The night curtain fell like ink splashed across the sky over Bibo Island, enveloping the once-bustling port town in a desolate silence. The silvery moonlight pierced through thin clouds, casting its glow on crumbling rooftops and peeling walls, outlining the silhouettes of dilapidated buildings and throwing twisted, wavering shadows. In the overgrown weeds at street corners, abandoned wooden barrels and tattered fishing nets swayed in the wind, emitting creaking groans, as if lost souls were whispering secrets.
On the empty cobblestone roads, the wind whistled through shattered windows with a low "whoosh," mingled with faint sobs, like countless trapped souls on the island lamenting their fate. The lighthouse at the distant harbor had long gone dark, leaving only the rusty copper bell atop the clock tower standing in stark loneliness under the moonlight. The hour and minute hands were frozen at 6:15, as if time itself had been forcibly halted here, eternally fixing the island's tragedy in a horrifying moment.
Fa led the team out of the abandoned shelter, their footsteps crunching on cracked bricks, sounding unusually piercing in the dead silence. She gripped her short blade tightly, its surface etched with magical patterns that glowed faintly, with earth and water mana intertwining at the tip. Arya slung the Storm Bow over her shoulder, five arrows of different colors jingling lightly in her quiver.
TISK hoisted the Earthshaker Warhammer onto his shoulder, its surface covered in ice and fire mana circuits; with each step he took, the ground trembled slightly. Kayla's hands had transformed into sharp claws, lightning crackling between her fingers, while frost condensed at the claw tips, forming chilling spikes that gleamed coldly. Rex had dozens of nano-drones hovering above his head, their bodies emitting blue laser sights that traced thin beams through the darkness.
Salsa's figure floated semi-transparently above the ground, followed by several skeleton soldiers whose bone joints grated with "clack-clack" sounds, while shadow demon wolves crouched low at her side, their eerie green eyes fixed on the depths of the darkness. Yuyuer sat atop a chariot formed from flowing water, her fishtail gently slapping the ground, the water elemental crystal at the tip of her staff emitting a soft blue light. Zhamisi concealed herself in a dense green poisonous mist, with only her amber eyes faintly visible within the fog.
"Be alert to your surroundings," Fa whispered in reminder, her right eye's Star Pupil glowing faintly as she scanned the shadows on both sides of the street. At that moment, a low, rumbling growl echoed from all directions, sounding like stones grinding or beasts snarling, reverberating through the air. Immediately after, countless figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the buildings. Their skin was pale as paper, with ugly purple-black veins bulging beneath, their eyes burning with dark red flames, pupils long vanished.
These former townsfolk had become cursed puppets, their movements stiff and mechanical, arms extended straight out, emitting meaningless low growls from their mouths as they slowly advanced toward Fa and her group. Their clothes were ragged and torn, some even exposing withered muscles and bones beneath, yet each step was unnaturally firm, as if some force within supported their decaying bodies.
"They're here!" Fa shouted, her figure darting out like lightning, her short blade slicing through the air with two trails of light. "Stone Blade Assault!" The ground suddenly bulged with several sharp stone spikes, viciously piercing through the bodies of the front-row cursers. At the same time, she flipped her wrist. "Exploding Rain of Thorns!" Countless water droplets fell like needles from the sky, stabbing into the cursers' bodies.
However, the struck cursers merely paused, black mana surging from their wounds like liquid to fill the damaged tissue. In seconds, they were whole again and continued advancing. "How...?" Fa furrowed her brows, a flash of surprise in her eyes.
Arya drew the Storm Bow fully, firing wind elemental arrows simultaneously. "Tornado Storm!" The wind element formed a powerful tornado along the arrows' path, sweeping up over a dozen cursers, their bodies torn and flung in the storm. But after the storm passed, the scattered limbs wriggled on the ground, black mana reconnecting them like spiderwebs, soon reforming complete cursers that stood once more.
TISK roared, charging forward with the Earthshaker Warhammer. "Ice-Fire Explosion!" The hammer carried blazing flames and biting cold, smashing heavily onto a curser's head. "Boom!" With a massive blast, the curser's body shattered, bones and flesh splattering everywhere. But in the next second, the fragments began to aggregate, black mana surging from all sides to reshape a complete body.
