Village Head's Debauchery - Chapter 1293

Chapter 1293: Lyra Vs Aurthorn, The Spiral Crossing Monarch
The man turned toward another screen, his form slowly gaining momentum as his movements began producing mirages, as though he was observing the entire screen at once and constantly switching scenes.

…….

One week later

Above a vast forest with enormous trees, their branches and leaves emitting wisps of light orange flames, a severe, thin man with arms and a field covered in brown hide stood in the air. On the left side of his head was a thorn-like horn, and he was dressed in dark, full-plated armour without a helmet, lined with runic chains. He gazed silently into the distance.

“Strange. I thought they said only six regions had revolted. How could it increase so quickly in such a short time?” Despite his youthful expression, the man’s voice was aged and crackled as he spoke.

“…An unexpected occurrence… It doesn’t make sense for a Baron-ranked and Aristocrat-ranked Spirit Beast to be capable of doing this, even if they possess frightening potential… Perhaps this is why they sent me.”

The man summoned a green rock inscribed with various runes and symbols from thin air and then activated it.

The green stone trembled slightly. After several seconds, it stopped responding.

The man furrowed his brows, a frown forming on his face. “I can’t even connect with the commander stationed here,” he muttered.

“I should report this back to the base immediately. Something is wrong with the northern regions,” he added.

Cardinal directions weren’t used in the Spirit Realm because the Spirit Realm was constantly expanding and reshaping its terrain based on its own set of rules and systems, which made it challenging to determine directions with precision.

However, the cardinal directions from the Material Realm were still valuable—they allowed one to navigate and categorize territories more easily. With the Celestial Spirit Court Base as the central point, all conquered territories were divided into four primary zones: North, South, East, and West.

These directions were only valid within the jurisdiction of a given base.

Once a region exceeded the base’s capacity to manage it, a new base would be established, and the area would be remapped accordingly. This system allowed for fluidity even if a territory expanded or changed over time.

Just as the man was about to contact the Celestial Spirit Court Base, he froze. Looking around, he noticed a black sphere enclosing a vast area around him. He realized that he had been unknowingly sealed off from the outside world.

He couldn’t sense any other Spirit Beasts in the vicinity either, meaning they had either evacuated or vanished from his perception in an instant.

He had been warned that there might be a treasure capable of sealing space, so the emergence of this phenomenon didn’t catch him completely off guard. However, he was now sure that this was far more advanced than any typical space-locking treasure.

The amount of spiritual energy and mastery over Spirit Laws required to maintain such a formation was beyond what most ordinary Spirit Beasts could wield.

That could only mean one thing, he was facing an enemy far stronger than he had been led to believe. His earlier suspicions were confirmed: the Celestial Spirit Court had severely underestimated the strength of the six regions and the Spirit Beasts supporting them. And now, they had likely conquered several more regions within the Court’s control.

Fortunately, he had come prepared after receiving a warning from the regional commander. While he hadn’t initially taken it seriously, he was now thankful he had at least paid some attention.

That cautious mindset was one of the strengths he had cultivated over his long years of life as a Spirit Beast.

It was always better to be over-prepared for battle than to be under-prepared and win with a shattered sense of pride.

That could be one of the reasons why the base had approached him first to handle this situation.

“I am Aurthorn, also known as the Spiral Crossing Monarch. A Viscount-ranked Spirit Beast and one of the six cores of the Celestial Spirit Court’s External Base Division,” Aurthorn introduced himself calmly.

“Since you’ve intruded upon our territory and sealed off this area from the prying eyes of the Spirit World, why don’t you reveal yourself? I’d like to see the mastermind behind all of this,” he added, his tone carrying both curiosity and authority.

The space before him rippled, and then an unknown figure emerged.

It was a breathtaking woman with long, flowing crimson hair, dressed in a short, crimson flower-patterned outfit. Her hair was so voluminous that she sat cross-legged upon it, some strands serving as her throne. Her legs were adorned with jewel-encrusted heeled sandals, and the rest of her hair spread out around her like a vast, floating ocean.

