The escape was so swift that even Fisher was taken aback; no wonder this fellow hadn’t been caught despite traveling all over the world.
Xiayat felt the danger just as Fisher did. She stood erect, pointing her longbow straight at Blake in the distance, but she refrained from attacking rashly. The sensation of countless Human Worms observing her made her somewhat uneasy, and she raised her horse’s forehooves high in an attempt to boost her own momentum.
"A human scholar, an unloved Centaur, and...my favorite, Anna."
Blake scanned the group, his gaze finally resting on Anna, who was hiding next to Moli. He sighed somewhat regrettably, and then reached out to Anna,
"Anna, do you know how I’ve always seen you over the years? I’ve never had a child in my life. Among all those dying people from the Southern Continent on that ship, I spotted you at first glance. Your eyes were so captivating, that’s why I paid to buy you and your partner... Even now that you’ve betrayed me, there’s not a hint of anger in my heart. Do you know that?"
Her brows furrowed deeply, and she glared at Blake in the distance, pointing at him and cursing loudly,
"Shut up! You demon who deserves to go to hell! You are worse than a beast in what you’ve done; do you really expect me to be grateful to you? Kajie...Anleika...they died because of you! You should die, Blake!"
Anna’s voice cracked with pain as she clutched at her chest as if her heart could stop beating at any moment. But the distant Human Worms, stirred by her shouts, grew restless and seemed ready to surge forward; Blake simply raised his hand to hold them back.
He didn’t continue to engage with Anna, because he already knew that he would not be able to resolve the situation with trade and negotiation alone.
"My old friend, Jaegger Gedelin, is nearing his end. The Golden Palace is in turmoil, and all of Nali’s forces are waiting outside... I had thought that acting now would be unobstructed, since I wasn’t asking for much. But little did I expect... Fisher Benavides, that it would be you, a renowned scholar, blocking my path at the very last step..."
Fisher stood squarely in front of Blake, giving him a formal bow.
He was so young, so handsome, like a favored son of Nali’s skies, adored by Princess, talented and passionate, similarly loved by a young Whale-man girl at the same age...
As the standoff continued, the light above the library grew brighter. After the word "Mu Xi" appeared in the sky, the whole library seemed to be activated.
The ethereal word descended slowly, against the pull of gravity, dazzling like fireworks and as light as feathers. With every interval it dropped, the walls and bookshelves around slowly began to spread silver-white gleaming patterns of the Magic Emblem.
It was the magic of the entrance to the underground.
Blake, drawn by the commotion, looked up and first saw the word "Mu Xi" sinking down.
He opened his mouth slightly, suddenly feeling that it had been years since he’d come here. During this time, all matters were managed by Kachina, and he no longer sneaked here with his beloved wife to secretly admire the treasures they had accumulated together...
With that thought, Blake closed his eyes, but the Human Worms beside him had already sensed his intentions and started to roar and rush forward.
Fisher’s expression unchanged, a Fluid Sword slid into his hand. He turned to Moli behind him and instructed,
"You stay with them, I’ll handle Blake."
"Fisher, I’ll join you!"
Moli had clashed with Blake once before and clearly knew the old man’s constitution was absurdly strong, so she wanted to step forward to help, but Fisher shook his head, asking her not to,
"I have a plan; make sure you take care of Anna and the others!"
Moli hesitated for a second, then chose to trust Fisher.
Fisher swung the Fluid Sword in his hand, the sword extending like a spinning whip in all directions. Magic continued to fall from the sky, the magic around them growing brighter and brighter, yet Fisher moved against the flow, aiming directly for Blake.
Blake opened his eyes abruptly, and once he moved, it was like a thunderclap. He immediately seized the Fluid Sword that Fisher had swung at him.
The sound of metal clashing thunderously echoed, and Fisher’s body was dragged forward by a massive force. He stepped on the heads of the Human Worms in mid-air, and the Light Blades spun and slashed out from a burning piece of paper.
The "Bee Dance" magic coupled with the Fluid Sword, several sharp attacks struck at Blake all at once, but he didn’t budge, just stood there quietly as Fisher’s strikes were all deflected.
Even Fisher perceived something amiss then. Before, Fisher thought Blake’s muscles were just extremely tough and resistant, but now it seemed this was not the case.
Several of Fisher’s attacks had directly hit Blake; if it were simply due to Blake’s strong muscles, his cloak should have been torn as well, yet it remained intact!