Floating Island - Triple S Talent-Chapter 531: Incredible

"Hahaha, incredible," came another voice, sliding softly into his ears.

Efan immediately tensed. His muscles tightened, and his hand instinctively moved toward the auto-weapon at his waist. But a second later, the panic melted away when he recognized the approaching figure—Lein. A quiet sigh of relief escaped without him realizing it.

"Hahaha... just a bit of lucky timing, Brother Lein," he said with a sheepish smile, trying to mask his earlier nervousness.

In truth, Efan knew he wasn't a natural-born fighter. Unlike Nita, who fought like a storm, Hana, who could read enemy tactics in seconds, or Laras, whose reflexes and speed bordered on unreal—those three were gifted with innate combat abilities. Efan wasn't. That's why he had taken a different path—gathering advanced gear from other players, building automated defense systems and weapons, and relying on technology to fill the gap talent alone couldn't cover.

"What do you mean?" Lein asked calmly. He glanced toward the two other battles still raging in the distance. "Look at them. They haven't even inflicted meaningful damage."

His voice was relaxed, but there was firmness behind it. He wasn't praising Efan just to make him feel better—he truly acknowledged the effectiveness of Efan's defense system.

Efan gave a small nod, humbly accepting the compliment. He knew Lein wasn't the type to hand out praise lightly. Still, his mind was focused elsewhere.

"So, Brother Lein… are you going to move out?" he asked, a hint of concern beneath his curiosity. If Lein stepped in, it meant things were starting to get serious. And deep down, Efan was still worried—Laras hadn't been seen yet.

"Yes. I think our mission with the Consortium is just about done," Lein answered shortly.

Then he turned to Efan, his gaze firm, as if passing on part of the responsibility.

"Help the others. I'll handle the one over there."

Without waiting for a response, Lein's body vanished, dissolving into mist under the daylight. Only his lingering aura remained in the air.

Efan stood still for a moment, staring at where Lein had just been. In silence, he let out a long breath. Then his gaze dropped to the battlefield below, where the fighting had resumed. The Blood Army had returned—more organized, more aggressive. Their formation now pressed forward with intent, and their main target was obvious: the laser nodes Efan had deployed.

With a faint smile, Efan shifted his posture, then shot downward at high speed. Wind lashed his face as he descended, and just before hitting the ground, he reached behind and pulled out his energy rifle—a heavy weapon he had custom-built, loaded with high-density plasma rounds.

The moment he landed, he unleashed a barrage of fire. Blazing energy bullets struck the Blood Army with deadly precision, halting their advance before they could reach the laser network. His combat drones activated in sync, lighting up one by one and spreading out. They moved to cover the gaps, hammering the enemy with preprogrammed attack patterns.

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In the vast expanse of the sky, a phoenix soared high above the clouds, leaving a trail of rolling fire in its wake. Its wings flapped with strength, generating waves of heat with every beat. It flew in evasive maneuvers, avoiding the relentless pursuit of a figure drifting through the air without wings—a bald old man with his palm extended forward, radiating a steady swirl of golden energy.

"Little bird, stop running and accept your fate," the old man said calmly. His voice was soft, barely audible against the roaring wind, yet filled with unwavering resolve. There was no urgency in his expression, no desperation to end the hunt quickly. He gave chase not out of haste, but because he knew the outcome would not change.

KWAAAK!

The phoenix suddenly dove, plummeting at a sharp angle before twisting midair with astonishing agility. In an instant, it unleashed a stream of blazing red fire toward the old man. The tongues of flame twisted and danced like giant serpents, ready to consume their prey.

But the old man didn't flinch. The golden energy in his palm expanded, forming a radiant, flat shield. The flames struck without mercy, but upon impact, the golden light absorbed the heat, transforming it into a silent breeze.

The distance between them shrank quickly. But before the phoenix could retreat again, the old man's eyes snapped wide open. A flicker of warning lit up in his gaze. He saw it—the sky now swarmed with thousands of phoenix feathers, spinning rapidly, forming an unusual formation. Each feather locked into place, glowing with magical brilliance, and within seconds, they shot forth like a rain of arrows, aiming to pierce through everything in their path.

"A final gambit, huh? Futile," the old man muttered, still calm. He stood firm in the air, raising both arms, drawing all the golden energy scattered around him into a dense, layered defensive field.

But before the rain of feathers could reach him, a voice tore through the skies.

"That's enough. Let me handle this."

The voice was calm, but echoed as if it came from nowhere and everywhere at once. The old man's eyes widened in surprise. His golden energy wavered slightly as he turned around swiftly. When his eyes met the figure that had appeared before him, surprise faded into composed respect.

"Elder Lein..." he said reverently, immediately lowering his hands and dissolving the energy formation he had built. The golden aura around him quickly dispersed, blending back into the air.

The old man gave a slight bow. "I've fought with it for two days, yet still failed to kill it," he admitted, his voice carrying both weariness and regret. "Forgive me, Elder Lein. I'm not strong enough."

Lein narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing slightly as if recalling something. Ah, yes. He remembered now—some time ago, he had promised a generous reward to anyone who could kill Grandmaster Maledictus, the eternal phoenix.

"No need to worry," Lein said at last, his voice light but warm. "Forcing it to flee in panic is already proof enough you're capable of killing it. It's just lucky today."

Without waiting for a reply, Lein turned his gaze toward the sky.

His eyes locked onto the thousands of phoenix feathers swirling like a deadly storm. Calmly, Lein drew a golden sword from beneath his robe. A holy light enveloped the blade, and with a single swing, he unleashed it.