Chapter: 275
In the deep, deep darkness, the girl, Lily, was ready to flee at any moment, holding her breath and hiding.
Once called the Witch of Lust, her behavior was more akin to that of a coward, which was a far cry from her infamous reputation, but it couldn’t be helped.
No matter how much of a witch she was, there were beings in this world she could not approach.
Yes, like the Witch of Gluttony, whose immense presence could be felt from anywhere in the world.
“Damn it… damn it…”
Lily, with her enormous pride, hated to admit that she was lesser than others. But she couldn’t deny the fact that the Witch of Gluttony was a monster in her own right.
Long ago, just passing near the Witch of Gluttony, Lily lost more than half of her gathered dolls, making the Witch of Gluttony an untouchable target in her mind.
Though she had a terrifying ability to control living beings and was a menace in battles against the masses, her abilities were useless before the Witch of Gluttony, leaving her with no options.
That was why Lily was so terrified, carefully sensing the energy of gluttony from afar.
“Seriously, that crazy woman… what was she thinking, unleashing that again…”
Regardless, being so terrified and trembling like this also scratched at her pride, so Lily cursed as she contemplated her anger.
Not directed at the Witch of Gluttony, but at her long-time collaborator, who had now turned into a traitor, for unleashing her back into the world.
“If I meet her again, I’m going to control her and make her kneel naked and apologize 20,000 times…”
Lily muttered, planning her own revenge, but she also knew it wouldn’t come to pass.
Once the Witch of Gluttony devoured everything in the city, her next target would be her, and no matter how much she tried to run, she couldn’t escape for life.
Now that the Witch of Gluttony was free, both she and this world were doomed.
So Lily muttered.
So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!!
It’s so annoying that there’s someone better and stronger than me!
Knowing that a tragic ending awaited, yet finding no means to resist, Lily continued to complain.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, she realized something and muttered in astonishment.
“What’s this, why is the energy of gluttony…”
The energy of the Witch of Gluttony that she had been sensing all along had suddenly vanished.
Lily momentarily panicked at the unthinkable event before she realized what had happened.
“Could it be that the gluttonous one was defeated by humans…?”
Humans defeated the Witch of Gluttony.
Upon realizing this, Lily couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Aha, ahahahaha…!”
The relief of escaping death.
With the joy that it wasn’t over yet, Lily laughed heartily.
“What the…! To think she’d be defeated by mere humans. Guess she wasn’t as impressive as I thought! Well, she was just released from her seal not long ago!”
With glee, Lily mocked the Witch of Gluttony who had been defeated by humans.
“By the way, to think they’d take down Gluttony. I don’t know how to express my gratitude. How should I show my appreciation, guys?”
As she questioned how to express her thanks to the humans, the meat chunks lying beneath her responded.
Twisting their bodies in ecstasy and happiness, as if to say this was their answer.
Seeing the dolls look so happy, Lily smirked and muttered.
“Okay, I got it. That’s probably the best way, right?”
The long wait is finally about to pay off.
Lily, who had been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years, stood up.
“Everyone, rise.”
At her command, countless insects that had been settling like darkness around her writhed and took flight.
Though there was originally a limit to how many she could control at once, the black gem hanging around her neck made such feats possible.
That gem was a sacred relic of the mermaids called Tears of the Ocean.
Once purifying the pollution of the sea, the relic had, after extensive research, become tainted with miasma and now amplified her power.
Though it felt a bit odd to accept a gift from a traitor, no one knew better than her how useful this gem was.
So, holding the gem, Lily commanded with her strengthened abilities.
“Then let’s go. We’re going to make everyone as happy as you guys!”
At that command, darkness scattered in all directions, seeping into every corner.
The beings infused with darkness all became her soldiers, their number unfathomable.
Thus, leading her legion, the Witch of Lust commenced her march.
There was nothing blocking their path.
Anything that obstructed them would merely become a member of the legion.
And at the end of that swelling sound of footsteps, there lay the Human City.
*
Meanwhile, as I was dealing with the demonic beasts gathering around the city.
I felt a bit tired, perhaps due to a lack of rest, when suddenly a fireball flew from behind and incinerated a group of incoming demons.
“Hey, Miss Witch. It’s time to switch. I’ll handle this area, so go get some rest.”
“Ah… Ms. Martina.”
Turning around, it was Ms. Martina.
But I could only shake my head at her suggestion to switch.
Because as far as I knew, Ms. Martina needed rest far more than I did.
“It’s okay to switch. You’ve been working much harder than I have. You’ve got enough on your mind with the restructuring of the unit.”
With all the previous commanders either dead or unable to fight, she was the only one left and had a mountain of responsibilities.
Moreover, Ms. Martina had recently been on the verge of magical exhaustion after the battle with the Witch of Gluttony.
Under normal circumstances, she should rest properly for several days, so I couldn’t let her take my place.
But as if dismissing my refusal, Ms. Martina forced her way in front and said.
“I came out here to take a break from my workload because of the unit restructuring. For me, taking down demons is like taking a break, so you go inside and rest.”
“Eh… But didn’t you just say you were at the brink of magical exhaustion? You shouldn’t be engaging in fights.”
