The light in Qiu Sheng’s eyes dimmed. She gently wiped the Blood from her cheek and looked at the silver figure with a trace of resentment.

A golden arc of electricity coiled around her arm. Soon, it wrapped around her entire body.

Qiu Sheng raised her palm. She could command these arcs at will.

Under her control, the arc shot toward the silver figure like a vicious python.

“I heard Mercury conducts electricity extremely well. Today, I’ll see for myself.”

The silver figure raised her palm, intending to receive Qiu Sheng’s probe.

The sparks struck her body, then transformed into threads of electricity. They raced across her entire form before sinking into the ground.

“It’s a shame. If this had happened earlier, before my organs became Mercury, this attack could’ve killed me easily.”

“But now, I’ve completely become Mercury. I’ve completed elementalization…”

“I am a perfect being!”

The silver figure moved.

The probing was over. She had no intention of holding back.

Countless Mercury spikes of different lengths burst from her body. They stretched a considerable distance, forcing Qiu Sheng, dozens of meters away, to retreat again and again.

Elementalization was a term Qiu Sheng had never even heard of.

Of course, she could hardly be blamed. How long had she been a Cantata Two Magic Maiden?

She also had to deal with the endless affairs of the Twelfth District. Not having time to study was perfectly normal.

But Lu Shi knew.

Turning one’s body into part of an element was an utterly insane act.

Turning one’s brain and heart into part of an element… Any accident during the process meant death.

Just thinking about it made one’s blood run cold.

But so what if the silver figure had elementalized?

Qiu Sheng didn’t believe she would lose.

She gathered the electric arcs in her palm and drew out a slender sword.

She had previously studied Night Frost’s Spear and lance techniques. But after thinking it over, she decided that a sword suited her best.

She had some talent with swordsmanship. As for everything else, it was better left unsaid.

The sword was formed entirely from electric arcs, making it almost weightless.

With every swing, it released part of its lightning. The lightning accumulated within the enemy’s body.

Once it reached a certain limit, it would—

“Boom!”

Sparks flickered across the silver figure’s body.

But she seemed to feel no pain. She continued controlling the Mercury and forced her way toward Qiu Sheng.

Those iron spikes that could change length were truly impossible to guard against.

Worse, the Mercury could also transform into fine needles and launch ranged attacks under her Mana control.

The soft, sluggish Mercury stiffened under the silver figure’s command, gaining the power to kill.

And this Mercury wasn’t created from Mana. It truly existed.

Once it left the silver figure, it became a natural substance.

The Magic Layer couldn’t block natural substances.

How had this woman created something so bizarre?

Qiu Sheng evaded the Mercury spikes.

In the silver figure’s hands, the Mercury had no fixed form. Her ability resembled that of the water-controlling Magic Maidens.

Yet she also possessed the advantage of those who could control metal.

She was a combination of both!

The silver figure’s hands suddenly transformed into two enormous Blades.

Was she planning to fight at close range?

No. It was still a ranged attack!

The fine Mercury needles floated behind Qiu Sheng. She had no choice but to summon a curtain of lightning and knock them all down.

But in the blink of an eye, the silver figure leaped in front of her.

Her raised arm transformed into a cleaver and chopped toward Qiu Sheng’s head.

“Clang—!”

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

A pitch-black figure, like a black swan, held a dagger and blocked the cleaver’s blow.

It was Lu Shi.

Lu Shi had watched from within a nearby shadow for quite some time.

The silver figure’s ability surpassed all common sense.

Elementalization was something no ordinary person could master. Every known form of elementalization had flaws.

Yet she had succeeded.

Not only that, her strength was formidable, and Lu Shi couldn’t find even the slightest weakness.

Qiu Sheng’s strength was not far below hers. But without finding a weakness, Qiu Sheng’s attacks were completely useless.

She could only passively endure the silver figure’s assault.

If this continued, Qiu Sheng would definitely lose.

That was why Lu Shi had emerged from the shadows and blocked the attack for her.

Before the two of them could say anything, the dagger pressed against the silver Blade suddenly grew light.

Under the silver figure’s control, the Mercury turned into a puddle and rapidly surged toward Lu Shi.

The shadow beneath the silver figure’s feet reached out and dragged Qiu Sheng and Lu Shi into darkness.

The Mercury struck nothing but empty air.

“Thank you…”

Qiu Sheng thanked Lu Shi from within the shadows.

But Lu Shi felt this wasn’t the time for thanks.

Her ability had its limits. It could only reach its full potential at night.

The sun was shining brightly now, and there were barely any shadows on the ground for Lu Shi to hide in.

They were currently concealed within the silver figure’s shadow.

The shadows in other places were too far away. Lu Shi could only move between shadows when they were connected.

If the silver figure were a little smarter, she could turn herself into a puddle of Mercury.

The space within her shadow would then shrink rapidly, forcing Qiu Sheng and Lu Shi out.

At worst, she could simply watch her own shadow and wait for them to emerge.

“Whew. We have two choices. Either we rush out, or we wait here to die.”

Qiu Sheng’s eyes were filled with resolve and fighting spirit.

