“Liya! Did you give her that book and the materials?!”
Liya’s mother couldn’t believe her eyes. She looked up and questioned Liya.
“I didn’t, Mother!” Liya shook her head vigorously.
She didn’t understand why Lin Shu could use magic either. When Lin Shu first got her mother’s grimoire, Liya hadn’t been worried at all. Without casting materials, one couldn’t release spells. Lin Shu had been locked in her room, so how could she have possibly obtained any materials?
‘But how exactly did she do it?!’
Liya was at a complete loss.
Mrs. Tepus’s expression was icy as she glared at Lin Shu. “As I thought, I can’t let you do as you please. You aren’t a normal human at all!”
The shadows surged again, darting up to the height of the chandelier. They seized Lin Shu’s hands and yanked downward with brute force.
Lin Shu fell from the chandelier instantly. Seeing that she was about to slam into the floor, she hurriedly used her vines to support her body, softening the impact of the fall. However, the shadows did not let go, dragging her right to Mrs. Tepus’s feet.
The shadows pinned Lin Shu’s hands tightly, preventing her from making any gestures to cast spells.
“Kill that wolf girl,” Mrs. Tepus ordered the Vampire Guards.
The guards on the periphery raised their weapons. They notched their bows, aiming directly at Hati. A dense rain of arrows flew toward her.
Hati stood up quickly, swinging her fists to shatter the arrows coming at her from the front, but more arrows were flying in from different angles.
“Ugh!” One arrow pierced Hati’s left shoulder.
‘Damn, there are too many of them.’
Lin Shu lay on the ground, struggling to lift her upper body. ‘I have to block those arrows first.’
The thought flashed wildly through Lin Shu’s mind. More and more vines sprouted from the ground, weaving and entangling themselves into a dense net that shielded them both. The flying arrows got stuck in the vines, giving them a brief moment to breathe.
Mrs. Tepus’s face grew even gloomier. She lifted her high heel and stepped down hard on Lin Shu’s left shoulder. “Stop struggling. Put away your petty tricks.”
“Let her go!!” Hati flickered behind Mrs. Tepus. Sharp wolf claws extended from her knuckles as she swung them toward the back of the woman’s neck.
*Clang!*
With a crisp sound, Hati’s claws were deflected. Ripples of energy shimmered in the air.
“Damn, old lady, are you wearing a transparent turtle shell or something?” Hati was knocked back several steps by the impact, shaking her numbed claws.
Lin Shu’s eyes suddenly widened. This energy fluctuation was similar to what happened during spellcasting.
Lin Shu’s vines quickly lunged toward Mrs. Tepus’s back.
“What are you doing?! Wait, no!!” Mrs. Tepus’s expression changed. She put even more weight on the foot stepping on Lin Shu, trying to stop her.
The sensations transmitted by the vines and the woman’s reaction both confirmed Lin Shu’s suspicion. As expected, there was a shield made of magic on her back.
‘If that’s the case… then I’ll just drain the magic dry!!’
Enduring the pain, Lin Shu continued to activate the vine’s Mana Drain skill.
“No! No!!” Mrs. Tepus could no longer maintain her composed image. She turned her head frantically, trying to use the shadows to cut the vines.
But it was too late. The magic dissipated, and her shield vanished instantly. The vines pierced straight into Mrs. Tepus’s back.
The siphoned power surged into Lin Shu’s body like a tsunami, making her heart feel as if it had been struck by a heavy blow.
‘Is this high-tier magic?!’
This power was completely different.
Mrs. Tepus’s entire body froze, her face filled with terror. She could feel the power throughout her body being swallowed bit by bit.
“Don’t, Mother!” Seeing her mother’s face turn pale, Liya immediately shouted. “Lin Shu, stop!”
But Lin Shu did not stop. The siphoned magic exceeded Lin Shu’s imagination. It surged wildly. A voice seemed to roar in Lin Shu’s mind, strengthening her will to manipulate the vines.
