Spellcasting Gods

Kane clearly noticed Zhang Cheng's reaction and continued in a low voice, "Perhaps you don't quite believe me yet, that's alright. Judging by the timeline, Catherine is almost due for her body change, and then you'll see her true face. Oh, and by the way, before she completes the body change, you'd better be careful of any young girl who approaches you..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's very simple! Catherine is a witch of desire, capable of manipulating or even controlling a person's desires. Moreover, she has a very bad habit: she likes to first impregnate the body's owner, and then, between six and eight months of pregnancy, she completes the body transfer through a ritual. Following that, she uses the powerful force unleashed during childbirth to eliminate the enemy who poses the greatest threat to her."

As Kane spoke, he gripped his cane tightly with both hands, and his eyes blazed with fury.

Such a drastic change in emotion naturally did not escape Zhang Cheng's notice.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he quickly probed in an uncertain tone, "You mean, she'll send her own offspring to seduce me?"

"Seduction? Ha, don't be naive. Let me tell you, that's not seduction at all. Driven by desire, you'll lose control the moment you see that girl, then fall madly in love with her, possess her, and finally lose her. Pain and regret will accompany you for the rest of your life. What's even more terrifying is that Catherine will use this to influence you to continue serving her ambitions and desires."

As the last word escaped his lips, a look of intense pain flashed across Kane's face, but for some reason, it quickly disappeared.

Even an idiot could figure out at this moment that he was definitely the victim from last time.

"Why does it have to be me?" Zhang Cheng asked with a smirk, his interest piqued.

“You’re just like me thirty-five years ago—intelligent, confident, and with boundless potential. Catherine will never let you go easily. Alright, I’ve said all I can say. The choice is yours. One last piece of advice: you’d better set up a protective barrier around this house, otherwise you can feel the mysterious energy surging from the ground even from dozens of meters away.” With that, Kane used his ability to freeze the energy short sword with a huge block of ice, then took off his coat to wrap it up, pushed open the door, and left the basement.

Watching the other person's somewhat desolate figure, Zhang Cheng chuckled and muttered to himself, "Trying to control me? Come and try if you're not afraid of death..."

Since deciding to embark on the path of power, his personality and way of thinking have become increasingly cold, selfish, and ruthless. Trying to control him with something like love is simply wishful thinking.

Having figured out the witch's true identity, Zhang Cheng quickly put the matter out of his mind and began designing a protective barrier for the entire villa, following Kane's advice.

He could actually sense that as the water filled with arcane energy accumulated, it would affect the surrounding area, just like the Eversong Forest where the high elves used to live. However, he had been busy with research recently, so he subconsciously ignored the issue of the barrier.

Now that someone has given him a heads-up, he will definitely have to take steps to cover it up to prevent being spied on by unknown forces.

In any case, arcane energy is not a product of this world, so it's always better to be cautious.

About two hours later, Zhang Cheng finally completed the design. According to the markings on the blueprints, he set up protective runes at several key energy nodes in the villa. He also installed an Arcane Eye at the highest point of the roof, so that any creature that came within 100 meters of the house would appear in the crystal ball in the basement.

After finishing all his work, he activated the barrier without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, a violet light enveloped the villa from below, gradually becoming transparent before disappearing completely.

An owl on a tree twenty meters away saw this and visibly trembled a few times before hurriedly flapping its wings and flying toward the restaurant in a disheveled state.

As an "eye," its senses are always extremely sharp. It immediately detected the power emanating from the Arcane Eye, fearing that its disguise would be exposed, so it had to escape quickly and also inform its master...

Chapter 0084 Cunning and Scheming

An owl flying overhead in broad daylight is undoubtedly a very eye-catching sight.

But the "eye" didn't care about anything else, quickly passing over countless cars and pedestrians, and finally disappearing into the ventilation duct located on the side of the restaurant.

A few minutes later, he finally appeared in the witch's bedroom, his whole body began to swell violently, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed from an owl the size of a Coke bottle into a naked young man.

Catherine, who was lying on the sofa, was stroking the kitten that had just turned one month old when she asked without looking up, "Why are you back? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on the little wizard?"

“I’m sorry, Master, my mission has to be terminated early. Just now, he activated an unprecedented magical protection. If I stay any longer, I will definitely be discovered. In addition, I suspect that Lord Kane may have said something he shouldn’t have, otherwise why would he suddenly strengthen the protective measures?” The young man knelt on one knee and said his guess.

"Oh? You think Kane would betray me at this crucial moment?" Catherine's movements clearly paused for a moment, especially her right hand, which began to unconsciously exert force, gripping the cat's throat.

Despite the poor little thing's desperate struggle, it was too weak to put up any effective resistance.

Gradually, the struggles weakened and weakened until finally it stopped moving completely.

