The Banshee, having ceased its repetitive pattern of attacking with **[Banshee’s Wail]**, remained silent for a long time before finally moving again.
The ghost extended its skeletal hands. Within the entire fifty-yard area, an overwhelming necrotic pressure surged forward — a spiritual weight that any emotional creature would find absolutely revolting.
It felt as though her life and death were held firmly in someone else’s palm. The opponent only needed to exert a tiny bit of force, and her heart would be crushed as easily as an apple in a witch’s hand.
What kind of pressure was this? What kind of existence was this Banshee to make Elliris feel such suffocating oppression?
Since arriving in this world, Elliris had never encountered an enemy like this. Her body began to tremble from the intense fear born of pure instinct.
Elliris did not know what the Banshee would do next, but the seeds of terror had already taken root and sprouted in her heart. Before the next round of combat even triggered, her legs were shaking so violently they felt like they would give out.
This was the Banshee’s skill, **[High-Level Undead Fear]**.
In a daze, Elliris suddenly snapped awake.
The state of terror that had left her almost unable to stand vanished. She seemed to have arrived in a familiar place.
This was her own Witch’s Cottage. Yes, it was.
She found herself lying on a double bed that smelled of herself and Sophia. She had come home.
She slowly sat up, her sleepiness still lingering. It was so warm under the quilt that she really didn’t want to get up.
“Ah… ha! So sleepy… what’s the date today? What… was I supposed to be doing?” There were things in Elliris’s mind that she couldn’t quite recall, but she knew she was home.
“Ellie, dinner is ready — you slept all the way from your afternoon nap until dark! What’s gotten into you?” Sophia had already walked up to the loft, calling out to Elliris in a gentle tone.
‘Wait? Sophia? When did she get here? Isn’t she…’
A sudden ringing in her ears caused Elliris a slight headache. Noticing something was wrong, Sophia hurried to the bedside.
“What is it, Ellie? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
It was the same familiar Sophia, still caring for her just as much. She had been by her side all along.
It seemed there was nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing to be confused about. She was just making a fuss over nothing.
That’s right. Ever since she had transmigrated to this continent, she and Sophia had lived here in seclusion for eight years. The witch’s barrier in the Arden Forest was so reliable; it was like a super-reinforced version of the Maginot Line from World War II.
For eight years, they had stayed here, living in their own world. They had been childhood friends in their previous lives, so even if things continued like this forever, it wouldn’t be bad…
“It’s nothing, Sophie. Time to get up! Hehe… I love your cooking the most!”
Elliris spoke happily, taking Sophia’s hand as they walked downstairs. On the dining table were her favorite apple pie and raspberry cookies, with roasted wild boar steaks as the main course.
Her eyes brightened at the sight of the food. She slurped back a bit of drool that was about to fall, then hurried to sit at the table and began to eat voraciously.
“Eat slowly… no one is going to take it from you. Don’t choke…” Sophia gave a helpless, bitter smile, her eyes full of indulgence for Elliris.
“I’m fine!” Elliris said, her words muffled by the large amount of food in her mouth.
The Witch’s Cottage was filled with the warm, intimate atmosphere of the two sisters. They had lived this life for eight years, and nothing was more important than being happy every day.
After their pleasant dinner, Elliris wanted to help with the chores. After all, she didn’t want to be someone who just sat back and expected to be served.
“Are you full, Ellie? I don’t need your help — just leave cleaning the dishes to me. I still have to prepare tomorrow’s meals. Leave everything to your big sister!”
Sophia rolled up a sleeve, proudly showing off the small amount of biceps on her right arm while speaking with a beaming smile.
“Sigh… alright. I really can’t do anything about you. Why do you spoil me so much? Hehe…” Elliris spoke with a slight smile, her heart feeling warm.
Elliris then sat on the small sofa by the fireplace, leisurely flipping through a novel. She had marked her place with a bookmark yesterday and planned to continue reading after dinner.
She gently leafed through the book. The firewood in the cottage fireplace crackled as it burned. During this cold winter season, snuggled up at home with the fire’s glow reflecting on the pages, it was truly a cozy and comfortable time.
But when she reached a certain page, she felt a sense of incongruity she had never experienced before.
The current page and another were stuck together.
‘What’s going on? Let’s try to open it…’
She gently pried the stuck pages apart and turned to the second one:
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*After you leave after you leave don’t look into her eyes*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
*Don’t look into her eyes after you leave*
…
‘Is this a message someone left for me? Who was it?’
Seeing such eerie, repetitive words, Elliris’s forehead began to feel hot.
The Divine Mark began to surface on her brow, and she noticed it too.
‘Why is the Divine Mark appearing again? I haven’t even been practicing my spells, and my level is only Level 25. Anyway, as long as Sophia and I don’t go anywhere, it’s enough to stay in this forest.’
‘But why? I clearly haven’t been training, so why must the Divine Mark appear right now? How annoying!…’
‘Whatever! Since it’s come to this, I’ll just go to sleep! It’s so warm by the fireplace…’
“Ah… ha!” Elliris hadn’t read more than a few pages before she suddenly felt sleepy again.
“Want to sleep again? My little sleepyhead…” Sophia had finished organizing the kitchen. Speaking with a teasing smile, she walked over to Elliris and flicked her forehead.
“Ah! What are you doing, you stinky green-eyes!” The hissing little white cat was ready to start hissing again as soon as she was touched.
“Move over a bit, let’s squeeze together. It’s so warm here; I want to sleep for a bit too.” Sophia leaned in affectionately, wanting to snuggle.
