With Erva’s movement, the flat execution ground underwent a drastic change in terrain.
Right beneath the feet of the three of them, a creation drawn out by magic power emerged from the ground, forming an abnormally tall pillar of stone. They soon found themselves standing atop it, quickly elevated to a considerable height by the rising column.
They were now at a height that the black fog could not reach in a short time!
However, this was not the extent of Erva’s spell.
Once the stone pillar was fully erected and stabilized, the spell that had drawn it from the ground changed once again.
Almost skimming the height at which the black fog lingered, several meters from the ground, an entire layer of solid walls abruptly extended and, in the blink of an eye, smashed down towards the ground.
Another not-so-quiet noise sounded, accompanied by a slight tremor of the ground.
An arc of stone walls spread downward, forming a tight enclosure around the black fog like an inverted giant bowl.
Clearly, Ronald Adler’s first attempt to launch an attack with the black fog had utterly failed.
Trapped within such a seamlessly solid enclosure, even in the form of light and sparse fog, there was no gap to exploit for an escape.
On the other side of the execution ground, Ronald watched everything quietly.
He instantly remembered the incident from the afternoon, when walls had inexplicably appeared in Erva’s house, blocking his and Raphael’s path.
The spell used by this fellow undoubtedly also matched this characteristic.
—He quickly made a simple deduction.
Judging from the way Erva held the book, there was no doubt that this was also an Original holder.
And considering the effects caused by this particular Original...
Based on Ronald’s experiences since crossing over, this was probably an Original related to architecture, hence its ability to manifest impregnable walls in various encounters before.
It was just a pity that the distance between them was too great; he couldn’t hear the ’spells’ Erva was chanting.
Otherwise, things would now be much clearer.
Ronald looked down and attempted to control the trapped black fog, trying to break through the enclosure with all its might.
The hard stone walls remained intact, and the power of the black fog itself was insufficient to break the seal.
—The attempt had failed.
The stone prison that locked the black fog away.
In terms of hardness, it probably wasn’t far off from the walls Ronald had encountered previously.
Having failed in his initial sneak attack tactic, Ronald began to consider the next strategy.
It was at this moment that Erva, standing high atop the stone pillar, spoke up.
The elderly scholar, with his sharp gaze, scrutinized Ronald on the ground of the execution site.
Though puzzled, Erva still asked with a complicated tone,
"Are you Ronald Adler?"
"The sneak attack was well-executed, but choosing to fight me was far too presumptuous."
The volume of his voice gradually lowered until it faded away, and Erva immediately exerted force with one hand.
The Original in his hand also promptly closed together.
Due to the distance, Ronald was unclear about what Erva was tailing off with.
But considering the current situation, surely a new maneuver was about to be launched.
Understanding that he couldn’t just wait to be defeated, Ronald Adler lightly snapped his fingers with his gloved right hand, and "Divine Comedy - Hell" reappeared in his hand, as he recited the familiar verses,
The dark waters flow downward, reaching the base of the dim and precipitous cliff.
Around him, renewed black fog began to rise once more.
At the same time, the confusion Ronald had experienced before was now explained.
The spell that Elva had cast was not aimed at attacking Ronald on the ground but intended to lock Ronald in the execution ground for good.
Centered around the pillar, a higher layer of stone walls extended in all directions, quickly planting themselves firmly into the surrounding stands and walls of the execution ground. Then, these spreading dark-grey walls closed off in midair and soon formed a seamless whole.
In this way, the entire execution ground was completely enclosed by walls created by the spell.
No one could easily walk out of here anymore.
How did it become afternoon again...
Facing this outcome, Ronald felt somewhat speechless.
This type of terrain-shaping spell was indeed difficult for him to deal with.
Of course, this was just grumbling internally.
While the stone walls sealed off the environment, Ronald also let the spreading black fog fill the execution ground to the brim. Anyone daring to come down and start a fight would be guaranteed to lose consciousness in an instant.
Looking up slightly, Ronald’s eyes fixed on the direction above his head.
It was pure darkness.
Although with the enhancement of his physical body, Ronald’s eyes could still see in extremely dim environments.
But when even the stars were completely obscured by the stone walls and the black fog, this place had become sheer darkness.
He could only rely on the power of "Fury" for reconnaissance.
Almost at the same time, Elva’s voice appeared from beneath the stone wall.
Because of the completely enclosed environment, his voice now sounded very thick and was filled with echoes:
"Ronald, put down the original text in your hands now,"
"and then comply with my control willingly."
"In that case, I will take you back, and then you will naturally understand the truth of the world and make the truly correct choice,"
"We are not enemies."
Faced with such ’persuasion,’ Ronald shook his head with some speechlessness.
He didn’t even bother to answer Elva.
Whether what the other party said was true or false, whether their attitude was good or bad,
he could not possibly accept the enemy’s persuasion in battle.
In situations , beating the opponent down and then doing as one pleases was the right choice.
Clicking his tongue, Ronald clenched his fist and abruptly smashed it hard in front of him.
A gentle white glow flashed in complete darkness.
At the same time, Ronald’s fist, covered by the gauntlet, collided with the object in front of him, and it disintegrated instantly.
It was a sharp, suddenly protruding stone pillar.
Straight from above, it thrust toward Ronald in the darkness.
If he hadn’t shattered it in time, he probably would have been impaled alive...
No, at most it would have just smashed him to the ground?
A satisfied smile slowly appeared on Ronald’s lips.
Just like when he faced Malcolm, the protective power of the "Heavenly Chapter" worked wonderfully.
The opponent’s attacks could not possibly penetrate his defense.
The white light that shimmered all over his body was gentle, yet its sturdiness was unquestionable.
And this was Ronald’s best trump card for standing on invincible ground.
Next, it was time to wait for the moment of retaliation.