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Chapter 197: The Witch's Return and the Truth About Babbo
At the sound of the name, a sliver of blue-purple fabric finally edged out from behind the stone. A moment later, a stunning silhouette stepped gracefully into the light. It was none other than the Witch of Caldia herself—Dorothy—whom Suyan hadn't seen since they parted ways in the underground labyrinth after unsealing Babbo.
Suyan had assumed their next meeting would be on the battlefield during the upcoming War Game. He certainly hadn't expected to bump into her again so soon. However, compared to their last encounter, her outfit seemed slightly more... conservative?
"I believe I made myself quite clear the last time we spoke, didn't I?" Dorothy glared at him with piercing ruby eyes, enunciating every word with lethal intent. "I told you that the next time we met, I would absolutely kill you!"
Her feelings toward Suyan were a tangled, chaotic mess. From their very first meeting, he had tricked her into letting him ride her Zephyrus Broom, brazenly wrapping his arms around her waist. Then, in the underground labyrinth, he had stolen her first kiss when she wasn't looking, leaving her so overwhelmed with shame and fury that she had fled the scene after dropping a death threat.
On the other hand, she couldn't deny the undeniable fact that he had saved her life. When she had been caught by the massive stone golem guarding Babbo, Suyan hadn't used the opportunity to steal the rare ÄRM for himself, nor had he abandoned her to die. He had stepped in and rescued her.
It was only the sheer mortification of the stolen kiss that drove her away. That complex swirl of emotions was exactly why she hadn't revealed herself immediately upon arriving, choosing instead to hide and watch. She honestly had no idea how to face him.
But, just like their first encounter, he had seen right through her stealth effortlessly. Forced into the open, she had aggressively demanded an answer to a question she didn't even know how to process herself, trying to save face.
"Really?" Suyan's lips curved into a wicked smirk. He looked her up and down playfully. "I don't believe you!"
"You—!"
The sheer audacity of his response instantly ignited a fire in Dorothy's chest. She gritted her teeth, staring daggers at him. Even if she didn't kill him today, she was absolutely going to use her Zephyrus Broom to smack his rear end black and blue. Otherwise, the infuriating knot in her chest would never go away.
Without hesitation, she summoned her signature weapon. "Nature ÄRM, Zephyrus Broom!"
"Is she an enemy?" Snow White asked, looking at the furious witch drawing her weapon.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming sense of security Suyan had just provided, Snow White instinctively aligned herself with him, her hand quietly reaching for the snowman pendant around her neck, ready to fight.
Suyan didn't answer. He simply placed his hand over hers, gently shaking his head to tell her to stand down. He then turned his full attention back to the charging witch.
Despite drawing the Zephyrus Broom, Dorothy didn't actually channel its magic to summon a tempest. Instead, she treated it like a giant, blunt staff, swinging it wildly as she rushed at Suyan in pure melee combat.
Suyan bobbed and weaved effortlessly, sidestepping every furious swing of the broom. The constant misses only fueled Dorothy's rage. Her pent-up frustration found no release, prompting her to finally channel her magic to summon a gale. "Zephyrus Br—"
Having gauged her complete lack of genuine killing intent during their brief skirmish, Suyan read her movements perfectly. Moving with lightning speed, he clamped his hand down hard over the slender fingers gripping the broom and gave a sharp, forceful yank.
"Nnph?!"
Caught completely off guard, Dorothy lost her center of gravity entirely and pitched forward—right into Suyan's waiting arms.
Her heart gave a violent lurch. An ominous premonition washed over her, fully realizing what was about to happen before it even did.
A split second later, Suyan's face magnified in her vision. Her ruby eyes went wide as saucers. Just as she had feared, she was being forcefully kissed by him all over again.
"Mmph!" With her lips thoroughly sealed, she couldn't utter a single word of protest.
