An annoying sound came from the upper edge of the altar.
At the sound, everyone raised their heads and looked up, only to find an Abyss Mage.
The Cryo Abyss Mage floated in the air, enveloped in a layer of Cryo Elemental Energy shield, waving his staff and cackling strangely.
Most importantly, next to where his staff was pointing, another Cryo Elemental Energy shield was suspended.
Yet inside this Cryo Elemental Energy shield, it was not another Abyss Mage being protected, but a boy who was being held captive!
The boy had grey hair and red eyes, and a wild aura about him.
Unfortunately, the wild boy looked listless right now. Bound tightly with ropes and trapped inside the Cryo Elemental Energy shield, his eyes were closed, and it was impossible to tell if he was conscious.
Seeing the boy, everyone was startled, and Lisa stepped forward anxiously:
"Razor!"
Indeed, the young hostage controlled by the Abyss Mage was none other than Razor!
At this moment, the Abyss Mage had frozen several sharp ice spikes inside the Cryo Elemental Energy shield.
These ice spikes were pointed right at Razor's throat, heart, underarms, and other fatal spots, making the threat abundantly clear!
Seeing this, fire blazed in Lisa's eyes, and the others wore grim expressions.
Guchen's expression soured as well, and he said coldly:
"I assumed that after Razor was eroded by Abyssal Power, he would turn around and attack us.
To think you would use him directly as a hostage—how despicable."
The Cryo Abyss Mage cackled strangely again, his voice hoarse and grating:
"Hehehe... Despicable, truly the highest praise for us! We stop at nothing to achieve our goals!
Listen up, all of you! Do you see the ice spikes I've condensed?
As long as you obey me, this brat will be fine.
However, if your actions cause me even the slightest misunderstanding, this brat will only..."
As he spoke, the Abyss Mage continued his actions.
The ice spikes crept forward, piercing the skin at Razor's throat, left chest, and underarms, oozing blood from the wounds.
Everyone was furious. Paimon was so angry that she kept stamping her feet in mid-air:
"Abominable! What an utterly heinous villain!"
On the other side, the captured Razor felt the sharp pain, which helped him clear his head a little.
Struggling to open his eyes, Razor peered through the slits and saw the people below, especially his master.
The poor little wolf pup instinctively whimpered out:
"Master..."
Lisa furrowed her brow tightly below, her heart aching with a mix of heartache and rage.
At that moment, Lisa began to wonder whether she should unlock her hidden power.
Unlocking that terrifying power would allow her to kill the Abyss Mage and rescue Razor before he could react!
Only... once the power was unlocked, could she control it, and what about her lifespan...
There was no time to worry about that now...
With that thought, Lisa silently began to prepare.
Whether sensing danger or not, the Cryo Abyss Mage's voice suddenly turned frantic:
"What? Are you planning to stand by and watch this brat die?!
Hurry up! Do as I say, right now!"
Diluc narrowed his eyes slightly:
"You haven't even told us what to do yet."
"Don't interrupt me!" The Cryo Abyss Mage snapped, provoked into shame: "First! Drop the weapons in your hands!"
They looked at each other and had no choice but to discard their weapons.
Guchen simply spread his hands to show that he didn't have a weapon to begin with.
Having thrown away everything they needed to, the triumphant Abyss Mage tossed several lengths of rope down from above:
"Next, use the ropes I gave you to tie yourselves up!"
Venti wanted to buy some time, so he pitifully asked back:
"How are we supposed to tie ourselves up?"
The Abyss Mage above grew frantic again:
"Just tie each other up, you idiots!
Wait! None of you are allowed to move!"
Scanning the group, the Abyss Mage pointed his staff at Paimon:
"You, that flying white little speck!"
Paimon looked terrified as she pointed at herself in a panic:
"Me?"
"That's right! You!
Who made you look like the weakest one in this group?
You're going to tie all of these people up, and make sure they're bound nice and tight!
Hehe, little white speck, don't try any tricks.
If you dare pull anything, this wolf-boy will be dead instantly!
Oh, and that guy named Guchen next to you looks like the biggest threat, so start by tying him up first!"
Hearing this, Paimon looked at her companion Guchen, practically on the verge of tears:
"Wh-What should I do? Guchen?"
The Abyss Mage above was growing increasingly impatient, his tone turning harsh and frantic:
"Little speck! What are you dawdling for? Go pick up the rope and tie him up!
Do you want to watch this brat die?"
Paimon was at her wits' end, tears genuinely welling up in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the palm of Lisa's hand hidden behind her back, condensed Electro energy began to gather, as if she were about to unleash some formidable power.
Observing all of this, Guchen's expression grew cold to the absolute extreme.
Staring at the Abyss Mage above with icy detachment, Guchen spoke:
"You really brought this upon yourself."
The Abyss Mage was stunned:
"What did you say?"
"I said you brought this upon yourself.
I wanted to see what kind of show you could put on for everyone, but I didn't expect such despicable tactics. Keeping you around to disgust everyone was my mistake."
As soon as his voice fell, Guchen activated his telekinesis through the air!
Don't forget that Guchen possessed the Ultra Psychokinesis technique.
Telekinesis was formless, colorlessness, traceless, and all-pervasive. It could be invoked with just a single thought—it was practically a cure-all!
Moreover, Elemental Energy shields could not block this kind of power.
With a narrow of his eyes, Guchen's terrifying telekinesis directly acted upon the Abyss Mage!
The Abyss Mage's expression changed drastically!
He felt as though he had lost control of his body! An invisible force was binding him!
"You... you... you..."
Guchen reached out a hand, amplified his telekinesis, and casually twisted the staff in the Abyss Mage's hands into a pretzel from afar.
With his staff ruined, how was the Abyss Mage supposed to control Elemental Energy?
Consequently, the Cryo Elemental Energy shield around him, the Cryo Elemental Energy shield binding Razor, and the ice spikes holding Razor hostage all dissipated in an instant.
Deprived of support, the bound Razor fell from above.
Lisa dashed forward in a flash and caught her disciple, preventing him from getting hurt by the fall.
As for the Abyss Mage...
With a wave of Guchen's hand, the terrifying telekinesis transformed into immense pressure, crushing in on the Abyss Mage from all directions!
The Abyss Mage was in excruciating agony!
He felt as though he had plunged into the deep sea, surrounded on all sides by terrifying pressure that he could not withstand, making it impossible even to draw a breath!
The next second, Guchen closed his fist coldly, and the telekinetic pressure spiked once more!
With a muffled squelch, before the Abyss Mage could even let out a scream, he was crushed into a pile of minced meat by the terrifying pressure! This pile of minced meat, mixed with blood, scattered widely across the air!