"Damn it, damn it! Who on earth is that monster?!"
Beneath the scorched earth, a single black beetle squirmed with great difficulty.
When the crisis had struck, Capella, the Sin Archbishop of Lust, had decisively discarded the vast majority of her physical form. Using her Authority, she transformed her remaining essence into a tiny beetle and burrowed deep underground, successfully evading multiple waves of detection and clinging to life.
Though she retained her consciousness, Capella was undoubtedly ravaged. It would take an unimaginable amount of time and effort to restore her original form.
To be targeted out of nowhere filled Capella with a hatred for Aomori as blistering as the solar fires. "I will have my revenge! I have carved your face into my soul. Just wait, I will turn you into a hideous, loathsome insect and force you to spend the rest of your wretched life in filth!"
She cursed Aomori incessantly until the dead of night. Only when silence fell over the plains did she dare to break through the soil, unfurling her wings to fly back to her secret base to lick her wounds.
At that exact moment, the figure Capella loathed to her very marrow appeared before her once more.
"Good evening. To die under such a beautiful night sky... you're getting off easy." Aomori spoke as if he had been waiting for this very moment. The second Capella showed her head, she was seized by an invisible force of psychokinesis.
The searing hatred in her heart instantly turned into a tidal wave of dread. Capella shrieked in terror, "Wait! I surren—"
Swoosh!
A clean, decisive flash of light streaked through the air. Capella's remaining words never found their way out.
The beetle, sliced into dozens of pieces, fell back to the ground, dissolving into a nauseating slurry of flesh.
Aomori cocked an eyebrow. Sensing an unusual aura emanating from one of the fragments, he used psychokinesis to pull it toward him for a closer look.
"The thing attached to this must be a Witch Factor. Sinister indeed."
He placed the fragment into a small iron box, sealing it with a layer of Nen, and vanished in a flicker of movement.
…
Back at the inn, Elsa, who had spent the day playing to her heart's content, was already fast asleep. Aomori sat in a rocking chair by the window, meticulously leafing through a book detailing the customs of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
Suddenly, another figure appeared in the room.
Aomori showed no surprise, looking up at the other version of himself. "Is it handled?"
"See for yourself." The other Aomori smiled, tossing the floating iron box over before deconstructing into a burst of electricity.
"It seems it really is over." Aomori browsed the memories transmitted back by his Lightning Clone while absorbing the electricity back into his body.
The iron box settled gently onto the table.
The Lightning Clone was a technique he had picked up during a "sparring match" with Kakashi in the Naruto world. Aomori had also realized the corresponding Light and Dark Clones, though those required significantly more energy. Unless he anticipated an intense battle, he generally favored the Lightning Clone.
The pets who had been forced into "service" earlier could finally take a breather.
"I do prefer handling things personally; it's a much better feeling." Aomori leaned back comfortably in his rocking chair. Knowing the Sin Archbishop of Lust was completely finished and that he had successfully secured the Witch Factor of Lust, he felt a weight lift from his mind.
Taking down a Sin Archbishop meant Aomori had truly stepped into the highest tier of conflict in this world. He had to begin his preparations early.
…
The next morning.
"What?! My Lord, you're leaving for the Royal Capital already?"
Grand was struck with shock at Aomori's announcement. He adjusted his leather cap, saying with some hesitation, "If you must depart so urgently, I can have the men ready immediately."
"No need. Proceed at your own pace," Aomori declined. "I don't want to travel with a large entourage this time. Just arrange for someone familiar with the route to guide me."
"I see... very well." Grand nodded helplessly. "I'll have an old associate of mine lead the way."
"That won't be necessary either," Ralph volunteered. "My Lord, I know the way to the Capital. Allow me to take you."
"No, absolutely not!" Grand countered immediately. "If you leave, who will look after the security of the merchant caravan?"
"The public order here is excellent."
"Is it? Then why did I hear reports of a massive disturbance outside the city just yesterday?"
"That..."
"Enough. Ralph, stay with the caravan. That is your duty."
"Understood!" Ralph lowered his head, masking his disappointment.
"A wise decision, My Lord!" Grand grinned triumphantly before adding, "Please also permit Fynea to remain by your side to listen to your teachings."
