Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Breakthrough

Serinda licked her slender fingers. Her snake eyes turned dark purple and flashed. Corruption Power seeped out of her hands and turned into dark purple clouds around her, coating her like a fluffy dress. She trembled in excitement and clawed. Her sharp fingernails created a shadowy beam, which pushed forwards and engulfed the advancing grey puppets.

Their metallic bodies fought against the strike but failed to resist its exotic property. The darkness seeped into the grey puppets, dragging them into their own shadows, assimilating them into the void. A few immediately perished under Serinda's new spell.

"My power has unknowingly increased," Serinda said. "Is it because of the pressure of a crisis? I'm going to break through the limit at this rate."

She took a deep breath and smiled, thrilled beyond words. After spending much time inside the Puppeteer Legacy Ground and interacting with Iris, Serinda had accumulated a great deal of experience and inspiration. The overwhelming threat forced her to bring out her very best, helping her reach above her limit.

Like an elegant, mysterious dancer, Serinda waved her hands and twisted her body, coiling around herself, shifting her posture, slithering according to the song in her heart. Multiple shadowy strikes landed around her, forcing the grey puppets to defend and flee. Though some struck back, they couldn't catch her slippery figure. She was controlling the rhythm of the battlefield.

"I must be really beautiful right now," she whispered. "I wonder, what expression would Sister Iris make if she saw me like this?"

Serinda suppressed her fantasy and focused on the battlefield. Though her power was rising, the quantity of her Corruption Power wasn't. She could spend less to cast better spells than before, but the limit was still there. If she couldn't annihilate them all before she ran out of her energy, only death awaited.

As Serinda was feeling anxious, a sea of pink mist bloomed behind her and engulfed the battlefield. Artium giggled as she raised her hands skywards like an orchestra conductor. Countless flowers and vines grew beneath her feet, spreading their lush colours outwards. The vines whipped at the nearby grey puppets while the flowers released sweet fragrance, healing Artium and Serinda, replenishing their Corruption Power.

"Before this, I can only use this battlefield spell after a ten-minute preparation," Artium said. "I thought I was foolish to have learnt it, but thanks to Sister Iris's guidance, I've revised it and obtained this new spell. I name it Flowerful Garden Battlefield Spell."

"You're lucky, Artium. I merely got a few ordinary spells. They can't compare to your battlefield spell at all."

"Don't be too humble, Serin, or I might jump you. Your Shadow Thread Finger is faster and deadlier than my spells. You haven't used your secret spell either, right?"

"My Seer Eye has no offensive capability and takes too much effort to cast in the combat. I feel like I can create a weaker version of the spell, but not right now."

Serinda and Artium leant onto each other as they happily chatted, though their eyes remained vigilant, preparing for any unexpected ambushes. The pink mist gradually dispersed as the grey puppets took out flamethrowers and burnt the vines and flowers. The black smoke and ashes rose to the sky, forming a pillar of darkness, contrasting the pillar of light in the distance.

Serinda exhaled a milky mist and grabbed it with her palm. She whispered to Artium and hurled the white sphere in the direction of the light pillar. It broke through the pink battlefield and exploded into a swarm of pale tendrils, which stuck with the grey puppets, corroding their wills, restraining their movements.

They struggled, yet their mechanical nature couldn't grasp the magical power of shadow. Serinda quickly extinguished their wills. She flicked her fingers, creating strings which connected to the grey puppets. They moved according to her commands and fought against their former comrades, using their weapons and bodies to ensure mutual destruction.

Because of the change, Artium and Serinda felt their pressure significantly decreased. They gradually adapted to the battle and immersed themselves in the natural inspirations, pushing their limit further, obtaining more instinctive knowledge about their innate talents.

Serinda abruptly halted her movement and closed her eyes. She coiled around herself and sat on the ground, retracting all her concentration. Artium knew what her friend was doing and took over the pressure, exerting herself, catching up to the boundary of the Transformation Phase.

"Serin, you win this time," Artium said, smiling. "But you need my protection to break through the boundary. I'll have one night as the compensation."

Artium tapped the middle of her chest and chanted a melody. The lilies covering her body bloomed and swayed, creating waves of illusionary petals, flooding the Flowerful Garden Battlefield Spell. They fluttered in the air and headed towards the grey puppets, who raised their weapons to defend.

The petals crashed against the thick armours and turned illusionary. They effortlessly slipped through the metal plates and cut the grey puppets, destroying their joints, crippling their arms. The weaker ones instantly shattered under the sea of white petals while the stronger ones suffered various injuries.

Though the staff broke after the overexertion, Artium had already mastered her control over Corruption Power. The little help and amplification from the staff were insignificant to the new her. She raised her hands up and down, humming a peaceful song, commanding the illusionary petals with her heart.

Knowing that Artium was helping her, Serinda stopped worrying and sank into a deep silence. The dark purple Corruption Power surged around her body, seeping out of her black scales, coiling around her seductive figure. She pressed her arms against her chest, pushing against her breasts while clenching her shoulders. The Corruption Power condensed and changed its colour, turning black like a shadow.

The thin clothes on Serinda gradually burnt in black flame as the Corruption Power coiled around her, revealing her bare, smooth skin. She opened her mouth and moaned in a strange voice before pressing her lips together, trembling in the excitement of a new sensation, of a new height.

