I am an Eldritch Entity

Eryndor had already noticed the signs a while back through his Spatial Sight.

Some of the disciples seemed to have taken a few herbs and plants while acting as if they were poking around.

Of course, they had already taken the precautions to stay out of the surveillance range of their peers, but they had no idea that a certain someone with much crazier range was looking at everyone at the same time, therefore their actions had certainly not escaped his notice.

Eryndor tilted, and cracked his neck before leaving the underground space he made for himself.

Of course, he had to use Telekinesis once again, but since no one was around, he didn't mind.

Let's have a good fight.

He thought, while jogging towards his first target. There were two people among the remaining disciples who could sense the extraordinary nature of the herbs here.

Obviously, he wasn't going to let them live. It was all advantageous to him.

One, his kill count would rise. Second, he would get the loot they had already gathered, reducing the work he would have to do.

While he used the Breath of the Hidden Serpent to close the gap, he noticed that another disciple seemed to be heading towards the target.

Huh?

He realised that this other disciple was also the one who could recognise the energy herbs.

Both of them at the same spot?

Hehe, should I fight them alone?

The thing was, both of them were in stage one of Foundation Building.

Fuck it, let's take the risk.

He already knew their names and cultivation art from their earlier fight with the two beasts.

The male was named Rin. He was a master of elemental control, specializing in Flame Lash, a whip-like fire attack that left persistent burning Qi, and Cinder Shield, a volatile fire barrier. He was aggressive and hot-headed.

The female one was named Lyra. She was a stealth and illusion specialist. She wielded Shadowsilk Daggers that caused paralyzing Qi disruption on contact.

Her main cultivation arts were Shifting Veil, which created powerful visual illusions and allowed her to cloak herself, and Whisperwind Bind, a silent Qi-binding spell. She was cunning and elusive.

This was all he remembered.

While he kept approaching them, he also mentally facepalmed himself when he realised that his Mentalist power system would still not be of any use despite breaking through to the Telepath realm.

Telepath was the second level of the Mentalist power system.

What was that about my combat prowess increasing? I am so dumb I actually forgot about not possessing any spells again.

Chuck it, I am still going to fight them.

Finally, he was within their range, and from the looks of it, both of them knew each other as they were chatting with each other.

Eryndor didn't remove his concealment cultivation art, and decided to strike first.

However, as soon he neared them, Rin struck first, a blazing Flame Lash snapping through the air, leaving trails of burning Qi in its wake.

Fuck, they had long seen through the Breath of the Hidden Serpent?

Eryndor immediately activated Cloud Stride and Iron Mountain Guard, a metallic sheen covering his body as he flowed backward, making himself a difficult target. The Flame Lash landed where he had been, scorching the earth.

He hadn't used Cognitive Scrying with everything that was on his mind.

I'm getting complacent, I must stay calm and give my all.

Just as Rin attacked, Lyra vanished. One moment she was there, the next, a shimmering heat haze enveloped her. 'Shifting Veil', Eryndor's Cognitive Scrying immediately identified the illusion, even as his eyes saw her dissolve.

He felt the subtle shift in Qi signature, confirming it was a cloaking spell.

The area around Eryndor seemed to be distorted. Trees appeared to move, thorny bushes multiplied, and multiple Lyras shimmered into existence from all directions, each wielding Shadowsilk Daggers.

This was the Shifting Veil at work, a potent visual illusion.

Eryndor focused, trusting his Spatial Sight to cut through the visual noise, and it did, identifying the true Lyra amongst the phantoms by her minute Qi signature.

She was attempting to flank him from the right.

Rin, meanwhile, pressed his direct assault, unleashing a torrent of Flame Lashes.

Eryndor's Sovereign's Cloak flared to life. Each Flame Lash that struck was absorbed and diffused, the burning Qi dissipating against the Cloak's active defense.

He felt the familiar pressure, but no actual burn or injury.

Lyra's illusionary copies closed in, their Shadowsilk Daggers glinting.

Eryndor knew they weren't real, but their aggressive movements forced him to remain mobile subconsciously, complicating his efforts to evade Rin.

My will is still weak, I need to be strong.

The real Lyra burst from the illusory cluster, aiming a silent, swift Whisperwind Bind at his legs.

Even though he had already seen her coming through his Spatial Sight, and had known her intentions through his Cognitive Scrying, it was the same issue which had occurred in the past.

The body not being fast enough to keep up with the mind. Lyra was especially fast even at her level.

Eryndor felt the subtle Qi current of Lyra's binding spell wrapping around his ankles. It wasn't a physical rope, but a Qi-based constriction.

