It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

That's the struggle for control. Unowned magic can naturally be easily controlled, but if one wishes to utilize magic already infused and possessed by an opponent, this depends on the magician's proficiency in this area. Generally speaking, the more fully constructed a spell is, the harder it is to interrupt. However, there are specialized "spell counters."

Furthermore, the amount of magic power each person can draw on at any one time is limited. One can use all their power at once, like a sprint, or draw only a portion, slowing down and running for a longer distance. The more magic power one controls, the more scattered one's concentration becomes, making it easier for someone to exploit their weakness. Just like when Katie Pello battled Claire, she used the magic power within the pool. Claire didn't use her full power immediately, so the naturally gifted Katie gained the upper hand.

The current situation was actually similar. Originally, the fortress was controlled by ten people, but with Araniah's arrival, the total amount of magic power remained unchanged, but the degree of control was greatly reduced. Standing outside, Araniah no longer had primary control. The magic power she allocated alone would prevent the others in the fortress from using that magic power, leaving it solely in her possession.

As we all know, energy basically diffuses in the form of radiation, and the methods of controlling magic power are generally similar.

Chapter 698 There is no price

At least, after observing with divine power, Bai Lin confirmed that Araniah and the others were indeed in this form. Therefore, at the moment Araniah launched her attack, the magic power she drew upon and the magic power held by the master would reach a critical point, a most vulnerable buffer. This was the perfect opportunity Bai Lin had been waiting for.

As for why Bai Lin knew Araniah would definitely draw on her magic power, the reason was simple: normal people couldn't see that line. Bai Lin's divine nature made it easy for him to see it. Even without that line, Bai Lin didn't think Araniah would honestly come out and fight him. She loved crushing others so much, so why would she leave such a useful backup firepower unused?

Platinum, a near-pure mass of magical energy, possesses both ductility and flexibility under the influence of magical energy. Even after forming, it maintains exceptional stability, making it a truly perfect material. However, if controlled by others, it could also become the perfect fuel.

Holding her breath, Bai Lin saw this golden opportunity arrive just as she had anticipated. This opportunity only came once. Concentrating her whole being, she flung one of the nearly hidden twin mirror blades at a swift speed.

The short sword Fei'er left behind possessed the ability to understand, adapt, and decipher spells, a skill perfectly suited to her innate constitution. Even without Bai Lin's shield, it was still powerful. This was precisely why Fei'er had Bai Lin attempt to break through the door with the sword herself at Manjushage's place.

Even if the magical control over the platinum weakened, beyond subjective mental control, these crucial materials should still possess some basic protective spells. The Mirror Blade was thrown precisely to overcome this. However, could such a short blade truly penetrate the platinum-formed tsunami vortex and reach the weak eye of the storm?

The answer was no. Bai Lin's strength alone couldn't penetrate Araniah's risky final killing move. So, without even a pause, Bai Lin threw the dagger without even taking a breath. Dragon flames rose from his body, the earth crumbled, and the heat wave covered the sky, creating a haze. Deep malice instantly permeated Bai Lin's entire body.

The deep purple beast's eyes flickered slightly, and then, the Dragon Spear shot out, piercing the stars. While not enough to damage the Mirror Blade, Bai Lin's attack had already reached its maximum power. The Dragon Spear pressed against the hilt, instantly sending the short blade of the destructive spell into the most vulnerable point. The blazing flames followed closely behind, igniting everything.

The remaining scene, if described as indescribable, would be the most fitting. Not only the sky, but a vast expanse of surrounding space instantly lost its color. The sound faded instantly with the piercing explosion. When they regained consciousness, they saw a shower of debris falling from all sides. The platinum-colored barrier, the immovable dream ship of Noah's Ark, was reduced to nothing but flaming fragments.

The place where the Ark crashed was a scene of hell. The brave warrior, covered in wounds and blood, still burned with a rage more intense than the depths of hell. Her face was frozen, and her eyes held a malice that would tear out and skin someone tens of thousands of times over, yet still not be satisfied. She was the demon in hell, seemingly plagued by illness, yet standing firm.

However, her body was already at the end of its strength, not only because of the side effects of activating the ember flame covering her body, but also because a little bit of residue from the platinum vortex fell on Bai Lin's body, and they were frantically devouring her body. Although Bai Lin seemed to be standing well, the inside of her body had already become almost an empty shell.

A dusty Araniah crawled out of the ruins. Although she looked very embarrassed, she was not seriously injured because she had some skills and was not very close to the fortress. She cursed and patted the blood on her body, panting and staring at Bai Lin.