No matter what kind of powerful enemy she faced, she would never retreat easily.

Lu Shi understood Qiu Sheng’s intentions. She told Qiu Sheng that they would rush out together after she counted to three.

The silver figure knew that the Twelfth District had a Magic Maiden named Lu Shi.

Her ability to hide within shadows made her extremely troublesome.

The silver figure didn’t know why Lu Shi, who had been patrolling elsewhere, had appeared before her so quickly.

But she had prepared for that possibility.

That was why she had deliberately come at noon, when the sun was strongest.

Lu Shi’s ability had long since been thoroughly studied.

Without shadows or darkness, her ability was no better than scrap.

Now, the sun hung directly above them. The only shadows nearby were the piles of rubble and the shadow beneath the silver figure’s feet.

Besides, the silver figure had seemed to hear some faint…

Whispering from within her shadow.

She bent down, pressed her ear to the ground, and listened to the blurred conversation between the two women.

【Whew… We have two choices. Either we rush out, or we wait here to die.】

【I’ll count to three, and we’ll rush out together.】

“So that’s it. You plan to count to three, then come rushing out.”

The silver figure looked toward Kapus’s position. She could no longer sense Kapus’s younger brother.

“Looks like things are over on that side too…”

“As for me, it seems this is the end.”

The silver figure shook her arm.

Most of the liquid gathered toward her palm.

She would completely kill the two Magic Maidens of the Twelfth District here and make those people understand the consequences of resisting them.

“Three!”

Two figures burst out, chanting loudly.

“Darkness devours the moon. Night shrouds the light. Hidden shadows, forge a prison of shadows. Bind them with the hands of darkness!”

“Sanctuary of purification, thunder across the heavens. Restless dust, rebirth from chaos. Let guidance descend upon the dark land of clouds and rain!”

“Let echoes arise within the sealed and enclosed land. Let judgment descend upon the world troubled by mortal dust!”

Their voices fell at the same moment.

Dark clouds instantly filled the sky. The sun on the horizon vanished beneath the clouds.

In that moment, shadows covered half the borderlands.

Lu Shi’s power erupted.

Thunderbolts crashed down, shattering the silver figure’s half-formed arm.

Lightning washed over her body, while pitch-black hands of shadow bound her tightly.

She had no choice but to transform into Mercury and flee the area.

Lightning purged the earth.

It struck the Mercury and the ground, blasting clumps of silver liquid in every direction.

In the distance, Kapus had just killed his younger brother.

Hidden in a corner of the ruins, he looked at the thunder descending from the sky, the twisted shadows writhing across the ground, and the Mercury flowing through the cracks in the soil.

He couldn’t help but marvel at the terror of Magic Maidens.

Lu Shi and Qiu Sheng landed steadily.

Their expressions were grim as they stared at the ground nearby.

A mass of silver Mercury coiled around a Magic Stone. It rapidly gathered and formed a silver figure.

Lu Shi guessed that the Magic Stone before them was her core.

The silver figure had converted everything else into Mercury, but the Magic Stone serving as her energy core still remained.

If they destroyed that Magic Stone, victory would naturally belong to them.

“You actually counted straight to three. You people from the Twelfth District are truly shameless…”

“Did you deliberately tell me all that just now?”

Qiu Sheng and Lu Shi exchanged a glance but said nothing.

The silver figure had guessed correctly.

It had been Qiu Sheng’s suggestion.

Counting to three would give the silver figure ample time to prepare.

But counting directly to three created a two-second gap—more than enough to catch her off guard.

Qianchun had taught her that trick.

As for how Qianchun had learned it, Qiu Sheng had no idea.

“Are you confident?”

“I can only say that I’ll try my best.”

“This woman’s ability is beyond ordinary. She can elementalize her body, making her attacks varied and impossible to predict.”

“She can control Mercury spikes for ranged attacks, or transform herself into Blades for close-quarters combat.”

Golden electric arcs coiled around Qiu Sheng’s arm, like a golden python preparing to strike.

Lu Shi hid within Qiu Sheng’s shadow again and observed the battle.

Her gaze was deep and sharp.

As long as Qiu Sheng created an opening, Lu Shi believed she could deliver a fatal blow to the silver figure.

“My Mana can support two more Magic Spells.”

“If those two attempts fail, we’ll have to let the Moon Owl take action.”

The silver figure watched Qiu Sheng and Lu Shi mutter to each other as though she didn’t exist.

Seriously! Their enemy was standing right in front of them, and they were ignoring her!

That was a major taboo on the battlefield!

“Die!”

Mercury surged from the silver figure’s body, spreading across the sky like an enormous net.

Lightning spread over Qiu Sheng’s entire body. The electricity in her palm condensed into a sharp sword.

She held it before her and spun, slicing apart the silver net overhead.

Then Qiu Sheng strode forward.

The lightning beneath her feet compressed to its limit, and she shot toward the silver figure with impossible speed.

But at that moment, all the silver liquid in the sky converged on Qiu Sheng.

One slender silver needle after another appeared, completely sealing off her movements.