Witch, I Swear I’m Not a Deep Sea Ancient God! Chapter 102: Shadow Release – The Living Coffin Train

The surrounding air seed to freeze, leaving only the sound of a heartbeat echoing in his ears.

Chen Qi focused his attention.

As expected, this was the monster that had repelled all hunters.

The mont its vicious words faded, the monster seed to vanish, leaving no trace of its presence.

Within the cramped, dimly lit train compartnt, black liquid dripped incessantly.

Hunter's Eye!

A glint flashed through Chen Qi's eyes as the flow of spiritual energy around him grew clearer, and movents slowed to a crawl.

A strand of spiritual energy laced with negative emotions brushed against the back of his neck like a banshee’s breath.

An ambush!

Clang!

Spiral Slash!

Chen Qi pivoted sharply, his blade unsheathing mid-turn and carving a graceful arc through the air, intercepting the monster’s dual-handed strike.

After the crisp ring of tal, the Lost in the Rift was sent flying back several ters, its feet scraping blackened blood across the floor.

At last, Chen Qi got a clear look at the monster’s true form.

Its decaying body was wrapped in thick, distorted shadows, yet it still wore the Hunter’s Garb.

From its neck stretched a grotesque, worm-like maw lined with jagged teeth.

Its arms had morphed into two razor-sharp, crimson mantis blades.

A second-tier monster—its speed and strength were overwhelming. As a solo boss for a first-tier hunter in a dinsional rift, it was nothing short of terrifying.

After failing its ambush, the Lost in the Rift chuckled darkly.

"A human body… Interesting. You might just survive here like ."

It leaned forward, coiled like a spring, then shot forth like lightning.

To an ordinary eye, its speed would’ve been a blur.

But under enhanced perception, it was no faster than a sprinting hamster.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Chen Qi’s blade danced, deflecting each strike before finding an opening—driving his sword upward through the monster’s throat-maw.

Suspended mid-air, the Lost in the Rift was helpless.

Every movent seed sluggish under Chen Qi’s gaze.

In that instant, he sheathed his blade, assuming an iaido stance.

**Piercing Insight—Ghostfire Slash!**

The monster’s body was split open anew, spraying blackened blood.

The Lost in the Rift crashed onto a rusted train seat.

"That’s it?" Chen Qi smirked.

The monster’s current strength couldn’t even get his blood pumping.

Now crouched in disarray, the Lost in the Rift seed stunned.

It hadn’t expected Chen Qi to counterattack so fiercely.

Previous hunters had fed it too many victories, inflating its confidence.

Chen Qi leveled his Black Blade, poised.

After twenty days of training, he’d fully absorbed Hunter Ember’s combat knowledge.

Counters, spirals, draw-cuts, lunging slashes—even the Tempest of Annihilation—he’d grasped them all.

Breathing steadily, he channeled energy into his body.

But then—sothing unexpected happened.

Instead of attacking, the Lost in the Rift rasped:

"You… intrigue … You must… stay… with ."

"I won’t… kill you… I’ll bind you… let you feel… centuries in this carriage… powerless to leave."

These weren’t just words—they carried the weight of a frigid curse.

An unprecedented shadowy aura erupted from the monster.

Not sorrow, nor hatred—but sothing darker:

**Despair.**

The train groaned as if weeping.

To the Lost in the Rift, Chen Qi was still prey caught in its trap.

"Sothing’s wrong—"

Chen Qi backstepped instantly.

**"YOU WILL STAY!"**

The monster slamd its arms down, as if nailing the entire carriage shut.

Then, it hissed:

**"Shadow Release—Living Coffin Train."**

In that instant, every window and door sealed shut under inky blackness.

The negative spiritual energy materialized into thick, writhing shadow-hands.

Chen Qi’s pupils contracted.

A **Release-type** technique!

The Lost in the Rift was a shadow-affinity entity, born from human despair and anchored by a human core.

Thus, its techniques mirrored humanity’s.

On the supernatural path, mastering a Release was a critical threshold.

Such techniques demanded grueling practice, carried heavy costs, and had strict conditions.

So could warp space or shatter minds—like the Flower Witch’s **"Bloom in Blood."**

Releases were nad by affinity:

Blade-affinity called theirs **Blade Release**, Cup-affinity **Cup Release**…

And now—a **D-tier rift monster** was using one?

Chen Qi’s lips parted in shock.

Without special conditions, Releases were a **third-tier supernatural’s** privilege.

Only prodigies could unleash them at second-tier!

A **D-tier rift** monster pulling this off?

Even in high-difficulty instances, the odds were minuscule!

**How was this fair?!**

The carriage walls oozed black liquid.

The Lost in the Rift raised its bloodied blade-arms like a conductor:

**"Shadow-hands—seize him!"**

The air tore as countless hands surged from all directions.

**Living Coffin Train’s effects:**

Endless shadow-hands would entangle limbs, corroding flesh and inducing despair. The space would be locked by shadow-affinity energy, sealing all exits. The carriage would bombard intruders with crushing negativity.

As more hands spawned, the monster watched Chen Qi like a rabbit in a snare.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hands erupted from floors, ceilings, windows—

Chen Qi parried wildly, but the assault forced him back.

**Two fists couldn’t block a hundred hands!**

"I can’t win… I need to run… go ho…"

"I’ll die… I’m no match…"

"Must… escape… I can’t beat the Lost in the Rift…"

"If this continues… I’ll never leave…"

Chen Qi spat out a stream of defeatist words.

A wave of sorrow crashed over his mind.

Wait—why was he saying this?

He steadied his breath, recognizing the shadow-affinity energy saturating the carriage.

Just a mont’s exposure had infected him with despair.

"**This** is what scares ?"

Chen Qi bit his finger—pain anchoring his focus—as fury flashed in his eyes.

The Lost in the Rift cackled, relishing his struggle.

It adored these sounds—the despair of cornered prey.

**CRACK!**

A shadow-hand latched onto Chen Qi’s right arm, testing his defenses.

His heartbeat pounded louder.

Logically, this wasn’t enough to kill him.

Not even enough to force his trump cards.

**The Lost in the Rift was the challenger here.**

But the shadow’s erosion was gnawing at his mind.

He had to end this—fast.

Chen Qi reached into his Backpack Card, retrieving a blue gemstone.

Ti to unleash this forbidden item.