Chapter 83
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Deep Sea
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
A barrage of feathers shot out in an instant.
This wasn't just any simple feather barrage—it was feathers infused with twilight essence.
In martial arts terms, it was the epitome of Flying Sword technique.
There was no way the Plague Witch, who was relatively weak in close combat, could withstand it.
Chwaaaak!
"Kuh… Th-this…!"
Hwiik.
The sound of a flute melody drifted through the air.
She had manipulated none other than the monster locked in combat with the Executioner.
"Grroooargh!"
The monster, hearing the flute, hurled itself forward to block the attack—but that proved to be its fatal mistake.
Chwaruruk.
Now the Executioner it had been holding was free.
The iron chains lashed out once more.
"Pushing me this far—you're exceeding expectations!"
Twilight Feathers and the chain sickle surged forward in unison.
Even if the monster blocked one, it couldn't avoid the other.
Less than three seconds remained until the Plague Witch was subdued.
Brudaduk.
A massive crack split the ground.
At the same moment, the scent of salt wafted in from somewhere.
"The smell of the deepest ocean…! Stop and duck, now!"
Moona shouted urgently.
If there was one thing we could trust without question, it was Moona's words.
"Kawk!"
I immediately ducked my head, and the Executioner mirrored my movement.
Not because she trusted Moona, of course.
It was her instincts that drove her actions.
Tukwaaaang!
The walls and floor shattered as enormous tentacles burst forth.
Kwagagak!
The tentacles effortlessly blocked my and the Executioner's attacks.
The slimy mucus coating them seemed to cushion the sharp strikes.
We had no choice but to be caught off guard by this sudden turn.
Someone had clearly intervened in the fight.
But aside from the tentacles before us, there were no clues to their identity.
My eyes could pierce through an opponent's information, but this time, nothing appeared.
Was it simply the witch's hidden power?
No, that couldn't be.
If she had something like this, she would've used it ages ago.
Then what had caused this situation?
It wasn't the witch's hidden power, nor any third-party intervention.
A voice answered my questions.
"How is a child who spent her whole life in a lab fighting like this?"
No human form was visible.
The voice emanated from those tentacles.
A being my eyes couldn't identify.
And yet, instinctively, I knew who it was.
Enormous tentacles of a sea creature.
The briny ocean scent.
"Deep Sea Witch!"
As the Executioner cried out, the one who had appeared was indeed the Deep Sea Witch.
Not her true body, but wielding her power remotely.
"…What? Why are you here?"
"I heard you'd gotten involved in this affair, when you're not even the Night Witch. How could I not worry?"
The Deep Sea Witch replied kindly to the Plague Witch.
These two were witches connected to Dorothy somehow.
That link must be why the Deep Sea Witch had intervened here.
I quickly fell back.
No sense charging blindly when we couldn't gauge the enemy's strength.
Kwadududuk.
Chwaruruk!
"Ursul!"
The enraged Executioner bellowed.
Ursul.
That must be the witch's name.
I chose retreat, but the Executioner did not.
Her deep-seated grudge against witches made it impossible to hold back upon seeing the Deep Sea Witch.
The iron chains whipped forward.
The chain sickle hurtled toward the tentacles enveloping the Plague Witch.
Kwadududuk!
But the Executioner's chain sickle couldn't pierce them.
The tentacle seized it effortlessly and flung the chain aside.
Kwaaaang!
"Familiar faces and the famous protagonist are here. I'd love to catch up… but something more important demands my attention now."
A calm voice echoed from the tentacle that had deflected the chain sickle.
This wasn't the witch's true body.
Just a fragment of her power, yet it repelled the Executioner with ease.
"What? You've come all this way—what do you mean? I have to catch that crow. Help me."
"I told you, there's something more important left. I'm not here for our friendship—I came at someone's request."
"Request? You came on a request? From who…?"
The Plague Witch trailed off.
"…Dorothy?"
The tentacle twitched lightly.
As if confirming her guess.
The situation had grown complicated.
Mid-battle with the Plague Witch, the Deep Sea Witch had joined the fray.
And her reason? A request from Dorothy.
Dorothy.
The witch I was pursuing.
Possibly the one who summoned me to this world.
Now I had even more reason to capture the Plague Witch.
If Dorothy personally requested her rescue, their connection ran deeper than I'd thought.
"Kaaaaak!"
With that, I charged.
Those tentacles were formidable, but how could they fend off both the Executioner and me?
"Plague, the plan failed. Time to withdraw."
Chwaaaak!
I unleashed a volley of feathers.
Blocking all of them was impossible.
Not a straight shot—some curved mid-flight.
Kagagagak!
But my attacks never reached the Plague Witch.
Not blocked by tentacles.
