One-Eyed Monster

This was something Wizard Gus had never expected.

He couldn’t believe Bone Fighter Jani would be defeated, nor could he believe Mugen, who had risked everything, would lose so completely.

None of this is real!

I must be in the Great Witch’s Illusionary Realm; I’d rather believe this.

I’d rather believe I’m trapped by an Illusion Spell than accept the annihilation of Black Crow.

However, various signs told him that none of this was an Illusion. Whether it was the scene he glimpsed from the corner of his eye or the Spirit Power he currently felt, he couldn’t find any trace of Black Crow’s advantage. In a sense, this feeling seemed to foreshadow a complete defeat for Black Crow.

The three leaders of Black Crow, none of them in an advantageous position, were completely suppressed, with no sign of a breakthrough...

This was an unprecedented situation for Black Crow.

Wizard Gus could not believe his two companions had been so incompetent.

Three top members of Black Crow were about to be defeated in the remote vicinity of Guru Mountain by three unknown individuals. If this news gets out, where will Black Crow’s honor be left?

In the corner of his eye, Wizard Gus saw Mugen using every ounce of his strength to ward off a monster’s attack, and half of Jani’s Bone Blades were even broken...

He himself was not faring much better. That wicked wind blew so hard he had no chance to muster his spells. Moreover, the wind seemed to carry the sharpness of swords, causing him intense pain.

This wind also carried another unexpected power—it seemed to be depleting Wizard Gus’s Spirit Power...

”Who exactly are you?” Wizard Gus stammered. He felt the Wizard before him was no simple individual. One could tell from this wicked wind. If this level of elemental manipulation came from an ordinary Wizard, it would be far from normal!

The wind she controlled could actually reduce others’ Spirit Power. What kind of wind is this? This is the legendary Hail Storm Wings!

Hail Storm Wings. Gus had heard about it when he was a Wizard Apprentice. At that time, he had merely considered it a myth, thinking such things impossible. Although the Natural Force a Wizard mastered could be manipulated, the materialization of Natural Forces was extremely rare. He never thought it would appear before him.

But now, it had appeared vividly before his eyes.

At first, he just thought it was ordinary wind controlled by a Wizard. But as he defended himself, he realized it wasn’t that simple.

This wicked wind attacked him like blades. While defending, he could distinctly feel its form, making him think it was like the materialization of an element.

Then, he felt his Spirit Power being reduced, and the first thing that popped into his head was Hail Storm Wings.

Hail Storm Wings is a Wizard’s combat skill. It doesn’t require high Spirit Power use but demands control over elements, and a Wizard’s control over elements is an uncertain factor.

No one could say exactly what a Wizard’s ability to control elements was like. People could only see the wind, rain, ice, and fire manipulated by a Wizard rampaging across the land, but it was hard to see how a Wizard controlled the elements.

Even Wizards themselves could hardly explain the methods and sensations of controlling natural elements. Wizards usually attributed these differences to talent. This explanation also led Darkness Type Wizards and normal Wizards down different research paths. Normal Wizards generally researched Natural Force and natural elements, while Darkness Type Wizards sought shortcuts, pursuing powers beyond Natural Force, such as Alternate Dimensions and Necromancy...

Wizard Gus resisted the Hail Storm Wings, gradually noticing he was retreating while blocking. The space he could move in behind him was shrinking.

What made him feel more awkward was that he could very clearly feel the Spirit Powers closing in from behind. On one side was Bone Fighter Jani; on the other, Mugen, who had dedicated himself to the Wire Puppet.

They, the three leaders of Black Crow, saw their range of movement on the mountaintop gradually shrinking into a circle—and the circle was getting smaller...

Soon, the three leaders stood back to back.

”How did you end up like this?” Wizard Gus felt a bit discouraged. He truly found this outcome unexpected.

”Aren’t you the same!” the portly alchemist Mugen retorted sarcastically. He and the Wizard were natural enemies, completely unable to work together.

”Did we underestimate them?” Wizard Gus was still unconvinced. He felt that with their strength, they shouldn’t have ended up like this.

”We were simply outmatched; there’s no one else to blame,” Jani said gloomily. He was also deeply regretful. He had already used his Forbidden Spell, but it hadn’t harmed his opponent at all. That Fighter moved erratically, always appearing where Jani least expected, giving him no chance to land an attack.

”But we all used Forbidden Spells!” Mugen was unwilling to accept it. He had given too much—he had practically offered his own flesh and blood to the Wire Puppet. Yet, this was the result he received. He truly couldn’t believe it.

Mugen’s opponent was Stan Sol, who hadn’t attacked at all. Although the Wire Puppet’s Split Entities multiplied frequently and launched fierce attacks, they couldn’t get close to Stan Sol. Stan Sol was wreathed in flames, and the Wire Puppets were incinerated upon attack, causing the loss of many Split Entities. The Main Body, extracting Mugen’s flesh and blood, began to act erratically due to the rapid loss of these Split Entities. What was worse, the flames were merely a distraction; the opponent’s counter-attack was something else entirely.

The opponent’s attack was actually a sentient cloak. This cloak transformed in many ways—sometimes a hawk, sometimes a hunting hound—and was extremely ferocious.

More importantly, and what made Mugen feel the most disgusted and helpless, was that this sentient cloak showed no fear of the Wire Puppets and would even devour them from time to time!

Though Stan Sol’s Spirit Power State was unstable, his Taming skills were at their peak. With his two Hunting Beasts, he was more than equipped to handle this Dark Alchemist devoted to the Wire Puppet.

This struggle, which Black Crow had considered a certain victory, ended in their complete defeat. This reversal was difficult for the three Black Crow leaders to comprehend.

”Black Crow is eternal!” Wizard Gus blurted out at the last moment. Failure wasn’t terrible; what was terrible was losing hope. His devotion to Black Crow had not changed.

”Black Crow is eternal!” The other two echoed.

This utter defeat did not make these men lose their faith in Black Crow. They still believed Black Crow could reach its zenith, though they themselves might not live to see it.

”Willem certainly has a way of bewitching people’s hearts,” Estev said, rubbing his hands. ”I must admit, I was almost moved by your display.” He had just acted as both a Hunter and a Fighter, continuously using his Stealth Ability to hide and employing a Fighter’s extreme Physique Technique to leap, achieving instantaneous displacement.

The Bone Fighter before him merely pursued speed. All Estev had to do was be slightly faster...

His technique made him flicker in and out of sight, his movements elusive, as if he had traversed entire spaces in an instant...

He shattered the Bone Fighter’s Bone Blades, making his opponent lose his edge in an instant.

In his view, Black Crow’s defeat had been sealed long ago.