Seeing this scene, Alan didn't delay. They had already wasted nearly ten seconds on the upper floor. If he gave Phoenix more time, she might really escape. With his mind made up, Alan immediately inverted his longsword and thrust it into the ground. With a boom, the floor was broken open again, creating a large hole, and he descended to the first floor.
However, upon reaching the first floor, Alan found that something was still amiss. There was another large hole in the ground, and Phoenix had actually burrowed directly into the basement. This made Alan feel a bit strange, because when Phoenix returned to Germany, he had secretly entered this house and inspected the entire building, not even sparing the basement. There was no passage to the outside world down there, so why would Phoenix enter the basement?
But he didn't have time to think much at this moment. To prevent further complications, he had to seize the time. So Alan repeated his trick, thrusting his longsword into the ground again and descending further through the opened hole.
"Shadow of Destruction!" Just as Alan descended from the ceiling into mid-air, a fierce incantation suddenly came from the basement below. Then, several black magical projectiles, like shadows, shot toward him!
Upon seeing this, Alan not only wasn't nervous but actually let out a long sigh of relief. Since Phoenix chose to ambush him here, it meant that she had no means of escaping to the outside, which meant he had still cornered Phoenix.
Facing the rapidly approaching spell, Alan did not choose to dodge. He simply shuddered, and the flying cloak behind him billowed without wind, steadily supporting him as he floated in the air. Then Alan swung his longsword, which glowed with blue-silver electric light due to the infusion of Wild Thunder, and continuously slashed at the incoming magic projectiles.
"Bang! Bang! Bang...!"
Those spells named Shadow of Destruction, although they were Phoenix's ultimate technique, were still somewhat lacking when facing Eclipse, which was imbued with Wild Thunder magic. Upon impact, besides an intense sound, they simply could not break through this sword net. They were either immediately annihilated by Wild Thunder or deflected to an empty space nearby. However, the strong corrosive effect and the piercing crackling sound that these Shadow of Destruction spells produced when they touched the wall or floor also proved that the power of these magic projectiles was not simple.
And after neutralizing Phoenix's ambush, Alan finally had the opportunity to reassess her current state. Phoenix was currently standing disheveled by a fireplace about ten meters away in the basement, still wearing that scant lace nightgown. However, a wand had appeared in her hand, obtained from who knows where, and her other hand was covered in Floo powder.
It seemed Phoenix had tried to escape using the Floo Network before, but her attempt had clearly failed. Since Alan was coming to encircle her, how could he leave such an obvious escape route for the enemy? He had already cut off the Floo Network lines in this area before entering.
In fact, besides the Floo Network, Alan had also done something to the ground beneath them, because he knew the club had a Tunneling Spell that could pass through walls and burrow through the ground. To prevent Phoenix from escaping by burrowing, the jammers deployed outside also had the function of blocking the Tunneling Spell.
Phoenix hadn't expected the other party to arrive so quickly. Her Soul Elegy should theoretically have delayed him for at least a few minutes, and she was just about to use that time to find a way to escape. Who would have thought he would catch up only ten seconds after she got rid of him?
The reason she hadn't tried to escape through the front door just now was also because she sensed that there were other personnel ambushing outside the house. Without knowing the enemy's setup and being unable to use Apparition, running into open ground would make her an easier target and cause her to be bogged down. So she thought of escaping through the Floo Network, but she didn't expect these enemies to be so ruthless as to even cut off the Floo Network's path.
After realizing that she was trapped in the basement, Phoenix's eyes filled with ferocity. She knew that if she didn't fight today, there would be no good outcome. But at the same time, Phoenix still looked at Alan with some unwillingness, "I've never met you, we have no grudges, why are you looking for trouble with me...?"
"Wild Lightning Thrust!" Just as Phoenix tried to communicate, Alan had already held Eclipse under his ribs, assuming a direct thrusting posture. Then, as if it cost him nothing, he poured Wild Lightning magic into the longsword and unleashed a fierce direct thrust at Phoenix.
The violent and annihilating Wild Lightning, after being channeled by Eclipse, extended a solidified blue-silver sword blade from the tip of the thrusting sword, carrying a destructive and sharp aura as it pierced toward Phoenix, arriving before her in the blink of an eye.
Phoenix truly felt like she was having a terrible day. This wizard in front of her was clearly young and handsome, looking very kind, but why was his behavior so violent? Damn it, he wouldn't even let her speak, just attacked immediately, and he was facing a delicate-looking girl like her, who wasn't even wearing clothes. Was it necessary to act so decisively?
