Chapter 545: Jealousy is My Power (45)
Chapter 545: Jealousy is My Power (45)
This was one of the vampire's barrier strongholds. The only ones who should have arrived here before us were the vampire's subordinates.
Had we been discovered?
But the Great Witch had gone to great lengths to remain inconspicuous. Except for the moment she suddenly revealed herself at the temple, not even her shadow could be found until we entered the forest.
If so, where had our movements been exposed?
The logical conclusion was obvious.
Unlike the Great Witch, I had traveled openly on foot. The most likely hypothesis was that they were waiting for me here.
The woman seemed to reach the same conclusion.
"Should we launch a surprise attack?"
"Forget it, I'll handle this... It's highly likely they don't even know I'm here anyway."
With a casual wave of her hand, the Great Witch began to step forward again.
One step, two steps.
With every thud of her footsteps, a bizarre landscape unfolded. The space around the Great Witch began to warp, and soon, a horrific noise—like fingernails scratching a steel plate—echoed through the air.
Skreeeeeeeeee—
Despite the sparks flying haphazardly, the woman’s stride remained unfaltering. After observing the situation for a moment, I quickly chose to follow behind her.
Ironically, the area right next to the Great Witch was as cozy as the eye of a storm.
Beyond the sparks that dyed my vision bright yellow, numerous scenes were flickering past. Burning buildings, the forest, and two women facing off amidst collapsed ruins.
That was when the Great Witch’s footsteps came to a halt.
"……They’re right in front of us."
At that languid declaration, I immediately gripped the hilt of my sword.
It was the natural duty of a swordsman facing battle. However, the Great Witch merely swallowed a hollow laugh.
"Stop, stop... You just get ready to run."
"Run?"
In a way, it was an insulting thing to say.
When I asked back in bewilderment, the Great Witch replied with a bitter smile.
"If it's an opponent I can't handle, there's no hope for you anyway... Especially since this barrier is the type that distorts space. It's incredibly tricky to deal with."
"Even so……."
"There are reinforcements left at the Academy."
It was a logical argument I couldn't refute.
In the end, I had no choice but to nod with a reluctant expression.
The Great Witch seemed to find even that sight of me cute, as she let out a small chuckle and turned her gaze away. Soon, a point of pure white light began to form in her slender hand.
That was the first step.
Before I knew it, the scenery of the entire world was being sucked into that single point. The distorted space bent into a mess, looking like paint floating on water being swept away by a brush.
But even this was brief.
A translucent sphere covered the point of light, and soon, the light began to collide and reflect wildly within it.
Gaining more and more speed.
Eventually, the inside of the translucent sphere was filled with countless trajectories of light. The speed of the light points bouncing inside was so fast they were invisible.
Leaving me to stare blankly at the spectacle, the Great Witch offered a brief piece of advice.
"Kid, watch closely... This is one way to utilize Binding."
Then, the sphere of light floated up, and the Great Witch’s index finger pointed straight ahead.
Then, the discharge.
Bang! I felt the illusion of an explosion echoing in my mind. By the time I realized it, everything had already been torn apart.
A straight hole had been punched through space.
Countless cross-sections were shredded to pieces, making it impossible to see the interior scenery properly. I could only vaguely perceive that beyond that deep, dark hole, light was overflowing and erasing the world.
Then, the moment a fine thread of light snapped.
The aftershock came rushing in haphazardly.
With the sound of air exploding, a sharp windstorm began to scrape everything in the vicinity. I had to cross my arms immediately just to protect my eyes.
I wanted to let out a groan, but I knew that if I opened my mouth, nothing but wind would fill my lungs. It was only after retreating about two steps that my body regained its upright posture.
Could anyone remain unscathed in this storm?
Only one person, the very architect of this disaster, stood there with a nonchalant face.
The Great Witch was still holding her smoking pipe in her mouth, even amidst the raging wind.
"……Hmm, looks like it’s over."
Her tone was ambiguous, but hearing those words made me certain.
It was over.
There weren't many beings who could withstand that strike. Even if they were prepared, it would require a powerhouse at least at the level of a High Expert giving their all.
Let alone a surprise attack.
After a long silence, I hesitantly brought up a topic.
"I thought... your original power was sealed……."
"Even insufficient power can be increased in lethality as much as you want if you compress it, and compress it again."
Phew. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, the Great Witch spoke.
