Inside the dim prison cage.
Hilxi’s expression darkened slightly.
The Witch of Difference was right behind me. Although I should have been afraid, I didn’t feel that way at all.
No, how could she appear here? And where was Aiyan? Since she was also a Witch, there was no way she’d have been taken out so easily. Could she have been trapped by something?
These thoughts flashed through Hilxi’s mind in an instant as she turned her head, her Magic Wand suddenly lighting up.
Wind Magic…
Bang.
A massive air blast struck Hilxi’s wrist, causing the wand in her hand to slip free and fall to the side.
Her wrist throbbed with unbearable pain.
The Witch of Difference, with her long black hair reaching down her back and a smile on her face, quietly watched Hilxi like a rat trapped with nowhere to run.
Ah… the gap in power was a little too wide.
Hilxi’s mouth twitched in pain, her eyes fixed intently on her opponent.
“You came to save her?” Domoer smiled calmly. “Not bad. This one here is almost useless now, but you seem quite valuable.”
“Hmph, a magical genius like me being targeted is such a headache.” Hilxi arched an eyebrow lightly.
Given the current situation, it seemed they had no choice but to wait for Aiyan to arrive. Clearly, Hilxi alone couldn’t fight a Witch.
Ahh, am I going to end up dead here? Probably not. At worst, I could just leave the victim behind and escape, right?
“Run… Hilxi…” Aiomis spoke fearfully.
Hilxi paused slightly. I want to run too, but…
“Hmm?” Domoer glanced at Aiomis, still smiling as she pointed her Magic Wand at her. “You’ve lost your value. You can finally be freed.”
“Damn it.”
Just as Domoer’s wand glowed, ready to unleash magic, Hilxi summoned another wand and swiftly shot out a Wind Blade!
With a swish, the Wind Blade sliced through Domoer’s wand and the iron gate behind her, producing a loud clang.
This Wind Blade was one of Hilxi’s most practiced spells, its power naturally not to be underestimated.
“Oh? Another wand?” Domoer’s smile faltered slightly, but her oppressive aura remained unyielding.
Boom!
In the next moment, a surge of Water Magic crashed towards Domoer, pushing her far away.
Seizing the opportunity, Hilxi lifted Aiomis up and summoned a Broomstick, then escaped.
She didn’t believe that Water Magic had truly injured Domoer—it was mainly to create distance.
“A Witch…”
Hilxi flew swiftly on the Broomstick through the dark cave, the sticky darkness around her stirring.
The rapid flight brought colder gusts, the chill quickly seeping through her entire body.
Suddenly, a wolf-like Monster, seemingly magically modified, lunged at Hilxi!
A bloodthirsty maw appeared before her eyes.
But Hilxi swiftly twisted aside, easily dodging the attack.
Broom Flight was also one of her specialties.
“Something’s following us…” Aiomis said nervously, clutching Hilxi’s waist tightly.
“So annoying.”
Hilxi maintained her rapid flight while unleashing a large-scale magical attack.
The tip of her wand glowed as the howling wind echoed through the cave, instantly forming an Earth-Yellow Tornado!
Whooosh—
Several indistinct Monsters were caught in the tornado, the fierce airflow pushing Hilxi’s speed even higher.
But her sullen expression didn’t improve.
“Huff… not much magic left.”
Because of Transformation Magic, half of her mana was consumed upon entering the cave, and more was spent breaking into Aiomis’s prison.
Then the Wind Blade, Water Magic, and tornado drained even more.
No mana left. Best not to use magic unless absolutely necessary.
Flying while thinking this, a figure suddenly appeared not far ahead. Instinctively, Hilxi raised her Magic Wand.
“Hey, it’s me, Aiyan.”
The figure was Flame Witch Aiyan.
Hilxi breathed a sigh of relief.
“The person’s rescued. Now we just need to capture the Witch of Difference.”
“That one’s tough. You take the person and leave. I’ll handle her myself.”
Hilxi fell silent for a moment, thinking.
Aiyan immediately frowned. “What’s that look for? Don’t trust me?”
“There are many Monsters created by the Witch of Difference in this cave. Be careful.” Hilxi warned, then moved forward.
If she stayed to fight Domoer out of hatred or obligation now, she’d just be foolish.
With mana nearly depleted and a non-combatant with her, staying would only be a liability.
