It was only at this moment that Leon could finally see clearly: the noblewoman stepping out of the painting now had eyes that once sparkled with life, but had turned into two burning balls of phosphorous fire. Blood trickled down from her sockets, leaving streaks across her beautiful face, while her once-glossy red hair writhed and twisted into venomous serpents, each flicking out a crimson tongue amid the flames, hissing with a chilling "sss..."
Cold gusts swept down the corridor, carrying with them raspy, sinister laughter. In an instant, the hallway was filled with the thick stench of blood...
"Blood Wraith?" Leon frowned. He'd known from the start that this painting was trouble, but he hadn't expected it to be this twisted...
That was a Blood Wraith...
Even among undead, Blood Wraiths are notorious. Each one has endured endless torment and cruelty—every torture imaginable, until their souls were ripped apart and they became savage, vengeful spirits. A fully matured Blood Wraith is at least level sixteen, armed with terrifying powers. Even top-tier Grand Mages, if given a choice, would avoid such a fight; even victory comes at a painful cost.
"Just my luck..." Leon cursed under his breath, but his hands never stopped moving. With a flurry of gestures, he controlled a tornado of flame, sealing off every possible route the Blood Wraith could attack from.
Leon’s Mana Harness integrated four arcane abilities and five spell formulas. Among them, Flame Storm was the only Grand Mage-level spell. Driven by the Mana Harness, its power nearly matched that of a Magus spell.
But Leon knew perfectly well: Flame Storm might keep the Blood Wraith at bay for a while, even hurt it, but killing it was out of the question.
A Blood Wraith is a vengeful spirit, its power drawn from a shattered soul. Fire might scare it, light might repel it, but destroying that broken soul is the only way to truly end it.
Sure enough, Leon’s Flame Storm nearly cornered the Blood Wraith. The swirling fire battered her relentlessly, each flame empowered by the Mana Harness and as potent as an Explosive Fire spell. But all it did was make her shriek—raw, soul-rending screams...
Even with his mental defenses, Leon couldn't help but show a trace of pain on his face at that sound. It was the Blood Wraith's shriek—a direct assault on the mind and soul. If unleashed in Thousand Sails City, that one heart-piercing scream would be enough to slaughter hundreds.
With the final shriek, the entire corridor seemed to tremble. Countless oil lamps crashed down from the stone walls, and the ice wall Leon had conjured earlier was now riddled with cracks under the force of that piercing cry...
"No wonder no one wants to mess with a Blood Wraith..." Leon frowned, discomfort written all over his face. These twisted creatures were truly revolting. The damage from that shriek was mostly blocked by his mental defenses, but the sheer agony of the sound nearly deafened him.
As the shriek shattered the ice wall, Leon's Flame Storm erupted...
With a deafening boom, blinding flames shot skyward. The explosive force in that instant was far more terrifying than his previous Fireblast and Rocket Rain spells...
Yet Leon's expression only grew more serious...
Because Leon could clearly see a shadow flickering within the flames...
It was the Blood Wraith's silhouette. After the Flame Storm detonated, the corridor lost its only source of light and was plunged into darkness again. Leon reacted quickly, flipping his right hand and casting a Light spell, but the Blood Wraith was even faster.
As the shadow swept past, Leon heard a rush of wind. Before the Light spell could fully bloom, a red viper shot out. With a sharp crack, the newly cast Light spell exploded together with the sudden serpent, and the long corridor was swallowed by darkness once more...
"Such speed..." Leon's heart tightened. He hurried to summon his Icefire Shield—red and blue lights interwoven, guarding a three-foot space in front of him.