After a moment's hesitation, Aisha decided to continue searching the Mage Tower. Her reasoning was simple: she had already come this far and cleared half the place; turning back now would be absurd. Regardless, she needed to secure the tower first.
Aisha ascended the stairs. The moment she reached the second floor, a massive fireball hurtled toward her.
Reacting swiftly, she leaped back to the staircase and dove to the floor. A deafening roar shook the tower as a pillar of flames erupted within.
Though Aisha dodged the brunt of the explosion, a stray ember ignited the hem of her black cloak. She tore it off and flung it aside, revealing a skintight leather armor that clung to her body like a second skin, perfectly accentuating her lithe figure.
Aisha glared ahead. Unsurprisingly, Brother Hawen, the Yellow Afro mage, had cast the Fireball. The man returned her gaze fearlessly, grinning as he swiftly retrieved another magic scroll.
"Prepare to die, you little brat! Eat this Chain Lightning!"
Chain Lightning, a Sixth-Level Evocation School spell, unleashes a bolt of lightning from the caster's fingertip. After striking its initial target, the lightning arcs wildly, ricocheting between other targets within a hundred-meter radius. In other words, if a hundred enemies stood within that range, this Chain Lightning could strike them all.
Imagine a wizard from the Evocation School casting Chain Lightning on the battlefield. With a blinding flash of electric light, all enemies within a hundred-meter radius are instantly annihilated—a truly spectacular sight!
However, the spell won't strike the same target twice, preventing the lightning from bouncing back and forth between two individuals.
Unlike Fireball, Chain Lightning travels at near-instantaneous speed, making it virtually impossible to dodge. This spell is practically guaranteed to hit its mark.
Aisha was initially startled, never expecting a Sixth-Level Magic Scroll to be hidden within the Mage Tower. She quickly adopted a defensive stance, bracing herself for the impact. The power of Chain Lightning was comparable to being struck directly by real-world lightning. While Aisha's physical resilience would likely save her life, she knew she would still suffer injuries.
But the moment Brother Hawen tore the scroll, it gradually turned transparent and vanished completely before their eyes.
Aisha and Brother Hawen froze, witnessing the scene. Aisha murmured, "This is... Divine Concealment?"
Anything could vanish into thin air at any time, anywhere. Brother Hawen cursed under his breath, "Holy shit!" and, for what felt like the hundredth time, turned and fled.
Aisha hurried after him, but she quickly realized the yellow-haired man was incredibly fast and intimately familiar with the tower's layout. The distance between them was widening!
"Is this guy a thief?" Aisha wondered. His speed was so absurd, she couldn't think of any other explanation. As she pursued, at least thirty oddly dressed figures blocked her path on the stairs between the second and third floors.
Brother Hawen had already started rallying his gang inside the Mage Tower during his first escape attempt. While the ground floor had been completely cleared, there were still plenty of his followers on the second and third floors. Now, he stood behind this large group, his massive yellow Afro clearly visible as he shouted, "Brothers! We've got the numbers! Charge and kick her ass!"
"Yeah!"
"Charge!"
"Get her!"
Just as Brother Hawen's gang charged forward, he abruptly turned and fled. Aisha frowned slightly and slowly raised her right hand. Instantly, Death Priests emerged from stealth and materialized around her.
While Aisha engaged the group in a brawl, outside the Mage Tower, Castorice was stroking Pollux and chatting idly with Kaia. Her long, pale purple hair swayed gently in the breeze.
She remained completely unaware that a cloaked Death Priest had given her a lingering look. Perhaps precisely because he was a Death Priest, she paid him no mind—after all, wasn't it perfectly normal for a Death Priest to look at her?
However, after memorizing Castorice's appearance, the "Death Priest" swiftly entered the Mage Tower. He frowned deeply as he surveyed the floor littered with corpses.
As he ascended the stairs, his height decreased with each step, while his hair grew wildly longer. The Death Priest who entered the tower had transformed into a young girl with purple hair and eyes—an exact replica of Castorice—by the time he reached the second floor.
This was Disguise, the very reason the Black Hand had remained anonymous for so long. No one had ever seen his true face because he could alter his appearance at will.
Black Hand's class was Rogue - Trickster, and Disguise was his signature skill.
His plan was simple: Aisha seemed fanatically loyal to the Holy Maiden. By disguising himself as the Holy Maiden, he could easily approach her and kill her when she lowered her guard.
To be honest, Black Hand felt somewhat wronged. He hadn't done anything to provoke the priests, yet they had inexplicably stormed his stronghold and ransacked it. Regardless of their motives, they were now sworn enemies.
Disguised as Castorice, Black Hand ascended the stairs. On the second-floor landing, he encountered another pile of corpses, but he felt no remorse. They were just cannon fodder; once they were all dead, he could easily recruit more from Chaos City. There were plenty eager to join his ranks anyway.
Reaching the third floor, he saw extensive signs of explosions. The floor was charred, and fires still flickered in places, evidence of a fierce battle. Finally, on the fourth floor, he spotted Aisha cornering Brother Hawen against a wall.
At that moment, Brother Hawen tore another scroll: a Fourth-Level Abjuration School spell, [ Lorenzo's Elastic Sphere ]. This spell conjured a massive, transparent sphere that completely encased a target, providing nearly impenetrable protection.
The problem was that the sphere also effectively imprisoned the target, rendering them immobile and unable to eat or drink.
Aisha stared at the enormous transparent sphere with exasperation, then impulsively kicked it. The highly elastic sphere bounced forward several times before colliding with the wall and ricocheting back to her.
No wonder it was called the "Elastic Sphere."
Tap-tap~ Hearing crisp footsteps behind her, Aisha turned to see Castorice approaching.