Realizing she had strangled her pet, the witch frowned immediately, casually tossed the kitten's body into the nearby trash can, stood up, and paced around the sofa as if deep in thought.

The young man stared at the cat's corpse, his pupils contracting sharply in an instant. He then lowered his voice and reminded him, "Master, please never forget that you were the one who used Lord Kane. Although he hasn't done anything unusual all these years, I'm sure he's been secretly plotting revenge. Perhaps the moment you discard this body will be the beginning of his mad revenge."

Catherine nodded thoughtfully: "Your analysis makes sense. I also think Kane has some problems. He has been too quiet these past few years, which is not like when he was young."

“I think the most urgent thing right now is to prevent Lord Kane from revealing too much information, otherwise I’m afraid that young wizard will become wary of you, which would be detrimental to our plans.” After saying that, the young man lowered his head and fell into complete silence.

He could sense that his mistress was in a bad mood, so it was best to avoid provoking her.

"Go! Get Kars to see me immediately!" Catherine's eyes flashed with a dangerous light as she swiftly gave the order.

The young man stood up without a word, pushed open the door, and disappeared into the pitch-black passageway.

About half an hour later, the elderly Mexican man arrived as scheduled. Upon entering the room, his first action was to bow deeply, then he calmly reported, “Madam, I have found a suitable descendant as you requested. Her name is Elizabeth, she is sixteen years old, abandoned by her parents at a very young age, and is currently being cared for by a family that earns a living by adopting orphans. She is living a very difficult life. If you wish, I can obtain guardianship of her at any time. Furthermore, according to blood relations, she should be your granddaughter.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a few photos from his pocket and handed them over.

The photo shows a blonde girl in her adolescence who bears a striking resemblance to the witch in both figure and appearance, radiating youth and vitality.

If one had to find a flaw, it would be that her brows revealed distress and melancholy, likely due to the mistreatment she suffered in her foster home.

Catherine curled her lips into a smile, a satisfied expression quickly appearing on her face: "Excellent! This is the one! I'm sure the little one will be very happy to have a grandmother with a net worth of over seventy million dollars, won't she?"

"Heh, I guarantee she'll be so excited she won't be able to sleep after hearing this news," Kars replied with a cruel laugh.

Without a doubt, he knew exactly what fate awaited this girl...

“Elizabeth, my little darling, Grandma needs you now.” Catherine murmured to herself, then sat back down on the sofa and said in a very serious tone, “I believe you already know that there’s been some trouble with the little wizard. I suspect Kane has betrayed me.”

“Yes, my eyes have told me everything. But I think it’s too early to make a judgment now; we should at least confirm it first,” Karls offered a different suggestion.

"How do you plan to confirm? By visiting in person?" The witch asked, stroking her chin with interest.

“No, madam, we are not a good match. Isn’t the most suitable candidate right here on your desk?” Karl glanced down at the young woman in the photograph, his meaning clear.

"You mean Elizabeth should go?" Catherine asked uncertainly.

Carls nodded seriously: "Yes! Just think about it, who would be wary of a beautiful young girl? Plus, with your abilities, as long as we create an accident, she can get close to Zhang very quickly."

“And if all goes well, I can even recreate that great show from over thirty years ago…” Catherine licked her lips, letting out an excited moan.

The thought of another young and promising man submitting to her feet filled her with a strange excitement and impulse, even more intense than the stimulation from sexual intercourse.

"Well then, madam, I'll take care of this matter now. Elizabeth will be reunited with you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Please make sure to make a good impression on her. As for Lord Kane, don't worry, I'll personally go and give him a warning."

After saying this, the old Mexican man bowed and slowly withdrew from the witch's bedroom.

Meanwhile, in a small alley on the westernmost side of Brooklyn, Kane stood before a woman with face paint on her cheeks, greeting her with a smile, "Good afternoon, Daughter of Nature. I am truly flattered that you have come in person."

"Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me what it is! You know I can't leave the territory for too long!" the woman urged impatiently.

Clearly, she was none other than Catherine's archenemy—Cassandra.

It would be hard for outsiders to imagine that two enemies who should have been on opposing sides actually maintained a secret underground connection.

"Relax, my dear. I'm just here to let you know that the appointed time has arrived. Please be prepared." Kane suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with flames of hatred.

"Wh...what?! You mean..."

"Shh! Don't say it! Today, I found someone, someone you would never imagine, who will help us defeat Catherine."

"Is that so? Alright, as agreed, I will cooperate with you. Remember, you only have one chance. If you fail, we will both fall into an abyss of no return."

"No! It is not us who should fall into the abyss! It is Catherine!"

Chapter 0085 Unleashing a Bloodbath (Part 1)

Intrigue, power, struggle...

As the sun slowly sets below the horizon, the New York underworld once again enters a restless night. From above, one can see people constantly coming and going from the hidden hideouts scattered throughout the city, some intact and others lying dead.

