The rain hadn't ceased, and Ian and Kalan hid in the corner of an abandoned clock tower in the east of the city.
All around was enveloped by a layer of light blue Magic Barrier — a Concealing Barrier personally set up by Ian. It not only shielded their presence but also distorted vision and perception.
Even a High Tier Mage would find it hard to detect its existence without special detection means.
"She only collects wizards... but why specifically the 'living' ones?" Kalan was still immersed in fear, his voice trembling, "Where is she taking them? Underground in the temple? What's really there?"
Ian frowned and was about to answer when he suddenly shivered all over.
He had sensed it — an indescribable "gaze."
He suddenly looked up, gazing through the barrier toward the end of the street. The Ghost Bride was dragging five pitch-black coffins, slowly advancing. Her steps remained silent, the red veil gently fluttering in the wind. Yet, in that instant, she abruptly stopped.
Then, she slowly turned her head.
That face, pale as paper, those hollow eyes burning with red light, precisely locked onto the direction of the clock tower — as if piercing through the barrier, shadows, and distance, stabbing directly into Ian's soul.
"Impossible... with the Triple Concealment Spell plus the Space Distortion Barrier, even Dumbledore himself would need at least three minutes to break my magic." Ian whispered, his tone tinged with disbelief and astonishment, "The barrier hasn't been triggered, and the magic power fluctuations haven't leaked... how did she discover us?"
"Found... you..." The Ghost Bride's mouth ripped to the ear, with golden sand gushing out of her eye sockets, forming countless tiny eye patterns in the air.
Her facial skin cracked like rotten flesh, the mouth extending to the ear, revealing a ghastly wide open maw, toothless and only infinite darkness inside.
It was like the entrance to the Nether River, chillingly terrifying.
This scene made Cam's breath suddenly halt, "How, how can she..."
... sacrifice..."
Her voice, like the whisper of a thousand people, resounded directly in Ian and Kalan's minds.
"Move!" Ian roared furiously, shoving Kalan out of the way.
Just as his words fell—
The Ghost Bride vanished.
Not teleportation, not an illusion, but like a "frame skip," one moment she was a hundred meters away, the next she was abruptly inside the barrier, standing before them, a rancid breeze upon them! Indeed, the Ghost Bride's figure suddenly blurred. No movement trajectory, no spatial ripple, she just appeared within the barrier from a hundred meters away out of thin air!
This being's appearance was exceedingly abrupt, unexpected, the hem of the rotten wedding dress brushed against Ian's robe, instantly corroding and smoking a hole.
"Back off!"
Ian's magic wand burst forth with dazzling white light.
"Reducto!"
The Blast Curse struck the Ghost Bride's chest precisely, and her upper body exploded into a sky of golden sand at once. But those sand grains did not dissipate; instead, they hovered in the air, reassembling into a twisted human shape. In less than a heartbeat, she restored to original state, even the tear in her wedding dress was intact.
"It's useless... the groom... likes... me complete..."
The Ghost Bride's song turned into an eerie duet, alternating male and female voices squeezed out from deep within her throat. She raised her branch-like arm, and the black liquid dripping from her fingertips corroded spider web-like patterns on the stone floor.
"How can this be?!"
Kalan screamed, falling to the ground, his magic wand slipping from his hand.
Ian reacted extremely quickly, waving his magic wand.
"Thunderous Explosion!"
He cast another spell.
A blazing light exploded, striking the Ghost Bride's chest. Her body was instantly torn apart, her left arm blown off, her chest pierced, black mist billowing. However, no blood flowed from the wound, instead more black mist surged out rapidly, and in seconds her body reassembled, intact.
"Ineffective?" Ian's pupil contracted.
The Ghost Bride did not answer, raising a hand to grab. Ian immediately cast "Shield Technique," a golden light barrier formed instantly. Yet, the bloody thread pierced through the shield like a blade toward his throat. Ian sidestepped to dodge, but the thread grazed his cheek, leaving a scar.
"Time Slow Flow!" Ian muttered, attempting to slow her movements.
The Ghost Bride's movements indeed slowed down, but her existence seemed unaffected by time itself.
Her body could still attack in slow motion, and once Ian lifted the spell, her movements returned to normal, as if the "Slow Flow" had never happened.
"All Petrify!" Ian shifted to using a negative effect spell. A silver light struck the Ghost Bride, her body instantly turned to stone, even the red veil frozen in the air.
Ian breathed a sigh of relief and was about to check when he saw cracks beginning to appear on the statue's surface. Black mist surged out from the fissures, with stone fragments peeling off as her body reassembled once again, unscathed.
"This is impossible..." Kalan slumped on the ground, voice trembling, "She... she can't be killed at all!"
Not only did this Ancient Wizard find it horrifying.
Even Ian truly felt the predicament faced by those captured wizards.
"Not only can't she be killed, but negative states can't even be applied for long?" Ian's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He had never seen such bizarre regeneration ability — normally even undead would have casting intervals. But this being's restoration blatantly defied the laws of time and space!
"Incendio!"
Blazing fiery fire erupted from the tip of his wand, engulfing the Ghost Bride like a human torch. The crackling sound of burning fat was heard from within the flames, but the next second, all the fire was sucked back into her body, becoming blood-red light dots flowing within the golden sand. Cam slumped on the ground, pointing his wand at the Ghost Bride but unable to utter a single spell.