Drip! Drip! Drip!
The sound of blood echoed once more as the long-armed creature flung Sharley's headless body toward a nearby pole. It crashed against it and slumped down.
The group instinctively stepped back at the horrifying sight. Regaining their composure, they quickly raised their guns and fired again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The creature let out a sharp, distorted shriek. Yet the bullets seemed to cause little to no damage.
Amid the gunfire, Lumian caught sight of the masked man reappearing on the roof. The man smiled faintly and glanced at the wound on his body. In the next instant, invisible stitches materialized, sewing the injury shut as if it had never existed.
Wait… this monster is connected to him. Why aren't we targeting him instead?
Lumian shifted to the left and pulled the trigger. A white, intricately engraved bullet shot forward—but the masked man vanished again.
At the same moment, the creature's position shifted.
Now, the masked man stood facing Lumian, Vincent, and Berlie.
While the grotesque creature turned toward Hargreaves and Rosanne.
The battlefield had split in two!
...
Taking advantage of the confusion, the masked man suddenly thrust his hand toward them. The group reacted instantly, dodging to the sides.
In the next moment, his hand ignited, flames surging along his elongated limb before it came crashing down.
Boom!
They scattered again, debris flying as the impact shattered the ground. Even so, they didn't stop firing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The masked man sprang backward, flipping smoothly through the air before landing lightly atop a pole once more.
F**k… is he just playing with us?
...
The manifested creature lifted its crimson eyes and locked onto Hargreaves and Rosanne. Then it began to advance—slowly, stiffly—like a corpse dragging itself forward.
Hargreaves reacted at once. He pressed two fingers to his forehead and recited a spell. The space beside him tore open, splitting like fabric, and from within it emerged a massive monster moving with giant tentacles.
Lumian raised his eyes slightly, as he recognized that creature. It was the same creature they had faced before.
With a violent surge, the tentacled monster lunged at the stitched abomination.
...
At the same time, Rosanne began murmuring a spell. Her body slowly lifted off the ground, hovering as her voice grew steadier, and ethereal.
In the next instant, an unseen force ripped outward!
The pale creature suddenly clutched its head, shaking violently as if something was meddling with it's mind.
But in the very next instant, it lashed out. Its elongated arm swung with brutal force, slamming Rosanne out of the air and into the ground.
Crash!
Dust and debris quickly exploded upward!
Amid the chaos, Hargreaves' summoned monster struck—its tentacles crashing into the creature with overwhelming force.
...
Though pain throbbed through her body, Rosanne forced herself back to her feet.
Gritting her teeth, she surged forward again. Invisible arms manifested around the stitched creature, wrapping tightly around its limbs and torso, restraining it in mid-motion.
Amid the struggle, she glanced toward Hargreaves, and suddenly paused, as he was trembling!
His eyes had turned a ghostly white, and his right hand was pitch black, as if corroded by shadow. The summoned curse beside him began to fade, its massive tentacles fading as though being erased from existence.
Almost instantly, the masked man, now on the roof, clapped his hands once more.
Clap!
The battlefield shifted again!
...
The creature, was now facing Lumian and the others. It lashed out with a massive swing of its elongated arm. Lumian and the rest leapt over it just in time.
In the same motion, Vincent quickly recited a spell:
"In flames soar up high,
Let life breathe in fear,
In danger, we must see the light!"
...
Black feathers manifested around him, igniting as they launched toward the creature in a burning volley.
At the same time, with Hargreaves weakened and his summon fading, Rosanne found herself facing the masked man directly.
Invisible hands shot towards, attempting to grab him and claw him, but he moved through them effortlessly, weaving between each unseen strike.
In a blur, he appeared directly in front of her.
Bam!
His fist connected with her face.
Rosanne was sent flying, crashing backward. She barely managed to grab onto a white pillar, forcing herself upright despite the pain spreading through her body.
Unaware to all of them, Sharley head had already begun stitching itself at an astonishing speed!
...
As Vincent and Berlie dealt with the monster, Lumian quickly scanned his surroundings. To his left, Rosanne was bloodied but still moving, delivering a swift kick to the masked man. Ahead, Berlie had just chanted a spell, and another beam of light descended, making the creature thrash violently.
Amid the chaos, Lumian raised his gun and fired.
Bang!
The bullet struck the masked man's shoulder. He looked startled for a moment, turning toward Lumian—just enough for Rosanne to launch a sharp punch.
Bam!
