Chapter 374 This witch is really cruel! - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

The Glacier Plains is a planet, not some otherworldly realm, it was never the latter! Su Miao blinked, her thoughts tangled and complex. Initially, she believed that those living in the otherworldly realm were unaware of such a term and that the Glacier Plains was just a part of it. Little did she expect this revelation. Was there still a need to continue her exploration since this wasn't the otherworldly realm? Su Miao felt lost. Moreover, according to the owl sage, Freda Peterson, this place was merely a starry expanse... If she was destined to explore the stars, why not start from Earth? Furthermore, the world of the Glacier Plains had evident issues. "Witch, I think you've noticed by now; there is a pervasive presence of eerie gray mist across the Glacier Plains, especially around wasteland areas." Owl sage Freda Peterson explained, "This is because evil gods prefer to dwell in such places, leading one to mistakenly believe the sinister gray mist is their creation, which isn't the case." "This eerie gray mist is ubiquitous in this world, and even among the stars, it pollutes every mortal, creature, and plant it can reach." "My kin who transform from humans into beastly monsters are victims of this mist's influence." "Aside from divine beings, no creature can adapt to this eerie gray mist." "No, not even divine beings can completely escape the mist’s corruption; I am an example of that." "Once, I was revered as a great sage among my kin, but over time, I'm on the verge of becoming a true demon king, or rather, a grand demon king..." While Freda Peterson remarked upon his transformation, his demeanor remained serene, as if it concerned someone else entirely. "I've spoken enough, witch. It's time for you to fall!" Upon finishing his words, the heavens tore open, and a colossal demon eye suddenly appeared. Dominating the skies, the demon eye glared at Su Miao, unleashing an incomprehensible pressure that sought to crush her from her soul, through reality, and within the laws of the universe. Owl sage Freda Peterson watched Su Miao with indifference, his eyes filled with savagery and anticipation. The gentleness, wisdom, and despondency from before vanished entirely. After all this waiting and buildup, it was for this singular strike. Su Miao raised her gaze to the sky, locking eyes with the demon eye. The gaze was savage, chaotic, and laden with corruption—a horrifying sight. In the next moment, the witch Su Miao began to distort, crumble, and wither at an alarming rate. Even her exclusive demonic flames and destruction laws began to dissipate. Owl sage Freda Peterson's lips curled with disdain. "A new god is still just a new god. Killing a few remnants of evil gods doesn’t make you all-powerful. Still too naive." He extended his hand, poised to seize the dissipating flames and destruction laws, abruptly realizing an oversight. For a divine being, should a physical form disintegrate this easily? His intention was to kill the witch, seize her body, extract her blood... Yet, under the assault of the demon eye, the witch’s body just twisted and crumbled? Had he already ascended to grand demon king status? Strong enough to be beyond his comprehension? His gaze shifted to the residual laws of flame and destruction, and his expression changed drastically. No, something was off! Those residual laws were peculiar! High above, at 30,000 meters, the real body of Su Miao clutched a metal alloy staff tight. An array of magic amplification circles unfolded, injecting 120% magic into the staff, as darkness consumed the sky, save for the ethereal Milky Way cascading down. Starshine burst forth! Boom! The demon eye shattered instantly. Starshine engulfed Freda Peterson. "Ahhhh..." A ghastly scream erupted from him. As someone merely a step away from becoming a grand demon king, he resisted with all his might, refusing to believe a mere witch could end his life. Yet, no matter how he struggled, he couldn't prevent his body from collapsing, nor his soul from disintegrating. This attack aimed to obliterate both his body and soul. And the laws within... Freda Peterson sensed something terrifying. This was a force he couldn't contend with. "No..." With his final wail, Freda Peterson's body exploded, his soul detonated, and the amalgamated laws erupted, leading to his instant demise. Believing he'd outsmarted the witch proved his ultimate miscalculation. She deceived him all along, presenting an avatar he didn't even recognize. But an avatar with such powerful law imprints—how many could