Chapter 137: Bat · Transformation · Flame

Night Sign: Vampire Raid. As Zhuang Xiaoyuan activated the black spell card in her hand, an endless swarm of black bats emerged, circling around her. With a flick of her delicate, pale finger toward the charging Boar Bone Demon, the bats moved like an disciplined army, densely swarming toward the beast.

"Puchi, puchi!" The swarm of bats flapped their wings, colliding with the Boar Bone Demon and biting into its skeletal frame. In an instant, the creature was cloaked in a living, shifting coat of black.

"Crackle, crackle." The sound of bats gnawing on bone emanated from the mass, yet Zhuang Xiaoyuan frowned.

Something was wrong. Since transforming into Remilia Scarlet, she had inherited all knowledge regarding her abilities. The "Vampire Raid" should have obliterated the enemy in seconds. Nearly half a minute had passed, and the Boar Bone Demon remained intact beneath its dark shroud.

Elsewhere, the Rat Bone Demons seemed to have found a way to counter Wen Hui. The creatures, previously dispersed by her emerald winds, had split into two groups. One continued to harass Wen Hui, undeterred by being blown away time and again, while the other gathered at a distance to reform into a single, massive entity, albeit smaller than before.

"Damn it, these rats are annoying! If only the Captain were here, she’d burn you all to ash." Though she noticed the reforming giant, the relentless assault of the lesser demons left her no opening to intervene. She longed for the fire-based powers of Hua Ze, the leader of the Guardian Squad.

As the thought crossed her mind, the ambient temperature spiked. To her astonishment, the emerald Hurricane Spear in her hand began to glow crimson, and the protective wind vortex surrounding her transformed into a swirling torrent of fire.

"What is this? Can I manipulate fire?" The spear had turned entirely red, yet the flames dancing along its length felt as warm and comforting as a mother's embrace. As one favored by the wind gods, it was inexplicable that her powers had shifted to flame.

"No matter. Fire is exactly what I need. Turn to cinders, you rats!" Under her command, the fire vortex surged with intense heat. The swirling flames grew, incinerating every encroaching Rat Bone Demon until they crumbled into ash. Enveloped in her own infernal aura, Wen Hui charged at the massive rat. "Blazing Charge!"

"Oink!" A howl erupted from the bat swarm. The Boar Bone Demon had burst forth, shaking off the bats. Zhuang Xiaoyuan realized why they had failed: the demon possessed a potent regenerative ability unknown to its kind.

While ordinary bone demons relied on speed and strength, their frames were usually fragile. If a bone was shattered, they could not repair it. This boar, however, possessed a strange power to knit its skeletal structure back together. The tiny wounds left by the bats were closing at a visible rate. Furthermore, the bats closest to the demon were shrinking; as they were manifestations of her own magic, the boar was feeding on her power.

"How dare you devour my strength! As punishment, I shall cast you into the abyss of eternal night. One strike is all it takes." Enraged, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s crimson eyes glowed with a faint, blood-red light. A massive, scarlet magic circle manifested at her feet, and a spear of pure red light coalesced in her hand.

Maintaining the red mist and the Vampire Raid had depleted her divine energy rapidly. Whether due to the daylight or the nature of her transformed state, her mana was draining faster than ever. With less than half her reserves remaining, she had to rely on a finishing move.

She fixed her scarlet gaze on the charging beast. Raising the glowing spear, she declared, "Your fate is sealed. Gungnir!"

A red flash tore through the air. The spear vanished, appearing an instant later buried deep within the Boar Bone Demon's skull. The creature collapsed without a sound, the red light in its empty eye sockets extinguishing. With a thunderous crash, its bones shattered into dust. The Boar Bone Demon was destroyed.

"Blazing Charge!" The crimson flames surrounding Wen Hui transformed into a spinning cone of fire, tipped by her spear. Moving with speed that rivaled her wind-based form, she pierced through the giant rat.

"Fire is indeed the bane of these demons." She twirled her spear, scattering sparks like a Valkyrie of fire. Standing behind the defeated monster, she pointed her weapon downward, adopting the stance of her signature technique. "Blazing Red Lotus."

As she thrust the spear into the ground, the flames erupted in a glorious, massive lotus of fire, blooming from where she stood.