The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 147 was instantly killed (5k1w)

"Ghost woman...

Shouldn't they be appearing at the boundary between the third and fourth floors?

How could they have reached the swamp in less than a day?

Hope gritted her teeth, looked at Tang Qi, and tentatively asked,
"Do you have any monster trivia to tell you how to deal with this kind of troublesome creature?"

Tang Qi also felt his teeth chattering slightly. Thinking about their weaknesses, he whispered his reply:

"The Green Witch likes to use illusions, and there is probably a [Witch's Eye] at each gathering."

It helps witches see the outside world through this eye; breaking it might blind them for a period of time—although I'm sure it's worn on the body, usually as an ornament, I don't know exactly where it's kept.

"Can you handle them?"

"Hard to say."

Only Tang Qi understood the true strength of this squad—

A bunch of scoundrels clinging to Chenxi's coattails.

Kuru's spellcasting skills are quite good, but unfortunately, he has very few spells at his disposal.

Although he was stronger than the average adventurer, he had very limited means of dealing with spellcasters.

If Dawn also lacks confidence in this, they can only hope that these three witches, having encountered the [Sandalwood Forest Squad] and even the [Silver Medal], haven't fully recovered from their injuries and spell slots.

Yet, there wasn't a single scratch on their bodies, making it difficult to determine the truth...

As they pondered a solution, the leading witch suddenly laughed:

"I'm curious, how exactly did you discover that we were disguised?"

The old woman's laughter was almost a guttural, guttural sound, somewhat like Ambi scratching at a metal plate with her claws—it was so loud it gave me a headache, and I just wanted to plug my ears.

"Hehe, don't we act convincingly?"

As she laughed, she made a snail gesture—her two outstretched fingers, resembling withered wood, were like a snail's antennae.

There was no way to escape, after all, the tunnels in this cave were very narrow and long, and outside the cave were swamps and deep mud pits.

In terms of terrain alone, it is not even as good as this dark, empty cavern, which is only illuminated by the ring and a few luminous mushrooms.

Tang Qi pondered as he looked at the three elderly women who looked very different:

"In comparison, I'm more curious about where you got the time to try and pretend to be a snail."

He subtly waved his hand, signaling them to spread out, or at least not stand together.

“Oh, child, it’s not a good habit to ask a question before answering it.”

"It's as if answering the question will allow us to leave unscathed."

"why not?"

She was still giggling, but this time it sounded like the sound of crushing dead wood.
“We’re not the cannibals and blood-drinking villains from fairy tales, so of course you can leave.”

"Then, while we're turning around, we'll unleash a Lightning Bolt to wipe us all out?"

Knowing the true nature of the witch doctor, Tang Qi refused to believe a single word they said.

These inherently evil green witches revel in the pleasure of giving others hope only to destroy it themselves; they relish watching people painfully descend into despair.

It is precisely because they enjoy fooling others that they disguise themselves as snails to lure those ignorant people into their pre-set traps.

"You're so thoughtful, you even wrote a script for us."

The old hag next to her was also laughing.

But Tang Qi understood that this was just a tactic to buy time.

So the instant he quietly waved his hand, Chenxi was already about to rush forward.

Kuru and the witches cast spells simultaneously—

[This is not my malicious speculation, but I advise kind-hearted adventurers not to take pity on an old lady who asks for help on the road and try to lend her a hand.]

Especially when I saw three elderly women appear in a group—

Because a 'green hag' might only deceive and lure you with illusions, but as an adventurer, you actually have some right to resist.

This makes these kinds of fairies focus more on deceiving and teasing ordinary people.

But when a group of witches share a common goal, or when they seek greater power to combat a threat, they unite to form a highly threatening group.

'Gathering of hags'.

If these things don't make you feel threatened, then I can ask you a question—

Would you rather endure the effects of a sixth-circle spell, or take the damage of three 'Fireball Lightning' spells at the same time?

I was just kidding; you don't actually need to make a choice.

They occurred almost simultaneously.

"spread!"

Clearly, the time taken to sing is faster than the speed at which dawn runs.

A sudden burst of deep blue sparks flew from the fingertips of the three withered women.

As they murmured, the crackling sound of the electricity was like the chirping of birds hanging high in the treetops at dawn.

Tang Qi roared almost instantly.

Because he had predicted the outcome early on, the group had already distanced themselves in different directions before the lightning bolt was released, and even the little dragon Iu in his hood began to rise into the air.

This forced the three bolts of lightning to converge on one of them to unleash their full power—

This was the most threatening presence in the entire team, and they could certainly tell that.

As she protected Tang Qi, wandering through every corner of the dark cave, they could feel the instinctive fear emanating from him.

The three witches were unwilling to remove their disguises at that time.

Therefore, they chose the safest method.

Once you've created enough distance and have sufficient time to chant, then quietly cast the spell.

Unexpectedly, Tang Qi identified the illusion first.

Now, at this moment when the pretense is torn away, they share only one thought in their minds—

Eliminate the most threatening enemy.

