The silver talisman suddenly grew cold, as if layered snow had compressed it into crystalline form. Cain shivered, his mind instantly sharpened—fear and panic seemed briefly frozen in place. He swiftly poured his own spiritual essence into the talisman and used his fingers to push the thin silver sheet out of his pocket, letting it fall to the floor beside him. A deep, steady flame materialized in the air, with a soft, continuous series of explosions echoing gently. A profound, serene stillness spread instantly, filling half the bedroom, enveloping Lady Xyren and the "Night-Watcher" Coen Le, as well as Cain himself! The "Sleeper's Talisman" is inherently neutral—by design, it must be thrown toward enemies to be effective. In that case, the user is only affected by the afterwave and remains free from the allure of sleep. But now, Cain's arms were caught in countless invisible threads, preventing him from throwing the talisman. Instead, he had to trade his own slumber for Lady Xyren's. Yet he had long anticipated and prepared for such a scenario, as it pertained specifically to his own unique nature—a distinction that set him apart from most ordinary or mid-tier extraordinary beings. In that instant, Clary’s eyelids drooped unnaturally, and he slipped into a state of deep sleep, entering dreams. Meanwhile, Lady Xuelin and the motionless Cohen experienced a noticeable lag and momentary stillness as well. Under this atypical condition, Clary swiftly regained his sense of self within the dream, remaining fully conscious and aware of his state of sleep. Whenever a dream was forcibly intruded upon or a hypnotic effect was induced, he consistently maintained his clarity of mind and wakefulness! This had been true both during his encounter with Doun’s nightmare ability and when he was under Daili’s telepathic influence! Crackle! Klein forcibly broke the dream and awoke, feeling that the countless fine filaments binding his arms, legs, and body had slightly loosened and no longer tightened. The Countess near the full-length mirror appeared confused, as though she was about to escape the effects of the "sleeping incantation" yet had not yet fully awakened. Coen Li lay motionless on the ground, the "Seer's mirror" resting nearby, his revolver tipped against the doorframe. Opportunity! Seizing the moment when the filaments relaxed, Klein drew his left hand and snapped his fingers once, producing a soft blue spiritual flame, which he then used to burn through the countless filaments extending toward the front. At the same time, he raised his right hand and fired the revolver continuously. Bang! Bang! Two silver hunt-mage bullets shot from the barrel and struck the Countess. Klein did not pause to check the results; instead, he bent his knees, strained his back, and rolled over, landing beside Coen Li, thereby pulling the filaments wrapped around his body taut and snapping them. His primary objective upon firing had been to inform the captain outside, to notify Denys Smith that an unexpected incident had occurred inside, that combat had been engaged, and to urge him to come swiftly for reinforcements. Of course, the ideal outcome would be to strike directly and fatally—ideally, to hit Lady Shelan. That would be the best possible development! Yet, Cline did not believe that a非凡 being of sequence 7, or even sequence 6, would be so easily dispatched. With a sudden movement, streaks of pale blue flame ignited in the air—each flame a glowing filament being set alight—and within this dreamlike scene, two silver hunt-mage bullets struck Lady Shelan precisely in the body. Crack! Crack! Lady Shelan, clad in a semi-transparent nightgown, her form subtly shimmering like a red moon floating in a lake, began to disintegrate. The full-length mirror beside her cracked, most of its pieces reduced to fragments no larger than a thumbnail, while a few remained suspended in the frame, each resembling a palm—odd, irregular, and strangely shaped. A duplicate? A magical ability of a sorceress of the magic sequence? Klein's peripheral vision caught the thread as it rolled to Cohen Li's side, snapped by the force of his movements, and the pale blue flame in the air failed to spread. At that moment, Lady Xuelun vanished, and Cohen Li, in his state of "suspended slumber," extended both hands and pressed them firmly against his own neck, spitting out droplets of saliva and pushing his tongue out, refusing to release his grip. Yet in Klein's spiritual sight, there was nothing unusual nearby! Suddenly, he recalled a description from the records of the seal "3–0271": The most dangerous situation is, seeing oneself. "Could Cohen Li have seen himself reflected in the full-length mirror, as captured by the seal '3–0271'?" Klein thought instantly, and without pausing, reached for another silver talisman. It was triangular in shape—an "Anhun Talisman." "Red!" Klein uttered the ancient Hermes word, infused it with spiritual energy, and hurled the talisman into the air. Then, with his left hand, he pressed down and felt the "Mirror of the Spirit-Channeler." He had just checked with his peripheral vision—this sealed object was face-down, so it would not reflect him. The triangular silver sigil ignited a soft, serene ice-blue flame, and a gentle, calming black hue spread over Coen Li and reached even to Caine himself. The tension and unease instantly dissipated. Coen Li's gesture of pressing her own neck slowed markedly, and Caine no longer felt as though he were on the battlefield; instead, he stood as if by a convex window in his home, gazing out over the quiet streets at night, both