Zhao Yingyue’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
She let out a furious roar, unleashing all her energy without restraint.
The spear in her hand seemed to sense its master’s wrath, crimson light blazing as a faint dragon-shaped shadow coiled around it.
She poured all her strength into a single thrust, stabbing at the resilient Mycelium Prison before her.
But it was too late.
The prison was unbelievably tough; even as her spear tore open a gap, it would still take a precious second or two.
Meanwhile, the five masses of Death Energy were already less than ten meters from Faluthiel!
Faluthiel’s face was deathly pale as she strained to maintain her domain, feeling the wave of decaying magic rushing toward her.
But she could not withdraw the domain.
If she wavered, the balance of the battlefield would collapse instantly, and everyone would be swallowed by the Sea of Spores.
At that desperate moment, the ground shook violently.
A granite fist burst from the earth, followed by its arm, shoulder, and a massive body.
In the blink of an eye, a giant nearly ten meters tall, formed entirely of solid rock, rose up, positioning itself squarely between Faluthiel and danger.
It was [Rabbit]’s summoned creature—the Stony Guardian.
Its huge stone arms crossed before its chest, forming the most primitive and reliable shield.
Almost the instant it fully materialized, the five filthy energy masses slammed into it.
Corrupt energies raged, eroding the Stony Guardian’s body—chunks of rock blackened and crumbled away into dust.
The bright runes along the giant’s form flickered and dimmed under the corrosive assault, emitting mournful cries of strain.
Yet, it held.
The Stony Guardian’s massive body did not budge, absorbing the blow with sheer presence.
But the violent energy shockwave spread from the point of impact like an invisible tidal wave, rippling outward in all directions.
The entire cavern shook; dust cascaded from the stalactites above.
Behind the Stony Guardian, Faluthiel bore the brunt of the shock.
“Ugh!”
She gasped in pain, staggering back as if struck by a hammer.
Blood burst from her tightly clenched lips, dripping from her chin and blooming into a shocking red stain upon the white frost beneath her.
Her mind buzzed, as if a swarm of wasps crashed about inside.
The output of magic maintaining the Silent Ice Domain faltered.
The blue radiance covering the battlefield flickered violently, edges dissolving as the Sickly Fungal Carpet crept inward.
If she took one more step back, or let her will waver for even a second, the entire domain would collapse.
But she did not.
At the last moment before her body gave way, Faluthiel drove the sword Frostsnow into the ice before her, using it to steady her trembling form.
“Hold…steady!!”
She forced out the words through gritted teeth.
Pouring every last drop of magic from within her, she channeled it into the domain without reserve.
The blue radiance, on the verge of collapse, flashed violently several times—then, miraculously, stabilized.
The biting chill grew so intense it seemed even the air would freeze.
She had given everything and kept the lifeline of the battlefield intact.
But now, her face was utterly drained of color, as translucent as white jade.
A gentle rain of emerald light fell from above, settling precisely upon Faluthiel.
It was [Rabbit]’s Universal Healing Spell.
Warm energy coursed through her limbs, quickly easing the burning pain in her chest from the impact, and partially repairing the magic circuits torn by the violent surge.
“…Thank you.”
A trace of color returned to Faluthiel’s cheeks, but her hand on the sword’s hilt remained white-knuckled, her body trembling uncontrollably from the effort.
Universal Healing Spell was ultimately just a support skill of a Summoner, unable to match the effectiveness of a true healer or restore lost magic.
The situation was spiraling into defeat.
This was a death trap.
A skilled squad, dragged into a mire of slow death by an undying guardian and a cunning fungal mother, using simple division and suppression tactics.
No…this can’t go on!
Faluthiel’s gaze swept over her embattled companions, finally settling on the softly glowing Prophecy Stone.
This was the final gamble.
She bit her tongue sharply, the pain forcing away the fatigue in her mind from magic depletion.
Without hesitation, she carved out a sliver of her remaining spiritual energy and drove it into the Prophecy Stone in her hand.
Her consciousness was instantly drawn inside.
Countless images flashed before her eyes like a lantern show—Zhao Yingyue being consumed by mycelium, the Stony Guardian shattered, [Shadowfang Warbreaker] beset and slain…
Each scene vivid and cruel.
