The rain poured down in torrents, accompanied by the roar of thunder and flashes of lightning.
Olivia Melianne stepped out of the cellar and looked into the distance. Her delicate face flickered between light and shadow under the intermittent glare of the lightning.
Yes, she still had one final trump card.
The magic mirror!
Every time she completed an advancement, the magic mirror gained the ability to increase its range of control. This time was no exception.
At her current stage, she still couldn't choose an area outside the Imperial Capital of Kaliron, but even if she only selected a location within the city, it was a massive upgrade!
Before today, Olivia had considered where she should place the magic mirror's new domain upon her next advancement. However, no matter how much she had planned, she had to change her mind now that the moment had arrived.
She intended to place the magic mirror's domain over Huys Street.
Of course, because the range increased with every advancement, it wouldn't just cover Huys Street; it would encompass a large area including the street and its surroundings!
Only by choosing this area—allowing the magic mirror to know everything happening on Huys Street—could she do something to turn the tide of this crisis.
This wasn't a waste of an opportunity. After all, if she couldn't handle the present, what future would there be?
'Magic mirror, with Huys Street as the center, cover this area as your new domain.'
【As you command.】
As the magic mirror responded, Olivia walked out of the house, letting the heavy rain soak her.
She took the Cross Grace from her necklace and walked at a steady pace.
'Magic mirror, is the domain established?'
【It is done, my master.】
'Magic mirror, tell me: who is the strongest member of the Twilight Council on Huys Street?'
【The strongest member of the Twilight Council on this street is Dalia Sullivan. She follows the path of a Necromancer and is currently at the Transcender class rank.】
Olivia's footsteps faltered for a moment, an inevitable look of surprise crossing her face. She had never expected to hear Dalia's name at a time like this.
So, the Necromancer hiding in the shadows was Dalia?
"It really is... a narrow path for enemies..."
A cold light flashed through Olivia's amber eyes.
She thought back to what happened at the tavern on Baker Street. That incident had been the greatest crisis she had ever faced; her companions had nearly been turned into corpse monsters by corpse powder, almost becoming her enemies.
She had only managed to dismantle that crisis through a bit of luck; otherwise, it would have been a total wipeout.
And the one responsible for all of it was Dalia Sullivan!
To think that the member of the Twilight Council leading everything here on Huys Street was also Dalia.
'Magic mirror, tell me the abilities Dalia possesses.'
【The abilities Dalia possesses are...】
The magic mirror quickly provided the answer.
From its response, Olivia could tell that Dalia had likely only recently become a Transcender, as she hadn't mastered all the abilities available to a Necromancer of that rank.
Currently, Dalia only possessed two Transcender abilities:
Iron Corpse Servant: Uses metallic spiritual materials to strengthen existing corpse servants, granting them bodies as tough as adamantine, though they still possess certain weaknesses.
Bone Spear Pierce: Channels her own magic to generate bone spears to impale targets.
As for the abilities of the Pilgrim and Sensate class ranks, Dalia had naturally mastered them all.
Her Pilgrim abilities were: Skeleton Summoning, Dark Vision, Cold Tolerance, Death Camouflage, and Corrupt Soil Nourishment.
Skeleton Summoning used existing corpses to summon skeletons to fight under her command, though their combat capability was not particularly high.
Dark Vision, as the name implied, provided excellent sight in the dark.
Cold Tolerance was also self-explanatory, providing significant resistance to freezing environments and chilling auras.
Death Camouflage allowed her to disguise herself as a corpse, including stopping her heart and emitting the stench of decay.
Corrupt Soil Nourishment allowed her to designate a patch of land as corrupt soil, where she could bury damaged undead to repair them.
Her Sensate abilities as a Necromancer were: Corpse Servant Summoning, Flesh Stitching, Bone Nail Projectile, Death Absorption, and Corrosion Resistance.
Corpse Servant Summoning turned corpses into corpse servants under her control. These servants were stronger than the deceased had been in life and possessed higher combat power than skeletons.
Flesh Stitching was similar to Corrupt Soil Nourishment in that it could restore her undead. However, it could also be used on herself or other humans to heal injuries.
Bone Nail Projectile involved firing bone-like nails for direct attacks.
Death Absorption allowed the Necromancer to quickly recover magic and stamina by drawing from the thick aura of death in areas saturated with it.
Corrosion Resistance, as the name suggested, provided extremely high resistance to rot and toxins.
...
Every ability currently possessed by Dalia Sullivan was laid bare before Olivia's eyes.
This enemy, who had once caused her so much trouble, now held no secrets from her.
However, she still remembered the feeling of helplessness when facing an Iron Corpse Servant. Its hardened body was not something she could easily break, even as a Sensate.
But if the Iron Corpse Servant had weaknesses...
"If there are weaknesses, then it's manageable," Olivia whispered.
She continued walking through the torrential rain, questioning the magic mirror on various matters as she went. Her questions were no longer limited to Dalia but included the other members of the Twilight Council on Huys Street.
She knew where every member was and what they were doing; everything was under her control.
She no longer walked with caution. Instead, she strode openly down the street, yet she managed to bypass every member of the Twilight Council searching for her.
She knew everyone's patrol routes, which meant that as long as she wished it, she could avoid them all. No one could appear before her unless she allowed it.
At this moment, Olivia was like a vengeful ghost, weaving through the curtain of rain as she approached Huys Square once more.
Through her extensive questioning of the magic mirror, she knew that to break this deadlock, her top priority was to stop the altar in Huys Square from being completed.
If the altar was destroyed, all of the Twilight Council's plans would crumble.
And right now, on Huys Street, she was the only one who could do it.
"Dalia, I'm coming. This time, you're the one who will pay the price!"
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