blueteamnovel Chapter 1956: The Chaos Witch’s Sigh
Chapter 1956: The Chaos Witch’s Sigh
Lecia watched the exchange between Luviya and Iluna Beath from the side, and only after Iluna left did she smile and say:
"Does that girl also like Shard?"
In fact, Dorothy had met Iluna, so she knew this.
"Luviya, you’re pushing yet another girl into the hands of our playboy."
"Dear Her Highness the Princess, it’s not me pushing her to the cliff’s edge, it’s her asking for help to fall faster."
Luviya said, then teased:
"What, are you unhappy with what I’m doing? Do you think I’m indulging Shard?"
"Of course not, Dorothy and I understood long ago, he’s not an ordinary person."
Her Highness the Red-Haired Princess thought of her time with Shard, a smile playing at her lips:
"He is quite interesting, devoted yet indulgent. Reserved, but doesn’t know how to refuse. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a strategy of his... but I still believe he is loyal. When I see him, I can still read from his eyes that passion that wants to melt me."
Saying this, she remembered a few days ago, when Shard knelt on one knee before her, making those vows by the window in the room on the third floor.
"Oh, looks like you’ve been enchanted by Shard."
Luviya continued to tease.
"Luviya, a graceful lady doesn’t make a ’tsk’ sound. But enchanted... perhaps you know, Dorothy and I have our secrets."
She smiled at Miss Writer beside her. This was the first time the two had proactively talked about themselves in front of Luviya. Of course, she didn’t forget to activate a small Silence Charm, so only the three of them and Angelina, who pretended to be looking at the flames but was actually eavesdropping, could hear:
"Without our knight, Dorothy and I would probably still be pondering how to touch each other and would instinctively want to truly become one after our first meeting and touch. But now we have him...as long as he’s around, we’ll never think like that. What does it mean for us to become one? Losing ourselves, that love would vanish too."
She held her pretty chin, sharing her thoughts, looking at the fire in front of her:
"Rather than become one with Dorothy, I long to become one with Shard."
"Cough, cough."
The violet-eyed Diviner coughed, her beautiful purple eyes looking at him, while Angelina pressed her lips to control her expression.
"We are all his lovers, though it’s true, but are you so openly admitting your desire...?"
"That’s not what I meant."
The Red-Haired Princess gently shook her head:
"I mean the soul."
"The soul touches him, the soul becomes one with him."
The Blonde Writer helped Lecia add:
"What is it about his powerful soul that’s different from us? His soul, always full of passion yet detached from this world, is it cold or warm? I don’t know, so I want to know. Compared to Lecia, who is almost identical to me, I would rather become a part of Shard’s soul. So unique, so dazzling, so radiant and enchanting..."
Lecia’s eyes, similar to Dorothy’s, glistened in the firelight:
"Luviya, can you honestly say you’ve never been drawn to his soul? Oh, sometimes, I even wish he could shred..."
This time she stopped her words herself, blushing as she realized what she was saying, quickly concluding:
"Unreachable, thus it shines."
"The way you say it, you are like moths drawn to the flame."
Luviya commented, but Dorothy corrected:
"Butterflies drawn to the glimmer. Without him, perhaps we would have flown far, far away, but now, we just long for this glimmer."
"Then wait."
The Diviner said softly, anticipating the final scene of the night:
"However, I do have some guesses about his intentions. When exactly will the Red Butterfly Sisters arrive?"
Relying on the powerful perception ability granted by "Edwards’ Ascension Technique" and the subtle connection with Shard, Iluna, who lacked spatial power, somehow managed to arrive at the dense forest in the southern hills of Edwards’ Old House, just a few minutes after setting out from the Green Lake Hotel entrance, despite the distance being half an island away.
Only when she saw the silver moonlight amidst the foggy forest did she realize she might have unconsciously performed a spatial leap. As she marveled at this peculiar sensation, she followed the radiant silver moonlight through the fog to the battlefield.
The battle between the Faceless Man with the thirteen-ring Life Ring entwined by tree roots and Shard had just begun. In his regular state of Six Rings, Shard was no match for his opponent, falling into a disadvantage as soon as they engaged.
But knowing that his opponent was soulless and merely a body driven by instinctive combat awareness, "she" gently informed Shard that this being’s weakness was actually the Illusion Technique.
Despite being a Diviner, who should be the least fearful of illusions, the absence of a soul reduced his resistance to near zero. Even though the island was his home ground, Shard, who was gradually strengthening his connection with it, also received a boost from the island’s power, enabling him to perform increasingly profound illusions.
