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Chapter 156: The Grand Witch
Witches gain much from traversing dimensions. Sometimes it’s direct profit, like in the Caesar Continent, but often it’s indirect, through trade.
Higher dimensions usually operated this way.
Fighting the natives became burdensome at that level.
The Death Lord’s dimension was no different.
This proved to be a grave mistake.
He discovered the Eastern Witch Coven. The cruel Lich traced the returned witch’s path.
Countless planets owned by the Coven were incinerated.
The disaster didn’t end there.
Not only the Death Lord, but even his legion commanders displayed terrifying strength.
Dragon Knight Cedric.
Hell Devil Vulcan.
Blood Lord Olivia.
All three were infamous, but…
Banshee Merhen stood out even among them.
Like falling stars, countless witches fell before her magic.
Even the Grand Witches were no different.
Ananke was no exception.
The undead, who remained relaxed even against three Grand Witches.
—Fools. This is all you’ve got, even with three of you?
The shock Ananke received that day was indescribable.
700 years.
She had been obsessed with magic for 700 years. The Witch Coven, where geniuses from all dimensions gather.
Even there, Ananke reached the top.
In just 700 years, she rose from apprentice witch to Grand Witch.
Naturally, she wasn’t the best in all dimensions, but still.
When it came to magic.
She thought no one could be arrogant in front of her.
This was the first devastating defeat she had ever experienced.
It was also a deep humiliation.
“Fools?”
Fools?!
Those two short words crumbled 700 years of effort like a sandcastle.
The memory of that day was deeply ingrained in Ananke’s mind.
So much so that she instantly destroyed her beloved crow upon hearing them.
So much so that she immediately took action, setting aside her long training.
District 9.
Ananke, who had been searching for Leluya’s possible trajectory, gleamed.
“Found it.”
She found a trace presumed to be Leluya’s.
Also.
She saw a trajectory that was completely twisted in the middle, as if someone had abruptly kidnapped her.
‘It’s faint.’
If a senior witch had come, the trail might have ended here. Even a skilled witch would have spent a long time investigating, like threading a needle in a dark room.
But Ananke was a Grand Witch.
A Grand Witch who dealt with the realm deeply related to the fate of ill omens.
That’s why.
She knew as soon as she saw it.
That something had intervened in Leluya’s fate.
And that it had twisted and led her fate.
“That Banshee doesn’t use this kind of thing.”
She’s a death magic specialist.
She had never seen her use any other magic. Let alone fate magic.
‘Is it the work of a third party?’
If she was curious, she could just check it out herself. She wasn’t too worried. It couldn’t be the Death Lord himself who had manifested.
If such a being had been resurrected directly, the news should have already spread throughout the dimensions.
Ravens?
They would have died with bloody tears flowing from their eyes before even spitting out an ill omen.
It wasn’t something to be evaluated as a mere bad omen.
Instead of resurrecting directly, he must have used some kind of means.
Ananke roughly guessed what it was.
Following the faint traces, Ananke moved swiftly.
Soon, she arrived at her destination.
District 10, where the lowest dimensions gathered. The Caesar Continent also belonged here.
Ananke’s eyes gleamed.
“Equivalent Exchange?”
A memory etched into the dimension.
It was a witch’s scream and nightmare.
And for Ananke, it was invaluable information.
After examining the memory in detail, Ananke nodded quietly.
Leluya.
She seemed to have been a fairly talented full-fledged witch.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to use Equivalent Exchange even at the moment of death.
‘If I get the chance, I should revive her.’
That would be enough compensation for giving her life to deliver the memory.
Ananke’s figure headed towards a planet. Detection magic was floating around the planet. The amount of mana put into the magic was truly pathetic.
The level wasn’t that high either.
However, its structure was very sophisticated.
“Is it different now?”
Ananke reached out her hand.
The magic melted away like ice cream.
Ten signals spread out.
Ananke immediately blocked them.
At that moment.
One of the signals split into a hundred smaller ones and spread out again.
She blocked that too… she thought.
This time, she saw detection signals that were too small, splitting into thousands, continuing to break through.
She blocked that too… she thought.
If the detection magic hadn’t trembled very slightly, she would have thought so.
Ananke blinked.
Just one.
She missed one.
“Haha! You haven’t changed, Banshee.”
In the past, she would have missed a thousand.
But now, it was just one.
It was worth bursting the raven’s body.
‘A nightmare?’
Not anymore.
Her figure was sucked into the planet.
* * *
Caw!
Ominous raven calls echoed from all directions. Hearing this, Iris’ pupils trembled.
‘What, what should I do?’
Ananke came herself?
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To this insignificant dimension?
And bombs were planted in her brain and heart.
She was in real trouble.
But there was nothing she could do.
While she rolled her eyes.
Kim Minwoo was deep in thought with his arms crossed.
He had just figured out the real clear condition.
‘No matter how much I think about it…’
It’s too much of a waste to just leave.
It would be nice not to fight.
At that moment.
Ravens swarmed in. They gathered and took the shape of a woman.
A woman with black wings like a fallen angel on her back.
She looked back and forth between Iris and Merhen, then nodded.
“Excellent escape method, Necromancer.”
—Don’t move your mana. I’ll blow you up right away.
“My legs hurt. Can’t I even summon a chair?”
—Stand and talk. I told you not to move your mana.
“Banshee. You’ve gotten a lot crankier since I last saw you.”
—I heard you coming. Stupid raven.
