With just a few simple words, the face of that girl before her death began to surface repeatedly in Lyr’s mind.
He had also wondered—if she had wanted to, she could have easily killed him. In the end, she hadn’t done it. Instead, she had willingly let him kill her.
That look of release on her face had lingered in Lyr’s mind, refusing to fade.
But until now, aside from his magic power feeling faint, Lyr hadn’t sensed any of the power this person in front of him spoke of.
Closing his eyes and pausing for a moment, Lyr adjusted his state of mind. “So, you’re saying the abnormality on me is because of her?”
At this moment, that was the only possible explanation.
“Nightmare Tongue is her title, and also her curse,” the figure said. “Its true meaning is to infinitely amplify the malice of everyone around you, turning it into words you constantly hear, as if you’re trapped in an endless nightmare filled with ill will. Perhaps, that might even be what everyone truly wants to say to you.”
Though different from her own devouring nature, under the influence of such a curse, over time, a person’s sanity would warp. When they could no longer bear the malice and wanted to escape it, the most direct method was to kill every living being in sight that made them hear those voices.
“Because of this curse, that little crybaby once slaughtered half a village. Back then, drenched in blood, she was truly at her most beautiful.”
No matter how strong one’s will, under the disturbance of such a curse, the slightest deviation, amplified by the witch’s formidable power, made destroying a village effortless.
“I still remember clearly—she only barely regained her senses after killing her own younger sister. Under the terrified gazes of the survivors, she fled alone into the deep mountains and dense forests. How adorable.”
In her view, the original Nightmare Witch was still too naive.
By hiding in the deep forests, she not only sought to reduce the curse’s influence on herself but, more importantly, wished to harm no one else, preferring to endure the torment alone.
Lyr’s eyes widened. He had only met that girl once, and in the end, he was the one who had slain her. He knew nothing of this.
Yet, upon hearing it, Lyr felt a strange restlessness surge within him, as if responding to the truth of these words.
“But you… you clearly obtained her power. Why is the aura of the curse so faint?” The figure couldn’t hide her curiosity.
This was the main reason she had sought out Lyr.
Witches could sense each other’s presence and also perceive the state of the curse power on one another.
Lyr’s situation was far too strange.
Compared to the original Witch of Nightmare Words, the curse on him was like a mosquito bite—neither painful nor itchy. He could even control it, completely unaware.
“I need to see what’s really going on with you.”
The figure extended a wrist from her cloak. Blood Flame gathered in her palm, then she swung it forward.
The flame crackled through the air, transforming into a fiery serpent that opened its maw, aiming to devour Lyr.
With the fire serpent closing in, Lyr quickly chanted, raising his sword with one hand while pressing the other against its flat side.
A cold frost spread over the blade, encasing the edge.
Then he raised the longsword high and brought it down in a sweeping slash.
Ice and fire collided, producing a crisp, shattering sound.
Though the fire serpent was cleaved apart, the scattered flames still scorched Lyr’s shoulder.
A pained expression crossed Lyr’s face, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Back at the Academy, using even a few of the lowest-tier spells would leave him somewhat drained. Now, using magic of this level left him gasping for breath.
“Hmm?”
Lyr’s struggle only deepened the figure’s confusion, making it seem unbelievable.
“How can your magic power be so weak?”
This completely defied logic. A witch’s power should only grow stronger over time; such a situation shouldn’t be possible.
“Could it be…”
Suddenly, a conjecture surfaced in the figure’s mind.
An impossible one, yet the only one that could explain it.
Seeing he was no match for his opponent, Lyr had no desire to prolong the fight.
If she was indeed the one who created that blood-filled crater outside the Royal Capital, as she claimed, he stood no chance against her in his current state.
Using his remaining strength, Lyr channeled his magic power, transforming it into a flash of Purple Thunder aimed at his opponent, then prepared to retreat.
“Is that all?”
The figure remained unmoving. From beneath her cloak, countless dark red thorns shot forth.
The thunderclap met the thorns and vanished into nothing in an instant, utterly failing to halt their advance. In the blink of an eye, they coiled around Lyr’s ankles, hoisting him high into the air.
“You expect me to believe the one who gained that little crybaby’s power is only this capable? Or that she died at the hands of someone like you?”
To her, this was nothing short of a colossal joke.
The figure strolled forward, using more thorns to bind Lyr’s remaining limbs, rendering him completely helpless. Even the sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
“Let me see what’s really going on with you.”
“What do you want?” Lyr shouted.
“Don’t be impatient. You’ll know soon enough.”
As her words fell, with a gesture from her, one of the thorns shot out, plunging straight into Lyr’s chest.
The pain, like a blade being driven in, forced a cry from Lyr’s lips.
He felt that this thorn was piercing not just his body, but something far deeper.
As the thorn penetrated, the expression beneath the cloak shifted from puzzlement to sheer disbelief. “The power… it’s all suppressed?”
This was a startling revelation.
The power of the Witch of Nightmare Words was indeed within Lyr’s body, but it was entirely suppressed—along with his own innate magic power. This proved that even the curse itself was being held at bay.
“You… what’s so special about you? How can you suppress a curse?!” Her voice began to tremble.
Why should she suffer the ravages of a curse while he could suppress it?
Shouldn’t everyone who gains such power become twisted under the curse’s torment? Even that little crybaby could only hide in the deep forests, enduring endless solitude alone.
It wasn’t fair!
A surge of rage rose within her, driving her to probe deeper with greater force.
Until she touched upon a certain boundary. A flash of thunder traveled back along the thorn, instantly severing the one embedded in Lyr’s body.
And in the palm of Lyr’s hand, a faint mark flickered in and out of sight.
“What is this?”
Even she was encountering something like this for the first time. This guy truly harbored some secret.
Just as the figure prepared to drive another thorn into Lyr’s body, several sword beams, like streaks of light, flashed rapidly among the thorns, slicing them apart one by one.
Lyr fell to the ground with the momentum.
He struggled to open his eyes and saw Yilu grabbing his arm, trying to pull him up.