Thump——

Catherine's swiftly descending figure struck the target.

The place where the black sword blade met the dust beast also became the only spot in the space influenced by Ronald's spell that emitted sound.

The current situation was just like the previous experience.

The Astrology Tower Master grasped the timing of the battle extremely well.

Previously, while Ronald was preparing spells in the air, Catherine was not idle; she gradually elevated her physical state to its peak.

Seizing the opportunity, she displayed extraordinary speed, forcefully smashing downward with her sword, her action showcasing both power and precision.

From high above, Ronald witnessed the scene clearly.

As Catherine's longsword struck the body of the dust beast, a fissure immediately appeared in the black substance hidden deep within the creature.

"Woo, woo——"

The next second, the dust beast suddenly roared.

Since it emerged from the seawater until now, this was the first sound from the creature.

Even without understanding its language.

From the emotions embedded within, one could sense the dust beast was suffering!

Previously, when the Caster army frequently attacked, the beast didn't react; even as Ronald used powerful composite spells to destroy its body, there was no response; only when Catherine struck a crack in its internal black substance did the beast emit this intolerable sound.

Witnessing this scene——

Not just Ronald and Catherine attacking the dust beast.

Even distant ordinary Casters, unaware of the true situation, realized this terrifying monster was in a very dangerous position.

"..."

"Ha! Why don't you see it grow its body back this time?"

Meanwhile, Catherine, perched on the dust beast, smirked.

Because right in front of the girl, the black substance she had struck a crack in, did not rapidly regenerate like the outer white fibrous body.

Clearly, this was the core of the dust beast.

That's why the crack Catherine made this time differed from previous easily repairable wounds—this was a real injury to the creature.

"Two minutes before Joseph Schwartz disappeared forever from his familiar Earth, he was wandering the delightful streets of Chicago, reciting Browning's poetry to himself!"

Seeing the success of the strike, Catherine immediately began incanting spells.

Even in hurried attacks earlier could achieve such effects.

The Astrology Tower Master naturally wouldn't let go of this excellent opportunity for attack.

Only a few seconds passed.

Violent light and heat coalesced in Catherine's hand, then wrapped around the black sword of the Saint's legacy. Aiming at the black substance beneath her feet, Catherine swung her sword fiercely at it.

Boom——!

In an instant, enormous power erupted.

But after launching this attack, Catherine did not pursue further but soared upwards, quickly leaving the position she had just stood on.

Amid the roaring, light and heat savaged every space.

However, as Catherine returned to the air, her expression looked grave, even actively asking Ronald:

"Ronald, can you use that move again?"

"Its recovery speed is too fast; one time is too short, and I can't manage to kill it!"

She spoke this way because Catherine's well-prepared attack this time didn't match the success of the initial surprise assault.

Due to the diminishing effect of the "Invisible Hand", the suppressing power of Ronald's spell on the dust beast was also drastically reduced.

Just now.

As Catherine stabbed down with a sword, preparing for a second attack.

Although the dust beast couldn't move, it already had the space to adjust its body.

Hence, almost as Saint Catherine's sword came down.

The white fibrous structures regained vitality, intertwining upwards in layers. They not only reburied the dust beast's black core beneath the surface but also began countering Catherine's Nuclear Energy Sword.

Amid the booming light and heat, Catherine's sword blade burned through the layers of the dust beast's body.

Finally, indeed, the black core was once again wounded.

But with the repeated regeneration of the white fibers to buffer, the effect differed vastly compared to the first zero-distance strike during the ambush.

Now...

The layers of white fibrous structures repaired the wounds Ronald had torn open.

The dust beast was still pinned in place by the spell's force.

But the strong defense also prevented it from being injured a second time.

"..."

"Using it again is certainly doable, but it requires considerable preparation time."

Seeing the situation, Ronald realized the opportunity to defeat the opponent had passed.

He decisively withdrew the less effective spell from his hand while reactivating "Capitalism" to start reaccumulating value.

"Catherine, the black substance you attacked earlier should be this monster's core. To kill this creature that keeps self-healing, we must find a way to utterly break that core!"

"I do love eating nuts," Catherine said gravely, contemplating the same issue as Ronald, "But before enjoying a meal, the problem is how to first peel open its shell."

The opportunity slipped away; they could only accept reality.

But the success of the composite spell provided Ronald confidence. If ample time can be secured to continue accumulating more value to drive greater magical power.

Then next time.

He's confident he can directly peel open the dust beast's shell and crush the black core!

"Then let me gather my strength for next time..."

Ronald had yet to finish his words when changes struck the dust beast below.

As the spell effect restraining its body ended, the enormous creature began to stretch outward.

However, this time changing its form, the dust beast didn't just revert to its original size.

Upon reaching a certain size, it continued extending the white fibrous body outward, firmly anchoring itself to the ground, transforming into a bubble emerging from the sludge, growing ever larger and covering more area!

Undoubtedly, this was the dust beast's response to the earlier attack.

With excessive speed, it incessantly expanded its volume, converting the land below into seawater far more efficiently than during its initial rampage.

——This dust beast possessed advanced wisdom.

Thus it understood clearly.

In the absence of means to strike or harm Ronald and Catherine in the sky, continually turning the land where these terrestrial beings reside into seawater is the biggest attack and retaliation against them!