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Tally supported Carl as they slowly crossed the final battlefield.

Following the furrows carved through the ground, they finally found that pitiful, hateful man at the southernmost edge.

Vel'th, the instigator of this disaster, was crawling across the ground like a filthy worm.

He had lost half his body, with only his right arm and right leg remaining. The stormlight in his eyes had nearly gone out, yet he still clung to life.

He did not want to die. Even if he had to beg disgracefully, even if he had to wriggle like an earthworm forever, he did not want to die like this.

Crawling and crawling, he forgot his ideals, abandoned his wisdom, and cast away his dignity...

He kept crawling, transforming within reversed time, forgetting every noble quality and devolving into a complete beast.

His fear of death and failure had driven him utterly mad.

Tally and Carl stood before him.

As though sensing the shadows falling over his head, Vel'th blankly raised his head.

Looking at the two of them, a trace of color seemed to appear in his muddled eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

Strange syllables came from his throat. The beast growled in displeasure, wildly slapping at the Taurens' hooves with its lone right hand. It spat drool, bared its teeth, and threatened them simply because Tally and Carl had blocked its path.

Carl watched coldly, raised his axe, and steadily aimed it at the demon's head.

The beast's gaze was drawn to the gleaming edge. It cautiously reached out with its right hand and touched the blade, only for the edge to slice its finger. It whimpered in pain and curled into a ball.

Carl watched in disgust and raised his axe.

"Take this as mercy, you pitiful thing... May you find peace in the next life..."

The massive axe came crashing down, only to stop before the beast's forehead. Carl was startled, because the one who had stopped him from delivering the killing blow was his wife.

For some reason, Tally had stopped her husband. Her expression was grave as she shook her head.

"We can't do this!"

"Why?"

Carl did not understand. Whether for revenge or mercy, he had every reason to bring down that axe. But the person stopping him was his wife, which left him deeply confused.

"Listen to me, dear. This storm body came from a foul ritual. Though it looks dim now, countless twisted elements still remain within him."

Tally shook her head solemnly. "In truth, his body has become an extremely dangerous bomb."

"If we kill him carelessly and release those shattered elemental remnants, the terrifying power of elemental annihilation will destroy everything within several kilometers!"

"Is there any way to stop it?" Carl asked with a frown.

"There is a way..."

Tally suddenly looked sorrowful. She softly said, "We need to exhaust all of his power, just like Master did."

"To destroy it and save our people, Master sacrificed herself. With the aid of all spirits, she used the core left behind by Senior Brother to transform herself. Yet even after doing everything she could, she still failed to destroy this evil creature."

"At the time, all I could do was watch... I couldn't do anything..."

Carl sighed and held Tally a little tighter.

"You were still asleep then. It wasn't your fault..."

Tally shook her head. She was clearly still blaming herself. Perhaps, in her eyes, standing by and doing nothing was something shameful.

These kind people never dwelled on how much the world owed them. Fate always wounded them, yet they still wanted to live with smiles on their faces.

"Do you remember what you always used to criticize me for?"

Carl smiled. "If one person can't do it, then everyone does it together. We'll always find a way." "My Tally is so smart, and with this big dumb bull beside you, we'll definitely solve this problem!"

"Thank you..."

Tally buried her head against Carl's chest. Listening to the powerful beat of his heart, she suddenly had an idea.

"I have a way!"

"That Storm Core!" Tally said gravely. "That core came from me. He devoured my body, so he must have formed a connection with me. If we can make good use of that bond, perhaps we can purify all the elements from within!"

Carl felt as though his heart had been stabbed again. His eyes were bloodshot, and his clenched fists cracked. If they had not needed to keep it alive, he truly wanted to punch that disgusting head into pulp.

Tally extended her right hand and slowly brought it toward the beast's head. Pure white light from Purification shone from her palm.

The beast let out a terrified roar. It pressed its jaw to the ground and made a rumbling sound in its throat, warning Tally not to come closer like a feline beast.

Its instincts told it that this light could threaten its life.

But bluffing was all it could do. Carl roared furiously, reversed his axe, and slammed the handle hard into its skull. The beast's growl became a pitiful whimper, like a lion stripped of its mane.

Tally's Purification fell upon it, but it triggered a drastic change.

The beast gave a miserable wail. A series of explosive cracks rang out from its massive body, and its storm shell suddenly swelled by a full circle, like an overinflated balloon that could no longer contain what was inside.

"Quick! Fall back!"

The Shaman cried out. Carl pulled Tally into his arms, shielding her from the full force of the wind with his back before leaping away.

The beast's body swelled several more times. Several glowing cracks split open amid the blue cyclone, and the storm erupted with howls, releasing terrifying energy.

"No... no, no, no! My estimate was wrong! It absorbed far more elements than expected. It's too late to purify them!"

Not only had the failed spell not purified it, it had instead provoked the elements inside Vel'th. Like water splashing into boiling oil, they reacted violently before Tally could prepare herself.

The first lesson Shaman masters often taught their students was to guide them to feel the voices of the elements. Elements had emotions too. Like all Tauren, they could cry, laugh, grieve, and rejoice.

Now they had suffered enslavement and corruption. Lost in the fury of betrayal, they began angrily destroying everything around them, no longer able to hear the Shaman's sorrowful pleas.

"Free storm, please open Your tightly shut eyes and look upon this bleeding land! Your most devout servant humbly begs before You! I implore You to show mercy!"

"That filthy evil has paid its price and will face just judgment. Please let Your fury subside and return peace to this land!"

Tally pleaded loudly, but the elements, blinded by rage, turned a deaf ear.

The destruction gradually spiraled out of control. Carl felt as though every hair on his body was about to stand on end. The electrical energy in the air was likely even denser than when the demon had first been reborn, and it continued to increase.

Great chunks of stone and turf were swept into the gale, colliding and shattering within the storm. This enormous tornado was like a giant mortar, crushing everything around it.

Carl stamped heavily against the ground to steady himself. His left arm held Tally tight, while his right gripped his axe as he stood firm before the storm.

"They can't hear us at all! What do we do? What do we do? If it keeps expanding like this... Bloodhoof Village! The entire Bloodhoof Village will be destroyed!"

Tally gazed painfully at the devastation and released Purification with all her strength.

As more and more elements gathered, their cyclones gradually converged, forming a solid wall of wind. It wrapped Vel'th's expanding body within the eye of the typhoon, and Purification had no way to break through that physical barrier.

At this critical moment, Carl suddenly seized her hand, roughly pulled her into his arms, and fiercely kissed Tally on the lips.

The sudden kiss was intense and brief. Leaning against each other's shoulders, Carl said softly in the gentlest voice, "Believe in yourself. Relax. You're the High Priest's direct disciple, the most gifted Shaman in Bloodhoof Village!"

Facing the ever-growing storm, Carl said firmly:

"That's not all! You're also Carl Bloodhoof's wife! Sai'an Whitehorn's mother! You are our eternal beloved, and we will always be a family!"

"No matter how much suffering lies ahead, no matter how dark the future, we will face it together!"

Carl's words struck Tally's heart heavily. A bittersweet surge of pride rose within her, suddenly giving her boundless courage.

"That's right! I'm not alone!"

A resounding battle cry burst from Tally's petite body. She tore off her feathered headdress, allowing her beautiful platinum mane to stream in the air like a valiant female warrior.

She threw the headdress to Carl. He caught it and discovered a small pouch hanging beneath the feathers and beads.

"Help me! Keep them restrained! There are ceremonial totem poles inside!"

"I'm going to perform a grand ritual!"