Chapter 192: Ethereal Jaunt
Just now, Frost covered everything, obstructing the view, so Anse could only rely on the constantly flashing combat logs to understand the battle situation.
Everyone was injured, even the two Halflings carefully protected by Metamagic were hurt by the Cold, barely breathing, with only the Warlock missing.
This meant that at the moment the Spell erupted, the opponent had already left the Tavern.
‘What Teleport Spell is faster than my Empower Quicken?’
His heart stirred, and he immediately activated the True Sight Ring.
The view before his eyes changed drastically, space layered upon layers, infinitely extending, and in a Plane filled with thin mist, a blurry Black Robe Shadow Figure was quietly staring at Anse’s every move, holding a deck of Cards in his palm.
‘Ethereal Plane!’
The Ethereal Plane is also known as the Spirit World, located between the Material Plane and the Inner Plane, with boundaries overlapping the Material Plane. Creatures hiding within cannot be seen or attacked, making this Plane an ideal place for scouting, Stealth, and covert operations.
There are many Spells that allow entry to the Ethereal Plane, such as the Second Ring Spell Blink or the Seventh Circle Etherealness.
Anse and the Black Robe locked gazes across Planes; though close at hand, they seemed extraordinarily distant, neither able to attack the other.
‘It shouldn’t be Blink.’ Anse guessed.
Blink only allows brief entry into the Ethereal Plane, like flickering between two Planes, but the opponent seemed to be using a more advanced Ethereal Jaunt.
He glanced at the Orc frozen in the Ice Layer and decided to save people first.
He quickly took a few steps, his right hand turning into Dragon Claws, prying open the Ice Layer, continuously touching the two Halflings. White Lay on Hands light shone, quickly stabilizing their injuries.
The two Halflings had not been affected by the Cold Magic, but the Tavern was now too cold, dozens of degrees below zero, and the temperature had dropped abruptly in an extremely short time—inhaling one breath could let Cold Air enter the brain and freeze someone to death.
Suddenly, a cracking sound came to his ears.
With a boom, the Ice shattered, and amid the sky full of Ice Shards, a burly Orc forcefully propped up his upper body, opening his ferocious big mouth to roar angrily at Anse. A faint red light spread out from the Orc as the source, covering the entire Tavern.
Anse had anticipated this, his expression calm; there was still time to observe the Black Robe’s reaction.
【You are oppressed by the Advanced Barbarian’s Intimidating Presence. You are immune to Panic and are not affected at all, only finding the Orc extremely ugly】
「Intimidating Presence」 is the Berserker’s top ability, which can use Primal Power to instill fear into enemies’ hearts, but for Anse, this ability did less damage than bad breath.
His head shook and transformed into a Dragon Head. He opened his mouth and spat, a frigid white conical Breath surging out, engulfing the Orc who had just stood up.
Normally, an Advanced Barbarian could easily dodge, but he was severely frostbitten, and the space here was cramped, covered in Ice Layer, cold like an extreme cold domain, making movement difficult and sluggish.
But the Orc was fearless, tanking a Cold Breath head-on. Instead of retreating, he advanced, a layer of blood-like red light clinging to his body. With each step, the Ice Layer on the ground shattered successively, crossing most of the distance in two steps.
‘Meow!’ Mei Fu’s fur bristled, but she couldn’t help.
Anse did not foolishly engage the Advanced Barbarian in close combat. The last two points of Psionic Energy surged from his Bloodline.
“”
「Metamagic: Empower Quicken」+「Fifth Circle: Sleet Storm」!
In the snap of fingers, a conical burst of icy energy erupted, covering everything in its path with thick Frost.
The Barbarian struggled forward a few steps, but Frost rapidly spread along his body, freezing him again.
He even maintained his charging Posture, eyes wide in anger, full of reluctance.
Sleet Storm is a Second Ring Spell. When Upcast, its damage is less than Fireball, but the conical area won’t affect the Halflings behind, while also creating a large amount of water vapor with a control effect—once enemies are frozen, they struggle to break free.
