This is bad..." Liam raised his Identifier, and yet, she couldn't find any signal to contact her companions. "Mrs. Layla...I still can't get in contact with them…"
Layla, who had just finished securing the area and set traps, soon floated towards her.
"Let me try, cutie."
Liam obeyed, handing her the device and soon Layla was floating towards the sky, and yet, she still couldn't communicate with her colleagues, worse still, she couldn't interfere...since her mana would be quickly identified.
Soon, she was back down, next to Liam.
"I guess we'll have to wait for Randy to get back to us..."
Of course, the powerful Randy who was the only one who could speak telepathically with others...
Something that right now, they really needed.
Liam sat on a log, bored...
She thought her part would be just as exciting as she read in the story, but now that she was doing nothing, she regretted having agreed to attend Walpurgis Night.
"Layla…" she muttered, but noticing that she had slipped out of character, she immediately cleared her throat. "Mrs. Layla! You're still coming to visit Mr. Detective, while Ji Noo and I are training?"
Layla blinked, momentarily confused by the question, then shook her head.
"Hmm...not really, I've been kind of busy lately after Raum's attack."
Liam blinked, surprised.
That was never said in the book.
"Busy? With what?" She said, suddenly interested.
Layla nodded, then made some mana particles appear in the air. "After Raum appeared and was absorbed by Ji Noo, the fairies have been causing more problems lately in the explorations of my subordinates and Joakim's," The mana was formed with the geographical figure of Anarxie, about six marked points around the city. "I've been researching why, and although I'm not sure yet, that means two things; a demon is hiding somewhere here, or Raum is absorbing Anarxie's cursed energy to free himself."
Liam looked at her, surprised. She knew, however, that fairies were defenseless, as they were simply slaves to demons, and were only drawn to cursed energy.
But, that was also a warning sign.
Both in La vie en Rose and Aria, it was very frequented by fairies in the past, so that later, in the future they predicted the destruction of both cities.
And Anarxie, the most populated city...
They shouldn't have let that happen.
"You still don't know what it is exactly?" She asked, curious.
"No," Layla sighed softly, clenching her fists and undoing the mana projection. "But, it's possible that if we neglect it...Anarxie will end up in pieces like Aria…"
Or in a worse case...
"...or it will end like La Vie en Rose."
The last thing Layla murmured, very carefully.
In any case, it was well known that the mention of that city was almost a legend.
The mass destruction of La Vie en Rose at the hands of demons, which even made the ashes of the village disappear.
And, even worse, from that old town, only one of its inhabitants survived: Anser Ciro.
However, their conversation was interrupted when the ground shook; as a result, something soon fell in front of them…
"W-What was that?" Liam said, getting up from the log she was sitting on, and standing behind Layla.
Slowly, Layla floated towards the lump that had fallen in front of them, and after clearing the dirt that was flying in the air, she noticed that it was a person, but not just anyone…
A woman.
"S-She's a witch?" Liam murmured, going over to the woman on the ground, helping her sit down on the ground.
"Liam, wait..." Layla floated towards Liam, putting her hand on her shoulder to stop her. "We still don't know who she is and—"
However, there was no need to investigate this person's identity further when it was already clear who he was.
Noticing the light blue hair, Layla immediately grabbed Liam's wrist to pull her away from the witch, from Gene.
"She's the witch they have to kill!" Layla immediately put her hands in front of her, enclosing the unconscious Gene in a mana bubble.
Liam looked at her, confused for a moment, then...freaked out...
"W-WHAT?!" She said, scared, then searched her bag for some potion that would help them. "That's bad, very bad...If she's here, does that mean Buher has been stronger than we thought? Oh no...Mandeleine's there, and if anything happens to him...we're doomed, aren't we?"
Layla sighed, holding the cage for a few more seconds, then keeping Gene locked in there, while they watched her regenerate.
