Chapter 17
“Hnnn…”
Mary curled into a ball, trembling violently. No matter how hard she tried to hold her breath, whimpers escaped her quivering lips.
A sickening crunch and crack of bone echoed.
She buried her face in her knees, desperately trying not to look behind her.
The pungent stench of blood. The lingering image of crimson limbs being torn apart right before her eyes. But even more horrifying than that was the relentless, wet sound of the monster feasting.
If all the brethren are eaten, then next…
She knew she was next, yet her legs refused to move.
She had lost consciousness the moment the black flames engulfed her. Ever since she woke up in this entirely different place, her energy had been completely drained. Now, paralyzed by terror, she lacked the strength to even stand.
Tears welled up and streamed down Mary’s face as she curled herself as tightly as possible, as if doing so might make her simply cease to exist.
It’s horrifying. She’s really a witch. Everyone was eaten by that witch!
Had she known this would happen, she would have just abandoned her father’s keepsake. She never would have gone out looking for it in the dead of night.
A wave of belated regret washed over her. And as if mocking her, the witch behind her spoke.
“Good girl. If you had kept screaming, I would have slit your throat first.”
The Witch smiled, tucking a long strand of black hair behind her ear. She was a beauty with pale skin. Bathed in the moonlight, her delicate features were captivating enough to steal anyone’s gaze. However, the blood smeared around her mouth and the gruesome, bright red chunk of flesh dangling from her chin were hideous enough to instantly eclipse that beauty.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her pale hand and tossed the forearm she had been holding onto the ground. It was a human arm, its flesh haphazardly gnawed away. Mary flinched violently at the wet, squelching thud of the meat hitting the dirt.
The Witch quietly stood up and approached Mary, who was shaking like a leaf. Perhaps it was the distinct presence of death looming right before her eyes, but finding courage from somewhere unknown, Mary cried out in a voice thick with resentment.
“Why are you devouring the believers of Depolo? You’re a demon, not a monster! Why do you insist on eating humans?!”
Despite her fierce shout, she still didn’t dare raise her head. Finding the sight amusing, the Witch chuckled softly and placed a hand on Mary’s shoulder. At the icy touch, Mary practically collapsed against the ground, sobbing.
“The grand cause has begun, little one.”
“Please… no…”
“I am simply heralding its beginning.”
The Witch gently stroked the shoulder of the wailing, hiccuping girl. Yet, in stark contrast to her tender touch, the pitch-black eyes looking down at Mary held only deep disgust and a viscous, centuries-old wrath. As her slender fingers traced down Mary’s rounded shoulder, they left behind vivid streaks of blood.
“To the most insolent of them all, in the most brutal way possible.”
Whispering into Mary’s ear, the Witch slowly opened her mouth. Blood-soaked, red fangs were bared. Just as the moment of death finally arrived and Mary let out a stifled scream—
The Witch suddenly paused, her open jaw halted. She snatched Mary by the scruff of the neck and leaped backward.
At the same time, a crimson Sword Aura shot out from the darkness with a sharp hiss, slicing through the exact spot where they had just been.
“It seems an unrequested meal has arrived.”
Cadel’s gaze fell upon the unconscious, limp female believer and the Witch holding her like a sack of luggage. Strewn haphazardly beneath the Witch were half-gnawed human limbs, chunks of flesh, and messily severed heads. The sight of spilled entrails made bile rise in his throat. He held his breath for a moment to suppress a gag, only to be met with the Witch’s alluring laughter.
“I’m quite full, but well… there’s always room for dessert. I welcome you.”
“So you’re the Witch who triggered the summoning trap.”
Van growled, adjusting his grip on his greatsword. A crimson aura, as bright as his bloodshot eyes, surged forth, ready to unleash another strike.
The Witch looked back and forth between Van and his greatsword. Her expression remained relaxed, but her eyes darted rapidly, gauging his strength.
He noticed the summoning magic? A whelp who knows a thing or two about magic, perhaps.
No, one look was enough to tell that the man was a physical fighter. The scrawny human standing next to him was far more likely to be the mage.
Only Van and Cadel had revealed themselves. Because of this, the Witch naturally concluded that Cadel was the one wielding magic. It was the correct judgment.
“Hand over the woman.”
“Coming out of nowhere and claiming ownership of someone else’s prey. Do you really think I’ll just hand her over?”
