The Ghost Brides were minions created by the evil god. Though each seemed to retain some intelligence, in essence, they were merely parts of the evil god.
They were extensions of the evil god's will. If the Ghost Brides wanted to stop Ian from going somewhere, it meant the evil god's subconscious did not want anyone to find that place.
"Could the cellar that hatched the evil god be one of its weaknesses?" Ian could not help speculating, and the Ghost Brides' next actions confirmed his guess.
"Protect. Sanctuary." A monster formed from fused Ghost Brides uttered broken syllables. Its main body retained a woman's upper half, but its lower half had turned into a massive base made of countless tentacles. Ten eyes across five faces locked onto Ian at once, their gazes filled with pure malice.
Ian did not hesitate to strike first.
"Sectumsempra!"
An invisible blade slashed toward the monster, only to suddenly dissipate a few inches from its target—an invisible force field surrounded the creature, capable of breaking down conventional magic.
"Adaptation Field." Ian's pupils contracted slightly. "Even a power that should belong to the evil god's true body, an unsolvable defensive mechanism, can evolve?"
The monster gave him no time to think. Its five mouths opened at once, spewing attacks of different attributes: acid, frost, fire, shadow, and pure Mental Shock. These attacks were not chaotic; they formed a perfect blockade, sealing off every possible route Ian could take to evade.
"Omni-directional Defense Matrix!"
Ian's wand danced rapidly, and seven layers of differently colored shields unfolded instantly. The acid corroded the outermost physical defense; frost froze the second layer's energy deflection; fire melted the third layer's elemental resistance; shadow seeped through the fourth layer's Mental Barrier. In the end, the Mental Shock was barely stopped by