What Asterion summoned did not resemble a cursed spirit at all. Sadalmelik-Albus appeared as a human woman with blue skin and long hair made of water, undulating like the waves of the sea. Her generous bust was hidden by two white shells.
But unlike a normal human woman, instead of legs like any other person, she had a fish tail covered in blue scales, full of beauty and shine. In her hand, she held a golden trident. She looked like a sea goddess full of sacredness rather than a cursed spirit.
Sadalmelik was about ten meters tall, her enormous body resembling a masterpiece crafted by the gods. Her tail moved with surprisingly graceful motions, and a voice reminiscent of a siren's song hung in the air.
When Sadalmelik appeared, a large wave surged and quickly spread, dragging trees, stones, and anything else in its path, including the Spanish team members themselves.
Asterion stood on Sadalmelik's shoulder, looking at Ana with a calm gaze. He could feel the rapid consumption of magical energy; it was substantial, even though he controlled how much magical energy Sadalmelik could use.
Otherwise, if he hadn't controlled Sadalmelik when she was summoned with the strength of a Special Grade Warlock, the entire arena might have been submerged by now.
Ana couldn't help but be shocked. Even though Sadalmelik had only the strength of a Grade 2 Warlock, she was truly a Special Grade cursed spirit. Her presence was so shocking that it made the young Spaniard pale in the face of the malice and terror emanating from the being before her. Even with her beautiful and charming appearance, in Ana's eyes, Sadalmelik was no different from a beautiful but extremely terrifying monster.
Ana couldn't help but be shaken by the thought that Asterion Black might have dozens of other cursed spirits. She finally understood why everyone spoke to Asterion with such respect; the young man was the literal embodiment of the phrase "a one-man army."
Taking a deep breath, Ana pushed those distracting thoughts away and focused entirely on the moment. Seeing water everywhere she looked, she had to admit that Asterion had chosen the perfect cursed spirit to suppress her.
It should be noted that a Wizard or Witch does not gain total immunity by controlling a specific element.
Take Ana, for example. She might not suffer damage if she put her finger in an electrical socket, but if lightning struck her, it would be a completely different story. Although she wouldn't die and would survive, she would be severely injured.
Asterion was the same; although he could create a cursed spirit capable of healing him, he wouldn't dare to put something like that inside his body. The negative magical energy would definitely corrode his body from the inside out.
For this reason, Ana was apprehensive about using her innate technique in this water-filled environment. With a wave of Asterion's hand, he could turn Ana's power against her.
Pulling out her wand, Ana decided to test Asterion with some spells to determine his current strength. If he was exhausted from summoning such a powerful cursed spirit, she would attack with all her might; if not, she would retreat and conserve her strength for the second phase of the King's Game.
With a flick of her wrist, her wand traced a half-moon path, and in an instant, a column of water shot toward Asterion, taking the form of a serpent with its mouth wide open.
Asterion didn't even blink at the attack, and Sadalmelik raised her trident. The water serpent, instead of heading towards Asterion, changed direction and turned against its creator.
Meanwhile, dozens of other water serpents formed around and attacked Ana without hesitation.
Seeing this, Ana's expression changed dramatically as she leapt from branch to branch, dodging the dozens of water serpents. Her movements were graceful and skillful, and when she couldn't avoid an attack, she used Transfiguration to create a barrier, buying time to dodge another attack.
Suddenly, still in the air, jumping to another branch, a shiver ran down her spine. She tried to move, but she was still in the air with no foothold to change direction.
Looking up, she saw Asterion above her, his fist covered in a black gauntlet getting closer and closer to her face.
"You're not just fighting Sadalmelik," he said calmly as his fist struck her squarely in the face.
Boom!
Ana felt her brain shake violently. Even with the reinforcement magic on her body, she still felt intense pain. Her body flew downwards, landing heavily on the muddy ground.
Feeling the wet touch on her face, Ana breathed heavily but quickly got up the next second. She wiped the mud from her face with the back of her hand and looked at Asterion with sarcasm.
"You hit like a girl!"
"I can do this all day!" In a fighting stance, with somewhat unsteady steps, she looked at Asterion with determination.
Hearing her words, Asterion raised an eyebrow and looked at Ana strangely.
"You call that a provocation?" he asked in a strange tone. It was obvious she was trying to make him angry to create an opening, but Ana's choice of words wasn't the best. They only made him more amused than angry.
Ana's lips twisted awkwardly at his amused tone, and she spoke in an embarrassed voice. "I was raised by my grandmother. She taught me to be very polite."
"She's probably watching the tournament right now, and I don't want to hear a several-hour-long lecture when I get back," she finished with an extremely embarrassed tone.
"Puff!" Asterion couldn't hold back and let out a laugh. "Hahahaha~"
"What are you, a child who can't swear?" Wiping the tear from the corner of his eye, he asked playfully. He hadn't wanted to laugh, but the situation was too funny not to.
Ana felt even more embarrassed by his laughter. At that moment, she just wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole to escape the awkward situation.
As she was about to respond, a huge shadow appeared, covering her. She looked up and saw the cursed spirit arriving beside its master.
Letting out a heavy sigh, laden with exhaustion and a touch of relief, she knew she had lost. Ana truly didn't understand how a Grade 2 warlock could have so much magical energy. Even with the other side being suppressed to Grade 2, in a battle of attrition, she was the one who lost.
When Sadalmelik's trident was about to strike Ana, a shadow next to the tree rippled, and a person emerged from it, grabbed Ana, and submerged back into the shadows.
The whole process lasted only an instant, and it was only then that Asterion reacted.
His face turned extremely dark at that moment as he looked at the shadows and clenched his teeth.
He had let his guard down because he never took this fight seriously from the beginning. He never truly cared about Ana from start to finish; he was going to win, of that he had no doubt, which is why he didn't stay alert to his surroundings.
This allowed pests to hide in the shadows and successfully rescue Ana Rodrigues!
Looking at Sadalmelik, Asterion ordered coldly, "Flood this entire damn forest."
The cursed spirit obeyed its creator's orders and struck the ground with her trident, creating a wave with her at the center, spreading in all directions.
He wanted to see if the insect hiding in the shadows could travel as fast when there were no shadows in this forest.
The wave of water swept everything in its path, whether trees or stones, resembling an avalanche of destruction, obliterating everything in its way.
"Humph!" Seeing no sign of the insect reappearing, Asterion snorted coldly, wasted no more time, and returned to his team.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3), Chapter 149 - Second Phase of the King's Game (4), Chapter 150 - Second Phase of the King's Game (5), Chapter 151 - Second Phase of the King's Game (6), 152 - Second Phase of the King's Game (7), 153 - Second Phase of the King's Game (8), 154 - Second Phase of the King's Game (9), 155 - Second Phase of the King's Game (10), 156 - Second Phase of the King's Game (11), 157 - Second Phase of the King's Game (12), 158 - Second Phase of the King's Game (13 e And), 159 - Death of Arcturus (1), 160 - Death of Arcturus (2), Chapter 161 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (1), Chapter 162 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (2), Chapter 163 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (3), Chapter 164 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (4).