After going into the sea, I met the witch.

"I'm so tired... Finally, it's almost over..."

As she murmured softly, the mask on the Blood Witch's face began to crumble into fragments from the bottom edge, scattering in the wind to reveal a beautiful face, as radiant and captivating as a young girl in her prime.

However, the colors in her eyes were different from her youthful appearance; they were filled with vicissitudes and the weariness of old age.

She has lived for 150 years.

Serena leaned her head against the moon wolf, gazing quietly at the moon in the sky.

At this moment, the blood moon still hangs high in the sky.

With two moons in the sky, if one ignores the blood-red hue, it is truly a magnificent sight.

In a daze, the Blood Witch remembered the hopeful girl from her past, but now, everything had changed.

Everything she cared about has long since faded with time, just like the line in "The Hero and the First Witch," which she herself "directed."

—"Her body had long been riddled with holes from the endless pursuit, and her family and everything she cared about had been destroyed to ashes."

"Tell me, if you were the 'First Witch,' would you still care about the existence of this world?"

These are not just "lines," but also questions she asks herself.

"To hell with this world!"

Serena chuckled and cursed, then quietly leaned against the moon wolf, welcoming her own "final curtain call".

"Tap tap... tap tap..."

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out from afar.

Serena lowered her head and looked in the direction from which the sound came. She saw a girl wearing light silver scale armor and a long sword at her waist, running towards the volcano.

The girl's face was unusually pale, her forehead was covered in sweat, and she was breathing rapidly, but even so, she showed no intention of slowing down.

"Woo..."

The whimpering sound beside her made Serena turn her head in surprise. She looked at the Moon Wolf, whose gaze was fixed on the knight girl, and she was somewhat astonished.

"You mean, you sensed the bloodline of the Moon Wolf royal family in her?"

"It's unbelievable that a human could have the bloodline of a moon wolf, and even a royal bloodline among moon wolves?"

"If I remember correctly, this little guy is also her companion, right?"

Thinking of Freyne in her slumber, Serena chuckled softly, "What a lucky child. You are much luckier than me..."

"With two such partners by your side, who knows, you might actually be able to break free from the shackles of fate?"

As the charging knight girl approached, Serena reached out and gently beckoned. The next moment, a crimson wave surged beneath Cecilia's feet at the foot of the volcano, completely engulfing her body.

Consider this a parting gift from me.

……

Time goes back half an hour.

The moment her vision was completely obscured by crimson, Freyne unleashed a burst of dark blue magic, but unfortunately, it was to no avail.

The difference between the two, whether in terms of magic or spirituality, is like heaven and earth.

Seeing this, Freya gave up her futile struggle.

"I wonder how Mr. Ryan is doing?"

She thought about it with great worry.

Freyne had considered that the witch behind the changes in the Whirlpool Islands was very powerful, but she never expected her to be this ridiculously powerful.

Moreover, as witches, they generally do not attack each other unless there is a grudge between them.

Who would have thought that this powerful, unknown witch would attack them without hesitation after they met?

Overwhelmed with worries, Freya felt her consciousness growing increasingly heavy. Despite her efforts to stay awake, she was unable to do so and ultimately fell into the endless abyss.

After an unknown amount of time, Freyne slowly woke up.

"you're awake?"

A gentle female voice appeared beside her ear. The witch opened her eyes and looked up to see a stunningly beautiful woman smiling.

The striking white hair made Freya instantly recognize the other person's identity.

—The Blood Witch Serena!

"you?!"

Freyne glanced around but couldn't see Ryan. She grew anxious: "Where's my companion?"

Magic surged around her, and even knowing she was no match for him, she did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Little one, don't rush."

"Don't worry, your companion is fine. He's just in another place."

"I will arrange for you to meet later, if he is qualified."

Serena smiled, her body appearing somewhat ethereal: "Where we are now is your true spirit space. The conversation here will not be known to any other being."

"It took me a lot of effort to get in here."

"Time is short, so I'll get to the point quickly."

"You're probably about to be swallowed up by the pollution, aren't you?"

Hearing that Ryan was alright for the time being, Freya relaxed a little, but what he said next made her eyes narrow suddenly.

