Chapter 644: Capture the Evil Entity
Before the giant black hand could launch a second attack, the sand-covered ground suddenly lit up with an even more dazzling radiance.
A purification magic circle, larger and wider in scope, enveloped a vast space, covering both the original purification circle and the Wraith.
Sensing danger, the Wraith abandoned its attack on the purification barrier and hurriedly rammed into the larger barrier outside.
Boom!
Ripples spread across the massive purification barrier.
The Wraith, shrouded in gray mist, gradually revealed its form under the golden light.
Beneath its eerie dark-purple armor, a terrifying humanoid monster emerged.
It appeared to have no physical form, composed entirely of dark-purple energy.
Mist emanated from its body.
It was unclear whether the mist was part of its body or some special substance.
Each time it moved, it released more gray mist.
Not only did it obscure vision, it also seemed to increase the Wraith's speed.
The golden light from the ground and the barrier pierced through the surrounding gray mist like needles popping balloons, instantly clearing the area.
The Wraith-type monsters hiding in the mist were also severely damaged by the purifying light, their bodies riddled with dense holes.
Many Wraith monsters couldn't withstand the sudden attack and exploded with a "bang," turning into gray-black ashes or pieces of pitch-black, glowing soul crystals.
The unexpected turn of events instantly put Laura at ease.
She stared in disbelief at the glowing ground.
"When was this purification array set up?"
"Such a massive scale and powerful effect—it's practically a legendary array!"
In fact, this legendary purification array wasn't crafted by the people of Bay Territory.
It was a creation of Bishop "Mad Dragon" Barrett from the Goddess Church.
Not only was he a legendary-level priest, he was also a maker of legendary holy items.
Setting up such a legendary purification array—
Normally required one legendary priest praying, leading four extraordinary priests in arrangement, directing twelve high-ranking priests to perform the ritual.
The entire process took at least eight hours.
Aside from materials worth over 800,000 gold coins, it also required a vital infusion of divine grace.
Divine grace was extremely "rare."
Only fanatical believers favored by the gods could accumulate it bit by bit through daily chanting and praise.
That's why Matthew had no choice but to work with the Church on certain productions.
This legendary purification barrier was pre-made and stored in a spatial storage.
When needed, it could be deployed quickly by simply taking it out.
Originally, the Church of the Magic Goddess intended to "support" Bay Territory for free.
But Bay Territory clearly understood that "free" often came with a bigger price.
So they provided the Church with one million gold coins, plus 60 million soul shards collected over two months from clearing low-level demons in the Bloodred Pass.
The former satisfied the church members.
The latter pleased the Magic Goddess.
As their understanding of soul shards deepened, Bay Territory also discovered more uses for them.
However, almost all uses paled in comparison to "pleading for divine descent."
Especially for the Church!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Wraith glared with red, twisted eyes at the now-glowing purification barrier.
It seemed to be searching for weak points or gaps to break through.
It attacked rapidly, striking all sides of the purification shield, creating waves of ripples.
However, despite its speed, the Wraith couldn't break through the costly legendary purification array set up by Bay Territory.
Laura looked at the Wraith's enormous body with deep dread in her eyes. Its terrifying power left her with no confidence of surviving even a single blow.
But unexpectedly—
After the Wraith was temporarily trapped, members of the Alice Adventurer Team's vanguard cleared out the weakened Wraith monsters and then actively launched an attack on the Wraith.
"Are they insane?"
Just as that thought crossed Laura's mind, she saw the previously crazed Morak, clad in thick, dazzling holy armor, charge forward.
Noticing Morak's movement, the Wraith, now emitting wisps of smoke, quickly turned to face him.
It examined the surrounding golden light, its eyes flickering like flames.
Its massive body began to shrink and solidify, and the smoke that had been burning off it slowly faded.
It was no longer over ten meters tall, but its aura grew stronger and more oppressive.
"To boost its defenses, the Wraith enters a compact combat form."
"In this state, its speed is terrifying—it can appear behind its target in an instant and launch an attack."
"Send the strongest combat unit to attack it first in this state."
Watching this, Alice remembered the lord's instructions during training and exchanged a glance with Ashes.
The latter gripped his electrified warhammer tightly, keeping a close eye on the charging Morak.
If Morak got into danger, he would act instantly to save him.
Feeling the terrifying aura from the Wraith, the battle-hungry Morak roared without hesitation:
"Come on! Let's fight!"
The Wraith, its eyes glowing red, instantly appeared behind him.
A deadly sharp blade stabbed toward Morak's back.
Boom!
Lightning erupted. The thunder shield around Morak flickered and shattered.
The thunder shield, with a defense value of 300, was instantly broken by the Wraith's sneak attack.
However, the deadly crimson blade paused for a moment.
Sensing the lethal danger, Morak also felt the terrifying blow.
Instead of dodging, he swung his sword backward without hesitation.
The Wraith had no intention of taking the heavy hit head-on.
