Fantasy Writers 1860

Chapter 111 At this moment, are you joking? (A long chapter of 5,000 words, a glorious resurrection!)

Dorian pushed the illusory necklace formed from the condensed light toward Lily, and she herself, under the influence of the necklace's power, actively craved it.

The moment she finally touched the diamond necklace, a surge of intense energy coursed through her body.

She could feel a powerful force surging from within her.

The gothic girl was stunned for a moment upon seeing this, then laughed: "Kukuku, is this the final struggle?"

"I didn't expect the Literature and Art Publishing House to be so lowly these days—" A smile played on her lips. "So this novel has also become a draft. I was wondering why everything today is something I've never seen before—interesting!"

Not long ago, when she was on a mission with Iris, she had already heard of the novel "The Necklace". However, due to work reasons, she hadn't read it properly, only knowing that Iris's various newspapers were mostly criticizing it harshly.

I never imagined that this novel would be elevated to the level of a fantasy book.

She had already sensed from the changes in Lily's aura that the power of this illusionary book was to materialize the necklace within and grant the wearer enhanced abilities.

There are actually quite a few illusion books with similar effects, so they're not considered particularly bizarre abilities.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the novel's content was probably centered around a necklace, focusing on the story of Iris's corruption and extravagance.

Only a subject like this could cause such a stir and be universally condemned in Iris magazine.

The content and abilities don't really matter; the main thing is that it's a recently created phantom book, which determines its high research value.

By studying how it differs from all the works of the past hundred years, we may be able to understand why no new fantasy books have been produced in the last hundred years.

The enhanced Lily began to unleash a powerful punch at the gothic girl, her claws whistling through the air as she slammed down, her speed and power significantly increased compared to before.

The gothic girl crossed her arms to block, but the force pushed her back dozens of meters. Two long tracks were scraped across the ground beneath her feet. The walls of the factory behind her did not provide any cushioning; instead, they were pierced layer by layer, leaving holes the size of a person, until finally, she was deeply embedded in a thick cement wall.

The abandoned factory buildings, whose load-bearing walls had been suddenly breached, could no longer support their own weight and collapsed with a loud crash, raising clouds of dust.

The gothic girl pried herself out of the wall. Thanks to the transparent Don Quixote armor, she looked mostly unharmed except for being covered in dust. "Your necklace is nice, but it'll be mine soon!"

Another illusory book slowly took shape before her, while the transparent armor covering her gradually peeled away. In its place, countless golden threads coiled around her, forming a cocoon of light.

The cover of the phantom book in her hand prominently displayed the title: "The Merchant of Venice".

This is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. It tells the story of Antonio, a generous and wealthy merchant from Venice, whose good friend Bassanio borrows three thousand gold coins at a high interest rate from Shylock in order to propose to a beautiful young woman named Portia. He uses his merchant ship, which has not yet returned to port, as collateral to get the three thousand gold coins.

As a result, the merchant ships encountered an accident and did not return. The creditor, Shylock, immediately demanded that the breach of contract clause be enforced and that Antonio's pound of flesh be taken from him.

With all parties failing to reach an agreement, Shylock insisted that Antonio cut off a pound of flesh for him as stipulated in the contract. So Antonio's fiancée, Portia, secretly disguised herself as a lawyer to rescue him.

In court, the witty Portia skillfully guided Shylock through clever debate, ultimately leading to the conclusion that "it is fine to take one pound of Antonio's flesh as stipulated in the contract, but the contract only stipulates one pound. If you shed even a drop of blood while cutting him, according to the law, you will have to pay for it with your life and property." With this outcome, Shylock's plan backfired, and Antonio was successfully rescued.

Seeing that the other party had indeed taken out the illusion book, a strange light flashed in Lily's eyes.

"—Even if his flesh is inedible, at least it can vent my anger. He has humiliated me, taken away hundreds of thousands of dollars of my business, mocked my losses, ridiculed my profits, insulted my people, sabotaged my business, sowed discord among my friends, and incited my enemies; what was his reason? Simply because I am a Jew—"

The golden threads surrounding the gothic girl transformed into ancient contract text, which floated toward Lily like chains.

One of the manifestation effects of The Merchant of Venice is the "Pound of Flesh Contract," which allows users to forcibly establish a one-way contract with another through the recitation of the law. The content of the contract is set by the user, but it must include a clear "subject matter" and "cost of breach." This cost of breach must be a concrete representation of "a part of the body" or "some essential attribute," such as "a pound of flesh," "a voice," or "a memory."

All phantom books come at a price; generally speaking, the stronger and more bizarre the power, the greater the price.

Although she wasn't quite sure what the price of the Necklace would be, based on basic considerations of humanity, she would never use such a magical book if the price to be paid was truly unacceptable.