Black Hand's disguise was truly outrageous. Not only did he look exactly like Castorice, but he had even perfectly replicated Pollux, the small purple Round Sparrow perched atop his head.
The Illusion School also had a spell called "Disguise," but that only altered appearances through illusions. For example, a thin person could appear fat, but if someone poked their "plump" belly, their finger would pass right through—because it was all fake.
Black Hand's disguise technique was different. It was a form of bone manipulation, allowing him to genuinely alter his physical form. Combined with subtle Illusion Magic to refine the details, it was no exaggeration to say that no one had ever seen through his disguises.
As Black Hand pondered his opening line, Aisha suddenly launched into a sliding tackle, wrapping her arms around his leg.
Black Hand: "???"
Aisha: "Holy Maiden, weren't you supposed to wait for me downstairs? Is there something you need up here?"
"Ahem," Black Hand cleared his throat, his voice sounding almost exactly like Castorice's. "Well, it's like this..."
Completely stumped, he decided to act. He reached behind him to grip a poisoned dagger. But just then, as Aisha clung to his leg, he noticed her tongue dart out for a lick.
Black Hand: "???"
Utterly bewildered, he swiftly drew his dagger and thrust downward. In such close quarters, especially against someone he trusted implicitly, reacting in time should have been impossible.
Yet the moment Black Hand struck, Aisha produced her own dagger.
Clang!
With a crisp clang, the two daggers collided in mid-air and ricocheted. Aisha swiftly retreated, her face grave as she glared at Black Hand. Gritting her teeth, she demanded, "You're not the Holy Maiden! Who are you?!"
Black Hand's expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. He hadn't expected Aisha to evade his attack, nor to see through his disguise.
Crack... crack...
A series of bone-snapping sounds filled the air as Black Hand's form began to elongate. Before Aisha's eyes, he transformed into a half-elf man with wispy white hair and slightly pointed ears.
He eyed Aisha with amused curiosity. "I'm genuinely intrigued. How did you discover..."
Gah!
Before he could finish, Aisha braced herself against Lorenzo's Elastic Sphere and vomited violently right in front of him. "I've licked the Holy Maiden's legs before! They're soft, sweet, and delicious—like a creamy cupcake! But this stench is completely different! It reeks like fermented goblin droppings that have been rotting in a cave for ten years!"
Gah!
Black Hand stared blankly, utterly bewildered by Aisha's description. He had prided himself on his flawless Disguise, perfectly mimicking her appearance and voice (over 95% accuracy). He had even concocted a special perfume to replicate her unique scent.
Visually, aurally, and olfactorily, Black Hand's disguise was flawless. He never anticipated that taste would be his undoing.
But the real question was, who licks someone's leg upon first meeting them? What kind of behavior is that?!
And what's with the cream cake flavor? Can licking a thigh really produce that taste? Are you sure this isn't just your imagination?
The goblin cave filth was even more absurd. Black Hand glanced down at his pants leg—he had just changed into these today!
Regardless, the fact remained: one lick had exposed his identity. It was undeniable. Black Hand couldn't resist licking his own arm to confirm.
...Tastes like nothing?
Meanwhile, Aisha was still vomiting uncontrollably. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she casually smeared the residue on the nearby Lorenzo's Elastic Sphere, glaring at Black Hand. "Whoever you are, daring to impersonate the Holy Maiden... you're dead!"
At the same moment, inside the Elastic Sphere, Brother Hawen wore a pained expression. The magic could block attacks, but it wasn't airtight. This meant the sphere was ventilated—otherwise, the caster would suffocate if trapped inside, right?
The stench of vomit in the air, combined with the sight of the vomit pooling just inches away, finally overwhelmed Brother Hawen. He gagged and vomited violently, "Ugh!"
Naturally, his vomit landed entirely within the elastic sphere, splattering at his feet. "I'm doomed!" he exclaimed in terror.
He imagined what would happen if the sphere rolled or bounced even once. The vomit would splatter everywhere, coating him in the revolting mess.
But dispelling the magic now meant facing Aisha outside, and he feared for his life.
Faced with this impossible choice, Brother Hawen turned ashen... and promptly vomited again. "Ugh—!"
Meanwhile, Aisha raised a hand, signaling the other priests lurking nearby to hold back. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "I'll finish this scum myself!"
Clapping her hands together, she conjured a curved blade radiating a green glow. Shadow Blade, a third-level divine spell, created a weapon composed entirely of negative energy. This ethereal blade, impervious to ordinary armor, could inflict wounds as grievous as the Inflict Wounds spell with a single touch.
Suddenly, the shadows behind Aisha writhed, and she slowly sank into the ground as if dissolving into it, casting the Fifth-Level Divine Spell, Shadowmeld.
Black Hand immediately pulled out a small sphere and tossed it at his feet. With a pop, a thick cloud of white smoke enveloped him. When the smoke cleared, Black Hand had vanished without a trace.
Both combatants favored assassin-like tactics. As soon as the battle began, the battlefield emptied as they both slipped into hiding.
Now it was a game of cat and mouse: who would spot the other first, and who would launch the decisive strike?
In theory, Aisha held the advantage. Concealed within the shadows by her Divine Magic, she was virtually undetectable. But... as time passed, sunlight streamed through the windows of the Mage Tower, visibly shrinking the shadowed areas.
Brother Hawen surveyed the deserted battlefield, waiting in vain for any sign of movement. Doubt crept into his mind. Had those two really left?
He had no idea what had transpired. He'd never seen Black Hand before, only that damned woman fighting some strange man.
Finally, he couldn't bear the suspense any longer. "Dispel Magic!"