"She's weak right now, I guess she's exhausted her mana...and she's also very injured," Then, he looked into the trees, trying to find Joakim and Karmen's team to help them, but...there was no one.
Liam sighed, knowing what that meant...
"Then we'll hold her until Joakim or Anser come."
It wasn't a suggestion, she assured her.
Layla looked at Liam, surprised by the girl's sudden bravery, but that didn't matter, right now, that would be the most obvious thing.
"You're right," She said, making a spear appear in her hand, ready for battle. "I may not be a good fighter, but I will give my best! Please, if you ever feel overwhelmed, hide and go find Joakim!"
Liam nodded, taking a dagger out of her bag.
And without another second passing, the bubble Gene was trapped in began to crack. A small crack, but as the witch's shape distorted into that of a giant wolf, it began to fill the entire space, causing more and more cracks.
Until it couldn't stand it anymore.
In an explosion, mana fragments flew out, shattering before hitting anything.
And in front of them stood Gene, the cannibal witch, in the form of her familiar, a wolf.
[Humans...weak...] Slowly her began to circle them, her mouth dripping with saliva. [You won't even be able to hold me for a minute.]
And well, Gene was right.
Layla never specialized in the battlefield, other than the 'theoretical' aspects of this world. And Liam...she barely learned how to use the dagger to defend herself.
So yes, it would be a miracle if they could last a minute.
"That means we don't need a minute to kill you," Liam stood in front of Gene, taking a red potion out of her bag. "We can kill you even in thirty seconds."
The boldness made Layla sweat slightly, worrying for Liam.
And yet Gene...that made her smile.
[Stupid brave brat.]
And with that, with a flick of her tail, she attacked them, causing both of their heads to be torn off in just that one attack.
Gene watched the bodies fall to the ground, then snorted.
[Arrogant…]
But as they were about to leave, the scene repeated itself again—she using her tail to rip their heads off.
[Arrogant…]
And again.
[Arrogant…]
Again.
[Arrogant…]
And…
That's when she realized she had killed them more than once, and yet the scene kept happening over and over again.
What's happening?
Gene came to two conclusions: either one of them is a witch and would use a time spell to repeat it over and over again...or, simply had the power to do it and Gene didn't notice.
And yet, both were very viable...but she didn't know what was going on.
[Fuck…] She murmured, until she felt something penetrate her two hind legs. [What?]
And it was there, where the truth was revealed.
Soon, the vision in front of her faded, and she immediately saw what was happening; Layla had buried her spear in her.
And soon, she noticed that there was something injected into her tail; a needle.
[What is…?]
In the end, was she always hallucinating?
"It's called Methylphenidate," Liam said, smiling. "I must say it's amazing the effect didn't last long on you, Genesis. That means you're someone almost immune…"
All high-ranking witches are immune to spells, but...does that also apply to medicines?
Liam was once prescribed Methylphenidate, it was one of the worst times of her life, and when she came into this world... she found something similar in this world, called; "the witch pill."
[…The witch pill.] Gene laughed as she fell to the ground, the spear buried in her hind legs and unable to make another attack with her tail. [You still need a lot to kill me...]
Soon, the wolf's snout began to open, wider, wider, and wider, to the point where the crunch of its jaw breaking could be heard. From there, Gene emerged, a naked body if only it weren't covered with a nightgown.
Her long light blue hair falling like real waterfalls, pale skin, an attractive and beautiful body, but, besides that, in her lifeless dark eyes, there was now a sparkle.
And that was bad.
They had provoked a witch.
A real witch.
"Wonderful! You've made my pet unusable for now!" She said, falling softly to the ground in front of them. "If you weren't my enemy, I would take you as a slave...but, you are so horrible that I would never care about you."
Liam frowned, more than offended, now she was a little scared...
That the witch now set her eyes on her...
"Layla…"
The witch raised her arm, but as she was about to cast a spell to kill Liam, Layla cut off her arm with a swift movement of the spear.