At the same time, the vines that had absorbed the magic erupted, instantly swelling into forms as thick as tree trunks. They rampaged, stabbing violently into the surrounding floor and walls.
The stone pillars supporting the floor shattered. The second floor’s flooring began to collapse, and the Vampire Guards standing above fell down with cries of alarm.
The chain reaction continued. The vines pierced through every wall and load-bearing pillar. The entire castle began to tilt.
“Lin Shu! What are you doing?!” Liya used her scythe to cleave through a piece of the falling ceiling. “The castle is going to collapse!”
*Bang!* A thick vine burst through a wall and struck Mrs. Tepus in the back.
Caught off guard, she stumbled forward several steps. Hati seized the opportunity, took a short running start, and swung her right fist high with gathered strength.
“ORA!”
The fist slammed squarely into Mrs. Tepus’s face. Her entire person flew sideways, crashing to the ground.
“Mother!!” Liya screamed piercingly. “I’m begging you, Lin Shu, stop!”
More Vampire Guards lunged forward, trying to stop Lin Shu, but large pieces of debris fell from above, burying them underneath.
Lin Shu felt her power spiraling out of control, but she didn’t panic. ‘This is an opportunity. I’ll destroy the castle and escape during the chaos.’
As the vines went berserk, Lin Shu’s energy drained away bit by bit, and fatigue flooded her limbs. She spoke up. “Hati, please protect me for a moment.”
Hati saw what Lin Shu was thinking and grinned. “No problem. Go ahead and wreck the place. I’ll hold things up for you.”
She stood by Lin Shu’s side, swinging her fists rapidly to knock away falling rocks and block the guards’ attacks, clearing out one small safety zone around Lin Shu.
*BOOM!!!*
The final support structures failed, and the entire castle completely collapsed.
The glass in the windows shattered, and every piece of furniture was crushed by the falling ruins. A massive cloud of dust filled the air.
Lin Shu sat slumped under a gap formed by a large piece of the ceiling, with Hati’s body shielding her from above. Without the cover of the ceiling, the moonlight from outside poured down.
“Cough, cough…” Lin Shu choked on the floating dust.
Overexertion left her with no strength, and the rampaging vines finally settled down.
“Lin Shu, are you okay?” Hati asked hurriedly.
Lin Shu was exhausted, nearly unable to stand.
Hati shoved the piece of ceiling aside with a heave and hurried over to help Lin Shu up. Looking at the vast field of castle ruins, Hati muttered in hindsight, “Hiss, this is trouble. How are we going to find the key now?”
Lin Shu remained silent for a moment before fishing out the key she kept close to her body. “The thing you want is with me.”
Hati’s ears perked up instantly. “Eh? Why?…”
“Let’s get out first. I’ll explain then.”
Although most of the vampires were buried, they would soon recover and wake up.
Hati’s eyes widened. She froze for two seconds before suddenly hugging Lin Shu. “A huge harvest! Taking you with me was definitely the right choice!”
“Mgh… stop.” Lin Shu struggled to protest through her squished mouth. “Let’s go out and meet up with your teammates first.”
Hati finally let go, supporting Lin Shu as they walked toward the main gate.
As they passed an oil lamp that had rolled out of the ruins, Lin Shu paused and bent down to pick it up.
“What are you taking that for?” Hati asked curiously.
Lin Shu replied calmly, “I still have one debt to settle.”
She still remembered how Liya’s mother had used fire magic to burn the entire garden of Drago Manor.
When they reached the castle courtyard, Lin Shu stopped. She used the last bit of her strength to raise her arm and hurl the oil lamp.
*Whoosh!!*
The lamp landed in the grass, its glass casing shattering. Flames ignited instantly, spreading along the bushes.
The surging fire grew larger and larger, soon swallowing the entire courtyard. A heatwave and the smell of charred plants wafted toward them.
The flickering firelight was reflected in Lin Shu’s eyes.
Hati gazed blankly at everything before her, then turned to look at Lin Shu. A deep sense of interest rose in her eyes.
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