Chapter 151: Fall of the Witches and Dragons
Three heads chanted spells busily. Black mana rose above her hands. True to the Raven Faction that divined omens, her magic was tied to fate. To be precise, it was tied to twisting fate for the worse.
[Luruye uses Omen Explosion (SS)!]
[Luruye uses Crow's Nightmare (SS)…]
What happens if it hits?
It warps fate, inviting calamity.
Twisted fates overlap.
No matter how superior the banshee's magical prowess, such unique spells couldn't be nullified easily, even with talent.
Iris knew their ominous nature too. What if she got hit by one?
A horrific malignant tumor might suddenly sprout across her body.
Unavoidable lightning could strike from the sky.
She might turn into a pathetic beast. Twisting fate meant exactly that. A spell where neither caster nor target knew the outcome.
That made it all the more terrifying.
Not knowing meant you couldn't predict the scale of its impact.
That was why the Raven Faction inspired such fear.
But…
—Still the same, huh?
As if she knew the counter, the banshee casually deflected the magic.
Luruye narrowed her eyes.
Even another great witch would need a split second to analyze and dismantle Raven Faction spells upon first encounter.
But this banshee? Nothing of the sort.
‘She knows?’
‘Our Raven magic?’
‘How?’
Had she seen it before?
Otherwise, impossible.
Even test-firing a few more spells yielded the same result.
—What is this? No change at all.
“Where.”
“How.”
“Did you learn our magic?”
—I'm Merhen.
“…?”
The three heads tilted in confusion at the out-of-left-field response. Iris frowned too.
Asked how she knew, and she just gives her name.
A fourth-dimensional answer.
—Huh? You don't know me? I thought you would.
“Crazy?”
“Delusional?”
“Narcissist?”
The three heads fired back busily.
She switched to standard spells outright.
Raven Faction magic wasn't working. Time to hurl everything else.
But there was a problem.
Out of ten casts, five got cut off midway.
‘Unbelievable.’
‘Even with the elixir, this is it?’
‘How big is the gap?’
Canceling spells was several times harder than casting.
Especially for Luruye, whose casting speed was boosted several-fold by the elixir.
Yet half got canceled.
Without it, she couldn't compete from the start.
Her power amplified over fivefold, and spells still getting canceled? Absurd.
Still, landing half meant she was a talented witch indeed.
—Whoa, what a weird potion.
Merhen gleefully countered Luruye's spells while casting her own.
Little by little.
Luruye got pushed back.
—This back-and-forth is fun. Like a puzzle game, right?
Apprentice witch Iris wasn't idle either.
She unleashed spells, summoned familiars for attacks, swung her whip. Doing her utmost.
Even with the interference, the banshee dodged nimbly while facing the full witch.
Though an apprentice, she was still a witch.
Born with magical talent.
She felt viscerally how absurd the scene was.
Then.
—Huh?
The banshee tilted her head.
She snapped her fingers.
That instant.
Luruye and Iris froze.
Basic breathing continued.
Otherwise, vegetable-like, unable to do anything.
“What the…”
“How…”
“Is this…”
The elixir's body and brain acceleration stopped.
No, her mind went increasingly blank.
The three heads barely spat out words. Far inferior Iris just rolled her eyes frantically.
Every cell lost control.
Merhen landed and bounced like an excited child.
—Amazing!
“What did you…”
“do to the…”
“mana, out of my…”
—My authority is back! A bit! Cool, huh?
“Authority…”
“you say…”
“?”
—Yeah. Annoying to handle one by one. Made this so magic-dependent idiots handle themselves.
“Uh…”
“How…”
“…”
—Why don't you know? I've caught so many witches with it.
Caught witches?
Luruye rolled her eyes.
Unheard of. If witches fell to some freak undead, it'd be impossible not to know.
—What was that great witch's name who survived…? Ananke? She used magic like yours, I think. Or not?
“A great…”
“witch's…”
“name… why do you…”
—Met her. That gloomy idiot didn't tell you about me?
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Luruye's mind. Tales of witches dying to undead in turbulent times.
Dismissed as one of hundreds of silly rumors among witches, erased from memory.
‘No way.’
‘That was…’
‘all true?’
Merhen asked with a pout.
—Then even that Death Lord guy doesn't know?
Sadly, Luruye couldn't answer.
Couldn't anymore.
Her tongue hardened like stone. Breath caught.
Deprived of oxygen, her brain shrank slowly.
The crow's omen hadn't lied.
This was disaster incarnate.
Death closing in.
‘Can't…’
‘die like…’
‘must do… something…’
Her final desperate will exploded.
Her earnestness elevated her magical prowess one step further.
An ancient incantation from faction lessons activated.
[Equivalent Exchange (SSS) activates!]
Boom!
Luruye's heart burst apart.
[Your heart is placed on the right scale!]
[Think of your desired price.]
—Neat spell. First time seeing it.
Merhen eyed Luruye with interest.
Even she hadn't seen this before.
But her restored prowess analyzed it thoroughly.
A spell exchanging for an unknown something via scales.
‘Can't block the exchange.’
If fully restored, maybe.
But partial? No.
She could tamper with the equivalent weight instead.
Manipulated so an intangible price appeared opposite the heart.
Luruye freaked.
Interfering with ancient incantation?
She desperately wished first.
The banshee's master's death as price.
[The scales are unfair!]
Luruye despaired.
The intangible price opposite disrupted them.
It even grew larger.
Heavier than the heart side.
Endless weight. Terror eroded her mind. She'd achieve nothing at this rate.
This time, her headless body exploded, not a scrap left.
[The scales are unfair…]
If even that was insufficient, the severed head of Luruye made one final, desperate plea.