"Well done, elf! If this is your final struggle, it is indeed the most astonishing move I have ever seen. However, this is the end! My attack has taken effect, and you have no chance of resistance."

This move of Araniah's was indeed unique. Seeing that Bai Lin was unable to utter any words of resistance, she became more and more excited, and said with a wild laugh,

"Even your elves' healing and resurrection spells can only prolong your life for a few seconds under the erosion of this platinum vortex. You can't move now, right? You should also know that any struggle will only prolong your life. It's better to give up as soon as possible."

"Even though the cost was a bit high, it's still within the acceptable range for combat damage, and I've accomplished my mission. It's just a shame I couldn't just chop off your head when you were still so unruly."

Just as Alaniy was speaking, Bai Lin's stiff body began to move. Her neck mechanically turned, and she stared at Alaniy. This glance actually suppressed Alaniy's momentum, making her unable to utter a word. And Bai Lin said in a hoarse and low voice,

"Is the price a bit high? Yeah, those ten teammates you brought with you are probably dead or alive. And I'm just one person. You call yourselves the perfect race, so I'm really making a profit by doing this..."

Although the voice was not steady, the oppressive feeling came to Alaniya like the pressure from the bottom of the sea. However, Alaniya still smiled and replied,

"What are you talking about, teammate? Those guys can pull out whatever they want, but I'm unique. Their lives are no different from those platinums, and you dare compare yourself to them? But then again, I'm afraid that's all you're worth, loser!"

She was still trying to emphasize the fact of her victory, but Bai Lin didn't react much. She just slowly raised one of her fingers, put it behind her wrist, and said to Alaniya,

"is it?"

With a gentle tug, the thin thread hidden under Bai Lin's arm snapped, and the burning dragon spear returned to Bai Lin's hand. She drew her last breath, and instantly the dragon flames bloomed and soared into the sky.

Chapter 699: Can’t beat the big one, so why bully the small one?

Just like Araniah's trick, hidden beneath Bai Lin's wrist armor was a translucent, almost ethereal, invisible thread that seemed unsure of its existence. And it bound the flaming spear.

This is a function of Bai Lin's armor, a concept proposed by Sora, passed to Bai Lin, and then fully constructed by Christina. It is a very convenient ability for Bai Lin. As long as the formula is constructed in advance, Bai Lin can easily retrieve the weapon he has thrown.

This spell itself is a complex spell with a very long name, which Bai Lin certainly couldn't remember, so she simply named it "Recycle Bin".

Although this function allowed Bai Lin to throw things with more freedom, it couldn't be used arbitrarily. The silk thread itself was a complex technique, and while it could prevent it from being infected by magic and becoming incapable of completing its task under certain circumstances, it was only a supplementary function, so its use still depended on the situation.

Furthermore, once the thread retrieves the target's item, Bai Lin cannot use it immediately. Its operating principle requires another buffering technique to ensure a more stable recovery of the thrown item.

After all, this function is meant to help Bai Lin recycle items, not to make her repeatedly throw things away, collect them, and throw them again, which is a boring process.

In this situation, after a few delaying conversations, the buffer time has come to an end. Bai Lin naturally rushed up quickly and stabbed Alaniya in front of him without mercy.

She took a steady yet powerful step forward, her entire spirit and energy bursting to a terrifying peak. For a brief moment, the deep purple pupils flashing in Bai Lin's eyes, the malice that could not be tolerated by this world, made Araniah hesitate for a moment. She felt as if she were terrified.

A massive roar echoed again, but this time, there was no infernal scene. Instead, there was only the devastation of an explosion. Deep purple flames swept up debris and smoke, but it lasted only a moment before dissipating.

Amidst the smoke, Araniah stood upright. Half her body was covered in wounds, and one of her arms had been blown off. Although the flames had been completely extinguished, her face still bore an expression of immense pain and disbelief.

She seemed to have not recovered at all, so much so that she didn't even notice the bloody scratches on her cheek caused by the torn mask. She was also gasping for breath.

Before her, Bai Lin lay like a charred corpse, her shapeless body slumped to the ground, reaching out to Araniah. Her form was distorted, like a town swept by a hurricane, leaving only devastation. Besides the endless burning, a large amount of platinum continuously seeped out of her body, clearly Araniah's work.

Regardless, she looked completely incapable of movement. However, when her hand trembled as it reached out to Araniah, she screamed madly for a moment. The platinum surrounding her body instantly surged, replacing her broken arm. Then, she raised her great axe high and chopped off Bai Lin's head.

