Episode 370 – The Witch of Terror
Dark Storm was an organization that blindly followed the Sword Demon, enraptured by his strength.
They admired the Black Stars, the rulers of Pri Root, and each mber longed to be chosen by the Sword Demon to beco one of them.
Those within Dark Storm possessed the potential power to be Black Stars themselves, and they pledged absolute loyalty to the cause.
What’s more, the Sword Demon had only selected the most brutal individuals—so they knew no fear, and they specialized in fighting the strong.
“The situation’s gotten serious.”
Kal bit his lip as he scanned the tightening periter.
Two hundred? Three?
No, there were far more than expected.
If it were just them, we could push through, he thought.
The problem was—the Sword Demon stood behind them.
Facing him alone was already a nightmare, but now he had the support of Dark Storm? Kal didn’t even want to think about it.
“Escape’s out of the question?”
“If the Sword Demon lets us go, maybe. But…”
“So we’re fighting, huh??”
Natasha, clutching her wounded shoulder, furrowed her brow as she checked her condition. The bleeding had stopped, fortunately, but the pierced arm still wouldn’t move properly—it seed the nerves had been damaged.
Could she face that sword again in this state?
Impossible.
Her expression darkened.
Even with her maximum synchronization with Gereflam, she had been overwheld.
Without Dorneth’s support, she wouldn’t be able to hold out a second ti.
“Hey, dwarf. You alright?”
“Nngh... I’ll manage.”
Despite his words, Dorneth was in the worst shape of all.
He forced his heavy body upright, but even that made his exhaustion painfully obvious.
The accumulated damage from tanking with the Oath Shield had been staggering—like nothing he’d experienced before.
He shook his head, thinking of the Sword Demon’s blade.
“How can soone swing a sword like that while suppressing their aura?”
Unlike the first attack, where he scattered sword energy everywhere, once they clashed directly, the Sword Demon released no energy at all.
No aura radiating from his body, no visible force—no signs of his strength at all.
Outwardly, he looked just like an ordinary man.
Yet his sword was powerful enough to make the Oath Shield scream.
What kind of power was this?
“I’ve heard rumors, but… he really is a monster.”
Dorneth stared at the Sword Demon in the distance, grim-faced.
They said he conquered Pri Root with just a single sword. Now, he understood why.
Sword Demon Karvas.
Was there anyone in Hell Gri who could fight him one-on-one?
Suddenly, Lochter from the Hunters ca to mind.
The strongest swordsman he knew.
Maybe Sir Lochter could stand a chance against him…?
“Kal.”
“Yes, speak.”
“Do we have reinforcents? Any Coalition forces heading this way?”
Kal gave a bitter smile at Dorneth’s question. He must be thinking of retreat. If there were allies nearby, escape might be possible.
“There are no reinforcents.”
“...Damn.”
“We lost contact with the main force two days ago. Arthur will be worried, but he won’t send more troops. We were already the overwhelming force—”
—That is, until the Sword Demon showed up.
“Damn it, we ca too deep…”
In truth, Kal’s team had never intended to pursue this far. They knew the deeper into Pri Root, the higher the risk.
But they couldn’t stop.
The rewards for killing Azolett and Rengua were simply too great.
“We played right into their trap…”
Kal cursed and stared at the two, collapsed and gasping.
They’d lured them all the way here—always just out of reach. Now they were surrounded, with no ti to even survey the area.
Unwittingly, they had walked into this.
Kal clenched his jaw and turned to the others.
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“For what?”
“I led this mission.”
“It was Arthur’s directive, wasn’t it? To trust your instincts.”
Arthur had trusted Kal’s danger-sensing ability and followed his judgnt.
But that sa intuition had led them into danger.
The Sword Demon’s appearance had been swift and sudden.
“Since I led you here, I’ll buy ti. The rest of you, retreat.”
“Bullshit.”
Natasha scoffed and looked around.
“Even with three of us, we couldn’t handle one Sword Demon. You think you’ll hold out alone?”
“Whether we fight or run, we do it together. So make the call. You’re the leader, right? Own it.”
Even Dorneth nodded, agreeing with her.
“It’s dangerous, yes—but we’re not weak either. We can still make it through this. Kal, we trust your judgnt.”
“...Understood.”
Kal nodded heavily and exhaled.
Back when he was a fugitive, chased by Crux, he’d survived every crisis by sheer determination. Compared to then, he now had comrades as strong as the heavens.
With sharp eyes, Kal scanned the enemy formation.
The mbers of Dark Storm were all draped in black cloth, starkly contrasting the Sword Demon.
Standing in the heart of the Frozen Desert, their bodies radiated dense, shimring heat, pushing back the cold.
They were highly refined warriors—definitely not to be taken lightly.
“Sword Demon, Azolett, Rengua, and Dark Storm…”
Sohow, they had ended up facing the strongest forces of Pri Root all at once.
What decision would give them the best chance at survival?
He was still weighing their odds when—
“Hm?”
A sudden gust of wind swept over them.
The dimly lit scenery slowly began to brighten.
Thick clouds that had covered the night sky were beginning to part.
The surrounding enemies beca clear and visible again.
