In other words, at this moment, 30% of the fruit was already exposed to the outside.
And with the internal exposure of the fruit, an extraordinary attraction instantly radiated throughout the Mist Belt ocean area.
Quantifying it numerically, the attraction was now more than twice as strong as before!
With a single increment, the Observer and Polo Ye might be able to cope, but with a sudden doubling, they too began to falter.
"Zhuoo—Luoo—" Polo Ye shouted, his pink skin nearly bursting into a magma-like orange-red, as tendrils of white steam started appearing on his smooth head, the result of evaporating sweat.
Polo Ye exerted all his strength, even mobilizing all the energy stored in his heart core, just barely managing to form a balance with the current attraction.
Balance does not imply equality.
Attraction can consistently maintain high intensity for a long duration, but Polo Ye cannot. The balance he’s maintaining is merely a fragile mirage.
Within this balance, he couldn’t even move, nor could he mobilize any other energy.
As it stands, he was now indistinguishable from an octopus cutout.
Polo Ye now somewhat understood the mindset of the Wizards who didn’t leave in time; he too regretted not having done so. Back at 96% progress, he had already birthed the thought of temporarily retreating.
If he had insisted back then, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament now!
He was merely sustaining a precarious balance now, and this balance could be shattered at any moment. He had hit his limit, yet the Mysterious Fruit’s attraction still had room for increase.
The fruit shell of the Mysterious Fruit hadn’t fully fallen yet; as long as another small piece fell, it would be the final blow crushing Polo Ye!
Polo Ye was truly panicking now; he wasn’t considering task completion anymore—he now only wanted to leave.
To leave alive.
"Lord, Lord..." Withstanding the terrifying external attraction, Polo Ye’s weak inner voice repeatedly murmured a title.
His intent was clear, Polo Ye was using his remaining strength to seek help from Gluz Deward.
Gluz Deward remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Hold on a bit longer, I need to make some preparations for my Divine Thought to descend upon the Material Realm."
Gluz Deward didn’t refuse Polo Ye’s plea for help, after all, his Divine Thought resided within Polo Ye. They shared a state of mutual benefit or harm.
Although the fall of Gluz Deward’s Divine Thought wouldn’t affect the safety of his main body, once the Divine Thought fell, its experiences couldn’t be conveyed back to the main body, and it would cause some mental backlash, needing at least a few decades for restoration.
Self-preservation is paramount, and Gluz Deward didn’t want his inaction to cause harm to his main body.
"If you can’t hold on, you can seek the Observer." Gluz Deward spoke again; he was within Polo Ye and was thus well aware of Polo Ye’s condition. Given Polo Ye’s current state, it was difficult to hold on until he descended into the Material Realm, so he offered a suggestion.
Gluz Deward’s words diverted Polo Ye’s attention briefly; he glanced over towards the Observer.
This look left Polo Ye slightly dazed.
According to Polo Ye’s thoughts, he and the Observer should be in similar straits; if he couldn’t hold on, the Observer must be struggling similarly. However, reality was quite different.
The Observer didn’t seem to be under much pressure, in fact, he appeared somewhat relaxed.
What is going on?
The moment Polo Ye’s doubts arose, he unintentionally faltered momentarily, causing the precarious balance he sustained to ripple.
The terrifying attraction, like a torrent of thoughts crashing waves, directly bypassed the final line of defense, surging towards Polo Ye.
Polo Ye was now like a stranded person on a small rock, with pounding surges threatening to dislodge him from the rock anytime.
When Polo Ye lost himself, a sudden coolness appeared in his mind. This chill extinguished the boiling and confused thoughts, not only helping Polo Ye regain his senses but also calming him down.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Gluz Deward’s voice sounded.
Polo Ye immediately understood that the prior chill in his mind must have been the Lord’s power. Regaining some sanity, Polo Ye didn’t hesitate and spun around, eight tentacles tapping the void, launching himself backward like a cannon.
This was Polo Ye’s method of movement; under normal circumstances, a single propulsion could traverse countless space-time distances. But now, under the pull of attraction, Polo Ye used up almost all his remaining strength yet only managed a few hundred meters.
A testament to the difficulties of the scene.
However, this short movement was enough for Polo Ye. His aim now was to leave the domain of attraction, which was evidently unrealistic.
His only method of self-rescue was to unite with the Observer. And this short-range movement was sufficient for him to reach the Observer’s side.
The Observer also saw the "blazing red" Polo Ye rapidly approaching.
Although the Observer’s pressure wasn’t significant, he could still sense the surrounding environment’s difficulty, understanding Polo Ye’s intention and thoughts.
Yet, whether or not to accept Polo Ye posed a dilemma in the Observer’s mind.
With this question, instead of looking at Polo Ye, the Observer turned to glance at Angel.