The Nightmare Witch looked at Nie Qi’s pained expression and shook her head.
“The previous Devouring Witch apparently didn’t tell you that if you indulge too much in power, one day the power will turn against you. Especially as a Devouring Witch, you should know that those powers don’t truly belong to you. You’re just their vessel.”
A long time ago, she too had been tormented by the Nightmare Curse.
Every night, she was plagued by those nightmares, to the point that she had to bind herself with chains, treating herself like a wild beast.
As time passed, she gradually let go, learning to coexist with those nightmares and treat them as ordinary.
She didn’t know how long it took—maybe a few years, or maybe centuries.
Until one day, she tried leaving the secluded cave and stepped once more into the mundane world.
She visited witches like herself, finding some already driven mad, while others remained rational, their curses unshaken.
She had also met and spoken with the so-called Devouring Witch.
Devouring others’ magic power can make one incredibly strong in a short time, but there’s a fatal flaw.
Those powers come from different individuals, all mixed together.
These impurities accumulate within a single body like poison. Once they reach a certain level, they will erupt all at once.
When that happens, the Devouring Witch becomes a beast incapable of preserving her own will, nothing but a puppet driven by violent power.
“Impossible!” Nie Qi roared, the power within her growing even more turbulent. This time, it wasn’t just the Thunder Fairy’s power, but also the power she had absorbed over this period.
“I am the master! How could I be a vessel?!”
The more she refuted like this, the more violent the power of the magical beasts she had absorbed became. The instincts of those beasts surged in her mind.
Not only her body, but her consciousness was being torn apart.
Her face twisted, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, the latter resembling a beast in struggle.
The Nightmare Witch watched coldly. “Given your stubbornness, this situation shouldn’t have occurred so early. But you shouldn’t have absorbed the Thunder Fairy’s power. Thunder Fairies are untamed; their power cannot be driven by any curse.”
Shifting her gaze past Nie Qi, the Nightmare Witch looked at Lyr in the distance.
Lyr had caught his breath and was struggling to stand, leaning on his sword.
Apart from the witch’s mark on the back of his hand, streaks of lightning veins appeared on his exposed arms.
One was the witch’s curse and power, the other the Thunder Fairy’s blessing and will.
As the lightning veins stirred, the power within Nie Qi grew increasingly restless, trying to escape her body.
“That’s a descendant of the Geno Clan, isn’t it?” The Nightmare Witch tilted her head and asked Yilu.
“You know of House Geno?” Yilu could sense that the other seemed very interested.
“When this kingdom was just starting out, I heard rumors of that family and saw that sword. It’s the same as before.”
The Nightmare Witch was also curious about the connection between the Geno family and the Thunder Fairy.
But such things were impossible to know without finding the Thunder Fairy.
As for that spirit, the Nightmare Witch had only met it once, but it left a deep impression on her.
Which was why she could speak of these things about it now.
“Little one.” The Nightmare Witch called out to Lyr.
Exhausted, Lyr was confused. He squinted to barely make her out.
“Yes, I’m calling you.” The Nightmare Witch waved at him. “Guide your power back. Leave the rest to me.”
Barely understanding, his head foggy, Lyr didn’t have the strength to think much.
He gasped for air, supporting himself on his sword, and struggled to channel the Thunder Spirit Sword in his hand.
The Thunder Fairy’s power was never in him; it always resided in the sword. Only this sword could guide that power back.
The power within Nie Qi struggled like a cornered beast. Through her clothes, cracks appeared on her skin, and the lightning was about to burst forth.
She turned to look at Lyr, her expression fierce. “You! Stop it!”
Lyr’s guidance made the power even more uncontrollable. She had to stop him to calm the situation.
Clawing her hands, she lunged at Lyr, intending to tear him to shreds.
But before she could charge, black chains appeared again, locking her limbs in an instant.
Caught between enemies, Nie Qi struggled wildly.
However, the turbulence of power within her prevented her from casting any magic.
“Didn’t I just tell you that I could still use one more magic?” The Nightmare Witch stepped forward. “A magic that will take both you and me away.”
Her words were a warning, a final dying declaration. She had already warned her, but the other seemed not to care at all.
“Ancestor…” Yilu spoke up.
It seemed she had guessed what her ancestor intended to do.
The Nightmare Witch paused, glanced at Yilu. “This is what I should do. Remember what I told you just now. From now on, you are the Nightmare Witch.”
She smiled and lowered her voice. “Get along well with that little one. The Thunder Fairy’s power can resist curses, but don’t treat him with an attitude of using him.”
All this time, she had been wondering how Lyr saw her.
Only now did Yilu realize that she had never told Lyr how she saw and treated him.
Having said this, the Nightmare Witch slowly stepped forward. As she approached, the chains extending from the void grew taut, preventing Nie Qi from moving.
“A witch’s power can only be obtained through inheritance or by slaying another witch.” The Nightmare Witch’s voice was cold and sharp.
Facing Nie Qi, who was now no different from a beast, she felt nothing but sorrow.
Her expression indifferent, ignoring the roars, she reached out and gripped Nie Qi’s neck. Her black fingers embedded into the flesh, seeping blood.
“Apart from these two, there is another possibility: witches killing each other. When one dies, the power returns to nothing, and the title is completely erased from the world.”
This was exactly that situation.
“It’s painful, isn’t it? But it’s all right. All the pain ends here.”
A final chain appeared directly above Nie Qi, piercing her entire body from top to bottom.
Blood splattered, soaking the thorns beneath Nie Qi.
The body that had held the power shattered. Countless wails and roars burst out from within her—the original owners of the powers she had absorbed.
With a flash of lightning, all the power shot into the sky. The aftermath was no less intense than the collision of the two spells earlier, making it impossible to see where Nie Qi had been.
When all the light and noise faded, the wind cleared the clouds—the dream was dissipating. The thorns and broken chains on the ground all vanished, leaving only a blood-colored flower on the ground.