"What the hell are these monsters!" TISK wiped the blood plasma from his face, his eyes filled with astonishment. "Their defense is completely abnormal!"
Kayla transformed into a bolt of lightning, flashing behind a curser, her dual claws slashing out. "Thunder-Frost Double Strike!" A bolt of electricity and a wave of frost landed simultaneously on the curser's back, instantly freezing it with web-like electric patterns covering its body. Then, the electricity exploded, shattering the ice and the body inside into fragments. But those fragments rolled on the ground a few times before reassembling even faster than before.
"What on earth is going on?" Kayla retreated a step, staring at the bizarre scene with confusion in her eyes. "They just won't die!"
Rex's nano-drones flew in formation overhead, buzzing. "Analyzing..." His mechanical eyes flickered with blue light. "These targets contain massive dark-attribute mana, continuously repairing bodily damage. Physical and elemental attacks are rapidly diminishing in effect; recommend targeted measures." As he spoke, he directed the drones to fire laser beams, thin red lights piercing the cursers' bodies, yet leaving only brief burns that vanished instantly.
Salsa summoned more skeleton soldiers and shadow demon wolves, attempting to block the cursers' advance with sheer numbers. The skeletons hacked off the cursers' limbs and heads, while the shadow wolves tore at their bodies, but they couldn't stop the wounds from healing. The cursers advanced like relentless killing machines, ignoring the damage to their bodies.
Yuyuer raised her staff, drawing seawater from the harbor to form a massive water curtain barrier in front of the team. "Protective Water Veil!" The water swirled rapidly, hindering the cursers' steps. Zhamisi flanked to the side, releasing a dense green poisonous mist. "Corrosive Fog!" The mist spread, contacting the cursers' skin with a "sizzle" of corrosion, slightly slowing their movements.
"Just like the village elders said..." Fa panted, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Normal attacks and magic are useless. They're like a horde of undying ghosts." She stared intently at the constantly reviving cursers, her right eye's Star Pupil glowing again, attempting to peer through their secrets.
Through the power of the Star Pupil, Fa saw countless thin black energy threads entwined within each curser's body, distributed like veins throughout, constantly channeling dark-attribute mana to repair their forms. And the source of these energy threads all pointed toward the tall tower in the town center—that once-holy tower for the townsfolk's prayers, now emanating thick dark aura.
"Retreat!" Fa decided decisively, waving for the team to withdraw. "These things draw their power from the tall tower; we can't waste time here." They fought while retreating, finally pulling back into a relatively intact building, barricading doors and windows with stones for a momentary respite.
The Star Pupil Reveals the Truth
Leaning against the cold wall, Fa closed her left eye, fully activating the power of her right eye's Star Pupil. Silver light burst from her eye, her vision piercing through walls and darkness, clearly seeing the tall tower in the town center. Atop the tower stood a familiar figure, shrouded in dense black mist. Though the face was obscured, the greedy and evil aura made Fa recognize him instantly.
"It's Leader Gintelo!" Fa opened her eyes, filled with shock. "How is he here? And wielding such powerful curse power?"
"Leader Gintelo?" Salsa's soul form floated in mid-air, her amber eyes filled with confusion. "Who is that? I don't think I've heard of him."
Rex's mechanical eyes flickered rapidly, searching his database. "No relevant records in database; please provide more background information."
Arya furrowed her brows, brushing aside her bangs, and explained gravely: "That's the enemy we encountered in Gold Merchant Fortress, a very greedy guy who once led his subordinates in an attempt to control the fortress. Last time we met him, he was coveting the Star Fragments, but we defeated him." She turned to Salsa and continued: "You hadn't joined us yet, but he also went to your ancient castle, trying to steal your Star Fragment, only to be driven away by you?"
Salsa nodded, recalling: "Oh, those guys! I remember now; they entered the castle and were attacked by the giant golems I controlled, chasing them until they lost their shoes." She paused, her expression turning serious. "But Fa, I feel his aura now is completely different from before. He wasn't that powerful then; now the dark power on him... even makes me feel a bit fearful."
