Chapter 340

Chapter 340: The Sinking Fury

As Midi and the leader of the Fourth Temple became locked in their exhausting battle of attrition, the tides of war shifted dramatically.

First, Commander Loz abandoned the battlefield.

Then the All-Seeing Demon withdrew from command systems to hunt Midi.

Finally, the Fury Cruiser became riddled like a sieve by internal eyeball ray attacks.

These events eroded the sect headquarters’ initial dominance, first balancing the scales, then ending in chaos and vulnerability.

Though Loz had issued stabilizing orders during earlier changes, no one anticipated the Fury Cruiser’s catastrophic damage nearing sinking. For sect members and Heart-Seizing Demons accustomed to their Fourth Temple leader’s absolute power, his sudden disappearance from both physical space and mind network shattered troop morale.

Though Loz still lived, locked in mortal struggle with Midi, this ambiguous state proved worse than confirmed death for fleet operations. With no acting commander and no replacement protocols activated, confusion reigned.

Opposite the chaos, "Judge" Marcel seized this pivotal moment. Since the All-Seeing Demon’s withdrawal, he’d noticed slower reactions and flawed strategies in sect forces. Ambushes worked. Concentrated firepower struck true. Though initial losses stung, Marcel saw his chance.

Yet he’d doubted whether one man could influence an entire fleet – even eliminating a commander shouldn’t expose such flaws. But seeing the warship-killing Fury Cruiser become a sinking honeycomb confirmed everything.

"That man… actually succeeded? How?" Marcel whispered hoarsely, smoke-stung eyes fixed on the foundering vessel, praying this wasn’t illusion.

On the Hawk Brigade’s poison needle warship, Reinhardt wiped soot from his face with a weary sigh. Beside him, Wiseman grinned. "Following this guy never gets dull. Always serving up miracles. Feel that? Midi’s caught something special this time."

The dark elf assassin Avril said nothing, eyes blazing with quiet pride for her chosen man.

At the battle’s forefront, crews of battered warships – Sandur, the scarred man, Roy, the Rot brothers – watched the Fury Cruiser’s death throes. Enemy forces reeled from their surprise attack, command systems crumbling – cause for celebration. Yet Sandur’s face twisted bitterly.

"If only I’d gained the legendary Thought Capturer heritage…" he hissed, voice thick with envy and spite.

Beside him, Rot suppressed a scoff, exchanging knowing glances with his brother. This Midi warranted investment – perhaps more than "Judge" Marcel himself. While Marcel focused on personal disciples, allying with this rising expert could benefit fringe operators like their Patrol Team immensely.

Under the varied gazes of the crowd, the supposedly indestructible Fury Cruiser finally reached its breaking point.

Flames erupted first from the main cannon at its bow, crimson tongues licking twisted metal and charred flesh across the massive warship’s body, transforming the dragon-like vessel into a blazing inferno.

Amid the violent explosions, sect headquarters members abandoned rescue efforts and scrambled to escape. Lifeboats, Vanguard ships, personal flight wings, flying skills, and levitation abilities—warriors born in the Star Ocean used all sorts of strange methods to flee the metal prison.

Suddenly, three surges of power tore through the chaos: golden-red sword lights, a sapphire beam, and overwhelming magical pressure. These forces scattered flames and debris as they spiraled upward, rising above the chaotic battlefield.

It was Midi, Loz, and the fully unhinged All-Seeing Demon.

Leaving aside the demon, both Midi and Loz were in bad shape. The Fury Cruiser’s explosion and the collapsing hall had distracted them simultaneously, freeing them from their excruciating psychic tug-of-war—but at a cost. Severing their tangled psychic energies unleashed a violent backlash.

Midi coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his thoughts scrambled. Loz spewed blue blood characteristic of Heart-Seizing Demons, his four tentacles twitching spasmodically—clear signs of drained psychic energy. Their prolonged clash had already depleted their reserves, and the forced separation emptied them completely.

The All-Seeing Demon, however, seemed limitless. Even maddened, it kept firing eyeball rays at anything moving, slaughtering fleeing crew members. Yet it still avoided confronting Midi and Loz, their fearsome psychic prowess etched deep into its fractured mind.

Neither Midi nor Loz had gained control of it. The confrontation narrowed again to just the two of them.

For Midi, this was advantageous. With only combat skills remaining, his "Sky Sword Dance" and four Demon Swordman disciplines far outmatched Loz’s mediocre elemental mage abilities.

"Come." Midi crossed his swords "Eliminate" and "Kill" before him, steadying his breathing for the final strike.

But Loz, leader of the Fourth Temple, had no interest in a losing battle. The Heart-Seizing Demon glared at Midi as if memorizing his face, then rasped through trembling tentacles: "Human, you’re strong… but you won’t live to see tomorrow!"

He crushed an ornate crystal. A golden barrier flashed into existence.

"Golden Barrier Teleport Crystal!" Midi narrowed his eyes. The shield could withstand a Wind King Warship’s main cannon—far beyond his current power to breach. Before it faded, the user would teleport thousands of miles away.

Inside the barrier, Loz sneered and flicked his last psychic energy at the raging All-Seeing Demon.

Mind-related ability: Frenzy.

Using "Frenzy" on an already insane Eye Demon? Pure madness.

Loz vanished. The All-Seeing Demon’s eight-meter-wide central eye flushed blood-red, swiveling to lock onto Midi. Frenzy had stripped even its instincts, leaving only rabid bloodlust.

Midi inhaled deeply—and ran.

Depleted and weakened, he stood no chance. He wove through floating island rocks, avoiding the central battlefield as he fled toward Blood Hell Island.

The All-Seeing Demon gave chase. Eye Demons naturally outpaced Heart-Seizing Demons in flight, and its hundred smaller eyes cast speed-boosting spells. Midi zigzagged desperately, but each dodged eyeball ray slowed him.

300 meters… 200… 100…

Entering the demon’s attack range meant certain death under combined spells and rays.

Then, blazing gunfire rained from above.

Reinhardt’s group had arrived.