Just thirty seconds after convincing Lu Nian to switch sides, three blue deacons and a guy I least expected descended from four White Eagles. Though Lu Nian said the Black Vatican called Master Bei, honestly, I doubted till the end it'd be true. At most, a pretender.
But no, this young black-haired guy was the Master Bei I remembered from my past life, just a few years younger and bit weaker. His magic aura said recent breakthrough to High level's second tier; in years, he'd peak it. Temple of Assassins' rising star, level-jumping monster, generation genius – shadow world titles, and deserved.
Honestly, I think Mo Fan beat him only via hidden aid from Dark King or subordinate. No other way – Master Bei really has power to kill Supers. Not raw destruction, but magic's variability and unpredictability.
His innate Talent: Dual Element Fusion with double awakening. Basically, he awakened shadow and chaos simultaneously; Talent fused them into unfairly potent chaotic shadows magic. In his shadow domain, he chaotically shifts space coordinates, making him near unhittable unless you blast the whole domain at once, no dodge room.
Not every High level magic manages that. And if it does, charging takes time – which Master Bei masterfully disrupts. Mental attacks, shadow servants from his Dark Substance, strong poisons, even Bei's strikes. Same-level foe can't focus on strongest moves till death.
On beating Supers: no exact data, but guesses. Option one: relentless pressure prevents Super level spell buildup – even vets need seconds, newbies more. Without High level AOE or space/chaos to escape or disrupt chaotic shadows, light a candle for them.
Option two: Night Fury. That's Master Bei's Dark Substance name. Like elemental Seeds, Dark Substances boost shadow magic and grant unique abilities. Night Fury's: dark magic infection.
It works: plant darkness seed on target, wait for it to sprout into shadow servant merged with victim's shadow. Then, servant strikes anytime. Hard to spot too. Some Super mages, after tussling with Bei, repelled or fled but missed sprouting seed. Bet they didn't wake from sleep.
Summary: no space/chaos to flee/interfere chaotic shadows, quick wide AOE spells, or darkness seed detection? You're dead. How'd Mo Fan beat this OP without any? He had space/shadow but underleveled for Bei. No way Dark King didn't nerf Bei via dark element control so his pawn wouldn't die.
As for me handling Master Bei... can't with official capabilities. This born killer's got fourth spiritual boundary, per senses. My spirit element at Medium peak can't subtly influence. Space element too weak solo against him.
Could mix into fusion magic – invented post-Bei corpse study by Pin Zhoulun – but neither space nor fusion in my official kit. Want it that way. So, improvise. Got a couple ideas.
"Well, well, well, Lu Nian, buddy, how could you? Called us to take this guy, then joined him! My heart breaks from your betrayal... nah, just kidding. On second thought, it banishes my boredom! Damn week holed up in these ruins wrecked my emotional state." Smoothing hair, Master Bei clowned, unconcerned for safety.
He prepped chaotic shadows domain mid-Eagle leap. Any incoming attack drowns in surrounding chaotic maze. Cocky, arrogant – but backed by power. Tricky foe.
"Oh come on, just stretching stiff muscles and evening odds. Mu Bai said you're nothing to him. I believe him – he said it so confidently," Lu Nian grinned wide, teeth bared, eyeing me with weird gleam.
Dog son! Shouldn't have shown body trait pre-fight! Now he seriously hopes Bei kills me for study! Damn emotion-driven degenerate! Life teaches him nothing! At least not flipping to enemies, playing double game.
I win, he's subordinate. I lose, he gleefully dissects my corpse, backstabbing students. Sigh, knew mental suggestion fades fast on psychos, especially just spiritual pressure. At least not botching plans – or Bei's even harder.
"Hmph, what'd you expect from a guy traveling with his battle harem? He must brag good. Hey, blue hoods, this hair color matches your cloaks – take his girls and kids. Right level for you." Master Bei waved dismissively at three blue deacons, pointing at folks behind me; they clenched fists bloody but obeyed.
Can't peek emotions – artifacts shield. But they avoid my gaze, flicking to others, scared to face me. Heh, my feats already intimidate blue deacons? Unexpected.
"TuTu, Jiao Jiao, if unforeseen circumstances arise, go into full defense, ignoring casualties among the students. As soon as I deal with this guy, I'll come and help you. This time you'll fight completely without my support, don't overdo it." Whispering encouragement to my girls and conveying the key information to them, I immediately dashed to the side, hoping to lure my opponent a bit further from the main battlefield.
And it worked for me. Bey, activating his artifact boots, followed right after me. Still, he doesn't like fighting in crowded places, because that way the pattern in his chaotic shadow magic becomes immediately noticeable. Movement in his chaotic labyrinth for dodging attacks isn't instantaneous, and with a lot of people around, it's relatively easy to track his true position.
The other thing is that if the surrounding people aren't strong enough, like, for example, the students who came with me, then they'll die quickly without providing substantial help. So, we both had plenty of reasons to move our battle to a more remote location.
Eh, I hope my plan works out. I don't want to leave my girls alone for too long. I have a bad feeling about this.