Upon hearing the shepherd’s promise, the sheepdog Beibei immediately perked up, regaining control over its previously erratic body, stretching itself out in midair. Then, it fixed its gaze on Kaier: "It was you, wasn’t it? How dare you lay a hand on my baby? I’ll make you pay for this!"
The shepherd behind it silently added, "The baby is fine."
The sheepdog paused, quickly changing its tone: "Though the shepherd is a jerk, only I get to mess with this jerk! I will make you pay!"
Shepherd: "I’m fine too."
At this point, the sheepdog stopped speaking and directly transformed into an arrow, charging at Kaier.
From an outsider’s perspective, Kaier hadn’t moved, seeming to gather strength for spellcasting. But in reality, Kaier had already finished the spell.
In fact, Kaier had completed the spell when the shepherd summoned that strange sheepdog, Beibei.
The reason for his apparent inaction was something else.
Now, with the sheepdog charging toward him, Kaier naturally couldn’t just sit still. He immediately cast the trick he had prepared.
Before Kaier, two spatial rifts appeared out of thin air... or rather more accurately, it was half a Space Rift and an extended version of a space crack.
In the front, there was a horizontally splitting Space Rift with a wide gap, enough for a human to enter. This was why it was called a "rift" rather than a "crack."
It’s called a "half" Space Rift due to its limited length; though it can let a person pass, it would only suit a child or a bent-over youth, essentially a "crude version" of a regular Space Rift. To call it a half might be an overstatement; a third or a quarter would be more accurate.
The other space crack was much slimmer and at least ten times longer than a typical crack, and its 3D angle was exceedingly tricky.
The crack spiraled like a robust withered root, encircling Kaier tightly, the only path through it passing the half Space Rift in the front. Anyone rashly entering would be shredded by the space crack; even if one dodged the crack, they might be swallowed by the Space Rift.
It’s fair to say this was a space trick combining offense and defense.
The sheepdog Beibei likely didn’t expect Kaier’s spellcasting speed to be so astonishing; its charging speed was too swift, leaving no room to stop.
The sheepdog charged straight into the "birdcage" formed by Kaier’s cracks.
Screams echoed from the sheepdog’s mouth.
When the sheepdog charged, Kaier had already stepped back a few paces to avoid the impact. Yet, Kaier hadn’t moved out of the range of the space cracks, so he wasn’t far from the sheepdog, witnessing it charge into the space cracks himself.
As the cracks formed a "birdcage," the sheepdog’s body was sliced into eight pieces as it failed to halt in time.
Visibly, the sheepdog was dismembered, its head even split into several pieces.
Yet to Kaier’s amazement, the sheepdog’s "mouth," alone on the side, continued to howl, as if its now fragmented body still felt pain.
What happened next stunned Kaier even more.
The sheepdog’s "fragments" began to tremble, fitting together like puzzle pieces, each seeking its mate.
Soon, a complete sheepdog stood before Kaier once more.
However, Beibei still howled, its anguished cries revealing that the tearing and reformation of its body truly hurt the sheepdog.
Despite the pain, the sheepdog hadn’t forgotten its objective. It had suffered once, and having finally breached the space cracks, it wouldn’t miss the opportunity.
The sheepdog bravely endured the pain, charging at Kaier again.
The next second, the sheepdog’s eyes widened once more.
"Why?!"
Before it appeared another space crack, even longer than before! Moreover, it was splayed like a "ribbon," carelessly arranged by Kaier: twisting, turning, looping, its disordered state akin to yarn after a playful kitten.
Even with a swift response, the sheepdog couldn’t avoid being disassembled by the new space crack.
Agonizing howls erupted again.
A few seconds later, although the sheepdog recomposed itself, it withdrew, afraid to advance and retreated to a crack-free spot, shouting loudly: "I surrender, I’ll join your side, I hate that jerk too, let’s team up and take him down! Brother!"
Kaier, Shepherd: "..." Who’s your brother, again, and who would be your brother?
Kaier thought the sheepdog quite unreliable, but he ceased attacking it and instead turned his attention to the shepherd.
The shepherd narrowed his eyes, quietly asking: "Does this robe hasten spellcasting?"
Previously, Kaier had struggled to cast even basic space tricks, each requiring preparation time. The shepherd, backed by the Wind’s Force, always managed to interrupt Kaier’s casting.
But now, the shepherd acted quickly, sending Beibei to interrupt Kaier, yet before Beibei got close, Kaier had already consecutively cast space cracks and Space Rifts, casting with speed unheard of before!
The exact efficiency gain was unknown, but judging by how rapidly Kaier conjured the second space crack, it seemed almost instantaneous.
It was now impossible to interrupt Kaier’s space crack as before.
Kaier didn’t answer, merely lowered his brow, signaling to continue the duel.
Just then, the shepherd suddenly spoke to him: "Watch your back!"
Kaier hesitated for a moment, not comprehending the shepherd’s warning. When he turned around, he saw the previously hesitant sheepdog now cunningly grinning, lifting its paw to slash at him!
If Kaier had retreated upon hearing the shepherd’s initial warning, he could have completely evaded the sheepdog’s sneak attack.
But given that the shepherd was the opponent in the duel, the sole adversary in the arena, Kaier couldn’t blindly trust his words. Consequently, when Kaier tried to evade once more, the sheepdog’s attack was already unstoppable!