Sheva was not heavily affected by the aura surrounding Vexion. At most, it caused mild irritation and dulled her instincts, preventing her from accurately tracking the real Vexion, who appeared only as a vague silhouette.
She launched an attack, intending either to kill Vexion or force her away from Kai. Her spear was only a few feet away when it suddenly stopped.
Something gripped her throat. At the same time, her momentum vanished as an immense force held her in place.
Vexion merely smirked. Sheva froze. Her throat felt trapped in death's grasp. Her breathing became difficult, and even her grip on her spear weakened. She dangled helplessly. The tremendous speed she had charged in with had been completely nullified. She glared at Vexion and struggling to break free.
Vexion simply chuckled and twisted her wrist with Phantom Grasp, as though she intended to tear her arm apart. Sheva attempted to shout in frustration, pouring more mana into resisting the skill restraining her. Yet nothing was happening she was just helpless, not in any form she recognized.
Vexion watched with amusement while Sheva struggled in vain. The difference between them was becoming painfully obvious. Then Vexion kicked off the ground. A powerful strike slammed into Sheva's ribs. Blood sprayed from Sheva's mouth. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning.
The pressure in the area suddenly intensified.
Fear mixed with dread, hesitation and a loss of confidence. Even her limbs felt heavier and her skill itself seemed to be suffocating. Everything descended upon her at once.
'Was she hiding her true strength?'
The pressure around her no longer felt like waves.
It felt like a tsunami. She tried to resist, but Vexion's very presence seemed to suppress her mana control and skill activation while at the same time, Vexion used Push and Pull to move through the air at incredible speeds.
Combined with Phantom Grasp—a skill capable of gripping, crushing, and throwing objects without physical contact—she possessed something close to telekinesis.
It was a skill her master had personally tailored for her with that Vexion shot through the air. Using her momentum, she delivered kick after kick and punch after punch to the immobilized Sheva. to Sheva's pain each strike was followed by another .
And another. Sheva quickly went from a capable opponent to a ragdoll , it didn't stop as a kick launched her skyward. A punch drove her back down.
Whenever she was thrown too far away, Pull dragged her back toward Vexion at high speed then the cycle repeated endlessly. Sheva attempted to resist, but mirages constantly appeared around her.
Some used Push.
Others used Pull.
Together they kept her off balance and unable to fight back. Whenever she managed to stabilize herself, the overwhelming pressure surrounding Vexion would suppress her again. What confused her most was the mirages themselves. They behaved almost like autonomous clones. Not simple illusions.
Vexion eventually kicked her through a building before dragging her back with Pull and landing a clean punch that dislocated her jaw ,after several moments of relentless punishment, Vexion finally relaxed.
Grabbing Sheva by the neck with Phantom Grasp, she dragged her back toward the other two, then she paused.
A powerful aura erupted from the direction of the imperial capital.
Vexion smiled.
'Master must have succeeded in attracting that Mythical Being.' The aura spread across the kingdom.
Suddenly an aura that was way weaker than the first appeared. But this one was far stronger than hers She knew since it had an intrinsic feel similar but low far lower than her Masters. It was majestic, ancient and overwhelming.
Powerful winds followed it, lashing wildly around the area. Even Vexion felt a trace of fear. Without hesitation, she accelerated upward fleeing while dragging the bodies of her three victims behind her ,she was afraid, but she tried to maintain calm. Vexion knew exactly where she stood, she was nowhere near the level of a being at the level 20 tier of the legendary tier, to say nothing of a True Sage. Feeling the aura she had no intention of understanding, Vexion did the most sensible thing possible.
She fled.!
Sheva, bleeding heavily as she was dragged through the air, felt as though she was riding through a nightmare. Watching as her opponent run at the first sight of someone stronger then her she could help but blink in shock 'How shameless can one person be?'
No negotiations.
No confrontation.
No pride.
No honor.
She simply fled.
A moment later, a loud voice echoed through the sky. An aura weaker impossible for Vexion to resist—spread outward, her body couldn't help but shudder.
Even her skills became unstable.
Vexion instantly recognized it. 'Skill suppresion of someone in the same level but stronger. She desperately changed direction several times, twisting through the air in an attempt to escape.
Then suddenly—
Sheva, Kai, and Lee vanished from her control. Her heart shook she didn't even bother looking back and she simply forced her skills to move faster. Run faster.
She knew exactly whose aura this belonged to it, it wasn't hard to guess after all, it was the Emperor of the Josten Empire. Lexa's father. Even from an enormous distance away, his power interfered with her skill usage.
Far away, at the edge of the capital, stood a dark elf dressed in regal black robes adorned with gold. He appeared to be around thirty years old. This was Jost, Emperor of the Josten Empire. A True Sage and Legendary skill holder whose skill had reached Level 25. His black eyes watched the fleeing intruder with a mixture of confusion and frustration. Like the rest of the royal family, he had evacuated the capital.
The reason was simple.
His father—who had long abandoned his duties as emperor in pursuit of secluded cultivation—had suddenly emerged from isolation and departed the empire. Now his aura was clashing with another terrifying presence beyond the kingdom's borders. Although the battle took place high in the sky, the resulting shockwaves still rattled entire kingdoms.
Jost sighed.
He had only wanted a peaceful day with his wife.
Instead, he was dealing with damaged territories, border conflicts, reports of an Ascendant Saint-level intruder, and now a clash involving Mythical beings. To make matters worse, Kai, Lee and Sheva had been thoroughly defeated.
'Why me, why in my riegn? We even have a Mythical Being backing us. Who would dare attack us?' Then he felt the clash between his father's aura and another familiar presence.
Most likely the Polian Empire after all the two powers had been enemies for longer than he could remember. Rumours claimed that Mythical beings had died in their ancient conflict.
Again, Jost sighed. 'Everything is such a mess.' A hand gently squeezed his own , the gentle hand of his wife. Jost smiled before looking toward his daughters, Lexi and Lexa.
Both wished to help deal with the mercenary forces currently slaughtering civilians throughout the outer kingdoms. Unfortunately, they were too far away. Jost himself wanted to intervene, yet he couldn't.
He was maintaining the barrier protecting the capital, if he left, its strength would drop dramatically. More importantly, he felt uneasy. Something seemed wrong.
As though another enemy remained hidden. Then he saw Vexion preparing to finish Sheva. His expression darkened. "Father, please let us go!"
His youngest daughter, Lexa, looked at him with determination. She wanted to save her people, he sighed and after a brief pause, he nodded. Lexa and Lexi immediately thanked him before speeding away. Jost turned toward his wife.
She wore elegant brown robes adorned with golden gemstones, her gentle hourglass figure painted beautifully he took her hand, he gently kissed her forehead.
"Take care of the barrier. I doubt any Sage-level opponents would waste their time attacking our little empire."
Even as he spoke, his attention remained divided. One eye watched the battle between the Mythical beings. The other remained fixed on the fleeing intruder.