distinguish it as such? Hahahaha... "Damnable owl, bloody hell!" In the aftermath of Freda Peterson's demise, a frail demon king remnant appeared. He had been consumed by the great sage and had tirelessly held on until this day. Finally sensing the sage's demise, the demon king thought he'd found his opportunity for revival. Yet, as he emerged, the starshine reignited, vaporizing him within a second's breath. This time, the starshine served as a true saturation strike, obliterating not just Freda Peterson, who was a mere step from becoming a grand demon king, but also the demon king's castle below, eradicating everything in its wake. The devastating shockwave spread in all directions, igniting the eerie gray mist on the Glacier Plains into a raging inferno. Su Miao observed from the void with clarity, recognizing it was the spooky gray mist. Notably, even after annihilating Freda Peterson, Su Miao remained vigilant, wary of any extraordinary measures he might take to evade the recent fatal blow and retaliate. Drained of magic, Su Miao waited, never seeing Freda Peterson rise again, then nonchalantly switched to a reforged silver sword. In an instant, endless clouds condensed, transforming into thousands of sword auras that hammered downwards. Uprooting everything; Su Miao decimated the battlefield ruins once more. Finally, she cast a final slash with the reforged silver sword at the demon king's castle's former site, cleaving the land into a vast abyss, confirming Freda Peterson’s utter demise. Only then did Su Miao leave the scene. After she'd been gone a long time, several eyes appeared in the sky miles away. "What kind of witch did this owl offend? She's brutal." "No kidding. He's been annihilated to soul and formlessness, yet she still razes the demon king’s ruins. It's harsher than beating a dead horse." "That huge mushroom cloud from before was this witch's doing too. Those fiendish gods constantly scheming their revival? Obliterated." "Better lay low. Ignore this mess. Best not draw her attention again." "I’m out, I’m out." "....." Almost as soon as those sets of eyes vanished, Su Miao unexpectedly returned, confirming no residual disturbances within the demon king's ruined fortress before departing once more. This time, a reassurance marked her demeanor. The curious eyes dared not reemerge, as who on earth predicted Su Miao would genuinely return to double-check? Nearly three hours later, Su Miao hovered once more above the annihilated demon king castle ruins. The myriad cloud blades congregated anew, cleaving through both sky and land once more. Floating in the void, Su Miao furrowed her brow. It wasn’t her unwillingness to leave, nor her certainty of Freda Peterson's death; something seemed missing. If she truly departed, unease might gnaw at her. Wouldn't a being nearly a grand demon king drop something upon defeat? Could it be that the starshine’s power was so vast it destroyed everything? As if heeding her unspoken query, the void segments continually cut by cloud blades shattered like mirrors, and a black-and-white gem plummeted. This was Freda Peterson's divine core, cleansed by the starshine with his consciousness entirely purged, reduced to a pure divine core holding immense law strength. Dominated by darkness law, accompanied by destruction and life laws. Remarkably powerful. Su Miao felt deeply satisfied. Yet, how exactly this divine core remained hidden even as Freda Peterson perished was rather intriguing. She’d presumed the divine core was destroyed. If not for her repeated returns, perhaps it might have truly slipped away. With this divine core in hand, she could embark on some critical magic experiments related to laws. Pocketing the divine core, Su Miao vacated the ruins. Now she was content. Days later, once sure that Su Miao wouldn't return, several furtive evil gods emerged nearby, casting wary eyes upon the demon king castle remnants. "Killing isn't usually this thorough; this witch is beyond fierce!" Within the camp, after Goat-Head General and the beastly folk’s last charge, peace had settled in. Myna lived a life of eat, sleep, repeat. Meanwhile, Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An delved into their daily studies. As for Sister Su Miao, the destructive aura permeating the air was testament to her being just fine. "Xiao An, will those beastly folks come back?" Lin Jiu Jiu asked after sipping some water. "I don't think so," Xia Xiao An replied, gazing into the distance. "They came from the direction of that destructive pressure wave." "When will we become as powerful as Sister Su Miao?" Lin Jiu Jiu wondered. Xia