Those powerful but costly magical books have long been kept hidden away, almost never used.

Lily suddenly felt a chill on her chest; a hint of crimson had seeped into the light of the diamond necklace. The gothic girl reached out, as if grasping an invisible rope.

She forcibly "seized" control of the "necklace"!

She firmly grasped that power in her hands, feeling the surge of energy flowing into her body.

Speed, strength, and magic are all enhanced.

She clenched her fist in satisfaction, her dark cloak billowing in the aftershocks of the power.

"Kukuku, thank you for your generous gift!" she laughed wildly as she put the phantom necklace, a symbol of power, around her neck.

Thirty seconds have passed.

With a casual wave of her hand, she compressed the air into an invisible shockwave, which sent Lily flying and crashing into the wall next to her.

Roderick raised the Book of Shield to block, but was knocked back several steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Lily rushed forward to try to retaliate, but Roderick simply sidestepped and delivered an elbow strike to her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, such an interesting fantasy book has just become mine—" the gothic girl said sarcastically.

Enhanced by the "necklace," her speed and strength reached a terrifying level. Every punch carried wind pressure, shattering the concrete ground and shaking the surrounding air.

She shattered Roderick's shield with a single punch, sending him flying into a leaning lamppost and knocking him unconscious. Polina was about to provide support, but was forced back by a casual blast of air from her.

Lily had just had her "necklace" taken away, and the sudden loss of power left her extremely "weak." She was quickly forced into a corner, her claws colliding with her opponent's fist, and blood dripped from her fingertips.

Polina gritted her teeth and unleashed a healing spell, sweat pouring down her face. Lily got up from the ground, watching as the other woman freely wielded the power that had been taken from her, and a sense of clarity gradually dawned on her.

Fifty seconds have passed.

Lily decided to use the "necklace" proactively because she was certain that the other party would seize this novel manuscript, especially since seeing her use it so casually would give her the illusion that "this manuscript is not very costly."

After all, normally no one would use a phantom book or manuscript that comes at a huge cost.

She was clearly unaware that the effect of the latter half of this illusory manuscript, "The Necklace," was to drain the wearer's life force to repay a debt after a minute and a half of enhancement.

If we can hold on for just one and a half minutes, the tide of victory will turn.

Thirty seconds left.

If she can hold on for another thirty seconds, given her current high-intensity use, the cost will be considerable.

It's only thirty seconds, not a very difficult thing.

Lily held on tightly to her opponent despite the pressure, but she was starting to struggle. The werewolf's self-healing speed couldn't keep up with the speed of the injury. Her left shoulder was dislocated by a punch, and she used brute force to put it back in place, but her movements were noticeably slower.

The greatly enhanced gothic girl seized an opening and delivered a straight punch aimed directly at Lily's heart. The punch was too fast; Lily had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the fist grew larger and larger in her vision.

She quickly conjured a thick, magical book and held it in front of her chest to try and reduce the impact.

These are little-known tips for fighting in the Phantom Book.

The Illusionary Book itself is powerful, even quite strong, and can be used as a small shield if necessary.

In addition, as a werewolf, his physical strength is already very high, so even if he takes this punch head-on, he shouldn't have too much of a problem.

Just as the fist was about to strike Lily, a petite figure rushed over from the side and stood in front of Lily.

"Pfft."

The fist pierced through the figure's abdomen.

Blood splattered on Lily's face, warm and sweet-smelling.

The fist pierced through the petite figure's thin abdomen.

"This time—it's my turn to protect you—" The fox-eared girl smiled, her breath gradually weakening. Before her body slid down, she used her last strength to turn her head and look at Lily.

Lily was stunned.

His golden pupils suddenly contracted, then widened dramatically.

"Why did you save me?!" Lily looked down at the girl who had slumped to the ground, the wound on her abdomen was shocking, and her breath was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

"Why stay here? Why don't you run away! I don't need you to save me!" Overwhelmed by anger and pain, Lily was unable to choose the right words.

At this moment, all she could see was the fox-eared girl lying in a pool of blood, and the woman standing not far away with a mocking smile.

Reason crumbled at that moment, but it did not cause her to lose control. Instead, it brought her into a strange calm, stripping away all hesitation and kindness.

"Heh—"

At that moment, Lily actually laughed.

It was a laugh that came from finally letting go of something, a laugh that finally allowed oneself to let go of something, a cold and insane laugh.

Her long, silvery-white hair spread out like steel needles, and strange patterns emerged beneath her fair skin. Her golden pupils shone with a sharp light.

Under the moonlight, she transformed into a silvery-gray afterimage. Her claws no longer merely probed, but aimed precisely at vital points, their angles cunning and their force fierce, carrying pure killing intent. She no longer considered defense, but poured everything into her attack.