Ananke smiled.
“I’m going to have a conversation with your master. It might be a good thing.Now, be quiet, minion.”
—…
Merhen stared at this side. Kim Minwoo nodded.
“A conversation. I wonder what the topic will be.”
“You don’t want to leave here, do you?”
“That’s right.”
Kim Minwoo admitted coolly.
It seemed that the Grand Witch knew about the gate and the clear conditions.
“So?”
“State your purpose. I want to make a deal. Don’t we want to have a more honest conversation? If I swear on my name, it should be possible.”
—Don’t try anything funny. You think I don’t know you’re trying to use magic?
“Banshee. I asked your master. And… you don’t have the confidence to stop me? Well, I guess. I only missed one earlier.”
Ananke subtly provoked Merhen. Biting her lip, she looked at Kim Minwoo.
—Minwoo. She’s up to something. If you swear, the mana in your body will move. She might use it for magic.
Merhen reacted like a sharp cat. It was the first time he had seen her so wary of another mage.
After a brief moment of contemplation.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
“Let’s do it, the oath.”
“How refreshing.”
“I have my own means as well.”
No risk, no reward.
That was exactly the case now.
If the Grand Witch was really thinking about trading, he might be able to catch a big fish.
Of course, what did she want to trade?
What were the conditions?
He didn’t know any of that.
‘I wouldn’t understand it even if I heard it now.’
How do you tell if a witch is lying or not?
That’s why they swear oaths.
What if she had a different idea and used magic?
‘Then I’ll have to use the nuke.’
He had no choice.
He had to find a way to escape, even if it meant using a nuclear bomb. But the Grand Witch’s offer was tempting enough to warrant the risk.
“Merhen, I need a favor.”
—…Alright. Just trust me, Minwoo.
Merhen nodded resolutely. Soon, the Grand Witch opened her mouth.
“I, Ananke Roahaz Avelonde, swear to speak the truth from now on.”
Poof!
A blue light burst from Ananke’s body.
“See, Banshee?”
—…Fine. She swore an oath.
Merhen nodded.
Ananke, having received confirmation, looked at Kim Minwoo and said.
“We can make a deal. But the Dragon Legions is different. You are natural enemies.”
“Isn’t the same true for you?”
“Dragon Knights and Dragons are natural enemies. Do you think the same goes for witches and Banshees?”
“Not natural enemies?”
“Do you call a skilled swordsman the natural enemy of all swordsmen? It’s not usually like that.”
Ananke then shrugged and looked at Merhen, saying:
“Are we natural enemies? Ah, are you asking if it’s the same relationship as Dragon Knights and Dragons?”
“…No, it’s not.”
Kim Minwoo nodded.
“I understand. What is your offer?”
“Cooperation.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard of the Coven being such a kind organization.”
“Investment should be made at a low point, shouldn’t it?”‘
“Have you forgotten your grudge?”
“No, of course not.”
Ananke then spoke with a subdued gaze.
“I haven’t forgotten it, and I don’t intend to forget it. But for the greater good, I can put it aside for a while.”
“Greater good?”
“The Outer God has awakened.”
[TL/N: So I am not yet sure if whether to call them Outer Gods or something else so if the name changes in the future chaps think of it as me deciding the name (though I won’t be that inconsistent but still)]
“…The Outer God?”
Kim Minwoo’s eyes turned serious.
“Yes. The Outer God. Once it was just a metaphysical being, but now it’s different. It has already gained a physical form. The entire dimension is shaking.”
“Do you want me to fight the Outer God?”
“Someday, yes. Of course, this is just a large-scale collaboration. There is also a small collaboration.”
“If it’s a small collaboration…”
“The fall of the Dragon Legions. It wouldn’t be a bad thing for you either.”
“That’s an interesting offer.”
Ananke’s proposal was very interesting.
Ancient Dragon?
It would take some time to catch one on his own. Finding one is one thing, but even if he finds one, there’s no way it wouldn’t belong to a group like the Dragon Legions.
But if he had the Coven as his backer.
‘I might be able to catch it much faster than I thought.’
The body of an Ancient Dragon over 10,000 years old.
Wasn’t this the most difficult material to obtain?
“But if you’re joining hands for the greater good, aren’t the Dragon Legions included?”
“Many Ancient Dragons have already joined forces with the Outer God.”
Then they were also enemies of his.
Wasn’t hunting Outer Gods his fundamental purpose in the first place?
“Then how do you plan to proceed with the cooperation?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s cooperation with the Raven School. My opinion is not the will of the entire Coven. We will provide what our faction can support. Do you have anything to ask for?”
“Do you by any chance have any materials from Ancient Dragons?”
He immediately listed the ingredients for Gleipnir.
Ananke, who had been listening calmly, nodded.
“I think I can hand over the Balrog’s blood and Mimir’s Sigh. I don’t have the Abyss Lord’s Bloodline, but I know where it dwells. I can connect you with it.”
“For free?”
“Of course not. These are precious materials. Connecting you to the Abyss Lord’s dwelling is also a valuable service.”
Of course.
If she gave all this away for free, it wouldn’t be cooperation, but rather being taken advantage of.
She’s aGrand Witch who has lived for hundreds of years, so she wouldn’t be so easy.
“Then what do you want in return?”
“To inscribe a spell on your body. It’s nothing special, just for observation.”
“That’s something special, isn’t it?”
—You crazy bitch.
One undead and one human.
And a witch.
The three stared at each other.
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