“I didn’t expect you to listen to reason anyway.”
Van unleashed his Sword Aura once more. The crimson crescent aimed high at the Witch’s head, deliberately avoiding the limp believer dangling below. It was as fast as the wind, but the Witch didn’t dodge, instead simply swiping her hand through the air.
A thick shadow bloomed in the air, following the trajectory of her fingertips. The formless, undulating darkness swallowed the Sword Aura whole. Consumed by the dark, the strike evaporated without harming a single hair on the Witch’s head. Van’s brow twitched.
“Did you actually think your attack would work? How laughable.”
The Witch openly sneered, scoffing at Van. It was an obvious provocation, but rather than taking the bait, Van shot a glance at Cadel. Having finally swallowed the bile in his throat, Cadel spoke quietly.
“There’s no need to go all out. You know the plan, right? Drawing her attention is our top priority. Let’s distract her as much as possible between the two of us.”
Cadel curled his fingers with deliberate force. A fist-sized fireball flared to life above his palm. In a forest illuminated only by moonlight, the fire’s presence was unmistakable. Spotting Cadel’s flame immediately, the Witch’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
As expected, he was the mage. A human capable of seeing through her summoning magic had to be quite skilled. Things were getting interesting. Would his firepower be enough to burn down the forest? No, he wouldn’t want to go all out from the start if it meant destroying human territory. He would likely use fire magic with a small area of effect, but devastating single-target power.
Anticipating this, the witch gathered her dark mana. She had no desire to ruin this pleasant dining spot she had finally found. Defense first. Their objective was obvious anyway, so she intended to use the woman as a meat shield to minimize any damage.
A veil of shadows rose in front of her, preparing to block Cadel’s magic. At the exact same moment, the crimson fireball flew toward her.
Everything is going exactly as expected. Now, let’s see just how skilled you—
But at that very moment, the Witch’s eyes widened slightly as she stood behind her veil, waiting to gauge Cadel’s magical prowess.
“This flimsy veil is what’s truly laughable.”
The fireball wasn’t the only thing attacking her. Van had launched himself forward at nearly the same speed as the flames. Closing the distance without a sound, he was suddenly right in front of her, swinging his massive greatsword without a hint of hesitation.
The fireball bounced off the veil with an impact so pathetic it barely even tickled. It felt like a waste of mana to have conjured a barrier for such a weak attack. However, the veil was not sturdy enough to withstand Van’s heavy blow. With a loud crack, the sharp edge of his greatsword cleaved halfway through the shadowy barrier, humming menacingly.
Did he intentionally throw a weak fireball…? The insolent whelp played a trick on me!
The Witch hastily abandoned her veil and quickly stepped back. Even in her retreat, she didn’t forget to fire a sphere of black magic at Van, but he effortlessly cleaved it in two.
The assault didn’t stop there. The moment the distance widened, Van unleashed another wave of Sword Aura. Cadel’s pathetically weak fireballs also rained down from all directions, restricting the Witch’s movements. No matter how weak the fireballs were, fire was still fire. If they hit, she would be left with annoying burns.
The Witch twisted her body fluidly to dodge the fireballs, immediately conjuring another veil to block the incoming Sword Aura. Her dazzling movements left not a single opening. It was a chain of actions that almost looked effortless. Yet, her face was severely contorted, clearly displeased with the situation.
How dare mere humans act so boldly? If only this body were fully restored…!
Even for a distraction, the fireballs were absurdly weak. At first, she had been furious, thinking he was daring to mock her, but that didn’t seem to be the case. If he were truly a skilled mage, even his lightest fireballs would carry enough weight that they couldn’t be ignored. This was simply the best he could do.
It was intriguing that he had seen through her summoning magic, but his actual combat skills were dreadfully dull. She would just ignore the mage. As long as she dealt with the annoying swordsman in front of her, tonight’s battle would end without leaving a single trace, just like always.
The Witch’s eyes darkened, flashing with an eerie light. With one hand, she hoisted Mary, whom she had been carrying this whole time, above her head like a shield. She then splayed her other hand wide toward Van. Pitch-black mana, so dark it looked like a void, coalesced into a sphere above her pale palm.
Keeping his eyes locked on the void aimed at him, Van charged straight ahead. His greatsword vibrated menacingly, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. As his Sword Aura condensed, Cadel’s urgent shout rang out from behind him.
“Duck!”
