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nDenise was oblivious to Eustace’s reaction. Her attention was fully absorbed by her team’s mission: capturing the culprit responsible for sowing fear throughout the city.

nWhile the victims were not being killed, they were left in a debilitated state, requiring costly Arcanist’s Potions for recovery. These potent remedies were beyond the means of most ordinary citizens, and without prompt treatment, the victims faced the grim prospect of enduring permanent disabilities or even dying in the end.

nWhoosh~

nAs the Torrent Squad burst into the inn, they quickly realized they were too late; another victim had fallen prey to the malevolent entity.

nTo their astonishment, according to the maid, the victim turned out to be an Arcanist from the Rune Arts Faction, a fact they easily confirmed after checking his belongings.

nThey noticed that the room had several protections made by the Rune Arts but it was easily broken by the culprit, not even giving a chance for the victim to escape.

n‘How did the culprit do it?’

nLeonel, the stalwart leader of the squad, wasted no time and swiftly deployed several talismans inscribed with Oardic words that emphasized inspection and search.

nBefore long, these mystical symbols led him to crucial clues within the room, prompting him to deftly coordinate his findings with his team.

n‘Dark Elements? So we’re dealing with Dark Magician? Wait… The Dark Energy feels too sinister. Perhaps it’s a Demonic Being…’ Leonel mused as he looked around.

nMeanwhile, Denise, ever vigilant, confirmed the lingering presence of a strange entity within the room—the enemy had not departed yet!

nShe immediately informed the leader about it.

n“Thorne! Release the barrier!” Leonel’s authoritative command spurred his comrade into action as they prepared to confront the entity within the confined space.

n“Elara! Send out the maid!” He continued, swiftly issuing orders to his team.

nThe surroundings fluctuated with energy as a protective wind barrier materialized, and the maid was promptly evacuated from the scene.

n“You have 3 minutes!” Thorne, a defensive-type Elementalist, declared to the team, setting the countdown in motion.

nSoon, a shrouded figure, seemingly cloaked in fabric woven from dark energy, materialized before them, exuding an overwhelming dark pulse that piqued the Torrent Squad’s curiosity.

nThey have seen many scary entities that came from other realms or were summoned by other Arcanists. What they were curious about was how the entity had managed to suppress its aura moments earlier.

nNevertheless, their surprise didn’t last long as they promptly sprung into action.

nThey needed to capture or eliminate the culprit!

nThere was no need for conversation at this point! Anyway, whatever this creature would tell them, it must still answer for its crimes, and their squad was determined to claim the reward that was arranged by the Guild.

nFlick…

nA barrage of high-level talismans hurtled through the air, each aimed at neutralizing the threat. 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝓂

n“Purification!” Leonel bellowed, clapping his hands to activate the six talismans he had thrown, while his comrades swiftly executed their own techniques.

nThese six talismans were all the Purification Talismans that he had. In the first place, he was not a Holy Arts Practitioner. Furthermore, this type of talisman was actually more expensive than the elemental and summoning talismans.

nTo get these talismans, you needed to donate a certain amount to the church before even getting a chance to purchase these talismans for a steep price.

nNevertheless, Leonel didn’t bat an eye as he used all the talismans without hesitation.

n“Sun Eyes!”

nAs soon as the Purification was triggered, one of the offensive-type Elementalists joined in. His eyes ignited with a fiery red glow accompanied by a searing noise as if he sought to sear the target with his gaze.

nThis combination was typically devastating against foes with an affinity for darkness, yet the squad remained vigilant, knowing that their opponent likely had more tricks up its sleeve.

n“Careful!”

nAs anticipated, the enigmatic figure absorbed the onslaught of attacks without so much as a flinch, effortlessly neutralizing the talismans and redirecting the elemental assault with a mere gesture of its hands.

nIt was an incredible show of might!

n“Why are you attacking me?!” The being that they thought was a mad creature suddenly spoke as if he was the one being wronged!

n“Don’t bother listening to him! An evil spirit has probably possessed its body! The man should be dead by now. Don’t hesitate!” Leonel shouted.

nSeveral Spells from Elemental Arts and Mystic Arts were thrown.

nAs for Denise, she was waiting for an opportunity to strike… This was the reason why Leonel didn’t lose hope after seeing his Talismans became useless.

nTheir Torrent Squad still had Denise on their side!

nWhom~

nA large wave of dark energy countered all their spells! They couldn’t understand how their Spells were seemingly being thrown into a void, and the creature’s aura kept getting stronger!

nHowever, Leonel and his members tirelessly deployed a myriad of spells in an attempt to create an opening for Denise to deliver a decisive blow. They didn’t care how the creature was dealing with their attacks!

nTo their dismay, the enigmatic adversary remained unyielding, encased in a shroud of dark energy that rendered him impervious to their lower-level spells.

nThey couldn’t give the opening that Denise needed.

nFrustration etched across Leonel’s face as he came to terms with the reality that their mid-grade Intermediate Realm spells were ineffective against the impenetrable barrier that cloaked their foe.

n“It seems that only high-grade Intermediate Realm Spells and above could possibly penetrate this creature’s defenses.” He begrudgingly conceded, recognizing the daunting challenge that lay before them.

nHe could only look at Denise as they continued to back away from the approaching creature.

nHe placed his unwavering trust in their newest recruit, Denise.

nDespite being an Alchemist, often underestimated in combat scenarios, he harbored no doubts about her capabilities.

nWith their plan set in motion, he remained steadfast in his belief that she held the key to turning the tide in their favor.

nDenise lived up to the squad’s expectations as she meticulously completed her preparations and discerned the opportune moment to launch her assault.

nSignaling her teammates to cease their attacks, she heeded the counsel of Lotus, her enigmatic Dark Spirit, who unveiled the truth behind the entity’s resilience—it was bolstering its strength by absorbing their onslaught!

nThough the specifics eluded Denise amid the chaos, Lotus mentioned that the entity was linked to a malevolent being known as Gluttony. It was currently inhabiting the middle-aged man.

nUndeterred by this revelation, Denise focused on the solution presented by Lotus—targeting the shoes worn by the possessed host, the entity’s sole vulnerability.

nFollowing Lotus’s guidance, Denise deftly wielded the artifact bestowed upon her by Heinz.

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