Cornflower Witch

Chapter 170 The Ever-Changing Illusory Mist Beast
Her footsteps moved quickly up the steps. When Hilti stopped trying to hide her strength and instead unleashed her full power, her light body moved like a streak of light, reaching the end of the mountain path at an extremely fast speed.

Then she leaped up, her body twisting in mid-air as she drew her bow, aiming almost simultaneously with finding the enemy, and then released the arrow.

The arrow, as sharp as a cold star, hurtled towards the lizard, striking its scales but failing to pierce them. However, the seed on the arrowhead had been infused with the power of the emerald honey essence, and it began to sprout and grow after landing. The spreading vines interrupted the lizard's process of eating the rotten apple and began to retreat, tearing away the thorny vines that were binding its body.

Thank goodness she made it in time. Her eyes searched and found the already stiff Captain Bad Apple.

After landing, Hilti moved again, rushing towards the rock wall behind the mountain without stopping, leaping into the air to get a better view.

This time she used a different arrow, one that was fitted with 'thick vine', a type of vine that grows relatively slowly but is exceptionally thick and strong.

Instead of targeting the lizard, they chose the sand beside it.

After the arrow landed, the seed sprouted, and thick wooden vines spread in all directions, some even reaching into the stone spring pool, which enraged the lizard. It tore the wooden vines in front of it apart and then looked at Hilti, the 'insect' that had come to cause trouble, not far away.

An invisible magic radiated from its gray eyes, causing Hilti's body to stiffen and fall to the ground. Fortunately, the Moonlight Breathing Technique within her was operating at full speed at that moment, dispelling the stiffness and allowing her to finally adjust her posture. She only stumbled and did not fall completely.

After this brief exchange, Yann and Karl finally appeared at the stone archway and discovered the battle taking place there.

"A petrified lizard!?" Karl exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the lizard.

Faced with the monster, Yann, who was originally preparing to raise his shield and move forward, stopped in his tracks.

Ordinary enemies are fine, but monsters like 'petrifying lizards' are extremely effective against heavily armored warriors who have no means of defense. The thicker the armor, the easier it is to restrict their movement and make them unable to escape the petrifying lizard's gaze and breath.

"What should I do?" He was caught in a dilemma. If he didn't save the bad apple, the other party might die, but if he did, he might not be able to save himself either.

A brief moment of reflection cannot provide a solution or an answer. At this point, he didn't have much time to ponder and could only grit his teeth and charge forward, placing his hopes for victory on his companions behind him.

Silverlight's 'castle' aura enveloped his entire body, and mysterious patterns appeared on his shield, resembling closed doors.

The Gate of Tiraya is said to be the first gate in the magnificent city wall built by the Swan King, and it is also the origin of the magic array patterns inscribed by countless castle scholars in later generations.

Compared to the petite size of the Bad Apple, the roaring Yaen charging towards it from a distance was clearly a more threatening opponent. Ignoring the wooden vines that were interfering, the petrified lizard turned its attention to Yaen's raised shield and spewed out a white mist of breath.

The misty breath, upon contact with the shield, shrouded it in gray, and the once shimmering patterns on the door quickly darkened. At that moment, Arn behind the shield felt as if his body were filled with lead, becoming incredibly heavy.

"This is bad," he thought to himself, and tried to dispel the negative influence by activating the power of the 'castle' aspect again, but the effect was always limited.

'Castles' are suitable for defense, but to dispel the magic of the 'Mist Shadow' concept, one would probably have to rely on 'Radiant Moon' or 'Blazing Sun'.

Fortunately, he was not fighting alone at this moment. After preparing for a long time, Karl finished chanting the sorcery, and the special pale powder in his hand floated up like mist, slowly moving towards the lizard.

The grayish-white powder, once it landed on the lizard, caused black corrosion within the crevices of its scales, spreading like a plague into its body, causing it immense pain. Seizing the moment when the lizard was struggling and had no time to pay attention, Hilti leaped forward, picked up the 'bad apple,' and carried the stiff lizard away from the dangerous situation, throwing it down the steps of the stone archway.

"Let's go!" Karl called to Yann, who was ahead of him, and they prepared to leave.

Don't be fooled by their apparent advantage; they're merely making the lizard clumsy and disoriented due to its unfamiliarity with the terrain. They're still a long way from victory.

Upon hearing this, Yan quickly retreated, but still dared not turn around and run away, as doing so would only make things more dangerous.

Just when everyone thought they could safely evacuate, the lizard moved again. This time it stopped struggling, glanced at the group, and then its entire body dissipated like mist, causing the vines that had been binding it to miss their target. The deathly mist that had been corroding its body also failed to reach it and slowly descended to the ground.

The group ran quickly along the mountain path, with Yan carrying the rotten apple at the back and Hilti walking at the front.

Just then, a strong gust of wind swept over their heads, followed by an invisible mist that gathered together. The giant lizard appeared before them, its body half-raised, and it exhaled grayish-white mist again, filling the mountain path.

Yarrow, who had been running around, froze completely, while Karl, who was preparing to retrieve the spellcasting materials, also stiffened and was unable to move.

Hiltiya, who was directly hit by the gray mist's breath, also felt extremely uncomfortable. Her body felt like it was covered in rust, and she could only leap into the air, barely managing to touch the mountain wall with her toes to avoid the gray mist spreading below.

Below, the lizard with stone scales raised its head, its gray-white vertical pupils fixed on Hilti in the air, and a strange stiffness spread from its limbs once again.

A silver halo appeared on Hilti's body, constantly moving and dispelling the spreading stiffness, keeping her awake, and finally landing on the back of the mountain path, in a place that had not yet been eroded by the gray mist.

Panting heavily, Hiltiya's eyes gleamed as she finally fully understood the situation of the giant lizard before her.

Race: Lizard (Variant)

Status: Healthy (Misty Form)
talent:

Hibernation [Excellent Level]: Allows the body to enter a state of hibernation, without eating or drinking, while maintaining the body's inherent strength without diminishing.

Fate Card: [Petrifying Lizard] [Tier 3 - Mist Shadow]
The lizard that had been lurking by the spring, having consumed its waters for centuries, had finally reached the third tier—powerful and eerie.
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Effect: [Petrifying Breath Lv.6], an innate talent that grants you the ability to petrify targets, and its strength increases with each advancement.
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Effect: [Stiff Eyes Lv.5], simply by looking at the target, it can freeze the body of distant enemies, rendering them unable to move. (This effect is difficult to avoid.)

Core Card: [Mystic Beast of the Ever-Changing Mist] [Mist Shadow]
'You have used your ability to shapeshift and conceal yourself to deceive hundreds of enemies of the same level, then killed and devoured them, making you a forgotten legend.'
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Effect: [Misty Body] Allows the user to mist their body at any time, freeing them from restraints and removing the effects of injuries and negative effects. (This is a conceptual ability and ignores the effects of conventional effects.)

Ability Cards:
【Transformation Technique Lv.7】(Mist Shadow): Can transform the body into other inanimate objects, which cannot be detected or distinguished unless there is a means of higher rank than the user.

【Lizard Scales Lv.4】(Snail Fish): Tough scales that can withstand most attacks and have good resistance to low temperatures.

【Hibernation Method Lv.6】(Hibernation): With only a small amount of food, you can maintain a very long period of hibernation and digest the sexual energy you consume, which will extend your lifespan and slowly increase your strength.

(End of this chapter)