BOOM!
The pitch-black shadow flames collided with the brilliant blue water veil shield, erupting with a deafening roar.
“Hiss—!”
The shadow python’s first strike failed, and its massive body sprang up like black lightning.
Its enormous tail whipped through the air, creating a gale that tore through the atmosphere as it lashed toward the three witches on the ground.
“Such incredible speed!”
Liuli let out a sharp cry, her crimson greatsword igniting with raging flames.
[Level 5 Spell: Flame Body]
[Level 5 Spell: Brute Force Amplification]
The blazing fire enveloped Liuli’s entire body.
The muscle lines on her frame became more streamlined and powerful in the firelight, and her naturally slender arms swelled significantly; it was a manifestation of her magic enhancing her physical form.
“Get lost!”
Liuli did not retreat but advanced instead, her petite frame turning into a crimson cannonball as she raised her sword with both hands, meeting the mountain-like impact of the python’s tail head-on.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the canyon.
The ground beneath Liuli shattered layer by layer, and the witch sank half a foot into the earth.
Though it was a struggle, she had truly managed to block a blow from the shadow python that could have pulverized a mountain.
“What immense power! What kind of stuff was this beast fed to grow this big?!”
Liuli gritted her teeth, tiny beads of sweat seeping from her forehead.
She felt as though she were contending with a magical tank firing at full power.
“Warner, help me restrain it! Captain An Lin, provide cover!”
“Received.”
“Understood.”
Warner used her white twig wand to tap the ground lightly, and the dry, barren canyon floor suddenly began to tremble violently.
[Level 6 Spell: Forest of Thorns]
Countless thick, barbed brambles tore through the soil.
Ignoring the harsh environment, they grew as vigorously as greedy leeches, climbing up and entangling the shadow python’s body in an attempt to bind it in place.
“Hiss—!”
The shadow python let out an angry hiss.
Its pitch-black scales exploded outward, and countless tiny shadow arrows shot out from the gaps between the scales, riddling the thorny vines with holes.
However, Warner’s magic did not stop there; more vines grew incessantly, tangling themselves onto the beast one after another.
While they could not hold the shadow python completely, they significantly restricted its movement.
“Now is the time!”
An Lin seized the opportunity, and the brilliant blue gemstone at the tip of her staff erupted with dazzling light.
[Level 6 Spell: Azure Dragon Emerging from the Sea]
A thick pillar of water shot out like a giant dragon, slamming heavily into the shadow python’s weak spot.
The massive impact caused the beast’s huge body to stiffen for a moment, and a flash of pain flickered in its ghost-green pupils.
“Good job!”
Liuli was overjoyed.
She let go of her greatsword and balled her right hand into a fist to gather her strength.
[Level 5 Spell: Tooth of Blazing Fire]
Liuli’s right fist was instantly enveloped by flames compressed to their limit.
Relying on the explosive power in her legs, the witch vaulted into the air and slammed her fist into the python’s weak spot, right alongside An Lin’s water blast.
BOOM!
Flame and water intertwined, creating a violent elemental explosion that finally dissipated into the air as drifting steam.
“Got it!”
Liuli landed, breathing hard as she looked at the lingering steam, but her pupils suddenly shrank.
The smoke cleared.
Although there was a charred wound on the shadow python’s body and many scales had been blown off, it remained standing.
In its ghost-green vertical pupils, a even more brutal killing intent began to burn.
“Are you serious? It didn’t die even after that?!”
Liuli realized that the beast before them was not simple.
“Be careful! It’s going to burrow into the shadows!”
An Lin keenly sensed that the aura of the shadow python was changing.
The originally wild magical fluctuations suddenly became restrained, and the beast began to merge into the surrounding environment little by little.
As An Lin expected, the shadow python’s massive body began to blur, dissolving like spilled ink as it rapidly melded with the shadows on the ground.
“Damn it, it’s a Shadow Shift!”
Warner’s face changed color, and she hurriedly ordered the thorny vines to attack the shadows on the ground, but the vines simply passed through the darkness as if it were air, failing to deliver a single effective blow.
