Chapter 26: Desperate Ambush

Bathed in the light of the blood-red pentagram, Ye Qi finally saw clearly around him. Freyka, dressed in a black and red robe with a hood covering her face, stood before the blood-red pentagram, holding a black-covered book. In the center of the pentagram lay two corpses, one large and one small. The five points of the pentagram were already filled with various organs. Looking at the organs scattered on the ground, illuminated by the blood-red light, even Ye Qi, who was accustomed to a life of blood and violence, felt a tightness in his chest and a constriction in his throat.

No wonder the demon ritual is despised. If someone could accept this, they would definitely be a pervert.

With a glance, Ye Qi immediately defined the notorious demon ritual. Without further ado, he unleashed a conical flame, fiercely spraying it at Freyka, who was still conducting the ritual.

"Zhissh!"

Although Freyka was still reciting the incantation, when the red flame was about to reach her, a large number of shadow warriors rose from the ground, blocking the path of the flame. As the flames from the Burning Hand gradually weakened, these shadow warriors pounced on Ye Qi, forcing him to unleash another Burning Hand. The power of the flames once again forced the shadow warriors back, but Ye Qi was not at all happy, because with a "clank, clank" sound, over thirty skeletal warriors emerged from the earth, their hollow eye sockets glowing with a ghastly green soul fire. Driven by their innate hatred of the living, they all let out silent roars directed at Ye Qi.

Damn it! How much did those damn cops hide? How many graves did they have to dig to summon so many dark creatures! And the Burning Hand only has two uses left, it won't last long!

The four Burning Hands used to break through the encirclement, the two just used, and the Mage Armor previously cast, originally augmented by the Bear's Endurance to allow nine uses of a first-level spell, now had only two uses left. The shadow warriors and skeletal warriors surrounding him were definitely not something two Burning Hands could solve.

Feeling the increasingly dense negative energy, Ye Qi knew that if he didn't stop Freyka, the demon ritual would be completed. At that point, it would be impossible to eliminate her, and even escaping would be a feat for Ye Qi and John.

Ye Qi's gaze swept over the shadow warriors and skeletal warriors, looking at Freyka, who was less than ten meters away. He couldn't help but feel a sense of being close yet far away. The waves of weakness in his body grew stronger, and even the short dagger, which usually felt weightless, now seemed heavy in his hand.

I have to go all out!

Feeling the effects of Bear's Endurance gradually fading, Ye Qi gritted his teeth, pulled out the few remaining vials of holy water from his body, and poured them over his head, trying to coat his entire body. He quickly smeared the holy water on the magical short dagger and immediately charged towards Freyka.

Vampire Touch. Activate.

A faint dark red color overflowed from Ye Qi's body, tightly wrapping around the magical short dagger. The golden holy water and the dark red Vampire Touch mixed together, complementing each other, emitting a somber dark gold.

The shadow warriors and skeletal warriors blocking Ye Qi's path were scattered one by one. The distance of less than ten meters was quickly reduced to five meters. However, this five-meter distance came at a cost—“zhissh!” sounds filled the air as Ye Qi's body, including the magical short dagger, began to emit a faint white smoke, and the skin exposed outside his clothes turned bright red—the holy water itself had a strong purifying effect on dark creatures, and with the shadow warriors and skeletal warriors surrounding Ye Qi, the holy water was naturally effective. This effect allowed Ye Qi to resist the shadow warriors' soul attacks and quickly scatter the constantly reassembling skeletal warriors, but the intense heat released by the holy water as it purified the dark creatures made Ye Qi feel as if he was being roasted!

"Whoosh!"

A large amount of heat gathered on his skin and around his body. Although the Vampire Touch replenished his strength, the rapid consumption of oxygen in the scorching space made Ye Qi, who had just replenished some of his strength lost from continuous spellcasting, fall into another predicament—breathing became increasingly difficult in the scorching space, and his oxygen-deprived brain began to feel dizzy. At this moment, Ye Qi could hardly stand, let alone continue forward.

This short five-meter distance now seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

"Give up! You can't stop me!"

Freyka, who had been reciting the incantation, suddenly lifted her head. Despite the hood covering most of her face, Ye Qi's blurred vision still caught the upward curve of her lips.

"Bullshit!"

Freyka's indifferent smile was the greatest mockery to Ye Qi. It stimulated his oxygen-deprived brain, which had already become a bit dazed. Without hesitation, Ye Qi raised his hand and unleashed another Burning Hand.

"It's useless! What... how is this possible..."

Seeing the light of fire in Ye Qi's hand, she instinctively thought he was making a last-ditch effort. Feeling confident in her victory, Freyka shook her head, but the next moment she was stunned—Ye Qi's Burning Hand was not aimed at her but behind him!

This moment of hesitation completely changed the situation—Ye Qi, who had been unable to move forward, used the recoil from the Burning Hand to propel himself forward with lightning speed, reaching Freyka. The magical short dagger in his hand pierced straight into Freyka's heart.

"This... you... planned this... long ago..."

Even as a demon worshipper, Freyka was helpless with her heart pierced. Unless the demon she served appeared in person, which, given the nature of demons, was almost impossible.

"Not... just a spur of the moment..."

Compared to Freyka's rapidly fading life, Ye Qi, who was severely oxygen-deprived, was also in a dire state, speaking in broken sentences. However, what he said was true. Using the Burning Hand as a propellant was a sudden idea that came to him. Previously, when using the Burning Hand, Ye Qi always used his full strength to counteract the recoil. After using it, he was always full of complaints, but he never thought that this time, the recoil would save his life and allow him to kill the enemy in one move!

"Swish..."

"Thud..."

As Freyka's life faded, the surrounding shadow warriors and skeletal warriors began to turn into black dust and the skeletal frames with extinguished soul fires.

"I won't give up! I just wanted to resurrect my husband and children..."

Resurrecting her husband and children? There's nothing wrong with that, but you chose the wrong method!

Ye Qi sat there, looking at the fallen Freyka, who let out a final, defiant howl. In this howl, the voice of the werewolf Amon sounded in Ye Qi's ear: "Kid, soul received! Pleasant transaction!"

"Ye!" John, no longer hindered by the shadow warriors and skeletal warriors, ran to the hunter's side, helping the weak hunter up, and asked with concern: "Ye, well done! Are you okay?"

"C+ level mission assistance to John completed, gained 5,000 experience..."

"Congratulations, your character level has been upgraded to 7, and your profession level has been upgraded to 3. Your injuries and energy have been fully restored, and you have gained one free attribute point. You have also gained 10 skill proficiency points, which you can allocate as you wish."

"Congratulations, your character level has been upgraded to 7, and your profession level has been upgraded to 3. You have gained an optional feat, please make your choice!"

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