To leave something despite the banshee's control.
[The scales are fair!]
[A memory is engraved somewhere in the dimension!]
This moment's despair and terror.
Etched deep in the dimension. For future witches to find. Hidden so meticulously even that vile banshee couldn't track.
[Equivalent exchange complete!]
Luruye vanished, not even her head left.
A full witch's end was pathetically ignoble.
Merhen and Iris's gazes met squarely.
* * *
Holy Dragon and Ice Dragon.
Cedric hard-carried against the two.
His space-traversing spearwork was art incarnate.
Made one wonder why he hadn't used it in the first arrangement.
‘Gets it now.’
Mana-hungry technique. First arrangement had overflowing foes plus Mutakta, so he conserved.
Now?
Hatchlings no match. Only Holy and Ice Dragons to watch.
Cedric's power didn't end there.
Dragon Knight by name.
Job that shines mounted.
Hatchlings revived as undead?
Still dragons.
Riding one, stabbing the two repeatedly.
Allies aided: Dullahan hordes on undead dragons stabbed relentlessly.
Mages with dragon-slaying tools pelted magic, harassing.
Fire dragon acupoint strike: Dolsae.
Two undead hatchlings gripped Dolsae's arms with feet, soaring. Like missiles from a bomber, Dolsae's massive body plummeted.
[Dolsae uses Provocation (A) on Kamar…]
[Ice Dragon 'Kamar' succumbs to Provocation…]
Targeted Ice Dragon over Holy. Dolsae's body glowed red-hot.
[Uses Blood Burst!]
Boom!
No dragon hide withstands a golem's max HP triple damage undefended. Already cursed low-HP, battered by Cedric, Ice Dragon couldn't endure.
Powerless plunge.
Undead horde swarmed like ants on candy.
Weakened dragon couldn't resist.
[Ice Dragon 'Kamar' enters eternal rest…]
[Gate clear condition partially achieved! (1/4)]
['Witch Iris', 'Witch Luruye', 'Holy Dragon Ivelion' remain…]
[Level…]
Pleasant level-up messages.
After the remaining witches and the Ice Dragon were dealt with, the gate’s clear conditions appeared as an additional reward.
‘Need to catch the reinforcements too.’
Holy Dragon Ivelion.
Sole survivor raged fiercely.
Tough hide befitting holy dragon class. Dozens of potent spells. Breath and monstrous physical stats.
Breath downed undead dragons, melting riders. Sharp claws splintered even Dolsae instantly, no self-destruct.
Ivelion's tail grazed Cedric's hatchling perilously.
Cedric acrobated as one with his mount.
Raining spells shattered with each spear swing.
Boom!
Air ripped; another hole in Ivelion.
Ivelion screamed.
Breath, spells.
Tough hide.
Immense power.
Meaningless against that tiny skeleton.
How? Utterly incomprehensible.
Pure skill.
Overwhelming technique.
—Impossible… this can't be!
Body riddled with holes.
Sensing defeat, Ivelion's voice trembled.
Whatever.
Kim Minwoo watched leisurely.
‘Predator-prey thing.’
Merhen devours mages.
Not just levels.
No matter the gap, she rampages against her prey. Preliminary matches proved it.
Mid-boss dark mage Mortan.
Charged, spell canceled, one slash to oblivion. Score near vampire duke's. Near level 1,000.
Witches?
Around 1,500.
Same tier.
Merhen soloing two made sense.
Same formula applied to Cedric flawlessly.
His title alone intimidated dragons.
Dragon predator.
‘Without Unyielding, it'd be tough though.’
Legion Lord enhancement.
Core skill jumped SS to SSS. Gap beyond a single letter.
‘Same grade, different levels anyway.’
All S-rank awakeners equal? No.
Some S-rankers solo ten peers. Talent and skill gap.
Merhen and Cedric same. Even SSS like Seo Yerim, Park Siwoo, but legion leaders' experience, aura, talent far superior.
Top-tier SSS.
Minimum for legion leaders. Why a summon shreds disaster-class high-levels.
['Witch Luruye' enters eternal rest…]
[Gate clear condition partially…]
Just like now.
Then.
Merhen approached.
With a companion in tow.
—Minwoo, I'm back. What's Cedric doing? Not done?
“Finishing soon. Who's this?”
—Curious about Witch Society, brought her. Meant to grab the three-head, but she cast and dropped dead alone. Sorry.
“Better this way. Good job.”
Patted Merhen's head.
Never planned to spare bosses.
Expected grind even with Unyielding, not this easy hunt.
Too breezy, dumbfounded.
Knew it'd be easy, would've ordered sparing one.
‘To prevent gate clear.’
Most gates eject post-boss clear or timed.
Eject from hidden gate? No reentry.
‘Waste.’
Plenty left to farm.
East, west, south, central.
Five fortresses total.
North down, four left. Feed Winter Fragments to Hayangi there.
Plus?
‘Monsters all free EXP…’
Elf alchemy.
Dwarf crafting.
All trained here.
Other tech? Time to scout.
Eyed Witch Iris.
Meekly following Merhen, eyes branded with fear.
No trouble from her.
‘Keep alive for now.’
Best to spare this boss-level.
Holy Dragon or full witch might have aces.
Spare wrong one, variables spawn.
Merhen picked perfectly.
['Holy Dragon 'Ivelion' enters eternal rest…]
Message popped.
‘Big level jumps.’
293 before.
Post-hunt: 330.
Under a week in gate. Insane speed.
Plus.
‘Items untouched.’
Full witch, Holy Dragon.
Ice Dragon too.
Boss loot pending.