Amidst the thunder, flames, wind blades, rocks, water arrows, and ice projectiles from six elemental spells, doubled in quantity and unceremoniously impacting the roaring tide of skeletons, Lind immediately understood that this was not a mere bluff.
The violent torrent of magical energy surged like a tangible tide, forcefully pushing and tearing in all directions. The skeleton army, which had moments ago surged like a tide, was instantly swept away, collapsing like grains of wheat before a hurricane, transforming into bone powder and dust in a flash of light and explosion.
What astounded Lind even more was that the simultaneous casting of twelve spells resulted in twelve times the mana consumption. With such high-caliber spells firing off, what kind of enhancements or artificial cores had she installed that allowed her to sustain such output for so long?
A few minutes later, continuously dodging behind his summoned minions until evasion became impossible, Lind tried to bolster his defenses with a mana barrier but realized he couldn’t escape. He turned to flee.
By this time, the commotion had persisted long enough that Yvette had pursued him. Her wind magic far exceeded Lind’s mastery in both skill and spell quality, allowing her to close in easily. She then used Pure White Touch to strike through Lind’s chest.
This wouldn’t lead to his immediate death, but it pierced his artificial mana core, severing the flow of energy and instantly transforming him from a mage into a mere mortal.
Stepping onto grass that had been plowed by magic countless times, Yvette bathed in the cold, frosty silver moonlight, advancing toward Lind with the demeanor of a merciless death god, inducing intense fear within him.
“Y-You… who are you really?” Lind stuttered, panic in his eyes as he weakly tried to crawl backward, a stark contrast to the imposing General he had been that fateful night when he possessed Hoyle and looked down upon the world.
Of course, this could also be attributed to the weaknesses of necromancers; they excelled at manipulation from the shadows and striking from safety, yet faced with their true forms, they proved lesser than standard elemental mages.
Yvette gazed silently at him, then contemplated whether to extort some funds before killing him. It seemed a bit undignified… Yet not taking anything felt wasteful…At that moment, a solid shadow materialized before Yvette, garnering even Lind’s astonished attention, who suddenly wore a look of wild joy.
“High Priest!” He called out, seeing the embodiment of his salvation, a mix of respect and a warning for the silver-haired girl not to act recklessly.
“High Priest?” Yvette regarded the black mist-like figure before her, quickly recognizing it only as a holographic projection from the terminal. She relaxed slightly, “Which High Priest?”
“I am the Soulfire High Priest,” the white-robed figure of black mist said in a monotone. “You are Nameless?”
Yvette replied with a subtle acknowledgment.
“Release Lind and return the Soul Brain. In return, you will publicly retract any false claims about your actions here today, and this matter will be erased,” the Soulfire High Priest commanded.
“What if I refuse to spare him, don’t wish to deceive anyone, and certainly don’t plan on returning the spoils to you?” Yvette narrowed her eyes.
In an instant, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Following a long silence, a chilling edge appeared in the Soulfire High Priest’s voice, reminiscent of a glacier floating in the Northern Sea, cold and contemptuous. “You may try.”
Pffft—
As the last words left his mouth, a wind blade zipped through the air, severing Lind’s neck. Warm blood gushed forth like a spouting fountain, painting a transient yet harrowing arc beneath the moonlight.
Lind didn’t even have time to scream; his head, frozen in shock and desperation, rolled away to rest at the feet of the Soulfire High Priest’s projection.
“Very good,” the High Priest uttered coldly before his figure vanished. It was unclear whether it was due to the termination of the projection on his part or the automatic shutoff triggered by Lind’s death.
The air was left filled with the faint scent of blood and a charred odor from the ravaged magical energy.
Yvette remained silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on Lind’s severed head.
Considering the Holy Spirit Sect possessed necromancy, she delivered a few extra strikes to ensure that resurrection wouldn’t be an option for Lind. Once she was certain his biological brain had been reduced to pulp, she utilized lightning fire magic to shatter any lingering spirit fragments before she proceeded to search the headless corpse and recovered a magical terminal of 100,000 specifications.
Like the Soul Brain, Lind’s terminal also contained meticulous authentication procedures that would take time to hack into and modify.
After stowing away the magical terminal, Yvette prepared to meld with the shadows and return to The Hive but suddenly recalled another matter, causing her some distress.
With Lind dead, she had become deeply entrenched in a vendetta against the Holy Spirit Sect. In such a situation, could she still collect her payment from Hoyle?
……
The later part of the night felt even darker in The Hive compared to other areas of Firth River, with no holographic advertisements and the colorful neon lights primarily emanating from discarded lighting installations scavenged from the trash. Old buildings connected by illegal constructions stretched out, with capillary-like corridors and staircases dimly lit by white bulbs that seemed ready to extinguish.
Different from many heavy industrial cities, the night sky over Firth River was rich with stars, providing a cosmic backdrop upon gazing upward.
As she passed beneath this celestial tapestry and landed on a rooftop terrace in The Hive, Yvette spotted Zero sitting there. Surprisingly, she did not seem to be asleep; instead, she was perched on a stool, gazing at a particular corner of the starry sky. Her expression lacked the usual madness and malice, appearing instead calm, even somewhat lonely and desolate.
Yvette followed her gaze to the night sky and noticed she was staring at a solitary cross star in the southern sky.
“What’s special about that star?” Yvette asked, maintaining some distance. Without Lianna present, she felt ill-equipped to gauge Zero’s behavior.
Zero ignored her at first but eventually withdrew her gaze. She let out a tired yawn and swayed slightly, saying, “Take me back to my room.”
“I won’t.” Yvette stepped back, coldly refusing.
Hearing Yvette’s frosty tone, a smile returned to Zero’s face. She didn’t say anything else and wobbled down the stairs, yawning incessantly as she walked, clearly exhausted.
Yvette trailed behind her at a distance, suddenly beginning to suspect if Zero had been remotely observing her battle with Lind in some manner. It was hard to explain how someone so drowsy could stay up on the rooftop at night.
Certainly, it couldn’t be just to welcome her back.
As her thoughts returned to the Soul Brain and terminal she had acquired, Yvette felt a sense of satisfaction. However, the thought of the Soulfire High Priest potentially plotting revenge against her promptly complicated matters.
For now, it was best to maintain the status quo, at least until she could hack through the firewalls of the Soul Brain and terminal over the next couple of days. Once she acquired knowledge of necromantic magic, she would have a valid means to confront the Soulfire High Priest.