Above The Sky
Chapter 984 - 984 96 Ian in a dilemma Ian has nowhere to escape

984: Chapter 96: Ian in a dilemma, Ian has nowhere to escape…

Ian wins!

(5200, second update) 984: Chapter 96: Ian in a dilemma, Ian has nowhere to escape…

Ian wins!

(5200, second update) “How could he possibly escape?

This speed is insane!”

Green Tide couldn’t help but comment, “Wasn’t that jet acceleration method just now exactly like the ‘Explosive Arrow’ and ‘Explosive Arrowhead’ techniques that have been under research in the territory recently?”

“The actual product hasn’t been developed yet, and the boss decided to use it himself first!”

At that moment, Ian’s explosive burst of speed was downright inhuman—more like a projectile capable of breaking through anything.

Yet, this group of Dragon Worship Cult assassins, being inexperienced with cutting-edge non-organic technology, failed to notice anything unusual about Ian’s agility.

Had they been more observant, they would have quickly realized how wrong their assumptions were—thinking they’d cornered the boy inescapably.

However, not everyone was oblivious.

“Such incredible speed!”

Mojian’s eyes narrowed.

He had barely been able to trace Ian’s movements moments ago.

He could faintly discern that it was some advanced technique related to Fairy Wings.

It turned out that the Lord of Dawnshimmer Domain really did have good relations with the Fae.

It wasn’t just a rumor—he had managed to obtain such skills from those enigmatic Different Races.

For a moment, Mojian felt an urge to retreat.

His specialty wasn’t direct combat but assessing the likelihood of victory.

With Ian possessing that kind of speed, even if they couldn’t overpower him, he was almost guaranteed to escape.

At best, they’d leave some of their subordinates behind to cover their retreat.

But was their objective just to kill one of Ian’s men?

Their target had always been Ian himself!

If they failed to take him down, countermeasures from The Empire would soon arrive, leaving them powerless to escape.

Just as Mojian furrowed his brow and began to back away, intending to disappear alone, Ian—who was advancing at high speed—suddenly staggered, his steps faltering and his body swaying.

The Fairy Wings behind him emitted dark smoke, rising in dense frost mist and scalding steam.

Clearly, the mechanism had overheated.

“That’s bad!”

Then, they heard Green Tide’s gasp of shock: “The master’s propulsion device is broken!”

If the Dragon Worship Cult members present were familiar with Green Tide, they would have noticed his voice sounded frighteningly stiff and unnatural—completely devoid of his usual Whale Song Cliff accent with the slight tongue-curling inflection.

Furthermore, Green Tide usually called Ian “boss,” not “master”… And Fairy Wings don’t emit smoke even when malfunctioning; the smoke had clearly been produced by some alchemical potion evaporating and sublimating.

In short, there were many giveaways.

Unfortunately, their lack of education meant they neither heard nor perceived these inconsistencies.

“As expected, this kind of propulsion technique comes at a price!”

Leading the assassination effort, the Dragon Worship Cult elf shouted an order: “Surround him!”

Though Ian had advanced to Second Energy Level less than half a year ago, the elf refused to believe that he could possess such strength.

It must have come from some forbidden secret technique!

And now, with the backlash taking effect, it was time to strike while the iron was hot!

Facing ‘Reconsideration,’ Ian revealed a grim expression after slaying one of his attackers.

He retreated on foot, but his pace wasn’t fast enough, forcing him to fight while retreating.

Even though Mojian instinctively sensed something was wrong, the momentum of the group had reached its peak.

Basically all of his comrades and subordinates were charging at Ian, leaving him with no choice but to follow suit.

At this moment, the elf hovered in mid-air, holding aloft his staff as a small green sun materialized above him—a manifestation of the Extreme Flame Dragon lineage’s ‘Scorching Sky Dragon.’ This was an ability converting air into high-temperature plasma, essentially an attack using charged Thunderflame energy.

“These Dragonbloods are indeed stronger than ordinary Sublimators.”

Looking up, Ian saw a massive plasma orb several meters in size descending toward him.

He clicked his tongue, adjusted his pace almost imperceptibly, and narrowly avoided it.

Even so, the orb’s explosion and the superheated steam turbulence shook him off balance, causing him to tumble several times across the ground.

He took shelter behind a tree, his previously pristine white clothing now stained with muddy filth.

Surrounded by Thunderflame, the elf gripped a long Thunder Spear.

Even though the foliage obscured his line of sight, he was able to roughly pinpoint Ian’s location, preventing him from escaping into the air.

Meanwhile, Mojian led the ground assault, forcing Ian to confront either aerial spearfire or close-quarters encirclement.

However, Ian’s evasive movements proved unexpectedly agile.

He persistently avoided close combat with Mojian and instead targeted the First Energy Level Dragon Worship Cult elites as his escape routes, nearly breaking through their encirclements multiple times.

This, of course, had been foreseen by the elf.

He now stood steadfast amidst the torrential rain, clutching his Thunder Spear with his left hand like a thunder god, his connection to the lightning above providing him with an endless energy supply.

In his right hand, he held a staff made from Flashsilver, a high-grade alchemical artifact with numerous functions.

Whenever Ian was on the verge of breaking free, the elf would lower the staff downward with intent.

Crystalline patterns extended from the staff, weaving into the atmosphere.

A series of lightning arrows, each about the length of a human arm—smaller than a Thunder Spear but no less deadly—began forming in mid-air.

Arcs of light crackled as dozens of lightning arrows zipped toward Ian.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A rapid and deafening barrage of explosions erupted, scorching vast swathes of forest into blackened ruins, resembling devastating artillery bombardment.

When combined with suitable alchemical tools and weaponry, the power of a Second Energy Level Sublimator could rival that of an entire military regiment.

Using such power in a surprise attack could completely annihilate enemy forces before they even had time to react.

Yet Ian’s slipperiness far exceeded their expectations—the youth fought while retreating, leveraging his lightweight physique (though surprisingly heavy thanks to his Bloodline) and maneuvering using cover or even the Dragon Worship Cult members themselves as shields to evade the elf’s high-ground attacks.