The gothic girl was caught off guard by this sudden change, and she found that Lily's current state was completely different from before.

It's not just about power; the fighting style has also undergone a huge change.

She was like a savage beast, with no superfluous movements, no emotional fluctuations, only pure fighting instinct.

"Hahahaha! That's more like it! A beast should act like a beast. Pretending to be human is disgusting. This is how a beast should act!" The gothic girl arrogantly waved her fists, engaging in close combat with Lily.

Fists clashed, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Polina forced herself to walk to the fox-eared girl's side, placed her hands on the girl's wounds, and a milky white light immediately enveloped her.

My older sister would definitely want her to do that.

As the light entered, the fox-eared girl's breathing returned to a slight level.

But she didn't have much magic power to begin with, and within a few breaths her face turned pale, her body swayed and she collapsed backward, but she still persevered.

She turned her head to look at Dorian and laboriously pushed the phantom book that glowed with a pale blue light towards him.

"Next—she can still be saved—"

Polina's voice grew weaker and weaker, and she soon lost consciousness completely.

Dorian took it; it was a paperback fantasy book called "The Ebers Papyrus." He immediately opened it and took over from Polina to continue treating the fox-eared girl.

He didn't know if this illusion book could save the fox-eared girl, but based on his experience operating other illusion books, he activated the one in his hand, which continuously released milky white light to envelop the fox-eared girl.

At least, her expression looked much gentler, and she no longer seemed to be in so much pain.

Dorian temporarily stabilized the fox-eared girl's condition and looked up to see Lily fighting a bloody battle.

Ten seconds left.

Although the "ball" was about to end, Lily was no longer thinking about it. At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: to tear this woman to pieces.

"Interesting, really interesting, what an incredibly exhilarating battle!" The gothic girl's eyes were bloodshot as she laughed maniacally during her fight with Lily.

"Well, it's about time for playtime to come to an end—goodbye, little puppy—" She prepared to gather her full strength to deliver the final blow to Lily.

Just then, a minute and a half had passed.

The effects of the second half of "The Necklace" begin to take hold.

The necklace on the gothic girl's chest suddenly dimmed and turned into powder that scattered in the air.

"What?!" She looked at her hands in horror; her skin quickly dried out and wrinkles appeared.

She suddenly felt as if her body had been hollowed out, and a tremendous suction force came from her chest. Magic, physical strength, and even life force were gushing out like a flood bursting its banks.

In that instant, Lily's blood-stained claws slashed across her arm, tearing off a large piece of flesh, and then her knee slammed into her chest, sending her flying.

Lily landed right behind her, stepping on her chest and pinning her to the ground.

Lying on the ground, she clung to Lily's leg, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She tried to use something to save herself, but her life force was draining away too quickly, so quickly that she couldn't even utter a single word.

Lily didn't stop.

She straddled the other man, tearing his once arrogant face to shreds with claws, leaving it unrecognizable, with blood, flesh, and bone fragments flying everywhere.

The girl, whose arrogance had vanished, now with a bloody mess and her gothic dress torn to shreds, stammered, "Hee... Can we make peace?"

Lily looked down at the mass of flesh and blood beneath her. The evening breeze ruffled her blood-stained silver hair, and the madness in her golden eyes gradually subsided.

She tilted her head slightly, revealing a bright and innocent smile: "Now that things have come to this, you must be joking."

She raised her right claw and brought it down without hesitation, again and again, until the body stopped moving completely. The shattered flesh and blood splattered on the ground around it, mixing with the mud and obscuring its original shape.

The piercing screams abruptly stopped.

She didn't know how long it took her, and when she finally stopped, the other party was everywhere, with no chance of survival.

Her golden pupils gleamed with a cold light in the moonlight, her wolf ears trembled slightly, and her tail dragged on the ground, covered in dust and bloodstains, making it impossible to tell whether it was her own or that of the Buddha.

Under the moonlight, amidst the ruins, a wolf-sick girl, covered in blood, stood amidst the rubble. Her long, silver hair was stained with crimson blood, creating a visually striking scene.

Her eyes still held a hint of savagery, but that savagery was fading at a visible rate.

The reason she acted so decisively and brutally was twofold: firstly, the death of the fox-eared girl she had saved caused her long-suppressed emotions to finally burst forth; secondly, her final rationality convinced her that in this chaotic Buddhist night, nothing was surprising, and she could later blame the tragedy on the Blue Blood Gang, the Order, or the Cavendish family.

No one with any of the symptoms would see themselves in this tyrannical state; the others either fled or died; Polina and Roderick had also just fainted—

As long as she is not seen with symptoms, she remains the elegant Countess Lockhart.

She slowly turned around.

Then she saw Dorian.

Dorian was standing quietly less than ten meters away from her.