Chapter 128: Cataclysm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128: Cataclysm
“What the—what the, what the, what the—!?”
The shadowy veil covering the vampire’s entire body was blasted apart by Regina’s touch. The stunned vampire tried to flee, but an unknown force pulled him violently forward.
As the vampire was dragged before her, she swung her fist, and his body was torn to shreds.
Regina, transformed into Evangeline Mode, was the very definition of the strongest, just as she had claimed. It was only natural, given that her transformation was based on the most powerful witch of all.
“Guaaaargh—!”
The vampire struggled to regenerate his severed arm, but for some reason, his magic power wouldn't gather properly.
In the end, the best he could do was stop the bleeding. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Regina.
Regina paid no mind to the vampire’s fierce gaze, simply clenching and unclenching her fists as she grew accustomed to Evangeline’s magic.
“Hmm… I can’t use it as freely as I’d like. Is it a matter of proficiency?”
Seeing Regina, who had so effortlessly overwhelmed him, still speak of her own shortcomings, the vampire bit his lip hard.
Blood, more precious to him than anything, trickled from his lips. He ignored it, his eyes fixed on Regina.
“If you’re so high and mighty, let’s see you block this—!”
Fwoooosh—! Blood erupted from the vampire’s entire body. In an instant, he was clad in it as if it were armor.
The Armor of Blood. A state where one wore their own blood like a suit of armor. It was the ultimate technique of a vampire who could create hundreds, even thousands, of immortals with a single drop of his own blood, now used without restraint.
A power that, if used for defense, could block the very meteor that brought about the Great Ice Age, and if used for offense, could transform an entire nation into a domain of vampires and ghouls.
“Very well, then.”
But Regina simply raised her hand, unfazed.
Left half of her body: 「Evangeline」 manifested.
Right half of her body: 「Margaret」 manifested.
“Here I go.”
Reproduction.
Double Witch Mode (DWM).
A fist filled with love was thrown, transcending space itself.
Splurch—! The vampire stared at Regina with an expression of disbelief as he watched the chest of his armor burst open.
Regina announced his demise with a nonchalant expression.
“Witch Punch.”
And with that, the vampire lost his life.
Yohan stared in disbelief, his gaze shifting between Regina and the vampire, who now lay on the floor like a mummy, sucked dry without a single drop of blood remaining.
“…Did you really have an Awakening?”
“Yes, probably. If you can call something like this an Awakening.”
“Then, can we now—.”
“We can go back.”
As she said this, Regina collapsed. Yohan quickly caught her, realizing her body was trembling violently.
The symptoms were familiar. Carefully laying her on the ground, Yohan quickly understood why she was shaking.
‘Magic power exhaustion…’
Of course. Even if it was an Awakening, it made no sense that she could use such powerful magic without any cost.
She had probably consumed more than double the usual magic power just by using another witch’s magic. And when using the magic of two witches simultaneously, it must have been four times the amount.
There was no way she, with her normal level of magic power, could withstand a fourfold drain.
“I have no choice.”
“Hah, hah… W-what are you…”
“I’m putting it in.”
“—!?”
Seeing Yohan suddenly get an erection, a flustered Regina tried to push him away. But in her state of magic power exhaustion, she couldn't budge him.
Yohan wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either, but he couldn’t just leave her like this.
He thrust his penis deep inside and skillfully began injecting his magic power.
“Hnnngghhh♥♥!?”
Watching Regina’s eyes fill with magic power, Yohan continued to inject it into her until she could get up.
He injected, and injected.
Endlessly.
Continuously.
After the <Sun Eater> awakened by the Malyong attacked the group of witches in the Empire, they were swept away by the torrent of magic power and scattered in all directions.
Like Yohan and Regina, the witches who had been thrown to unknown locations thought first of Yohan’s safety, and second of how to find him.
“Yohan, Yohan. You’re not dead, are you… No, you can’t be dead…”
Evangeline regained her composure by stroking the necklace Yohan himself had given her, then immediately started walking toward the Empire.
She didn’t know where she was, but she could at least tell east from west, north from south. And she knew the general location of the Empire.