"boom--"

Three enormous beams of light, intertwined by thunderous lightning, converged in the same direction. They merged instantly, engulfing everything in their path; sand, stones, and vegetation were all reduced to ashes in the lightning!

[Lightning Bolt], a third-circle spell. A bolt of lightning, 30 meters long and 2 meters wide, will burst forth from your location in any direction you specify.

Now, they are like three thick, sharp spears converging at one point, about to pierce the breastplate of dawn with lightning speed.

No one doubts its power; it will utterly shatter this heavy plate armor, along with the dawn.

In that instant, she recalled her earlier candor:

"This isn't a challenge, it's suicide."

Even if you ask her a thousand times, she will only give the same answer.

He single-handedly confronted the entire witch's gathering.

Even if it were her in life, she would have to consider whether she could withstand those strange spells.

Not to mention dragging this fragile corpse along.

But that doesn’t mean she’ll just sit and wait to die.

And so, as the spear of lightning was destined to pierce her chest and engulf her body, she stopped in her tracks and raised her broken sword—

"I believe you are ready, and I will grant you fearlessness through my song!"

As Tang Qi chanted loudly, the divine soul hidden within Chen Xi's body suddenly burst forth with light.

For a fleeting moment, she felt as if she had returned to the past, to that glorious path of fearlessness against powerful enemies.

Bandits, griffins, orcs, even false gods...

She understood, of course, that there was no longer any blood flowing in this dead body.

But the hot blood from when she personally plunged the sword into the enemy's chest seemed to have merged into the corpse at this moment, flowing into every inch of her body.

Until the very end, it was poured into the blade of her sword—

The fearless light converged into the other half of her sword blade, allowing its full sharpness to shine in the dim cave, as if it were daytime.

This heavy body seemed to radiate the vitality she once possessed, making it incredibly swift:

"【Supreme Saint Slash】!"

The golden sword blade struck the azure 'spear', nearly splitting it in two.

The sharp lightning still scorched her breastplate, burning her body, which was already being corrupted by the holy light, through the gaps in the plates.

"Boom!!!" The blinding light vanished in an instant, but after the lightning subsided, the plate armor suddenly clanged softly.

Tang Qi saw the dawn being swallowed by the [lightning beam], and then collapsed to the ground.

He was instantly killed.

Although dawn appears to have 'survived'.

But flickering electric currents coiled around her plate armor, shocking her skin and causing her stitched body to tremble uncontrollably.

This happened in the blink of an eye.

However, this has already deprived them of their most important fighting force.

The leading witch clapped her hands and burst into a hoarse laugh:
"Without this 'ironclad fortress,' would you like to reconsider your attitude when speaking to us?"

"of course."

Tang Qi turned the lute behind him around and cursed loudly in sync with the melody.
"Look at your old, distorted face, no one can bear to look at you again!"

Offering favors to witch doctors will only embolden them.

Unless they covet something from you, these fairies who derive pleasure from the despair of others are practically nonexistent in any form of negotiation.

"You foul-mouthed brat, I'm going to tear your mouth apart!"

The effect of 【Hateful Words】 caused her a splitting headache. In her indignation, she quickly used an illusion to cover her face, transforming her into a beautiful human girl.

Those who don't know how to appreciate beauty will be punished.

She seems to have really fooled herself.

With the help of the Ring of Glory, Tang Qi was able to determine that Dawn had only lost her ability to fight.

This is already the best result.

Let alone three bolts, even a single lightning bolt striking him would likely kill him instantly, his soul absorbed into the [Mind Shield Ring] in his hand…

However, ordinary medical treatments were ineffective against her, and he couldn't possibly remove her armor during battle to repair her body with healing gel.

Then we can only rely on the existing means to resist.

It's difficult, but not entirely impossible.

"Dawn withstood three third-ring spells. Unless she uses 'ascending ring casting' to release [Lightning Bolt] at a higher ring level, she will not need to worry about larger-scale damage spells."

"And if they encounter Mustache and Stonebreaker together, then the number of spell slots they can use will definitely be limited..."

He couldn't judge the strength of the Silver Medal.

But he was certain that the team that Shattered Stone belonged to would not be helpless against the witches.

This is the confidence one has in this dwarf with whom one once fought side by side.

“If they are the same group of witches, then as long as we deal with the injured one and disrupt the ‘witch gathering,’ there is still a chance of victory.”

After quickly assessing the situation, Tang Qi had a general idea of ​​what to do.

"Hope, I need you to help my magical pets harass them—"

Hope understood that this was not a problem that could be solved simply by running away.

He had no choice but to rush to the side, pick up Chenxi's broken sword, and use it as a makeshift weapon.

"Kuru—where is Kuru?"

As he ran, Tang Qi looked around, only to find that the kobold had vanished.

Knowing this guy's character well, Tang Qi could only curse inwardly:
"Where did you run off to pretend to be dead this time?"

At the same time, the witch he had provoked had a faint purple light emanating from her eyes, and she pointed a finger:
"Humans frozen in place—"

"Ugh!"

