Lyr’s body froze in place. He could clearly feel the Thorn Greatsword slicing across his chest.
Looking down, the split skin tore like ripped fabric, cracking inch by inch, slowly revealing the flesh beneath.
Blood gushed out like a breached dam, bursting forth all at once.
Not giving Lyr any chance to catch his breath, the thorn that he had just cut apart lunged at him again.
One after another, Lyr kept retreating. The last thorn shot forward, pierced his clothes, and ripped off most of them, exposing his chest.
Upon closer inspection, besides the terrifying wound on his chest, his arms and shoulders were covered with marks left by the thorns.
Nie Qi showed no trace of a smile. She watched all of this coldly.
Killing was supposed to be her favorite thing, let alone torturing her prey like this—it was her greatest pleasure.
But Lyr had completely angered her just now. She no longer had the heart for it.
She gripped the Thorn Greatsword, its blade pointing straight at Lyr’s chest, measuring the strike, confident in her success.
“Even if you’ve truly gained power, you’re not yet qualified to stand on equal footing with me.”
She had lived long enough, experienced life and death far beyond Lyr.
For Lyr to truly reach her level, he would have to survive long years under the influence of the Curse, learn how to master and wield power—only then could he truly confront her.
Currently, Lyr was still too immature in every aspect compared to her. He could be compared to a beast that had never truly tasted blood—empty claws, no ferocity.
Lyr was still trying to put on a brave face. Nie Qi found it pitiful. She shook her head.
“You often lecture your students about the clever use of Magic on the battlefield, but in the end, you’re just an armchair strategist. No wonder at your age, your achievements are still so mediocre.”
At Nie Qi’s age, besides being able to wield powerful Magic, she had also learned many things under the influence of the Curse.
“Truly powerful beasts never flock together. But you have too many bonds.”
She raised one hand, signaling Lyr to look around.
“What use are those bonds? Look clearly. Even seeing you like this, those people won’t make a move.”
“Humans often drink blood without spitting bones more than beasts. Those people only put what benefits them first. Fools like you are just ordered around. Once they find out you’re an outsider and you’re of no use, they’ll unhesitatingly regard you as an enemy, even wish you dead.”
Nie Qi’s voice was unusually calm, but that made it more frightening than when she was twisted.
Her words were not baseless; they came entirely from her own experiences along the way.
That was why she was willing to indulge in the Curse, letting it twist her.
Lyr wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“People like you won’t get far in this world. Rather than realizing it too late, it’s better to die here by my hand,” Nie Qi continued. “At the very least, I will face you as a Nightmare Tongue.”
With those words, Nie Qi swung without hesitation.
The lengthy Thorn Greatsword, driven by the Magic Spell Rune on her wrist, spurred the thorns all over the ground to form a giant sword, aiming to finish Lyr for good.
Already severely injured, Lyr had no intention of waiting for death. Enduring the pain, he struggled to raise his sword, trying to block the blow.
The blade clashed against the thorns, producing a harsh collision sound.
The blade of the Thunder Spirit Sword flashed with lightning, but still couldn’t withstand the immense Magic Power, dragging Lyr’s body along.
Under the impact, the entire sword pressed back against Lyr’s shoulder, soaked in his blood.
“Futile.” Nie Qi no longer had any interest in watching.
With a light flick of her hand, the giant thorns swept wildly away, leaving nothing standing in their path.
Killing a Witch like this—one who could be called her kind—for some reason, she felt a momentary regret.
Just now, she had truly wanted to cooperate with Lyr.
Unfortunately, he was still too immature. There were things he couldn’t see through.
Just as she thought everything was over, at the far end of the sweeping thorns, a bolt of lightning exploded, followed by a huge phantom rising, forcibly tearing the thorns apart.
Sensing that power, Nie Qi paused. She wasn’t intimidated by the towering phantom. “The will of the Thunder Fairy?”
She had sensed earlier that the sword contained the power of the Thunder Fairy.
For such a being, if it descended in person, even Nie Qi would have to choose to avoid it—after all, it was a legendary existence akin to a god.
She didn’t know why Lyr had ties to such a being, but as she had said, it was only a manifestation of the Thunder Fairy’s power. Even this phantom was just some form of its will, incomparable to its actual appearance.
Beneath the figure, Lyr’s broken body was well protected, standing with sword in hand.
This caught Nie Qi by surprise.
Under Lyr’s gaze, the giant figure seemed to respond, leaning down, pouring endless lightning toward Nie Qi.
“Tch.” Nie Qi clicked her tongue impatiently. She had to admit, Lyr was really being too persistent.
As the lightning was about to reach her, a crimson Magic Array unfolded in front of her, blocking the lightning.
The skyward light illuminated the sky as if it were daytime.
But the lightning couldn’t damage the Magic Array in the slightest. Instead, under the impact, its patterns became even more eerie and terrifying.
Beneath the Magic Array, Nie Qi sneered, glancing at Lyr from the corner of her eye.
“I’ve never absorbed the Magic Power of a Thunder Fairy before. I’d like to see how satisfying it can be.”
Devour—she devoured not just flesh and blood, but actual Magic Power.
She had tasted the Magic Power of all living things, even Magical Beasts, but never a Thunder Fairy. She hadn’t expected Lyr to give her this chance.
On the other side, Yilu, lying nearby, had been wanting to do something, but in her current state, it was good enough that she wasn’t causing trouble, let alone helping.
“Go get that thing.”
A strange voice rang in her mind. Yilu froze, looking around, but saw no one—making her think even her hearing was failing.
But the voice kept repeating the words. Though it was urging, it was gentle.
As if sensing something, Yilu looked down. On the stone slab stained with blood from her palm, like a lake surface, the bloodstain actually reflected a figure.
It was a long-haired woman. When Yilu looked at her, she smiled back, a gentle smile.
She seemed not to be in the current space, but watched Yilu through the pool of blood.