“That thing is waiting for a chance to ambush us! Everyone back-to-back, watch your feet!”
An Lin shouted a warning to her two companions.
The three witches quickly huddled together, vigilantly watching every inch of shadow around them.
However, the shadow python was like a patient assassin; it didn’t rush to attack, instead weaving through the shadows, lurking while waiting for the perfect killing opportunity.
This feeling of being locked on by an invisible enemy made the three witches’ scalps tingle.
“Captain, we can’t go on like this, we’ll be worn down to death!”
Liuli gripped her greatsword tight, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
“The magic power of this monster isn’t normal. If any high-level witch had taken our last combo, they would have been gravely injured, but it only lost a little skin. This thing’s magic reserves… they probably exceed the category of a high-level witch.”
An Lin’s expression was grave as she gripped her staff tightly.
“To be able to use shadow magic so skillfully and possess such vast magic power, the strength of this monster is at least that of a Great Witch, possibly even a high-ranking one!”
“A Great Witch?!”
Liuli and Warner gasped in unison.
A Great Witch was a strategic-level combatant.
Every one of them was a tycoon of a major power, possessing the terrifying strength to destroy an entire planet.
Although their B-rank exploration team was considered elite, the gap between them and a Great Witch was immense.
“No wonder the magic concentration on this planet is so low. It seems it was mostly drained away by this monster…”
Warner gave a bitter smile.
“Captain, what do we do now? Retreat?”
Liuli asked as she held her sword up, scanning the surroundings.
“Retreat? Retreat where?”
An Lin shook her head.
“Its speed is greater than ours, and it can travel through shadows. An impulsive retreat will only give it a breach to exploit. The best way now is to finish it right here!”
An Lin’s eyes suddenly became firm and ruthless.
“Since it likes hiding in the shadows, let’s force it out! Warner, Liuli, attack that rock!”
An Lin looked toward the giant stone guarded by the shadow python.
“Huh? Attack the rock?”
Liuli paused, momentarily stunned.
“It is what the monster is guarding. As long as we attack it, the monster will surely defend it with its life. When that happens, it will be forced out of the shadows!”
An Lin explained in detail.
“Alright! I understand!”
Liuli realized what she meant.
She took a deep breath, pouring the surging magic within her into her greatsword.
[Level 5 Spell: Flame Slash]
A massive wave of flame energy whistled out, slashing fiercely toward the giant stone.
At the same time, Warner waved her wand, and countless sharp ice cones condensed from the void, shooting toward the boulder like a torrential rain.
“Hiss—!!”
Sure enough, the moment the attacks were about to hit the stone, the previously dead-silent shadows suddenly boiled violently.
The shadow python’s figure burst from the void.
It blocked the path to the rock regardless of the consequences, taking the combined attack of Liuli and Warner with its own body.
“Now! Contain it!”
An Lin took the opportunity to issue the command, and Warner was already prepared with her trump card.
The white twig wand in her hand erupted with a dazzling green light.
[Level 6 Spell: Branches of Draught]
This time, what emerged from the ground were not ordinary thorns, but strange vines emitting a faint golden light.
As soon as these vines touched the shadow python’s body, they became active.
They not only tightly bound the python but also began to frantically drain the magic from within its body.
“Hiss—!!”
The shadow python let out a painful roar, struggling desperately to break free from the vines, but the vines were like maggots on a bone; the more it struggled, the tighter they coiled.
“Well done! Prepare to chant together! Let’s finish it in one go with a Level 8 spell!”
An Lin did not hesitate.
She reached into her robe and took out three magic crystals, each flashing with a different light, throwing them to Liuli and Warner.
“This is…”
Liuli took the crystal, surprise flashing in her eyes.
“These are magic amplifiers I made using alchemy. They allow our three magic powers to be briefly linked together.”
An Lin explained while gripping the crystal in her own hand, a hint of heartache in her eyes.
“No time for explanations, move! Inject your magic into the crystals and chant with me!”
“Yes!”
Liuli and Warner dared not delay, immediately injecting their magic into the crystals.
