Watching the High Priest walk toward him with such swagger, her face showing no sign of abnormality as if she truly came just to attend a banquet, Green furrowed his brows.
What was she doing here?
Swoosh!
The High Priest’s arrival immediately caused a sensation. The guests began to size up that elegant figure with various looks. As the woman who single-handedly founded the Church of Light and ruled the human world for untold years, she had implicitly become the protagonist of countless myths and legends. People either praised her or vilified her. But regardless of their stance, no one could deny her influence.
“Why, Lord Green?” The High Priest revealed a faint, poised smile. Her fair and beautiful face might have been hard to call a masterpiece compared to Sophie, but it held a charm of its own. “I have come from afar; do you not intend to host me? Is this the hospitality of your ‘Land of Hope’?”
Picking up the wine of another guest on the table, the High Priest drained it in one gulp.
Gulp.
“So sweet.” Her bright eyes blinked as the High Priest began to praise the fine brew in her hand without inhibition. “No wonder our Jessica is so infatuated with you. Green… you really are special.”
“In the beginning, I thought you were just a mortal corrupted by a witch’s charm, just like most heretics.”
The High Priest’s volume was not loud, but it echoed with absolute clarity in everyone’s ears. Her voice was not particularly sweet, nor was her tone unique, but for some reason, it seemed to possess a magical quality that made listeners subconsciously immerse themselves in it, even producing a sense of conviction.
Witch Power.
Green keenly perceived the subtle change in the air. As expected. She had been hunting down various witches all this time just to collect those powers?
Despicable creature.
It took Green a great deal of effort to suppress the fury in his heart. The mere thought that Sophie, standing beside him, had been hunted and marginalized by humanity for such an absurd reason—eventually falling into despair and pain—made it difficult for Green to restrain his inner rage. Yes, he knew there was no absolute justice or good and evil in this world. But…
Sigh.
Taking a deep breath, Green looked at the High Priest with a profound gaze. He strode toward her and performed a graceful, gentlemanly bow.
“I have long heard of the High Priest’s great name. I wonder what brings you so far today? Instead of commanding your armies in the City of Radiance, you come to visit our Land of Hope. Could it be…”
He paused deliberately before speaking slowly and pointedly, “Could it be that you are willing to cooperate with the Land of Hope and abandon resistance for the sake of the continent’s bright future?”
The High Priest narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.
“Cooperate?”
Setting down the wine glass, a smile appeared on her dignified face.
“I can do that.”
She turned her gaze toward the Witch standing behind Green, who was currently staring at her with a face full of fury and resentment. Abruptly, she giggled, “As long as you are willing to hand that lady over to me.”
“If you still wish to see the sun tomorrow.”
The High Priest’s voice turned cold and ghostly, carrying an authority that brooked no question.
“Oh, then I’m afraid that depends on your own skill.”
Even though the opponent must have something to rely on to come here, Green showed no intention of backing down.
“So eager to start?”
The High Priest slowly picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth. “Very well. I don’t have much time to waste here.” Her voice became grim. “After all, the Blood Moon is coming.”
The Blood Moon? Green’s eyes narrowed, and he was about to press for more information.
BOOM—
Majestic power erupted from within the High Priest. In an instant, it swallowed the entire hall. Countless energies of different origins intertwined, playing a symphony of destruction.
“Mortal, perhaps you think you are engaged in a righteous cause. Perhaps you think your little inventions will bring beauty to the world. But I will prove to you that you are dead wrong.”
The High Priest’s figure became increasingly blurred, as if a being from a higher dimension was about to descend upon her.
“You do not know what you are doing. What you think is salvation is actually destruction; what you think is redemption is actually sin!”
A terrifying, suffocating, and crushing existence—one that even a Ninth-Tier powerhouse could not last a few rounds against—had awakened.
Thump, thump, thump.
Green felt his heart racing. Was that… was that what they called the “God of Light”? The source of all suffering, the power enshrined by the Church of Light while simultaneously being desperately vilified? Despair, fear, death, famine, plague… countless negative energies gathered within the High Priest’s body, constantly merging.
“Over all these years, I have collected the power of many, many witches.”
The High Priest’s voice seemed both near and far, as if it were right in his ear, yet also as if it had ascended to a higher level.
“If it weren’t for me, if it weren’t for the Church of Light, humanity and the other races would have been destroyed by these unstable factors sooner or later.”
The High Priest’s blurred face emitted an eerie glow. “Perhaps we are not absolutely right, but at least because of us, you parasites have managed to live until today.”
“Everything you eat, drink, and even every breath of air you take is granted by me.”
The figure, imbued with infinite power, pronounced like a high god, “So if I want you to die, you… shall die.”
“For humanity! For the continuation of this world!”
BOOM!!!
Infinite power poured out from another space, descending straight into the mortal realm. Before that absolute power, time, space, and physical laws seemed to lose all meaning. Unstoppable, the absolute force rushed straight toward Green… and Sophie behind him.
“This really is a nuisance.” Seeing that overwhelming power approaching, Green clenched his teeth inwardly but did not retreat. Although he had known the High Priest was strong, he never imagined she would be powerful to this extent.
“Even the Wither power from before is just a stray dog on the roadside compared to this existence.” Truly worthy of the so-called omniscient and omnipotent supreme being.
“Surrender, mortal.” As if noticing the change in Green’s expression, that voice spoke unexpectedly. “Hand over the Bewildering Witch, and I can spare your life.”
