Elder Lawrence, now transformed into a half-wolf, half-human form, extended his left hand toward the sky.Suddenly, a bright crimson light burst forth from the palm of Elder Lawrence's hand. This crimson light then morphed into a red sphere shaped like a skull.
The moment the skull-shaped red sphere appeared, Aron, Benjamin, and Nick all felt their powers rapidly converging into the red sphere.
"You should be able to feel it now, right? Your strength is quickly dissipating! Your powers are gradually becoming a part of mine!" Elder Lawrence spoke these words in a chilling, menacing tone, accompanied by an unsettling, mocking laugh.
Naturally, Aron and the others were not going to remain passive in the face of such a situation.
Aron quickly pulled out a doll-like object from his pocket. He threw the doll toward Elder Lawrence.
The doll was drawn toward the red sphere, and the moment it made contact, Aron's figure suddenly became extremely ethereal.
As the doll was completely absorbed by the red sphere, Aron abruptly reappeared at a position far away from Elder Lawrence.
Using the doll he possessed, Aron successfully evaded Elder Lawrence's attack. At the same time, Benjamin also managed to activate his time-dilation device.
With the help of the time-dilation device, Benjamin managed to escape to the location where Anna and Wendy were.
Although Benjamin's current position wasn't entirely safe, it was one that allowed for both offense and defense.
After Aron and Benjamin successfully retreated, Nick awkwardly realized that he had no backup plan.
It dawned on Nick why the others regarded him as less powerful than Aron and Benjamin. While he was not inferior to them in direct combat ability, he was significantly lacking in terms of equipment and battle experience.
If Aron and Benjamin had found themselves in Nick's situation, they would not have recklessly attacked Elder Lawrence. They understood that without any trump cards, taking risks was unwise.
Nick was beginning to feel regret.
But it was too late for regrets now.
Nick could only rely on his agility as an assassin to continually maneuver back and forth, trying to evade the red spheres summoned by Elder Lawrence.
However, during this back-and-forth, Nick gradually found himself at a disadvantage.
He was increasingly being pulled toward the red sphere by a powerful suction force.
Although Nick had his back to Elder Lawrence, he could still feel the elder's unwavering focus on him.
"Someone hurry up and come up with a plan to save me! I'm about to be devoured by Elder Lawrence!"
At that moment, Nick was in a state of panic.
He found himself continuously imagining the terrifying scenarios that could unfold next. He thought that he was about to be swallowed whole by Elder Lawrence.
Aron, Benjamin, and the others were equally panicked upon witnessing this scene.
Aron quickly rushed over to Benjamin's side. "Do you have any other trump cards? I've already used up all mine in the previous battle!"
Aron didn't care about his pride at that moment; he absolutely did not want to see Nick killed by Elder Lawrence. After all, Nick was the strongest new member of the Angel Guild he could find in such a short time.
Anna then spoke to Benjamin in a weak voice, "If you can save Nick, all of us in the Angel Guild will be very grateful to you!"
Seeing this scene, Wendy also felt that Benjamin had to take action immediately.
"Although we've had some conflicts in the past, the Angel Guild is our ally. Since the members of the Angel Guild have fallen into such a dangerous situation, you should help them right away."
A look of helplessness finally appeared on Benjamin's calm face.
"I want to help him, but I have no trump cards left either! I've exhausted all my resources in the last battle."
"All we can do now is attack Elder Lawrence! Hopefully, our attacks will draw his attention, giving Nick a slim chance to escape from him."
Benjamin laid out his plan directly.
However, this plan made those who had just urged him to act quickly to save Nick feel very hesitant. Everyone had seen during the brief battle that their strength was far inferior to Elder Lawrence's. If they attacked him again, they couldn't even ensure their own safe retreat.
Aron was under immense pressure at that moment. After thinking quickly for a while, he spoke directly to Benjamin.
"Anna and Wendy are still in poor condition. They won't be able to help us in the upcoming battle, so it's up to the two of us to attack Elder Lawrence!"
