However, there was one thing that could not recover: their weapons.
The magical weapons of the witches were clearly not ordinary items. Although most of the magical power within them had faded over time, their quality remained exceptional. These weapons now belonged to Vivi and Christine—tools that could be the key to their victory in this battle.
Vivi and Christine only possessed Shinigami powers, but they did not have suitable weapons to support close combat. Therefore, they could only rely on soul techniques to fight their enemies. As Vivi followed the Three Arts Witches out of the ground, Christine quietly snuck into the depths of the long-abandoned ancient temple to search for usable equipment.
Inside the temple, the atmosphere felt gloomy and oppressive, the air filled with the scent of damp earth and traces of ancient magic that still lingered. Christine quickly found the corpse of a deer-horned witch still wearing its horned helmet, now dried like a mummy. However, more importantly, there were the relic weapons of other witches—the two-handed sword of the sword witch and the magic staff of the staff witch. Without hesitation, Christine took both weapons.
However, Christine was not a close combat fighter. Before becoming a White Lantern Messenger with Shinigami powers, Christine was just an ordinary doctor more accustomed to medical tools than sharp weapons. The large sword felt heavy and unbalanced in Christine's hands. Thus, Christine chose to keep the magic staff for herself and handed the two-handed sword to Vivi, who was better suited for direct combat.
By the way, these two artifacts were not ordinary weapons. Both weapons possessed extraordinary magical powers, capable of significantly enhancing magical strength. In fact, their enhancement effects also applied to soul techniques, making them extremely valuable weapons for them.
As Christine grasped the magic staff, she immediately felt a flow of energy coursing through her body, rapidly boosting her strength. With her eyes shining with confidence, Christine raised her hand and began to chant a spell.
"Destroy yourself, black dog Rondanini! Look at yourself in horror and tear your own throat!"
"Bakudō #9: Hōrin! (Disintegrating Circle)!"
From the tips of Christine's fingers, spirit energy in the form of yellow ropes shot out quickly, binding the deer-horned witch tightly. Instantly, Christine pulled the spirit ropes hard, causing the witch to lose balance and be roughly dragged backward.
Explosion!
With the help of the White Lantern Ring, Christine's power increased drastically. She pulled the spirit rope with all her might, dragging the horned-rabbit witch towards her before quickly stepping forward. Without hesitation, Christine raised her magic staff like a spear and plunged it into the body of the horned-rabbit witch, driving the staff into the ground with terrifying force.
"Very good, Platycodon!" Vivi exclaimed with a satisfied smile.
On the other side, with the loss of one of the three witches, the pressure Vivi felt decreased drastically. Seizing the opportunity, Vivi gripped the two-handed sword now in her hands, lifting it confidently. In one swift motion, Vivi dashed forward, swinging the large sword in a full arc that created a sharp wind, directly charging at the two remaining skeletal witches.
From a distance, Coulson, who was watching the battle, grinned in admiration. "Wow, these two women... truly brave."
However, the tension was not over yet. Several troop transport vehicles arrived at the scene, emitting a heavy rumbling sound. Fully armed soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, each moving in a trained formation. Among them, an elderly woman with a cold expression stepped forward.
She was Victoria Hand—an level 8 agent, trusted confidante of Peggy Carter, head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch in New York, and one of the highest commanders of S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces. Victoria's rank was one level above Coulson, Melinda, and the others.
Seeing the increasingly chaotic situation, Victoria narrowed her eyes and turned to Coulson. "Agent Coulson, what is the situation now?"
Coulson sighed and shrugged. "Our weapons are not very effective against those monsters. Right now, our main task is to control and evacuate the crowd."
Victoria stared sharply at Coulson, appearing dissatisfied with that answer. But before she could respond, a terrifying rumble suddenly echoed from behind the thick smoke enveloping the battlefield.
The sound... was like a swarm of rats.
No, not just ordinary rats.
The sound was more like a herd of bison running wild, creating a tremendous vibration that shook the ground beneath them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From behind the clouds of dust, a horde of giant rats the size of calves emerged, with glowing red eyes full of hatred. These ferocious beasts charged towards the crowd with terrifying speed, creating an inevitable wave of destruction.
Victoria immediately took action. "Everyone, attack!" Victoria shouted loudly, giving orders to the troops.
But before they could move, a bright green light suddenly shone in front of Victoria, causing her to squint. In an instant, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently.
From the cracked earth, giant vines thicker than a human waist shot up at incredible speed, growing wildly and frantically. Within seconds, the plants formed a massive, sturdy green wall, trapping the entire horde of giant rats inside, halting their advance instantly.
...
...
...
Crunch!
Tension filled the air.
The bone-chilling sound spread, echoing around them, creating a sense of dread that crawled up the spine of everyone who heard it.
Despite the ferocity of the giant rats mutated by this magical energy, they could not penetrate the seemingly fragile wall of vines. Their sharp teeth could gnaw through concrete as if it were merely soft chocolate, but every time they tore at the vines, thick green liquid oozed out, only to be followed by rapid regeneration that closed the wounds on its surface.
As if the wall were a living creature that would never give up.
"Where do these things come from?!"
Christine shouted in fear, her eyes wide as she watched the giant rats continue to try to push their way in. Gasping for breath, Christine pulled her magic wand from the chest of the skeleton sorcerer she had defeated earlier. Without hesitation, Christine aimed the tip of her wand at the horde of growling and squeaking rats.
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