Crete, now a demon’s minion, extended black tentacles from his body, crawling down the Holy Mountain’s rock wall like an octopus. In the misty haze, his form exuded a terrifying oppressive force. When he fully appeared before the group, a massive tentacle stretched out, whipping down like a giant lash.
Ye Chui’s companions quickly gathered to face this horrifying octopus monster, a dark, fallen entity far more terrifying than any magical beast!
Cass roared, his greatsword charged with aura, ready to strike the descending tentacle.
But then, a loud “bang” echoed.
The sound came from their side, a streak of light shooting toward the tentacle.
The tentacle’s midsection exploded, black fluid spraying everywhere. Crete, the demon’s minion, let out roars and screams of pain, still capable of feeling agony.
This strange attack stunned everyone, and they turned toward the source: Ye Chui.
Ye Chui’s hand was raised, index finger extended, thumb up, mimicking a gun. A grey-white halo surrounded his fingers, faintly forming a thick barrel, a shotgun’s shape, unrecognisable to those present. His face showed a hint of delight.
“Well, [Starfire Blast] is indeed a shotgun.”
The movie’s shotgun had been adapted into a spell, its power clearly a level above a regular shotgun. One shot consumed about 5% of his mana. After spending 100 points to unlock the spell, Ye Chui instantly knew how to cast it: mimic holding a gun to unleash a shotgun-like blast, his Destruction magic spell.
Intermediate spells often required specific gestures, but Ye Chui’s were notably unique.
The damaged tentacle, though not severed, writhed, curling back briefly before whipping down again.
Whoosh!
“Let’s try [Full Firepower],” Ye Chui said with an excited grin, extending both palms forward. Six illusory grey-white barrels appeared on each palm, resembling a Gatling gun. As he aimed at the tentacle, a “rat-tat-tat” of gunfire rang out, the barrels spinning.
As Ye Chui guessed, [Full Firepower] was a modified Gatling heavy machine gun!
Its power seemed even greater than a regular Gatling.
His iPad’s mana bar visibly depleted.
Streaks of light with sparks swept the sky, hitting the half-broken tentacle with indiscriminate fire. With a boom, the severed tentacle crashed to the ground.
The enhanced, magic-modified Terminator arsenal, shotgun blasts, and Gatling sweeps proved formidable!
The severed tentacle didn’t stay still. It writhed, transforming into a snake-like creature, letting out a sharp, indescribable screech as it lunged at Ye Chui. Its end split into a gaping mouth of sharp teeth, catching him off guard, about to bite. His companions, shocked by his new abilities, couldn’t react in time.
“Careful!” Debbie shouted.
Cass prepared to rush to his aid.
But a glowing armoured warrior appeared beside Ye Chui, swinging a longsword. With a “swoosh,” it decapitated the monstrous tentacle snake. The attack, imbued with holy energy, turned the foul, evil tentacle into a puddle of foul-smelling black water, vanishing.
Passive activation of the guardian spell [Security Guard].
After dealing with the tentacle snake, the Security Guard held its sword with both hands, standing before Ye Chui, then faded.
Debbie and the others had seen [Security Guard]’s power when it vanquished Baka’s spirit, but now, slaying the terrifying tentacle snake with one strike, they were again astonished by Ye Chui’s abilities.
“Aaah… pain… you… will all die…” the demon’s minion screeched, its warped body falling from the mountain wall, crashing before them. Now three metres tall, its upper body retained a human shape, but its lower half was a mass of writhing, evil tentacles.
Several tentacles split at the ends, forming toothy maws, becoming tentacle snakes. One snapped at Cass, who was closest.
“Ah!” Cass snapped out of his shock, raising his greatsword to fight.
Then…
“Rat-tat-tat!”
Streams of light burst from Ye Chui’s hands, blasting into the toothy maw of the tentacle snake. Its black surface cracked, black blood splattering. Ye Chui, unleashing [Full Firepower], stepped closer, the snake disintegrating from the head down.
“Swoosh!” A thin tentacle dropped from above, aiming to snatch Ye Chui.
He stopped the Gatling, raised his right hand, index finger extended. “Bang!” [Starfire Blast] snapped the tentacle in half, and it fell.
Thanks to his [Insight], Ye Chui wielded his new spells effortlessly, as if he’d practiced countless times, his accuracy perfect.
“Everyone, be careful. This thing’s tough,” Ye Chui shouted.
Cass, still holding his greatsword in an attack stance, froze (for who-knows-how-many times), turned to Ye Chui, and said earnestly, “Why do I feel like we’re all redundant?”
The others shook off their shock.
Even as teammates, Ye Chui’s sudden abilities shattered their worldview.
His spells… felt so bizarre!
Notably, in the magic book, beginner spells were fixed, limited to fifty-four options. But intermediate and advanced spells were different, their numbers nearly limitless.
When mages reached intermediate or advanced levels, with deep enough insight into magic elements, they could create spells. Through their understanding, new spells could be crafted endlessly.
Of course, only highly talented mages could create spells, a rarity. Neither Stan Town nor Windrock City had such mages. Most used spells created by others.
Cass, Debbie, and the others were certain Ye Chui’s spells were unprecedented.
Did that mean he created them!?
Bloody hell, didn’t you just enter the intermediate mage realm?
How are other mages on the Castro Continent supposed to feel!?
In a way, these spells were indeed Ye Chui’s creations, allowing him to control them with Terminator-like precision.
Crete, the demon’s minion, kept roaring, its tentacles attacking Ye Chui’s group, each seeming to have its own will, targeting everyone.
Ye Chui’s companions fought back: Jiji’s light sword, Cass’s greatsword, Green’s brick, Leisha’s holy chants, Guni’s massive stone sword… but none matched Ye Chui’s [Full Firepower] and [Starfire Blast].
Ye Chui had turned from a mage into the team’s main damage dealer.
In moments, many of the minion’s tentacles were shredded by Ye Chui’s firepower, but it wasn’t enough to end its fallen life. Its body swelled, its once-recognisable face becoming a bloated mass, eyes, nose, and mouth vanishing.
Its roars turned into a terrifying “hiss,” unable to speak human words, as more tentacles writhed out.
Ye Chui used [Camera] to check the creature’s point value: 310 points, still rising. This power, gained through corruption and sacrifice, could grow explosively in a short time, but at great risk—losing control and will.
This wasn’t their greatest threat.
The ground shook harder, the Holy Mountain trembling. The mountain, oddly hard, wasn’t made of ordinary rock but some unique substance. Two centuries ago, Godo drove the demon Lier into the cave below, the mountain becoming a prison to contain it.
The minion’s power was immense, but the demon itself was far greater. Yet, even after over two centuries of containment, it couldn’t break free!
Periodically, the demon tried to escape. Over the years, the relic world’s environment worsened, especially near the Holy Mountain, turning into a wasteland. This showed Godo’s guardianship was weakening. The demon sought every chance to break free!
Godo was dead, his soul guarding, but each attempt weakened his soul’s power. Lier, the demon, absorbed the life force of nearby animals and plants, growing stronger.
Now it was trying again.
It needed life sacrifices, and Ye Chui’s group was perfect. It tempted Crete, turning him into a minion to attack them, while it used all its strength to challenge Godo, sensing this time it might break free!
“Hiss—hiss—”
Terrifying cries came from the dark cave below the Holy Mountain. A black, tumorous mass, both mist and solid, surged toward the entrance.
Godo’s corpse, long a skeleton, suddenly moved.
His bony hand gripped the rusty iron sword, his fringed beard fluttering. The skeletal armour erupted with immense power, swinging the sword to meet the evil rushing from the cave.