While Aron could be quite irritating at times, he also had a commendable quality that others respected: he was willing to take responsibility.
After saying this, Aron immediately launched an attack on Elder Lawrence.
Benjamin, of course, didn't hesitate at all; after all, this plan had originated from him.
This time, Aron and Benjamin's attack was more serious than before. They both understood that if this attack failed, they might not have another chance.
However, their assault still didn't succeed. Elder Lawrence had long been prepared for their attacks.
The moment their attacks were launched, Elder Lawrence's counterattack immediately followed.
"You really underestimate my intelligence," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Do you think you can successfully ambush me twice? Today, I will show you the consequences of underestimating me!"
At that moment, Lawrence's voice no longer resembled that of a human. While the others could vaguely grasp the meaning behind his words, to them, it sounded merely like a wolf's howl.
Elder Lawrence concentrated all his power into his left hand. The crimson sphere in the shape of a skull expanded continuously until it engulfed all the areas within Aron and the others' line of sight.
Both Nick, who was firmly under Lawrence's control, and Aron and Benjamin, who had just attacked him, felt their strength draining at an astonishing rate. Even Anna and Wendy, who were at a distance, could sense their own power rapidly dissipating.
"The price you must pay is not just your strength! You will also have to sacrifice your lives! Your flesh and blood will be transformed into puppets by me!"
Elder Lawrence uttered these words with an unbearable, piercing wail. As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. He had absorbed enough power and felt ready to proceed to the next step of the ritual.
Elder Lawrence completely retracted the crimson sphere in the shape of a skull. The red orb transformed into a flash of red light and vanished above Lawrence's forehead. Searᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
At the same time, the bones surrounding the ritual site began to tremble. It was as if they had suddenly come to life.
Anna and Wendy's faces turned pale with terror at the sight.
"What on earth is happening? Why are those bones moving?"
Wendy, in slightly better condition than Anna, managed to exclaim in shock before pulling Anna away from Elder Lawrence.
"Just give up! From the moment you arrived here, it was destined that you would never escape!"
Suddenly, Lawrence's voice echoed in Wendy's ear.
Startled by the unexpected sound, Wendy froze in place.
"You were right; I'm right beside you now," Lawrence's voice came again, this time whispering directly into Wendy's ear.
Wendy could even feel the chill emanating from him as he spoke. She dared not look in his direction.
However, her avoidance couldn't delay the inevitable for long.
Elder Lawrence's goal was to shatter their mental state completely. Once they were broken, he would kill them all.
"You know of my presence now. Why not turn around and take a look? Do you think that by not turning, you can still survive?"
Lawrence's voice grew increasingly sinister and terrifying.
Wendy found herself unable to think at all.
Next to her, Anna's breath had become very faint. Even if Anna could remain calm, she was unable to utter a single word.
"Since you are unwilling to speak, let's skip that part! I don't need your answers to make you accept your ultimate fate!"
Elder Lawrence unleashed an attack with a howl characteristic of a werewolf.
In that instant, everyone felt a piercing pain deep within their souls. This was not an effect that could be caused by a physical attack.
Just as they were on the brink of being completely annihilated by Lawrence's assault, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in their minds.
"You're still counting on me, aren't you?"
Irving's voice resonated within everyone's thoughts.
Upon hearing Irving's voice, Elder Lawrence halted his actions. Panic etched on his face, he scanned the surroundings as if desperately trying to locate Irving.
"You don't need to be so anxious; I'll be right in front of you very soon! And this time, I've brought along a friend who's a good match for you!"
As soon as Irving finished speaking, he and the werewolf leader appeared not far from Elder Lawrence.
Upon seeing Irving, the despair that had engulfed Wendy and Anna began to dissipate. They felt that as long as Irving was present, Elder Lawrence could no longer pose a threat to them.
Upon seeing Irving, Elder Lawrence immediately redirected his attack towards him.
This, of course, meant that the crisis for Wendy, Anna, Benjamin, Aron, and Nick had been temporarily averted.