"Eh?" Snow White stood off to the side, watching Suyan passionately kiss Dorothy. For some inexplicable reason, a bitter, sour feeling welled up in her chest. It felt exactly like having something precious stolen right out from under her nose. Her heart felt entirely hollow.
But... I was here first!
Just then, Snow White heard a distinct Click! echo from beside her.
It was the exact same sound she had heard the moment she broke free from the ice. A wave of familiar dread washed over her. She snapped her head toward the source of the noise—Loco.
The little girl was holding the strange black box, aiming it squarely at Suyan and Dorothy. The box let out a mechanical whirring noise, and a bizarre, thick piece of paper slowly slid out from the bottom slot.
Snow White ignored the box entirely, her eyes locking onto the paper itself. She looked down at the photo still clutched tightly in her own hands, then back at the one emerging from Loco's device. Realization struck her like lightning. It was the exact same material!
"Give me that!" Snow White's face burned instantly.
Assuming Loco had just taken another picture of her kissing Suyan, Snow White lunged forward, desperately reaching for the freshly printed photo.
"Why should Loco listen to you?" Loco asked, casually sidestepping the princess's clumsy grab.
"Give it to me right now!" Having missed her first attempt, Snow White was officially panicking. How could she let anyone else see something so humiliating?! She hastily shoved her own photo down the front of her shirt for safekeeping and launched a relentless assault on the deadpan little girl.
And so, while Suyan and Dorothy were locked in a deep, breath-stealing kiss, Snow White and Loco were engaged in a chaotic game of keep-away right beside them.
It didn't take long for Dorothy's initial resistance to completely melt away under Suyan's expert assault. Her body went entirely limp and numb in his arms, the fierce, unyielding glare she had aimed at him just moments prior softening into a misty, thoroughly compromised gaze.
"Is your anger gone now?" Suyan asked with a soft chuckle, finally breaking the kiss and looking down at the cherry-haired girl draped over his chest.
"You bastard," Dorothy muttered, shooting him a glare. But with the unmistakable haze of arousal still swimming in her eyes, the glare held absolutely zero threat. If anything, it felt more like playful flirting.
Seeing this, Suyan leaned in again, fully intending to steal a third kiss.
Dorothy instantly ducked her head in surrender. "Stop, it's gone! I'm not mad anymore!"
Satisfied, Suyan pulled back. "Miss Witch, hold out your left hand for a moment."
Realizing he wasn't actually going to kiss her again, Dorothy let out a silent sigh of relief—though, deep down, a tiny, inexplicable part of her felt a pang of disappointment. Confused by his request, she didn't overthink it and extended her left hand toward him.
Suyan gently supported her delicate wrist with one hand, while using the other to produce a gleaming silver bracelet. Under her curious gaze, he slid it over her hand and secured it around her wrist.
"What is this?" Dorothy asked, turning her wrist over to inspect the jewelry.
"Just as I thought. This bracelet looks best on you," Suyan said, his voice dropping into a tender cadence. "Your Flying Leo—the Guardian ÄRM you wore on this hand—was destroyed during our last encounter, wasn't it?"
"This is the Guardian ÄRM that was protecting Babbo. Its default form just happens to be a bracelet. It should serve as a perfect replacement for the one you lost. I've taken the liberty of naming it Brikkin." Suyan paused, lowering his gaze to look deeply into her ruby eyes. "Do you like it?"
"This..." Dorothy blinked, utterly stunned.
She couldn't believe he had actually remembered such a minor detail. But what truly pierced her heart was the name he had chosen for it. It was so incredibly fitting. It was exactly the kind of name she would have given it herself. A profound sense of he truly understands me bloomed warmly in her chest.
Without thinking, she blurted out—'What about Babbo?'
The moment the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted them. Back in the labyrinth, Suyan had made it abundantly clear that he had zero interest in Babbo. She had possessed the perfect opportunity to reclaim the legendary ÄRM for Caldia right then and there. But because she had been so flustered by his stolen kiss, she had run away, completely forfeiting her chance.