Fa nodded in agreement, observing the top of the tower through her Star Pupil again. "I feel it too; his power is hundreds of times stronger than before, and that dark mana is extremely pure, not like something he cultivated himself—it seems like... he's been possessed by something." She pondered for a moment, gripping her short blade tightly. "Regardless, he's the key to this incident. We must go to the tall tower, find the source of the curse, and stop him!"
Confrontation with Leader Gintelo
The midnight wind grew fiercer, whipping up dust and scrap paper from the ground into small whirlwinds. Fa led the team cautiously through narrow streets toward the town center's tall tower. Along the way, cursers occasionally lunged from shadows, but they were repelled with full force. The closer they got to the tower, the thicker the dark mana in the air became, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.
Finally, they reached the base of the tall tower. Originally built from pristine white marble, engraved with patterns of prayer and peace, it was now covered in black stains, the carvings twisted and ferocious, as if weeping. The tower door was tightly shut, emanating a nauseating stench.
Fa took a deep breath, raising her short blade to slash open the door. At that moment, a burst of arrogant laughter came from the tower top. He laughed wildly: "Hahaha, didn't expect to meet you again, Fa! This time you've got more companions, but so what?" His voice dripped with mockery as he waved his hand, summoning more cursers from the darkness to surround Fa and her group. He taunted: "In front of my curse legion, you're nothing but ants!"
"Gintelo!" Fa shouted angrily, her short blade pointing straight at the tower top. "What have you done to these townsfolk? Why turn them into this?"
Gintelo laughed even louder upon hearing this. "What have I done? I merely gave them a chance at eternal life!" He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the cursed land. "In this world, death is the greatest pain, and I am the god who grants them eternal life! They are now my slaves, my most loyal soldiers. Once I deal with you, you'll join their ranks as part of my curse legion!"
With that, he slammed his hands downward, black mist surging from his body like a tide, infusing into the surrounding cursers. The cursers immediately let out frenzied roars, their bodies swelling a size larger, veins bulging even more under their skin, dark red eyes glowing brighter as they ferociously pounced toward Fa and her group.
Intense Battle
Facing the tide-like surge of cursers, Fa and her team immediately launched a counterattack. Fa's figure flickered, constantly using instant teleportation to shuttle through the enemy horde, her short blade swinging as earth-based stone walls and water-based ice spikes erupted continuously, attempting to block the cursers' advance. But these mana-constructed barriers were quickly smashed apart by the cursers' flesh and blood.
Arya drew the Storm Bow fully, arrows shooting out like meteors. "Five Elements Tornado Storm!" This time she infused more mana, creating an even stronger tornado that swept dozens of cursers into the sky. However, these airborne cursers struggled in the wind, their black mist growing thicker, eventually tearing through the tornado's perimeter and landing back on the ground. Though some limbs were missing, they quickly restored themselves.
TISK gripped the Earthshaker Warhammer with both hands, his muscles bulging as he raised it overhead. "Earth, heed my call!" He roared and smashed the hammer into the ground. "Ice-Fire Earth Rift Explosion!" A massive fissure extended from his feet, spewing scorching magma and biting cold from within, flinging the front cursers away. But these flung cursers flipped in mid-air and landed steadily, continuing their charge.
Rex directed the nano-drone formation into various attack patterns overhead. "Laser Barrage!" The drones fired dense laser beams like a downpour onto the cursers. At the same time, he released mechanical insect swarms that rushed into the enemy horde and self-destructed with violent explosions. However, whether lasers or blasts, they only caused brief hindrances; the dark mana within the cursers always repaired the damage swiftly.
Salsa summoned more skeleton soldiers and shadow demon wolves, even joining the fray with her own soul form, using dark-attribute magic against the cursers. But these undead-powered creatures were greatly diminished in effect against the similarly dark-powered cursers.
Kayla transformed into her giant leopard form, speed like lightning as she shuttled back and forth through the enemy horde, her thunder claws constantly ripping the cursers' bodies. Her attacks were incredibly fast, leaving dozens of wounds on a curser in the blink of an eye, but those wounds were filled by black mana before they could widen. She even tried paralyzing the cursers' nerves with electricity, but these mindless puppets were unaffected by paralysis.