"If you're going to die, die completely. Get out of here!"

Amidst her roar, there was an unconcealable fear. This desperate attack possessed both a power beyond human comprehension and a will beyond comprehension. Knowing her own mortality, she chose not to flee, but to act in this way. What was it that sustained Bai Lin in such a life-threatening fight, without hesitation?

Is she crazy? No, she isn't. So what is her motive?

Araniah couldn't help but ponder Bai Lin's behavior. Perhaps it was the fear of the unknown. But then, her gaze naturally focused on the red-haired wolf girl lying among the wreckage, looking very weak.

Miyu was the target of Alania's trip. When she saw that Miyu seemed to be lying there and unable to move, the reality of victory immediately overcame the fear in her mind, causing her to immediately regain some composure and start her actions again.

The remaining platinum fragments on the ground gradually expanded, eventually flowing like liquid to the surrounding ground. They encroached upon the earth, smoothing the gaps and extinguishing the remaining flames. The entire ruins became a safe and stable platinum structure, and even the sight of it was comforting.

As this continued, Alanis continued to move forward, and at the same time, she also spoke,

"I don't know what she's up to. She can't possibly be desperately trying to save this poor kid, right? Based on my intelligence, she definitely doesn't have any prior connection to this little girl. At most, they just met recently."

"Could it be that you wanted to save each other so soon after meeting, even at the cost of your own life? Don't be ridiculous."

Araniah's tone gradually became closer to the past. She carried the axe and looked at the somewhat dazed Miyu sitting on the ground. After brushing her long hair, she lowered her head confidently and boldly and said to him,

"Forget it. I'm not interested in interests or friendship. All I want to do is completely abuse and vent my desires! I happen to have the material here, and that's enough."

It was a perfectly normal idea to relieve the pressure after just being stressed out. After all, she had just been physically and mentally tortured by Bai Lin, and now there was a little thing in front of her that was just there to be bullied and had no power to resist. How could she control herself?

"Don't worry, you don't have to be afraid. The old man above said that they want you alive, so I won't kill you. However, you have to cooperate with me a little. Things have come to this point. Even if I write in the report that you accidentally killed the target, it won't be suspected. If I don't satisfy you, your life will be in danger."

Arani, who looked only slightly older than Miyu, crouched before her with a wild smile. The two of them looked almost the same height. In another world, they might have been classmates in the same junior high school. But here, they had only diametrically opposed positions and attitudes...

Chapter 700 You Are So Poor

"Big sister, you look so pitiful."

Miyu still had her innocent smile on her face as she looked at Alaniya and made the above statement very innocently.

Perhaps it was because she'd been with Bai Lin for too long, but at this critical moment, Miyu felt no fear at all. Instead, she began to feel disgusted by the other person. Although, it was probably unintentional disgust... The drowsiness she had felt in the village earlier was gone, and now she seemed very similar to her usual self.

As soon as these words came out, Araniah couldn't help but shudder slightly. The next moment, her expression was no longer as wild as before, but turned into a somewhat unclear viciousness. She stared at Miyu and shouted back,

"Huh? What are you talking about, you little brat? Forget it, you can run, right? You're a werewolf after all. You know how to play a chase, right? Let's play that!"

"Hey, running is tiring. I don't want to run."

Miyu continued to smile, showing no reaction to the rising blood pressure of Alaniya. This made Alaniya's brows twisted completely together. She stood up uncontrollably, raised the axe in her hand, and chopped it down with all her strength.

The roaring sound rang out again, and the axe blade penetrated deep into the ground, landing right in front of Miyu. Aranija pressed her upper body onto the axe handle, leaning forward with her face, and said viciously to Miyu,

"Don't you understand the situation right now, huh? Are you so eager to die? I'm going to kill you later, and you don't even have the slightest intention of running away?"

It had already escalated into a direct, physical threat, but our Miyu remained expressionless. She simply maintained her innocent expression and replied to Araniah,

"Ah, but even if I run, there's no way I can outrun you. If you really want to kill me or torture me, I won't be able to resist. So, if you really want to do that, I definitely won't run away."

"But it's so pitiful, onee-san. You and that sister seem a bit similar, both looking lonely, but you seem completely different from her."

"She has friends, Miyu knows everything. She just doesn't want them to get close to her because she feels like she's in danger. But you, sister, don't get any love at all. You can't even find anyone to talk to, so you can only vent like this."

From the little girl's mouth floated a faint, very touching and terrifying, rational, yet completely childlike words. After all, Miyu was not a real child, just relatively young.