Kal glanced up at the sky—and fell silent.
So did the others.
The first to speak was Dorneth.
“A full moon.”
“Yeah. A full moon.”
“A full moon…”
Then they fell into silence again.
Monts later, all three turned to look at Keros.
Startled by the sudden attention, Keros wagged his tail uncertainly.
Kal turned toward the small witch slumped on Keros’s back.
His eyes widened.
“Full moon…?”
At the sa ti—
“Move!”
“Kyeng!”
Natasha shoved Keros’s head aside and set Lily down, checking her condition.
Still sound asleep in the middle of all this chaos.
She leaned close and studied her closely—Lily’s pale cheeks were now tinged pink with a warm blush.
A smile crept onto Natasha’s lips.
It’s happening!
As a witch, Natasha knew better than anyone what a full moon ant.
During the Great Witch Purge, the reason Lily Base was known as the Witch of Terror was because of her power—Moonlight.
Under the full moon, her moonlight beca sothing special.
The Moon Witch.
Natasha began shaking Lily awake.
“Lily, it’s ti for dinner!”
A new option had erged—not flight or fight.
—
Back on the enemy side, the gourd given by the Sword Demon had been emptied, and Rengua slowly regained consciousness.
Azolett was wounded too—her thigh deeply pierced—but she was in far better shape than Rengua.
His staff, the source of his power, had been destroyed.
Now he looked decades older, his body frail and emaciated.
Clicking his tongue, Karvas muttered:
“You’re in rough shape, Rengua.”
“Boss…”
“You awake now?”
The mont his mind cleared, Rengua imdiately looked for the crystal orb, not his wounds.
Azolett, feigning ignorance, handed it over.
“You’re glaring at your healer like you want dead?”
“If it had been damaged, I wouldn’t have forgiven you.”
“Tch.”
Rengua sighed in relief, holding the orb, and turned toward the distant enemies.
“Boss, we must kill them here.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a lot of grudges.”
“It’s not about grudges. It’s for the Black Stars. If we don’t stop them now, the Black Stars will eventually fall.”
“What do you an?”
Karvas’s expression stiffened, but Rengua pressed on.
You couldn’t deceive Karvas—so he chose to reveal everything.
“They’re not the only ones. There are stronger forces in the Coalition. If we let them live, they’ll bring even more dangerous troops to invade Pri Root.”
“You think I won’t be able to stop them?”
“They won’t send three. They’ll send five or six. Can you still win?”
“If numbers alone could kill , I’d have died long ago.”
“Richard is dead.”
“The Special Investigator?”
Even Karvas reacted.
Richard Volpent.
A man who once challenged Karvas and lost, but whose skill Karvas genuinely acknowledged.
That he had died—it was hard to believe.
“That’s not all. The Cleaners that moved with him? All of them dead.”
“Even the Cleaners?”
“I saw it myself. I brought one of their corpses and Richard’s swords.”
With proof in hand, Karvas had no reason to doubt him.
His decision ca quickly.
He’d never intended to let them go—but now his resolve was set in stone.
Pii—
A sharp whistle escaped Karvas’s lips, and the waiting Dark Storm warriors began to close in, bloodlust rising.
As their killing intent spread, Rengua’s expression brightened.
If Karvas and Dark Storm moved, they could surely annihilate the enemy.
“We must reduce their numbers here and now…”
World Tree Coalition.
An erging, highly dangerous power.
If their rise couldn’t be stopped now…
When the lord returns, it could be a bitter war.
Rengua had the resurrection of Kal Blazer in mind.
His lord had chosen Pri Root as the foundation of his return and passed prophetic ssages to Rengua before falling into dormancy.
But the Coalition’s rise hadn’t been predicted—not even the fall of Aintrier.
All of it was the Coalition’s doing.
They were a major, dangerous variable even the lord hadn’t foreseen.
An incredibly threatening one...
Despite his condition, Rengua stood.
He was determined to fight.
They would die here.
He began preparing his spell, eyes filled with murderous resolve, as he stared at the center of the encirclent.
Then—
Vwoooooom!
The world lit up.
The light radiated from within the enemy’s encircled area, a soft golden hue spreading outward.
KRAAAAAAH—!
A monstrous howl echoed from the light.
Dark Storm warriors began to stir.
Then even Karvas and Azolett looked on in stunned silence.
Crackkk—
Bones twisted as a huge black-furred beast erged.
Its body rapidly grew until it reached nearly 10 ters, exuding overwhelming pressure.
A single horn on its forehead shimred with concentrated energy.
But the transformation didn’t stop there.
KRAAAAH—!
With a second roar, a second head burst forth from the first—
A two-headed beast had been born.
Its four bloodshot eyes scanned the surroundings before both heads opened their maws wide.
“…Ke… Kerberos?”
It was Azolett who recognized it—an expert in beasts.
Karvas let out a dry laugh and tightened his grip on his sword.
“You two…”
He looked at Azolett and Rengua.
“You actually survived long enough to run all the way here.”
From between the towering beast’s legs, a girl in violet stepped forward—
Lily Base.
The Witch of Terror had arrived.
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