Chapter 270: The Swamp Witch’s Last Trumpcard

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A massive explosion of dragon flames mixed with concentrated blade energy erupted directly behind the pair. The witch was struck head-on by the full force of the blast. Multiple layers of shimmering magic barriers appeared in an instant to protect her, yet they shattered one after another under the overwhelming pressure. At the same time the slime quickly encompassed her body and absorbed most of the remaining damage. Both of them were sent flying through the air, crashing through dozens of dead trees that splintered and collapsed in their wake with loud cracks and falling branches.

CRAAASH!

"Swampy!" the witch cried out in genuine panic, her voice cracking with fear. "Swampyyyy!"

She stared in pure horror at the slime melting away right in front of her. Half of its body was completely gone, evaporating into hot, foul-smelling mist that rose into the air and filled the surroundings with a thick, acrid stench.

Vladimir, on the other hand, collapsed onto one knee and gasped for breath, his chest heaving. "You saved me again, damn it!"

"I have to thank you. You make an amazing distraction, always falling for the enemy’s attacks and opening their guard so my strikes can connect easily," Riven said with a small, calm smile while absorbing the residual curses from Vladimir’s body using his Talent as an Apostle of Chaos. The dark energy flowed into him harmlessly and was quickly neutralized, leaving only a faint tingling sensation across his skin. "Let’s go."

"You don’t need to tell me!" Vladimir barked, already forcing himself back to his feet with stubborn determination.

The two blurred forward at high speed as the Witch used her remaining magic to heal her slime, beginning to fuse him with the entire surrounding land in a desperate attempt to regain strength. Roots and mud surged upward to merge with the damaged creature.

"Don’t worry, Swampy. I still have some tricks under my sleeve! Hehehehehe! Grand Swamp Giant Form!"

RUMBLE!

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet as a colossal giant made of slime, thick mud, jagged stone, and living trees erupted from the floor. It roared with earth-shaking force that made the air vibrate, and swung utterly titanic hands toward Vladimir and Riven. The sheer size of the construct cast a long shadow over the battlefield.

"Woah!" Vladimir panicked for a moment, his eyes widening at the overwhelming scale of the creature. He nearly stumbled backward from the force of the approaching strike.

"You scared? It’s just mud and trees," Riven said calmly while swinging his axe in a wide horizontal arc. "Spirit Axe Ascension."

He then swung the axe upward after the horizontal cut. A blinding pillar of pure light composed entirely of concentrated blade energy surged high into the sky, cutting through the giant’s form with surgical precision.

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIING–!!!

The cutting attack completely annihilated the giant’s entire arm, dicing it into countless pieces and then disintegrating the remains as intense flames erupted high into the air. Charred fragments of mud and wood rained down around them.

Riven followed up by charging energy into his Spiritualized Aura and transforming it into a pair of massive dragon arms that punched the giant downward with tremendous force. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling across the swampy ground.

BOOOM!

BOOOM!

BOOOM!

Each punch provoked a fresh explosion of dragon fire mixed with raw psionic energies. Riven continued enhancing his body to its absolute limits. His muscles bulged and his form grew enormous as thick scales spread across his skin and layers of dark fur accumulated over them in overlapping waves of power.

He took on a full chimera form, activating every transformation available from skills, talents, and genes, then overlapping them with his biological armors and scales until he became a massive, multi-armed, heavily armored goliath that towered over the battlefield. The ground cracked under his weight with every step.

"W-WHA...!"

The Swamp Witch gasped in shock and moved her hands rapidly, conjuring dozens of cursed beams that flew toward Riven from all directions like a storm of dark light. The beams left trails of corrosive energy in the air.

Riven flew upward with his powerful wings, disappearing from sight for an instant before reappearing directly behind her. Countless slashing attacks struck her titanic familiar without mercy, completely decimating it piece by piece. Mud, stone, and slime flew in every direction under the relentless assault.

SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH! SLAASH!

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

"No! Swampy!!!"

As she screamed in pure horror while the titan fell and crashed into the ground, splashing mud and filthy water everywhere as its core shattered into glowing pieces, the Witch roared in rage. Black tears fell freely from her fish-like eyes, mixing with the swamp water around her feet.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!"

With pure, unrestrained fury she unleashed all her remaining power, absorbing what was left of Swampy into herself and suddenly elevating beyond her current rank in a desperate surge of strength. The air grew heavy and thick with oppressive magical pressure.

"This is the pattern that has never been seen before in this timeline, but that I remember well," Riven spoke calmly, his voice steady even as the air grew heavier and the ground began to bubble with rising swamp energy.

"What the...!" Vladimir felt an immense magical pressure erupting from the witch, pressing down on his chest like a physical weight that made it harder to breathe.

In the span of a single moment the Swamp Witch transformed into a giantess made of twisted wood, swirling swamp water, thick mud, tangled trees, grass, and corrosive acid, with long strands of seaweed hair flowing wildly behind her. Her new form exuded immense, unrestrained power that distorted the air around her due to the massive amount of mana and spirit energy she exuded.

[The Swamp Witch: Embodiment of the Spirit of the Swamp – D+ → C Rank: Level 100]

And to Daniela and Vladimir’s horror, the Swamp Witch had evolved by absorbing her own pet, becoming a powerful C-Rank threat instead, completely going beyond her original power level.

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