"Mhm, mhm!" Fynea nodded her head rapidly like a little chick pecking at grain, her large eyes full of entreaty.
"Very well," Aomori agreed.
Taking a somewhat slow-witted girl along would likely lower the suspicion of those they encountered. As for Elsa, there was no question, she would follow him regardless.
And so, the new southbound party was formed. After breakfast, they set off immediately.
…
"My Lord, there is a large Witchbeast habitat ahead. We'll need to take a bit of a detour."
The speaker was Thor, the old associate Grand had handpicked. Over forty years old, he had worked for the Grand Merchant House for over two decades. According to Grand, there wasn't a road in the Kingdom of Lugunica that Thor didn't know.
"A Witchbeast habitat?" Fynea gasped. As a Spirit Arts User, how could she not know what Witchbeast were?
They were said to be bloodthirsty creatures created by the Witch of Envy to plague the world. Most were ferocious and violent, possessing power far beyond human imagination. However, they usually resided in treacherous terrain.
"Thor-jisan, are you sure? This is a plain. Why would a Witchbeast habitat suddenly appear here?"
"Haha, Young Lady, there's something you don't know." Thor tugged lightly on the reins to slow the ground dragons before turning back with a smile. "You know of the Three Great Witchbeast of legend, don't you?"
"I-I mean, of course I do!" Fynea blinked and reflexively looked away.
"I know them too," Elsa piped up, raising her hand. "The White Whale, the Great Rabbit, and the Black Serpent."
Aomori chuckled softly. He had been the one to tell Elsa those names as bedtime stories.
"Exactly, those three," Fynea nodded along. "But what do they have to do with the habitat up ahead?"
"Well, they say many years ago, the Black Serpent, one of the Three Great Witchbeast, rampaged there. The land was corroded by its venom and tainted with a lethal curse. Miasma drifts in its depths; breathing in even a tiny bit means instant death! Yet, such a place is a paradise for Witchbeasts. They were drawn there in droves, and over time, it became a massive habitat."
"So that's why." Fynea felt her horizons broadening, though she couldn't help but feel pity for the people who used to live there. "Such a vast stretch of land... many people must have lived there once. Now, it's all..."
"Which is why our Holy Kingdom is superior," Thor said with a squinting smile. "Under the radiance of the Holy Church, the Witchbeasts all know their place."
"I'd like to see what a Witchbeast looks like," Elsa said curiously.
"It's too early for you to face Witchbeast. Focus on your training," Aomori said, patting her small head.
"Oh."
Despite his words, Aomori was actually quite curious himself, especially since it involved the Black Serpent. However, there was no need to take the others. He'd simply send a clone to investigate when he had a moment.
…
The area contaminated by the Black Serpent was larger than Aomori had anticipated. By the time they stopped for the night, they hadn't even bypassed half of it.
Finding an opportunity, Aomori created a Light Clone. Without needing a word, the clone understood his intent and vanished instantly.
"So this is the land tainted by the Black Serpent?" The Light Clone looked at the ground ahead, which appeared as if it had been scorched by fire, and stepped inside.
Just as Thor had described, the air carried a corrosive scent. The Light Clone took a deep breath, tasting the air as the poisonous miasma entered his body, only to be instantly purified by the Holy Light.
"So Holy Light counters it? That's good news. Speaking of which, the Black Serpent's true body is probably still frozen in the Elior Forest with Emilia. Maybe I can go liberate her ahead of schedule?"
His only concern was whether the "Civil War God" Puck would take the opportunity to show off his power and try to kill him.
As he pondered, hundreds of glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness, all fixed on the Light Clone with unmasked malice. They were clear as day to the clone: they resembled wolves or dogs but were much larger, with brownish-black fur, red eyes, and protruding, sharp fangs. A row of spikes ran down their backs, and a single horn-like protrusion sat on their noses.
"Ah, Wolgarms." Aomori was no stranger to these antagonists from the original story.
The Wolgarms bared their teeth, saliva dripping onto the ground and hissing into green smoke. Once they had surrounded the Light Clone, they could no longer contain their primal urge and lunged at him simultaneously.
"I'm not a level-zero weakling like Subaru. You've picked the wrong opponent!" The Light Clone raised a fist and slammed it into the ground.