“Wait a moment, I’ll go get that thick blanket. You sit first and rest for a bit.” Elliris calmly stated her next move, every word filled with her affection for Sophia.
Elliris came down from the loft with the thick wool blanket, and the two sisters squeezed onto the small sofa with hearts full of joy, slowly falling asleep.
She wanted — she so desperately wanted things to stay like this forever.
There was no witch hunting here; there was only the peaceful cottage, the warmth of each other, and the scent of white camellia radiating from Sophia’s body.
…
After an unknown amount of time, Elliris heard the sound of countless footsteps in her dream. They were marching exceptionally fast, and she could even hear the clinking of metal armor.
Elliris slowly opened her eyes. Numerous torches flickered in the darkness outside the Witch’s Cottage.
“What’s happening…” Before Elliris could even get up, Sophia rushed to the window, her face filled with shock and dismay.
“Ellie, we have to run! It’s the Witch Hunting Group — they’ve broken through the barrier!” Sophia hurriedly pulled Elliris up. The two didn’t have time for anything else; still in their slippers, they desperately tried to find a way to break out.
There were nearly several hundred people from the Witch Hunting Group, each holding a torch, standing outside the cottage. The squad leader, Shawn, shouted arrogantly:
“Listen up, you witches inside! Come out now! Don’t bother hiding; our patience is limited!”
‘Shawn? Isn’t he…’
Another sharp explosion of noise rang in her ears, making it impossible for Elliris to think.
But before the sisters could react, Shawn kicked the front door open.
“If you want to do this the hard way, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Shawn the Executioner showed his signature, villainous smirk.
“Ellie, run!” Sophia was like a mother eagle spreading her wings, thinking only of protecting the Elliris behind her.
“Ugh!… Ellie… run…”
Sophia’s chest was pierced through by Shawn. After saying her last words, she collapsed into a pool of blood, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes…
“Aaaaagh!! Sophie!! Why!!” Horror turned into a glaring, wide-eyed rage. Elliris’s cheeks were already covered in tears as she questioned Shawn.
Without a word, Shawn thrust his sword into Elliris’s abdomen. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep.
“Nng…”
“Why? His Holiness the Pope spent years finally cracking your damn barrier. Now, it’s time for the witches to be punished!” With a grotesque smile on his face, Shawn pulled out his sword. At this moment, his only thought was how he was going to torture Elliris.
“No! Stop! Please, don’t — ” Elliris retreated in a hurry, clutching her stomach as she limped up to the loft and locked the door behind her.
“Want to play cat and mouse? Tsk, sorry, I don’t have much patience left. Men, get the torches ready and set the fire! Burn them to death!” Shawn didn’t go upstairs to break down the door because he had a much faster execution method.
The once warm Witch’s Cottage was now unrecognizable in the wake of disaster.
Happy times are always too short; destruction happens in an instant.
The first floor was completely surrounded by fire, and Sophia’s body was being consumed by the flames.
Leaning against the door on the second floor, blood flowed steadily from Elliris’s abdomen. She no longer had the strength to escape.
With tearful eyes, her heart was filled with despair, and the light faded from her gaze.
“Sophie, don’t be afraid. I’m coming to be with you soon…”
***
The perspective shifted back to the trial arena. Everything just now had been an illusion. Elliris, controlled by the Banshee, was still immersed in endless sorrow.
This was the Banshee’s skill, **[High-Level Illusion Intrusion]**. This skill was dismantling her will from within her mind, continuously attacking her most vulnerable spots.
“Ah!! Ha… haha…” Elliris finally emerged from the illusion, her face in reality already covered in tear stains.
“You bastard! How dare you…” Before Elliris could finish her sentence, she was controlled by the Banshee again.
Her brows were tightly knit, her eyes glaring with hatred at the Banshee in front of her. However, her body was no longer under her control. She clenched her teeth in an attempt to resist, but it was futile.
The previous message, ‘Don’t look into her eyes after you leave,’ was a message sent to her by Felicitara. Unfortunately, her consciousness could only intervene in this manner for now. In her current state, it was impossible for her to contend with a Banshee of this level.
At this moment, Elliris could only be like a marionette, left to the Banshee’s whims.
**[High-Level Soul Control]**, **[High-Level Behavior Control]**!
The Banshee then lightly stroked its cheek, held one hand in a fist over its heart, and slowly opened its skeletal hand.
Elliris, locking eyes with it, repeated the Banshee’s movements like a mirror image. The Level 90 suppression against her Level 59 left her with no way to resist.
Suddenly, ghostly blue flames burst from the Banshee’s crimson blood-red eyes. It deactivated the two previous high-level control skills, and a necrotic pressure that seemed intent on swallowing all life surged forth once again.
**[Instant Death Skill: Heart Grip!]**
Elliris finally broke free from the control, but the kiss of death had already landed.
**[Elliris Omnia, HP -3203]**
…
This was necrotic magic. **[Heart Grip]** was a true execution-type skill. However, in this game world, it didn’t manifest as Elliris’s health instantly dropping to zero; instead, her health bar began to plummet rapidly.
“Gah! Gulph…” The sensation of her heart being crushed from the inside caused her heart-wrenching pain. This was the ultimate agony for a living being. The blood surging from her mouth was choked into her windpipe the moment she breathed, making a muffled, gurgling sound.
This unspeakable pain was enough to make even the strongest will collapse in an instant.
This battle was a total suppression.