Chapter 53: The Giant Demon Beast—Black Web Spider

[Acquired passive skill: Mind Sanctuary lv1+1]

Hearing the system prompt, Cheng Feng paused in surprise. This skill could grant immunity to mental control effects. He had been fretting over how to deal with the magician’s illusionary arts, and now, to his astonishment, had obtained a power that matched perfectly against it. It truly was a matter of fortune smiling at just the right moment.

Cheng Feng was tempted to slay a few more monsters and unlock other superpowers, but Liu Shiyu was in the midst of battle with the magician. She was unaware of the illusionary attacks and could easily make the same mistake he had. He had to go help her!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of small explosions erupted across the vast auction hall as the magician and Liu Shiyu clashed fiercely. Unable to match her in close combat, the magician opted for ranged attacks, keeping his distance while flinging playing cards from his fingers one after another.

Swish, swish, swish!

The cards sliced through the air like razor-sharp daggers, whistling as they flew. Liu Shiyu had already seen through the explosive nature of the cards. Around her, the air crystallized into snow and ice, coating her spirit blade. With a powerful swing, she unleashed a crescent-shaped blade of icy light.

Boom!

The blade shot forward, slicing the incoming cards with precision. They exploded in intense bursts of flame, casting a blinding glare.

“No wonder they call you the Monster-Slaying Machine,” the magician sneered, a cold note of admiration in his voice. “After this brief exchange, I have to admit—your raw power surpasses mine!”

Liu Shiyu frowned, uncertain what trick the magician had up his sleeve. “If you admit defeat, then surrender quietly.”

“Who said I’ve lost?” came a shrill laugh from behind the white mask. “I still have my trump card. Even you won’t be able to withstand this!”

Illusion: Activate!

It was his unique mental ability—one that would manifest the person dearest to his target right before their eyes, making them forget they were even in battle. This power, when used without warning, was lethally effective. No matter how strong someone was, they could never bring themselves to harm the one they loved most.

With this ability, the magician had triumphed time and again. Once his target fell for it, few ever escaped alive.

An invisible wave of intent slipped effortlessly into Liu Shiyu’s mind. In that instant, the magician vanished from her sight, replaced by someone who could never possibly appear here.

It was a stern, cold man. He wore a sharp black military uniform beneath a long black coat. His chiseled features were striking, his aura extraordinary.

“You… You’re actually here…” Liu Shiyu faltered, blue eyes trembling. Under the spell, she forgot she was in combat. She stood there, staring blankly at the handsome man, motionless.

A decade of memories, long buried, surged up from the depths of her heart. Indescribable emotions welled up, shrouding her spirit. She had waited far, far too long for this moment—to see this man again.

“Heh. Just gaze at the one you love most as you die,” the magician sneered, advancing with his black umbrella in hand.

Liu Shiyu was formidable, but in the end, she was still human. And every human had a fatal weakness—the person they cared for most.

“Liu Shiyu, snap out of it! What you see is just an illusion!” Cheng Feng shouted from across the hall, rushing at full speed to intercept the magician’s ambush.

“It’s too late!” the magician cackled with abandon, seizing the initiative. His black umbrella surged forward like a sword, its tip gleaming as it pierced the air, aimed straight for Liu Shiyu.

Time seemed to slow. Just as he thought he would skewer her in one strike, he suddenly caught the dangerously cold glint in the girl’s eyes.

A flash of icy steel—her blade cleaved through the air, sending the magician’s umbrella flying. Blood spurted skyward, along with his mangled arm.

The sudden turn of events caught Cheng Feng off guard. The magician, struck so viciously, was even more stunned, but managed to retreat swiftly.

He barely evaded Liu Shiyu’s second slash; the blade of Frost Moon grazed his chest by a hair’s breadth.

“How is this possible? You should have seen the one most important to you!” the magician cried.

He racked his brain for an answer. Liu Shiyu had fallen under the illusion—she should have faced her dearest one. Why, then, had she attacked, and so mercilessly? That strike had been intended to kill.

As the illusion shattered, clarity returned to Liu Shiyu’s eyes. Realization dawned: she’d been under a spell, and the man she’d seen was nothing but a phantom.

“It’s precisely because he’s the most important that I want to send him straight to hell,” she said coldly, a dangerous glint in her gaze.

It was the first time Cheng Feng had seen Liu Shiyu truly angry. He couldn’t help but wonder: whom had she seen in that illusion?

Liu Shiyu’s aura surged, the air around her plummeting in temperature. Under her control, a freezing cyclone swept toward the magician.

With a snap, the magician unfurled his black umbrella as a shield. But against the onslaught of arctic air, it froze solid in an instant.

Cheng Feng charged in, gripping the hilt of Raikiri. With one slash, he shattered the frozen umbrella, the blade whistling through the air to strike at the magician’s throat.

The magician’s pupils contracted. In that split second, he hastily activated his illusion ability.

A wave of invisible intent surged into Cheng Feng’s mind. But [Mind Sanctuary] rendered him immune—nullifying the illusion completely.

The magician was dumbfounded. His invincible power had failed on Liu Shiyu—and now, even on Cheng Feng.

A flash of the Raikiri’s blade—he barely dodged, blood spurting from his throat.

Cheng Feng frowned. He hadn’t managed to sever the magician’s head in one stroke.

“Tch!” The magician leapt back, his eyes cold and venomous. “It seems there’s no other way. I’ll have to unleash my ultimate trump card!”

“Black Widow, time to work!” He snapped his fingers.

The entire auction hall trembled violently. Monsters and demon hunters alike halted their battles, steadying themselves against the shaking floor.

With a roar like some monstrous insect, the ground split open, revealing a massive black limb. Several meters long, it bristled with iron-hard barbs.