After another teleportation, Ryoma's figure appeared in a relatively quiet alley.
The fire here was not large, and there were only a few scattered corpse puppets. The air was filled with the smell of burning and a faint scent of blood.
He was preparing to use this as a transit point to go to the next coordinate.
Suddenly, he paused.
A subtle and evil magical power fluctuation came from the shadows not far away. That mana carried an uncomfortable taste of greed and decay.
Ryoma's gaze swept over. In the shadows, a woman dressed in a full set of black witch's attire leaned against the wall, watching the chaos on the distant street with interest.
A strange smile hung on her lips, as if the human purgatory before her was just an interesting play.
It's her!
A name instantly flashed through Ryoma's mind.
A member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, the witch Catherine.
Why was she here?
Ryoma frowned slightly.
According to the plot in his memory, Catherine should only appear brazenly and wantonly absorb the life essence of the populace after the main force of the Royal Magic Knight Squad was teleported away by Spatial Magic.
Then, she would encounter the newly emerging Yuno.
After a fierce battle, Yuno, pushed to the brink, would use the magic of the Wind Spirit Sylph at a critical moment, thereby awakening new power and defeating Catherine in one fell swoop.
That was a very important growth experience for Yuno.
But now...
Ryoma glanced at the woman who was still watching the show, then thought about Yuno, who might still be fighting somewhere.
'Sorry, Yuno.' He silently said in his heart.
'Your cheat code... seems to be delayed because of me.'
Since he had encountered her, he could not allow this crazy woman to cause trouble here.
As Ryoma was pondering, Catherine in the shadows noticed him. Or rather, she had noticed this man who had suddenly appeared from the very beginning.
Her gaze brazenly scrutinized Ryoma.
Handsome and tall, with an outstanding temperament.
Most importantly... that young and surging vitality that could be felt even through magic. It was like the brightest star in the night.
For her, this was the top-grade tonic in the world.
Catherine licked her red lips. Her eyes, which had been watching the show, instantly became full of greed and desire.
"Oh my... oh my..."
She let out a charming moan and slowly walked out of the shadows.
"What a cute little hottie, are you lost in a place like this?"
"Shall I take you to see something fun?"
As she spoke, she raised her arm.
Whoosh!
A gray, tentacle-like magical power shot out silently, heading straight for Ryoma. That was not a physical attack, but her curse magic used to absorb the life essence of others.
Ryoma could even feel the craving for life emanating from that gray energy.
This thing...
A thought flashed through his mind.
It's hard to say if physical defense can block it, so it's better not to touch it.
He didn't want to test his vitality. As the thought arose, an ice crystal he had previously set up not far from Ryoma suddenly lit up.
Swish!
His figure instantly disappeared from his original spot. The gray tentacle struck empty, hitting the wall behind.
"Oh?"
Seeing that her attack had missed, Catherine was a little surprised.
She looked at where Ryoma had reappeared, and the smile on her face grew wider.
"You react very quickly. It seems you're not an ordinary person."
"This way... it's even more interesting."
As soon as her words fell, the magic power on her body surged violently.
Ash Curse Magic: Joyful Destructive Ash!
Buzz!
The air vibrated violently.
The next second, countless ash bullets, shimmering with an ominous gray-purple light, appeared around her, illuminating the entire alley in a gloomy gray.
Each ash bullet contained a different malicious curse.
"Let's see where you can hide." Catherine giggled and waved her hand.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
An impenetrable gray barrage, overwhelming in its scope, enveloped Ryoma.
Looking at this exaggerated attack range, Ryoma's heart remained calm.
"Finally, it's here."
He knew that this woman's magic, in addition to curses, had an even more troublesome characteristic: absorbing and storing the magic of others.
What she was using now was very likely the magic she had plundered from those unlucky Mages during the attack on the capital earlier.
Perfect, he could see what her limits were.
Not only did Ryoma not counterattack, but he also took a step back as if taking a stroll.
