The four-legged Fog Beasts that appeared and disappeared before them were the Illusory Liondrakes.
They had the body of lions and the wings and scales of dragons.
And like all Fog Beasts, the Illusory Liondrakes could shift its body between the material and immaterial, making them difficult to defeat with pure physical attacks.
Even the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon was suspected of being a type of Fog Beast.
However, the Thousand Fog Illusion Dragon also seemed to be on a whole different level of power, according to Headmaster Tabitha’s testimony.
“They’re coming!” Vaan suddenly warned the group.
A split second later, multiple Illusory Liondrakes emerged from the fog and pounced on the group from different directions.
Ding!
Astoria immediately blocked two of the Illusory Liondrakes with a large square-shaped wall of light using her Light Fortification.
Light Wall!
After she blocked the two Illusory Liondrakes’ attacks, she summoned another Light Wall behind them. The two Light Walls quickly rammed together in an attempt to crush the two Illusory Liondrakes to death.
However, the Illusory Liondrakes dispersed into mists and escaped the collision.
Bang!
The impact resounded.
At the same time, Aeliana entered her Dryad Transformation state and stomped the ground with a single step.
Weed Entanglement!
In that instance, the weeds growing in the gaps of the stone road proliferated at an accelerated rate, turning into towering rope-like stalks of grass before binding a few Illusory Liondrakes in them.
“How dare you raise your claws at my Lord!” Aeliana snarled before she rotated her hand with a flick, pointing upward with two fingers.
Numerous grassroots shot out of the ground like spikes and impaled the Illusory Liondrakes.
However, only a few grassroots managed to strike their intended target, spilling some fresh red blood from the Illusory Liondrakes; the rest missed a split second too late.
The Illusory Liondrakes had phased into the fog to escape their bindings.
Aeliana narrowed her eyes with a dangerous glint, visibly annoyed that such pests didn’t drop dead in a single attack.
She quickly manipulated the grass roots and blades to lacerate everything in the area, dicing up the fog in a flurry of lashes like whips.
Nevertheless, her followed-up attack was ineffective against the Illusory Liondrakes in their fog forms.
Meanwhile, Hester, the weakest of the three witches, was the first to secure a kill on the Illusory Liondrakes.
She had impaled one to death with countless black iron spikes until it looked like a porcupine.
“Don’t give them a chance to escape into their fog forms. They have to be killed in a single instant while they are still material,” Hester informed the group.
Vaan didn’t get a single chance to make a move. He was protected by Astoria and Aeliana.
The two ladies could have easily killed several Illusory Liondrakes if they hadn’t used defensive spells to protect him first and foremost.
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Aeliana coolly said.
She didn’t intend to give the Illusory Liondrakes a second chance. Their death sentence had been decided when they raised their claws against her Lord.
Aeliana snapped her fingers, and the overgrown grass roots and blades under her control shattered one by one, turning into countless sharp fragments that floated in the air.
When the Illusory Liondrakes reformed their material bodies some distance away as they were about to launch another attack, they immediately breathed in the sharp fragments in the area.
In that instance, Aeliana diced their bodies into pieces from the inside out.
Meanwhile, Astoria left a pyramid-shaped light barrier behind with Vaan inside to protect him and slashed an Illusory Liondrake in half with a single swing just as it finished reforming its material body.
Red blood splurted from its bisected halves.
In several breaths, a dozen Illusory Liondrakes were slaughtered by the three witches before the remaining Fog Beasts fled into the thick fog.
They had abandoned their prey after realizing the overwhelming difference in strength.
“Light Magic didn’t have the slightest effect on the Fog Beasts. They aren’t creatures of the darkness attribute,” Astoria thought aloud as she recalled her experience.
“I’ve only read about them, but I actually find it quite fascinating to see with my own eyes. To think such illusory creatures could spill fresh blood.” Vaan inspected the remains with interest. “I wonder what kind of beings they are.”
“That’s something studied by many academics, and they still don’t have answers to,” Astoria replied.
“Fog Beasts are one of the strangest types of creatures known to date. No one knows how they could phase between the material and immaterial at will, much less the secret of their existence.”
“More importantly, I think it’s safe to assume that everyone in Misty Leaf Town is dead,” Astoria mentioned.
“Not everyone,” Vaan corrected.
“Oh?” Astoria glanced around with surprise before she asked, “There are still survivors, Teacher Raphna?”
Nevertheless, Vaan didn’t need to answer.
A female survivor took the initiative to approach them after the market square at the town’s center had been cleared of the Fog Beasts.
“Quickly, come with me!” the female survivor called them urgently and said, “Don’t stay out here. It’ll become very dangerous once the stronger Fog Beasts are attracted to this area.”
Vaan and the ladies glanced at each other before they had a tacit understanding.
Without a word, they followed the female survivor, a Mid-stage Senior Witch, back to her home, a three-story building on the edge of the market square.
Shortly after everyone entered the building, the female survivor utterly sealed the entrance, preventing any form of fog from seeping into the premise.
Only then did the female survivor feel relieved. She had taken a significant risk by coming out to fetch them.
Vaan casually glanced at the windows and noticed they had all been covered by black cloths and reinforced with defensive measures, preventing any form of light from entering the building.
The only light source in the building was the softly-lit candlelight by the counter.
“All of you must have lots of questions,” the female survivor mentioned before saying, “Follow me to the underground floor. We can talk there.”
“Alright. Lead the way,” Astoria gestured with a hand.