The old king endured Bai Qi's taunts, and watched his army perish at Bai Qi's hands, but he still held on. He knew that for the sake of the seven kingdoms, all sacrifices were worth it.
However, now, seeing the Queen Consort unconscious from a magical backlash, the long-stressed old king finally broke.
At this moment, nothing else mattered – not the kingdom, not his people, not Basha. The long-dormant king's blood boiled once more. The old king's mind was focused on one thing: making the demon who dared to step into his kingdom pay.
The enraged old king's eyes turned blood red, and his body swelled visibly like an inflated balloon. His clothes tore apart in the process, and a sea-blue magic gem appeared on his chest, catching Bai Qi's eye.
"Interesting."
Seeing the old king's transformation, Bai Qi didn't rush. He watched the old king's display with amusement.
Soon, the frail old king became a muscle-bound hulk of the same height as Bai Qi, his body covered in intricate magic runes. Unlike ordinary runes, these were not blue but dark red, as if carved with blood.
"Demon! Pay for what you've done!"
Empowered by the magic runes, the old king unleashed an ancient Atlantean magic. Tentacles shot out from beneath Bai Qi's feet, binding his movements. Unlike the Queen Consort's summoned tentacles, these were dark red, more numerous, more agile, and incredibly resilient.
However, this difference in strength was negligible to Bai Qi. In an instant, he crushed all the tentacles.
Though it only restrained Bai Qi for a moment, it was enough for the old king. Unlike the Queen Consort's long-range attacks, the old king, aware of Bai Qi's power, decided to go all out. While Bai Qi was occupied crushing the tentacles, the old king charged forward and, with a fist the size of a sandbag, unleashed his full strength towards Bai Qi's head.
"Such petty tricks dare..." *Bang!*
Before Bai Qi could finish speaking, the old king's fist landed precisely on Bai Qi's face. While it caused no damage, it greatly surprised Bai Qi. He had used his telekinesis to block the old king's punch, and he was certain his telekinesis had affected the old king. So why didn't it work?
Having landed a blow, the old king didn't hesitate and swung his fist again. Though bewildered by his telekinesis's sudden failure, Bai Qi reacted swiftly, blocking the punch and then slapping the old king away, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Hm?"
Bai Qi looked at his hand in confusion, then at the old king plastered against the wall. In that instant, he felt a strange sensation of power being siphoned away. Though the amount was minuscule to him, it had indeed been drawn out.
Meanwhile, the old king, after a brief pause, pulled himself off the wall and floated in the air. His body had swelled even further than before.
"Interesting, truly interesting."
Sensing the telekinetic energy on him and observing the magic runes on the old king, Bai Qi, after a few seconds of thought, understood. He understood everything.
He had to admit, ancient Atlantean magic was quite intriguing. When the old king first attacked, Bai Qi had used telekinesis to block him. Although the force wasn't strong, it should have been enough to pin the old king in place. The reason his telekinesis, which had clearly landed on the old king, had no effect lay in the magic runes.
These runes acted like storage devices, capable of storing not only the user's own magic but also the magic of others. The old king's transformation from a frail old man to a muscular powerhouse was achieved by consuming his previously stored magic, thus temporarily boosting his strength – a kind of power-up.
With his stored magic depleted, the runes became empty. Bai Qi's telekinetic force, being a form of magic, was naturally absorbed by the runes upon contact. This was why his telekinesis had failed.
Subsequently, when the old king attacked Bai Qi, and Bai Qi retaliated, their contact points were still subjected to the magic runes. The runes continued to absorb magic from Bai Qi's body and store it, which explained Bai Qi's feeling of power loss.
Having grasped this, Bai Qi became increasingly fascinated by the runes, while simultaneously looking down on the old king's shortsightedness. Such powerful and useful runes were merely kept as a trump card. If they were widely implemented, with all the Zeberian guards inscribed with them, they could not only avoid being instantly annihilated but might even pose some trouble for Bai Qi.
However, the old king didn't think that way. He believed his trump card could stall Bai Qi, or even force him to retreat. If Bai Qi knew this, he would burst out laughing.
Of course, it wasn't surprising the old king had such thoughts. He had ascended the throne late, and his understanding of demons was solely derived from fragmented ancient texts in the library. What was learned from books was too one-sided; without personal experience, one could not comprehend the terror of a demon, especially one surpassing its peak. Even if all the magic runes on the old king's body were activated at full power, the amount of magic they could absorb from Bai Qi would be a mere drop in the ocean. If Bai Qi wished, he could easily drain the old king to death with his magic.
But Bai Qi was in no hurry to finish him off. Time was still plentiful, and he felt a playful urge. He restrained most of his power and engaged the old king in a back-and-forth struggle, always maintaining a slight edge, giving the old king the illusion that victory was within reach.
Hope was within sight, yet impossible to grasp. As the exchange continued, the old king's already anxious heart grew more frantic. He continuously drew Bai Qi's magic from the runes into himself, appearing to grow stronger with each blow. In reality, his body was under immense strain, reaching the verge of collapse as time passed.
Seeing the increasingly frenzied old king, Bai Qi worried he might over-absorb the magic and kill himself, which would prevent Bai Qi from acquiring the knowledge of the magic runes.
"Enough, business comes first."
Bai Qi moved quickly, pinning the old king to the ground. He grabbed the old king's head and roughly began to rummage through his memories.