Yuyuer and Zhamisi fought side by side; Yuyuer drew seawater to form massive water dragons that spiraled toward the cursers, attempting to scatter them. Zhamisi released even denser poisonous mist, not only corroding the cursers' bodies but also trying to hinder the flow of dark mana within. However, the cursers pressed through the water dragons and mist like pain-insensitive machines, continuing their advance.
The battle fell into a stalemate; though Fa and her team fought bravely, facing infinitely reviving cursers drained their stamina relentlessly. Gintelo stood atop the tower, arms crossed over his chest, coldly watching the chaos below with a mocking smile on his lips, as if viewing an entertaining show.
"This can't go on!" Fa leaned against a broken wall, panting heavily, her armor covered in scratches and blood plasma. "The source of these cursers' power must be Gintelo himself; we have to find a way to attack him directly!"
Striking the Heart
After making the decision, Fa signaled her teammates with a glance. "Arya, TISK, cover me! Everyone else, hold off the cursers as much as possible and create an opening for me!"
Arya nodded, drawing the Storm Bow fully; this time she infused all her mana into a single arrow. "God of Wind, grant me destructive power!" Powerful wind pressure erupted from the arrow, the surrounding air howling. TISK gripped his hammer tightly, standing in front of Fa, his ice-fire mana surging within, ready to unleash a powerful attack.
"Now!" Fa shouted, activating instant teleportation; her figure shot like a streak of light straight toward Gintelo at the tower top. At the same time, Arya fired her arrow, a massive tornado exploding along its path, sweeping away all cursers in the way. TISK swung his hammer into the ground, roaring: "Ice-Fire Hell Gate!" Countless ice-fire fountains surged from underground, forming a wall of fire that temporarily blocked the cursers' assault.
Gintelo saw Fa charging and curled his lips in a cold sneer. "Finally couldn't hold back?" He didn't dodge, allowing Fa's short blade to thrust toward his chest. However, just as the blade was about to touch his body, the black mist around him erupted, forming a sturdy barrier.
"Clang!" The blade struck the barrier with a metallic clash, a massive force rebounding that numbed Fa's arm, nearly making her drop the blade. She was shocked to find this black mist barrier as hard as iron, even tougher than refined steel to breach.
"You think you can defeat me with that?" Gintelo mocked, slapping a palm toward Fa. Black mana condensed in his palm into a twisted energy ball, carrying destructive aura. Fa quickly retreated, summoning a stone wall to block. "Boom!" The energy ball hit the wall, shattering it to dust; the powerful shockwave flung Fa away, crashing into the tower wall as she coughed up blood.
Seeing this, Arya hurriedly fired several arrows to support Fa, but they were easily shattered by Gintelo's casual wave. TISK roared as he charged up the tower, his hammer carrying dual ice-fire power smashing toward Gintelo, only for him to sidestep effortlessly and counter with a palm to TISK's chest, sending him flying off the tower.
Rex directed drones to fire lasers, attempting to disrupt Gintelo, but the beams passed through his body without harm. "Warning! Target is an energy aggregate; physical attacks ineffective!" Rex's mechanical eyes flashed red with an alarm.
Salsa floated behind Gintelo, condensing a dark-attribute blade to stab at his back. Gintelo didn't turn, grabbing her soul form with a backhand. "Heh, a little undead dares to sneak attack me?" Dark mana surged from his hand, attempting to devour Salsa's soul. Salsa let out a pained scream, her soul form growing weaker.
Kayla transformed into lightning, pouncing toward Gintelo to rescue Salsa. But Gintelo merely waved, a black mist knocking her away. Yuyuer and Zhamisi combined powerful water and poison magic, only to have it easily absorbed by Gintelo's surrounding black mist.
"Hahaha... See that? This is the power of the curse!" Gintelo laughed madly, his black mist growing denser, nearly enveloping him completely. "You pitiful mortals can't comprehend this power! Before me, you have only submission or destruction!"
Fa wiped the blood from her mouth, standing up with unyielding flames in her eyes. "We won't give up!" She gripped her short blade tightly, her right eye's Star Pupil bursting with unprecedented light. "There must be a way to defeat him!"
