The giant bear hit Murphy, nearly sending him flying, but Murphy didn't let go of the giant wolf. Instead, he used his right arm to grip the wolf's neck tightly.
He rose into the air, his wings flapping, and thunderclouds immediately gathered in the sky. With a loud rumble, bolts of lightning struck the giant wolf repeatedly.
Alexei, seeing the wolf in danger, struck the drum again, "Spirit of thunder, Golon! Praise your true name, listen to my command! Disperse at once!"
In an instant, the thunderclouds in the sky seemed to be blown away by a strong wind, truly scattering in all directions.
What the...?!
Murphy was dumbfounded.
What kind of absurd power was this, to simply utter a word and disperse the atmospheric phenomena summoned by another?
Distracted, the giant wolf broke free of his hold and turned to bite Murphy's arm, its fangs piercing through his scales and drawing blood.
"Beast!" Murphy roared in anger. His left palm, surging with lightning, pierced the giant wolf's belly like a spear, then he detonated the electrical fire inside it.
"Boom!"
The wolf exploded in front of him like a balloon, the shockwave and electric light sending him reeling, falling from the sky.
"Bang!" Murphy barely regained his balance as he landed, but before he could steady himself, a pair of giant crab pincers suddenly clamped around his waist and pressed him against a huge tree.
The crab's pincers kept tightening, seemingly trying to snap him in two.
Meanwhile, Alexei took a clay doll from his waist and approached the spot where Murphy's blood had fallen. He found a few drops on some dry leaves.
"Bind the enemy's essence, seal the evil spirit... Ancestor Spirits, punish the enemy, let the guilt be upon his hands." He chanted a few incantations, smearing the blood on the doll's face to create a weeping visage.
Then he took out a needle and lightly blew on it, which suddenly ignited.
"Ancestor Spirits, punish the enemy, let the guilt be upon his arms!"
Having said that, he thrust the needle into the doll's left arm.
Murphy, struggling to free himself from the giant crab's pincers, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He saw a hole the size of a child's fist appear out of nowhere on his upper arm, emitting black smoke as if the flesh had been vaporized by something extremely hot.
Losing strength in his left arm, the half-pried pincer clamped back down. Murphy blacked out in pain but seeing the giant bear approaching, he knew he couldn't delay. His right hand flipped, grabbing a flamethrower and aiming it at the giant crab's eyes.
"Screech—" The crab released him in pain, and Murphy instantly transformed into a flash of lightning, escaping into the sky. Unable to summon lightning anymore, he could only dive towards Alexei.
The fire eagle suddenly jumped out, blocking the shaman, but Murphy punched it into the ground again.
At that moment, Alexei took out a second needle, "Ancestor Spirits, punish the enemy, let the guilt be upon his abdomen!"
"Pop!" A large hole opened in Murphy's abdomen, but instead of blood, water flowed out.
What kind of bizarre attack was this? A curse? Fire, water, then it should be wind and earth next?
No, wasn't that wind wolf's bite counted too? If so, there's only one attack left?
Hand, arm, abdomen... the damage escalating, the next attack will surely be fatal! The giant eagle and crab kept attacking, while the giant bear guarded Alexei. They desperately prevented Murphy from getting close to the shaman.
Murphy thought hard.
This must be a ritual; otherwise, Alexei could have directly stabbed his heart, not starting with attacks on the arm and abdomen.
He established a connection with himself using his blood and the battle with the giants, inflicting damage in the form of earth, fire, water, wind... No, wait!
Murphy was suddenly alarmed.
Why... did Alexei let him see this ritual? If the curse only required the giants' attacks and blood, shouldn't he be more covert?
When he chanted the spell, it was as if he wanted everyone to hear it.
The only explanation: He needed me to know about this ritual!
He needed me to understand its steps and general causality.
Because... only then would I anticipate the curse's effects.
Only by preceding steps of hand, arm, abdomen could he make me believe the next attack would be fatal.
Almost all magic can be considered a pathway of the mind, and the nature of this pathway determines that the mind of others is absolutely impregnable—unless you first make them believe a lie, opening a gate in that unassailable wall, willingly accepting external attack.
Now, Alexei's curse, isn't it about making me believe the curse will truly happen to me? This belief might be the most crucial part of the curse's effectiveness.
Meaning, perhaps if Murphy completely denies Alexei can inflict fatal damage, the fatal attack won't actually happen.
But... can he do it? In a life-threatening moment, how can he be sure his thinking is correct? What if the curse has other mechanisms? What if it's indeed inevitable? What if it's already established as a rule in the "Magic Net" over centuries, and mere "denial" by the subject isn't enough to counter this rule? He needs a chance to deny it completely...
It's impossible to completely deny a phenomenon out of thin air, but with some setup, it's different.
It's like standing naked in front of a gun; it's hard to believe you won't die when it fires. But if there's a wall in front of you, a shield in hand, and a bulletproof vest, you can make yourself believe, "When the gun fires, I won't die."
Just then, Alexei lifted another needle, which took on a stony color.
Looking at Murphy with a murderous gaze, he declared, "Ancestor Spirits, punish the enemy, let the guilt be upon his heart!"
The stone needle pierced the doll.
Simultaneously, Murphy's right hand clutched his chest.
"Pop!" A large hole suddenly pierced his left chest, but the hand outside his chest remained unharmed.
With a thud, Murphy fell to the ground, blood gushing out, soaking the ground beneath him.
Alexei relaxed internally, and the three giants approached Murphy. The firebird opened its mouth, ready to incinerate him.
Suddenly, several lightning bolts leaped from behind Murphy into the firebird's mouth, and with a "boom," the firebird's head exploded.
From its severed neck, three or four crows flew out, cawing, "Idiot! Eating a bomb! Caw, caw! Idiot eating a bomb!"
The next instant, Murphy's corpse also transformed into a flash of light and disappeared, reappearing beside Alexei, who was now unprotected by the giant bear.
Murphy's sword swung diagonally, a streak of silver light flashing across the shaman's neck.
In the blink of an eye, Alexei saw that inside the large hole in Murphy's chest,
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