: "People wouldn't have to wander homeless because of you, nor would they have to watch their parents and sister die before them, powerless."
"No." Karl shook his head: "If that were to happen, it would only brew an even more tragic catastrophe."
Sylvie unconsciously frowned, clearly thinking Karl was talking nonsense.
"If there were no threats," Karl continued, "then people would give birth to the next generation without worry. However, the food that each acre of land can produce is limited. When this land can no longer meet the growing human demands, humans Will begin to seek survival by any means necessary."
He paused, his eyes revealing a deep concern: "Those professionals, in order to survive, Will begin to hunt, slaughtering countless lives."
"When naturally produced wild beasts and land cannot meet human needs, humans Will begin to kill each other for survival resources."
"Until the human population returns to what this land can bear. By then, how many innocent lives Will have died?"
"My existence is a link in the system of restoration, equally using the least amount of killing to prevent greater death."
"You're talking nonsense!" Sylvie's face turned ashen.
She wanted to refute, but she was just a hero, and the Demon King's words were clearly beyond her comprehension, so she could only look to her companions.
"The world you describe simply won't exist." Will, being a prince, was not swayed.
"Exactly." Karl looked at him: "Because you are here, you possess vast lands and wealth, and you Will exploit the excess population.
And politically, you typically enjoy privileged status, and the abuse of power and corruption keep commoners living in poverty, oppression, and enslavement forever."
Karl finished speaking and looked at Sylvie: "As I said before, I am very glad that you were able to come before me."
"I see in you the possibility of ending this tragic cycle and building a world where all living beings on this land can achieve relative happiness."
"?" Sylvie's mouth hung open.
"?" Will's mouth also hung open. He vaguely felt that he seemed to be becoming a villain.
"?" Chris also gaped. Why had this Evil Dragon done such outrageous things to her—the gems were still in her body—
yet he could speak so grandiosely and righteously?
Chapter 7: Time Stop Enhancement
"Countless brilliant and stunning powerhouses have appeared on this continent, leaving behind epics to be sung by future generations." Karl's voice was low, revealing the jagged, sharp, and ferocious teeth unique to black dragons as he spoke.
Yet, he showed no trace of the brutality or arrogance that dragons usually conveyed, instead resembling a sage.
"But the beings on this continent have not become happier because of it."
"Famine, war, and exploitation still keep lives in suffering. This world should not be like this."
A hint of sorrow flashed in Karl's eyes: "Sylvie, you are fortunate. You are a hero, you possess power, and you can defeat the Demon King."
"People always tend to attribute all evil to the Demon King, but after the Demon King dies, nothing Will change."
"This world Will still continue along its tragic cycle. The weak Will be exploited, oppressed; it's survival of the fittest, the strong preying on the weak, yet people don't think doing so is wrong."
Karl's tone subtly rose: "But this world is wrong! Every life born should have the right to enjoy this world, to feel its beauty, and not become a slave, then give birth to new slaves."
"Sylvie, tell me." Every word of Karl's seemed to carry a thousand pounds: "Is your path as a hero just to become an accomplice to this tragic cycle?"
Sylvie looked as if she had been suddenly struck, her mouth opened, but she found herself speechless.
Her identity was originally just that of a small villager; she had never expected to be drawn into such profound contemplation.
Of course, all of this was predicated on the overwhelming power of the Evil Dragon before her.
This forced her to think, rather than just raising her sword and slashing.
Will stood by, and as a prince, he instinctively felt that Karl was saying something very dangerous.
He saw Sylvie's hesitation, his heart tightened, and he urgently cried out: "Don't fall for his trick! Sylvie!"
Sylvie's lips moved, but she only managed to squeeze out a weak "I..."
She could feel Will's urgency, but Karl was too strong, so strong that she chose to listen to him reason.
Sylvie could sacrifice herself to uphold her beliefs.
But now the nature of the situation had changed. Was her sacrifice truly, as Karl said, merely becoming a tool to perpetuate this tragic cycle?
She turned to look at Chris, hoping for encouragement.