Chapter 1388: Andona Steps Up to Bat

Andona landed in the center of the formation.

A holy dagger took shape in her palm. Its blade was barely longer than her hand, but the Divine Power contained within made the red light beneath her feet ripple violently.

She reversed her grip and drove the dagger into the point where the two arrays overlapped.

The tip pierced the golden lines, then sank into the bloodred formation below.

Both arrays stopped.

The next instant, cracks raced outward through the golden and bloodred patterns. Divine Power tore every rune apart. Andona released the dagger, formed an energy sphere in her palm, and pressed it into the ground.

Golden energy surged through the mud.

Divine Power spread across the surface, blasting every enemy hidden among the roots, bushes, and murky water out of cover. The ground shattered all around them, leaving only the area beneath the group intact.

When the explosion ended, bodies lay scattered everywhere.

Keenear and Keeneye were among them.

The struggle between the arrays had destroyed their most important abilities. Keenear’s ears were gone, while Keeneye’s eyes had lost all light. They lay in the muddy water, barely capable of fighting.

The shadowy figures who had battled Catheryn were already gone. Her darkness had swallowed them completely, absorbing them into the blackness behind her.

A girl appeared in the sky.

She hovered beneath the heavy clouds with a staff in her hand. Its tip swept across the group below, stirring the clouds overhead. A fine rain began to fall across the swamp.

At the sound of it, Keenear and Keeneye both lit up with joy.

Dragging their broken bodies upright, they raised their hands and began forming seals again, shouting excitedly as they worked.

The girl slowly descended.

She struck her staff against the ground.

Thump.

The scattered droplets thickened into a torrential downpour. Countless ripples spread across the water, and the mud quickly dissolved into murky pools.

Keenear and Keeneye formed seals faster and faster.

Their bodies could no longer withstand the strain. Blood poured from Keeneye’s empty eyes, their noses and mouths, and the wounds where Keenear’s ears had been, mixing with the rainwater streaming over them.

The water around them changed course.

Streams ran across the mud and gathered before the girl, carrying the thick blood Keenear and Keeneye had shed. The bloody water rose in front of her staff and gradually formed a spinning sphere.

The girl examined it with satisfaction.

"Still not enough."

Her gaze settled on Keenear and Keeneye, both of them barely alive.

"I suppose the rest will have to come from you."

She opened her mouth and swallowed the entire sphere.

The last few seals Keenear and Keeneye completed before collapsing finally took effect.

A binding array rose beneath the group.

Invisible force closed in from every direction, dragging everyone together. Arms and bodies collided as the space around them shrank, while the mud underfoot was squeezed out of the formation.

A towering phantom appeared behind the girl.

Its head remained hidden, but its body alone occupied a vast portion of the sky. As it emerged, the girl’s face aged rapidly. Her skin sagged, wrinkles covered her cheeks, and her youthful voice returned to its former slow, rasping tone.

The old Witch spread her arms, welcoming the pouring rain.

"I speak for one thousand one hundred and forty-five generations of witches—"

The rain intensified again, a dense curtain of water nearly obscuring the entire swamp.

"We will succeed!"

The headless phantom behind her raised both arms in celebration. The old Witch turned and pointed her staff at the group trapped together inside the binding array.

"Bring this final moment to completion!"

Movement erupted from the surrounding woods and muddy water.

Animals charged in from every direction, trampling through puddles and breaking through the rain in dense waves as they surrounded the group. The headless phantom stepped forward as well, its enormous body officially entering the battle.

The binding array continued to tighten while packs of animals closed in through the mud. Ethan glanced at the mass of enemies surrounding them and raised his white shield with practiced ease, protecting everyone trapped together by the formation.

White lightning gathered in his palm.

There was no point wasting time on the animals when he could take out the old Witch first.

Cut off the head, and the rest would fall. Ethan had learned that lesson long ago.

The energy sphere shot from his hand and flew straight toward the old Witch. White lightning tore through the rain, vaporizing every droplet in its path and leaving a brief tunnel of dry air behind it.

The others gave Ethan helpless looks.

They didn’t stop him. They only hoped nothing unexpected happened this time.

Andona was the first to pass through the shield. Her golden wings spread wide in the rain. Divine Power wrapped around the blade in her hand, stretching it until it became a golden staff.

She struck the air before her.

Thoom—

A ring of golden force expanded from the tip. It passed through the group with nothing more than a comforting warmth, but when it reached the animals and shadowy figures outside, the holy power surged directly into their bodies.

There were no flames. No burns appeared on their skin.

Yet the creatures stopped one after another, their bodies trembling from within. Holy power burned through the pathways of their energy, forcing cries of agony from their throats.

Before the first shockwave had faded, Andona struck again.

Ring after ring of golden light swept across the battlefield, driving back the advancing enemies.

Deep within the woods, a pitch-black figure slowly emerged.

More shadows followed. Concealing themselves behind branches, they leaped silently through the canopy. Only when they were within a few yards of Andona did they thrust their arms from their sleeves.

Each held a dagger.

The figures leaped from every direction, their blades converging on Andona. With their free hands, they formed seals in front of their chests. Purple light flowed from their fingers and coated the daggers in evil energy.

Andona looked up at them without retreating.

The golden staff shifted back into a blade while an energy sphere formed in her other hand. Divine Power compressed inside it, and the pressure it released made the lead attacker falter.

Andona hurled it straight at him.

His companions surrounded him, and the golden shockwaves cut off any retreat. With nowhere to go, he gripped his dagger in both hands and slashed at the incoming sphere with all his strength.

The moment blade met sphere, golden light erupted from the point of impact.

The sphere didn’t break. It drove the attacker backward through the air instead. By then, the others had already passed over Andona’s head, their daggers only inches from her body.

Andona struck the air with her staff again.

A third golden wave swept through the sky.

It engulfed every shadowy attacker, detonating the Divine Power that had accumulated inside them. At the same time, a pale gold shield rose around Andona, blocking the daggers and stray bursts of energy.

Her attackers weren’t so lucky.

Their bodies disintegrated in the golden light, crumbling inward from their limbs toward their torsos. The energy sphere punched through the lead attacker and remained suspended in front of Andona, its golden glow only slightly dimmer than before.

Andona looked up.

Ethan was chasing the old Witch.

She had nothing suitable to throw, so she changed her golden blade into a baseball bat. Gripping it with both hands, Andona turned sideways, wound up, and swung at the energy sphere in front of her.

Crack!

The golden sphere rocketed into the sky, its speed rising sharply. It tore through the rain toward the old Witch, who was still dodging Ethan’s attacks.

The battle overhead had become almost comical.

The old Witch had yet to truly fight back.

Her task wasn’t complete, and she had no intention of risking a direct confrontation with Ethan before it was. Whenever one of his white energy spheres closed in, she changed direction in advance or raised her staff like a shield, deflecting the attack to the side.