Although Phoenix had cursed Alan tens of thousands of times in her mind, she still responded very quickly to the fierce attack. The moment the opponent attacked, Phoenix judged that she could not take this magic. That destructive aura, as if it would penetrate everything, even caused her skin to tingle from ten meters away.
Phoenix didn't hesitate at all and quickly dodged to the side, even looking like she was scrambling and rolling. There was nothing she could do; this piercing sword energy came too fast. She felt that if she were even a fraction of a second slower, she would be grazed by this terrifying magical blade, and if she were grazed even a little, what awaited her would probably be complete eclipse.
Of course, Phoenix had not misjudged the power of Alan's attack. After the blue-silver sword energy was thrust out, it was as if a flashlight had been turned on instantly, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced into the fireplace where the opponent had been previously. And after hitting that thick fireplace, there was no violent vibration or sound during the impact. Only a whoosh was heard, and the magical sword deeply embedded itself into the fireplace. When Alan finished this attack and dispersed his magic, the struck area had a perfectly smooth, unidentifiably deep, fist-sized hole.
"Tsk..."
As if regretting not being able to kill Phoenix with one blow, Alan pouted unhappily. He had developed this move, Wild Lightning Thrust, for some time now. Its characteristics were concentrated power, extreme speed, and strong penetration. Yet, its first application in actual combat missed its target, which made him somewhat annoyed.
Seeing Alan's regretful expression, Phoenix, who had just escaped death, immediately flared up in anger. Due to her hasty response, her condition was even more disheveled than before. Not only did she have multiple scrapes on her arms and legs, but her nightgown was also torn in several places. Already wearing so little, she was now practically naked.
However, she had no time to think about covering herself. Alan's attitude, not saying a single word of nonsense and only wanting to kill her, put immense pressure on Phoenix. And most importantly, the power he displayed, especially his lethality, was somewhat too astonishing. Besides, she hadn't forgotten that he had several other companions. If they were to converge, her hope of escaping would become even more remote.
*What a pity, most of my equipment and items are not on me. I should have carried my spatial items with me even when sleeping. The habit of sleeping naked is truly harmful!*
After cursing inwardly, Phoenix's eyes immediately became fierce. She knew that if she didn't pay a price today, she would probably be in danger.
"Shadow of Destruction!" "Fear Shudder!" "Bone-Corroding Heart!"
As soon as Phoenix got up, she immediately swung her wand, and in an instant, she shot out dozens of her signature Dark Arts. During this, she also used various spellcasting techniques, trying to ambush Alan. However, for Alan, who was also highly skilled in dueling, these small tricks could at most only serve to delay. The rapidly approaching spells couldn't even get close and were quickly broken by the sword energy unleashed by Alan.
But Phoenix at this moment had no intention of defeating Alan with these spells. All she wanted was to delay her opponent for a few seconds. At this moment, Phoenix suddenly inverted her wand and fiercely thrust it into her palm. The not-so-sharp wand, under her desperate, immense force, directly pierced through her palm, and blood immediately gushed out, flowing profusely from her fingertips.
After performing this incredible act of self-mutilation, Phoenix's expression showed no hesitation, as if she felt no pain, as she pulled the wand out of her palm. And at this moment, the already withdrawn wand, as it left Phoenix's palm, actually brought out a long string of blood from the wound, like stretchy syrup, or like a long whip made entirely of blood.
After Phoenix had completely pulled out this long whip made of blood, she lowered the whip head to the ground, allowing the blood to completely stain the floor. Then, Phoenix was seen rapidly spinning her body, using the blood in the long whip as ink to draw a circular pattern on the ground that contracted from the outside inward, much like the spiral pattern on a snail shell.
After quickly completing this pattern, Phoenix suddenly squatted down fiercely, simultaneously thrusting her blood-stained wand down with all her might, hitting the center of the spiral pattern.
"Netherworld Guardian!"
Phoenix, whose face was pale from blood loss, shouted loudly, and then an astonishing surge of magical power erupted simultaneously from her and the pattern on the ground. Immediately after, the spiral pattern drawn with blood on the ground quickly turned from red to black, and finally, a ring of red and black foul smoke erupted from the edges of the pattern.
When the smoke gradually dispersed, the spiral pattern on the ground had completely turned into a red and black circular pit, with bubbling, viscous liquid adhering to its surface.