Chapter 31: The Witch’s Unseen Power

Bai Li’s crowbar, having absorbed the immense shock of the impact, was now searing hot, plumes of white steam rising from its surface, with even a faint, ominous redness beginning to show.

“…This crowbar proved quite effective.”

Following that devastating blow, Bai Li once more bestowed a high commendation upon the crowbar.

Truth be told, even with a magical aura protecting her from an attack of such magnitude, her magical prowess was, in comparison to her sheer physical might, akin to that of a mere infant.

While magic power was indeed subjective, capable of being swayed by sheer force of will, it remained, at its core, a form of anomalous energy.

The deployment of supernatural abilities, too, necessitated this very energy, implying that Bai Li’s own formidable physical attributes were intrinsically linked to its influence.

Drawing upon the previous analogy of a bucket, the vessel representing Bai Li’s innate ability possessed an alarmingly vast capacity, so much so that it encroached upon the domains of other potential abilities.

Despite her substantial “water volume”—her total energy reserves—little surplus remained once the bucket of her singular, dominant ability had been completely filled.

Compounding this, a significant portion of her inherent ability operated in a perpetually active state, drastically diminishing the amount of energy she could freely allocate.

Furthermore, as she honed her strength through her unique, subjective method, her physical power would inevitably surge in tandem with her magical amplification.

Consequently, any weapon crafted or reinforced with magic, when subjected to her full might, would invariably shatter under the strain.

Yet, the undeniable truth was that the crowbar currently clutched in her hand had endured, making Bai Li’s high praise entirely understandable.

However, what appeared to be true on the surface belied a profoundly different reality hidden beneath.

In truth, it wasn’t magic power that had fortified the tool; rather, the crowbar itself was actively self-preserving.

Bai Li, however, remained utterly oblivious, and her crowbar, trembling with unspoken fear, dared not confess, choosing instead to stoically endure the immense pressure.

Ultimately, therefore, it still boiled down to a form of subjective idealism, though such a feat was likely only achievable by Bai Li, in her capacity as a “Witch.”

It wasn’t merely any crowbar that could possess such resilience; rather, it was the very act of being wielded by Bai Li that imbued it with such extraordinary strength.

Bai Li, however, remained utterly unaware of this truth, just as she remained ignorant of her own true inherent ability.

“Are we to continue this struggle?”

Bai Li slammed the crowbar, now resembling a glowing fire poker, against the floor, the sharp clang serving to snap the dazed Shen Jingbing back to awareness.

“…What, precisely, are we even contending with…?”

Shen Jingbing racked her brain, yet the events that had just transpired remained utterly incomprehensible to her.

All she knew was that her opponent had, with brutal force, directly obliterated her formidable barrier in a single strike.

This singular, terrifying fact alone was enough to make her abandon all attempts at rational thought, leaving her only capable of articulating that bewildered question.

Had anyone else been privy to her words, they would likely have declared, ‘Truly, only she could utter such a perfectly absurd (TL Note: ‘tucao,’ a Chinese slang term referring to a humorous or sarcastic complaint or barb) remark at a moment like this.’

Naturally, Bai Li chose to utterly disregard this ‘comedian,’ striding purposefully towards Tian Yuxin, who lay not far off.

“You… what exactly do you intend to do?”

Though she, too, had been caught in the shockwave, Tian Yuxin was thankfully shielded by several additional layers of barriers.

Despite possessing a D-rank ability—one that, being growth-oriented, left her physical body indistinguishable from an ordinary person’s—she had not sustained any significant harm.

“Is that, truly, of consequence?”

Bai Li gazed down at Tian Yuxin, the usual disparity in their heights now starkly inverted, with one standing tall and the other slumped to the ground.

“How could it possibly not be important? I bear you no ill will, do I? Why, then, have you suddenly appeared at my home tonight, unleashing such a tremendous upheaval?”

Having suppressed her questions since the very beginning, Tian Yuxin now unleashed a torrent, posing three inquiries in rapid succession.

Tian Yuxin did not recognize the Bai Li before her, clad in a witch’s attire.

More accurately, her perception was deliberately obstructed, rendering her unable to discern the identity of the individual standing there.

