Chapter 688: Chapter 689: Magical Arsenal [Evolve] Life and death are nature’s laws, inevitable and unchanging, for all who live must one day die. No beast nor man escapes this circle. Only endure. The one who endures the longest in this circle must adapt, change, and evolve. You have been granted the ability to adapt and evolve fast. What doesn’t kill you will only make you evolve. This was what her skill did, and Damon was on the verge of coughing up blood—literally—from his injuries and from the realization that the unknown god had just rage-baited him. The only way to kill Wendy would be to damage her before she could evolve. But her third-class skill, Pure Soul, prevented Damon from doing just that. That skill was almost like his Deathless skill, which prevented him from dying. That raised the question: What use did the unknown god have for Wendy here? Why would the unknown god go out of his way for a mere Wendigo? Why turn a monster into a person? Why give her so many gifts? Was this skill the reason she had been able to get rid of her monster core and evolve into a person? If so, why bring her here to the war games? ’I don’t have much time, and my opponent is only becoming more resistant to my power.’ "If she can grow too, then so must I." Damon took a deep breath as his head began to feel heavy. Cough. Cough. Blood spilled from his mouth. The effects of the potion were beginning to fade. He returned Broken Bonds into his shadow storage, then grasped his Dealer’s Hand. The broken sword gleamed faintly, even under the dim light of the ruined city. He had many skills he could use, but his strength was dwindling. He activated [5x] to boost his speed. "Let’s try putting some distance between us." The Wendigo lunged forward. Damon swung his sword in three crescent slashes at the large hulking form before him. [Dark Blade] She weaved between them in a blur of motion. Damon gritted his teeth, vanishing with a step. [Flash Step] The wide maw of the Wendigo opened as he appeared in front of her, but before she could bite down, he ducked, slipping beneath the snapping jaws exactly as he intended. The effects of his skill, [Beholder’s Gaze], slowed his perception of time. That was all he needed. Taking another deep breath, Damon tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword with both hands and swung upward. [Midnight] A wave of magical energy spread through his sword’s path as he thrust forward. A ball of slashes scattered and speared toward the center of the Wendigo’s head. Boom. Brains and blood exploded in all directions, splattering across Damon’s face as her body went still, a gaping hole torn through her skull. This was Midnight or at least, that was what Damon had renamed it. It was the second form of Brightwater Swordsmanship, though the original name had been Noon. Damon didn’t possess the light attribute, so he had renamed it Midnight, since his own power resembled darkness more than light. The technique involved lifting the sword to the center of one’s body, just like the sun at high noon, then striking with gathered energy that manifested as a wave of slashes, condensed into a piercing thrust. It was a complex move. Damon breathed heavily as her body remained still. He just needed a moment to catch his breath. He knew that attack wouldn’t kill her. As expected, she began to regenerate. The magic missile was a good spell, but it lacked refinement. Using Midnight gave him an epiphany no, a brand new path for his magic. "What if I incorporate rune magic into it..." It was a crazy idea. And for that, he needed space lots of it. "Let’s start by leveling this whole area." He leapt into the sky. He had no wings, but he had the Airwalk skill. Bouncing on invisible steps, Damon rose higher, blood dripping from his nose as Wendy began to stir below. "Yes... it’s like a fog has been lifted." He spread his arms, blood streaking his face, the broadcast orb capturing his expression as he ascended through the smoky air. He stopped midair and spread his arms wider. Mana burst from his body in all directions. From the ground, Waton stared upward, eyes wide. "What’s he trying to do..." The mana began to collide against itself, creating sharp sparks that twisted and vibrated, turning into small glowing pellets. Magic bullets. But that wasn’t all those pellets stretched, reshaping into long, spear-like projectiles. Magic missiles. The Wendigo spread her massive maw. For the first time since her transformation, she spoke. "Give back children... give backkkkk!!!" She launched into the air with a deafening sonic boom. Waton’s gaze followed her, then shifted to the sky, where hundreds of enormous javelins of mana formed above. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺 It looked as if an unseen hand had drawn back the heavens and loosed a thousand arrows toward the earth. "Black angels descend to earth... what a spectacular sight," Waton whispered. "...What a magnificent spell..." His eyes widened at the distant glow as the missiles screamed downward, pulling the Wendigo with them. The resulting explosion flattened everything in its path. The ruins were reduced to dust and rubble, the entire district leveled. But Wendy survived. The whole area was now an open field. She had already experienced Magic Missile while grievously injured. This didn’t kill her either. However, Damon’s expression changed. The calm vanished, replaced by a wicked smile. "Ahhha... ahhahha..." He laughed wildly, as if he had expected it all along. He brought his palms together. Runes began to appear in the air. No, not runes, the magic missiles themselves were bending, reshaping into intricate runes. Blood seeped from Damon’s eyes, ears, and mouth, but still he laughed. Waton wasn’t fluent in rune language, but even he recognized what the symbols formed. The word Sword. Right before his eyes, the glowing runes changed, transforming into hundreds of dark shadows swords hanging in the sky. Damon pointed toward Wendy his voice echoing in the air. "You can see it, Wendigo... you can see my magic spell." He thrust his hand forward. As the Wendigo tried to reach him, the hundreds of blades fell from the heavens, engulfing everything below. Waton trembled uncontrollably, his hands shaking. "Wha... what overwhelming might..." Damon heard a whisper in his ear as she descended into the hell he had created. This was the culmination of his Magic Bullet spell, his new path in magic. [Mastery: Magical Arsenal]