Three types of magic—fire, nature, and water—rapidly merged under the influence of the crystals, ultimately converging into a vast and violent torrent of magic.
An Lin held her staff high, her voice solemn and grand.
[Listen to the whisper of the abyss, witness the fury of the void]
[In our names, summon the lightning that destroys the world]
[Level 8 Spell: Void Lightning Prison]
Rumble—!
The gray sky was suddenly torn open by rolling thunder.
Countless thick pillars of lightning descended like divine punishment, completely drowning the area where the shadow python stood.
The dazzling pool of lightning descended with majestic divine power.
“Hiss hiss hiss—!!”
Amidst the lightning, the shadow python let out a piercing scream.
The pitch-black scales on its body shattered inch by inch under the bombardment of the thunder, and its ghost-green ghost-fire vertical pupils began to dim.
This strike gathered the entire magic of three high-level witches; its power was enough to turn a region into scorched earth, rendering it unable to recover for decades.
“It’s over…”
Liuli slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
This battle had consumed too much of her stamina and magic; she couldn’t even raise a finger now.
“It should… be over, right?”
Warner was also exhausted.
She looked at the area that had been blasted into charred ruins by the lightning, yet she felt a lingering sense of unease in her heart.
An Lin said nothing.
She stared fixedly at the area, not putting down her staff.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Just as the three believed the battle had ended, the shadows beneath the scorched earth suddenly rippled.
“Hiss—”
A weak but still murderous sound emerged from the shadows.
The next second, the shadow python’s battered and broken body slowly crawled out from the darkness.
More than half of the scales on the shadow python had fallen off, and wisps of black mist drifted away from its body.
The soul-fire that had burned in its left eye had been extinguished by the thunder, leaving only an empty orbit.
Yet, it was still alive, still standing in place.
“This… how is this possible?!”
Liuli widened her eyes, full of disbelief.
That was a Level 8 spell! Even a Great Witch would need a long time to recover after taking that head-on.
Not only did this monster survive, it could still fight!
“Its… its vitality is far too tenacious…”
Warner’s face turned pale.
She felt that the magic within her had dried up, and she could no longer launch any spells.
“Captain, we… we can’t beat it…”
Liuli’s voice carried a hint of despair.
An Lin’s complexion was also terrible.
She hadn’t expected the strength of this monster to be this terrifying.
“Prepare to retreat… If we keep fighting, we might all die here. The cost of resurrection isn’t low.”
An Lin gritted her teeth and made a difficult decision.
But just as she was about to order the retreat, an unexpected thing happened.
The shadow python, which had been hissing just a moment ago, suddenly went quiet.
Its only remaining ghost-green vertical pupil slowly turned toward the giant stone behind it—or rather, to the shadow beneath the stone.
“Hiss…”
This time, the shadow python’s voice was no longer filled with brutality and murderous intent, but with a sense of submission.
Under the shocked gazes of An Lin and the others, that massive shadow python actually began to slowly dissipate, turning into countless black mists that merged back into the shadows beneath the boulder.
“What… what is it doing?”
Liuli was dumbfounded.
“Could it be… is it running away?”
Warner guessed.
But An Lin shook her head, her eyes locked onto the giant stone.
“No, it’s not running away, it’s more like… it received some kind of order…”
Just as the three witches were perplexed, the shadow beneath the boulder suddenly began to churn violently, like a pot of boiling water.
Black mist rose constantly, eventually coalescing into a slender figure.
It was a witch—a witch wearing a pitch-black gothic dress, with hair as black as night reaching to her waist and skin as pale as snow.
She crawled slowly out of the shadows, her movements lazy and casual, like a cat stretching after waking from a nap.
She let out a long yawn, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and only then slowly turned around to face the stunned An Lin and her companions.
“Mm… so noisy…”
Tunzuo’s voice was hoarse and lazy, carrying the fogginess of someone just waking up.
The two points of soul-fire in her ghost-green pupils flickered slightly, as if expressing dissatisfaction at being disturbed from her dreams.
She then lifted her head to look at the three uninvited guests before her.
“Who… are you people?”
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