Chapter 96

Chapter 95: Annie Verroca's Transformation

Just as the Death Knight sent the shield flying, Rod, Serek, and Selia's swords were already upon him. They were all experienced in battle, and precisely because of this, they would not choose the brainless strategy of waiting for Annie to fail completely before attacking. In fact, long before Annie was on the verge of defeat, the three of them had already gauged how long she could hold out and acted accordingly. While the two were still locked in combat, they had already begun sprinting towards the Death Knight, raising their weapons. And when the Death Knight sent the shield flying, their weapons had already sliced through the air, launching their attacks.

Facing three opponents at once was not easy for the Death Knight, but as an undead creature, his innate advantages were fully unleashed at this moment.

Darian's right hand still thrust forward with the spear, but his left hand suddenly swung, barely blocking Selia's attack from above. He completely ignored Rod and Serek's swords, allowing them to cut into his shoulder and abdomen. After deflecting Selia's attack, the Death Knight's left hand moved downward, and the shield, which had been corroded by holy flames, shattered into pieces, shooting towards the two.

Rod and Serek, who had intended to take advantage of the Death Knight's vulnerability, were helpless against such a close-range surprise attack. They had no choice but to withdraw, dodging the Death Knight's counterattack.

This was the most frustrating aspect of undead creatures: they cared about nothing except their own survival. If a living being were to be cut in such a manner, they would be half-dead or severely disabled. For the Death Knight, the cuts from Rod and Serek were merely minor inconveniences.

As the Death Knight deflected Selia's attack and forced Rod and Serek back, his right hand's spear did not pause for a moment. In that instant, the Death Knight seemed to split into two distinct entities, each performing their own actions.

The sharp, pointed tip of the knight's spear pierced the air, aiming for Annie's body. A golden barrier appeared in front of it, but it lasted for less than two seconds before being completely pierced like a thin sheet of paper.

The silver, mechanical light penetrated the girl's body without a sound.

"Annie!!"

Seeing this, Liss's vision went dark, and she nearly fainted. In her eyes, Annie's slender, frail body was pierced by the spear, curling up, her legs bending, as if she were about to fall to the ground, never to rise again. But...

"Hmm?"

A flash of surprise appeared in the Death Knight's mask. For the first time, he was distracted, looking at the life that was supposed to be fading away in battle.

But what he saw was the light on the spear burning even more brightly, like the sun, piercing through layers of black clouds.

Annie did not fall to her knees.

At the moment the spear pierced her, her hands grabbed the thick spear shaft with all her might. The girl lifted her head, blood flowing steadily from her mouth and nose, but her gaze remained as determined as ever. Even now, the playful smile that usually adorned her face reappeared, though it looked chilling in this context.

"Finally, I've got you."

"What!?"

The Death Knight instinctively tried to swing his spear to throw Annie off. But he realized he could not. The weight transmitted through the spear made the Death Knight mistakenly think that it was not a human but a mountain pressing down on the ground. He used all his strength, but he could not move Annie an inch. The girl lowered her center of gravity, pressing her hands on the spear, using her body as a lock to completely block the Death Knight's attack.

Rod did not have time to be shocked by the girl's bravery. Any hesitation would be a waste of Annie's efforts. In the moment the Death Knight was distracted, Rod transformed into a shadow, fearlessly rushing to the Death Knight's side. The crimson blade in his hand drew a strange line in the air, streaked with blood, flying towards the Death Knight's chest. Sensing the danger, the Death Knight finally abandoned his spear, turning his nightmare and quickly drawing his sword from his waist.

"Clang!!"

With a clash of weapons, Rod was sent flying backward by the Death Knight's powerful force, landing heavily on the ground and rolling several times before stopping. But there was no panic or unease in his eyes. Instead, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Rod's eyes as he looked at the Death Knight's left shoulder. Although he had not managed to instantly kill the Death Knight due to his quick reaction, in the final moment, Rod had risked injury to cut off the Death Knight's left arm before he could block the attack.

"Damn mortal! I will make you taste eternal—"

The Death Knight's curse was cut short, for at that moment, Serek had already acted!