“Come on, it was just a close call. I’m not on the verge of passing out like that lady, vomit blood and all. If I complain about using a bit of magic, how can I walk around bragging I’m the captain? And who’s worrying about whom right now?”
Ms. Martina sighed, seeming incredulous at my concern.
“Sigh, I heard you’ve been standing guard here almost nonstop to let others rest. You know this is the toughest spot since the miasma hasn’t cleared yet, right? How long have you been here doing this? Tell me.”
“…Um, that’s…”
How many hours had it been?
It felt like it had definitely been over 12 hours, but I felt like I’d get scolded for saying so, so I kept quiet. Ms. Martina looked at me as if I were losing my mind and then thumped my head.
“You idiot, I asked them to let the lady from Astra take it easy, but that doesn’t mean you should push yourself! I’ve been hearing rumors that everyone’s saying you need some rest. It’s been bothering me, making it hard for me to work. Go get some sleep already. Don’t make me worry again.”
Though she spoke in anger, ultimately, it was clear she came to check on me, contrary to what she just said.
Even though she had dark circles under her eyes from fatigue.
Feeling gratitude mixed with guilt, I had no choice but to accept her goodwill, especially with the fierce glare she shot me, as if she wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t go rest.
“…Alright. Then I’ll go take a break. Thank you, Ms. Martina.”
“Okay.”
After separating from Ms. Martina, I returned to Astra’s Mansion to unwind.
I had come to rest, yet once I lay on the bed, I felt oddly uncomfortable.
Honestly, by all means of efficiency, shouldn’t it be better for others to rest during my break?
Even if I was told to sleep or take a nap, witches usually didn’t particularly need to sleep, did they?
So I figured resting on the bed wouldn’t—
“…Ah.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t need sleep at all.
When I closed and opened my eyes again, the sun was setting outside the window.
…Well, it could be expected since I hadn’t been a witch for long enough, so feeling tired and needing some sleep was only natural.
Having napped and waking up, I felt noticeably lighter, indicating that I had accumulated a decent amount of fatigue.
Now that my fatigue had eased, I thought I might as well return to work, grabbing the Astra combat rations I had been snacking on lately as I headed toward the front line.
Just then, the communication device emitted a calling sound.
A call directed at someone not currently on duty.
It seemed some urgent matter had arisen, so I gulped down my food and answered the call.
“Swallow. Yes, this is Scarlet.”
[Ah, Ms. Scarlet? This is the Observation Team.]
It was a call from the Observation Team.
They were the ones who observed where and how many demonic beasts appeared to assist in deploying heroes to the front line, but what kind of confirmation did they need?
“What’s going on?”
[Um, would it be possible for you to go check something out at the western front for a moment? We’re getting a strange signal on our measuring equipment, but those stationed nearby don’t see anything unusual. I will send you the location right away.]
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Having caught some rest and satisfied my meal, I passed through the teleportation gate to the specified location and peeked beyond the barrier.
But what I saw was only the usual scene of a few demonic beasts battling the heroes, surrounded by the hazy miasma as night set in.
Everything appeared normal, so I spoke to the observer on the other end.
“I don’t see anything particularly unusual here.”
[Oh, is that so? Then it seems that there might be an error with our measurement equipment. I’m very sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase.]
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
The observer sounded apologetic about the equipment error.
It didn’t bother me much, so I assured them it didn’t matter. Just as the call was about to end, curiosity got the better of me, and I asked.
“By the way, what kind of signal did you pick up?”
[Oh,um… It’s faster to show you. Do you see the screen?]
“Ah, yes. One side is completely red?”
[As you can see, the measuring equipment displays demonic beasts as red dots on the right. However, the way one area looks completely solid red is peculiar, as this has never happened before. I’m sure it’s a fault, but it’s rather fascinating.]
The observation team member chuckled, implying he’d never encountered anything like it before.
But listening to his laughter, I looked beyond the barrier once more.
What I could see was just a regular view, with the sun setting and darkness draping over the horizon, while the heroes continued their battle with a few demonic beasts.
Yet something felt off.
“…”
Why was my heart racing ominously like this?
For some strange reason, I continued to scrutinize that scenery.
And staring at it…
Staring and staring.
Until I suddenly noticed,
“…Huh?”
I witnessed it.
The darkness draping across the horizon was subtly wriggling.
I rubbed my eyes, thinking it was just my imagination, but it definitely wasn’t an illusion.
Look closely; it was indeed moving.
That darkness on the horizon, as if it were a single entity.
The crimson light I saw through the communication device filled my head with dizziness.
If that’s the case, then all of that…
“…It’s not an error.”
[…Excuse me?]
“It’s not an error…!!”
The screen showing those red hues wasn’t an error.
It only appeared as a single surface because of countless dots.
Just like the darkness cloaking the horizon.
And to affirm my dreadful realization, I sensed the unmistakable presence of a witch within the darkness.
I screamed out loud.
“There’s a witch! A witch is coming!”
The wriggling darkness.
A legion of countless demonic beasts led by the witch.
Was rapidly surging in, swallowing the twilight faster than night could fall.
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