Gene took a step back, climbing onto the giant wolf's body.
Her arm quickly regenerated, and then she looked at Layla.
"I'm a sect leader, it's not fair that you give her more attention than me..." She said, then stood in front of Liam and pointed her spear at Gene. "If you can kill me, it means you're capable of being a witch."
Gene looked at her, then smiled, and on his side, made a sword appear; a replica of Anser's sword, Astral.
Layla frowned.
Of all the weapon options, why create an artificial one of that specific weapon?
"So you know what this sword does...Miss Layla?" she slowly floated towards her. "The sword blessed by the moon...today is a full moon night; the Astral will unleash its full power in the moonlight."
Liam looked surprised.
Although, in the novel it was never said much about the sword, so is it possible that Ji Noo doesn't know about it either?
That made her think, but for now, she didn't have to worry.
"An imitation should not be as strong as the original."
The words left her mouth before she stopped, immediately, Gene and Layla looked at her.
«S-Shit! I forgot I wasn't supposed to mention Anser's sword in front of a witch...»
"Do you know who has the real sword?" Gene muttered.
Layla immediately reacted, before Gene could move, she sent her flying by hitting her with her spear.
"I-I'm so sorry, Miss Layla! I swear I forgot what we said at the meeting!"
Layla sighed, giving her a smile.
"If I kill her, she'll never try to bother you with that again," She said, then floated up to the top of the trees to look for Gene.
It was then that she could see a blue dot flying towards her.
And soon, Gene clashed her sword against Layla's spear.
"Damn inopportune!" Gene growled, while Layla's face belonged with that smile.
"I told you, I'm a sect leader..." Then, she lightly moved his spear, with a flash, she removed the sword in front of her, then hit her on the head and sent her slamming to the ground. "Although I am the weakest of the five great sects~"
And soon, she threw her spear towards her.
Gene was able to dodge the spear while on the ground, but when she tried to touch it, the spear repelled her, sending her flying through the forest.
Soon, Layla dropped to the ground, and grabbed her spear.
"Oh oh, you never touch other people's belongings, darling."
Gene felt mocked by Layla, so, angry, she lunged at her, attacking her, but Layla used her spear as a defense and repelled all of her attacks.
The attacks became faster; desperate.
And Liam noticed.
"So that's why Layla is the fifth strongest sect in the entire world..."
Of course, she was the fourth, but when she met Anser, she gave him her place.
Not because she was nice, not exactly; she hated being seen with too much power. Too humble to recognize her talents, and preferring to hide among her friends.
Layla kept throwing and counterattacking Gene, until finally, she managed to exhaust all of Gene's energy.
Being thrown into the woods for the umpteenth time, this time Gene tried to get up, but finding it impossible, instead she tried to reach out and grab her sword and use it as a walking stick.
But her mana ran out, causing her to fall to the ground.
It was the first time in her five decades as a witch that she had been exhausted in this way; not even her teacher had put her through it.
None of her spells were received by Layla, the woman who remained with that kind smile that made her angry...
It wasn't possible for that to happen...no, it wasn't possible...it was impossible for a witch who fed on several, the most powerful witches...to be weaker than a human with magic.
"What the hell is that stupid woman?" She could feel Layla's mana approaching her, immediately, she got up from the ground, but slipped and fell while trying to hide.
No, she couldn't die.
She had to be...the most powerful witch of all!
And nothing would stop her...nothing!
Just as they were about to flee the mountain, a field appeared all around it. The birds that were flying were being pushed aside by the powerful shield.
Gene gulped nervously.
"What the hell...?"
And soon, she heard an explosion on top of the mountain.
So...Buher was fighting up there too, right?
***
Sherly created an individual shield for Mandeleine.
The exorcist, without looking back, stood between some thin threads in the air, running to the top of what the barrier Randy put up allowed him to go.
