Chapter 209: Serpentification
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: Serpentification
"A witch must always try to curse her fate, mustn't she?"
As the words fell, a faint light flickered in Anna’s eyes.
This time, she bypassed the incantation entirely, and a dense surge of mana coalesced around her.
Searing light gathered at her fingertips. Explosion magic, compressed to its absolute limit, instantly ignited the smoke filled with flammable debris.
Flames roared upward. Then, within this semi-enclosed space, a gale suddenly howled, sweeping the violent fire into a wall of flame capable of reducing flesh and bone to ash.
Several cultists who hadn't fallen into the blood pool were instantly swallowed by the fire. They were charred to cinders amidst wretched wails, the stench of burning flesh filling the air.
"Damn it!"
The Banshee was momentarily forced back by the flames, her expression turning hideous.
She still had many tricks up her sleeve, and she could see Anna’s current state at a glance. She knew that with just a little more external pressure, Anna’s mental defenses would shatter instantly.
But Anna had planned this for a long time, catching her off guard. No matter how many methods the Banshee had, she couldn't use them in time. She could only watch as the waves of flame pushed her away, and then watch as Anna flipped her palm, mana surging as she slammed her hand against the ground.
She was going to destroy the altar!
"Stop!"
The Banshee shrieked, her crescent scimitar slashing out a chilling blade of energy.
But it was too late.
Anna ignored the threatening attack entirely, letting the blade energy graze her cheek.
Leaning down, she pressed her palm against the altar.
There was no time for magic, no time for martial techniques, and no time for any artifacts. She simply gathered all the mana in her body into her palm and let it erupt in an instant.
It was enough.
The ground shook violently.
Cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb. Accompanied by a surge of force bolstered by fighting spirit, the altar—constructed from some unknown stone—suddenly collapsed.
Dust billowed as Anna slowly stood up amidst the rubble.
The profound magic patterns engraved around the altar had all dimmed. The blood that had risen into the air seemed to lose its support, flowing back into the blood pool before the waves settled into a calm.
Having achieved her goal, Anna showed no joy. She only lowered her eyes and sighed softly.
"It’s over."
With the altar destroyed, the sacrificial ritual to summon the Evil God could no longer proceed.
Though she didn't know their ultimate goal, the interruption of such a vital step meant their subsequent plans would surely fail.
Even if the snake transformation disease was incurable and she was at the end of her rope, at least... she wouldn't let anyone else die because of her, right?
That was enough.
Anna looked up, expecting the Banshee’s infuriated attack to arrive. To be killed by her like this... didn't seem so bad.
I’m just a little sorry, Junior, for saying those things to you...
"Over? What kind of joke is that?"
Anna’s pupils shrank, and her heart skipped a beat.
The Banshee hadn't attacked. Instead, she stood where she was, her anger and hideousness vanished, replaced by a playful smirk—the look of someone who had just enjoyed the futile struggles of an ant.
"You didn't actually think this would stop us, stop the plan of the Great Moon, did you? Anna Kabulin, you still underestimate yourself."
"Underestimate... myself?"
Anna frowned in confusion, not understanding the Banshee’s meaning.
But at that moment, the Banshee suddenly knelt before her in a respectful prostration.
"O Great Moon, the noble Divine Heir has been delivered. Please, descend."
Divine Heir?
What Divine Heir?
And descend?
The altar to summon the Evil God was destroyed by my own hand. How can He descend?
Countless questions flooded Anna’s mind, accompanied by those inescapable, icy whispers that made her head throb with pain.
Only this exquisite moonlight could calm her turbulent heart, making her feel as if she could... sleep forever.
Wait.
Moonlight?
The ritual had been terminated. Where was this moonlight coming from?
Anna snapped awake, her beautiful eyes widening as she jerked her head up.
In an instant, her body went cold.
It felt as if all the blood had been drained from her; her delicate frame trembled uncontrollably.
Above her, a massive, ghostly blue moon seemed to have been shoved directly into this semi-enclosed space, occupying nearly her entire field of vision.
The Moon had truly descended.
And it wasn't just a fragment of power summoned through sacrifice.
What appeared before Anna’s eyes now was, at the very least, a complete projection!
"Is that... how it is?"
Thoughts raced. When Anna saw that ghostly blue moon, all the threads finally connected perfectly.
What it meant to be a Divine Heir.
What it meant to descend.
And the meaning behind the Banshee’s words when she forced her to drink the evolution magic potion: "You are the most important part of this plan."
The blood pool.
The altar.
The sacrifice.
None of those were important; they were merely coordinates to help the Evil God lock onto the location.
That had been completed long before Anna arrived.
The truly important thing was her—Anna Kabulin.
The moment she stood here, everything... became inevitable.
Realizing this, a dagger appeared in Anna’s hand. Without hesitation, she swung it toward her own fair neck.
Clang—
Sparks flew.
The dagger failed to slice the fatal artery. Before it could, pitch-black scales had covered that cream-colored skin, as hard as steel.
Then, a gaze from a higher plane of existence fell from the ghostly blue moon, coldly watching the struggling girl.
But all struggle was futile.
Flawless moonlight spilled down, and Anna’s body floated up uncontrollably. Her purple dress spread out, making her look as beautiful as a mermaid dancing in the deep sea.
The dagger clattered to the floor.
As if she were truly in the deep sea, Anna felt an endless cold and silence.
The warmth in her blood was stripped away bit by bit. Her heartbeat slowed, and an icy consciousness invaded her mind, rapidly tearing through her already fragile mental defenses.
The Tear of True Love—the gem that had allowed her to hold on until now—didn't dare show even a glimmer of light under the gaze of the Evil God.
Even her emotions seemed to be stripped away piece by piece. In her mind, that familiar figure grew increasingly blurred.
"Junior..."
Compared to the mental erosion, the physical transformation was even swifter. Pitch-black scales rapidly covered every inch of her skin. The black stockings, carefully chosen to accentuate the girl's beauty, were shredded as a rounded, slender serpent tail emerged from beneath her skirt, swaying gently in the moonlight.
It was a beauty that was eerie and monstrous.
...
"Is this... the nearly perfect Serpent Person?"
The Banshee crawled forward on her knees. Looking at the girl undergoing her transformation under the moonlight, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes, but it was immediately replaced by extreme fanaticism.
"To become the vessel for the Moon’s descent, to become a complete part of the Moon... you should feel honored, Anna Kabulin."
"But, the real you probably won't be happy. After all, you’ve completely turned into a monster... one even purer than I am."
The Banshee glanced at Anna’s still-furrowed brow. Her consciousness seemed to be putting up a final, desperate resistance. The Banshee sighed with mock pity.
"A shame you’ll never wake up again. Otherwise, I’d quite like to see your reaction when you realize you’ve become a total monster."
"But now isn't the time for me to indulge in anticipation."
The Banshee tilted her head to listen, a mocking sneer suddenly curling her lips.
"That fellow actually came after all. I really want to see his reaction when he sees you like this. However..."
The Banshee bowed respectfully toward the ghostly blue moon, then stood up and turned toward the depths of the darkness.
"First, let us continue the game we didn't finish before."
"I’m so looking forward to this, Muen Campbell."