Facing the blockade from Kevin, Kalpas, and Kosma, as well as Aponia's 'Disciplines' whispering like threads of fate in her consciousness from the shadows, Jack, who was impersonating Yae Sakura, knew that her disguise was meaningless.
The purplish-red data stream receded like a tide, and the image of Yae Sakura quickly peeled away, revealing Jack's original appearance—shoulder-length gray hair and golden eyes lacking highlights.
She tightly gripped the Flame Lance, but everyone could see that in front of these Flame-Chasers, futile resistance was pointless.
(Can't win, absolutely can't win. Kevin hasn't even pulled out his Divine Key, Kalpas hasn't entered Artificial Collapse, Kosma is still observing, not to mention Aponia in the shadows who can influence thoughts... Madam's order is to lie low and observe, not to fight to the death. Must retreat!)
Jack's thoughts were swift and clear, with a pragmatic calmness.
Her eyes sharpened, her decision made. The Flame Lance in her hand suddenly erupted with dazzling light, and massive energy rapidly converged, as if she were about to unleash a world-destroying final strike!
"Death throes!" Kalpas sneered, scorching flames churning on his fists, preparing to take this 'ultimate move' head-on.
Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly, and Kosma instinctively adopted a defensive posture.
However, in the next instant, Jack flicked her wrist, and the seemingly desperate glow of the Flame Lance was just a feint!
Using the recoil from the explosion, she moved like lightning, turning her head and dashing towards the other end of the corridor!
"Trying to run?!" Kalpas roared, detesting such theatrics. Scorching flames roared out like an enraged dragon, instantly blocking Jack's main retreat path!
Her escape route was blocked, but Jack seemed to have anticipated it.
Her eyes showed no ripple of emotion. With a backhand, she drew out a... highly unusual 'weapon' from behind her.
It was a completely dried, perfectly formed yet emanating an indescribable concept—a salted fish.
It was none other than the wondrous item, the immortal salted fish!
The moment it appeared, a complex 'odor' that directly affected the sensory level began to spread.
It wasn't merely a fishy stench, but rather the 'essence' of countless marine creatures, having undergone years of decay and imbued with some cosmic-level prank force—a conceptual pollution!
Kalpas bore the brunt of it. His flaming fist, which he was about to unleash, suddenly paused. It wasn't because of an attack, but because that 'odor' seemed to materialize into a tangible entity, rushing towards him like an invisible tsunami, instantly assaulting his senses!
He could even'see' the'stench' distorting the air!
"Ugh...?"
Kalpas felt as if something was tightly gripping his throat. His violent momentum halted, and his movements became momentarily stiff.
This smell... it was utterly suffocating!
"Stench into Horse!"
Jack unhesitatingly activated the wondrous item's skill.
Visible gray-green aura steamed from the immortal salted fish, instantly coalescing into a neighing warhorse. Its four hooves trampled on ripples of distorted air, charging without question towards Kalpas and the direction of Kevin and Kosma behind him!
This was not a physical impact, but a pure mental and sensory assault!
"!!!"
Even Kevin, as the'Stench Warhorse' swept past, showed a crack on his ice-like face. His brows furrowed uncontrollably, and the chill around him seemed to be 'polluted' and stagnant for a moment by the smell.
Kosma directly took half a step back, his silent face filled with shock. This method of attack completely surpassed his understanding.
And Aponia, hidden in the data shadows, her steady prayers abruptly ceased, as if her syllables were cut off by an invisible force.
The threads of fate... hadn't told her about such a turn of events!
"Myriad Fish Return to Origin!"
Jack pressed her advantage, swinging the Salted Fish Sword!
In an instant, countless illusory salted fish appeared out of thin air, falling indiscriminately like a torrential rain in all directions, unleashing an area-of-effect 'odor' bombardment!
The entire corridor was instantly enveloped by an indescribable aura, and vision, smell, and even mental perception were severely disrupted.
Kalpas's furious roar was choked in his throat, Kevin had to temporarily conjure an ice wall to block the pervasive'smell', and Kosma had completely lost the desire to intercept.
Seizing this opportune moment, Jack, without looking back, accelerated to her maximum speed according to the system's navigation signal, transforming into a streak of light and dashing towards the Elysian Realm Hall!
Elysian Realm · Core Hall
Black Herta was leisurely sitting on the sofa, enjoying the wonderfully varied expressions on the faces of the bound Mobius, Fu Hua, Su, and Vill-V. Just as she was about to say something more to Su, she suddenly felt something and looked towards the hall entrance.
Jack rushed in at an unprecedented speed. Although her face was still expressionless, her movements showed a hint of urgency after completing her mission.
"Madam, I..."
Jack had just opened her mouth, and before Black Herta could inquire about the specific situation, a familiar yet terrifying 'gift'—that 'odor' enhanced by the immortal salted fish—swept through the entire hall like a tangible shockwave, closely following Jack's figure!
Black Herta's composure instantly froze, and then her expression abruptly changed!
"Ugh...!"
She almost reflexively teleported from the sofa, appearing tens of meters away in mid-air, moving so fast that she left afterimages.
At the same time, she unhesitatingly cut off her olfactory sensory module, and even deployed a purplish-red data purification barrier around her body.
(Aha's broken fish... how has its power upgraded again?!)
However, while she could dodge and shut off her senses, the four Flame-Chasers currently bound in the hall did not have that luxury.
Mobius was the first to be affected.
Her snake pupils suddenly constricted, and her delicate face instantly twisted with extreme disgust: "Wh-what is this?! Ugh... Klein! Quickly activate the highest level of air purification... No!"
She realized Klein wasn't nearby and she couldn't move, so she could only endure this 'fragrance' that seemed to corrode the soul, shaking with anger.
Fu Hua's expression management was always excellent, but at this moment, her steady face showed clear signs of wavering.
She tightly pursed her lips, her brows deeply furrowed, seemingly fighting this sensory storm with immense willpower, but her slightly twitching nostrils and somewhat pale complexion still betrayed her current torment.
"..."
She remained silent, but her eyes were filled with 'unbearable'.
Although Su's eyes were always closed, his perception was even sharper.
The smell seemed to bypass his visual blockade, directly affecting his mental plane.
His normally indifferent and calm face showed signs of being on the verge of 'collapse' for the first time. His mouth twitched slightly, and he softly muttered a calming phrase, attempting to steady his mind, but the effect seemed minimal.
"...Such 'karma' is truly... unprecedented."
The most exaggerated reaction came from Vill-V.
She first froze, then her face showed an expression of extreme excitement mixed with pain: "Wow! This smell! This impact! This... this is an artistic explosion that transcends the five senses! It's something even the 'Great Magician' never conceived of... Ugh... I apologize, the inspiration is too intense, I'm a bit... overwhelmed..."
Her words became incoherent, as if even her multiple personalities were somewhat disordered under this ultimate 'odor' attack.
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