noveltune Chapter 275
Chapter 275
In the deep, dark void, the girl, Liru, held her breath and hid, ready to flee at any moment.
Once feared as the Witch of Lust, her cowardly behavior was unbecoming of her infamous reputation, but there was no help for it.
No matter how much she was called a witch, there existed beings in the world that she could not contend with.
Just like that gluttonous witch, whose overwhelming presence could be felt from anywhere in the world, radiating an incomprehensible aura.
“Damn it... Damn it...”
Liru, who couldn’t stand the thought that she was inferior due to her colossal pride, had no choice but to acknowledge that the glutton was a monster in itself.
Long ago, when the gluttonous witch merely passed nearby, she lost more than half of the dolls she had gathered over the years, and from then on, the gluttonous witch became an insurmountable target for her.
Though she possessed a fearsome ability to manipulate living beings and was formidable in dealing with the masses, her powers were utterly useless against the gluttonous witch, leaving Liru with no options.
This is why she was so frightened, attentively checking the distant aura of gluttony.
“That insane woman... What was she thinking to unleash that again...”
Yet the fact that she was trembling in fear was a huge blow to her pride, so Liru cursed while recalling her resentment.
Not towards the gluttonous witch, but towards her long-time collaborator, who had now become a traitor for releasing that darkness back into the world.
“The next time I see her, I’ll manipulate her and make her kneel naked to apologize twenty thousand times...”
Liru mumbled, planning her version of revenge, but she also knew.
That such a thing would never happen.
Once the gluttonous witch devoured everything in the city, her next target would be herself, and no matter how much she tried to flee, she could not run away for life.
With the gluttonous witch released, it was the end for her and for this world.
So, Liru murmured.
How annoying, how annoying, how annoying!!
It frustrated her that there were those greater and stronger than her!
Even as she realized a tragic end was approaching with no way to resist, Liru continued to vent her frustration.
“.......Huh?”
Suddenly, she realized something and muttered absently.
“What is this, why is the gluttonous aura...”
The gluttonous witch’s energy, which had been ever-present, suddenly vanished.
Liru was bewildered for a moment by the unforeseen event, but soon grasped what had happened.
“Could it be that the glutton was defeated by the humans...?”
The humans had managed to conquer the gluttonous witch.
Realizing this, Liru couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Ah-ha, ahahaha...!”
Relief at escaping death.
In her ecstasy that it was not over yet, Liru laughed heartily.
“What?! To be defeated by mere humans? The glutton wasn’t as formidable as I thought! Well, she has just been released from her seal, after all!”
Laughing at the defeated gluttonous witch, Liru muttered.
“By the way, if they defeated the glutton, how should I express my gratitude to those humans? I’m not sure how to show my appreciation. What do you think, guys?”
In response to Liru’s question about how to express her gratitude towards humans, the pieces of meat beneath her stirred.
Writhing in rapture and joy, as if this was their answer.
Seeing the dolls looking so happy, Liru grinned broadly and murmured.
“Okay, I get it. That must be the best way, right?”
After centuries of waiting, it was finally time for this moment to shine.
Rising from her place, Liru announced.
“Everyone, rise.”
At her words, the countless insects that had settled around her like shadows began to squirm and flew upward.
Originally, there had been a limit to how many she could control at once, but the black gem hanging around her neck made such feats possible.
That gem was a sacred relic of mermaids known as the “Tears of the Ocean.”
Once purifying the ocean from pollution, the relic had, after much research, become tainted with magic and now served to amplify her powers.
Although it felt odd to have a gift from a traitor, she knew better than anyone how useful this gem was.
Thus, with the gem in her hand and her empowered abilities, she commanded.
[Ah, Scarlet? This is the Observation Team.]
While I was distracted, it turned out the call was from the observation team.
They monitored where and how many demonic beasts appeared to assist with hero placements on the front line, but what could be so urgent?
“What seems to be the issue?”
[Well, if it’s alright with you, could you take a quick trip to the western front and check something for us? We’ve caught a strange signal in our measuring equipment, but those stationed nearby aren’t seeing anything unusual. I’ll send the location right now.]
“Oh, all right. Understood.”
Having slept and eaten, I readied to travel to the location they had sent through the teleportation gate, glancing over at the barrier.
However, what I saw was the usual scene of heroes fighting a few demonic beasts amidst the hazy magical atmosphere as the sun set and night began to fall.
There didn’t seem to be anything odd, so I told the observation team member.
“I don’t see anything unusual here, honestly.”
[Oh, really? Then it must be a glitch in the measuring equipment. I apologize for sending you on a wild goose chase.]
“It’s fine. No worries.”
The observation team member apologized for the equipment malfunction.
Not caring too much, I reassured them it was fine, but just before the call was about to end, curiosity struck me, and I asked.
“What exactly did you pick up that prompted this?”
[Oh, well... It’s probably quicker to show you. Do you see the screen?]
“Oh, yes. One side is completely red.”
[You see, according to our measuring equipment, demonic beasts usually show up as red dots on that right side. But this area is glowing bright red for the first time, so I was a bit skeptical. Surely it can’t all be demonic beasts, so it has to be a malfunction, but this is a curious occurrence.]
The observation team member laughed, as if this had never happened before.
But while I listened to his laughter, I peered over the barrier once more.
What I found was a normal scene as the sun began to set and shadows stretched across the horizon.
It was undoubtedly a typical landscape.
“...”
But why, why does my heart race ominously?
An inexplicable premonition urged me to stare intently at that landscape.
And so I gazed.
Gazed.
Until, at one moment,
“...Huh?”
I witnessed it.
The darkness cast upon the horizon was subtly writhing.
Thinking it was just my imagination, I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but it wasn’t simply a trick of the light.
Look— it really is squirming, isn’t it?
That darkness covering the horizon, resembling a single swarm.
The red light I had seen on the communication device startled my senses.
If that’s true, then that means all of it is...
“...It’s not an error...”
[...What?]
“It’s not an error...!!”
The red-tinged display I had seen on the communication device wasn’t a glitch.
It was merely a multitude of points appearing staged as one surface.
Like the darkness casting shade over the horizon.
And like a definitive punctuation in that conviction, I felt the unmistakable presence of witch energy from within that darkness.
And so I shouted as if screaming.
“It’s a witch! A witch is coming!”
The writhing shadow.
The countless demonic beasts counting in numbers that the witch led.
They were advancing faster than the coming night, engulfing the twilight.