The rain pours down in torrents, above the wilderness.
The muddied land glows eerily white under the flash of lightning. Ian and Cam have just steadied themselves outside the city; before they can catch their breath, a piercing chill strikes from behind.
"Found you!"
Through the curtain of rain, a crimson figure steps out of the fissure.
Ghost Bride.
She drags five dark coffins, each step leaving frost blossoms upon the earth, as though death itself is drawing nearer. Her red veil flutters in the raging wind, a blood-red mouth slightly agape, red eyes locked on Ian like a hunter eyeing fleeing prey.
"She... caught up?!" Cam's voice trembles, nearly collapsing to the ground, "Even Apparition couldn't shake her?!"
Ian's expression is grave. He thought the distance outside the city would suffice to lose her, yet her presence seems to transcend spatial constraints—she isn't "chasing," she's "inevitably arriving."
"She doesn't rely on speed, nor tracking." Ian whispers, "She's defined to inevitably find me. As long as I'm on this land, she'll appear."
The Ghost Bride raises her hand, blood threads like whips, tearing through the rain, aimed directly for Ian's throat.
For this.
Ian remains calm.
He is a wizard with trump cards.
Not just one trump card.
Ian knows unleashing his trump card can surely alleviate his current predicament, yet as he watches the Ghost Bride advancing, he still wishes to study her creation method using conventional means.
Precisely because of this.
The Ghost Bride's shriek tears the night sky, her rotting bridal gown surging like a living creature under the moonlight. Ian can sense the surrounding space-time structure distorting—a certain embryo is forcibly altering reality's laws through some secret connection to strengthen its minions. Clearly, the opposing side covets what a Legendary Wizard can offer.
"Mr. Ian!" Cam grips his arm weakly, the young man's face already marked with golden patterns, "She's going to—"
Before the words are finished.
The Ghost Bride's figure suddenly splits into seven indistinct phantoms, encircling from different directions. Her movements leave trails of golden sand in the air.
Those tiny grains float, forming a three-dimensional web of encirclement.
Upon seeing this, Ian lets out a shout.
"Wall of Flames!"
He swings his magic wand forcefully, the ground explodes with a loud bang, a sea of fire erupts ten meters high into the sky, flames roll, the heat wave is oppressive, instantly dividing the entire wilderness into two halves.
The flames mixed with Ian's instilled ancient spell capable of burning souls. The Ghost Bride stands before the fire, her red veil flapping loudly in the heat wave. She doesn't pause, doesn't hesitate, she steps directly into the fire. The flames consume her body, the bridal gown instantly charred, skin peels, the crown melts. Yet, her body still advances within the flames, black mist gushes from wounds, constantly repairing. Her red eyes flicker in the firelight, like a beacon from hell.
She is not burned to death, she doesn't even slow down, upon emerging from the fire, she has already reverted to her original form, Ian's Forbidden Magic effect mixed in with the Flame Magic failed to take effect.
"Fierce Fire Burning Heaven!"
Ian's magic wand draws a blazing blue fire ring.
This is no ordinary Fiery Fire, but an improved version mixed with Ian's System Magic. The flame presents an uncanny bright blue, melting even space into glass-like crystals as it passes. The Ghost Bride's phantoms momentarily halt before the fire wall. Ian seizes the chance to pull Cam, the magic wand sketching the trail of Apparition in the air.
But at the moment the space begins to twist, seven golden lines pierce through the fire wall like lightning, precisely entwining Ian's ankle!
"The groom... wants to see you..." the seven Ghost Brides speak simultaneously, voices combining into a chilling cacophony.
Ian feels a piercing chill spreading from his ankle. These golden lines are not mere physical bindings, they are rewriting the state of his body—attempting to "synchronize" him into the same material as the Ghost Bride!
"Never!" Ian's magic wand erupts with dazzling purple light, "Time Stripping!"
At the moment purple light collides with the golden lines, it creates a strange space-time fold. Ian sees his left hand suddenly become semi-transparent, while Cam's hair is changing color from white to black at a visible speed. The Ghost Bride's figure splits and reunites in this twisted space-time, like reflections in countless mirrors.
But the respite gained is fleeting. The Ghost Bride's core—the crystal embedded in her chest suddenly bursts with blood-red light, forcibly "smoothing" all space-time anomalies.
Ian's magic wand emits a dissatisfied sound.
"It's useless... it's useless..."
The Ghost Brides chant in unison, golden sand gushes from their bodies, forming complex three-dimensional runes in the air—the cracked versions of every spell Ian had previously used! Cam suddenly begins coughing violently, what comes out is no longer blood, but a mixture of golden sand and blue crystals.
"What is happening to me?"
He is terrified.
"Seems the opposing side doesn't intend to spare you either." Ian knows Cam is encountering a similar "synchronization" effect. The Ghost Brides simultaneously raise their arms, bridal gown hems moving without wind. Ian can feel the surrounding reality structure beginning to collapse, a certain higher-dimensional force is rewriting physical laws, intending to permanently trap them in this cycle until they become the same existence as the Ghost Bride.
It is time.
Ian takes a deep breath, suddenly pressing his magic wand against his temple. The gesture causes the Ghost Brides to pause at once, seemingly unable to comprehend the prey's self-destructive behavior.