Chapter 45: Never Drink Strange Potions Randomly!

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[“I thought you were still crying in Viggert's arms,” Serra looked at Vivian, the corners of her mouth curling up.]

[She obviously recognized the spell Vivian had used to escape from her back then.]

[Yet, as fellow Witches of the Iris, she and Viggert shared anything but a good relationship.]

[Serra was even beginning to feel thrilled.]

[She wondered if Viggert would be furious upon learning that she had killed her apprentice.]

[Oh, goodness~! If she could get to see Viggert's angry expression, taking a beating seemed almost worth it.]

[Serra's inexplicable excitement gave rise to a towering aura of murder.]

We cannot beat her.

Roan was thoroughly certain that even with his help, they stood no chance against the Serra before them.

[“Run,” you said to Vivian, “We can't win against her.”]

[How could Vivian not know this? Raising her staff, she stepped in front of Hedy.]

[The "Gospel of Suffering" faithfully recorded the magic Viggert had used to teleport them here.]

[Relying on this, Vivian could definitely escape from Serra's clutches once again.]

[But what about the others?]

[Vivian gripped her staff tightly.]

[She was not someone who would willingly sacrifice herself for the sake of others.]

[Yet when it truly came down to it, she actually wouldn't mind risking her life to try.]

Evidently, Vivian was unaware of the spell Viggert had left behind within her staff.

The moment Vivian faced mortal danger, Viggert would undoubtedly arrive immediately.

Realizing this, Roan stopped trying to persuade her.

[Watching Vivian's resolute expression, Serra, whose playful nature was already strong, grew even more delighted.]

[Tormenting a righteous person until they fell into depravation and then killing them was her absolute favorite game in life.]

[Lifting her hand, Serra cast a spell at Vivian.]

[She did not deliver a fatal blow, for she had no intention of striking Vivian dead right away.]

[That would be far too boring.]

[She intended to use charm magic to brainwash Vivian into her personal slave, and then drag her before Viggert.]

[That woman had always cared most about her students.]

[Her expression at that moment would undoubtedly be extraordinarily amusing!]

Observing Serra's thoughts, Roan felt a wave of frustration in his heart.

Dammit! What a golden opportunity for a face-slapping plot!

The enemy thinks victory is secured, then mocks and plays with the protagonist, only for the protagonist to pull out a trump card and achieve a counter-kill.

This kind of trope could be said to be evergreen in web novels.

Many satisfying plot points were merely variations of this exact template.

Yet what frustrated Roan was his absolute certainty that Vivian stood no chance of defeating Serra in a direct fight.

Unless Vivian could intercept one or two decisive skills...

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Wait... intercept a decisive skill!

[Serra's charm spell landed on Vivian.]

[Body Burning emitted a pinkish glow, completely swallowing up the power of the charm.]

[You looked toward your own "Gospel of Suffering."]

[It had already recorded Serra's charm magic.]

[“Huh?” Vivian's indifference drew a look of surprise from Serra.]

[Prior to this, her charm magic had never once failed.]

[What was going on?]

[Could it be that Viggert had given the girl some special remnant soul of a Demon King?]

[No! Absolutely impossible!]

[Remnant souls were exceedingly precious items; no one would casually hand one over to another.]

[Refusing to accept this, Serra switched tactics and cast a brainwashing spell on Vivian instead.]

[However, this type of control magic had zero effect on Vivian.]

[Of course, to say it had no impact whatsoever would be inaccurate.]

[Serra's formidable magical power served as the ultimate fuel for the flames.]

[The fire of Vivian's Body Burning grew increasingly fierce.]

[As Serra attacked Vivian, Vivian continuously attempted to counterattack.]

[Yet whether it was the Self-Binding Curse or the Self-Silence Curse, upon hitting her opponent, they vanished like stones sinking into the ocean.]

[It wasn't that they failed to take effect; rather, Serra instantly dispelled them.]

[Much like how Serra had neutralized Roan Meow's Sin and Punishment.]

