Rey was genuinely surprised that Reppel, wearing that heavy black cloak, could still move so quickly.
Even more surprising was that she had snatched the Specter Bead right out of the air—the bead that was rightfully his. And she had swallowed it whole. A walnut-sized object, just gulped down like that. If it were Rey, he would have choked to death.
Reppel still had strength left. Or at least, she had saved enough strength to deal with him.
During her fight with Mika, she had indeed been losing. At that point, she genuinely planned to grab Rey and flee. But then she accidentally fell into Mika's sand trap. The moment she hit the ground, she realized Rey was no longer paralyzed.
Both of them were playing each other. You want to use me, and I want to use you. Their thoughts were practically identical.
In the end, Reppel's acting skills were just a cut above. Although the situation was incredibly dangerous, her final desperate gambit forced Rey to reveal his hand and strike.
"Little guy, next time, be more patient. Never strike unless you're absolutely sure, or until death is knocking at the door," Reppel lectured him earnestly, leaving Rey speechless.
---
They were standing extremely close. Rey could see beads of sweat glistening on Reppel's skin beneath the tattered cloak.
He had seen what this woman was capable of. Her magic was weird, and her speed was terrifying.
"What are you planning to do?"
Rey asked coldly, his voice stiff. He had been too soft earlier. If he had taken out Reppel immediately after Mika, he wouldn't be in this passive position now.
"Do? Big sister is saving you. Didn't you hear Mika's dying curse?"
Reppel lifted Rey's chin with a slender finger, admiring him like a man admiring a beautiful woman. Her tone was relaxed and playful, completely devoid of the desperation she showed moments ago.
Seeing the disbelief on Rey's face, Reppel chuckled softly. "The curse is real. Don't doubt it."
Her voice was husky and seductive, but trusting her was difficult. Besides, Rey wasn't really listening.
"Sectumsempra!"
Without warning, Rey shouted the incantation.
He didn't move his body. He simply flicked his wrist, pointing his wand directly at Reppel's chest.
Aside from Avada Kedavra, Sectumsempra was the most powerful offensive spell in Rey's arsenal.
Standing stiffly and casting with only a wrist flick reduced the spell's power by half. But even at half power, Sectumsempra was a vicious cutting curse. It formed an invisible sword, slashing toward Reppel.
The attack was sudden, launched from point-blank range with zero tell.
As soon as the spell fired, Reppel's body jerked backward reflexively, and she let out a cry of surprise. The force of the blow sent her flying backward as if she had been physically struck by a heavy blade.
---
The invisible sword should have pierced her body. Even with reduced power, Sectumsempra shouldn't have just knocked her back. It was as if she were wearing a bulletproof vest—the sword couldn't penetrate, so the impact sent her flying.
The black cloak was her armor. It could absorb blood, and apparently, it could withstand cutting spells too. Because the cloak blocked the curse, Reppel was thrown back instead of being sliced open.
Rey had his reasons for attacking suddenly.
Although Reppel acted relaxed, showing no signs of magical exhaustion, Rey didn't believe her fight with the blood demon Mika had been that easy.
They were both king-tier evil spirits. Even with Rey's surprise intervention, killing Mika couldn't have been effortless.
Rey had watched the entire battle. He judged that Reppel must be drained. That was why he had hesitated earlier.
Reppel had forcibly snatched and swallowed the Specter Bead. If she weren't running on fumes, she would have attacked Rey immediately after taking the bead.
Instead, she stood there chatting, stalling for time to recover.
Rey wasn't stupid. He seized the opportunity for a surprise attack.
But the fact that the attack failed was completely unexpected.
Against a strong enemy, if a sneak attack fails, run immediately. That is the golden rule.
After knocking Reppel back, Rey considered Avada Kedavra. But Reppel's black cloak had blocked Sectumsempra's invisible blade. It was like an ultimate shield. Rey feared it might block the Killing Curse too.
So, after the failed strike, Rey pulled out the one-time teleportation stone Terence had given him.
Pick a direction, throw it down, and teleport three hundred meters.
Terence hadn't lied. In that moment, Rey thanked him from the bottom of his heart. As the stone hit the ground, a flash of light blinded him. When his vision cleared, he was three hundred meters away.
By the time Reppel landed and looked up, Rey was gone.
"A teleportation stone!"
Reppel recognized the flash of light immediately.
She knew these stones had a limited range. Seeing Rey vanish, she quickly scanned the other three directions to find him.
She had stalled for time because she had just swallowed Mika's Specter Bead and needed a moment to assimilate its energy and recover her magic.
Although the slash to her chest hurt like hell, her magic had recovered significantly. At the very least, she felt confident she could handle a little wizard like Rey.
She wasn't about to let him escape. After all, she had waited years for a wizard like him. She wouldn't give up this opportunity easily.
---
Rey didn't think he could outrun Reppel. Her speed was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Even with a three-hundred-meter head start, she would catch him in minutes. So, Rey chose to run toward the desert, just across the line from the wasteland.
Reppel couldn't see the chubby dragon, so Rey guessed she probably couldn't see the other world hidden in the desert either.
Rey didn't know if that world was an illusion. But real or not, it was far more terrifying than Reppel. If he could enter that world, maybe he would find a chance to survive.
With the distance advantage, Rey sprinted toward the desert. He wished desperately that he knew Apparition or the Mist Form spell. Either would be faster than running on two legs.
Finding someone on the vast, flat wasteland was easy. As long as he hadn't crossed the horizon, he was visible.
Especially since he was running straight for the desert, three hundred meters away.
"Hmph. Trying to run. The end of the wasteland isn't an exit."
Reppel sneered. She rose into the air, feet leaving the ground, and swooped toward Rey with a whoosh.
Flying is definitely faster than running.
Reppel closed the distance rapidly but maintained a steady thirty meters behind Rey.
It was a deliberate distance. She could have caught the fleeing rabbit in two seconds if she wanted. She held back because she wanted to toy with him.
She wanted to see Rey hit the wall. The line between the wasteland and the desert was a transparent barrier. Whether by physical force or magic, that invisible wall was impassable.
Sure enough, Rey reached the edge of the wasteland and charged toward the desert, seemingly unaware.
Thud!
A loud noise echoed in the air. Just as Reppel expected, Rey slammed face-first into the invisible wall. He bounced back, flipping over and landing on his back, looking like a dazed turtle with its limbs flailing.
"Hehe! Little brother, big sister is so nice to you, why run away? Go on, keep running. If you can actually run into the desert, big sister promises to listen to you. I'll do whatever you want me to do."
---