The labyrinth walls intercepted them.
Urururur.
The ruins were rapidly reconstructing.
Just like when I'd first triggered the mechanism.
The Deep Sea Witch chose not to fight us both.
She merely altered the ruins' structure to make escape easier.
"No need to strain yourself, little crow. Don't you have your own task?"
An enigmatic voice rang out.
My task?
That gentle tone hinted I'd forgotten something.
"Kyaa… Kyaaaak!"
Screams from two voices over there.
Cherry and Kiki.
My contracted apprentice witches.
This cowardly witch had taken them hostage.
Ordering me to abandon the pursuit and rescue them.
"You seem close to those cute girls. Don't worry—they'll be sent back up. Everyone here will return to where they belong."
…
What?
She spouted nothing but nonsense.
I couldn't comprehend it.
Why say this as an enemy?
To throw me off balance?
Kududuk.
"…She's telling the truth. These ruins will revert to their original state. Stay put, and you'll be sent back."
Moona murmured quietly beside me.
While nibbling at my feathers.
No, was the pheromone effect still lingering?
Anyway, the Deep Sea Witch's words rang true.
Which made it even more baffling.
No reason to tell me that.
…Should I have listened to the Plague Witch's words to the end?
Side effect from that fatal leg-chopping kick, maybe.
Felt like skipping fingerprints and missing the plot—like that.
"Uwaaaah! How dare you… How DARE you!"
The Executioner charged, swinging her broken chain sickle.
Resolved to kill them right then, but her face paled in an instant.
"…You cowardly bastards!"
The ground rumbled.
Her gaze fixed on the adventurers here and my contractors.
Too agitated to hear the tentacles' words to me.
Staying put would've worked, but she felt compelled to save them.
Even if she'd heard, she might not have trusted it.
Chwarururuk!
She halted her frenzy and extended her chains to their limit.
Choosing rescue over combat.
Binding countless people with chains, preparing to escape.
Thought she was a total battle maniac, but she prioritized lives after all.
Kururur.
Kwagagang!
Wanted to tell her it wasn't necessary, but no confidence intervening in that motion.
Nor in communicating.
She was rescuing my contractors too—seemed trustworthy enough.
"Crow! Prepare to evacuate now! The witches can wait!"
Even mindful of my safety.
"Ufufu, isn't this fun? If I'd come in person, we could've played properly."
Chwaaak.
The tentacles enveloped the Plague Witch.
The witch's goal: rescue her ally.
Creating this chaos for that.
Knowing the Executioner would prioritize lives over fighting her.
Then why tell me?
My task.
Not saving Cherry and Kiki.
Only one option left.
The ruins' master.
Meeting the Tin Woodman.
"A gap will open. Dive through, and you'll reach your desired destination."
The Deep Sea Witch was guiding me to the Tin Woodman.
Her intentions unclear.
But for me, it was ideal.
With Cherry and Kiki saved, I could evolve into a new species.
Humans who might interfere in my fight with the Tin Woodman would all exit the ruins.
Witches declaring failure and retreating.
Leaving me alone with the Tin Woodman.
"Kawk."
Whatever her scheme, it created exactly what I wanted.
"Crow! What are you doing? Get out now! Or… don't tell me…."
The Executioner's voice trembled.
"You're… going to evacuate us… and stay behind…?"
She was misunderstanding something.
Not entirely wrong, though.
I was staying, after all.
"To take out the witches in my place?"
That part was the misunderstanding.
Not for the witches—for my goal.
So hurry and escape.
I'll head down once you're gone.
"Kakak."
I nodded slightly in affirmation.
"How… How can you… Then I… What about…."
The Executioner thought highly of me.
Her witch phobia made her grateful I'd handle them in her stead.
Maybe regretting her initial blind attack on me.
Looking so distraught, obsessive even….
"Kak."
I didn't expect that much—just don't attack blindly next time.
Kururur.
Kwaaaang!
The tentacles around the Plague Witch faded, and the Executioner broke through the collapsing entrance with her chains.
Perfect—time to move.
"Crow!"
Wait, still not gone?
"Kawk, kawk!"
Go already!
Need to descend now.
As I cried out in frustration—
Tok.
Something dropped right above my head.
A thin black iron weave, like spiderwebs.
Looking up, I saw the flushed Executioner.
"…I kept my promise! So you better come back alive!"
No, I don't need this….
Though if you're giving, I'll take it….
With that parting gift, I flapped toward the gap below.
A crow topped with two stockings dove toward where the Tin Woodman awaited.
[Sub Quest: Rescue Contractors completed.]
Cherry and Kiki had escaped safely.
A lot had happened, but the objective was achieved.
Now, evolve—then prepare to face the Tin Woodman.