The battle outside the square grew increasingly fierce and desperate. Tusuki Kenji's appearance seemed like a savior, but against an otherworldly entity like Elly, all the fighting conventions of this continent were overturned.
The Western Holy Swordsman roared, activating his ultimate blessing – the Holy Emperor's Restoration. A brilliant aura enveloped Kenji's body, allowing him to continuously heal his wounds at breakneck speed and increase his protection against evil energy. His holy sword blazed, combining Fire and Water Control, creating devastating steam-pressure slashes. Simultaneously, Kenji continuously unleashed Magic Locks, attempting to seal the opponent's dark energy flow.
However, Elly – the Dark Assassin – only wore a cruelly innocent smile. He possessed a treasure trove of bizarre otherworldly skills that no Elf mage could even imagine. As Kenji's slashes came flying towards him, Elly instantly used Stealth combined with Teleportation, disappearing without a trace into thin air and reappearing right behind the knight.
Not stopping there, Elly waved his hand, activating Smoke Control. The thick black smoke he created not only obscured his vision but also carried a Temporary Disabling effect. Every time Kenji inhaled or touched the smoke, the flame on his holy sword was extinguished, and the healing blessing was delayed. Even more terrifying, Elly continuously unleashed two types of eye curses: Emotional Gaze and Mind Gaze. They struck directly at Kenji's nervous system, stirring up painful memories, feelings of inferiority, and disrupting his fighting spirit, causing the renowned Holy Sword to begin showing fatal weaknesses. In fact, Elly had another ultimate skill: Memory Devouring, capable of completely erasing the victim's mind. But for him, this battle was merely a pastime, so he hadn't bothered to use it yet.
While Kenji was struggling on the brink of death in the square, inside the ruins of the Forbidden Library, a strange silence suddenly fell.
"Hegemon!"
Lily's voice rang out, urgent yet somewhat suppressed. She ran to Hegemon's side, who was frantically flipping through ancient books, his fingertips bleeding. Lily's face was pale, but her eyes shone with a profound, soulful light of knowledge.
"I found it, Hegemon! The 'Treasure of Knowledge' has connected to information about his world!"
Hegemon suddenly lifted his head, his breath coming in short gasps: "Tell me, Lily! What exactly is 'Demon Emperor's Realm'? What is his weakness?!"
Lily swallowed hard, leaning close to his ear to explain, deliberately keeping the Elves outside from hearing and avoiding disrupting the cause and effect of this world:
"The Demon Emperor's Realm... isn't actually some kind of divine or supreme demonic dimension. It's simply the name of a totalitarian state on the other side of his world. It contains many bizarre races, with appearances and biological characteristics identical to characters in horror and grotesque stories."
She gripped Hegemon's hand tightly, her voice trembling but clear: "And most importantly: The fundamental power of the energy system in the Demon Emperor Realm, including Elly's skills, is nurtured and amplified by Fear. The more we fear him, the stronger his skills like Mind's Gaze or Smoke Manipulation become, turning him into an invincible entity!"
Hegemon was stunned: "Fear? So what if we don't fear him...?"
"Not yet!" Lily interrupted, her eyes widening as she saw an invisible thread of destiny in the flow of information. "I just deduced something extremely fatal. Even though Elly has transmigrated to this world, his current being still maintains a close energy connection to his original dimension, despite the infinite distance between the multiverses. He's borrowing power from that dimension to maintain his immortality and his cheating skills here!"
Lily's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Hegemon's mind, but at the same time, they pointed out the only bright path through the darkness of despair. Elly's weakness was clear: his power depended on the fear of his opponents, and his energy source lay in an infinite link that needed to be severed.
Hegemon looked out at the square, where the Holy Sword Kenji lay slumped on one knee, fresh blood staining his armor before the arrogant laughter of the dark-skinned child. He knew that time was running out for him and Lily to make this decisive move.