"Fire?"

Lady Annie's eyes narrowed, a clear look of disgust in them. This also differed from spider demonesses; when faced with flames, spider demonesses would show fear, while she merely felt disgust.

SWISH!

With a light tap of her six spider legs on the ground, Lady Annie lunged, stabbing forward with her sharp appendages.

DING!

Carl swung his broadsword to block. He felt a piercing force explode from the point of contact, and his body involuntarily shook.

So strong!

Her strength wasn't overwhelming, but it was highly concentrated. A strange force seeped into his body from the point of contact. Similar to Battle Aura, yet different.

If he had held the upper hand moments before, he now found it extremely difficult to cope.

HISS! HISS!

Lady Annie hissed, her six legs stabbing rapidly, like a furious stormfront descending upon him, "Fall for me!"

The extreme speed made it hard for Carl to react.

Battle Skill—Guardian!

A pure white halo seemed to emanate from his body, condensing into a radiant figure slightly larger than himself.

DING!

The spider legs stabbed forward, colliding with the Guardian halo, then striking the armor. The force finally surged into his flesh.

Dharma Seal—Steel Body!

Despite the multiple layers of defense, a piercing pain still shot through him. Luckily, it wasn't fatal.

But the Guardian halo wavered, on the verge of collapse, and cracks spiderwebbed across his armor. Clearly, neither could last much longer.

Battle Skill—Bloom!

A wild surge of energy erupted, flinging Lady Annie into the air as multiple sword shadows slashed down.

Battle Skill—Gale Slash!

DING! DING! DANG! DANG!

Lady Annie was not skilled in Martial Arts, but her speed was astonishing, and she possessed a beastly instinct for danger. Her six spider legs, along with her own two arms, somehow managed to block all incoming attacks.

She paused only briefly before lunging again.

SNAP!

Suddenly, there was a bright flash.

Spell—Light!

"AH!"

Light was the bane of all Evil Spirits. Lady Annie was no exception; she screamed involuntarily and scrambled back in panic.

Circular Star Sword!

Gravity Protection!

Battle Skill—Divine Judgement!

Carl seized the opportunity. The Circular Star Sword, gravity, and his Battle Aura howled, colliding in mid-air with Lady Annie, whose eyes were tightly shut.

BOOM!

Two huge figures flew backwards.

"AH!"

Screaming from the heavy blow, Lady Annie, now covered in blood, shrieked, "I will kill you! Kill you!"

Her body, blessed with Divine Power, recovered quickly from its wounds, but the humiliation in her heart was hard to dispel. Since earning the favor of the Spider Goddess Iris, she had never been at a disadvantage against any man. Whether it was the Earl or Robert, though she called them her 'pillars of support,' they were, in reality, merely her playthings. They were merely props she used to conceal her true self and disguise her identity, to be discarded whenever she grew bored of them.

SNAP!

The light erupted again.

Spell—Light!

HISS!

Lady Annie shrieked. This time, instead of retreating, she closed her eyes and lunged forward, determined not to give Carl another opportunity.

BANG!

Upon landing, her body suddenly stiffened.

Lesser spell force fields and Gravity Protection enveloped her simultaneously, as a broadsword descended from the sky.

From beneath her feet, unseen, more than a dozen bloodthirsty tendrils shot out, snaking towards her body.

A trap!

Carl had deliberately allowed her to approach; losing her sight had further dulled her perception of danger.

To be safe, Carl decided to use all three charges of Summon Thorns at once.

Summon Thorns!

Summon Thorns!

Summon Thorns!

Dozens of thorn-covered tendrils erupted with a howl.

In an instant, the area was almost completely covered by the tendrils.

However, pushing Demonized Items to their limits like this also caused their durability to plummet. One could even hear the faint sound of gems shattering.

At the same time, these measures were merely to restrict her movement; the true killing blow was still being prepared.

Titan's Hammer!

At this moment, the crystal ring was activated.

Lady Annie also sensed something was amiss. The six spider legs beneath her thrashed wildly, like scythes, rapidly shredding the vines coiled around her. Her hands erupted with tremendous strength, blasting away Carl who was still grappling with her.

Her body flashed as she tried to escape.

But, Too late!

BOOM!

An invisible force converged in the air. A giant hammer materialized from nothing, crashing down fiercely upon her.

The tremendous force caved in the ground beneath her. Lady Annie, struggling to rise, was slammed back down.

Phew...

Carl let out a long breath, but his actions didn't stop. He activated the Demonized Item again.

Titan's Hammer!

Her physical strength was not high, and her defensive power was lacking. Yet, for some unknown reason, her Recovery Power was astonishing. A single hit was far from enough to kill her on the spot.

BOOM!

The ground quaked violently. Green, unidentifiable liquid mixed with fresh blood splattered everywhere.

Lady Annie, having just lifted her head, was smashed down again. The spider-like lower body beneath her was now riddled with cracks.

Still not dead?

Carl raised his hand again, about to act, when his heart suddenly lurched. He retreated rapidly.

Danger!

An extreme premonition of danger made his heart pound. His perception sharpened to the point that time itself seemed to slow.

Without a second thought, he flicked his wrist, sending the toppled horse beside him flying up to shield his front.

SWOOSH!

A stark white ray of light abruptly appeared. It shot from Lady Annie's eyes and struck the screaming horse.

Instantly, the robust horse aged and decayed at an alarming rate, turning into a pile of dry bones before it even hit the ground.

Divine Arts—Death Ray!

After unleashing the Divine Art, Lady Annie looked utterly drained, but she still struggled to raise her head.

Her eyes, fixed on Carl, flickered with an eerie Spirit Light.

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