But what impressed Séraphine was that, before striking forward, the monster made a clenching gesture with his hand; then, the unmistakable bluish glow of aether manifested in front of him, vividly forming an energy fist. The mere presence of this fist distorted the air with the heat it emanated.
"Damn it! Its cognition is still intact," Séraphine cursed. She swung her soul and pushed her palm forward in a stopping gesture. This created a wall of energy in front of the trio just in time to protect them from Howard Stone's magical punch.
The clash of the two energy constructs caused a shockwave that shook the women's hair. Sasha, clinging to Séraphine's hat for safety, inwardly regretted joining the fight.
She wasn't trained to fight such powerful creatures! She regretted her innate curiosity as a fairy, which had led her to this place. She soon discovered that she could not leave and was almost devoured by corrupted spiritual energy rabbits.
She could only watch as Séraphine protected the team with her magical wall. However, that didn't mean she and the other girls were useless. Sasha gathered her courage and used one of her gifts as Queen of the Fairies.
A small blue spark floated toward Howard's eyes, camouflaged among the aether that splattered due to the magical clash between him and Séraphine. The spark then exploded, producing sound waves that disrupted the monster's balance and caused it to lose control of its spell.
"Thank you, Sasha!" shouted Élodie, who leaped toward the monster without thinking, taking advantage of its disadvantageous state.
The blonde held nothing back, turning into a blur as she closed the distance between her and her enemy. Not only that, but her warhammer was also coated in a deep blue, indicating that it was enhanced.
Élodie twisted her waist and channeled all her strength into her hammer. She swung it in a horizontal blow that struck Howard Stone directly in the side. The hammer head's impact against the mutant's ribs unleashed a burst of aether, sending the entity flying several dozen meters.
Then, a thin beam of energy struck the area hit by the hammer, penetrating Howard's resistant scales and causing him to bleed.
A purple cloud then covered the mutant monster, causing it to scream as crackling cries became audible. The four women acted simultaneously, each unleashing a particular attack, yet none celebrated prematurely.
Despite the apparent damage they had inflicted on the monster, including its cries of pain, there was a strong inconsistency in the whole affair. Suddenly, Howard's voice stopped, and a gust of wind blew away the purple cloud hiding his figure.
"I thought you would try to get closer and finish me off, or at least distract me. It seems that you women have some brains," said the unmistakable voice of the man who appeared with an expressionless face, though his body looked wounded.
However, his wounds emitted a reddish glow, and soon, they began to heal. Howard Stone twisted his body slightly as if warming up before pointing one of his long claws at Séraphine.
"My mind may be clouded by my desires, but I am superior to you and that werewolf. Do you think I will go mad from receiving this enhancement?
No! I am more lucid than ever, and I can unleash all the magic I want without fear of consequences." Having said this, the man continued to point at Séraphine. This time, his gesture resembled the way children play with imaginary weapons.
Séraphine recognized the spell. After all, she had recently purchased and studied it, although she hadn't had the opportunity to try it out. Given how new it was, however, she knew she had to wait.
Howard Stone made a shooting gesture, and a ball of energy gathered at his fingertip before shooting out with a sonic boom. An aether bullet flew through the air, straight toward the witch, but a hammer got in the way. It struck the energy projectile, scattering it.
"I've seen this before. You won't be able to do anything with that," declared Élodie, who had just protected Séraphine. But her words only made Howard Stone laugh.
"I'm just testing it out. After all, Miss Rohan must have recognized this spell. After all, you bought it two nights ago before entering a mansion under construction." The monster's words made Séraphine, who had not trembled at the coldness of the spiritual energy, feel a chill run down her spine.
This guy knew more than the average person should! Although Séraphine was occasionally in the newspaper, the journalists knew nothing about her purchase of the bullet spell. What could that mean?
Someone had been investigating or watching her all this time. Were cultists hiding within the police force? Or did Roman have something to do with this? After all, that half-baked magician's spiritual corruption hadn't gone very far, but it was a clear sign of his interaction with spiritual energy.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? It seems that Lady Osmond's student is just this!" Howard said provocatively before generating another energy bullet at his fingertip. This time, however, Madeleine's tail stopped it, using her powerful scales as a shield.
"It seems you've wanted to sink your claws into people other than actresses, Howard," Madeleine said, clenching her teeth tightly.
"Of course! She's just a simple witch, but her background is interesting. Wouldn't it be satisfying to have a supposedly prestigious woman like her under my power? She's much tastier than those stupid actresses!" The creature's contemptuous words made the snake woman hiss loudly, but she didn't rush to attack.
