Chapter 990: Witch Hunt: Remuria
The ground shook violently as flames erupted, swiftly engulfing everything in sight.
Elder Amulgu reacted swiftly, summoning her soul weapon-a golden staff adorned with a serpentine design known as the [Engulfing Serpent Staff].
A protective field materialized before her, halting the advance of the flames.
"Go now! Leave this to me!" Elder Amulgu commanded loudly.
Kayla and her group immediately turned and flew away. Although they were uncertain about the ident.i.ty of the woman causing the chaos, they obeyed the elder"s orders.
"Let"s go," Eilish said, urging the group onward.
Alice cast a final glance at Red Mist before following Eilish. She understood the danger posed by Red Mist, surpa.s.sing that of Poisonous Vine and Spatial Whisperer based on her display of power in Selnes Country.
Swoos.h.!.+
Elder Grecia stepped forward, her attention fixed solely on Red Mist. Unlike Elder Amulgu, she made no effort to protect Kayla and the others.
"Aqua Burst!"
A powerful torrent of water surged from the tip of her staff, colliding with the flames and creating a dense veil of vapor that shrouded the entire area.
"Remuria, I will settle what should have been done long ago! Your treacherous deeds end today!" Elder Grecia declared loudly.
"Remuria... It has been a long time since I heard that name. I almost forgot it," Red Mist emerged from the billowing vapor, her gaze fixed on the two elders before her. "Regardless, I have forsaken that name. People in the real world know me as Red Mist."
"Do you truly believe you can escape your origins? How amusing! You are still the same
pitiful girl!" Elder Grecia laughed mockingly.
"Remuria... You"re still alive...?" Elder Amulgu muttered, clearly taken aback.
The two elders from different factions held contrasting views regarding Red Mist.
Red Mist turned to Elder Amulgu and retorted, "Don"t look at me like that. You did nothing to prevent what happened. Everyone in this land turned a blind eye to me."
"I will never forgive this place, so I have resolved to thoroughly destroy it, no matter the cost. I never antic.i.p.ated an invitation would be extended to the real world, offering me the perfect opportunity," Red Mist laughed maniacally.
The origins of the invitations that all the guests received remained unknown. Despite being a witch, Red Mist was unable to pinpoint the location of Walpurgis Night due to the encircling Dream Power. However, thanks to the invitation, she managed to return.
Elder Amulgu remained silent, her gaze fixed on Red Mist, whom she knew as Remuria.
"The Walpurgis Night will reclaim its former glory. We will uncover the mastermind behind this, and you will face the same fate," Elder Grecia declared firmly.
"Fate? Let me share something interesting with you. Walpurgis Night was destined to fall, but that fate was shattered, allowing you all to potentially prevent it from happening," Red Mist explained, raising her finger to emphasize her point.
Had fate not been shattered, the destruction of Walpurgis Night would have been inevitable unless a deity intervened personally. Fate was a mysterious concept-capable of change yet sometimes immutable, perhaps dictated by the will of the world.
"But that"s irrelevant now. Fate has been shattered. Nothing is absolute in this world, and even G.o.ds can fall from their lofty status," Red Mist continued.
"Do you mean that if fate hadn"t collapsed, Walpurgis Night would be doomed to fall?" Elder Amulgu asked in a low voice.
"Exactly. That would have been the inevitable future for Walpurgis Night. It was written in fate, but for some reason, fate collapsed," Red Mist paused briefly before adding, "Now there"s a chance that you can prevent its destruction. So give it your best effort and let me witness your struggle until the end."
"You"re insane!" Elder Grecia exclaimed loudly, pointing her staff at Red Mist.
A ray of light burst forth from the staff, but it missed its target as Red Mist had already moved to a different location, watching them calmly. The air around her grew hotter once again as she spoke.
"I will settle everything today. Kill me, just as you tried to that day," Red Mist declared. "Enough!" Elder Grecia retorted, casting another spell.
Several pillars of water descended from above, each spewing hundreds of water blades in every direction.
Swoos.h.!.+
Red Mist swiftly dodged all the water blades, flames swirling around her arm as she struck the ground, causing a sea of flames to erupt.
The flames and water collided, enveloping the entire area in vapor once again.
The vapor quickly dissipated as Elder Amulgu unleashed a powerful energy release, revealing Red Mist"s position.
"Remuria, did it really have to come to this?" Elder Amulgu questioned, locking eyes with Red Mist.