Hilxi felt the side effects of her deceptive Emotion Magic had faded, so she understood the situation clearly: staying behind would only slow them down.
Though she wanted to make Domoer pay with her own hands, now was not the time for stubbornness—her life mattered more.
Glancing back at Aiyan disappearing into the darkness, Hilxi soon saw the shadows pushed back.
Flames blazed, indicating a fierce battle.
But that was none of her concern now.
Crossing through a large hole in what used to be the wooden floor—no, the floor was gone—Hilxi emerged into the outside world, arriving at Domoer’s Temporary Residence.
The chill vanished, replaced by warm air that made both Hilxi and Aiomis exhale in relief.
Finally out.
She never wanted to return to that damp, dark underground again…
Hilxi thought as she stood on the remaining floorboards and helped Aiomis down before putting away the Broomstick.
“That person… is she okay?” Aiomis whispered from beside her.
“Aiyan? She’ll be fine,” Hilxi assured her, then said, “Let’s get out of here first.”
Leaving the residence, Hilxi randomly found an abandoned house nearby, used magic to open the door, and stepped inside.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, clearly untouched for a long time.
Inside, the scent of rotting wood filled the air, and broken furniture lay scattered, but this was no time to be picky.
Hilxi sat on a dust-covered chair and summoned her Magic Wand, pointing it at her right wrist.
Healing Magic.
Soon, the agonizing pain in her wrist subsided, and gripping no longer caused discomfort.
She turned to look at Aiomis standing on the floorboards, who appeared dazed, as if she still couldn’t believe she had escaped.
“Aiomis.” Hilxi called gently.
“Ah… I’m here.” Aiomis came to her senses and looked at Hilxi.
“I can use Healing Magic. Your wounds…”
Before Hilxi finished, Aiomis interrupted.
“It’s okay. I’m used to this pain now. Don’t waste your mana on me.”
“…”
Hilxi looked at her, then still pointed her wand at Aiomis. “This little mana will recover quickly.”
A glow flowed into Aiomis’s body, and she felt her wounds itch first, then bruises and redness faded rapidly, leaving her original pale skin.
I told you not to waste mana on me… Aiomis felt touched and nodded sincerely.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. One hundred gold coins.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” Hilxi shook her head and then looked outside, gripping her Magic Wand tightly.
She wondered how Aiyan was doing, whether the Witch of Difference had been captured.
There was nothing to do now but wait.
Underground cave.
“Flame Magic!”
The Magic Wand burst into flame as a spiraling column of fire shot out, reducing several ugly Monsters to ashes before they could scream.
Aiyan gripped her wand tightly, her expression grave.
Not far away, Domoer also held her wand, flanked by several tall, fierce-looking Monsters.
This was her magic—turning beings into monsters under her control.
“What’s the point of fighting like this? Do you think you can defeat me alone?”
A disdainful voice sounded. Aiyan destroyed the charging fodder with magic and said, “How do you know unless you try? Besides, my reinforcements are arriving soon.”
Of course, there were no reinforcements. This was just to make Domoer uneasy.
And it worked; Domoer frowned at the words.
Reinforcements… that would be troublesome.
Forget it. That thing is almost complete. Better to retreat for now than waste time fighting.
Mutation Magic.
Domoer’s wand shone as her Monsters rapidly melted away, then reformed into a giant bat that lunged at Aiyan.
Whoosh!
Black wings beat up a fierce wind as the huge, terrifying bat blocked Aiyan’s vision.
“Disgusting monster.” She raised her wand, unleashing blazing Flame Magic again.
The bat was strong; it took her some effort to roast it thoroughly.
When the monster was thoroughly charred, Domoer was nowhere to be seen.
After cautiously scanning the surroundings, Aiyan lowered her wand and murmured, “Ran away.”
But she wasn’t surprised; from the start, she knew she couldn’t win one-on-one against the Witch of Difference. After all, Domoer had been a Witch for nearly ten years—her strength was formidable.
“It’s a pity the Association lacks manpower. Otherwise, they could just organize a Witch Squad to eliminate this threat once and for all.”
With a sigh, Aiyan summoned a Broomstick and flew toward the exit.
What really concerned her was that the Witch of Difference seemed to have some unknown secret. Why imprison mages in the first place?
That was a headache for the Association. Aiyan had done all she could.
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