“Do you not need my knowledge? Rather than through this witch, why not pray directly to me?”
“Whether it’s changing the world or realizing your dreams, I can give you everything you want.”
A tempting offer. Hearing this, Green had a moment of realization. Had the High Priest… also made a deal with this existence in the beginning? Is that why she fell from being an initial hero into her current state?
Green looked with a bit of pity at the puppet who had completely lost her self-awareness and become a vessel for the supreme being’s descent.
“No. I refuse.”
Without hesitation, Green drew the sword from his waist.
Clang.
“You are not afraid of death?”
That voice echoed far and wide in Green’s ear.
“I am. Who in this world isn’t?” Green shrugged noncommittally. “But…”
“Rather than living a wretched life as a half-human, half-ghost creature modified by a monster like you, I would rather die!”
Holding the Holy Avenger high, Green charged forward toward the seemingly invincible enemy with a sense of “no return.”
Holy Light!
Hum—
Golden sparks emerged from all over Green’s body. That brilliant light seemed as though it would illuminate the world and sweep away all darkness, just as it had countless times before. But it didn’t. The light remained dazzling, and the holy aura arrived as expected. However…
“What… what’s happening?”
Green’s eyes widened. He found that familiar power was being bound by some sort of barrier, unable to penetrate the void and descend into this world.
Bang!
The High Priest sent Green flying with a single slap.
“You are indeed special, Green.” The High Priest’s eyes were full of irony. “But perhaps you are not as fearless of death as you claim?”
“Otherwise, where did that power of Immortality within you come from?”
Immortality? My soul!
In a flash of realization, Green immediately understood the key to why he couldn’t summon the Holy Light. When did this happen?! Green was shocked to find that his soul within his body was already completely different from others. It was stronger, more stable, but also… darker.
He had been corrupted.
“Aha, it seems the final winner is me.”
The High Priest slowly walked past Green toward the Witch who was rendered immobile by the supreme being’s descent.
“The last witch.”
The High Priest’s voice carried a hint of weariness. “Finally. As long as I gather this power, I can resist the Blood Moon and save humanity and the world…”
Gazing at the crazed High Priest, who was completely unaware she had become a tool for a certain existence, Green struggled to crawl up with all his might. “Let go… let go of Sophie!”
Bang!
But Green, having lost his Holy Light, was already too late. The High Priest’s hand had already touched Sophie.
Whoosh!!!
Countless streaks of black aura enveloped Sophie.
“The power of the Bewildering Witch—I am about to obtain it! Haha! I will prove it! I will prove to you fools that only I can protect the world!”
The High Priest felt the abundant power within Sophie with ecstasy. she was about to complete the final piece of the puzzle.
“Damn it!” Green watched helplessly as the power within Sophie grew smaller and her face became paler.
“Whew… so this is the power of the Bewildering Witch. Good, very good. Now everything is ready, I only need to wait—”
The High Priest’s body froze. Her eyes began to roll uncontrollably.
Gurgle.
“You… you lied to me!”
【Lie? No, I do not tell lies.】
【I indeed can save humanity from the Blood Moon, it’s just…】
【Not in the way you imagined.】
BOOM—
That being from a higher dimension gathered all the collected witch powers and injected them all into the body of the unconscious Sophie.
【Compared to you, who are already old and withered, this Bewildering Witch is a much more suitable avatar for me.】
Hum.
The High Priest’s young face aged rapidly.
“No! No! No!” The High Priest’s shrill voice echoed in the hall.
But it was too late. That supreme existence had acquired a brand-new body.
“Whew. Luckily, this foolish witch gave her true heart.”
The Original Witch, the End Witch, who was gradually taking control of Sophie’s body, glanced at Green. “That idiot actually believed the trap I left behind—granting you an immortal soul. Haha, immortality? Yes, I didn’t lie to you. Congratulations, mortal.”
“You can live forever.”
She let out a yawn. “Consider it a small compensation from me, the Original Witch, given to a junior. To be able to obtain a witch’s true heart, you really are something.”
The End Witch, now certain of victory, said, “Leave the rest to me. Let the world fall into eternal night. The beautiful tomorrow you look forward to will be created by me.”
Cough, cough.
Green suddenly burst into a fit of coughing. “It seems this time, I have failed.”
Lying on the ground, Green let out a dejected sigh.
“Oh? Then do you intend to cooperate with me?” The End Witch blinked, her beautiful face carrying a hint of temptation. “Actually, I don’t dislike you.”
“No.” Green shook his head. “I did lose, but… you haven’t won either.”
Hum.
A slight sound emitted from Green’s body.
“Hmm?” The End Witch’s pupils dilated as she looked closely at the subtle change in Green, her expression instantly changing.
“No! Impossible!”
Green raised his arm. A crimson hexagram was shining brightly.
“The caster of a Life Blessing contributes their own vitality to the recipient, but few people know that there is actually a way to reverse the effect of this spell.”
Green spoke softly, “To instead suck back the vitality of the recipient.”
Vroom, vroom, vroom—
That power, which had already settled and was shaping Sophie, suddenly stopped and began to flow in the opposite direction. Toward Green.
“Sophie.” Green looked at the Witch with a complex expression. In his thoughts just now, he had understood that Sophie was the one who initiated the changes in his soul.
“The sins you have committed… I will bear them for you.”
BOOM!
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