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Some of the horses on the road died directly from the aftermath of the battle, while others, startled by the sudden conflict, dragged their carriages and crashed into each other, putting those inside the carriages at a greater disadvantage.
Elliot lay flat on the ground, not daring to move. This was the fiercest Beyonder battle he had ever witnessed. By his estimation, at least four Sequence 5s were involved, along with at least ten Sequence 6s, and an uncountable number of Sequence 7s and Sequence 8s.
The mysterious being seated on the Iron Throne was tracking the middle-aged man, who was part of the ambushing group. Many of them were Beyonders from the Lawyer Pathway. Their control abilities were formidable, continuously using "Weaken," "Disorder," and "Corrosion" to suppress the Beyonders inside the carriage.
Their companions, mostly Beyonders from the Arbiter Pathway, excelled in close combat. They primarily used "Imprison" to trap the enemy before rushing in together to finish them off.
The battle was one-sided from the start until a red spear of flame was shot from one of the carriages, momentarily halting the enemy's advance, giving the ambushed group a brief moment to catch their breath.
However, the carriage that had fired the red spear soon began to emit a radiant light. With a solemn shout of "Punishment!", two Sequence 5s, shrouded in black holy light, and another Sequence 5, exuding an aura of chaos, began to assault the one who had thrown the flaming spear.
The other Beyonders in the carriage took this opportunity to jump out and flee toward the forest on the opposite side of the battlefield.
But after running only a short distance, they heard the sounds of "Distortion" and "Imprison" nearby, clearly indicating that the ambushers had set up another trap in that direction.
In the end, the ambushed Beyonders had no choice but to regroup and break out along the road.
Elliot pressed himself even lower to the ground as the battle approached his location. He didn't want to die in such a senseless manner.
It was at this moment that he realized the mysterious being on the Iron Throne wasn't following him but was focused on this extraordinary battle.
Such a high-level conflict, in a time without large-scale wars, was significant enough to determine the stability and ownership of a warlord's territory in the Southern Continent.
This was something worthy of the attention of a being on the level of the mysterious Iron Throne.
The mysterious being on the Iron Throne was observing the battle with great interest through True Vision. During the time Elliot had been tracking the middle-aged man, the being had taken a break from the Nation of Disorder, and now he could leisurely watch the fight.
Hobert, for the first time, realized that the "Imprison" ability of the Arbiter Pathway and the "Weaken" ability of the Lawyer Pathway could be used in conjunction. First, the opponent is imprisoned, and then three or four "Weaken" abilities are applied, leaving the target with almost no fighting power.
When over a hundred Beyonders, organized and premeditated, launched an attack, the power was immense. Even an entire regiment of troops would be no match for them.
The battle between the Beyonders came swiftly and ended just as quickly. Soon, the Feysac Empire's Beyonders, pursued by Loen Beyonder mercenaries, disappeared around a bend, and the battlefield gradually moved away.
On the now-quiet road, only the cries of horses remained, along with a few Sequence 7 and Sequence 8 members of the victorious side patrolling the battlefield and tending to their wounded.
Elliot finally dared to lift his head slightly. Seeing that no one was paying attention to his area, he was about to leave when something caught his eye—an object glowing with a black light, about the size of a cherry.
It was the Beyonder characteristic of a Barbarian, and its owner had died so brutally that their body was barely recognizable, possibly explaining why the Beyonder characteristic had separated so quickly.
The characteristic wasn't far from Elliot. His eyes gleamed with excitement. He glanced at the attackers far off, still finishing off the defeated, then at the Beyonder characteristic.
This was exactly what the Balk family needed! The shortage of Beyonder characteristics, as the population grew, had led to many madmen in their town.
The main battlefield had moved far away, and the mid-Sequence Beyonders were still locked in combat.
This was an opportunity.
Elliot made up his mind, adjusted his stance, and dashed forward to grab the large, cherry-like Beyonder characteristic.
Just as he was about to leave the road, he spotted a necklace clearly imbued with Beyonder powers.
He snatched the necklace and was about to leave when he noticed a bizarre Beyonder mask. Just as he reached for the mask, a towering throne and a mysterious figure flashed in his mind: "Go!"
Elliot realized he had likely been influenced by a Beyonder item from the battlefield, unknowingly growing more and more greedy.
Thankfully, the voice of the mysterious being on the Iron Throne cleared his mind.
But it was too late. A Sequence 8 patrolling the battlefield shouted, "Who's there? Stop!" and, along with a Sequence 7 and another Sequence 8, started chasing him.
Elliot ran desperately but couldn't shake off his pursuers. Just as panic was setting in, a majestic throne appeared in the sky above him, glowing with holy black light, visible even in the night.
A vague figure sat on the throne, radiating immense pressure.
The three pursuers were startled and scattered in fear.
Soon they realized that the powerful being on the throne wasn't attacking them but had thrown the space in front of them into a chaotic state.
When the chaos cleared and space returned to order, the thief who had stolen the Beyonder characteristic had vanished, and all traces were erased.
...
After helping Elliot escape his pursuers, Hobert left the Nation of Disorder.
Tonight's battle had taught him much. He had gained practical insights into the abilities of Sequence 8, Sequence 7, Sequence 6, and even Sequence 5 Beyonders from the Lawyer Pathway, as well as how Beyonders of the same Pathway used their powers in combat.
In the Lawyer Pathway, Sequence 7 was a qualitative leap. Before that, Barbarians and Lawyers didn't have very strong abilities. But starting at Sequence 7, one could use various effects with "Bribery."
That was when real offensive abilities became available.
As Hobert was reflecting, a strange echo sounded in his mind—someone was chanting his name? Or rather, Elliot was chanting his name, since up to this point, only he and Elliot knew his true name.
Hobert sighed. He was indeed a bit tired tonight, but the "Great Being on the Iron Throne" still had work to do.
He used Reverse Walk to return to the Nation of Disorder, seated himself on the Iron Throne, and saw that the star representing Elliot was pulsing non-stop.
Extending his spirituality, Hobert realized that Elliot wanted to offer him the extraordinary necklace he had taken.