Chapter 390 Witch, thank you! - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind stood suspended in the void, gazing at the fields of red spider lilies, her heart shaken. This wasn’t the Hell she was familiar with, but the aura of this Hell felt even more ancient than the one she knew. What was more terrifying was the realization that resonated within her: this was just an illusion conjured out of thin air by a deranged witch in a magical town. Nothing here was real, yet that made it all the more frightening. What was the true origin of this deranged witch? Based on the encounters with the Vampire Lord Sarle Torisbea and the Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea, what awaited her wouldn’t be any good. When would those irrational and fearless entities appear? Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind looked towards the distance, where a winding path extended far into the field of flowers. In the distance, at the end of the flower fields, there was a large river—its waters surged fiercely, yet not a single sound could be heard from it, which seemed highly unusual. Connecting the path and the water was a bridge, empty and barren. “This must be a trap.” Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind assessed. She took a step, approaching the bridge. There were three words engraved on it, seemingly the name of the bridge, but they were unfamiliar to her... This was a Hell she did not recognize. Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind approached the riverbank, raising her hand to release some hellish creatures. However, these hellish creatures barely began their flight above the river before they plummeted downwards, swiftly dragged into the depths of the water. Indeed, it was a trap. In that case, she could only cross the bridge. Just as Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind was about to step onto the bridge, her expression became exceedingly vigilant. Why should she cross the bridge? This realm was a mirage constructed by the witch. To follow the witch’s script step by step was a scenario she dared not imagine. Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind made her decision: she would remain here, waiting for the witch to make the first move. If the witch didn’t act, she would in turn corrupt the witch’s divine domain. After all, the witch hadn’t arranged any attacks so far. This was very suspicious. Hehehe! ... Su Miao stood in the magical town, breathing a sigh of relief as she watched Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind halt her exploration. Honestly, she had been genuinely worried that Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind would end up like the Vampire Lord and the Evil Spirit Lord, becoming trapped and then launching a reckless attack and causing destruction everywhere. Handling two lords at the same time, the magical town could withstand. But if there were three lords rampaging, Su Miao couldn’t be certain. The worst-case scenario would be a malfunction in the rules that governed the magical town’s domain, resulting in a massive explosion. That would be far too dangerous. She wished her true form would awaken soon; she was also yearning for some rest. Magical projection Su Miao arrived at the location of the collapsed spatial passage. For safety, she summoned the power of the magical town to set a seal there. Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind had mentioned the Lords' Council more than once; the three lords from the inner world who arrived on Earth all hailed from this council. Now, with all three lords inside her magic town’s domain, it wouldn’t be long before other lords came investigating. According to Su Miao’s observations, even as the passage was collapsing, demon forces continuously emerged from the inner world. The Lords' Council only needed to investigate the demon army on the passage's side, and they would uncover the wrecked world passage… The lords were too greedy, too dangerous, too skilled in disguise. Their descent was solely for plundering and destruction, and the objectives of the other lords coming to Earth wouldn’t differ greatly. Therefore, to plunder Earth, to destroy it, the lords would certainly attempt to repair the passage. Thus, she couldn’t delay too long and needed to eliminate these three lords quickly, fully transforming them into the energy the magical town required. Judging by the efficiency with which Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind fixed the passage, she estimated it would take about ten days. To be safe, she set it at five days. In other words, she needed to deal with the three lords within five days. She hoped once again for her true form to awaken swiftly. Su Miao cast an eye over the magical town’s overall situation; Lin Jiuyi, Xia Xiaoan, and Su Luoli were fully immersed in the concert’s atmosphere. The remaining demon army was not large; they would be taken care of shortly. Those who escaped from the inner world were behaving themselves. They hadn’t ventured beyond the school and hospital areas. Chu Jiuyuan and Wang Xuandao were anxious, not because they didn’t want to leave, but because they dared not. Through a loophole in the magical town, they used Daoist Mirror Light techniques to observe events happening in some areas of the magical town. In those areas, the ferocious demon armies were reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. It was terrifying. Therefore, the two agreed to restrain all ability users from leaving. Furthermore, there was internet access; using their phones and laptops posed no issues. The most bizarre was the hospital, where physicians suddenly appeared; they weren’t human, but their medical skills were exceedingly advanced. People like Tu Guihai, who were taken to the hospital, showed visible improvements in their injuries. Looking at the situation objectively, they were indeed rescued. However, some ability users violated a taboo, resulting not only in their deaths but in very gruesome ones. This incited panic among the survivors. Those killed were in the school area when it happened. "Fellow Daoist Chu, why did you summon me?" Wang Xuandao, weary from travel, had just returned from seeing his master in the hospital. Chu Jiuyuan briefly explained what had happened at the school: "Several ability users were murdered in the school area." Wang Xuandao inquired, "What are the specifics?" Chu Jiuyuan replied, "I just received the report and am not clear on the details. The investigators said those involved were frightened quite severely, possibly linked to some spontaneously appearing non-human students." Wang Xuandao furrowed his brow. "Let’s check the scene." The two arrived at the site of the incident. The bodies had been cleared, but photos and white ash were left behind. Wang Xuandao observed intently and finally said, "Bring the terrified witnesses over." Chu Jiuyuan confirmed, "They are here already." There were five frightened individuals: two aged 23, one 20, and two 18. The three older ones were male, and the two younger ones were female. Due to the influence of the domain, they were all clad in simple school uniforms, indistinguishable from high school students. More troublingly, their thoughts seemed to be regressing in youth, undergoing a high-schooler transformation. Wang Xuandao enveloped the five with an invisible field of power: "I say, you can remain lucid for five minutes." Facing the unknowns of this town, Wang Xuandao dared not directly defy with his reality-altering words. Since they had been frightened so, there were surely valid reasons. The five shivered, clarity returning to their eyes. Chu Jiuyuan appeared invigorated—it worked. Looking at Wang Xuandao, the latter remained unscathed. Wang Xuandao prompted, "What did you see here? Speak it!" The five immediately displayed expressions of fear: "They... they were chasing two girls, trying to confess, to touch..." "No, those two girls weren’t human at all, they weren’t human, they were monsters!" "No, no, far scarier than monsters!" "Are we doomed?" "Sniff sniff, I don’t want to die, everything around us is a monster, all monsters!" "..." The five talked over one another, drawing the attention of many suddenly appearing students and teachers. They paused, fixing an eerie gaze on the speaking five. Under such scrutiny, even Wang Xuandao and Chu Jiuyuan felt a chill creeping up their spines. Wang Xuandao quickly ended it: "I say, your lucidity is over!" Instantly, the five huddled, holding themselves, squatting down. They clustered together like quails, trembling, sluggish, and dazed. The students and teachers who had stopped resumed their "living" as if nothing had happened. Chu Jiuyuan turned to Wang Xuandao: "Are you alright, Daoist Wang?" Wang Xuandao pulled out a handkerchief, wiping sweat from his brow: "I’m fine, I’m fine, either way, the matter’s clear; the deceased were likely attempting school bullying." "Probably, their consciousness and disposition regressed to a high-school state, plus realizing they had abilities, they attempted to act recklessly." "They might even have forgotten how they came here." Chu Jiuyuan considered, "Daoist Wang, you mean...?" Wang Xuandao shook his head: "Hard to say, the taboos here are too plentiful, we must tread carefully, and wait for my master’s awakening." Chu Jiuyuan nodded: "That sounds reasonable." He glanced at the principal's attire he wore and mused, "It seems I should utilize this identity to hold more student council meetings, teaching them about moral issues." ... Wang Xuandao and Chu Jiuyuan's analysis held some truth, but the real reason those individuals were killed was the overpowering malice within their hearts. They intended to act with impunity in the courtyard and happened to spot a beautiful "girl" passing by. They planned to make their move. Under the guise of "testing the waters to study what those beings really are," one even jested, "In ancient times, there were scholars meeting ghosts; today, it's Daoists facing the strange. Haha, maybe this tale will spread." Their laughter was carefree, their malice growing stronger, triggering the magical town's special mechanism. Subsequently, their abilities were sealed. Then, they were unexpectedly sliced apart on the spot by axes and chainsaws conjured by the two beautiful "girls." The bloody scene terrified those nearby. And that was the truth of it. Su Miao withdrew her gaze and moved to the area where the Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea was being subjected to as the game boss. Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea was kneeling, laying flat on the ground. Players came again and again, defeating him repeatedly. From life to death, he experienced it over and over. Repeated deaths awakened deep-seated fears within Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea. Once, he was an aristocratic vampire, hailed as a prodigy with potential to become a lord, with bright prospects and a hedonistic life. One day, an evil witch named Wu Momo tricked and captured him, sliced his body, used it to set up a malevolent magic circle, and conducted extremely dangerous magical experiments, subjecting him to endless torment. This torture lasted ten thousand years, maybe even longer. Through this agony, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea was transformed into an evil spirit. Eventually, demons, spirits, and grotesques entered the place sealing him; the monsters died there, their remains feeding his resurrection. Time blinked away, and Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea consumed an opening demon, stepping out free. But the memories left in the seal were too excruciating, even as a lord, he couldn’t bear them. Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea sealed those memories. Never did he expect them to resurface one day. It was absolutely because those "players" had no chivalry. During their assaults, they used moves like “Explosive Bomb” and “Thousand-Year Kill,” as low as they were cunning. The shivers and agony from the soul were relentless. Until his sealed memories resurfaced. Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea was unraveling. Su Miao stood in the void, blinking once. With a wave of her hand, the dark laws descended from the void, completely binding Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea. Stimulated by the dark laws, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea momentarily regained clarity and saw the witch standing in the void. “Witch, kill me, kill me, I beg you, utterly destroy me, don’t let me live any longer.” Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea beseeched. The proud lord was in tears at this moment. He appeared to be earnest. Su Miao offered no reply, merely invoked more rules through her authority, binding Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea. Simultaneously, a massive magical array shone layer upon layer on his body. Terrifying evil energy was being extracted by the array. Sensing the power within continuously draining, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea dared not struggle. He continued pleading, “Your Highness! Destroy me completely, I beg you, please!” Destroying a deity was no simple task. However, it seemed possible, as long as Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea didn’t resist. Su Miao gracefully raised her hand, and the dark laws penetrated the evil spirit lord’s body, locating the core of the lord. With a gentle thrust, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea felt a surge of pain, his body going limp. A small black crystal shard was extracted by the dark laws. Simultaneously, the energy extraction from Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea accelerated, rendering him increasingly frail. Sensing this, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit was filled with terror, but within that fear ignited a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, he could finally embrace utter destruction. He had longed for this day. Those sealed memories were too horrifying. Continuing to live, he would become an indisputable monster. As time trickled by, with the full cooperation of the Evil Spirit Lord, the magical town’s domain reached further completion, its energy unprecedentedly abundant. In such a state, even if Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind perceived anything amiss and sought to retaliate, it would be too late. If Hell Lord Charlotte Sadwind discerned the true nature of what occurred, who knows what thoughts might arise. After two days, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea's form turned increasingly ghostly and unstable, unable to maintain his figure. Still, being an evil spirit lord, even without the core, he retained the corporeal form of a lord. Yet the energy that could be drawn from him was becoming sparse. It was time to grant Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea release. Su Miao retrieved an alloy staff from the magical space, grasping it with both hands, aimed at the Evil Spirit Lord—starlight burst forth! Brilliant starlight descended, igniting Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea’s form, the starlight engulfing and crackling his body. Pain! Excruciating pain! Unbearable pain! In the raging starlight, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea shed tears of agony. Yet, compared to the relentlessly resurfacing memories, such pain was insignificant. Instead, he saw hope for complete destruction. For his soul was enkindled, signaling true obliteration. Gazing at the witch in the void, Evil Spirit Lord Saslit Torisbea uttered, "Thank you..." The evil spirit lord’s body burned for twelve hours, the vast form continuing to blaze as it collapsed. The starlight persisted for another day, leaving only the separated core. Evil Spirit Lord Saslit was utterly erased. At the same time, Vampire Lord Sarle Torisbea, felt a tremor, his expression terror-stricken as he glanced into the void: “Saslit…” (The End of the Chapter)