"Ji Noo, Frederick, cover us," he said, then in his right hand a shield imploded and became a gun. "If you two die, come back to life."
Wow, he really didn't want to lose staff...
"Oh, of course, since I can do that perfectly, you damn old fool…" Frederick muttered, getting up from the ground and kicking me to the side, then Renato stood on Frederick's head.
Sherly soon ran towards the witch, which was surrounded by stone, but that wouldn't stop them.
Mandeleine's white coat expanded; and soon, a warm, glowing energy restored our lost stamina and strength.
Plus, of course, Mandeleine's exorcist skills kept us from falling under the witch's fatal spells and attacks.
Sherly pointed her gun at the center of the stone, then fired, easily penetrating the stone.
However, when the stone split in two, there was nothing.
Everyone's face turned to surprise, where did the witch go?
"What?" As soon as I spoke, Renato sang.
Remembering that Renato is susceptible to all cursed energy...it means the witch was nearby, but where?
"BEHIND!" Frederick's scream made me turn around, that's when the witch's bloody hand approached me, but Sherly's shield caused her arm to be destroyed as soon as it made contact with it.
Frederick and Sherly's shots were not long in coming, shooting at the witch, while she sacrificed several stones to cover herself while she regenerated.
Frederick's bullets barely penetrated the stones, while Sherly's went right through them.
"Sherly," Mandeleine's voice called, "She just wants Ji Noo."
His assurance made me tremble...
In the end...
Everything was going according to plan.
Sherly smiled, then ran towards the witch, and shot her even more.
「"Buher and Gene are likely drawn to two things: Astral and Raum, two things our two companions have." Randy had explained. "He was afraid to say... that we'll use one of you as bait; although I suppose Ji Noo already knows who that bait will be..."」
Yes, I would be the bait.
「"Sherly, you and Frederick break through Buher's defense, and if all goes wrong, use Raum. Mandeleine will be there, so nothing should get out of our hands."」
But it would also be the deadly weapon of this plan.
Soon, the bullets completely penetrated Buher's shield, one of the bullets passing through his chest.
Sherly raised a hand, signaling to stop the shooting.
The witch looked at her chest...bleeding, but instead of dying...
In a heart-rending scream, she began to absorb the blood and bodies that were lying around the witches, while her body deformed into a giant mass.
"Can a witch achieve that transformation?" Frederick asked.
And no, it's not possible to get to a third, unless it's a witch queen, but the last one died out long ago.
Something was wrong.
"Withdrawal," Sherly ordered, pulling Frederick's and my shoulders and showing us the way. "Mandeleine, report this to Randy, we're stepping back for now until we have another plan."
Mandeleine nodded, disappearing into thin air.
"Wait, another plan? Our contingency plan was to use Ji Noo to kill Buher and—" As he was about to continue explaining, Frederick was interrupted by Sherly.
"That thing isn't a damn witch anymore."
Frederick looked surprised, looking once more at the witch's screams of pain.
"For now we must meet and discuss what to do," Sherly took out his Identifier, but when he noticed that there was no signal, he frowned. "But what the fuck? The signal on the Identifier is supposed to be impossible to miss, not even in hell does this happen..."
That was true, the Identifier signal was too efficient, but now there was no signal...
What was happening?
Soon, I managed to see Liam in the distance, walking in circles.
"Liam!" I ran towards her, then took her arm. "What's going on? Your Identifier has no signal too?"
Liam turned to look at me, then nodded.
"Layla and I tried to contact them when Gene fell here..."
WAIT.
"WHAT?!" We all said in unison, scaring Liam.
"Layla's fighting with her! But I lost sight of her when they went into the woods..."
Sherly smiled, somewhat nervous…
"If we don't stop her, she'll kill her."
"Yes! We need to stop Gene!" Liam said nervously.
"No," Sherly said, following the path of blood on the ground. "I mean, Layla will kill Gene. And maybe now, we can use her..."