"Right, so... just think of it as trying to thread the sun through a needle's eye!"
"How is that even possible……?"
At advice that didn't even sound like advice, I could only shake my head in exasperation.
The Great Witch, however, puffed out her cheeks and showed a look of feigned dissatisfaction.
"No, why not? Have you even tried?"
"Common sense says it's impossible. How do you put the sun through a needle's eye?"
Despite my perfectly reasonable rebuttal, the Great Witch only clicked her tongue.
The hole in the air was gradually filling back up. A crackling sound could be heard, but it wasn't particularly bothersome.
I figured I could indulge her in this ridiculous discussion until space healed itself.
With that thought, I decided to engage in this absurd debate.
"Tsk, tsk. This is why young people these days... they always say it's impossible without even thinking about trying."
"No, this is something you don't even need to try!"
"Kid, it seems you're mistaken... As a rule, the real world and the mental world are……!"
It was at that moment, while I was jumping in protest and the Great Witch was being stubborn.
Thud.
A rupturing sound came from somewhere unknown. It happened so suddenly that I couldn't even wipe the look of bewilderment from my face.
Only the color of blood stained my retinas.
Gush. The Great Witch vomited a mouthful of blood.
Clutching her chest.
"W-what is... Great Witch, are you okay……!"
"Don't come over!"
Shouting as if in desperation, the Great Witch immediately turned around and pointed her index finger forward.
Bang, bang, bang!
The spheres of light that had appeared around her were fired several times. Centered around the same fine trajectories of light, space was pierced in straight lines.
And yet, it didn't return.
The aftershock.
Instead, the scenery of the lush green forest began to lose its color one by one. As if a mist were being lifted.
A world of gray.
A red moon hung in the sky, and the trees were withered and blackish. The ground was stained an ominous blood-red, creating a space that evoked an even more unpleasant sensation.
Even in the midst of this, the Great Witch stared straight ahead, her body tense. A single streak of blood trickled down from between her blood-stained lips.
And in the next moment.
A drop of blood that should have fallen plop instead floated into the air.
That was when the Great Witch’s eyes widened.
Lightly treading toes followed a pure white curve up to the calves.
The calves led to thighs, the thighs to buttocks, and finally to a slender waist. The woman who revealed her full form possessed a very provocative appearance.
But she looked familiar.
Her face somewhat reminded me of the Great Witch, but her gray hair and blue eyes clearly resembled my junior.
The Great Witch, who had collapsed onto the spot, began to breathe heavily. Her wide-open light-green eyes were becoming bloodshot.
"You, you……!"
"Hello."
On the other hand, the gray-haired woman was perfectly composed.
Her crimson lips curved into an arc, forming a smile. Whether it was a sneer or something else, I couldn't tell.
Instinctively, I guessed the opponent's identity.
Pale skin, blue eyes, gray hair.
Blood-red lips that contrasted with the cold color palette, and a jet-black dress. Even her eyebrows were a faint color, emphasizing her fragile image.
Lightly biting the tip of her thumb, which was covered by a black glove, the woman spoke in a thick, sultry voice.
"……My dear sister."
Was that single sentence a sore spot?
Unable to overcome her surging emotions, the Great Witch staggered to her feet. Her complexion was poor, but at the very least, the burning fighting spirit in her eyes was the real deal.
"Don't... make me laugh... How dare you, before me……!"
"But I'm sorry, I didn't come to see you today."
And then, a snap of her fingers.
That was the end.
Crash! A fissure suddenly appeared in the air, and the Great Witch, unable to steady herself, fell through the gap. Perhaps even the Great Witch hadn't expected this, as she failed to utter a proper word until the very end.
However, the shape of her lips was clearly etched into my vision.
'Run.'
I swallowed hard and slowly turned my gaze toward the woman.
Chew, chew.
The woman irritably chewed on the jet-black glove covering her thumb as she asked me.
"Kid, is it you?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about……."
Shink! A blood-red spear shot up and aimed at my forehead. I recoiled in horror, but there was no need.
The tip of the spear stopped just before touching my forehead.
The blood-red spear was rooted in just a few drops of blood. The blood the Great Witch had vomited had instantly expanded in volume and transformed into a weapon.
There was only one monster in the entire continent with such a unique ability.
The woman—no, the 'vampire'—smiled a dangerous smile and asked me again.
"……My niece's lover."
It was truly a heart-stopping question.