"It seems you know my teacher and my family. Did you really dare try something against me?" Séraphine asked, with a hint of doubt in her voice. After all, this situation was somewhat peculiar to her.
Unlike those little princesses from wealthy, high-status families, she didn't depend on her parents or her teacher to make a name for herself in the city of Blume. However, it was common for certain knowledgeable people to be somewhat cautious around her because of her background.
However, if someone wanted to hurt her, she wouldn't let those things stop her. An enemy didn't care about your family background or your teacher; they only cared about how to inflict harm on you. However, Séraphine found all this striking, especially because of the man's provocative words earlier.
She didn't care if people guessed who her parents were. After all, she couldn't change her last name. However, Howard Stone seemed to know about Lady Osmond, her teacher. From the tone he used, it seemed that even he had a certain respect for that woman.
"Who doesn't know the spoiled daughter of the Rohan family? There was a lot of laughter because of you! Instead of using your family's resources and influence, did you really degrade yourself by providing detective and counseling services to the police? Stupidity!"
As for your teacher... You could say I've had some interactions with her." At this point, Howard Stone's smile turned into an angry expression. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms.
"If I can't get revenge on her, then I'll take it out on her student! What better way to get even than that?" the monster shouted before charging toward them like an unstoppable juggernaut.
His heavy footsteps shook the ground as he stretched his hands out to the sides, ready to slice through anything in his way. A faint spiritual energy covered his body, further emphasizing the threat he posed.
"He's aiming for the core! Don't let him touch it!" Séraphine warned, clasping her hands together and making a twisting gesture, channeling the aether through her body and generating a sphere of energy between her palms.
This was the first of many, and soon, several spheres floated behind the witch's body. Madeleine, on the other hand, intended to stop Howard's charge directly. After all, she had the strength for this task.
Thus, the Lamia's body quickly slithered forward. Her human body was filled with green scales, starting with those already on her arms, and covered her completely.
During the process of becoming armored, her skin took on a slightly purple hue, leaving behind the pallor that had characterized her previously. A blue glow covered her claws, and her mouth opened slightly, revealing a pair of snake fangs.
Madeleine considered fighting the monster Howard Stone had become directly! The anger and hatred inside her burned fiercely. She had restrained herself greatly before, but now was the time to unleash her wild side.
Élodie exerted all her strength from the start. Her body was covered in a blue glow, and the high temperature of the energy stung her skin. However, the blonde was used to that uncomfortable feeling, so she smoothly coated her war hammer in blue light.
As she moved, a crackling sound came from where she had been standing, leaving two small cracks in the floor. Her figure transformed into a blue line and positioned itself next to Madeleine so the two women could launch a joint attack.
"Did you forget that I can do magic!?" As he ran, Howard Stone gestured with one of his hands, placing his fist forward as if he were holding a shield. Thus, magic occurred.
A round shield made of aether emerged from his hand and collided with Madeleine's body, or rather, her energy-enhanced claws.
The collision between the two large creatures was abrupt, producing a metallic screech that was uncomfortable for some. However, this was to the advantage of Élodie, who attacked the mutant directly with her hammer.
However, Howard backed away and put up his energy shield for protection. Then, in a fluid movement for his size, the monster kicked the Lamia, colliding with Madeleine's claw attack.
Although his limb was injured, he didn't seem to care about the damage he had suffered. Instead, he turned and kicked Élodie with his injured leg, forcing her to use her hammer as a shield.
It seemed that Howard was dominating at that moment, but they weren't fighting alone. A pair of blue spheres fell from the sky and struck the man's shoulders, interacting with the layer of energy covering his body.
This caused colorful sparks to fly and altered his posture due to the force of the impact. The entity stumbled, and Séraphine smiled in the distance because it created an opportunity for her companions.
Madeleine turned at that moment, using her tail like a whip to strike the monster's body. Although it tried to protect itself with its shield, its lack of balance prevented it from doing so. It took the full force of Lamia's tail.
Howard Stone's body fell to the ground. At that moment, however, Élodie appeared at his side. She had prepared for this finishing blow and raised her hammer high before bringing it down and striking the monster's chest mercilessly.
The impact caused an explosion of aether that collided with the surrounding spiritual energy, sending sparks flying once again. Additionally, the ground beneath Howard cracked due to the attack, indicating the power of the blow.