A pillar of brilliant Holy Light erupted into the sky. It dissolved the Wolgarms instantly, and even the blackness of the soil receded, as if the land were being restored to its former glory.
"Oops, used a bit too much force." Sensing his energy was half-depleted, the Light Clone shrugged. "Better conserve some strength for the rest."
Unfortunately, the Witchbeasts had no intention of letting him rest.
The searing Holy Light was like cold water poured into sulfuric acid; the entire contaminated zone began to boil. Powerful Witchbeasts resting in the depths revealed expressions of loathing and began swarming toward the Light Clone.
Giant beasts with a lion's head, goat's body, and snake's tail; two-headed demon hounds; massive hippos with skin as hard as rock...
All sorts of bizarre Witchbeasts appeared near the Light Clone, each with their own grand entrance.
"Is everyone here? Good." The Light Clone chuckled, beckoning them with a finger. "What are you waiting for? Come on then."
"ROAR!"
Accompanied by a thunderous roar and footsteps that made the earth tremble, a massive Witchbeast over twenty meters tall appeared. It looked like a grizzly bear, but its back was covered in flowers with black patterns. The other Witchbeasts seemed to fear it, instinctively parting to create a path for it to face the Light Clone.
"Courtesan Bear? Looks a bit strange." Aomori had seen descriptions of them in books; they usually resided in the Kararagi City-States and loved fields of flowers. Clearly, there were no flower fields here. For some reason, it had come here to be the king of the hill.
None of that mattered to Aomori. He just had to cut them all down.
Before it could attack, the Light Clone drew two blades of light and flickered behind it. Like a master chef possessed, his twin blades blurred, slicing the flowers into fine, long filaments.
Some filaments turned to ash before hitting the ground, but many others suddenly transformed into black sludge, sprouting several spikes that lunged at the Light Clone.
"There really is something wrong with this." He sensed a scent from the sludge identical to that of the corroded soil.
Gripping both hilts, he merged the twin blades into a single giant edge and swung down, cleaving the black sludge in two. The volume of the sludge diminished significantly, but the giant edge in the clone's hand also shrank back into a longsword.
"Mutual consumption?"
"ROAR!" The Courtesan Bear finally reacted to the strike, raising a massive paw and swinging it with ferocious speed.
The Light Clone flickered into the air to dodge the strike. The black sludge nearby took the brunt of the blow, splashing into a spray of liquid.
"Well done. Here's a parting gift for you." The Light Clone landed on the ground, his entire body erupting in scorching radiance. "Gaia!"
In the next instant, he turned entirely into light.
Infinite Holy Light purified every inch of darkness within its reach.
When everything settled, a long, snake-like tendril of black sludge wriggled out from the calm ground, swaying in the night sky.
…
"Poisonous sludge that seems alive?"
In the tent, Aomori pondered over the memories sent back by the Light Clone.
"Is it the Black Serpent's venom? It has an ability like that?"
The Black Serpent, which had only appeared in flashbacks, was far more mysterious and powerful than the other two "unlucky" great Witchbeasts. If he wanted to face it, he would need to be fully prepared.
"However, the contaminated area nearby is just a remnant of dead matter. It'll be easy to clean up completely." Aomori clapped his hands and summoned three Light Clones at once.
They shared a smile and vanished simultaneously.
"Three should be enough."
Aomori stretched, closed his eyes, and entered a state of meditation.
…
A few days later, after Aomori's group had moved far away from the contaminated zone, twenty armored figures appeared at the site.
"The Witchbeast habitat is just ahead," the leading middle-aged man said solemnly. "Our trial is set there. You must bring back ten Witchbeast horns. You have one day!"
"Yes, sir!"
However, when they reached the barrier sealing off the habitat, everyone was dumbfounded.
The land inside was clean and pristine. Where were the signs of contamination?
"Captain, what's going on?"
"Ahem... it seems that over time, the land recovers itself. This is a good thing. But you must still be careful; the Witchbeasts won't have just disappeared."
By dusk, the group ran back out, gasping for breath and empty-handed. "Captain, did you take us to the wrong place? We searched everywhere, we didn't see a single Witchbeast!"
"Impossible!"
In the history of the Kingdom of Lugunica, another unsolved mystery was born.