Chapter 51: The Cultist

Thick black mist seeped up from the ground. It gradually rose, forming a wall of darkness that encircled Aurora.

Once the wall had completely enclosed her, it began to slither inward like a serpent, all of it converging on a single target—Aurora inside the barrier.

“So disgusting… What is this stuff?”

Aurora didn’t know how to deal with the strange black mist. She kept backing away until a sharp pain suddenly shot up from her foot and spread throughout her body.

With a cry of pain, she turned her head and realized her foot had touched the mist. That intense, bone-piercing pain must have come from the black fog.

A foul stench of rot and the metallic tang of blood permeated the air around the mist. Within it, she could faintly hear human screams—pleas for help and cries of agony echoed from the darkness.

The pain in her body, the overwhelming stench, and the constant cries for help were all hammering away at her nerves. If this continued, she’d lose her mind. She had to think of a way out.

This mist probably isn’t a living creature… Maybe my inherent magic will work on it.

That thought suddenly struck her, and she began to channel her mana. The golden clock in her eyes pointed to the second tick.

A golden clock expanded beneath her feet, extending outward to envelop the entire dark wall. She plunged her arrow into the clock’s center—both the hour and minute hands appeared again and pointed to the second tick.

“River of time, rush to this place! Rewind! Flow in reverse!”

As soon as she finished her chant, the clock beneath her feet began to spin counterclockwise. The black mist, now caught in the clock’s domain, also began to slowly recede.

The second tick of her reversal spell could only turn back time for three seconds in the surrounding area, and it consumed a significant amount of mana—she had to use that window wisely.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a breach in the wall—an opening that hadn’t yet been sealed.

Seizing the opportunity, Aurora charged toward the gap. A simple wind spell surged beneath her feet, and she leapt forward with all her might, soaring over the creeping mist on the ground and slipping through the gap just in time.

The moment she landed, she quickly put as much distance as she could between herself and the black wall, terrified it might close in on her again.

“A magic that manipulates time?! Impossible!”

The man’s voice echoed again, disbelief evident in his tone.

“Hiding in the shadows like a coward—what kind of man are you? Come out and fight me one-on-one!”

“Hmph. Very well. I’ll personally experience the power of time manipulation.”

He’s actually coming out?!

Aurora had only meant it as a casual taunt—she didn’t expect it to work.

Before her eyes, the black mist suddenly gathered together, swirling like a tornado. As the howling wind whipped around her, a magic circle formed in midair within the black vortex, drawn entirely from the swirling mist.

Thick black mist overflowed from the magic circle, dripping like molten magma onto the ground, hissing with sounds that resembled both burning and corrosion.

The black “lava” gradually began to swell, slowly forming into the shape of a human.

A man emerged, clothed in a black robe, his face concealed behind a black mask. Foul-smelling black liquid continued to drip from his garments.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting…”

Aurora couldn’t help but gag at the sight. She felt lucky she hadn’t drunk any milk earlier—otherwise, she was certain she’d be vomiting it up along with stomach acid by now.

“Young lady, is that magic of yours an Innate Magic?”

The man’s first words were a question about her magic. He seemed extremely interested in it. But Aurora recalled what Beatrice had once told her: never let yourself fall into a passive position when facing an enemy, whether in combat or in conversation.

With that in mind, Aurora responded coldly, “Why don’t you tell me first—where are all the people you kidnapped?”

The man paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into high-pitched, maniacal laughter. The sound was so sharp it felt like it might pierce Aurora’s eardrums.

“Where did they go? Let me tell you where they went.”

As he spoke, he pointed toward Aurora’s feet and said gleefully, “Look down at your shoes—maybe you’ll find out.”

“My shoes?”

Half-skeptical, she lifted her foot—only to see bloodstains on the soles.

“Blood?! When did that happen?!”

Her first thought was that it was her own blood—but upon checking herself, she realized there were no visible wounds. The blood wasn’t hers.

“You still don’t get it, little girl? That blood is the black mist.”

As he spoke, a tendril of black mist slithered up the man’s bony right arm. Where it passed, a long streak of blood appeared on his skin.

“You… what do you mean?”

A terrible thought crept into her mind. Her breathing quickened, every nerve in her body on high alert, waiting for his answer.

“What do I mean? I mean—just now, that black mist you stepped on? You stomped someone to death with it! Hahaha!”

Her heart began to pound. Her breath became even more rapid. Even the hand holding her longbow began to tremble slightly. She couldn’t believe what the man had just said.

“You’re lying!”

“You must be hiding them somewhere! Let them out right now, or else—”

“Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll kill you!”

Aurora shouted the threat as she raised her longbow, arrow drawn taut and ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

“Oooh, how terrifying~” the man mocked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

He pulled out a black dagger from his sleeve, aiming it casually in her direction as he continued, “Then allow me the honor of witnessing that power of yours—the one that can manipulate time.”

With that, he slashed the air.

The very space in front of him seemed to tear open like fabric, and from within the rift, a black hand reached out, grasping the edges of the tear.

It began prying the gap wider, and thick, viscous black liquid spilled out from the opening.

“H-Help… me…”

A familiar voice drifted out from within the rift. It overlapped eerily with the guttural growls of some monstrous creature.

“That voice… That girl!”

Why was she here? Had she secretly followed Aurora all this way?

The rift was torn fully open now.

A gaping maw lined with horrific fangs became visible, followed by a large, revolting foot stepping out—its surface coated in sticky black sludge. Then came the rest of its body, bloated and grotesque, entirely covered in oozing filth…

“Don’t be scared! I’m coming to… s-save… you.”

But the moment the entire creature emerged, Aurora’s eyes widened in sheer horror. Her pupils contracted sharply.

On the face of that monstrous being, pieces of a girl’s body had been grotesquely grafted on—several green eyes and strands of hair were embedded in its face.

That hair… those green eyes… They looked exactly like the ones that belonged to that girl.

“No… No! That’s not her! It can’t be!!”

With a scream of rage, Aurora raised her bow and loosed her arrow—directly at the abomination.