Chapter 52: Chapter 52: A Dramatic Battle, The Terrifying Specter!

Dean Bruce knew that Lunia, being only a Magus, couldn't possibly possess the power of true immortality!

Lina Jones' golden eyes blazed even brighter as she spoke, her voice resonating with authority: "You're merely attaching your soul to water! Without water, you lose this ability!"

"Not good!"

The person who had earlier tried to caution Lina Jones suddenly turned pale and quickly shouted, "Attack now! Lina has allowed the angel to control her consciousness. If this goes on too long, she might be fully assimilated by the angel. We can't let the fight drag on!"

"Everyone, give it everything you've got! Work with Lina to take down that bastard!"

The voice, filled with fury, echoed across the battlefield. The speaker wasted no time, her staff moving in a blur as silver light flashed and coalesced into a bow and arrow, which she then grasped.

"Oh radiant light, unleash your scorching power and burn everything to ash!"

Hearing Lina Jones' words, they all realized the secret behind Lunia's seemingly perfect resurrection.

It was nothing more than him detaching his soul from his body right before an attack, attaching it to a water source, and then forming a new body from it.

So, if they could evaporate all the nearby water, turning it into steam, Lunia would lose this ability.

In an instant, Dean Bruce and the others began casting fire-based spells, each fireball aiming to strike any source of water nearby.

Seeing this, Lunia's expression changed dramatically, and he cried out in alarm, "Impossible! How could an outsider like you know the secrets of ancient magic?"

"Damn it! Do you think just because you've removed the water, I'm powerless in battle?"

"Moon... Shadow!"

With a roar, Lunia's body solidified, emitting a silver light.

Swish, swish, swish—

In the next moment, Lunia split into a dozen identical copies, each with a sinister grin, and charged at different members of the group.

Individually, none of them matched Lunia's power. As they sensed Lunia's approach, panic set in, and they abandoned their previous attacks in a desperate attempt to counter this new threat.

At that moment, Lina Jones spoke again, "These figures are illusions; there's no need to defend against them. His true body is hidden in the moonlight, preparing for a fatal strike!"

As her words echoed, Lina Jones suddenly spun and soared into the air, her long spear thrusting forward.

Splat—

Blood splattered as Lunia's form materialized from what had appeared to be empty space, his abdomen impaled by the golden spear.

"You..." Lunia was utterly stunned. This spell had deceived even the first outsiders, allowing him to counterattack and kill several of them. It had even earned him the recognition of the outsiders' leader. How could such a lowly Grand Mage see through it?

Lina Jones' entire body ignited with golden flames as she coldly declared, "You dared to underestimate an angel? Let me show you the agony of a soul consumed by fire!"

With those words, the golden flames erupted, and the intense heat instantly set Lunia's entire body ablaze. His screams of agony echoed, unending.

"Wait, could it be that these creatures were under Lunia's control? Now that we've taken him out, there's no one to command them, so they're not attacking us."

They speculated among themselves but didn't dwell on it for long. Their focus now was entirely on the next mountain peak, where they wondered what enemies might be waiting for them.

Meanwhile, inside the Ritual Temple and the Sealing Temple, two individuals simultaneously opened their eyes.

"Someone took down Lunia? Could it be those natives trying to rebel?"

A voice, clear and sharp, echoed from a glowing piece of magical parchment beside them, as if the speaker was right there.

"Don't worry about it too much. Just send those natives to face them. Let them kill their own people. With the magic nearly cracked, there's no need to waste time."

"True. Speed things up on your end, and I'll add something extra to those creatures, make them even more vicious!"

"Rest assured, in just one more day, we'll have fully deciphered the magic! Speaking of which, Gunar Bruce and his wife are true geniuses. It's said they figured out the direction in just two days, leaving us to finish cracking it before moving on to higher-level ruins."

"Exactly. If they didn't have such brilliant minds, they wouldn't have risen so high in rank despite their weak power."

"But their strength is still too lacking. I've heard many people resent them. Once all the secrets of these ruins are unraveled, I imagine plenty will come looking for revenge."

"Enough chit-chat. Get that magic cracked, and I'll go enhance those creatures!"

With that, the conversation ended, and the magical parchment beside them burst into flames. The figure in the Ritual Temple stood up and moved toward the center of the hall, where a purple light was flickering.

Rumble—

Within moments, the entire mountain range seemed to tremble violently. A massive specter began to materialize, its body towering as high as the mountains, emitting a haunting wail of agony.

"Roar!"

The sound waves rippled out, instantly enveloping the entire space, even reaching Dean Bruce and his group as they traveled. They were suddenly gripped by an excruciating headache, as if countless insects were crawling inside their heads.

It took a while for them to recover. When they looked up, they gasped in shock.

The terrifying figure had appeared. Although it had no physical form, it glowed eerily under the moonlight.

What made it even more horrifying was that the specter was composed of thousands of intertwined human figures. No matter which angle they looked from, they could see faces wailing, hands struggling, and torsos writhing!

It was as if thousands of people had been twisted together into a single monstrous entity.

The overwhelming aura of resentment was almost tangible, making Dean Bruce and the others feel as if they had fallen into an icy abyss, their bodies trembling and their spines cold.

Boom—Boom—

With each step the colossal specter took, the ground shook violently, filling Dean Bruce and his group with dread.

Against ordinary mages or enemies, they would have had no fear, but this ghostly entity, formed from thousands of human souls, was terrifying beyond belief. The psychological pressure was immense!

Only Dean Bruce, his eyes flickering with thought, came up with an idea. He clenched his fist, a plan forming in his mind.