Behind Wisteria stood several wolf-like beasts, though they were much larger in size.
The bodies of these beasts were filled with flesh. In some places, their skin was intact, showing a greenish-grey hue, while in other places, it had already rotted and blackened, revealing the skeleton of tangled vines beneath.
They kept their heads low, letting out low whimpers from their throats, waiting for their leader's command.
Wisteria's gaze slowly swept across everyone. His voice was hoarse and low, sounding like a murmur yet also like a desperate craving. “Can't you all just let me eat you quietly?”
“In your dreams! That is absolutely impossible!” Arbiter gripped her wand tightly and rushed to their side, ensuring everyone was within her protective range. Her voice was filled with anger.
Wisteria's gaze had no focus. It seemed as if he were speaking to everyone present, but instinct told Bai Ci that there was a high probability those words were directed solely at her.
Thinking of her own skills, some ideas surfaced in Bai Ci's mind. If necessary, she would...
However, Wisteria did not give them any time to think. Before Arbiter's flames could reach him, his body began to swell violently.
His uniform was torn to shreds, and thick vines began to surge beneath his skin. The vines grew and tangled frantically, weaving themselves into the shape of flesh and blood.
At the same time, his head gradually distorted, growing pointed animal ears and completely shedding his human form. Only his eyes remained a beautiful, pure purple.
His body grew larger and larger, finally transforming into a giant beast several times larger than the wolf-like creatures behind him.
This giant beast was covered in greenish-grey fur, beneath which the tangled vine skeletons were faintly visible. Its limbs were thick and powerful, and its claws were sharp and fierce.
On its back, it even grew a pair of tattered wings made of withered vines—a feature the other wolf-like beasts did not possess.
The wings were feathered, but incomplete, with gaping holes in places. The vines wrapped around them were dry and yellow, making the entire wings look like something cobbled together that could snap at any moment.
A deafening roar erupted from its throat. At this moment, it had completely shed its human disguise, turning into a pure beast that knew only how to hunt and kill.
With the giant beast's roar, the wolf-like creatures behind it were instantly galvanized.
They threw their heads back, howling in response, and lunged toward the group.
At the same time, the flame barrier behind them finally shattered under the strain. The vine figures that had been blocked also rushed forward. Caught in a pincer attack, the group was completely trapped in the middle.
“Hold your ground!” Arbiter shouted. Gripping her wand tightly, she was the first to charge forward.
“Sparks of the Abyss, heed my whisper, and crush the obstacles before me!”
A massive ball of fire erupted from the tip of her wand, hurtling toward the leading wolf-like beast.
The leaping wolf-like beast was struck squarely in the waist and crashed heavily to the ground.
The wolf-like beast right behind it seized the opening between her spells and rushed in front of Arbiter, baring its sharp teeth—only to be met with the gemstone-encrusted tip of her wand.
Like a golf ball being struck, the beast was sent flying by a single swing of Arbiter's wand.
This was the secret ultimate technique of a Magical Girl: melee magic.
“Marg, put me down and buy Arbiter some time,” Violita ordered calmly, suppressing his cough.
Without a moment's hesitation, Marg set Violita on the ground, drew a firearm from his waist, and pulled the trigger at the rushing vine figures.
“Miss Lora, I leave the Young Master to you.”
Bai Ci nodded. She helped Violita up, trying her best to keep herself and him within Arbiter's protective range.
She knew she currently lacked any combat capability that could help, so she could only do her best to protect herself and Violita, ensuring they didn't become a burden to the others.
Gunfire rang out in the rainy night, the bullets accurately striking the chests of the vine figures where a human heart would be.
However, that was only the position of a human heart, not necessarily where the vine figures' hearts were—it was even highly doubtful if they possessed hearts at all.
Furthermore, the vines were exceptionally tough. The bullets merely pierced the outer layer of human skin, completely failing to damage the vine core inside.
Marg's actions only served to infuriate them, shifting their primary targets from just Arbiter to both Arbiter and himself.
Marg knew his gun was utterly useless against these bizarre monsters, so he could only do his utmost to buy time for Arbiter.
He took the initiative to draw away from the others, pulling the vine figures after him so Arbiter wouldn't end up completely surrounded and attacked from both sides.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.
Arbiter swung her wand, continuously unleashing blasts of fire, barely managing to hold off the onslaught of the wolf-like beasts and vine figures.
But her stamina was draining rapidly. Her breathing grew increasingly ragged, and the power of her flames weakened with each cast.
The wolf-like beasts were incredibly ferocious and showed no fear of the searing heat. Even when their flesh was split open and charred by the fire, they still lunged forward without any regard for their lives.
If not for Arbiter's decent melee skills, she would have been grabbed several times already.
Forced to suppress the wolf-like beasts charging from the front while keeping a constant eye on the vine figures behind her, all while trying to protect Bai Ci and Violita, Arbiter gradually found herself overwhelmed and unable to cope.
Marg's situation was not looking good either.
His gun had run out of ammunition, leaving him to fight the vine figures with his bare hands.
Although he was very strong and agile, he was a middle-aged man after all. The vine figures were exceptionally nimble, wrapping their vines around his arms and legs and severely restricting his movements.
Soon, his body was covered in wounds. Blood stained his clothes, and a vine had slashed across his face, leaving a long, bloody scratch.
He had reached his limit just by holding off a portion of the vine figures, leaving him with absolutely no strength to help Arbiter.
The giant beast that Wisteria had transformed into stood in place, not making a move yet. It merely kept its head low, watching the scene with its purple eyes while letting out a low rumbling from its throat.
It was as if it were enjoying the struggle of its prey, or perhaps waiting for the perfect moment to strike and feast.
“Curse it! These filthy things are endless!”
Panting heavily, Arbiter dodged the attacks of the wolf-like beasts while unleashing a wave of fire to force back the vine figures near her.
Her magical power was on the verge of exhaustion, and her legs were beginning to feel weak, yet she refused to give up.
She knew that once she fell, there would be no hope of clearing this instance.
This was not because she looked down on Yan Zheng. Yan Zheng's class was very powerful—strictly speaking, its effects were much stronger than that of a Magical Girl—but its strength lay in its support mechanics.
But no matter what you multiply zero by, the result is still zero. Without the base stats of a compatible class, Yan Zheng's mechanics simply couldn't function.
Rate on N.U.