With one arm lost, the Death Knight could not withstand the repeated assaults. Faced with the overwhelming sword rain, he seemed to have no way to defend himself. Serek was not a fool; taking advantage of the Death Knight's moment of hesitation, he immediately retracted the sword rain, condensing it into a bolt of lightning, striking forward! Serek's Illusionary Light Sword was known for its elegance. In a battle with a living opponent, the overwhelming sword rain alone would be enough to terrify them, making it impossible to determine which was the true threat. But to an undead creature, who knew nothing of beauty, these distractions were meaningless. To the Death Knight, Serek's performance was like Van Gogh painting for a blind person. So, when Serek condensed the sword rain and launched his full attack, the Death Knight hurriedly raised his sword to block the offensive.

The Death Knight could feel the vibrations through the sword, indicating that he had blocked the attack. Next, he just needed to...

The tearing sensation in his chest brought the Death Knight back to reality.

He stared dumbly at the sword blade that had pierced his chest, burning with holy silver fire, then looked up at Serek, whose sword he had blocked. A flicker of realization passed through his eyes. At that moment, the Death Knight finally understood three things.

First, the cunning mortal was a decoy.

Second, he had forgotten about the angel.

Third, he was finished.

The silver-white fire on the sword blade roared and expanded in an instant. The Death Knight opened his mouth, but before he could unleash his anger and curses, the surging flames rushed into his mouth, blocking his final outburst.

The silver-white flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the thick clouds above.

Liss had no time to admire this breathtaking scene. As soon as the Death Knight released his spear, she disregarded the danger and almost crawled to Annie's side. Although she had mentally prepared herself, seeing the girl's injuries still made her gasp in shock.

Annie was now completely lying on the ground, clearly having no more strength to hold on after the Death Knight abandoned his weapon. The thick spear had left a horrifying wound in the girl's abdomen. When Liss reached Annie's side, she saw the girl gritting her teeth, slowly and determinedly pulling the terrifying weapon out of her body.

"Thud!"

As the spear was completely pulled out, a sound like a leaky valve echoed, and blood-soaked organs slid out of the wound, moving with the girl's breathing as if they had a life of their own. Annie gritted her teeth, reaching out to grab the organs, trying to push them back in.

"Annie!! Don't move, lie down!!"

Seeing the blood-covered, almost unrecognizable girl, Liss screamed in fear. She rushed to Annie's side, quickly casting several healing spells. But Annie did not seem to improve; she only held her wound with one hand and pressed the other on the ground. If one looked closely, they would see that the girl's hand was tightly clenched, her body trembling violently. A low, incomprehensible growl came from her throat.

But to Liss, this was just an instinctive reaction to the severe pain, and she did not pay much attention to it. Kneeling beside Annie, she released a wave of positive energy that enveloped the girl's body.

But Annie writhed—this did not seem to be due to pain, but rather as if she were trying to escape from Liss.

"Don't... come... near..."

Annie spoke slowly, but the intense pain made it impossible for her to form a complete sentence. Her voice was even distorted.

"Don't... expand... near... sister... go... go away..."

The girl's right hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

"Go, go away, quickly, get away!!"

"Annie?"

At this moment, Liss finally noticed Annie's abnormal behavior. She looked up curiously, but just then, Annie swung her hand, sending Liss flying.

"Stay away from me!!"

"Ah!!"

Unprepared, Liss could not withstand Annie's full-strength blow, flying backward and landing heavily on the ground.

"Ow... it hurts..."

Liss slowly sat up, shaking her head, still not understanding what had happened. Wasn't she healing Annie's wounds? Why was she thrown here? Right, where was Annie? How was her injury?

Thinking of this, Liss quickly looked up and froze.

Annie was still half-lying on the ground, her body trembling, but Liss felt that Annie's body seemed to have grown larger.

It was not an illusion.

The girl's body was slowly expanding, growing larger. She lifted her head and looked at Liss. Her once emerald eyes had undergone a dramatic change, emitting a deep green light with a wild, cold aura. Annie looked at Liss, then raised her head, looking at the sky, and opened her mouth.

"Aaaaaa—"

With this scream, the girl's leather armor was finally torn apart. Her face began to deform, and thick fur rapidly covered her naked body. Her human form disappeared, replaced by a black giant wolf, three meters long!

It stood in the field, looking up at the sky.

"Awooo—!!"

The howl echoed across the desolate highlands, startling everyone.

...