Now, they had reunited. Suyan had just gifted her the immensely powerful Guardian ÄRM that had been protecting Babbo. And yet, here she was, immediately demanding the main prize as well. It felt incredibly greedy and ungrateful.
For the first time since she had left Caldia to become a wandering witch, Dorothy felt genuinely conflicted and awkward. But Babbo was the single most dangerous item among the 798 ÄRMs her sister Diana had stolen. She had an absolute duty to return it to her homeland. She looked up at Suyan, her expression tight with nervous anticipation.
"Babbo?!"
Over in the corner, Loco, who was still dodging Snow White's frantic grabs, froze dead in her tracks the moment she heard the name.
"My chance!" Snow White's eyes lit up.
Seizing Loco's momentary lapse in focus, the princess lunged forward and snatched the photo right out of the little girl's hand. She was just about to let out a triumphant sigh of relief when her eyes fell on the actual image.
"Oh my gosh, what is this?!" Snow White squeaked, her face instantly boiling.
It wasn't a picture of her kissing Suyan at all. It was a crystal-clear, highly detailed shot of Suyan aggressively pinning Dorothy in a passionate embrace.
Acting as if the photo were on fire, Snow White shrieked and threw it into the air. As fate would have it, the glossy paper drifted gently across the room, landing perfectly in Suyan's outstretched hand.
"Oh ho, excellent composition," Suyan remarked, inspecting the photo with an approving nod. He turned to the deadpan girl. "Giving you that camera was the best decision I've made all week. Keep up the good work, Little Loco."
Hearing this, Dorothy couldn't suppress her curiosity and leaned over to peek at the photo in his hand.
"Wh-wh-what the—?!" Dorothy gasped, her jaw dropping open as the sheer undeniable proof of her compromised state assaulted her vision.
She snatched the photo from his grip, her face burning brighter than her hair. "I am confiscating this!"
Terrified that Suyan might object, she moved with speeds she had never achieved in her entire life. She activated her Dimension ÄRM, Ring Dagger, slashed open a dimensional zipper in mid-air, hurled the photograph into the void, and zipped it shut—all before Suyan even had time to blink.
"You just said the name Babbo, didn't you?" Loco asked, her intense gaze locked onto Dorothy, who was still safely tucked against Suyan's side.
"What's a Babbo?" Snow White asked, completely lost. She couldn't understand why just hearing that word had caused Loco to freeze up entirely, allowing her to steal the photo so easily.
"Someone from the Chess Pieces?" Dorothy finally noticed Loco properly, pulling herself out of Suyan's arms to inspect the girl. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on the war-paint mask tied into Loco's left pigtail and the unmistakable rook-shaped earring denoting a Bishop-class member of the Chess Pieces.
"Tell Loco," the little girl demanded, emphasizing every syllable.
Loco's interest wasn't entirely about recovering a lost weapon for Phantom, the strongest Knight of the Chess Pieces. Rather, she knew that Babbo had once been Phantom's personal weapon. Under his command, it possessed the power to inflict the Zombie Tattoo—the ultimate curse that granted immortality at a terrifying cost.
If it held that kind of power, perhaps there was a way it could neutralize the agonizing recoil of her own Cursed ÄRMs. That was the only thing that mattered to her right now. If she kept using the Cursed Seven Pieces, it was only a matter of time before she shared the fate of their previous owner—vanishing into thin air without a trace, leaving only the ÄRMs behind.
"You're merely a Bishop-class," Dorothy scoffed, crossing her arms with a dismissive smirk. "You want to know? You don't have the qualifications."
She gripped the Zephyrus Broom tightly. No matter what, she would infinitely prefer Babbo to remain in Suyan's hands than allow it to return to Phantom to inflict more suffering upon the world.
"Hold it," Suyan interjected, sensing the atmosphere turning violently hostile.