The shadowy mist coated her body and materialised into a thin, translucent dress, which covered her chest, down to her abdomen, clinging onto her lower snake body. A pair of laced gloves manifested around her hands, decorating her arms up to her elbows.

After a moment of silence, Serinda opened her dark purple eyes. The shadow around her quivered, extending towards her shadow, which came alive and rose from the ground. The dark purple Corruption Power had already merged with Serinda.

She had reached the Transformation Phase and advanced her potential.

"Shadow Snake Girl?" she said. "So this is the feeling of the Transformation Phase."

Serinda stood up and felt the world. She didn't need to turn her head to perceive that Artium was behind her, that the grey puppets were surrounding her. Their shadows informed her of their movements. She alone had the authority over the shadows.

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"Artium, you've done much for me. Thank you. Now, it's my turn." Serinda smiled.

"You owe me a lot because of this." Artium sat down. "You'll be mine for a night. That's the price of my protection."

"If you want Sister Iris, I can also give you the first chance."

"No. I wouldn't be able to accept the win if I did. You would have an excuse too."

Serinda giggled and turned to the battlefield. The grey puppets kept coming, and their power was increasing. At first, Serinda and Artium could comfortably resist them. Now, Serinda, as a Shadow Snake Girl, felt a slight resistance. Some grey puppets didn't have any weapon on them; they had engravements on their bodies, which glowed and mimicked the casting process.

"We would have fallen if none of us could break through our limit," Serinda said. "Sister Iris, I've succeeded. I can stand beside you now. Will you accept me after this?"

Thinking about the pleasant rewards, Serinda erupted with an intense black Corruption Power. The shadow under the grey puppets shot out of the ground, forming sharp spikes which pierced their owners. The physically strong ones survived, but all the spell casters shattered into pieces. They fell on their shadows and got assimilated before vanishing under the sunlight.

For the first time, the battlefield turned sparse. The pink mist dispersed. In the middle of the destroyed garden, Serinda slithered around Artium, who was meditating. The lilies on Artium's body occasionally bloomed and closed, releasing a dreamy scent that stagnated the world, soothing its anxiety, calming its agitated atmosphere.

Artium silently fell into a deep sleep, her mouth curving into a playful smile. Her leaf-covered skin shivered and grew livelier. Aside from the lilies, other colourful flowers budded on her body, covering her sensitive parts yet revealing enough to seduce all eyes.

While Serinda was dealing with the grey puppets, a low tide of pale mist seeped around her and covered the ground. Through it, countless exotic transparent plants grew and blossomed, creating a colourful yet dull landscape. Serinda noticed the anomaly and turned to Artium, who was slowly opening her eyes.

Her monochromatic eyes had turned into a pair of colourful, everchanging irises. They flickered from colours to grey, from excitement to indifference. Her manner exuded an elusive aura, giving her a spiritual, ethereal air.

Artium slowly got up and observed her new appearance. Her steady movement left a trace of afterimage as if she existed in multiple spaces at once. The peculiarity only stopped when she turned to Serinda and smiled. It was a strange smile that ignited a passion in Serinda's heart.

"You've changed so much," Serinda said. "You look elusive, intangible. Is this your new ability? I'm envious. I thought I would undoubtedly win, but it seems the battle will go on."

"So this is my true potential? Dreamflower Girl?" Artium giggled. Her voice echoed outwards, causing the nearby flowers to grow rapidly. "I can't wait to know how Sister Iris would reward me."

"She will reward me first because I’ll win, Artium. Though you helped me advanced first, I won't give you any headstart. You didn't ask for it anyway."

"You'll lose if you get too complacent, Dear Serin. If you become too arrogant, I'll teach you how to be modest in bed. After all, you owed me one long night."

Serinda blushed and pouted. The shadows around her expanded, restraining the grey puppets. She quickly took down a few more to vent her emotions. Both Artium and Sister Iris had teased her too much. She swore she would get them one day!

After breaking through their limits, the two broke through the encirclement and headed towards the fleeting pillar of light. Though their exotic powers lacked extensive destruction, they had deadly killing power, which helped them move and retreat at will.

A few moments later, a powerful heat swept across the battlefield and melted the ground, sealing multiple rifts, preventing the grey puppets from climbing out. Serinda and Artium turned to the origin of the wave of fire. A gorgeous lady clad in shining, silhouette-revealing armour jumped down and landed at the edge of the battlefield. Her long, flowing red hair fluttered like a flame as she struck her pair of flaming spears against the grey puppets, killing them in waves.

Despite not knowing who the lady was, Serinda and Artium could feel a familiar air around her. They frowned and slowly advanced towards her before the lady turned to them and smiled. She crushed a spear into a burst of flame before reaching out with her hand.

Artium looked at Serinda, who shook her head. She didn't feel any bad intentions from the unknown maiden.

"Sister, who might you be?" Serinda said. She guessed in her mind already but was too uncertain to ask.

"Sister Iris, please don't change your appearance like that. You scared me with your pretty face and slender figure. I might not be able to resist you if you keep doing this." Artium bravely walked forwards and grasped the hand, caressing the gentle palm.

"Serinda, Artium, you two have been well." Iris recognised them. Though their appearances had changed, their auras hadn’t. "I'm sorry for leaving you to fend for yourself. It's my mistake; I'll compensate you when possible, I'm here now. I won't leave you again."

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