"Yeah," Red Mist replied coldly, das.h.i.+ng forward to confront the two Walpurgis Night elders.
Swoos.h.!.+
Meanwhile, Kayla"s group, along with Alice and Eilish, arrived in a certain room. It was a s.p.a.cious living room, adorned with sofas and various neatly arranged objects. Despite the comfortable setting, they wore serious expressions as they surveyed their surroundings cautiously.
Below them, on the stairs, several human-like golems stared back at them.
"These golems are already here..." Alice remarked quietly, circulating her energy silently.
"Should we engage them?" Eilish asked in a hushed tone.
"Let"s take out some of them before we make a break for it. We shouldn"t waste time facing these golems head-on," Kayla suggested.
Kim and the others nodded in agreement with their captain"s plan. Fighting the golems wasn"t their primary objective, so expending unnecessary energy on them would be
counterproductive.
"Let"s go! Focus on the golems ahead!" Kayla commanded before das.h.i.+ng forward.
In response to their captain"s directive, Kim and Levie leaped into the air, summoning their soul weapons. The energy around them surged as they cast their spells.
Kayla, Barno, Ivie, Alice, and Eilish benefited from the boosts provided by Kim and Levie"s
spells.
Ohm!
Kayla, Barno, and Ivie surged forward, swiftly wielding their soul weapons to strike the golems ahead. The trio"s coordinated attacks overwhelmed the golems in front of them. Meanwhile, Alice and Eilish positioned themselves to block the left and right sides, preventing the other golems from advancing.
Alice thrust her spear repeatedly, unleas.h.i.+ng blasts of cold energy at the golems. Eilish conjured water dragons to impede the golems" progress. Their goal wasn"t to destroy the golems but to keep them occupied and prevent them from interfering with Kayla and the
others.
"We"re ready!" Kim shouted.
Alice and Eilish turned their heads and dashed to the front. Meanwhile, Kim and Levie raised their soul weapons into the air.
"[Solid Rock Barricade]!"
Two walls of rock burst from the ground, temporarily isolating them from the golems on the sides and leaving them with a clear path ahead. Having already dealt with the golems in front,
they swiftly moved to exit the room.
Bang!
An explosion erupted ahead, causing them to halt in their tracks.
"Something"s wrong?" Kayla muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Suddenly, a heavy surge of energy rippled throughout the area.
Boom!!
Alice, Eilish, and the others widened their eyes in shock as their instincts screamed at them.
Undoubtedly, a powerful golem had appeared.
Kayla scanned left and right, searching for a way to avoid direct confrontation with the
formidable foe blocking their path. Ahead of them lay only one route, obstructed by the imposing golem, while thick walls crafted by Kim and Levie sealed off their flanks.
"We"ll break through the walls and head for the door upstairs," Kayla whispered to the group.
Alice and the others nodded in agreement.
Before they could make a move, a strange occurrence interrupted their plans. The entire room shook violently, and an even more potent surge of energy erupted from the ground, tearing
through the s.p.a.ce around them.
Boom!!
"What"s happening?!" Kayla exclaimed.
Everyone was shocked by the unfolding events. First, Red Mist"s appearance, and now
something entirely different was happening. The chaos was overwhelming, with multiple unexpected occurrences simultaneously.
"This energy... It"s not from a golem," Alice whispered, her voice filled with uncertainty.
Eilish looked up, her gaze fixated on the shattered s.p.a.ce above them. Within the fractured area, she discerned several figures.
"W-What?!" Eilish gasped, her eyes widening as she focused on one of the figures.
Alice noticed Eilish"s reaction and asked, "What"s wrong?"
Eilish remained silent, still staring at the figure moving within the broken s.p.a.ce.
Alice followed Eilish"s line of sight and spotted three figures. One was a man covered in
bandages, another was a woman with cat ears and a tail, and the last was a man with blue hair.
Something about the man with blue hair caught Alice"s attention. His appearance bore a
striking resemblance to Eilish.
"Is that..." Alice began, glancing at Eilish once again.
"E-Eilan?! It can"t be..." Eilish muttered in shock.
Her long-lost sibling, whom she had been desperately searching for, appeared here in
Walpurgis Night of all places.
Bang!!
The ground shook violently as a human-like golem burst through the rubble. Alice reacted swiftly, positioning herself in front of Eilish and thrusting her spear with all her might toward
the golem. "Eilis.h.!.+ Snap out of it!" Alice shouted, putting additional force into her spear.