Cornflower Witch

Chapter 323 The Unsealed Broken Steel Sword
On Hilti's neck, pale pink petals and vines appeared, intertwining with the black serpent patterns, the two forces locked in a fierce struggle.

At this moment, Hilti felt her body fluctuating between hot and cold, with two forces constantly intertwining. She endured the discomfort and continued to use Astral Travel to move further and further away from that area. Finally, she ran out of energy and fell from the sky.

One of the eye demons was released from the sealed picture book, caught Hilti, and then carried her down slowly. This place was far away from the area where the two-headed serpent was active, and a few rocks and hills could be seen around.

Carrying the girl, the spherical eye demon traversed the mountain valleys, then found a suitable corner and gently put the girl down.

At this moment, Hilti regained some consciousness. She leaned against the mountain wall, focused her mind, and recalled what she had seen in "Melelanco praying in the lake." She used the power of "Radiant Moon" to suppress the curse within her body.

Cool dewdrops fell from the girl's illusory form, purifying the ominous aura emanating from her. With Hiltia's own efforts, the 'Fairy Blessing' within her gradually gained the upper hand, slowly curbing the spread of the curse.

What followed was a long struggle, with Sylvia constantly gathering the power of 'Radiant Moon' to suppress the curse within her body little by little.

About six hours later, she managed to sit up, put her hands together, and starlight flashed in her eyes. The terrifying curse was finally suppressed and sealed.

A jet-black card slowly appeared before her eyes, flipping continuously.

【Blackquis Curse - Serpent of the Body】(Tier 4 - Nightmare - Ashes of Death): A terrifying curse, highly effective against humans, difficult to resist or escape. Those afflicted by the curse will be devoured by black serpents that emerge from their own bodies. (Usable Count: 1/1)

Finally, the curse was broken. Hiltiya looked at the card with lingering fear. It had a phantom image of a figure on it, and the neck, torso, and thighs of the figure were wrapped in black serpent patterns. The terrifying serpent seemed as if it might come to life at any moment.

The mere flick of that black serpent's tongue could affect all life within a radius of dozens of miles, causing them to be cursed and die. Hiltiya finally gained a deeper understanding of the existence of those higher-level beings.

However, even among the sixth-tier beings, the Blackquis larva is extremely special and powerful. It is a continuation of the legend and is blessed by the legend itself. When facing humans, it can exert extraordinary power. If such a two-headed serpent were to appear on the surface, one of them could probably easily destroy the entire kingdom, and no one would be able to stop it.

After catching her breath, Hilti slowly stood up, stretched her body a little, and then took out her stored high-level food to replenish her strength.

She lit a small campfire, heated the food slightly, and then slowly ate the pastries and meat pies. Waves of warmth gradually filled her body, helping her escape the aftereffects of the nightmare's curse.

After recovering, Hilti did not leave immediately, but slept in this safe place for the night.

The next day, Hiltiya first sent out a few bewitching demons to observe the situation before slowly leaving the mountain ravine where she was hiding.

Where is she? After flying for a while in the boundless darkness, Hilti realized she was lost, since there was nowhere to refer to.

At this moment, Hiltiah remembered the things Dorothy had given her before. She found the gold-bronze 'astrolabe', set it up, and then let it sense the surrounding environment.

The planetarium initially spun erratically, then gradually slowed down, and finally several of its star trails stabilized in one spot.

After using the planetarium to determine her location, Hilti finally understood her current position and orientation.

Now she could return. She put away the astrolabe, glanced at the location of the 'two-headed serpent,' and prepared to leave.

But then, several dazzling comets streaked across the dark sky, causing her to slow down.

“That is…” She sensed multiple powerful life forms within it, all of which were above the sixth rank.

The four dazzling comets hurtled towards the location of the two-headed serpent. Seemingly slow, they descended from the sky at a terrifying speed, gradually restraining the flying giant serpent. Sensing the intense clash of forces within, Hilti could no longer contain her curiosity and quietly flew towards the area. However, this time she didn't get too close, observing the fierce battle in the center from a distance of twenty kilometers using her [Eye of the Mist].