Witnessing this scene, the hope that had just ignited in Roan's heart vanished once again.

The spells Serra used to attack Vivian were all control magics, and those very spells happened to be useless against Serra herself.

Serra possessed her own purification ability, which allowed her to dissolve all crowd-control skills, including even Roan's.

However, in Roan's view, that skill paled in comparison to Vivian's specialized Body Burning. While Body Burning could incinerate all negative effects, buffs, and defensive sealing barriers, Serra's ability could only clear crowd control.

[“Interesting, truly interesting.” Seeing that all her control skills were ineffective against Vivian, Serra immediately wore a look of utter amusement.]

[“Could it be that Viggert has developed some new bizarre magic?” Twirling a lock of her black hair, Serra looked at Vivian with keen interest.]

[Vivian panted heavily, catching her breath.]

[It wasn't that she hadn't tried to exploit the movement speed granted by Body Burning to rapidly close the distance to Serra.]

[Unfortunately, as a mage on par with Viggert, Serra was not about to give Vivian any opportunity to get close.]

[Seeing Vivian trapped in dire straits, Hedy tried to rise and go to her aid, only to hear Vivian's unquestionable voice: “Don't come over!”]

[Vivian knew precisely what kind of spells had just been cast at her.]

[If Hedy were to be hit by even a single one of them, she would have already been brainwashed into Serra's most loyal servant.]

[“My, my, my, you surely don't think you can beat me, do you?” Tilting her head, Serra gazed at Vivian, her eyes brimming with playful mockery.]

[Vivian gritted her teeth as the flames of Body Burning gradually subsided.]

[Fortunately, the mana consumption refund provided by the Deep Blue Ring still left her with a tiny shred of combat capability.]

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[She decisively pulled out a new potion.]

[Vivian resolved to stake it all on one more gamble.]

[If worse came to worst, she would immediately grab Hedy and flee.]

[The woman before her was entirely fixated on torturing her right now; the more stubborn she acted, the more excited the woman became.]

[She would certainly never expect that she was about to grab someone and bolt!]

[Just as Vivian raised her hand, she found her grip feeling empty.]

[Looking closely, there was no longer any sign of the potion in her hand.]

[“I see,” Serra said, swirling the potion in her palm with a chuckle, “So this is what grants you that miraculous constitution which immunizes you against control?”]

[When Vivian had been at Lake Ramor, she had similarly fought after consuming a potion.]

[Serra naturally assumed that Vivian's power stemmed entirely from the elixir.]

[Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain how a mere apprentice mage could ignore the crowd control of a Great Mage like herself.]

[“Viggert has indeed researched a thing or two,” Serra's mouth curved upward.]

[“I'd like to see just how your potions are brewed!”]

[Without hesitation, Serra uncorked the potion and drank it down.]

[Her tongue was an absolute gauge! She could instantly analyze the ingredients of any potion!]

Roan was utterly dumbfounded upon seeing this turn of events.

[“What on earth are you doing?” Vivian shrieked practically at the top of her lungs.]

[“Which ring's potion did you just drink?” you shrieked as well.]

[“It seems... it seems to have been the Mad Demon King's ring...” Vivian said, the corners of her mouth twitching.]

[In a life-or-death moment like this, naturally she had intended to drink something with a powerful kick.]

[Thud.]

[Serra dropped to her knees in sheer panic.]

[Her face flushed crimson, her limbs utterly drained of strength.]

[The mana within her body was drained away the very instant she swallowed the potion.]

[“What... what on earth did you just give me to drink?!” Serra's voice grew increasingly bashful and coquettish, her vision gradually blurring.]

[Watching Serra's bizarre demeanor, Vivian waved her hands frantically: “I didn't feed it to you! You snatched it and drank it yourself!”]

[Yet by this point, Vivian's words reached Serra's ears transformed into entirely different meanings.]

[She's feeding me medicine~!]

[Ah~! She cares about me so much~!]

[The gaze Serra directed toward Vivian carried a lingering trace of affection.]

[Serra's favorability +30%]

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