These words stung Alaniya's body, causing her to tremble, but she still replied with her fierce attitude,

"What are you talking about? What do you know, little brat? You're just like that elf. Why can one or two of you act so self-willedly? You should just get beaten up and die. It's really too unpleasant..."

Alaniya's body blocked the sunlight behind her, her shadow falling on Miyu's body. The only thing that was bright on her was her orange eyes, which were still flashing with intense emotion. Alaniya placed her good hand on her face for a moment, and suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her eyes stopped wavering, and she revealed a wicked and wild smile. She spread her hands and said loudly,

"Ah, I think I remember now. There seems to be a very simple reason why you were able to remain so calm. And the reason why that elf risked her life to save you must be because you really mean something to her."

"First I'll make you tremble, then I'll kill you. I'm afraid she won't be able to rest in peace even after she dies!"

Miyu looked at Alaniya, whose mental state was always fluctuating, and tilted his head with a puzzled expression. Alaniya stood up again very happily, raised her hands to her sides, and raised them high. Bursts of rumbling sounds came from the surrounding platinum land.

Buildings rose from the ground, forming a street—a dirt road so barren it could hardly even be called a street. The scenery on either side of the road was exactly the same dilapidated village Bai Lin and Miyu had just passed through today. The dilapidated scene, belying the platinum decoration, was merely a facade, devoid of meaning, but it still caused Miyu's expression to twitch for a moment.

Our little wolf girl seemed to be dizzy and leaned against the wall behind her. Her eyes were like a whirlpool, swirling with deep confusion. She half opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out. And Arani stood in front of Miyu, laughing loudly.

"Your childish, innocent and kind nature is nothing more than a mask, a mask that protects your incredibly fragile self and isolates you from the outside world. Why should I be angry with this mask of yours? No matter what you do or say, you only have this expression. After all..."

"The torture you've endured, the life you've experienced since the beginning of your consciousness, has long since cultivated a deformed freak like you."

As the other party's words became increasingly aggressive, Miyu's expression began to grow increasingly painful. Her face was so dark that her eyes could not be seen clearly, and she was constantly panting, just like the dusk that was about to turn into night, slowly dissipating the little vitality she had left. She scratched the ground with her claws, feeling uneasy both physically and mentally. On the other hand, Araniya became more and more excited as she spoke. After all, this was the kind of torture she loved, whether it was mental or physical, as long as it was abused, she would enjoy it. She continued to declare loudly,

"You haven't forgotten, have you? You were just a pitiful tribute chosen by those guys, bred and raised to be presented to us as tribute, just an object. And your relatives, friends, and neighbors, although they love you on the surface, don't even have the courage to resist... Or rather, they tacitly agree to your suffering in exchange for a stable life!"

"You were born unworthy of self-awareness. And yet, through all these twists and turns, you've ended up like this, yet you still dare to collude with others and bare your fangs against me? This is truly ridiculous."

Chapter 701 Construction

Finally, a crimson shadow overshadowed all other light. The sky darkened, and Miyu's eyes flickered with unstoppable, utter hatred.

Feeling disgust towards the person in front of you.

Feeling resentful of the past.

Resentment is the only substance that constitutes her world.

Black mist slowly rose, and fear and panic emanated from her body. Araniah, upon coming into contact with the mist, subconsciously flinched slightly, as if exposed to high-temperature steam. However, she then revealed a look of surprise and bewilderment, then clapped her hands as if suddenly understanding something, and continued with a hearty laugh.

"I was just wondering why you hadn't started to attack me at this point. After a closer look, I noticed the presence of an elf."

"Yes, that white-haired elf cherishes you so much. Elves are a race that excels in magic, so how could they not see through your true nature? Is she trying to slowly vent your hatred and let you slowly return to your normal self? It's really funny. How can something accumulated over so many years be completely dissipated with just a few releases?"

As she spoke, Alaniya could not help but frown again. With a look of pity on her face, she said to Miyuki,

"Well, now it seems you're the one who's more pitiful. If you continue to use that kind of power to attack, I'm sure resentment will completely take over you. That spirit doesn't want to see that, so you've been suppressing it? But—"

"I'm so damn happy to see this! The last person in this world who cared about you, that elf, is dead. You no longer have any reason to maintain your own identity! Come on, attack me, avenge her, and pour out your anger, your tears, your hatred, or... "

Araniah immediately abandoned the little bit of sympathy she had just pretended to have. Her mouth was grinning from ear to ear, and she leaned back in ecstasy. She took another step forward, staring at Miyu with a nearly inhuman smile, and loudly declared,

"I tortured you to death unilaterally!"