Anse didn’t stop moving, firing several Ray of Frost at his head.
【Target Death, gain 3250 Combat Experience】
‘So tough.’
He had used Metamagic and Upcasting the whole time; if it were in an open outdoor area, this Barbarian probably wouldn’t have died.
Seeing the Barbarian thoroughly dead, he immediately turned to look at the Black Robe.
The opponent had been quietly watching the battle in the Material Plane, making no moves.
A minute passed quickly, but the Black Robe did not leave the Ethereal Plane; instead, he began walking in the Ethereal Plane, circling Anse, now near, now far.
‘He’s testing the range and Duration of my True Sight?’ Anse frowned slightly. The Black Robe could indeed move freely in the Ethereal Plane.
Without True Sight, creatures on the Material Plane cannot see the Ethereal Plane, but those on the Ethereal Plane can easily see the Material Plane, with a maximum view of about twenty meters.
Once the True Sight’s Duration ends, he won’t be able to see the Black Robe anymore, while the opponent can keep surveilling him—that would truly be… like a thorn in the back.
‘Seventh Circle Etherealness lasts eight hours; if the opponent really has that Strength, why hide from me?’ He quickly spotted the blind spot.
A near-Legendary tier Warlock had no reason to fear a Sorcerer whose Mana was half depleted.
The Warlock class is very unique; abilities mainly come from the Patron, and different Patrons grant different abilities.
Even if a Warlock loses connection with their Patron due to Magic Net disruption, losing most Spellcasting ability, no one dares underestimate them with just Cantrip Eldritch Blast.
Of course, Wizards and Sorcerers still have hope, but Warlocks are now like a group of abandoned stray cats, with a bleak future and prone to extremes.
‘Still not giving up, so persistent—what’s the point?’
Anse felt the opponent initially wanted to capture him alive; the Black Robe should have had a chance to cast Eldritch Blast earlier.
‘Probably not confident in taking me down without injury.’ He pondered.
However, he wasn’t without options; he knew Wall of Force, which could extend into the Ethereal Plane and trap the opponent for a while.
‘No rush, wait a bit more.’
He bet the Black Robe’s Ethereal Jaunt couldn’t last long!
The opponent probably never imagined a Sorcerer like him knowing Wall of Force, which was a signature Spell of the School of Evocation Wizards.
Anse paced back and forth in the Tavern, silently converting some Mana into Psionic Energy.
He also Teleported the three corpses into the Black Tower Prison, gave the two Halflings a few sips of Healing Potion, and helped pull out the Iron Skewers stuck in their bodies.
A violent crashing sound came from the Tavern door, but unfortunately, the door, walls, and floor were covered in thick Ice Layer, making entry difficult.
Aldon slowly woke up, seeing the Tavern like an Ice Cave, and was stunned. He quickly recalled the situation before falling into a Coma, his gaze involuntarily falling on Anse.
Anse paused, looking up toward the Void.
He saw the Black Robe put away the Cards, stared at him fixedly for a few seconds, then floated straight upward, about to exit the maximum Distance of True Sight.
And at this Distance, he had surely lost sight of the Tavern.
‘He’s leaving!’
By now, the opponent had been in the Ethereal Plane for nearly ten minutes.
Anse didn’t hesitate and decisively Quick Cast Fifth Circle 「Wall of Force」!
The next moment, the Black Robe’s head seemed to hit a wall, his whole body bouncing back, hunching over and crouching down, quite embarrassed.
It looked like it hurt a bit.
Ignoring this, the Black Robe immediately changed direction, but after moving just two meters, his hand was blocked again by an invisible wall.
He groped around, confirming he was trapped in an invisible sphere about six meters in diameter.
‘Wall of Force!’
He yanked off his Hood, revealing an extremely pale, gaunt face with deep-set eye sockets and a Black Forehead Ornament on his forehead, like a third eye.