As he took a step, another ice crystal coordinate was triggered.
Swish!
His figure disappeared again.
The sky full of ash bullets lost their target and crashed down on the ground where he had just stood.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Craters were blasted into the ground, and countless bizarre gray curses spread along the edges of the craters, corroding everything around them.
"Hmm?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow.
Where is he?
The next moment, a crisp sound of ice crystal shattering sounded from behind her.
Crack!
She turned her head sharply, only to see Ryoma standing calmly on a rooftop about a dozen meters away, looking down at her from above.
"I'm over here."
"You!"
Catherine felt she had been played for a fool, and her face darkened.
She once again manipulated the ash bullets, changing their direction, and they whistled towards Ryoma on the rooftop.
However—
Crack!
Just a split second before the bullets were about to hit, Ryoma's figure disappeared again.
Immediately after, crisp shattering sounds began to echo one after another in this area.
Crack!
Ryoma appeared on the eastern wall.
Crack!
He reappeared by the western well.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
His figure transformed into an ice-blue flash, performing irregular high-speed jumps between the ice crystal coordinates he had preset. Each flash was accompanied by the shattering of an ice crystal, and each teleportation perfectly avoided the pursuit of all ash bullets.
Countless gray bullets frantically chased the ice-blue streak of light, but couldn't even touch his clothes.
The roar and explosion sounds were incessant. The surrounding buildings were ravaged and scarred, and the ground was covered with hideous cursed craters. Yet, Ryoma, at the center of the storm, walked leisurely, not a single leaf touching him.
Catherine's expression, which had started as playful, gradually turned to surprise and doubt, and finally transformed into uncontrollable irritation and anger.
Her magic power was rapidly depleting. The mana of these ash bullets was all her hard-earned reserves. But the other party was like a slippery loach, completely uncatchable.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
She frantically urged her magic. The bullets became faster and faster, and the offensive grew more intense, but the result remained unchanged.
"Hey! Is it fun to dodge around like a flea?!"
Catherine finally couldn't hold back and shrieked in exasperation, "Can't you just stand still and offer your youth and life to big sister?!"
This time, the ice-blue streak of light finally stopped.
Ryoma's figure appeared at the top of a still-intact streetlamp, looking down at the panting woman below with a calm demeanor.
He tilted his head slightly, a playful expression on his face. "Big sister?"
He softly repeated the word. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Catherine's ears.
Catherine was startled, then showed what she thought was a charming smile. "That's right, as long as you're obedient..."
Her words were cut off mercilessly by Ryoma before she could finish.
"I say..."
Ryoma's gaze swept over her face, which was slightly distorted by anger but still trying to maintain its charm.
"Your face is so wrinkled, you could almost trap flies, couldn't you?"
"How dare an old hag like you call yourself 'big sister' in front of me?"
The air instantly solidified.
The smile on Catherine's face froze.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"Ah—!!!"
A scream loud enough to pierce eardrums suddenly erupted from Catherine's throat.
It was not a woman's coquettishness, nor an angry roar, but a hysterical madness from the depths of her soul, having been hit where it hurt most, her dignity crushed.
"Old... old hag?"
She stared intently at Ryoma. Her face, which had been feigning charm, was now completely distorted by extreme rage, appearing incredibly hideous.
"You... you dare call me... an old hag?!"
Boom!!!
A gray magical power, several times more powerful than before, surged out from her body, sweeping across the entire street.
"What do you know?! What do you know!!!" Catherine shrieked wildly, her voice sharp and piercing.
"I'll tear your mouth apart!"
"I'll suck you dry into a mummy!"
"I'll drain every last drop of your life! Not a single drop left!!!"
Her venomous curse, accompanied by rampant magic, the surrounding air become viscous.
The ash bullets that were still flying in the air frantically converged above Catherine's head. Countless bullets merged, compressed, and deformed.
A gigantic and hideous gray ghost face rapidly formed above her, opening its silently roaring maw.