He traced his gaze back to where that eerie feeling was coming from—and gulped. The person was looking straight at him. Or to be more precise, the exact spot he was hiding in.
Seeing Void's silver eyes locked on his location, Lancelot gritted his teeth hard.
'Void!!! Why is Void looking at me? Why the hell does it have to be him!?'
His heart pounded. 'I need to get out of here—quickly and now!'
He first backed away slowly, each step calculated and quiet. But then...
He infused his feet with soul energy, coating them in a thin layer that made him both lighter and faster. Without wasting another second, he burst into a sprint, running at full speed through the outlands.
Even though he was moving like a streak of light, his footsteps barely made a sound. He was no ordinary man—he was a peak-tier Four-Star Souler, after all.
As he dashed through the terrain, he roared in his mind: 'Lightning Cheetah! Phantom Manifest!'
Instantly, a phantom beast shimmered into existence behind him.
It was the silhouette of a running cheetah, glowing with the crackling blue of pure lightning. Its ethereal body flickered in and out of sight like a mirage, and its eyes blazed a blinding white.
The phantom sprinted forward, running alongside him at an incredible pace.
As soon as the command echoed in his mind, the phantom leaped at him and merged into his body. A brilliant blue glow enveloped him—the light of the beast soul fueling his speed.
His pace multiplied instantly. Now, to the eyes of any normal human, he had become nothing but a blur—a flash of blue light tearing through the darkness. But then... the already dark world around him darkened even further.
Not the usual night-darkness—no, this was deeper, heavier. A black void that swallowed even the senses of a seasoned Souler like him.
Lancelot's eyes narrowed. He knew this was no ordinary dark. He had been trapped.
'A spatial dimension...!? Void! Void spotted me that quickly? How is this even possible?!'
His fists clenched. His breathing grew heavy—not from exhaustion, but from rising frustration.
"Void, show yourself!" he barked, his voice echoing through the empty black. "Get me out of your damn spatial dimension! You're just a Two-Star Souler, your void tricks don't work on me!"
A chuckle echoed through the emptiness—a sharp, mocking laugh that made Lancelot's blood boil.
"I know, I know! He-he..." Void's voice was as irritating as ever.
"But it can still delay you... just enough for the others to catch up," the voice sneered again.
Lancelot's eyes flashed with fury.
"I can destroy this place, you know that... right?"
His fists trembled slightly. He didn't want to go that far—it would cost him a huge amount of his remaining soul energy.
Void's voice taunted again, full of confidence.
"I'd like to see you try!"
Lancelot's face darkened. 'Does he have some trick to counter it? Still... it's worth the risk.'
He growled and shouted: "Void Shattering Dragon!!! Phantom Manifest!"
Void's mocking tone suddenly cracked.
"W-Wait! No, stop—!!!"
A dark-red dragon phantom exploded into existence behind Lancelot. The massive spectral beast roared, and the fabric of the spatial dimension trembled violently. Cracks split through the void like shattered glass.
The dragon's eyes glowed a hellish red as its form surged forward—and with a thunderous crash, the entire dimension collapsed.
Reality snapped back. Lancelot reappeared in the outlands, his feet landing hard on solid ground.
Ten meters away, Void staggered and coughed out a thick splash of blood.
His body was wreathed in black smoke—the aftereffects of his shattered beast soul power.
Void's silver eye glared at Lancelot, seething with hatred. "You...! You almost destroyed my beast soul, you bastard!"
Lancelot shrugged, looking nonchalant.
But deep inside, his thoughts were racing.
'My reserves... They're already half-drained. Back then, I couldn't protect my wife from my brother and his army because my soul energy ran dry. Right now, I can fight, but not for long. I wanted to lure these bounty hunters to that God... save my strength... but...'
He bit his lip. 'Can I really trust that so-called God? What if he betrays me too? Just like my brother did? No... I can't bet everything on that.'
His gaze flickered to Void. 'And Void... he caught up because of his spatial powers. If the others get here, I'll be surrounded. I need a plan—fast.'
Meanwhile, Void's pale face twisted in rage.
His clenched fists trembled. "You don't know... just how much I want to kill you right now...! If not for the bounty reward—if not for that damn bounty—I would've killed you a thousand times already!"
Lancelot smirked. "Don't talk so big. Without your little team, what can you really do? Don't underestimate me. I can easily finish you off before the others even show up."
His words were bold—but inside, he knew the truth. His energy reserves were running low.
He couldn't afford a prolonged fight. Not now.
'Void Shattering Dragon... that nearly emptied my soul energy... I called it off early, but even so, I'm nearly tapped out. Fighting them all? Impossible. I can't win... but I can still run.'
A sharp gleam appeared in his eyes.
'I got it. Void must've burned through his energy too—he can't teleport yet. His beast soul must be in recovery mode. He'll need time to regain his strength. That's my window.'
As if on cue, Void clenched his teeth—and then noticed six silhouettes rapidly approaching from the distance. A cruel smile curled his lips. "So what if I'm only a Two-Star? With our combined powers, we can—"
But he didn't get to finish. Lancelot had already vanished.
A burst of blue lightning shot through the air—he had summoned the Lightning Cheetah again, fused with it, and bolted away like a streak of pure speed.
Void's eye twitched. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuuck!!!"
His voice echoed in fury. "Why can't you just stay and chat for one more minute, you slippery bastard!"
His fists slammed against the ground.
He had hoped to stall Lancelot long enough for the others to surround him. That was the plan. As a Two-Star Souler, Void knew he couldn't take on a peak-tier Three-Star like Lancelot alone.
But together, they might have had a chance... maybe.
"And now... I can't even teleport for an hour... Damn it!" Void gritted his teeth. His beast soul—the Void Sovereign—had drained all his essence just to maintain that dimension. Now he was helpless until he recovered. All he could do now... was wait for the others to catch up.