Breakthrough with Light Element
At that moment, Arya had a flash of inspiration, drawing the Storm Bow and infusing all her mana into pure light-element magic, firing a single pure light elemental arrow. White light flashed as the arrow struck a curser's chest accurately. Immediately, something unbelievable happened. The curser let out a miserable scream, the black mist on its body melting rapidly like snow under sunlight. Its body began to smoke, skin withering and carbonizing at visible speed, finally "bang" exploding into a cloud of ash, dissipating into the air without reviving.
"It works!" Arya exclaimed in joy. "Light elemental magic can purify them!"
Fa reacted instantly: "Yes, the curse is dark-attribute; light element counters it!"
Fa's eyes lit up, understanding at once. "Right! Curse power is dark-attribute; pure light element is its nemesis! Everyone, switch to light-attribute or purification-type attacks!"
Hearing this, the group adjusted their mana attributes. TISK closed his eyes, focusing to retract the ice mana in his hammer, fully outputting fire mana infused with his own righteous energy. "Flame Purification Fury!" As he swung the hammer, it spewed flames with sacred light; any curser touched by the flames screamed and turned to ash.
Kayla concentrated lightning power in her claws, no longer aiming for wide-range attacks but condensing into thin beams. "Thunder Sacred Light Pierce!" She swung her claws, several white-glowing lightning beams shooting toward cursers, each strike disintegrating their bodies beyond revival.
Rex quickly adjusted the drones' frequency, tuning the laser wavelength to light-attribute range. "High-Temp Flame Laser!" The drones' red lights turned white, power greatly increased, easily vaporizing cursers.
Meanwhile, Salsa took this chance to escape Gintelo's grasp and retreated to the side to rest.
Yuyuer drew seawater, infusing light-attribute mana to form a shimmering purifying stream. "Sacred Light Baptism!" The water sprayed onto cursers, not only hindering their movement but slowly corroding the dark mana within. Zhamisi concocted a mist mixed with light-attribute powder. "Sacred Light Corrosion!" The green mist dotted with golden specks contacted cursers, producing a strong chemical reaction that greatly accelerated their destruction.
With everyone's united effort, the number of cursers finally began to decrease, no longer in an infinite regeneration state. Gintelo atop the tower watched his curse legion turn to ash one by one, his face growing uglier.
"No! You bastards!" He roared, his black mist erupting fiercely; all remaining cursers were empowered, their speed and strength multiplying as they madly pounced toward Fa and her group.
"He's desperate!" Fa gripped her short blade. "Gintelo is the source of the curse; defeating him will end this! Arya, TISK, Kayla, come with me—full force on Gintelo! Everyone else, keep clearing the minions and create openings for us!"
"Understood!" Arya drew the Storm Bow again, this time nocking three light elemental arrows. "Triple Sacred Light Tornado!" Three white-light tornados erupted simultaneously, carving a path through the curser horde.
TISK roared in charge, sacred light flames blazing on his hammer; each swing crushed several cursers. Kayla turned into a white light, faster than before, shuttling through the enemy to thin their numbers.
Fa seized the opportunity, activating instant teleportation to reach Gintelo once more. This time, she didn't use ordinary attacks but infused all her earth and water mana into the short blade, mixing in a bit of light-attribute power drawn from her Star Pupil. "Sacred Light Slash!"
The blade drew a crescent-shaped light arc, containing earth's solidity, water's fluidity, and sacred light's purification, slashing viciously at Gintelo. Gintelo summoned his black mist barrier, but this time the light blade easily cleaved through, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound on him.
"Ah!" Gintelo screamed in pain, his black mist churning violently; white smoke billowed from the wound as dark mana rapidly drained. He stared at Fa in terror, fear appearing in his eyes for the first time. "Impossible... My curse power..."
Arya's three light elemental arrows arrived next, striking Gintelo's chest simultaneously. TISK's hammer with sacred light flames smashed his back, while Kayla's thunder sacred light pierce impaled his arms.
"Ah!" Gintelo's body trembled violently, black mist receding like ebbing tide from his body, revealing his original form. His hair was white, face wrinkled, eyes losing their dark red glow, left only with infinite fear and unwillingness.
As he fell, all cursers let out a wail, their bodies disintegrating into black mist that dissipated, leaving only piles of ash on the ground.
"No... This can't be! I've lost again?" Gintelo roared unwillingly, but his body was already shattered.