Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Trump Card?

Lana stared at the ghost with utter calmness. Till now, the plan had been going just like she had thought in her mind.

She was well aware of her capabilities and limitations. Transferring mystic energy to Naina was equivalent to reducing her fighting ability by more than half, and the only viable solution for this problem was… to make sure that even the ghost’s fighting power is reduced.

Hence, Lana came up with this crazy method.

Her calculations were simple. With Mr. Crow’s support, her own talisman and mystic energy, and Naina’s self-harming tactics, the ghost will most likely be weakened to the state where she could deal with him.

When one can’t compete against an opponent who is way out of their league, just bring the opponent down to the point that it becomes dealable.

Naina was stunned to see the ghost writhing in pain; those hoarse and inhuman voices made her heart tremble, and yet she continued to stab herself.

“Ahhhh!” The ghost’s agonized scream made goosebumps spread across Lana and Naina.

Lana gritted her teeth, suppressing the fear pulsing under her skin, and continued to channel her mystic energy. At the same time, she flung multiple exorcism talismans.

Though the talismans were nothing more than an ant’s bite to the ghost, sometimes, when the ants completely outnumber their target, the irritation slowly chips away at the opponent’s strength.

The talismans clung to the ghost’s form, crackling with faint golden light. The more they stuck to him, the more his shadowy shape began to distort, as though his very existence was being eroded piece by piece.

The ghost snarled, his eyes burning with murderous hatred.

“You… insignificant… mortals…”

His voice sounded like broken shards scraping together, loud enough to make Naina flinch. Lana felt her fingers tremble for a moment, and she inhaled deeply to steady her breathing.

Naina’s blade pierced her arm once more. Blood trickled down, staining the floor in a dark, growing pool. Her face had long turned pale.

Yet her eyes did not waver.

“L-Lana…” Naina whispered, breath trembling.

“I know.” Lana’s voice was steady, reassuring despite the tension tightening her jaw. “Just a little more. I am right here.”

Naina lowered her gaze, tightening her grip again, and stabbed once more.

The ghost convulsed violently. His once towering presence now flickered like a candle struggling against the wind.

Just when the ghost started to become semi-transparent, Lana felt her mystic energy completely depleted and her body tensed.

’Sh*t! Out of all the time, it has to run out now! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!’

Slowly, the thick stream of blue energy started to thin out, and Mr. Crow noticed it too. His face turned tense, and he frowned, “Lana, what to do now?”

Lana grimly looked at the ghost before loudly commanding Naina, “Just a few more minutes, Naina, we are on the verge of winning. I will use my final move, just hold him till then. And use your special card in four minutes!”

Naina: (o_0?) What special card?

Mr. Crow: (o_0?) What final move?

However, the ghost was terrified; he was holding on till now because of pure will, but now…

He saw that Lana had temporarily retracted her mystic energy, and Naina too looked suspicious. Seeing its chance, it used its last bit of power to teleport away.

Naina, who was rotating the knife in her hand, froze mid-motion as the ghost’s form abruptly warped and flickered. The shadowy mass twisted as if folding into itself, and within a split second, it vanished from where it stood.

Only cold, empty air remained.

For a heartbeat, neither Lana nor Naina processed what had just happened.

Then…

“It ran?!” Mr. Crow screeched, feathers puffing in outrage.

Naina blinked several times, staring blankly at the space where the ghost had been. The exhaustion hit all at once, her shoulders collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She barely caught herself from falling face-first to the floor.

The knife slipped from her fingers, clattering near her knees.

Lana caught her by the arm, steadying her. Even though Lana herself was already swaying on her feet, breathing ragged, she forced her spine straight like steel, holding back collapse.

The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing.

Naina’s voice was hoarse. “D-did… did we lose?”

Lana didn’t answer right away.

Her face was pale to the point of translucence. The mystic energy flow inside her had been completely exhausted. If she tried to summon anything more, she risked fracturing her meridians. Her hand trembled, fingers aching with cold numbness.

“Mr. Crow, scan the room!” Lana shouted, and Mr. Crow quickly used his senses to envelop the entire mansion. The tension in his body slowly relaxed, and he shook his head.

Lana’s heart settled; however, she didn’t reveal a single sign of exhaustion. Instead, she continued to bluff, “We will wait for it! If it returns, I will use my final move right away!”

With that, she placed Naina on the floor and started to meditate on her own.

In reality, Lana was feeling dizzy and nauseous.

Mr. Crow worriedly asked, “Are you okay?”

Lana didn’t reply; instead, she instructed, “Fetch the first aid box.”

Once Mr. Crow did fetch it, Lana moved it toward Naina and stated, “Go ahead and deal with your injuries; we will guard till the sun rises.”

Naina worriedly looked at Lana’s back and murmured, “But your back…”

“I am fine.” Lana’s nonchalant voice masked the pain spreading through her back.

It hurt to the point that Lana wanted to check her injuries right away, however…

Even a single weakness shown now could lead to heavy consequences.

Mr. Crow pursed his beak and preferred to stay silent.

The sun rose, and Lana finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Her shoulders slumped and she slowly sank to the ground as if her strength had been drained from every joint.

She looked completely exhausted. The next second, her body gave way and she collapsed on the floor.

Naina, who had been watching Lana closely the entire time, immediately rushed toward her.

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