Halfway through the incantation, the little dragon that had been quietly hovering above her suddenly opened its tender teeth and began to gnaw at the 'girl's' neck!
Its teeth were not yet fully developed, but the force field energy attached to them helped it squeeze into the 'girl's' flesh, tearing away the illusion and ripping off a piece of dark green skin!
Her illusion was abruptly interrupted, and she reverted to her original appearance, which allowed Tang Qi to determine her injuries:
"It's not her—Hope, go find the other one!"

The old hag cried out in pain and then tried to tear the little dragon off her body.

But she discovered that, despite being a two-meter-tall witch, she was no match for a lizard in terms of strength, and could only scream in terror:

"Damn it! Anna, Trish, get this beast away from me!"

"Don't order me around!"

Witches are selfish and independent beings, which often leads to disharmonious relationships between them, and they inevitably bicker even when cooperating.

But now that they have a clear goal, they won't try to sabotage them behind their backs.

But as they reluctantly approached the leading witch, they both froze in place:
"Why are there two Kanas?"

They regretted secretly laughing in the corner when the witch 'Kana', who was the leader, was being mocked.

This completely blinded them to the appearance of the second Kana—

A small purple dragon was crawling all over them, biting their necks and shoulders!
This forced them to abandon their attempt to distinguish between truth and falsehood and focus on dealing with Hope and Tang Qi, who were charging towards them.

"【Human Freeze Technique】!"

A faint purple light burst forth from their eyes, about to envelop the two of them.

Hope, who rushed forward, froze as if petrified, maintaining her sword-wielding, running posture, completely stiff in place.

As a second-circle spell, it can inflict a prolonged paralysis on any humanoid creature affected by the spell's effects.

Tang Qi also felt his body become sluggish, but his singing seemed to resist the illusory light, allowing him to draw his scimitar at his waist in the next moment:

"The courage I felt while listening to the song spurred me to break free from my cage!"

The black blade, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, slashed out a dark crescent moon in the gleaming light, precisely slicing across the throat of the witch 'Tracy'.

But whether it was because her skin was too tough or Tang Qi's strength was insufficient, the wound was extremely shallow.

But Tang Qi's purpose was never to kill.

Just like the reason Hope was asked to join the battle was simply to deplete the Witch's spell slots as much as possible—

When Tang Qi saw that the phantom in front of 'Tracy' was struggling to maintain its form due to her injuries, but that her wounds were not increasing, he realized that she was not the target he was looking for.

The result is obvious.

He twisted his waist and charged at another witch, 'Anna'.

It wasn't that he, as a bard, was keen on solving problems with force.

Only by getting close enough can one dispel the illusions and identify which of them has been harmed.

If he misjudges them and mistakes them for the witch he encountered with the Silver Medal, then he will have no choice but to accept the bitter consequences.

After all, he had no other choice.

Unable to stop Iu from tearing at her neck, 'Kana' could only let it cling to her neck, biting off chunks of flesh, a pale green light bursting from her hand—

It spread out a twisted ray, as if it were a foul-smelling pus woven from excrement, flesh, and rotting corpses. As it streaked through the air, it even faintly emitted the same color of marsh gas.

"【Pathogenic Rays】!"

Her filthy incantation was short and powerful, and even as Iu continued to tear at her flesh, it seemed unaffected by the pain, directing the putrid ray directly at Tang Qi.
"Silver Light Sharp Words!"

Under the influence of [Alertness], Tang Qi, with the protection of the silver light, forced the clump of pus to miss him!
Then, aided by the silver light, he allowed it to guide his blade, piercing towards 'Anna's' head—

"【Combat Skill - Serpent Fang】!"

The combination of a straight thrust and a reverse hook, in Tang Qi's hands, seemed to happen in an instant, leaving the opponent no chance to react.

A foul, dark green fluid sprayed from the back of her neck.

She screamed in agony, and the phantom before her seemed to be slashed through by a hooked blade—

It revealed her arms, which were covered in cuts from the sword and had barely scabbed over, the bruises on her shoulders from being hit by clubs, and her face, which looked as if her skull had been dented by a mace.

Seeing her miserable state, even Tang Qi was startled:
"So ruthless?"

Even though Tang Qi hooked her by the back of the neck, causing actual injury, he still couldn't take the life of the old hag in front of him.

"Damn it, it's all your fault for arriving too late! That's why this foul-mouthed guy saw through my disguise!"

Severely injured, Anna was unwilling to continue her entanglement with Tang Qi.

He patted his chest confidently and activated the magic he was born with as a green widow—

Tang Qi clearly saw that she was like a chameleon, changing the color of her skin as she and her clothes disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

He still tried to swing, but in the end he could only cut through the wind.

"She's invisible!?"

Amidst gasps of surprise and disbelief, the foul incantation was chanted again, and suddenly a purple aura enveloped Tang Qi.

He wanted to sing again, but found that his body had already become immobile.

He was frozen in place.

(End of this chapter)