Everyone Is A Lord: My Talent Is A Little Too Strong Chapter 2526 1394: Unending Mutations, One After Another (Part 2)

As the tension reached a breaking point, Leo Ray ceased his hesitation and shared his full perspective on the situation.

"We were lured here on purpose?!"

This revelation left Bruno and the majority of the assembled experts wearing masks of pure shock. Only Shuert and a select few remained composed, as they had already begun to suspect the truth behind the scenes.

"Don't you all find the circumstances here highly suspicious?"

Leo Ray acknowledged the stunned expressions of the crowd with a small nod, explaining, "By design, a Barrier Area serves as a refuge and usually possesses distinct functions. However, this place consists only of a cramped, isolated island. Furthermore, it employs a type of cyclical space manipulation that ensures we return to this exact spot regardless of which direction we travel."

"Your Majesty of the Humans is absolutely right. If an unseen hand is indeed pulling the strings, it is clearly forcing us onto this lonely island. Both the spatial loops and the sudden appearance of high-tier sea demon beasts serve as evidence for this theory."

Shuert nodded in agreement, though a look of perplexity crossed his wooden features as he added, "Yet, this island appears completely ordinary. It makes no sense."

"When you put it that way, it does seem logical."

Bruno weighed the words for a moment and gave a heavy nod, inquiring, "But what would be the motive of this hidden manipulator?"

While the group struggled with the mystery, a sharp, serious glint flickered in Leo Ray’s eyes.

This question weighed heavily on his mind as well.

He had originally assumed this was merely a crumbling, ancient Barrier Area. However, the mounting evidence suggested that the reality was far more complex than his initial assessment.

As they pondered, the battle among the sea demon beasts in the surrounding waters grew more violent. Even though the carnage hadn't reached the shore yet, a thick sense of dread began to blanket the island.

Their forces had expanded from the original 20 Tier 6 Combat Power units to 50 Tier 6 experts and hundreds of Tier 5 Powerhouses from various factions. Despite this strength, few were specialized in aquatic combat. Watching over a hundred Tier 6 sea demon beasts tear into one another was a sight that filled everyone with primal terror.

"Lord, do you think it's possible that the island itself is the anomaly?"

Xiao Jing's pale face showed a flicker of suspicion as she spoke her thoughts aloud.

Before Leo Ray could offer a response, a sudden upheaval occurred.

The entire island was rocked by a violent tremor. Many of the Minotaur sailors were caught off balance, falling to the ground and struggling to regain their footing.

Chaos erupted instantly. Conversely, the sea demon beasts that had been locked in a ferocious struggle suddenly went still, retreating into defensive coils.

"Lord, could this entire island be a colossal sea demon beast?"

Rather than fear, a hint of thrill appeared on Xiao Jing's fair face.

However, her suggestion only served to deepen the anxiety of Bruno and the others. If they were standing on a living creature, their peril was far greater than they had imagined.

"That is impossible."

Suppressing a shiver, Leo Ray gave a wry smile and firmly dismissed her theory.

He had already considered that dramatic possibility. However, thorough inspections by powerful subordinates—including Earth System Grand Magicians like Crisis and Fanny, as well as Water Element Great Mages searching the seabed—had confirmed that the island was neither a biological entity nor a golem puppet.

"Your Majesty of the Humans, if it isn't a living creature, what is causing these tremors? Could it be a sudden eruption of underwater magical ley lines?"

As soon as Bruno asked, he shook his head to retract the idea, noting, "No, that can't be. This is a Barrier Area isolated from the physical world. There shouldn't be any magical ley lines here."

"Lord, it is a Space Series energy wave!"

Jasper Richardson, being the most proficient Space Magician in the group, was the first to identify the cause. His expression was grim: "A massive wave of Space Series energy is surging from the very foundations of this Barrier Area! That is the source of the island's instability!"

"A Space Series energy wave?"

Broy climbed a small hill, scanning the horizon with a nervous gaze.

Suddenly, he pointed toward the distance, shouting in shock, "Your Majesty of the Humans, look over there!"

Leo Ray looked where Broy was pointing, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The space in that direction had become a blur. The twin moons and the celestial canopy appeared warped, as if being tugged by an invisible force. The crescent moon was being stretched into a distorted, elongated shape.

It was common knowledge that the sky and moons within a Barrier Area were merely reflections of the real world. This distortion meant that the spatial fabric in that area was expanding at an incredible rate.

"Your Majesty of the Humans, what is happening to us?"

Bruno and several other experts were visibly shaken, their composure crumbling under the weight of the unknown.

They were well aware that the Tier-devouring Void Space lay just beyond the Barrier Area. If the Barrier Wall were to fail and expose a rift to the Void, they would all be lost.

"Stay calm. Remember what we speculated earlier; this entire event is likely being orchestrated by a shadow power. Whoever went to this much trouble wouldn't do so just to collapse the Barrier Wall and destroy everything."

Despite his own internal apprehension, Leo Ray maintained a facade of absolute calm.

"The Lord is correct. I can sense that this stretching and expansion isn't a result of the Barrier Wall failing due to age. Instead, a specific power is actively attempting to achieve something."

Jasper Richardson backed Leo Ray's assessment, adding, "This isn't the destruction of the Barrier Wall; it feels more like a restructuring."

"Restructuring?"

A look of confusion appeared on Bruno’s bovine face as he asked, "But the Barrier Area was functioning perfectly until now. Why change it so suddenly?"

"That remains a mystery. The methods being used are so sophisticated that it's impossible to find any clues. To suddenly modify the fundamental structure of a Barrier Area is a feat I have never heard of."

Jasper Richardson shook his head in frustration but concluded, "However, the Lord is right. For the moment, we aren't in immediate danger."

Jasper's reassurance helped ease the stifling tension among the group.

However, the calm didn't last long. The tremors intensified, and the spatial distortion grew more extreme. The projection of the moon on the horizon was stretched so thin it looked like a glowing thread cutting across the sky—a terrifying sight.

Just as panic was about to set in again, everything stopped.

The shaking vanished, and the moons and stars instantly snapped back to their original shapes as if the disturbance had never occurred.

A heavy silence fell over the Barrier Area. Even the sea demon beasts remained perfectly still, paralyzed by the overwhelming power that had just manifested.

"Is it finally over?"

After several heartbeats, Broy wiped sweat from his brow and let out a long breath of relief.

"But it looks like nothing changed at all."

Scarlett took the opportunity to survey their surroundings, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What was the purpose of that spatial restructuring?"

"Maybe it was just a show of force to intimidate us?"

Bruno adjusted his silver helmet, making sure his horns were comfortable, and nodded to himself.

"No, something has definitely changed."

Leo Ray narrowed his eyes, pointing toward the area where the spatial pulling had been most intense. "Look closely. The change is actually quite obvious."

Following Leo Ray’s finger, the group stared intently at the horizon. One by one, their faces transformed into masks of total disbelief as they turned to look at each other in silence.