From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

Just as the last ring of light patterns on the protective magic circle in front of Leah shattered, the group of black witch followers surged forward like a tidal wave. Demonic spears, corrupting spirits, and cursed mist rushed towards her like a storm of a thousand blades. Leah's face was pale, her spiritual energy depleted, and she knelt weakly at the edge of the magic circle.

She closed her eyes in fear.

But the chill of death did not arrive as expected.

"boom--!"

Flames suddenly erupted before her eyes, blooming like crimson flowers against the wind. The scorching heat instantly replaced the chill of death, and the fiery pillar tore through the cursed mist, engulfing all the enemies that rushed towards Leah.

She suddenly opened her eyes and saw that familiar figure standing in the flames, his cloak billowing, his golden hair shining, and his eyes burning with rage.

Eileen stood up, her breathing slightly erratic, her face pale, cold sweat still clinging to her forehead, and she still looked exhausted. But her voice was as clear as thunder, striking everyone's soul:

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

She hurled a potion bottle wrapped in a talisman toward where Elotian and Lia were. The bottle traced a silver-blue arc in the air, and instead of shattering upon landing, it nimbly rolled in front of them.

"Don't waste your mana healing them yet," Eileen said to Lia, her eyes resolute. "You're almost at your limit yourself. Drink the potion first, and once you've recovered a bit, continue with the Cleansing Spell."

Lia gazed at the warm, gleaming potion, her eyes welling with emotion. She nodded, her hands trembling as she uncorked the bottle and drank it all in one gulp. She then distributed the remaining potion to the few elven warriors who were still able to move.

Elotian sat down on the ground with a sigh of relief, leaning against a broken pillar, looking up at the gray sky, and letting out a long breath.

The black witch sneered, taking a step forward, still surrounded by dozens of darkin and undead servants. She spread her arms, and a corrupting mist rose from her palms, flowing like a black river reversed: "You think you alone can stand against me and my legion?"

Eileen did not reply. Flames rose from her feet and swirled around her like a dragon. She slowly raised her staff high, and the fire element resonated in the air, like thunder gathering among the stars.

"It seems," she finally spoke, her tone calm yet carrying overwhelming power, "that I must personally send you down."

The next moment, the clash between flame and decay began.

The black witch raised her hand, unleashing a rain of curses. Seven streams of corrosive poison rained down from the sky, capable of instantly dissolving even stone bricks if they touched the ground. But Eileen waved her left palm, and flames transformed into a phoenix, soaring into the air and crying out as it ascended into the poisonous rain, creating a terrifying explosion in the sky.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Beneath the sky, red and black intertwined like two extreme colors scribbled on a canvas, a magical storm swept across the entire city hall, even the collapsing walls trembled slightly.

In one corner of the battlefield, Kadlow saw this, let out a beastly growl, gripped his greatsword, and pounced on Eileen once more.

"Don't even think about touching her!"

Eric struggled to his feet and stepped forward again. He was utterly exhausted, his legs felt like lead, and each step felt like crossing an abyss. But he still took a third step, a fourth.

"Get out of my way!" Kadlow growled, and suddenly slashed down with his sword.

Eric used his last bit of strength to block the sword, and the energy around his body trembled in response. The anti-curse runes glowed with a faint blue light, reflecting the impact back.

"You bastard," Eric gritted his teeth, his cheek scraped by flying stone chips, "I'll beat you up sooner or later."

"You'll never catch up sooner or later," Kadlow sneered, drawing his sword to slash horizontally. But in the next instant, he was struck by a giant serpent of flames, sending him flying backward and crashing into the broken pillars.

"You're too noisy," Eileen said coldly, the flame in her palm swirling back to its place.

She walked to Eric's side and glanced at him briefly: "Are you still holding on?"

Eric managed to stand up straight, his smile as always: "You know I never let you fight alone."

"That's good." Eileen nodded, waved her staff, and tossed him the remaining potion. "Hang in there, otherwise I'll have to save you after I finish off the enemies, which is too much trouble."

"Yes, yes." Eric took the medicine bottle, forced himself to drink a mouthful, and almost fainted from the bitterness, but his whole body seemed to be awakened by the flames, and his fighting spirit was rekindled.

In the distance, a look of seriousness flashed in the black witch's eyes.

"This flame," she murmured to herself, "is no ordinary flame."

Her expression shifted rapidly, and the next moment she bit her fingertip, dripping blood onto the ground. A shadow instantly spread, crawling across the surrounding ruins like a spider.

"Very well, little girl," she sneered, raising her hands and causing the entire ruins to tremble. "Then let's see if you can withstand my true magic."

Eileen remained expressionless, pointing her staff forward: "Come on."

Ashes filled the sky, and flames and decaying mist once again intertwined in the shattered city hall, like two giant dragons that had lain dormant for a thousand years awakening in the ruins, tearing and devouring each other.

