"Take your claws off!"

After saying this, Andrew felt his previously unsettled heart suddenly calm down.

Because regardless of this woman's identity, background, her relationship with the Desolate Beast, or the secrets she harbors—

none of that matters before saving Ivan!

Rescue first, then talk about everything else!

With this thought, he immediately calmed down.

"Com...pan...ion?"

The woman tilted her head slightly upon hearing Andrew's words, as if trying to recall the meaning of the word "companion."

After pondering for a moment, she suddenly clutched her head and let out a painful and crazed scream.

Sure enough, she removed the hand pressing on Ivan's head.

She raised that hand high and then fiercely struck towards Ivan's head!

Just from the whistling sound of her claw, it was clear how powerful she was as a Flame Warrior.

The aura around her vaguely resembled Humboldt's, possibly once one of the top powerhouses of this Flame Realm.

Now, fallen into such a state, she still possessed the solid strength of a Tier Four Flame Warrior!

However, midway through her movement, her entire body suddenly stiffened.

Twenty invisible "Water Demon Puppets" rushed onto her from all directions, tightly wrapping around her torso, limbs, neck, and head!

"Water Demon Puppet" is a very unique spell from the "Water Element Series."

It doesn't have a fixed magic tier.

When Andrew was Tier One, the "Water Demon Puppet" he cast was Tier One magic.

Currently, as a Tier Two Magic Lord, the one he now cast naturally became Tier Two "Water Demon Puppets."

Compared to Tier One, the "Water Demon Puppet" now had some mysterious patterns on them.

The strength of these puppets wasn't truly enough to restrain the woman.

But the "Slow Effect" they carried made her movements both laborious and sluggish.

Andrew did not forget: Flame Warriors like Raymond and Sally, while strong, feared control.

While temporarily controlling the opponent with "Water Demon Puppets," Andrew stepped forward, appearing right in front of the woman.

This footing skill was from Andrew's newly unlocked Tier Two magic, the "Water-Traveling Boots," a beginner version of the higher-tier "Water Manipulation Technique."

Andrew stooped, reached out, and grabbed Ivan's collar!

Shua! The woman suddenly made a strange joint movement, her arm abruptly breaking free from the binds of the "Water Demon Puppets."

Her hand moved like a phantom, severing Andrew's throat with a single swipe!

"This...!" Andrew's eyes widened.

A massive flood of water gushed from the completely torn throat, splattering everywhere!

But it wasn't blood; it was water.

The entire body of "Andrew" dispersed with a "poof," collapsing into a pool of clear water on the dark red, lava-like ground, quickly evaporating with a hiss.

This was merely a substitute!

In Water Magic, there were substitution spells akin to the "Puppet Fire Series" in Earth Fire Magic.

While the "Water Puppet Avatar" was being burst, the real Andrew was already pulling Ivan back, retreating swiftly.

While retreating rapidly, the "Deep Blue Starlight" paired with the "Flowing Water Spirit" had already started treating Ivan.

The entire process was exceedingly smooth, completed in one seamless action.

This was the prowess that only a Tier Two Magic Lord could achieve.

Even though Andrew was currently within this space-time, through the "Gate of Enlightenment" within his Dantian, he remained closely connected to the entire Wildfire Territory.

This space-time could isolate ninety percent of Andrew's soul connection with Ivan, yet it couldn't completely sever the link between Andrew and Wildfire Territory.

In terms of tier, Andrew was Tier Two, not remarkable within the younger generation of this Flame Realm.

Yet in terms of true strength, Andrew undoubtedly stood alongside Barbara as one of the strongest in the young generation! This was despite him only being at Tier Two currently, not yet breaking into Tier Three.

"Eh...? You... you are...?"

The woman's consciousness hovered between "daily confusion and occasional clarity."

Previously, when hit by Andrew's "Zero-Distance Water Cannon," she had muttered, "You... are...?" seeming to recognize something.

She now uttered similar words.

Seeing Andrew successfully snatch her prey right from under her, even though she had turned into a non-human, ghostly half-beast, even with a scrambled mind—she couldn't help but show a trace of human-like surprise and astonishment.

At that moment, she genuinely seemed to have fleetingly recovered some semblance of humanity!

But surprise and astonishment aside, any brief return of humanity quickly gave way to even more rampant chaos and anger.

The woman no longer cared about Ivan, but stared at Andrew, her beastly eyes revealing a cruel interest, with the whites of her eyes showing at the bottom.

She struck.

A punch roared forth!

When she raised her fist, she was still twenty meters away, but when she punched, her fist was already in front of Andrew!

There was no doubt, that was a pure Combat Technique exclusive to Flame Warriors, somewhat ancient compared to modern techniques, less elaborate but winning in its simple archaism.

So well-honed was that punch, it was undoubtedly ingrained in her very being, such that even bereft of sanity, her instinctive punch could still leave any Flame Warrior in awe, a near-perfect strike!

Moreover, the strike was fast.

"So she's already overcome the speed shortcoming of a Flame Warrior?" Andrew thought.

Earlier, he had been somewhat flustered. Now, the more he observed, the clearer things became.

Andrew recalled a legendary top-tier Combat Technique among Flame Warriors: Dragon Transformation.

It was said that after Dragon Transformation, a Flame Warrior would morph into a half-human, half-dragon "Dragon-man State," hugely boosting their speed for a short duration.

Though still inferior to the evasive speed of a Desert Hunter or the straight-line speed of a Crimson Knight, it was markedly faster than a non-transformed Flame Warrior!

"Could it be this woman has overdone the Dragon Transformation, unable to restore her human form, leading to her mental decline into this state?" Andrew pondered, "In the Dragon-man State, it's said scales appear, though not the scales of a Desolate Beast. Unless... after losing control in Dragon Transformation, the scales morph into those of a Desolate Beast? In worse scenarios, she might—"

With a splat.

Andrew's head burst apart.

The "Water Puppet Avatar" activated again, "Andrew's" body turning into a pool of water once more, but this time it didn't evaporate. Instead, it transformed into a gigantic water ball, encasing Ivan within.

The "Water Ball Technique" is the most foundational water magic, yet its application is the most versatile and flexible.

Andrew used it as a barrier to protect Ivan, a sanctuary.

Once again, the real Andrew's figure surfaced, appearing behind the woman.

"Ivan has been rescued. Now, next..."

Andrew thought, "Let's first defeat this woman."

Upon realizing her state was indeed a Dragon Transformation state, the incredible conjecture in Andrew's mind became clearer.

If possible, Andrew hoped his guess was wrong.

Regardless of whether his guess was right or wrong, how much of it was right or wrong, there was only one way to confirm and verify—

Defeat her.

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