Xiao An looked up at the sky, "I don't know." "Remember that anime we watched?" Lin Jiu Jiu said. "The one with the elf wizard who took on a disciple. The disciple worked hard every day, growing stronger but never overcoming that chasm, eventually growing old and dying." "I'm worried that one day..." Xia Xiao An understood what Lin Jiu Jiu was getting at. Such anime used to leave little impact, but after doomsday hit, they invoked many thoughts. "You're overthinking things," Myna chimed in, perched on the table. "That elf only lived for a millennium at most, barely a legendary mage, just touching the threshold of divinity. But what about Lady Su Miao? She's decimated countless evil gods." "Do you feel the gap between yourselves and Lady Su Miao is too vast?" Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An looked at Myna intently, eager for wisdom. Myna continued, "You might sense this gap, but the one who truly feels it is me." "No, even I can't fully grasp the chasm! Lady Su Miao has ascended to deity, a true goddess among mortals!" "In the future, Lady Su Miao will only grow stronger, beyond our wildest imaginations." "As for us, we'll benefit, and perhaps one day, we'll ascend to godhood." "Once we become gods, we'll gain eternal life; the life of a god may not be truly eternal, but we'll have ample time to accompany Lady Su Miao, without regrets." Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An listened to Myna's words, filled with excitement. Yet, when the excitement waned, they exchanged uncertain glances—what did becoming a god truly mean? They didn't know. "Myna, do you know what godhood means?" Xia Xiao An asked earnestly. Myna hesitated, "I don't know either. Maybe ask Lady Su Miao when she returns?" Xia Xiao An said, "No rush. For now, we just need to get stronger." "Exactly! Back to training!" Lin Jiu Jiu agreed. ... In the desolate city, the advance camp was busy. Secretary Tao Yu Jie was overseeing the ability users as they constructed the camp. The project had been ongoing for ten days, and the camp was almost complete. However, the ability users involved in its construction were showing various signs of beastification. Some grew cat ears, others sprouted wool, some even developed antlers, and she herself had acquired a cat tail... According to Irena's research, ability users underwent beastification only after eating certain raw mutated animals. Yet, they hadn't consumed any raw mutated creatures recently… Even when eating meat, it was always cooked in a pressure cooker. And the water they drank? Provided by Lady Su Miao, so it couldn't be the source of the problem. "Secretary Tao, what's going on?" A young female ability user with antlers approached her. "If we can't find the cause, this could become problematic." Tao Yu Jie's hidden cat tail accidentally revealed itself under the scrutiny of her colleague's query. The Antler Lady froze upon seeing this. "Secretary Tao, you..." "I don't know," Tao Yu Jie replied. "I suspect it's the geographical environment of this world. The longer ordinary ability users stay here, the more likely they are to become beastified." "Is there a solution?" asked the Antler Lady. "You know the chances of becoming a mutated monster increase if we progress as beastified ability users." "Trust in Lady Su Miao," Tao Yu Jie assured. "Master Si Tian will soon uncover the issues here. She will return, and we'll be saved." The Antler Lady glanced toward the door, asking, "Can't we just leave?" "The stability of the gate requires Master Si Tian to handle," Tao Yu Jie explained. While speaking, Tao Yu Jie's ears transformed into fluffy cat ears before the Antler Lady, an unsettling sight that left the latter visibly shocked. "Secretary Tao, your ears..." "Ears?" Tao Yu Jie touched her new furry cat ears, her composure shattered. Both ears and tail transformed—what might change next? Even the usually composed Tao Yu Jie panicked. At that moment, someone approached to report, "Secretary Tao, there are ability users coming from Earth. They seem to be scavengers." Scavengers referred to ability users moving outside of organized groups, chasing resources wherever they could. They'd heard of the Twelve Divisions opening gateways to another world, but only a few gate coordinates had been shared publicly. Rumor had it the divisions had more gates, but those weren't publicized. To reach the other world through known gates required long waits, but unknown ones didn't. Someone had even discovered the unattended Si Tian platform in the wilderness. There was no one guarding it, nor was there any wait. (End of this chapter.)