Chapter 104: Dying

" if you find any mistakes or misspelled names. Let me know—thank you!"

"Get away!"

Angel rolled from her original position while loudly warning her teammates. A frost spear aimed at her scraped past her body and embedded itself in the ground, the rushing cold air covering the nearby earth with a layer of white frost.

From the moment this Sequence 6 Pleasure Witch had attempted to attack them through spider silk, Angel had guessed her purpose was obviously not to kill the Nighthawks, but to hold them back.

Otherwise, black flames and frost spears at medium range would clearly be more suitable combat methods.

Leonard had just realized this when the opponent intensified her offensive, not hesitating to use frost spears at close distance to restrict the Nighthawks—further exposing her true purpose.

I need to find a way to exhaust her mirror substitutes, just like with Mrs. Sharon...

Ignoring the chill invading her body, Angel raised her hand to return fire. The light of "Phantom Phosphorus Burst" flared again, revealing a vague white outline not far away, unhurriedly moving away from the position the Nighthawks defended.

"Found her, Captain!"

Before Angel's words finished, a familiar wave came from behind her. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay awake, and moved sideways several steps to leave Dunn's attack range.

The Pleasure Witch, directly affected by the Nightmare power, fared even worse. She swayed and stopped moving, her invisibility disguise rapidly fading to reveal a graceful female figure in black robe and hood.

Let me see how many mirror substitutes you have left...

Angel returned the revolver loaded with "Phantom Phosphorus Burst" to her waist holster and drew the "Bloodthirst" that had remained hidden and unused from under her arm. Injecting a little spirituality, she aimed at the distant tall, slender figure and pulled the trigger.

The black flame bullet struck the woman's body accurately, but this time brought no illusory sound of shattering mirrors. Black flames capable of devouring spirit body and flesh surged from the impact point, quickly spreading throughout the Pleasure Witch's entire form and transforming her into a purple-black fireball.

What's happening? Is she defeated just like that?

Without hesitation, Angel fired two more shots at the burning witch's body, feeding the black flames and making them shoot up a full meter high.

Dense gunfire also came from behind.

Then, before her eyes, the burning body suddenly contracted and shrank, transforming into a black wooden staff about twenty centimeters long in mid-air.

The staff burned with black flames as it fell to the ground.

Simultaneously, the Pleasure Witch's figure appeared directly in front of Angel, gripping a dagger with both hands. The blade tip spouted black flames as she approached at extreme speed, her black robe fluttering in the wind.

Not mirror substitute—what ability is this... wooden staff substitute?

Angel couldn't spare time to study the difference between the two substitutes. Seeing her opponent had already reached striking distance, she could only retreat while firing a shot.

"Bang—"

The black-robed witch turned her body sideways, easily dodging the bullet. The dagger slashed forward, narrowly passing in front of Angel's chest. During the exchange, Angel barely glimpsed the face beneath the hood—one she had never seen before, but exceptionally beautiful.

Right, she's also from the Assassin pathway. Direct shooting will be difficult...

Angel drew the dagger from her waist, blocking the opponent's second strike that followed closely. The heavy impact nearly made the blade slip from her left hand.

"Good skills. You're also an Assassin—why join the Nighthawks and attack your companions?"

Companions? My companions are all behind me.

Angel didn't give the witch a chance to use "Instigation" or "Provocation," directly interrupting her words with gunfire.

"Captain, hypnotize us! Leonard, prepare to attack!"

Since she couldn't handle the witch alone, she'd call for backup from her teammates!

Having thought this through, Angel didn't retreat but advanced, left hand gripping the dagger, right hand clutching "Bloodthirst" tightly as she stepped forward two paces, closing distance with the Pleasure Witch.

As long as she could hold her here, waiting for the captain to use his Nightmare ability...

Captain?

Leonard?

Behind her lay silence, as if only she and the witch by this riverside remained.

"Hehe—"

The Pleasure Witch released several extremely pleasant laughs. Black flames emerged around her, and having witnessed their power before, Angel could only retreat two steps to avoid their attack.

The opponent didn't pursue, instead pulling down her hood to reveal smooth gray-white hair and fair skin. Her face showed an uncontrollable smile.

"Teammates? If you don't go help them, they're all going to die!"

"Bang—"

Having no desire to converse with her, Angel raised "Bloodthirst" and fired. Knowing she couldn't hit her opponent, she didn't even input spirituality to use the weapon's extraordinary ability.

As expected, the hastily fired shot was dodged with a simple sidestep, and the two opened distance between them.

But where were the captain, Klein, and Leonard?

While quickly reloading and pondering—even guessing this might be the opponent's verbal attack—Angel still couldn't help turning her head slightly, using her peripheral vision to look behind.

Nightmare Dunn Smith's windbreaker rose and fell irregularly, as if terrifying monsters writhed beneath the clothing.

Not far in front of him, illuminated by phantom phosphorus powder, Leonard had thrown away his empty revolver. Gripping both fists, he lunged toward a short female figure in black robes. The latter had lowered her hood, black hair flying, completely unaffected by the Nightmare ability.

She held a bone idol in one hand while waving the other through the air, commanding floating black flames that blocked between them. This prevented Leonard from advancing or retreating, forcing him to constantly dodge in place and appear quite desperate.

Captain and Leonard are both still fine...

The unease in Angel's heart lessened slightly.

Wait, what's on the ground?

Her about-to-withdraw gaze froze, then swept toward Dunn's feet where a familiar figure lay.

Klein Moretti—the young Seer with eyes tightly closed, one hand covering his chest, the other gripping his silver chain. The yellow crystal at the chain's end was stained red with blood. More unstoppable fresh blood rhythmically spurted from between the fingers covering his chest, spraying toward the sky and even splashing onto Dunn's leather boots.

"Today you will all live well..."

"Today you will all die here!"

The witch's disgusting voice came, her tone carrying supreme pleasure, as if she enjoyed Angel's despair.

Black flames appeared one after another beside the witch. Angel's hands and feet tightened simultaneously—she was already entangled by countless invisible spider silks.

"Starting with you first, traitorous Assassin."

Frost and flames appeared simultaneously in the air as the Sequence 6 Pleasure Witch finally displayed her full strength.

"Click—"

A loud mechanical sound made the witch slightly stunned, then her expression changed. The black flames and ice spikes around her shot toward Angel in succession.

Bright yellow flames surged from the bound Angel, spider silks that feared fire breaking and burning completely. The figure in the flames raised one hand, firing a bullet carrying black flames at the ground. Purple-black flames exploded outward.

The witch, now alert, retreated repeatedly, waving both hands to command ice spikes and black flames flying toward the figure in the flames like an overwhelming tide. But all attacks passed through the illusory firelight, smashing uselessly on the ground.

...

Leonard awkwardly dodged the black flames controlled by the Witch in front of him, retreating step by step under their pursuit.

Dunn's Nightmare ability seemed hindered by some force during combat. His body shook, the windbreaker slowly settling as his eyes reopened, green pupils gazing deeply at the idol in the Witch's hand.

"Primordial Witch..."

He murmured.

With the Nightmare ability ineffective, Klein ambushed and seriously injured, and his internal spirituality showing signs of becoming uncontrollable, Dunn hurriedly suppressed his emotions while drawing his revolver.

"Boom—"

The sound of bursting flames came from beside his ear. Firelight flashed before his eyes as a woman with pale golden hair stepped from the flames, raised her hand, and fired, dispersing a black flame drifting toward Leonard.

"Captain, you and Leonard hold back the other one. Leave this side to me."

The clear, cold but confident voice made the anxiety in Dunn's heart fade away.