It lightly stepped back to dodge the greatsword, then skillfully circled to Morak's side and stabbed at his waist.
Caught off guard, Morak shouted in panic and unleashed a burst of thunder at the nearby Wraith.
Feeling the faint "threat" of the thunder, the Wraith nimbly dodged aside.
Plop!
The crackling thunder hit the ground, blasting a deep pit the size of a washbasin.
Now completely out of tricks, Morak yelled without hesitation:
"Help!"
An ogre calling for help?
That's so Bay Territory!
But the Wraith ignored his cries, flashing to Morak's rear and stabbing at his other kidney.
A roaring thunder warhammer spun through the air.
The emotionless Wraith dodged easily, about to strike again—
When a swift figure dashed in front of it at incredible speed.
A long sword gleaming with cold light stabbed toward it like lightning.
Though slower than the Wraith, it barely kept pace.
Unwilling to clash head-on, the Wraith leapt back, dodging both hammer and blade.
Surrounded by electric sparks, Alice chased after it with two gleaming longswords.
The spinning warhammer returned to Ashes's hand.
But he didn't dare pursue. Back-to-back with the sweat-drenched Morak, he teased him:
"Scared now, huh? There's always someone stronger out there..."
Scratching his neck, Morak gulped and muttered:
"Ahem, I was just caught off guard..."
"Didn't you see it dodging all over? That means it's afraid of me!"
Despite his words, he didn't dare touch his bulging neck and still felt a chill down his back.
Clang!
The terrifying blade clashed with a longsword, sending sparks flying.
Seeing the Wraith retreat, Alice—who had been on the offensive—suddenly stopped, spun her left hand, and swung her sword backward.
Ding!
A surge of recoil traveled through the hilt into her glove. Most of it was absorbed by her armor, the rest cushioned by the inner lining.
Only a tiny but precise force reached her wrist, letting Alice discern the Wraith's attack direction.
But Alice also knew the Wraith was unlike other enemies.
Its movement and power were completely different from flesh-and-blood creatures—normal logic didn't apply.
So Alice focused entirely, concentrating on sensing its attacks.
The Wraith moved rapidly, relentlessly attacking Alice's back.
Everyone held their breath, afraid she'd be skewered.
Luckily, Alice, though a step slower, firmly blocked the Wraith's strikes and held on tenaciously.
Amid a series of clangs and clashes—
Alice gradually grew familiar with the Wraith's attack patterns. Her tension faded, allowing her to counter more effectively.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more it favored Bay Territory.
Clang!
Another fierce blow was blocked by Alice's sword.
The Wraith's eyes flared, dark mist surged from its body.
Before everyone's eyes, it split into three, surrounding Alice.
Each clone held a twisted, curved blade.
The blades flowed with its will, as if extensions of its body.
The Wraith's plan was good, but it underestimated Bay Territory's adventurers.
Raging lightning surged over and enveloped all three.
With a crackling explosion, two shattered into gray mist.
Only one, covered in green smoke, continued attacking Alice.
Boom!
Calm and focused, Alice raised her sword to block. With a forceful motion, she pushed the blade away and quickly repositioned herself to defend the next strike.
Through the intense pressure of the fight, Alice's control over her body and thunder armor leveled up again.
Her appreciation for basic combat techniques also grew.
Seeing its attacks fail, the Wraith glanced at the closing adventurers, then instinctively raised its head. Dark mist surged from its body.
Countless Wraith monsters burst from it.
Under the purifying light, they visibly weakened.
Still, they could last three or four minutes—enough to surround the adventurers.
Faces pale, the adventurers tried to flee but were instantly surrounded.
These terrifying creatures silently roared and swarmed.
Seeing this, the adventurers tore open their scrolls without hesitation. Holy light flared and formed thick shields around them.
Splat!
Plop!
Crack!
The Wraith monsters crashed into the shields, causing them to flicker and crack slightly, their glow dimming.
The adventurers retreated in panic, shouting:
"Watch out for the Wraith! It's coming!"
"Fall back! Don't come out!"
"Why did you rush out?!"
"Keep prepping your spell scrolls!"
"..."
Watching the chaos, even if the Wraith hadn't fully recovered its mind, it still knew to go after easy prey.
It craved living souls!
With swirling mist, it pounced.
Driven by instinct, it teleported behind one adventurer.
The poor soul didn't sense a thing and kept running toward the purification barrier.
The Wraith's deadly blade stabbed toward his back.
Just one strike!
The Wraith could claim his life, seize his soul, and greedily feast!
But just before success, everything around it froze.
An invisible force pressed the pause button on time.
The Wraith tried to resist but couldn't fight back.
What little reason it had left quickly faded. Madness and bloodlust took over.
A bizarre gray-purple glow twisted the surrounding space, trying to carve a path.
But it was futile.
A tall figure appeared behind it.
Golden light flowed into the staff in Matthew's hand.
Empowered by divine might, the Time Stop sealed the Wraith!
Even if it had become an evil entity, normal rules no longer applied.