But Faluthiel forced herself to ignore the chorus of despair, her will a burning steel needle piercing the fog, searching for the root—the true enemy hidden beneath all surface.
At last, just as her mind threatened to break beneath the flood of visions, she found it.
A clear image, as bright as a crystal reflection, crystallized in her mind.
It was deep within the cavern, at the base of the massive fungal mother.
She saw a huge, heart-like lump pulsing, with a fist-sized Crystal Core inside, radiating rainbow light.
From that core, countless semi-transparent Mycelial Networks extended like umbilical cords, connecting to the veteran magic girl still fighting Zhao Yingyue.
Waves of filthy yet incredibly pure energy flowed through these networks, sustaining her undying body and infinite magic.
“Sever…the connection…”
Faluthiel’s eyes snapped open, consciousness returning.
She coughed violently, more blood spilling from her lips, but her gaze burned with fierce light.
There was no time for explanations, but her steady voice inspired instant trust.
“[Rabbit]! Prepare…to dismantle your Guardian! On my signal!”
“Yingyue! Ready your widest-range attack! The target isn’t her—it’s the mycelium behind her!”
“Jenny, Rosa, channel your magic to me!”
“[Shadowfang Warbreaker]…ready your strongest strike!”
A rapid chain of orders.
Though shocked, her companions began to act without hesitation, trusting her implicitly.
“Now!”
Faluthiel gave a blood-choked command.
She withdrew magic from the left flank of the Silent Ice Domain.
That section of frost instantly melted, the chill receding to reveal an undefended gap.
A flash of confusion passed through the orange-red eyes of the veteran magic girl, but a stronger attack directive quickly overrode it.
She abandoned suppressing Zhao Yingyue and shot toward the gap in a beam of light, a magic longsword appearing from nowhere and aimed at Faluthiel’s brow.
“This is it! Fall, big guy!”
[Rabbit Cute Can I Eat One] screamed, dismissing the summon.
The Stony Guardian, already battered, let out a howl of defiance as its massive form collapsed.
Boulders crashed down, forming a solid barrier that perfectly severed the puppet magic girl from the depths of the cavern!
The Mycelial Networks connecting her to the fungal mother faltered, energy transmission stalling at the sudden physical wall.
At that instant, freed from the Mycelium Prison, Zhao Yingyue unleashed all her accumulated power.
“Ha!”
With a sharp cry, a layer of crimson aura ignited around her, thigh muscles tensing, the Six Harmonies Spear she gripped arcing a blinding silver slash through the air.
She spun, body like a gyroscope, focusing all her strength into the weapon.
“Half Moon Slash!”
The force of the dragon’s breath cleaved downward like a crescent moon.
This was no ordinary spear technique—it defied the path of the Six Harmonies Spear entirely!
But in that moment, she used it for a single purpose—to sever the mycelium stretching from the puppet magic girl toward the fungal mother!
The silver blade swept with unstoppable force.
A beautiful, lethal crescent arc flashed behind the puppet.
A series of dull impacts echoed as dozens of slender, resilient strands were sliced cleanly, the cuts smooth as glass.
Deprived of connection to the mother, the puppet magic girl’s body convulsed like a marionette with cut strings, falling into a brief paralysis.
At that moment, Faluthiel, empowered by magic from Jenny and Rosa, expanded the Silent Ice Domain once more, a wave of chill swallowing the puppet magic girl.
Deprived of mycelial control and energy, she could not resist the overwhelming cold.
The orange-red glow faded from her eyes, body stiffening and movements halting.
This pause would not last two seconds.
But for [Shadowfang Warbreaker], waiting in the shadows, two seconds was enough.
From the moment Faluthiel shrank the domain, exposing herself to danger, he had been like a patient panther, stalking to the puppet’s rear flank.
He saw Faluthiel’s gambit, understood her plan, and witnessed Zhao Yingyue’s earth-shattering strike.
Now!
As the puppet stiffened and her sword drooped, he moved.
His form shot from the shadows like stretched black lightning, too fast to track.
Twin poisoned daggers flashed in deadly arcs, stabbing for the exposed wound at the back of her neck.
“Chh!”
The blade slid smoothly into the puppet’s throat.
[Shadowfang Warbreaker’s] wrist twisted with calm precision, severing the last connection.