Eileen stood in the center of the magic circle, her cloak billowing in the magical storm. Her expression was solemn as she raised her staff, unleashing a torrent of fiery rage to meet the black witch's rolling clouds of corruption. Her golden hair burned like fire in the flames, and her eyes were clear and resolute, like the undying morning star before dawn.

The Black Witch was no longer as composed. Her eyes flickered slightly, and although a smile still lingered on her lips, turmoil stirred within her.

"Her magic is different now."

She felt a burning pain in her fingertips, not the usual backlash in a magical confrontation, but a deep, thorough restraint. Eileen's flames were not just burning her spells, but fundamentally dispelling her demonic intent.

"Is she hiding her strength?" The black witch's mind raced. "No, she's waiting for an opportunity."

She glanced at the other side of the battlefield.

Eric leaned against the half-ruined pillar base, his chest heaving like a bowstring twanging in the wind. His armor was covered in scorch marks and cracks, and his sword lay askew at his feet, not yet sheathed. Issel lay beside him, awake but weak, still managing to look around. Lia was struggling to cast a cleansing spell to remove the remaining corrosive poison from the severely wounded, while the elven archers had retreated to the rear, reorganizing their broken ranks.

"She's buying time to restore her companions' fighting strength." The Black Witch understood. "If this drags on any longer, it won't just be her alone; everyone will retaliate."

She cursed under her breath and waved her right hand to cast a spell, but it was immediately shattered by Eileen's flames. The remaining flames poured back and almost set her robe on fire.

"How dare you!" the black witch growled, her voice no longer composed, the seriousness in her eyes finally turning into a hidden fear.

Her spells became increasingly difficult to conjure, and that familiar corrosive power found no way to penetrate the purifying flame domain constructed by Eileen. Every wisp of poisonous mist was burned to ashes before it could even form, and every demonic spike was melted by the flames before it could pierce through.

Eileen uttered no superfluous words, only resolute steps and an unwavering rhythm of spellcasting. The staff in her hand was no longer merely a medium, but seemed to be an extension of the will of fire itself. Each swing was accompanied by a slight tremor of the earth, and flames surged around her like angry sparks, condensing into an inviolable river of celestial fire.

The black witch tried to cast the spell again, but a dull metallic cracking sound suddenly came from behind her.

"boom--!"

Kadlow intended to rush forward to relieve her of the pressure from the flames, but as he leaped, he was struck in the abdomen again by a fiery shockwave that Eileen had been preparing for. His body rolled several feet like an iron tower, crashing through a broken pillar, and he was buried in a pile of rubble, unable to get up for a long time.

The black witch's expression changed drastically.

"Cadelo!"

She finally realized that the girl she had once regarded as harmless had now become an opponent she could not defeat head-on.

Damn it.

She looked up at the sky; the clouds hung low, and the firelight dyed the heavens crimson, as if the entire world had been set ablaze. The surrounding reinforcements were few in number; if they continued to fight, they would only be surrounded by her and her recovering remnants.

But she was not willing to retreat in such a sorry state.

Her face twisted slightly, she gritted her teeth, and quietly reached into her robes with her left hand, taking out a deep purple crystal core from the depths of her cloak.

"You think you've won, little mouse?" she murmured, as if speaking to the calm, fearless eyes reflected in the flames. "I just didn't want to waste my life with you in this ruined city."

Immediately, she raised the crystal core high, and a murky, dim demonic light erupted, enveloping her and the remaining dark warriors around her. In an instant, space distorted like a mirror, and flames roared in, only to be repelled by the crystal core's outer shell, forming a thick demonic barrier.

"Eileen!" Eric shouted hoarsely, struggling to his feet, grabbing his sword and charging forward.

"No need to chase." Eileen had already sensed the black witch's intention, and flames rose in front of her like a wall, blocking him.

"Is she retreating on her own initiative?" Elotian raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

"She lost," Eileen said calmly, putting away her staff, but still gazing at the fading magic barrier. "She wasn't defeated by me alone, but by our persistence."

"But she won't give up." Leah also stood up, her expression grave. "She will definitely come back."

"Yes," Eileen replied softly, looking up at the sky reddened by the afterglow of the flames, her eyes shining like the morning star that had never been extinguished. "We have only won a battle that is far from over."

Silence finally fell over the surroundings, with only the flickering firelight among the ruins still burning faintly, illuminating this ancient city that had endured darkness but had not been swallowed up.

The dust settled slowly, flames danced among the ruins, and embers burned silently. The elves began clearing the battlefield, carrying the wounded to the foundations of a building that had not yet collapsed. A wind blew from the northwest, carrying the smells of scorched earth and rust, as if the city itself were breathing, gasping in pain.