body and spirit now at peace. This was exactly the transformation Caine had hoped for! At this very moment, he entered an exceptionally tranquil state, as if the entire world had shrunk down to just him, with nothing else existing. With this sensation, a sudden, intuitive thought flashed into his mind: Lady Xuelun was about to attack my right side! This was the "Jester's" foresight in battle. Without hesitation, Caine seized the "Mirror of the Seer" and rolled to the left. As soon as he moved, a dagger blazing with black flame silently pierced the spot where he had just been—landing precisely in his right side. Snowlen's figure reemerged once more. Amid the roll, Caine suddenly raised the "Mirror of the Seer" and directed it toward Snowlen. He had drawn closer to Coenli not only to rescue his companions, but primarily to retrieve this sealed object. Otherwise, he didn't believe he could have held on long enough until the队长 arrived, securing a favorable outcome—the "Yang Flame Seal" could counter extraordinary beings, but it was less effective against the undead, and moreover, Snowlen wouldn't stand still, allowing him to use the seal freely. If all else failed, Caine would have to risk using the "Azk Copper Horn." He would explain everything once he had secured his life. Yet the unfolding of events proved better than Klein had anticipated—Lady Xyren chose to strike, allowing him to continue using the anointing spell and maintaining his hold on the "Seer's Mirror" without interruption. Instantly, Klein formulated a simple plan: he would not evade the lingering effects of the "anointing," instead leveraging them to enhance the "Clown's" foresight, then seize the moment to dodge attacks and use the "Seer's Mirror" to reflect his enemies. Lady Xyren, clad in a semi-transparent nightgown, missed her initial strike and was about to pursue the agile, rolling opponent when suddenly she caught sight of a mirror—its surface marked by three small cracks. As the water in the mirror rippled, a woman's figure emerged, her dark, thick hair flowing straight down and concealing her face. Klein gave his left hand a gentle shake, and the "Seer's Mirror" slid forward several dozen centimeters along the carpet, now facing upright. A pale hand extended from the mirror, and the figure of a woman dressed in a gown like a white sheet swiftly crawled out of the reflection, rushing toward Lady Xuelin. Lady Xuelin's expression darkened slightly; the warm, genuine brown eyes took on a deep, shadowed hue. Seven black flames began to swirl around her. A burst of flame shot out, striking the woman whose long hair covered her face and who wore a white gown. Ah! The woman ignited, emitting a pained cry, and soon vanished. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Black flames, like bullets, followed one after another, aimed directly at Cline. Cline's pupils contracted, and he rolled swiftly, unable to pause. Yet his movements gradually grew sluggish, as invisible, fine threads began to wrap around him, slowing his pace and impairing his actions. This was precisely the downfall of the "Clown's" combat prowess. A black flame skimmed past Caine's face and landed on the large bed beside Lady Xyren, yet it did not ignite—seeming to affect only living or spiritually attuned things. Before Caine could even feel grateful for having narrowly escaped that blow, a sudden intuition flashed through his mind. So he abruptly pulled at his spine, shifting from a forward roll to a lateral roll. A transparent ice lance suddenly emerged, piercing the carpet and striking the spot Caine had intended for his next move. White frost spread outward, reaching Caine, whose movements had been subtly affected by the fine threads. He suddenly shivered, his body stiffening; though still able to move, he felt notably sluggish. Seeing fresh black flames coil around Lady Xyren and a transparent ice lance form in her hands, Caine no longer hesitated. He reached into his coat pocket, grasped the Azk copper whistle. *Hoh, hoh, hoh.* At that moment, Coen Li broke free from the effects of "repose" and "sleep," rose to his feet, and stared blankly at Madame Xuelun. A shadow seemed to hover over his face, silent and eerie. With a series of hurried steps, "Coen Li" charged directly toward the nearest Madame Xuelun. Madame Xuelun narrowed her eyes, sending black flames one after another that spiraled around her and struck "Coen Li." Pff, pff, pff—the black flames dissipated like snow, doing nothing at all. Kieran was first stunned, then raised his right hand and fired a shot at the spot where Madame Xuelun now stood. Thud! Madame Xuelun had already stepped aside, launching her ice lance, which only pierced "Coen Li," cutting through his garments but failing to penetrate his skin or create any freezing effect. Thud! Kieran fired again, and Madame Xuelun darted to the side, now standing beside a broken full-length mirror, picking up a fragment no larger than a palm. She moved with swift agility, dodging bullets and using the irregular fragments to illuminate another surge of "Koehn Le," casting his silhouette into the mirror. Meanwhile, Madame Xuelen flashed aside, brushing the mirror surface with her hand, which was covered in black flame. At this moment, Caine exhausted his bullets and had to甩 out his revolver, allowing the spent cartridges and the gun itself to fall to the carpet. As he rolled to pick up Koehn Le's revolver, he suddenly heard his teammate's cry. "Koehn Le" halted, bent down, and began to vomit—first bile, then a fresh red heart, and finally his burning black-flame lungs and stomach.