As the conflict between the lords of Brooklyn continues to escalate, the entire borough has descended into chaos and bloodshed. Anyone with a modicum of sense would choose to find a safe place to hide and lay low.

Only those with ambition would choose to join one side, currying favor with their lord by killing enemies in order to receive a rich reward after victory.

Of course, most of these people are nothing more than expendable resources and cannon fodder. On the one hand, they test the opponent's strength, and on the other hand, they weaken the opponent's power. They simply cannot survive the brutal mutual attrition phase.

Zhang Cheng, who hadn't left his residence for a long time, was now standing on the rooftop of a 25-story commercial building, looking down at seven or eight dark figures launching an attack on a stronghold in the distance.

Gunshots, explosions, shouts, and screams filled the air, making it sound like a war.

The battle lasted only a few minutes. The well-prepared attackers wiped out all the resistance fighters inside, dragged the bodies out one by one, threw them into a pre-prepared truck, and drove away, leaving behind large areas of uncollected bloodstains and signs of destruction.

A little while later, two trucks bearing the English letters of Cypress Cleaning Company stopped at the door. Four people got out of the trucks and rushed into the house. With extremely skillful movements, they used their superpowers to wipe away the bloodstains and repair the bullet holes. In less than fifteen minutes, they restored the house to its original state. If you hadn't witnessed what had just happened, no one would have guessed that a fierce battle had taken place here not long ago.

"Heh, so it's a war game? It seems quite interesting." Zhang Cheng muttered to himself with a half-smile.

“No, Your Excellency, this is far from being a war game; at best, it’s just a test of each other’s strength. No lord will act rashly before the Supreme Council officially announces its commencement, or they will face severe punishment.” Polman, standing beside him, explained in a low voice, fiddling with his wind-blown hair.

"Oh? What are real war games like?" Zhang Cheng asked with great interest.

Polman shuddered involuntarily and replied with a wry smile, "I'm very sorry, I've never participated in the War Game. I've only heard that when the game starts, the council will send all the lords and their subordinates into another space, where a bloody battle will take place, and only the victors can come out alive. The last War Game was in Queens fifteen years ago, with a total of twenty lords participating, and more than three thousand people including their followers. But in the end, less than a hundred of them came back alive; the rest all died."

Although there weren't many descriptions or elaborations, Zhang Cheng could feel the devastation at the time just from a series of cold, hard numbers.

Putting aside everything else, the deaths of more than three thousand people alone are enough to prove that "War Game" is not just a game, but a real war of superpowers.

Just as he was pondering why the Supreme Council would choose its successor in such a bloody manner, two middle-aged white men, around forty years old, suddenly pushed open the rooftop door and hurried over.

One of the men, wearing a gray jacket and sporting a thick beard, approached us directly, placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and said cautiously, "Sir Wizard, the target has been found. Would you like to pay us our reward now?"

"Oh? It's appeared?" Zhang Cheng quickly raised his binoculars and looked towards the back door of a four-story supermarket in the distance.

Suddenly, a burly man with a gloomy expression emerged from the corner and began pointing at the five young men, as if giving them instructions.

The burly man was none other than Salas, the werewolf leader he had been searching for.

"Polman, give them the payment." Zhang Cheng's lips curled slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Here you go! You can open it now!" Without saying a word, Polman threw a small briefcase over.

The two people caught it, immediately opened it and glanced at it. Their faces showed undisguised surprise. They bowed again, turned around and disappeared into the emergency exit.

Not long after they left, Zhang Cheng stood up, dusted himself off, opened the flint staff wrapped in layers of burlap, and tied a small leather pouch full of potions to his belt. It was obvious that he was ready for battle.

To be precise, from the moment the parchment scroll gave out the task, Salas was destined to die.

Whether it's for the reward or to avenge the near death he suffered at the hands of the enemy, Zhang Cheng will do everything he can to eliminate this dangerous werewolf leader.

Today, through the bounty posted in the underworld, he finally tracked down the other party's hiding place. The next thing to do is to rush in and wreak havoc.

Polman clearly knew this, and reminded him with a serious expression, "Sir, are you sure you want to do this all by yourself? Don't you need to ask a few magic hunters or vampires for help?"

Zhang Cheng shook his head with a cold laugh: "No, no need. I can handle this alone. This is my battle, and I don't need outsiders to interfere. Remember, your task is to wait here and clean up the scene after I leave, understand?"

"bright……"

Before Polman could finish speaking, Zhang Cheng suddenly stepped over the guardrail and jumped straight down from the 25th floor.

Normally, the gravitational acceleration generated at this height would be enough to smash anyone into a pulp, even a werewolf with powerful muscles.

But just as he was about to make intimate contact with the hard ground, a strong airflow suddenly appeared, abruptly slowing his descent and even making his body float, gliding close to the ground at a very fast speed.