Inside Gwen's Family home.
After using Undead Skeletons to quickly scout the situation and confirm there were no issues, Sharlot said to Gwen:
"Gwen, let me see your annabelle."
Gwen nodded, carefully taking annabelle out of her pink backpack and handing it to Sharlot.
She was afraid that if she accidentally bumped or scratched it, the nightmares at night would become even more terrifying!
During this time, this little girl, who appeared strong and spirited on the outside, had been tormented quite badly by annabelle!
Sharlot took annabelle and examined it carefully.
The appearance of the annabelle in his hand was very similar to the one in The Conjuring movie.
It was a porcelain doll, about forty centimeters tall, wearing a white cotton dress and a shoulder-length blonde wig.
Its facial features were particularly frightening: black-red lips, murky dark-blue pupils that were unusually large, unnatural blush, and a smile that seemed forcibly stretched, as if it had been soaked in formaldehyde, making it look exceptionally eerie.
He didn't know if it was an illusion or something else.
As Sharlot looked into annabelle's eyes, he always felt as if someone was looking back at him through those terrifying eyes.
"Is this annabelle?"
Sharlot murmured.
Regardless of whether Chthon or Pluto was behind annabelle,
Sharlot believed he had to cast aside distractions and prioritize the first step—dealing with the annabelle in front of him.
Regarding annabelle's abilities of restoration, teleportation, and hallucination,
he planned to test them sequentially using the Bone Spike Whip, Hell's Gate, and Chaos Shield.
He wanted to see if annabelle was truly as sinister as Gwen's Family and her father claimed.
With that thought, Sharlot decided to start with the simplest approach.
He picked up annabelle and slammed it onto the ground!
With a crash!
The exquisite porcelain doll instantly shattered into countless fragments!
The broken pieces scattered casually across Gwen's Family's living room, just like an ordinary doll, as normal as could be!
Sharlot frowned, looking at Director George in confusion.
"Director George, didn't you say it would restore itself?
This doesn't seem like a big deal, does it?"
Director George tremblingly extended his finger, a hint of despair in his voice.
"Ma-Master Sharlot, look, it's... it's restored.
It's... it's even in your hand."
Sharlot looked down at his hand.
He saw that annabelle, which he had just smashed to pieces, had somehow restored itself to a complete porcelain doll.
And it had appeared in his hand without him noticing!
If Director George hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have even realized it!
He didn't know if it was an illusion or something.
As Sharlot looked at the eerie, death-like smile on annabelle's face, the curve of its lips seemed to widen slightly.
It was as if it was mocking his previous actions, deeming them utterly futile!
In fact, that was indeed the case.
Agatha, who had witnessed Sharlot's actions through annabelle's eyes,
now wore a triumphant smile.
"Hehehe, I thought this Sharlot, with such a large number of Undead Skeletons, would have some skill.
Who would have thought he's just like an ordinary person, only capable of randomly smashing and throwing annabelle?
It seems I've overestimated him.
Now that I think about it, he's probably just a novice who's only been learning magic for a couple of days; such clumsy and crude exorcism methods are simply not presentable!"
On the other side.
While Sharlot was momentarily stunned,
Grand Master Wang, who was nearby, was a bit skeptical. He believed that the reason annabelle restored itself was perhaps because both Gwen's Family's and Sharlot's attacks were physical.
If he used magic attacks, would the situation be different?
With that thought,
Wang suddenly flicked his right hand downwards!
A golden-yellow energy whip, one meter long and composed of countless magical light rays, appeared in his hand.
Wang gestured for Sharlot to place annabelle on the ground.
He channeled pure White Mage energy, making the golden-yellow glow of the energy whip even more intense!
Then, he struck annabelle's body repeatedly and fiercely.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The powerful force once again shattered annabelle's body into pieces, but unlike Sharlot's attack, a faint golden-yellow magical energy subtly appeared at the edge of each fragment, seemingly preventing annabelle's restoration.
Wang looked at the fragments on the ground with anticipation.
However,
the next second,
in just the blink of an eye,
the annabelle, which had been scattered across the floor, restored itself to its original state, and the golden-yellow magical energy at the edges of the fragments dissipated into the void.
