This is truly cruel. Even the goblins weren't this brutal to the elves, Niv couldn't help but comment.
At least they still looked human back then, Hel clicked her tongue.
"The Healing Witch belongs to the life-aligned path. Her ascension ritual was originally harmless. Yet because of how the Church exploited her power, she ended up in such a miserable state."
As she spoke, Hel quickly shifted out of her white-pigeon form and returned to her human appearance, walking step by step toward the pyramid.
Niv, who was controlling the crow body through alchemy, couldn't transform freely. She could only hop along behind Hel with her short little legs.
When they reached the Holy Grail, the girl inside the crystal looked surprisingly young. It seemed she had only recently become a witch before being imprisoned here, halting her physical growth.
According to the alchemical runes, opening this Grail requires specific permissions tied to bloodline inheritance. The runes are even more complex than those at the original sealing site, but they're not hard to crack. There's nothing mystical about them—just pure alchemy. No need for royal bloodlines at all.
Hel analyzed quietly and reached her conclusion.
Niv also examined the runes. With the help of her "external brain" for calculations, she quickly came up with a solution.
By resonating these alchemical symbols, then rearranging them… and finally… like this—the restriction can be dismantled easily.
Having a new brain really is convenient, Hel sighed inwardly, then followed Niv's instructions.
In less than ten minutes, the Holy Tribunal's highest-level alchemical seal was cracked by these two "cheaters."
Old Chuid, watching from the side, nearly had his eyes pop out of his head.
For Hel and Niv—both masters of alchemy—this wasn't difficult. But for ordinary people, it was practically impossible.
This was the Holy Tribunal's ultimate masterpiece.
To open it, one needed either the correct bloodline and ritual, or absurdly fast hands—faster than the activation speed of the defense array.
Even then, all you'd get was a corpse.
Because the moment the crystal opened, a hidden final formation would activate, instantly killing the witch inside and dissolving her flesh.
That was why the Hurricane Witch had carried several mutilated bodies back then.
In simple terms, this lock was like a door no one could open—unless you were a professional locksmith.
And Hel and Niv were exactly that.
Click.
A crisp sound rang out.
A thin crack appeared at the top of the crystal. The upper section then broke into countless perfect hexagonal blocks that retracted piece by piece.
Soon, the entire top collapsed into the surrounding gold frame, filling in the hollow structure.
The Holy Grail now looked like an open golden goblet.
Golden runes flowed like ribbons into the crystal cup, lifting the broken girl's body into the air.
Without the nutrient fluid, she reacted briefly—tiny goosebumps forming on her pale neck.
But since only the skin on her face could still sense the outside world, she quickly returned to calm.
Hel floated up to her and gently touched her forehead with one finger.
[Trait Copy Successful]
[Obtained: Healing Overlord (Pink), Healing Witch (Red), Healing King (Red)]
After copying three witch traits, Hel placed her palm on the girl's forehead.
[High-Tier Death Magic: Soul Extraction]
A weak soul was pulled from the girl's body and stored inside an empty Philosopher's Stone.
The body didn't die immediately. After Hel injected a small amount of soul energy, her life functions stabilized—leaving her in a vegetative state.
Hel then returned the girl to the crystal.
Next, she modified the memories of Old Chui-de and the sailors.
Not long after Hel and Niv left, the confused Old Chui-de stared at the equally confused crew for quite a while.
Then the cabin gradually returned to its usual noise.
"Place your bets! I'm the dealer today—I'm winning for sure!"
"Stop standing around and drink! This gin is way better than that watery rye beer!"
The cabin became lively again.
Old Chui-de tried hard to recall what had happened—but remembered nothing.
He only sensed that he had been dazed for a moment, without noticing anything strange.
After a few old sailors called him over, he dismissed the odd feeling as stress from recent events.
Meanwhile, Hel, having recalled her two clones, saw Niv approaching with a map.
"Master, good news.
Because of York's battle in the Windmill Nation, several Saint-tier experts who were retiring in the Garden Nation have gone to provide support.
We don't know the exact battle situation yet, but right now is the best time for us to steal the Flower Witch."