Wounds oozed blood, and large cracks appeared in the monster's flesh. Even the red energy layer diminished so much that it was barely visible.
"Damn you!" the creature growled. It felt a great deal of pain from the blow it had just suffered. Luckily, its body was much stronger than when it was human, so it was able to move away from Élodie before she could hit it again with her hammer.
The creature struggled to get back up, but a barrage of aether spheres led by Séraphine struck it again, covering its body with energy that reacted badly with the power now contained within.
The creature had previously overcome the disadvantage of its own aether because it was intrinsic to its being as a wizard; therefore, the spiritual energy did not react sharply, allowing it to perform magic without much trouble.
However, Séraphine's spells reacted terribly with the red cloak barely covering his skin. The cloak exploded violently, inflicting more wounds on his flesh.
Interestingly, Howard's ability to recover was affected. Although his regeneration healed his body, the four women noticed that, unlike before, his recovery took a long time.
The creature's breathing became labored, and his body seemed to shrink several inches. Then, he began coughing and spitting out more of his rotten blood. Madeleine hissed with joy.
"It seems you're not as indifferent to poison as I thought," the Lamia said, causing Howard to focus his eyes on her. When he tried to speak, more black liquid came out of his mouth.
"Your regeneration isn't as good as it used to be. Will you be able to recover from a hammer blow to the head?" asked Élodie, shaking the hammer on her shoulder.
"We have to eliminate it. Then, we'll get rid of this core," said Séraphine, closing her hand into a fist. With one movement, she made a striking gesture toward Howard Stone.
The aether manifested itself as a jet of energy that struck the monster's chest with force. The monster tried to evade the attack, but its overwhelming weakness slowed it down considerably, making it a perfect target for the witch.
The sound of something heavy hitting flesh echoed throughout the area. The creature's body was pushed back, leaving a trail of claws on the hard ground.
The entity fell to its knees. The spiritual energy that had previously covered its body was gone. The scales on its body were ruined, especially in the area where Séraphine's magic had struck. The best part was that its regeneration was barely noticeable.
It was in terrible shape! So both Élodie and Madeleine took advantage of this. The lamia used its serpentine body to crush Howard Stone completely, dropping its tail on him.
Then, to fulfill her wish, Élodie aimed her hammer at the mutant's head. The mutant writhed, trying to avoid his imminent fate. However, Madeleine immobilized him with her heavy lower limb.
His wide eyes could only watch sadly as the police weapon fell on his head. The first blow stunned him but didn't knock him out, demonstrating his resilience. This only made the blonde smile.
"It would be sad if you fell with only one blow, wouldn't it? I still have more strength," said Élodie to Howard Stone, her muscles trembling and contracting, revealing the veins in her arms.
The aether in her body behaved like a flame, indicating that she was using this energy to its fullest capacity. Although she was feeling increasingly exhausted, the police officer had decided to do this to completely get rid of the plague that had hurt so many people.
The sound of flesh and bones being crushed echoed through the air, accompanied by the ground's trembling and the disgusting splatter of black blood. But alongside these sounds, there was also wild laughter.
Blow after blow, she became a piston, wielding her war hammer against Howard Stone's face. With each blow, she unleashed her pent-up emotions and took revenge for the victims of this beast.
"I told you I would crush your horrible head!" the policewoman shouted. Her blue eyes were stained red, indicative of aether overuse. Neither Madeleine nor Séraphine stopped her; they only watched her hammer with less and less force on the pulp that was once the head of the man who had lost his humanity.
She stopped only when her breathing became difficult, her hair was stuck to her face with sweat, and she could barely stand. She had accomplished her task of crushing the bastard's head.
Madeleine separated from Howard, looking at the monster's corpse with deep disgust in her slanted eyes. However, she also felt a certain sadness for the companion she had ignored and failed to rescue.
Séraphine approached Élodie and placed her hand on the policewoman's back. She said nothing, simply preventing her from collapsing from exhaustion. The blonde turned her head to look at the witch before smiling at her.
"Well done, silly cop," Séraphine whispered, causing Élodie's lips to tremble. She wanted to complain, but she couldn't catch her breath. She soon managed to overcome this, though.
"Can't you stop being such a bitch?" the police officer complained, making Séraphine smile. Her nose then twitched, a gesture that surprised the blonde slightly.
"I can't. I'm a witch; we're all bitches," the brunette replied, causing Élodie, Madeleine, and Sasha, who were listening, to roll their eyes.
How much truth was hidden in that sentence!