At this moment, Ernan was poised in a throwing stance, gathering power and exploding forth, launching a sharp nail. It streaked through the air at absolute speed, its kinetic energy surged by the blessing of ether. The high-speed movement of the nail generated immense heat through friction with the air, igniting the surrounding atmosphere into a fiery cloud, which stretched into slender lines of fire.

The sonic boom waves rippled outward, this lethal and terrifying assault was accomplished at the very moment he struck, leaving Palmer to evade only by anticipation.

It’s akin to gambling, but aside from gambling, Palmer had no other options.

"Is the first round to put me in such a desperate situation?"

Palmer muttered in his heart as the dice on his wrist slightly trembled.

Appropriate Timing, the name of this twelve-sided die.

The bronze surface of the die was uneven, covered in dust and grime, the delicate patterns long withered, looking dull in the sunlight, with the ruby embedded losing its luster and appearing dim.

Yet with the injection of ether, the die trembled violently, the gems began to shine one by one, time seemed to reverse, and on the near-perfect twelve sides, the gem light flickered incessantly, until all but the gem on side number seven dimmed.

Hard-won victory.

Palmer veered to one side, the fire line brushed past him, leaving a shallow wound on his skin.

This series of confrontations sent adrenaline soaring, as though something extraordinary had happened.

The gem of number seven completely dimmed, unable to light up again for a while, this being one of the contract object’s costs, each roll of the dice after continuous use would cause one side to temporarily extinguish, unable to light up again for a certain period.

This meant that after each roll, Palmer’s chances of failure or success would increase, causing others to feel immense pressure; however, Palmer could joke about it.

"Even if I’m unlucky again, just surviving eleven rounds means I’ll eventually roll a great success."

The gale slammed against Palmer’s back, propelling him like a cannonball into Ernan’s blind spot, losing Palmer’s trace, yet Ernan maintained his throwing stance, ready to inflict heavy damage on Palmer.

Ernan and Bologue were alike, both belonging to the Commanding School, treading the path of Infinite Sharpness. Due to differing Alchemy Matrices, Ernan’s power was extremely skewed in tendency, and even the effects of Secret Energy were such.

Secret Energy·One-Way Arrow.

Everything touched by Ernan would become his commanding object. When the commanding object was thrown by Ernan, it would be imbued with a one-directional, terrifying force, enabling the commanding object to effortlessly break the sound barrier, like a divine iron spear hurling through air, the material would burn at high speed friction, shattering and piercing everything it touched.

This power sounds frightening, yet it is beset with numerous limitations, such as, the commanding material would greatly affect the effect of Secret Energy.

If it were merely ordinary pebbles, even wrapped in ether, after Ernan’s throw, they would rapidly vaporize due to high-speed friction, with their attack radius possibly not even spanning a few meters before fully evaporating. Thus, Ernan’s commanding objects were these specially crafted sharp nails, made from Alchemy Metal, enduring the pressure of his Secret Energy.

Besides commanding object limitations, the material’s size and weight would also affect the One-Way Arrow’s force, with accuracy being most crucial of all.

The One-Way Arrow’s power, if not hitting the target, would be meaningless.

Ernan once thought of compensating his power with the Chasing Sword, but Chasing Sword’s activation required the enemy’s blood, mismatching Ernan’s long-range combat positioning, let alone the fact that Chasing Sword could only guide ether flow, unable to influence commanding objects.

The continuous rumbling of vibrations resounded, as Ernan anticipated Palmer’s location and threw multiple sharp nails, deadly fire lines pierced through walls and rocks, the collapse sounded nonstop, and Palmer desperately fled amidst the rising dust.

Meanwhile, the battle continued elsewhere.

Morrison’s Light Feather storm spread everywhere. Bologue had no choice but to fight against it at such close range, fiercely chopping with a bloodstained hand axe amidst the raging light.

Bologue and Palmer’s coordination was disrupted by Ernan, while others regained their composure, sporadic gunfire rang out, alongside weak ether reactions rising intermittently.

"Take down one first."

This thought surfaced in Bologue’s mind, commanding his own blood to shape scale armor near the wound for hemostasis, combined with his Undying Body.

Relying on maximized damage absorption, Bologue closed in on Morrison, raising a deadly sword axe, while Morrison did not evade, thrusting the Secret Sword against Bologue.

Resentful Bite blocked the Secret Sword, Light Feathers filled Bologue’s body, the hand axe slashed valiantly, ether collisions swept up airwaves enveloping them both.

Dust wavered, and soon the Light Feathers vibrated, stirring the air to clear away the dust.

Bologue stood grounded firmly, while Morrison quickly retreated. This round of exchange didn’t yield him any advantage over Bologue, and even led to Morrison being counterstruck by Bologue.

Unnoticed, Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid crawled out from Bologue’s sleeve, these fluid metals, under his command, extended like multiple arms, raising blades, spears, swords, and halberds alike.

Morrison felt immense pressure, but it didn’t matter; his goal had already been achieved.

Raising the Secret Sword in hand, drops of blood rolled across the blade’s surface, seeping entirely into it, Bologue sensed a mysterious force enveloping him, soon an ether-forged chain connected him with the Secret Sword.

Chasing Sword locked on, Morrison vibrated his wings, countless glimmering Light Feathers dragged into dazzling beams, fiercely striking toward Bologue, no matter how agile Bologue maneuvered, they inexorably pursued him, making evasion impossible.

Amidst the beams, a splash of brilliant red appeared. The next moment, a palm-sized scar emerged on Bologue’s side abdomen, sharp nails embedded into the rock behind him, amidst violent vibrations, sonic booms belatedly thundered.

Light Feathers concealed the fire line’s trajectory.

Ernan defected along with Morrison to the King’s Shield Guard, but within the Shield Guard, Morrison was the focal point, while Ernan remained obscure. When asked if he was envious, Ernan always remained silent.

People assumed Ernan must envy Morrison, but truthfully Ernan enjoyed this hidden, unnoticed sensation, reminiscent of being shrouded under Morrison’s Light Feathers, where few could detect his One-Way Arrow.

Though Ernan was merely a Prayer Believer, he possessed offensiveness comparable to Morrison.

His fingers brushed the waist strap, calculating how many sharp nails he had left; once these ammunitions ran out, his capabilities would suffer a substantial decline. He must resolve the opponent before the sharp nails were depleted.

Blinking his eyes, the continuous strong light somewhat impacted Ernan, causing his vision to deviate; otherwise, this strike should have hit Bologue’s heart.

Picking up another sharp nail, Ernan remained extremely vigilant, ready to assassinate Bologue while guarding against Palmer lurking in the shadows.

Sporadic gunfire and ether reactions rose, several Condensers gathered around Ernan, protecting him; they understood that the locus of victory was within his grasp.

Amidst the raging light, blood congealed, sealing the wounds, while Bologue’s Undying Body healed.

Before long, Morrison should notice this bizarre healing speed. Bologue had to find ways to exploit this factor, regarding Ernan, he was akin to a sniper, although merely a Prayer Believer in tier, perpetually emanating threat, once hit by him, paired with Morrison’s fierce attack, few could withstand.

Let alone, besides these two’s onslaught, the enormous flesh creation continued emitting eerie low cries, sweeping gigantic limbs around, seemingly searching for prey. Fortunately, it was inactive, temporarily relieving battlefield pressure.

The situation stalled, but Bologue was notably adept at breaking deadlocks. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Under Chasing Sword’s guidance, countless beams stabbed at Bologue, who ceased evading and stood still.

He raised the sword axe high, roaring as he smashed it into the ground.

Ether swept through, and the next moment, the earth shattered.