Maybe you're right, I mean, if Gene was able to swallow thousands of witches, maybe he's also capable of eating Buher, or whatever Buher was.
"What do you mean? Huh, huh?" Liam said, following us as Renato flew through the sky.
We kept running until we reached the forest, but in the sea of trees...we soon got lost.
Sherly looked around, irritated.
"You've already lost us, old man." Frederick said.
"Of course not! That witch should be around here with Layla…" It was a lie, we were really lost.
Anyway, Sherly isn't that smart in terms of direction.
There was only one time that he led an expedition, and it was to help Aria, but the fool got lost and arrived too late to the city, and that's where he met Frederick.
If I were Frederick, I would say the same thing.
My ears picked up a noise, but soon, just as I was about to turn around, someone grabbed my neck.
"AAAAHHH!" I screamed, scaring Liam and Sherly with my scream, and making them scream too.
However, soon, the hand moved away from my neck, that's when I turned around and realized it was...
"Speaking of idiots, another one has arrived," Frederick said, seeing that all this time it was about Anser. "How did you not get lost this time?"
Oh right, we also got lost when Anser directed us the time we were looking for Frederick...
Anser had his usual serious face, but he no longer felt annoyed.
"What happened, Mr. Detective? Where is the Mr. Rosicrucian?" Liam said, worried, and to her surprise, Anser didn't give her a disdainful look.
"He stayed talking to Mandeleine, and said I should come with you."
Sherly snorted, noticing that he was irritated.
"How did you get so far on your own?" I asked him.
Soon, Anser pulled a tracking demon out of his coat.
Oh wow, he's smart enough to remember what I told him about those demons.
"Sometimes I think Sherly and that idiot were raised by the same person. How is it possible that two Sect Leaders so stupid that they get lost exist?" Said Frederick, fanatical in hating everyone.
Well, I somewhat support your idea...but, I guess it was because Anser wasn't originally written to lead on the battlefield, but rather to lead from his desk.
So it's kind of my fault...
"I raised Ciro. Maybe that's why."
Sherly's words echoed through the forest for a moment, as Anser petted the rabbit-like demon, we...
"YOU WHAT?!" We were all surprised, even I, the author, didn't know; I wrote that Anser was trained by Sherly, but never raised directly.
Meanwhile, Anser and Sherly nodded, not at all affected.
That explained their similarity…
"I found baby Anser, named him, and raised him as my little brother since I was extremely young and handsome back then..." Sherly said, dramatically and almost narrating exaggeratedly.
"Now you're fucking ugly…" Frederick muttered.
Sherly snorted, then continued narrating, "But when Anser came of age at seventeen, he became independent and ceased to be a member of my sect, instead devoting himself to exploring..."
It is true, the age of majority in this world for women is fifteen and for men seventeen.
Something very...
I swear…I was so edgy I felt old at seventeen…
Still, that was curious.
Sherly gave Anser a name and raised him, something that doesn't happen in the story; as Sherly is supposed to find the destruction of La Vie en Rose, and find a three-year-old Anser in the destruction.
Not to a newborn Anser.
Perhaps history really is being distorted...
"That's very cute indeed..." Liam muttered, then went to Sherly. "Do you have any photos of baby Anser? Please let me see them when we're done here..."
And Sherly replied; "Of course Yoon, my gang and I made sure to take lots of pictures…"
They talk as if it were a normal Sunday.
We're facing the crisis of a witch who just transformed into something other than a witch and this is how they react?
How envious.
"Where is Karmen and Mr. Joakim?" Frederick said, perhaps the first time I heard him call someone by 'Mr.'
"That guy is strong, he can hold the witch while we leave," Sherly said, then started walking. "Randy will take care of Gene and Layla, he should have heard us by now."
Heard...
That's kind of scary if this were a horror story.
But, that doesn't matter now, we must find Gene or Layla for now, and most importantly, escape.