Chapter 176: The Crow and the Serpent

“Merciful Mentor. We pray for you to descend with endless power. Send your Black Crow to dispel this Death Curse, and send your Great Python to dispel this Unclean Evil Poison!”

As the Ratmen’s prayers reached a fever pitch, the statue of the Red-Hearted Witch seemed as if it could truly hear their pleas…

The staff in her hand began to emit bursts of dazzling, brilliant white light!

This light spilled forward, illuminating the six merchants placed before the statue.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

A dim phantom of a crow flapped its wings and flew out from the light. It circled once above the heads of the six people.

During this time, Ileya — and even Reliel — clearly felt it. The glowing eyes of the phantom crow looked toward them without any attempt at concealment.

However, it only spared them a single glance. It did not charge at Ileya like it had in the past…

*Clatter!* As the phantom crow circled, shimmering points of light fell onto the bodies of the merchants.

“Listen… Listen…”

In the next second, the poisoned men began to twitch uncontrollably. Each one looked as if they were being struck by lightning, appearing to be in immense pain.

But even with this eerie scene unfolding, the group of Ratmen did not interrupt the ritual. They merely bowed their heads low, appearing remarkably devout.

“Ugh…”

Soon, Kaman, the leader of the Shanghui who had the lightest injuries and only a single scratch, turned to the side and retched toward the ground.

Following his vomit, a small, purple-black snake slowly slithered out of his mouth.

“Caw!”

Before the little snake could react, the crow above dived straight down! Its sharp talons snatched the small snake and tossed it directly into the glowing part of the statue’s staff.

Then, like dried mud meeting water, the little snake dissolved instantly.

“Blegh!!”

One after another, the others vomited out small, dark purple snakes. The crow accepted them all, diving repeatedly to toss the snakes into the light of the staff.

This continued until Biller, the most severely injured, began to vomit violently.

While the others had vomited thin, small snakes, he spat out a pool of purple-black liquid. Anyone could see that this was a sign of deep poisoning.

The black liquid wriggled the moment it hit the ground. A few seconds later, it gradually took the form of a venomous snake as thick as a wrist.

Hiss, hiss, hiss…

The moment the venomous snake condensed, it emitted a highly dangerous signal.

Just as Ileya thought the crow would strike again to throw this large snake — which was several times its own size — into the light, the snake moved on its own.

In a move no one expected, the large black snake slithered as if moving through water.

With a single twist of its body… it crawled into the cluster of light itself.

‘Is it… over just like that?’

Just as everyone thought the ritual had ended, another ripple appeared within the light. It seemed as though something was writhing inside.

“Is that… a snake?”

Ileya narrowed her eyes, looking at the shadow coiled around the statue’s staff. It appeared to be a snake as well.

However, unlike the previous black snakes formed from venom, this snake slowly crawling down the staff was a deep purple-black.

Its scales possessed an eerie, semi-transparent quality.

At first glance, the entire snake looked as if it were cast from crystal. Its scales even seemed to “breathe” with a rhythmic pulse.

“This is…”

Ileya heard a Ratman in front of her mutter in confusion.

This proved that even for the Ratmen who worshiped the Red-Hearted Witch, such a situation had never occurred during a ritual.

Was it an accident? Or was it a response given by the Supreme Being on a whim?

Hiss, hiss, hiss…

The Crystal Snake slowly raised its head. This creature was a size larger and longer than the previous black snake.

It scanned its surroundings with cold, ophidian eyes.

As its crimson tongue flickered in and out, it gave off a sense of extreme danger.

What exactly was this thing observing?

“Caw…”

The translucent crow watched all of this, yet it did not intervene. Instead, it hovered in the air, flapping its wings.

Hmm?

For a moment, an unsettling feeling rose in Ileya’s heart.

‘Is its target… me?’

Hiss… However, just as Ileya braced herself, the purple-black Crystal Snake turned and dove behind the statue of the Red-Hearted Witch.

As the soft light on the staff vanished, the translucent crow disappeared along with it.

“Farewell, Mentor! We thank you for your mercy…”

Clearly, the disappearance of the light marked the formal end of the ritual.

“Is it over?”

Ileya raised an eyebrow, looking at the six humans ahead who seemed to be out of danger and were currently being given water by the Ratmen. She rubbed her chin.

‘In a moment… I might be able to get some information about the situation above from these people.’

Hiss, hiss…

Just as Ileya turned to walk out of the underground cave, she suddenly heard a sound from above.

She looked up in confusion, only to see a dark shadow quickly vanishing from her sight.

While she was still feeling dazed, Veil, who was behind her, suddenly spoke.

“It’s that snake from just now…”

Her voice was very soft, carrying the nasal tone of someone who had just woken up. But to Ileya’s ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

That snake…

Instantly, the veins on Ileya’s hands bulged. Her fingernails sharpened and turned a terrifying shade of black.

Hiss—!!

But in the next second, the expected attack did not come! Instead, a cold hiss echoed from the side.

‘What? Its target… isn’t me!?’

Turning her head, Ileya saw the Crystal Snake’s body in mid-air.

It had already opened its maw of death, lunging toward the person in front of it!

The person it was targeting… was Reliel!

“Dammit…”

Ileya wanted to cast a layer of Bone Armor on Reliel; she wanted to step forward to support her… but it was too late!

Everything happened too fast! Even Holly, who was standing nearby, did not have any time to provide aid.

Or rather, even Reliel herself did not have enough time to draw her sword.

Reliel stared at the crystal serpent’s gaping maw. In the next second, her head would likely be crushed between its teeth.

Her life was about to reach its end.

In that instant, Reliel felt many things flash through her mind: memories of her father, of Beina, of the Mercenary Company… and of… Ileya…

Her heart rate slowed to a crawl, and her blood felt as if it were nearly frozen.

Gurgle… A change occurred at that very moment.

The black pupils in Reliel’s pale blue eyes instantly elongated, turning into vertical slits like those of a serpent!

In a place hidden from everyone’s sight — beneath her damp clothes and chainmail, upon her fair skin — the black, tattoo-like mark reappeared!