Is this the limit of her observational skills, or the result of multiple abilities such as [Identification Eye], [Alien Perception], and [Azure Eye]?

Facing the terrifying giant serpent, four figures were locked in a fierce battle. The most striking among them was a towering, blood-red giant with dark red, lava-like skin and four enormous, menacing curved horns on his head. Standing about a hundred meters tall, he wielded a massive, crimson stone axe of equal height, hacking and slashing. With each breath, flames like gunpowder smoke billowed from his mouth and nose. Under his giant axe, the scales and flesh of the two-headed serpent flew about, emitting furious hisses.

【Dragon Berserker】(Tier 6 - Dragon Eyes - Beast Fangs)

The warrior who drank the dragon's blood, whose body was already imbued with the "Beast Fang" attribute, became even larger and more powerful, his weapons capable of easily cleaving mountains.

Judging from the appearance, this person was not human to begin with, but an orc. Later, he drank dragon blood and gained some of the dragon's power. He was also unafraid of the curse of the two-headed serpent. Hiltiya silently guessed.

Then she turned her gaze to the other side, where countless fireflies were dancing in the sky. These fireflies were being controlled by a white-haired bard with pointed ears, who was probably an elf. Under his command, the fireflies circled around the giant snake, shuttling back and forth, constantly changing positions with the other three, allowing their companions to avoid the giant snake's attacks.

When Hiltiah looked at him, the elven poet seemed to notice her gaze, smiled slightly at her, and then continued playing his lyre, encouraging and buffing his companions.

[The Poet Who Touched the Fireflies] (Sixth Rank, Emerald Honey, Moth)

Poets skilled in manipulating fireflies can use them to achieve many wondrous effects, including creating sound, illusions, swapping positions, setting up magic circles, and casting spells.

On the other side was a witch with flowing dark green hair. Her face and skin were bluish, and her features were delicate. She wore a long robe in the shade of gray-frost, and the sleeves of her robe fluttered in the wind. Then she spread her long, slender fingers and cast a strange spell. Every now and then, emerald green flames appeared and flew out from her hands, burning the wounds torn on the two-headed snake.

[Forest Demon Chief Witch] (Tier 6 - Death Ashes - Emerald Honey)

A powerful witch who has merged with the bloodline of the Tree Spirit can use the Tree Spirit's power to manipulate trees, cast spells of allure, and fuse with the power of the dead, imbuing the plants she cultivates and the spells she wields with strange toxins.

Any wounds scalded by her emerald flames spread with strange toxins. Even though the two-headed serpent is a highly venomous snake, it cannot be immune to these toxins. These strange toxins gradually spread throughout the serpent's body, weakening its power.

The remaining figure was very familiar to Hilti, it was Commander Taos whom she had seen before, the leader of the 'Iron Wall Crown Furnace'. At this moment, he was fully armored, holding the 'Broken Steel Sword' in his hand, and was fighting hard. She didn't expect that he had recently advanced to the sixth rank.

【Knight of the Steel Crown】(Tier 6, Castle, Golden Steam)

The gray steel armor covered his body, incredibly thick. From the gaps in the helmet, hot breath occasionally escaped. Then, the broad greatsword he held was scorching hot, and dark red patterns gradually spread across the blade.

As the crimson horned giant slammed the serpent's head down, causing it to fall unconscious, the gray steel knight raised his red-hot greatsword high. Instantly, a surge of heat emanated from the blade, making it gleam like a red-hot iron.

"I hereby swear..."

A resounding vow echoed through the heavens, and a dazzling light burst forth from the sword's blade. The rising light briefly pierced the dark sky, reaching the endless heavens above the sea of ​​clouds.

The 'Sword of Broken Steel' was unsealed here, and the oath to drive away the beast of dusk echoed between heaven and earth. Countless knights who answered the oath appeared in the light, and then the brilliant blade slashed down, sweeping across the sky and severing the enormous serpent's head.

(End of this chapter)