“No, you can’t control me. Your connection with the book is weakening…”

The Deep One Roland let out a heart-wrenching scream as he fought against the power in his mind, the immense magic of Janet that almost felt like it was churning his brain.

The pain was unrelenting, but he held on because he knew Janet's connection with the "book" was weakening, giving him a rare chance to fight back.

With incredible willpower, he endured the agony, and his eyes cleared once more.

“Boom!”

He lifted the heavy axe from the ground and, with a mighty stomp, leaped towards Janet, axe in hand.

“How dare you!”

Janet's transformation into his Deep One form was complete, matching Roland's imposing height and build. He caught the descending axe with both hands.

“Janet, you bastard, die!”

The two of them were locked in combat, buying Alexander and the others some time.

Xu Lin was fully focused, unleashing a new wave of petrifying light. He aimed to completely petrify the Deep One, but its massive size and some mysterious internal power resisted his fragmentation magic.

“Focus all firepower on the Shoggoth—its power comes from the magic book inside. If we take down the Shoggoth, Janet will lose his strength!”

Alexander shouted, and gunfire erupted from all directions, the crossfire of Spain's team.

Spain was down to one arm, his wrist severed by the small Shoggoth, leaving only a bandaged stump as he continued firing with his remaining hand.

Their team had suffered heavy losses—only four remained, all fighting desperately alongside Xu Lin.

…With everyone fighting for their lives, even Xu Lin wasn’t spared from exhaustion. Using fragment magic took a tremendous toll, and even a strategist couldn’t continuously wield such power without rest.

He had already used three magic potions, his entire body weary and struggling to support itself. His brain felt like it was constantly contracting and shaking, almost to the point of exploding.

Before him, the glowing rune reappeared, like an eye, the deep blue halo forming a powerful radiating force field that completely engulfed the Shoggoth.

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“If one attempt isn’t enough, then I’ll use two, casting two 'spells' simultaneously—can you withstand this?”

Alongside the first petrifying beam, Alexander unleashed a second, the deep blue glow strengthening until it nearly devoured the entire Shoggoth in its radiating force field.

The Shoggoth’s shell was repeatedly petrified and “thawed,” with both sides constantly clashing in a struggle of energy consumption.

As Xu Lin pushed his petrification beams to their limits, a flaming flail was thrown from the distance!

It was his sacrificial blade, hurled by Alexander from afar. With his strength enhanced by 0.2 times, such a feat was now possible.

Still, only Alexander would think to do something like this simultaneously!

(Good job, didn’t think you’d be on the same page as me!)

Xu Lin internally praised Alexander while immediately spending survival points to activate the enchantment effect of his sacrificial blade.

Blue flame erupted, forming a heavy force that impacted the Shoggoth's petrified shell, creating a penetrating force that shattered much of its body.

Even if the petrification field couldn’t immediately subdue the Shoggoth, it turned its shell into a brittle stone; combined with the flail’s force, it shattered what modern firearms couldn’t.

—Indeed, only sacrificial blades could deal absolute damage to such “monsters.” With the added effect of the blade’s enchantment, the two combined to unleash maximum power.

The Shoggoth's shell was pierced, with the flail’s massive impact reaching deep inside, setting the magic book “The Confessions of the Mad Monk Crittanus” aflame, reducing it to ashes.

“No!”

Janet cried out in agony, as Deep One Roland seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack.

Without the magic book, the Shoggoth couldn’t maintain its size and quickly shrunk, much of its body turning to stone while the remaining portion separated, morphing into a small Shoggoth that desperately tried to escape.

Alexander pursued, recognizing the small Shoggoth was at its end, firing repeatedly until it diminished to a black foam and exploded.

From the disintegrated shell, a glowing bronze sphere emerged, which upon close inspection bore the face of a ghostly skull.

This was a Spectral Ember, a bronze-level ember.

Alexander extended his hand, and the ember’s glow suddenly intensified, threads of light streaming into his left-hand Spectral Covenant.

He realized the Spectral Covenant contained a special space for storing items, but without activating it with an ember, its functions remain dormant.

“Another Spectral Ember acquired!”

This ember was his own acquisition, not one given by Xu Lin, holding significant personal meaning for Alexander!

Meanwhile, Deep One Roland and Janet's battle neared its conclusion. Ultimately, Roland, armed with a weapon, had the upper hand. He swung the axe powerfully, knocking Janet down, his body sprawling on the ground.

“Perish!”

For this villain, Deep One Roland had nothing more to say. With a decisive blow, Janet’s head was severed, rolling twice on the ground before the headless body became still.

“Main storyline completed. Transmission will begin in one hour!”

Pinocchio’s voice echoed from the Spectral Realm, signaling the end of the script.

The group, long under intense pressure, finally had a moment to catch their breath. But then, with a loud bang, the entire building shook with an explosion. This was only the beginning, as the ceiling began to collapse amidst continuing blasts.

Everyone began to scatter, fleeing as the building erupted into flames and neared total destruction.

“FUCK, bombers dropping bombs overhead—they’re planning to destroy this place…” Spain recognized the familiar roar of approaching bombers.

“We need to leave immediately. It seems the U.S. government intends to eliminate this town for various reasons,” Xu Lin adjusted his glasses, deducing the obvious cause.