Combining the illusions of the Red Butterfly and Moon Shadow, he had already concealed his form in front of the Faceless Man. However, the opponent was still a Thirteen Ring sorcerer, and even though his strength was greatly diminished compared to a normal Thirteen Ring, Shard could protect himself but found it difficult to defeat the opponent.
Iluna’s arrival did not surprise Shard greatly. After all, many had been coming to his aid from the beginning:
"Can you hold him for a few seconds?"
He shouted to Iluna, the seventeen-year-old girl whose Brass Ring behind her had transformed into a Dark Golden Balance amidst the glimmer:
"No problem, I love dealing with Circle Sorcerers of a higher level than mine."
With a light leap into the battlefield, the silvery-white mist similarly obscured her figure. Even though the Faceless Man lacked eyes to meet hers, Iluna’s Chosen One talent was definitely not purely reliant on eye contact for release:
"Balance!"
The Dark Golden Balance shone brightly as Iluna revealed herself behind the Faceless Man. When her hand touched the Faceless Man’s back, the Life Ring, entwined by tree roots and hovering above his head, slowly regressed to Eleven Rings:
"Those tree roots are suspicious!"
Iluna warned and then vanished again, concealing herself within the silvery-white fog. A golden Thunder Spear appeared behind the Faceless Man, but he caught it with one hand as he turned and tossed it into the air before it could unleash a thunderous burst.
The "Illusion of the Moon Shadow" summoned silver mist dispersed at that moment, and a brighter radiance erupted behind the Faceless Man. He blocked Iluna’s Sunlight Gun again, and when he finally managed to turn to face Shard, he saw Shard holding a Golden Holy Emblem that emitted an ancient gleam, already in the final stage of using its power:
"Praise the Chaos Witch."
All preparations were complete, and the alchemical item crafted by the Grand Witch in his hand was fully activated at that moment.
Seven illusory female figures emerged sequentially in the Holy Emblem’s light. The seven figures stood, bent, knelt on one knee, or raised their hands high. When combined, their postures formed a dazzling light pillar that pierced the sky, visible across the entire island.
Shard heard voices speaking in his ear, seven voices he had never heard before:
"Sigh of the Chaos Witch!"
The light engulfed the Faceless Man before him, who disintegrated into points of light in the golden radiance, unable to offer any resistance.
The mere destructive power was insufficient to describe the potency of this move, and as Shard observed the Holy Emblem in his hand lose its glow, he reaffirmed that although the Sixth Era’s Witch Council had declined compared to the Fifth Era, the Grand Witches had definitely not lost the inheritance of the Fifth Era Witch Empress’s system.
This strike had surpassed Thirteen Rings.
Iluna had already arrived at Shard’s side, nodding gently to him. The two did not exchange much and entered together through the door at the edge of the forest clearing.
After the dizziness subsided, they found themselves back in the basement of Edwards’ Old House. However, the spacious basement had no passage leading through the blood-red door, nor did it contain the Edwards participating in the banquet.
Iluna looked at Shard, who nodded:
"He won’t stay hidden."
He led Iluna back to the first floor and into the dining room with the "Family Lineage". At that moment, an earthquake hit again, accompanied by a deep beastly roar from the southeast of the island.
Shard paid it no mind, slicing the long table open with his longsword to reveal the trapdoor beneath:
"It’s here as expected. Since the lineage is here, the passage should be as well."
The ground’s shaking caused the crystal chandeliers on the dining room ceiling to sway. Iluna frowned at the view outside the window while, amidst clattering sounds, Shard pulled open the door embedded on the floor. This time, the door no longer led to darkness but to the underground corridor that Shard had seen several times but never entered.
The torches on the dark corridor walls lit up one by one from the entrance forward. The corridor slanted downward, and on the walls, ground, and ceiling, huge blood-red tree roots protruded only to re-enter the walls. It was as if the corridor itself was enveloped by enormous tree roots.
The scent of blood, the smell of trees, the earthy aroma, and the faint incense fragrance all flowed from the underground passage. Iluna took Shard’s hand, and after exchanging a glance, they both understood each other’s thoughts at that moment.
Together they stepped into the underground corridor, and the power obtained from "Edwards’ Ascension Technique" became active at that moment. A faint desire in their hearts urged them forward to the corridor’s end to acquire all of this power.