After making the following statement, Araniah no longer cared about Miyu's reaction. She fiddled with her body, and several platinum needles as thin as hair appeared faintly on her fingers. She looked at the needles and said,

"Alas, we're out and about, so we don't have many props. While we can certainly make something magical if we want, many things are still too complicated. Let's start with something simple. This needle is even finer than the one your mom used to knit you sweaters with, but this time, we're going to use it on you, too. We're just going to actually prick you."

Inserting a fine needle through the nails and flesh, directly into the deep of the bones, is a very ancient and common form of torture. Its greatest advantage is that it does not cause significant harm to the tortured person, at most causing them to faint.

Moreover, after the "puncture", this part of the finger will not be wasted, and the nail can be pulled off or something like that. In short, it is a method with very low torture cost, which also means that this method is enough to play for a long time.

"Does this modification of yours have the ability to regenerate? It's hard to say, after all, I don't even know your origins. If it can't, that would be really boring, wouldn't you think?"

Once she realized she could bully Miyuki at will, her attitude seemed to shatter without a trace. Of course, the attitude here refers to something like "perverted degree". It was obvious that Miyuki was really eager to vent her desires, and she kept teasing Miyuki with words and actions.

Unfortunately, no matter what she said, Miyu only whimpered and panted, as if she was enduring it in great pain. She never waved her claws at Alaniya. As a result, even Alaniya was too lazy to talk to Miyu anymore. She just smiled, then forcefully pulled up one of Miyu's hands and said,

"There's no need to waste time talking to you. Let's get started. First, the first one—"

As she spoke, Miyu opened her mouth and bit down on Araniah's hand. This bite didn't involve any special force. Although it possessed incredible bite force for a beast, for Araniah's body, it was just a child's blow, befitting her appearance.

Even so, this ambiguous resistance still made Araniah scream, and then she angrily threw Miyuki hard. In an instant, our wolf girl flew far away like a tossed baseball, hit the ground several times, and then crashed heavily in front of a hut.

As if due to the pain, Miyu's body could only curl up in front of the hut. She clenched her teeth and did not make any further moves. In her ears, she could only hear the voice of Araniah's declaration.

"Originally, I didn't want to restrain you. After all, a free beast is much more fun to torture. However, if you were untied, I might hurt other parts of your body before I could properly satisfy my pleasure. So... let's think about this first. What kind do you want? Ropes? Shackles?"

Araniah strolled along, laughing ecstatically. She flipped her hands, and a platinum thorn whip with iron spikes materialized from between them. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy this one-sided feeling of superiority. However, something unexpected happened shortly afterward.

Bursts of muffled thunder rolled up from the sky. Amidst the dense, dark clouds, a deep, destructive purple light seemed even more powerful than the thunder itself. The concentration of magic in the air instantly increased, becoming so thick that every step Araniah took felt like walking through a quagmire, weighing her down.

When she raised her head and looked towards the source of the magic power she had detected, a very cold and slightly hoarse voice rang out.

"Back off."

An irresistible feeling instantly washed over Araniah. She subconsciously shuddered, and instinctively paused. The next moment, a scene worthy of being called "heaven-shattering and earth-shattering," the wrath of the Transcendent God, brought down upon her, made Araniah realize that retreat was the correct decision.

Chapter 702 This time, I won’t make the same mistake again

A powerful light, piercing the heavens and earth, instantly plunged down like a waterfall, exploding without stopping, rolling smoke and dust like rivers, releasing waves of flames like surging waves. It instantly dimmed everything in the world, streaking through the night clouds, wind, and dust, stirring up the vast ocean called the world.

The sky was no longer the sky; it shone with a light brighter than daylight, and the earth had lost its shape. Rather, everything around it had been affected by the heat wave, blurring its visibility and making it impossible to distinguish. Only the earth-shattering impact of the sky could reveal its true form.

The sky roared and the earth shook. Perhaps only a lost star falling from the sky could compare to the scene at this peak moment.

Aranea's body was swept away by the aftermath, instantly being blown thousands of miles away. Slowly emerging from the flames was our hero, Bailin Ashlevitann. Her body was shrouded in the flames of all-destruction embers. The crystals of a dragon, the vertical pupils of a beast, and a spirit that wielded malice against all creation were fully manifested within her form.

"This time, I won't make the same mistake again. I absolutely won't make the same mistake again."