He immediately activated Disruptive Nullification. An invisible localised pulse radiated outwards from his Sovereign's Cloak.

I let the Sovereign's Cloak not work, especially because I wanted to use this ability, and from the looks of it, it is definitely amazing.

If he hadn't held back his Sovereign's Cloak, then it would have nullified the binding spell by itself.

The binding Qi around his ankles shimmered, then abruptly dissolved.

Lyra gasped, her eyes widening faintly in surprise. Her spell, aimed perfectly, had simply… unraveled.

"What was that?!" Rin yelled, momentarily distracted by Lyra's reaction.

Eryndor seized the opportunity. He launched a Void Pierce with his dagger, aiming for Rin's shoulder. The dagger seemed to skip through the air, momentarily bypassing Rin's Cinder Shield, grazing his arm.

Rin roared, the burning Qi on his arm flaring as the shield quickly reformed.

Eryndor, with Cloud Stride and Shadowstep, remained always on the move.

His Sovereign's Cloak was a constant barrier against Rin's Flame Lashes, which battered him relentlessly. He moved like water, flowing around Rin's direct attacks.

Every time Lyra attempted a binding spell or a subtle paralysis with her Shadowsilk Daggers via an illusion, Eryndor used Disruptive Nullification, causing her efforts to falter or vanish.

It's also more cost effective to use Disruptive Nullification than to rely on Sovereign's Cloak to nullify the effects.

Lyra's frustration grew with each failed attempt.

Eryndor's own offensive attacks were weak against their Foundation Building defenses.

His Air Cleaving Slash and Sky Piercing Palm's air version only managed to chip away at Rin's Cinder Shield or briefly disrupt Lyra's Aerodynamic Shroud.

He needed to endure, to chip away, to find an opening to exploit.

Rin, realizing his direct attacks weren't breaking Eryndor's defense, changed tactics.

He unleashed a barrage of Flame Lashes at the ground around Eryndor, creating patches of persistent burning Qi.

The idea was to limit Eryndor's movement, forcing him into a corner.

Eryndor activated Cloud Stride to its fullest, darting between the flames, his speed barely keeping him clear. Even with Sovereign's Cloak, stepping into the concentrated burning Qi would be taxing.

Not to mention I can't afford to squander away Sovereign's Cloak's durability needlessly.

Lyra, seeing Eryndor constrained, used her Shifting Veil to create a dense fog of illusions.

Everywhere Eryndor looked, there were Lyras, each throwing Shadowsilk Daggers that, even if illusory, forced him to react.

Ahhh, keep yourself stable Eryndor! These are fakes!

The real Lyra, cloaked by the illusion, attempted to circle behind him, preparing a concentrated Whisperwind Bind aimed at his chest.

Eryndor, of course, knew that the Qi signature of the binding spell was forming behind him.

He didn't use Disruptive Nullification. Through Cognitive Scrying he realised that this cultivation had multiple forms like his Sky Piercing Palm.

The one being aimed at him was a pure attack based form, not a control one.

So, he channeled Azure Tortoise Shell to his back, hardening his defenses. The binding spell struck, and while the Sovereign's Cloak absorbed much of it, he felt a momentary squeeze, a fraction of the power getting through.

He had deliberately done it, so that Azure Tortoise Shell could reflect a portion of it back.

"He's weakening!" Rin shouted, despite feeling a pain in her arm, seeing Eryndor's defense briefly falter. It was a lie, of course.

Rin, growing desperate, initiated a powerful, wide-area attack.

Eryndor immediately knew its name through Cognitive Scrying.

Blazing Vortex eh?

Unfortunately, he had never heard of it, which meant he didn't know the intricate details of what it did.

Rin slammed his fist into the ground, and a swirling column of intensely hot fire began to expand, threatening to engulf Eryndor and a nearby thorny patch where Lyra was momentarily hiding.

Eryndor's eyes narrowed. This was too big to simply evade.

uh…Sovereign's Cloak it is.

The Blazing Vortex eventually dissipated, leaving a scorched circle around himself. Eryndor felt a wave of mental exhaustion. The ground was now covered in dangerous burning Qi from Rin's attack, further limiting his movement.

Lyra had escaped unscathed at some point.

Of course, why would Rin attack his own teammate?

Rin, having expended a large amount of Qi on his powerful attack, was momentarily vulnerable. His Cinder Shield had thinned considerably. Lyra, though unscathed, was slightly off-balance.

Through Cognitive Scrying, Eryndor knew that she had just used a cultivation art to escape the area of effect attack, but had wrongly circulated it midway, causing a slight pain in her left leg.

Rin is weak, and Lyra is off-balance. There is no coordination. Need to grasp this opportunity before her leg heals.