Chapter 127: Crisis

"Retreat! Our mission was to investigate the Dark Blood Bats, and we've confirmed that this ritual shaman is behind it. Reporting this to the Dark Spirit Realm will bring powerful spellcasters to handle this shaman," Mage Holmes quickly decided, turning to run back down the dark passage. He knew they couldn't defeat this formidable Dark Blood Bat, and their task was essentially complete. Returning to the Dark Spirit Realm would allow them to receive their mission rewards.

As for the silver-haired old man and his powerful Dark Blood Bat, that was a matter for the Dark Spirit Realm to resolve. Even if this bat fully evolved into a Blood Bat King, comparable to a Level Four spellcaster, a single high-level spellcaster from the Dark Spirit Realm could easily eliminate it. After all, the era of ancient shamans was long gone—spellcasters now held absolute dominance.

Just as Holmes turned to retreat, thick stone doors dropped down, sealing both passages. Breaking through would take time, but under the watchful eyes of the powerful Dark Blood Bat, they had no chance of escaping. Holmes's face darkened immediately.

"Trying to flee? It's too late," the silver-haired old man sneered as his massive Dark Blood Bat lunged toward Merlin and Holmes.

"It seems we have no choice but to fight!" Holmes gritted his teeth.

"Binding Winds!" he chanted, releasing gusts of wind to try and hold the massive bat in place. But the Dark Blood Bat barreled forward undeterred, its speed barely slowed. Standard zero-level spells were ineffective, even ice spells it supposedly feared had no impact.

"Earth Dragon Spike! Ice Explosion! Scorching Flame!" Holmes unleashed a barrage of spells, yet they barely managed to slow the creature, which continued advancing.

As the enormous Dark Blood Bat closed in, Merlin's gaze hardened. He knew that without everyone working together, they had little chance against it.

"Ice Freeze!" Merlin unleashed his spell three times in succession, surrounding the bat in thick ice. But in seconds, the bat shattered the ice, shrugging off the freezing spell.

"Greater Freeze!" Merlin cast a more powerful spell, one almost as effective as a Level One spell, momentarily encasing the Dark Blood Bat in ice.

*Crack!*

In an instant, the bat broke free again, moving with blinding speed and slamming into Holmes.

The runes on Holmes's robe flared, forming a protective barrier around him, but the sheer force still threw him to the ground.

Merlin drew a sharp breath. Even with the power of Greater Freeze and Holmes's enchanted robe, they had barely managed to halt the creature's advance. Holmes rose, his face grim. Though unharmed this time, his robe's glow had dimmed, a sign it wouldn't withstand many more blows.

Holmes glanced at the silver-haired shaman on the altar and shouted, "The shaman's controlling the creature with mental force! If we kill him, the bat will be no threat."

Lorinka and Relis exchanged a glance, then began advancing toward the altar.

Yet, the shaman showed no fear, muttering an incantation as the Dark Blood Bat turned its focus on Lorinka and Relis.

Holmes gritted his teeth, pulling out a final trump card—a black spell scroll. "Earth Cage," a Level One confinement spell he had obtained from the Tower of All, designed to bind powerful creatures. Even high-level attack spells would struggle to break it.

With the activation of the scroll, the cave rumbled as thick walls of earth rose, forming a cage around the Dark Blood Bat.

Seeing the creature trapped within the Earth Cage, Holmes and Merlin sighed in relief. Lorinka and Relis were close to the altar, and even if the silver-haired man was a rogue spellcaster, he could hardly withstand both of them. Killing him would render the Dark Blood Bat powerless.

Suddenly, a surge of dark elemental energy stirred within the cage. Merlin's face fell. "The bat—it's preparing a spell!"

"Thunder Web!" Merlin didn't hesitate, casting an enhanced Thunder Web to paralyze the bat.

But two thin, dark rays pierced the cage in an instant, heading straight for Lorinka and Relis. The bat had cast Dark Ray, a spell with exceptional piercing power, and coming from a half-evolved Blood Bat King, it was even stronger. The Earth Cage could not withstand its force, and Lorinka and Relis found themselves facing a deadly threat.