Ch.110The Southern Continent. (3)

After walking through the desolate desert for two days, Jayna finally understood why Olivia had told her to sleep on the first day. The endless wasteland, sand scorched by hellfire, burning hoof prints…

It was nothing like the ordinary desert Jayna had imagined.

“Khaack…”

Jayna’s brow furrowed at the sulfur smell carried against the wind. If it were just sulfur, that would have been bearable. The dark entities that attacked without warning were driving her mad.

She wanted to rest, but the environment made it utterly impossible.

It was bad enough that the northern winter now seemed like paradise in comparison.

“Wait a moment.”

Olivia stopped at a village reduced to ashes. Human corpses scattered everywhere, and altars used for demon sacrifices. These were undoubtedly traces of the witch Olivia had been pursuing.

Fsssh.

The ashes in Olivia’s hand scattered and disappeared in the wind.

‘Not long ago.’

Judging by the residual demonic energy, they must have been here until dawn today.

“That bastard, I’ll definitely catch them.”

Jayna growled. At first, she had feared the contractor of a great demon, but after experiencing such hardship, she just wanted to end this ordeal as quickly as possible, Great Witch or not.

“You’re too excited now. Calm down and stay composed.”

Aramis advised. Around him lay the frozen corpses of giant scorpions. The monsters here had excellent resistance to flame, but were particularly vulnerable to cold.

He checked his remaining mana. About two-thirds left. He had tried to conserve it, but the constant monster attacks left him no choice.

“Master, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

Olivia turned her head while pausing from burning the corpses.

“Is there a reason why you’re only using fire magic?”

Since arriving in the South, Olivia hadn’t used any other elemental magic even once.

“Just a moment.”

Olivia increased her firepower to finish cremating the corpses.

[You have comforted the souls of those unjustly murdered!]

[Location information for ‘Witch Yekaterina’ acquired.]

In other places, cremating corpses wouldn’t trigger any notifications, but the South was different. Death wasn’t the end here. Bodies exposed to demonic energy would resurrect as undead. No departed soul would want to suffer such humiliation.

[The departed souls express their gratitude for your kindness.]

But cremating the bodies prevented them from becoming undead. As an added benefit, one could also obtain information about their killers.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

“To avoid being tracked.”

“Tracked…?”

“Haven’t you noticed something strange these past two days? How people still manage to live in this harsh, barren land.”

None of the southerners they had met so far had shown hostility toward Olivia.

Not a single one.

That could only mean one thing.

‘They all died before they could endure until “Extermination.”‘

The Land of Ashes was the most brutal place even in the South.

No wonder mercenaries who survived the Land of Ashes were considered guaranteed assets.

“It is… certainly strange. Even if desperate people flock to the South, for villages to be established, they must have endured for years at least.”

“So there are powerful individuals in the South as well.”

Olivia nodded at Aramis’s response.

She held up two fingers.

“The South became habitable thanks to two people. One is the Rebel. The other is known as the Devilhunter.”

“…I assume one of them excels at tracking.”

“That would be the latter. His ability to read demonic energy and magical power is so exceptional that once you set foot on southern soil, you can’t escape his eyes.”

“So you’ve been using only fire magic to avoid his detection?”

Olivia nodded.

“Even the most extraordinary abilities usually have at least one flaw.”

He’s probably also pursuing Yekaterina.

“Let’s go. Meeting him would only complicate things.”

*****

“Haa… haa…!”

Yekaterina stared ahead while breathing heavily. There was nothing around her. All she could see was endless ash.

She was a witch contracted with Belphegor, Duke of the Western Abyss. But contrary to Olivia’s expectations, she was still under contract with Belphegor.

Therefore, her power exceeded that of a great mage.

“Where on earth…!”

Yet this Yekaterina was being hunted one-sidedly. Her pierced lower abdomen and her right arm, reduced to rags and immobile, were evidence of this.

“Damn it! Stop hiding and show yourself!”

She spoke hoping to draw out any sign of presence, but to no avail.

Black blood trickled from her tightly clenched lips.

‘Damn it!’

Yekaterina spread demonic energy in all directions. The ground turned over as dead bodies resurrected, and ghostly fog covered the sky.

Hundreds of undead surrounded her protectively, but Yekaterina’s expression didn’t relax one bit.

She had already experienced this exact situation at least three more times.

The undead couldn’t even properly serve as meat shields before being blown apart.

Crack!

Just like now.

An arrow flew in an instant. Yekaterina gritted her teeth and deployed a barrier. Darkness of overwhelming density enveloped her. Demonic energy gathered to its absolute limit. But Yekaterina’s desperate wish remained unfulfilled.

Shwaaack!

An arrow imbued with demon-slaying energy pierced through the darkness and continued forward. She felt excruciating pain near her heart.

Yekaterina screamed at the pain she was feeling for the first time since becoming a witch.

Thanks to being a witch, she wouldn’t die from a pierced heart, but it was clear she couldn’t hold out much longer.

‘Damn it… damn it…!’

She was no match. How could someone’s archery skills have reached such a level that they could so easily penetrate a protective barrier infused with a great demon’s energy?

Yekaterina searched her spatial storage and pulled out a scroll. It was her last remaining teleport scroll.

‘Damn, to think I’d use three in a place like this.’

The reason she fled to the South was because she had business here. Orders from the Order.

That was also why her contract with Belphegor hadn’t been terminated despite disappointing him.

‘…I can’t die in a place like this! I’d rather die than have my contract terminated!’

For a witch, contract termination was a humiliation beyond compare. Not only would she lose all her power, but she would be branded a failure. From that moment, she would become a nobody unable to contract with any demon.

There was no choice. It would be better to postpone the Order’s directive.

-Tss tss tss!

Without hesitation, she tore the teleport scroll.

“Aaaaargh!”

Yekaterina twisted her body and screamed. Using the scroll while her body was damaged took its toll. The pain was like having her internal organs crushed. An ordinary human would have died several times over from such wounds.

If there was any consolation, it was that the teleportation had succeeded.

‘Somehow, recovery, I need recovery…!’

She staggered, clutching her spilling intestines. She needed human blood. Even a corpse would do. By offering them as sacrifices, she could borrow Belphegor’s demonic energy to repair her body.

Yekaterina barely held onto her fading consciousness. She hadn’t abandoned her position as a noblewoman to become a witch for this kind of end.

It was to enjoy power once more under the new master who would soon descend upon this world.

“Blood… blood…!”

Yekaterina jerked her head around. Not far away, she sensed the fresh presence of humans. Not ordinary humans, but mages.

She was lucky. Yekaterina wiped her lips and drew out what little demonic energy she had left.

Srrrrr!

Darkness flowing from Yekaterina’s body seeped beneath the ground.

[Go and tear their limbs apart.]

She commanded the evil spirits. The spirits, instantly growing in size, hurled themselves toward the mages without hesitation.

‘Hurry, I said it’s urgent.’

Yekaterina swallowed dryly as she watched the mages putting up an unexpectedly good fight. At this rate, she really might die.

‘They’re strong ones, if I catch them, I can certainly recover…’

Yekaterina, lost in thought for a moment, furrowed her brow.

There were clearly three of them at first, but why were only two visible now?

‘…Was I mistaken?’

As she was about to dismiss it, a chilling voice came from behind her.

“To think you’d come to us instead.”

“…?!”

“The contract hasn’t been terminated… but you’re injured, so I guess that balances things out.”

As she turned her head, an inexplicable dread made her body tremble.

Olivia smiled grimly and said,

“I’ve been looking for you for two days.”