"This, how is this possible!?"
Wang looked at the scene before him, his face filled with disbelief.
Seeing this, Agatha's smile deepened.
"Heh heh, didn't expect that, did you!
You see, the defense I placed on this annabelle is nearly four hundred years' worth of Dark Energy!
And this chubby middle-aged Master has probably only been practicing magic for a few decades, right?
How could he possibly break through annabelle's defense?
Unless it's that old hag Ancient One, who has been cultivating for who knows how many millennia, I don't think anyone in this world could break annabelle's defense!
Hahahahahahaha!"
Agatha laughed triumphantly.
She completely failed to notice that in Gwen's Family's home, Sharlot's expression had grown serious.
magic attacks also have no effect on annabelle?
No, I saw golden-yellow energy attached to those fragments just now.
And the restoration speed was indeed a bit slower than after my physical attack.
So, could this be a problem of insufficient magic energy in Wang's body?
Sharlot recalled the five hundred years' worth of Dark Energy he had gained after Dormammu's blessing yesterday.
A full five hundred years' worth of Dark Energy should be enough to deal with annabelle, right?
With that thought,
Sharlot no longer hesitated.
He flipped his right hand.
A Bone Thorn Whip, three meters long and composed of the spinal bones of various Undead Skeletons, appeared in his hand.
In an instant,
the temperature of the entire room dropped significantly.
Gwen looked at the long Bone Thorn Whip on the ground, her breath involuntarily catching.
She felt as if a large hand was tightly gripping her neck.
Making her unable to even breathe!
Gwen touched her arm.
She found that without realizing it, goosebumps had already risen all over her body.
She even felt that this strangely shaped Bone Thorn Whip was more terrifying than the annabelle that had tormented her for a month!
Old Wang, who was beside him, was completely stunned when he saw the Bone Spike Whip in Sharlot's hand.
"Sharlot, what is that thing?
How do I feel the aura of Shadow from that whip, as if I'm facing dozens of Dark Creatures!?"
Sharlot smiled and explained.
"Oh, you mean this?
This is the energy whip Sorcerer Ancient One taught me this morning.
After my modifications, it became a Bone Thorn Whip formed from the spinal bones of dozens of different Dark Creatures."
Old Wang's eyes immediately bulged out.
What the heck?
This whip evolved from an energy whip?
And the bones on it are the spinal bones of dozens of Dark Creatures?
Sharlot, why is everything you learn Dark Magic!
Agatha, who was watching all of this through annabelle, was also stunned.
Through Sharlot's conversation, she learned that these two were White Mages from Kamar-Taj.
But would a proper White Mage use a move like Bone Spike Whip, which sounds like Dark Magic just from its name?
Ancient One, you're not going to do anything about this!?
You're not even pretending anymore, are you!?
Moreover, every bone on this Bone Spike Whip emitted an aura of Shadow no weaker than her annabelle!
Even through a crystal ball, she could clearly feel the pure Dark Energy emanating from the Bone Spike Whip.
As if it was about to shatter the crystal ball the next moment.
Agatha's expression was somewhat grim.
But the arrogance of standing at the pinnacle of the Witch world for four hundred years made her involuntarily think:
Perhaps, this is just for show, looking intimidating, but not actually that powerful?
Hmm! Yes, it must be like that!
With that thought,
Agatha couldn't help but reveal a relaxed smile.
You see, she had placed a defensive magic array within annabelle that could withstand four hundred years' worth of magic energy!
That chubby middle-aged Master just now, who had cultivated for most of his life, couldn't break annabelle's restoration limit.
How could this rookie Master Sharlot, who seems to have only been cultivating for a few days, possibly break annabelle's restoration limit?
You can't possibly tell me.
His magic energy would be more than four hundred years' worth, right?
How is that possible!
With that thought,
Agatha couldn't help but laugh at herself.
"Heh heh, it seems I haven't fought White Mages in a long time.
I'm making such a big deal out of a novice who just started learning magic.
Now that I think calmly, this novice who has only been cultivating for a few days.
It is absolutely impossible for him to break annabelle's four hundred years' worth of magic energy restoration limit!"