Yet, despite her bewitching appearance, Aurthorn sensed something peculiar, a familiar yet distinct aura emanating from her.

His body tensed instinctively.

‘She’s from the Material Realm,’ Aurthorn thought.

He sighed inwardly. He had prepared to face another Viscount-ranked Spirit Beast like himself. But now that he realized his opponent was from the Material Realm, a trace of relief passed through him, though he remained on high alert.

“Although I would love to exchange introductions and compare titles,” the woman said with a wistful sigh, “there’s really no point… You won’t be alive long enough anyway.”

She was disappointed. She had prepared a grand entrance and elaborate introduction, but due to time constraints, she had to abandon it. This only deepened her desire to master the Law of Time so she could make the most of moments like this.

Upon hearing her words, Aurthorn narrowed his eyes at her. “You speak with confidence. If you have allies lying in wait, now would be the time to call them out. You alone aren’t enough to accomplish the feat of killing me.”

Even as he spoke, his mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to inform the base of what was happening. Unfortunately, the green communication stone was still unable to establish a link.

“Nah. I’m more than enough to handle you alone,” she replied flatly. “Now, enough talk… die.”

In that instant, her hair surged forward, appearing before him and striking him.

Aurthorn stepped forward calmly, and his body phased into thin air, reappearing nearly a hundred miles away in the blink of an eye. But the ocean of hair followed relentlessly, appearing before him again within seconds. It moved with unnatural preciseness, locking onto him and preventing him from even transforming into his true Spirit Beast form.

“Fortunately, I came prepared,” Aurthorn muttered.

A floating wooden prism appeared in his palm, its nine shifting facets glowing with a soft indigo hue. Rings of light rotated around it rapidly, forming a protective field.

Without hesitation, he activated it.

The wooden prism trembled. A soft resonance, like the chiming echoes of a distant bell, spread outward, distorting the space around it. Suddenly, the strands of hair mere inches away from striking him down froze in place, suspended mid-air.

Aurthorn exhaled in relief. For a moment, he had truly believed he was going to die. Fortunately, he had been two steps ahead.

“Is that an artifact?” Lyra’s voice rang out, startling him.

Aurthorn’s expression darkened upon realizing she could still move and speak. “How?” he asked, eyes narrowing as he watched her lounging casually atop her own hair.

She reclined on her side, propping her head up with one arm, looking at him with playful curiosity.

This was a Tier Six Divine-ranked Spirit Treasure, nurtured by the Spirit Space Law and imbued with spatial attributes. For someone to resist or bypass its effects, they would need to be stronger than the treasure itself.

“You seem to carry quite a few nice things,” Lyra said with a light chuckle. “So, I’ll give you the chance to show me the extent of your capabilities.”

She was delighted by the myriad expressions crossing the Spirit Beast’s face as he realized neither his strength nor his artefact was effective against her. Still, she hadn’t forgotten one of her main objectives: to test Aurthorn’s capabilities. The results would help them gauge the strength of other Viscount-ranked Spirit Beasts within the Celestial Spirit Court.

Even if it wasn’t perfectly accurate, it would serve as a reasonable benchmark unless, of course, the Celestial Spirit Court recruited without regard for strength.

Without replying, Aurthorn transformed into his true Spirit Beast form.

He became a towering stag, his radiant brown fur gleaming with an otherworldly glow. He stood at a colossal height of over 280 meters. His antlers were like blackened metal, immense and branching high into the sky like tree branches, each one half his height and radiating a vibrant violet light.

His hooves stepped through the space, leaving behind faint ripples.

His entire being exuded an ancient aura unlike any ordinary Spirit Beast.

In the presence of such overwhelming majesty, it was clear why Aurthorn had preferred to remain in a lesser form, which was to avoid attracting too much attention.

Suddenly, his antlers came to life, twisting before launching toward the strands of crimson hair still frozen in space.