The world is round, so if she just kept walking, she would eventually reach it. Besides, she was a witch—a being whose speed of travel far surpassed that of any human.
If she didn't conserve her magic power, she was a creature capable of flying at the speed of sound. Of course, flying wasn't a good long-term option, so Evangeline settled for walking at a slightly faster pace.
That is, at a speed of about 300 km/h.
“Yohaaan…! Wait for me, your teacher is coming!”
Naturally, a creature moving at such a speed was bound to disturb the ecosystem.
Monsters blocked her path as she sprinted furiously. Each one was a beast capable of destroying a city, or even a nation, with ease.
However.
“Get out of my way!”
—Gweeeeeeek-!?
For her, having entered the stage of Awakening, the strength of a monster was of no consequence whatsoever.
Whether a monster was weak or strong, it was just a being that would be disintegrated into atoms and vanish with a single wave of her hand.
What tired her were the ones that were pointlessly large, even if they were weak. It took more magic power to kill a large creature.
“Kyaaaah—!?”
After killing a monster and running through the forest, she collided with something that fell from the sky and tumbled to the ground.
It was impossible. A witch’s reaction speed should have allowed her to see and dodge almost anything, yet she hadn’t even realized something was there until the moment of impact.
Rubbing the bump on her head from colliding with something while running at 300 km/h, she opened her eyes to see a skeleton with a ghastly blue glow in its eyes standing before her.
“What kind of monster is this?”
Annoyed, Evangeline rubbed the lump on her forehead and waved her hand at the skeleton.
Having Awakened and shed her limitations, her magic could instantly annihilate anything in her sight.
She expected this skull to meet the same fate. But it didn't.
—Clack… clack, clack…
“…My magic doesn’t work?”
To be precise, it wasn’t that it didn’t work. She could feel her magic being applied to the skeleton.
It wasn't that it didn't connect; it was that it had no effect, even after hitting! Evangeline knew of only one being that could produce such an effect.
【Indeed, it was worth the high price I paid.】
Just then, another skull appeared from behind the first. This one, which was clearly controlling the skeleton in front, cackled as it revealed itself to Evangeline.
A ghastly blue light shone from where its eyes should be, a crimson ruby crystal was embedded near its heart, and it wore a mage’s robe.
Seeing its appearance, Evangeline realized this skeleton was the <Skull Collector>—an intelligent monster said to revive and control the dead.
“Ha, so the rumors were all wrong.”
This was a being said to have been buried deep within the earth by Holy Knights centuries ago. It wasn’t a monster that should be roaming around a place like this.
The <Skull Collector> burst into laughter and replied to Evangeline.
【Hasn't the world gone mad? I was lucky enough to escape.】
“…The world has gone mad?”
【Oh, you do not know, witch?】
He looked at Evangeline with pity before beginning to explain the events that had transpired in the current era.
【The Malyong's seal has been broken, the vampire has been resurrected, and all sorts of legendary monsters have resumed their activities. The age of monsters has returned!】
The tides of an era always repeat at regular intervals.
Long ago, the age when ancient monsters ruled the world ended, and the era of human dominance—long to some, short to others—began.
And now, this monster was declaring that the age of humans was finally over, and the age of monsters had dawned once more.
【Behold! You can never stop us—my warrior shall prove it.】
“Hah, a skeleton like you, I’ll just—.”
Evangeline radiated her magic power as she always did. The magic, which invoked the power of love, flew toward the Skull Collector, only to be twisted by the skeleton that stood in its way.
A method that twisted the very structure of her magic. Evangeline stared at the skeleton before her in disbelief.
“…You, where did you get this?”
【Are you feeling sentimental upon seeing an old friend, witch?】
“I’m asking you where the hell you got this!”
Evangeline snapped, uncharacteristically pressing the Skull Collector. It was only natural, for the skeleton before her was someone she knew all too well.
—Ghk, Lud, wig…
The skeleton before her was Lu' Cid, the immortal witch who had died long, long ago.
She was also an opponent Evangeline could never defeat.