"The corruption of witches is like a worm clinging to a bone, constantly eroding the witch's body and mind. Excessive and unrestrained use of magical power will accelerate this process."

"It seems that you have overused magic too much over the years."

Serena smiled and said, "So, do you want to break this curse of fate?"

"Why are you helping me?" Freyne asked calmly.

For no reason at all, even though they were both witches, the other party had no reason to help her.

"Why?" Serena's smile grew even wider. "In the past, when I was in despair, I was helped by a certain guy. Now that I'm on my deathbed, I naturally want to do the same thing."

"On her deathbed?" Freyne caught the key words in the other person's words.

"Yes, I'm about to die." Serena said calmly, not caring much about her own life or death: "I've lived for 150 years. Isn't death a normal thing?"

"There's no need to worry about such trivial matters."

"Let's get back to pollution."

"The witch's corruption originated from the 'First Witch,' who is said to be a curse from the 'world.'"

"Of course, I don't know the specifics."

"Magic is an unrestrained power that has the potential to reach the source, but while possessing magic, witches are also corrupted and eroded."

"The stronger the spirituality and the higher the rank, the better the ability to suppress pollution, but this suppression has its limits."

"Due to the effects of pollution, the witch has no chance of advancing to the fifth-tier legendary level."

"This is an ironclad rule."

“The law that no one has ever been able to transcend since the Golden Age.”

"Although many witches actually died from corruption long before they even reached the threshold of becoming legendary, haha..."

Serena straightened her expression slightly:

"Building on that guy's work, I continued my research for over a hundred years and finally found a way to break through the shackles of the pollution curse."

"That is, every advancement of a 'pathway profession' is carried out in a way that surpasses perfection. Thus, when one reaches the fourth-tier limit, one will possess spirituality and magical power that far surpasses those of other professions."

"Based on this spirituality and magic, and combined with the 'special secret technique' I will pass on to you later, you will be able to break free from the shackles of corruption and advance to a true fifth-tier legend."

"At that time, the legendary spirit fire will be able to completely suppress the curse, and there will be no need to worry about the erosion of pollution anymore."

"How about it, isn't it great?"

Serena smiled and spread her hands.

“…But I don’t think I can hold out until then.” Freyne pursed her lips. “The pollution on my body…”

"Relax, relax." Serena covered her mouth and chuckled, "Although your pollution levels are a bit too high, since I've already invited you here, I've naturally come prepared."

“I have a special method to minimize the pollution on your body. After that, I will open the ‘Blood Moon Temple’, where the ‘Holy Blood’ is a treasure that can help professionals break through the limits of their spirituality.”

"As for how much you can raise your spiritual ceiling, that depends on yourself."

"..." Freyne remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, "So, the Moon Wolf's appearance is to lure witches like me to the Whirlpool Islands?"

“That’s only part of it,” Serena said with a smile. “Another reason is that I have an experiment that I want to try at the end of my life.”

"Having stayed at the fourth-tier limit for so long, I'm very curious about what the fifth-tier legend is like."

Even if it's only for a short while...

"Witches have a lot of curiosity, hmph."

"Oh, right, there's something I need to mention. The young knight who's traveling with you needs to pass my test if he wants to enter the 'Blood Moon Temple'."

"If the test is failed... the weak are not qualified to receive the reward."

Serena turned around, her tone smiling, yet it sounded unusually indifferent.

"You..." Upon hearing this, Freyne's expression changed. She wanted to say something, but the Blood Witch in front of her had already disappeared without a trace.

The next moment, a wealth of knowledge flooded into Freyne's mind.

……

In the present world, Serena lowered her head and looked down at the young knight who had defeated the Black Knight on the blood-red stage.

"What a magnificent 'performance'..."

Her spirituality was being elevated, entering a more powerful realm. At the same time, a deep-seated pollution was infiltrating her true spirit.

Even after being elevated, her spirituality still appeared weak and unable to withstand the erosion of immense pollution.

But now, she doesn't care anymore.

After a "grand" performance, the role she "played" has gone even further beyond its limits.