Lumian quickly assessed the situation. He recalled the man's earlier movements. A substitute technique… he must have set it up already, probably back in the house. But does that mean Lady Selene already knows my identity?
He quickly shoved that thought aside. I should not be thinking about that now, I have to retrieve the St. Mary text.
With precision, he drew a purple pendant from his black trousers, and activated invigoration.
The world seemed to slow. The floor beneath them glowed white, stretching toward the monster's chest in a brilliant rainbow of light.
That's it—the core of the substitute.
Lumian returned the amethyst pendant to his pocket, aimed carefully, and fired again.
Bang!
The white, intricately engraved bullet pierced the monster's chest.
It's body bubbled violently, it's neck twisting further, before the creature exploded, spraying blood all over the battlefield.
The masked man's eyes widened in shock. He clutched his chest and collapsed into a squat, trembling in pain.
...
Noticing the moment, Rosanne lifted her foot and stomped downward, aiming to crush him. But the masked man vanished in an instant, only to reappear by the door.
A sudden crack echoed from the left side of his mask—it split open, revealing a pale face framed by yellow hair.
It was indeed Lacey!
But how did he become a sorcerer, a phase 7, for that matter?
He fired again, but as the bullet sped forward, blue threads sprang into existence, slicing it apart effortlessly.
Lacey chuckled, a cold, unnerving sound, before spreading his hands wide and breaking into maniacal laughter.
Hahaha! Hahaha!
"You thought my lady didn't know you were approaching," he sneered. "You called her a fool… yet here you are, the ones who fell into the trap. Hehe… how laughable."
He lowered his gaze, and from his golden eyes he focused on the man in blue trousers advancing toward him, pistol raised.
"Lacey," Lumian said, voice steady, "you need to stop this and come home. Your parents have been looking for you everywhere."
Lacey frowned once more. "No one can treat me better than the Witches' Garden," he replied coldly.
In that instant, he laughed again, stitched lips multiplying across his face as the laughter echoed unnaturally.
This guy must have been with the group for a long time… to have this level of trust and control.
...
At that moment, Lacey vanished once more. A pure ray of light shot down from above, smashing through the door and revealing the interior of the house.
He weaved through the battlefield with impossible speed; all they could see was the back of his form as he moved.
Suddenly, Lumian felt a sharp sting at his neck. Rubbing it, he realized blood was trickling down—he'd been sliced by invisible threads. He paused, unable to move, as he was unsure where the invisible threads lay.
In the next instant, Lacey reappeared beside a wooden crate. He scanned the battlefield, observing Lumian and the others frozen in place.
He grinned as he bowed down slightly, the St. Mary text outlining beside him once again.
Oh f**k… he's going to start throwing flames.
Lumian adjusted his stance as best he could under the circumstances and fired a bullet. It struck only the crate. He cursed under his breath. All his years of training as a bounty hunter, and now a sorcerer, his shot was completely useless.
Lacey smiled once more as he glanced at the wooden crate, then returned his focus to the text, ready to harness it's power.
But just as his attention shifted, a punch struck him squarely. He staggered slightly, clearly caught off guard.
It was Sharley! He had fully Adapted!
...
Lacey immediately rose, ready to strike, but Sharley reacted faster, his right hand shooting forward.
Bam!
Lacey shifted to the left to evade.
Bam!
Sharley delivered a precise uppercut, making Lacey cough up a trickle of blood.
Without hesitation, Sharley unleashed a rapid series of attacks, each strike perfectly adapted to Lacey's movements—until, finally, he was thrown backward by the force of the battle.
In that instant, the invisible threads binding the group vanished. Lumian quickly readjusted his gun.
Meanwhile, Lacey rolled across the floor several times and then took off running. The tide of battle had clearly turned against him!
Lumian took careful aim, but Lacey's speed made him a difficult target. Focusing intently, Lumian fired.
Bang!
The white, intricately engraved bullet struck Lacey's leg.
"Ah!"
Lacey, finally let out a scream of pain, yet he didn't stop running. Lumian raised his gun again, trying to predict his next move. That's when he noticed Lacey's head…
Lumian's heart immediately grew heavy. He didn't want to kill him, but he knew there was no other choice. He slowly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet pierced the back of Lacey's head, as blood quickly gushed out.
Amid the chaos, the St. Mary text materialized and began to fall. Sharley dashed forward, desperate to save it—but before he could reach it, the book burst into flames and disappeared.