Consequently, she could not fathom why this person had suddenly sought her out, going so far as to brutally assault the Weichangzhe Organization member who had been protecting her.

If this were merely an indiscriminate assault, there would be no reason to persist in fighting after discovering the presence of a guard, much less to go to such extraordinary lengths to eliminate them.

To label this an Unusual Creature felt inadequate; even rampaging Unusual Creatures typically retained a modicum of normal instinctive judgment, prompting behaviors such as flight or concealment.

“…”

Confronted with Tian Yuxin’s barrage of questions, Bai Li offered no reply.

In truth, her rationale for being there was remarkably straightforward: she simply wished to impart a harsh lesson upon this insolent individual.

Bai Li neither knew nor cared about Tian Yuxin’s inner struggles or motivations.

To her, the only matters of true importance were Lin Xi and anything connected to her; Tian Yuxin, in that grand scheme, was nothing more than a trivial figure relegated to a forgotten corner.

Ordinarily, such things were negligible; being regarded with looks of utter loathing had always been a matter of complete indifference to her, as it utterly failed to impact her in any meaningful way.

However, if Lin Xi were to be implicated, that would be an entirely different matter.

Even if Lin Xi remained unconcerned, Bai Li would still intervene to resolve the situation.

No one who dared to pose a threat to Lin Xi deserved to exist in this world.

“…Damn it! Who would ever accept an end like this!”

As if spurred by the intangible pressure of Bai Li’s silence, Tian Yuxin appeared to undergo a sudden breakthrough, seizing a shard from the ground beside her and lunging to stab at Bai Li.

Yet, an attack born of mere human physicality was, in Bai Li’s perception, no different from utter stillness.

With a deceptively simple flick of her hand, the sheer force of the air disturbed by her sleeve was enough to send the shard hurtling from Tian Yuxin’s grasp.

Immediately afterward, the crowbar in Bai Li’s hand descended, landing squarely on Tian Yuxin’s foot.

“Ugh…!”

It was uncertain whether Tian Yuxin possessed extraordinary resilience or if Bai Li had, in fact, held back, for she merely emitted a stifled groan.

Given Bai Li’s casual ability to unleash power capable of leveling an entire street with a single strike, however, the latter explanation seemed far more probable.

“How could something so easily shattered by a single blow possibly prove effective against me?”

“Gulp…”

Tian Yuxin clutched her battered feet, her gaze, however, remained fiercely locked on Bai Li.

Yet, as had been established, such a defiant gaze held no sway over Bai Li.

“It is time for this to conclude.”

With those words, Bai Li raised the crowbar high, poised to bring it crashing down.

“Now!”

Abruptly, Shen Jingbing, who had moments ago been lost in existential doubt, let out a piercing cry, and Bai Li, in that instant, felt her hand ensnared as if by an unseen force.

Her gaze darted upwards, revealing her raised arm now firmly encased within a thick yet compact barrier—less a wall, more a perfectly formed cube—which held it immobile.

This, then, was an advanced application of a defensive barrier: to entrap an adversary within a miniaturized field.

After all, the fundamental difference between a defensive barrier and a sealing barrier often lay merely in their intended target.

“This… this thing…”

“Allow me to venture a guess: you were about to say, ‘Such a paltry thing can be shattered in an instant,’ weren’t you? How unfortunate, then, that merely an instant is all we require!”

Shen Jingbing articulated her conjecture with an air of profound satisfaction, as if she were a renowned detective unraveling a complex mystery, though in reality, her guess was utterly wide of the mark.

Nevertheless, that was not where the true crux of the matter lay.

“Take this!”

Tian Yuxin, who had moments ago been immobilized by the strike to her legs, inexplicably surged to her feet, hurling a bottle filled with an unidentified liquid directly at Bai Li.

Distinct from the corrosive potion she had witnessed earlier that day, Bai Li instinctively recognized that this new item possessed a compelling, coercive property, potentially even capable of subduing D-rank, or even lower C-rank, Unusual Creatures.

‘…But, in the end, that was all it amounted to.’

With a sudden, explosive surge of power, Bai Li unleashed an unstoppable force that utterly annihilated everything in her immediate vicinity.