Both of these women were incredibly dangerous. Dorothy was a powerhouse right out of the gate, wielding strength on par with the Zodiac Knights. Throughout the entire original storyline, she only required a single training arc in Alan's Training Gate during the latter half of the story to maintain her relevance.
On the other side was Loco, whose Cursed Seven Pieces were not to be underestimated. Her Negzero alone was potent enough to paralyze even a Knight-class fighter. During the War Games, she had fought the secondary protagonist, Nanashi. If Nanashi hadn't been a transmigrator from Earth (hailing from the author's previous work, no less) with enough inhuman willpower to resist the curse, Loco would have easily killed him.
Suyan absolutely could not let them fight here.
"Do you want Babbo too, Little Loco?" Suyan asked, genuinely curious.
In the original plot, Loco had never shown the slightest interest in acquiring Babbo. That obsession was primarily Ian's, who constantly targeted Ginta in an effort to secure a promotion. Perhaps she simply hadn't seen how hideous Babbo truly was yet?
Suyan figured that had to be it. Even Dorothy had been wildly interested in Babbo at first, only to instantly lose all desire the moment she laid eyes on the ugly thing, opting to just take Brikkin and leave Babbo for Ginta to deal with.
"Dimension ÄRM, Sky: Infinity Castle!"
Suyan raised his hand, channeling his aura to disguise the Sky Vongola Ring as a Dimension ÄRM. A shimmering dimensional doorway manifested in the air before the girls.
A moment later, an ancient, heavy wooden chest was spat out of the portal, landing on the floor with a solid thud. It was the exact chest containing Babbo.
Realizing what was inside, Dorothy abandoned Suyan entirely and lunged for the chest, trying to drag it away.
But it was impossibly heavy. She couldn't budge it an inch. Shifting tactics, she tried to pry the lid open.
"Nnnnngh!"
Dorothy strained with all her might, her face turning bright red, practically transforming into a super-deformed chibi version of herself from the sheer exertion. The chest remained firmly shut.
Click! Click!
Suyan wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity. He casually plucked the Polaroid out of Loco's hands and snapped two rapid-fire shots of Dorothy making a complete fool of herself.
"You jerk!" Dorothy puffed her cheeks out, glaring fiercely at him as the camera spat out the evidence.
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..." Dorothy snatched the photos away, her delicate fists drumming against his chest in a rapid, pouting barrage that felt far more like flirting than an actual attack.
"Alright, alright, that's enough." Suyan chuckled, catching her wrists and pulling her back in. He looked over at the unusually still little girl. "Aren't you going to try and open it, Little Loco? Babbo is right inside."
"Hmph." Loco turned her head away sharply, refusing to acknowledge him.
She was internally praising her own slow reaction time. If she had realized what the chest was a second sooner, she would be the one getting publicly humiliated in photographs right alongside the witch.
Suyan laughed out loud. "It's a good thing you didn't try, Little Loco. That chest is enchanted. It can only be opened by an ordinary person with absolutely zero magic power."
"Huh?!" Dorothy stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Her glare grew infinitely more venomous.
You knew it required someone with no magic, and you just stood there watching me make a fool of myself?! And you actually took pictures of it?! You are unbelievable!
Suyan casually ignored her murderous glare. He walked up to the chest, channeling his Nen into his metal-manipulation ability, Metal Tide, and effortlessly forced the ancient lock to disengage.
With a heavy creak, the lid swung open.
Neither girl bothered to question how Suyan—who clearly possessed magic—was able to open it. Their eyes were completely glued to the legendary artifact nestled inside.
Babbo's true form was finally exposed to the world. It was a massive silver kendama, essentially a hammer attached via a chain to a silver iron ball the size of a bowling ball. The iron ball had carved eyebrows, closed eyes, an incredibly prominent, pointy nose, and a thin handlebar mustache. It looked exactly like a sleeping, middle-aged man, complete with a massive, comically pulsating snot bubble expanding and contracting from its metallic nostril.
"This... is Babbo?" Snow White asked, biting her index finger as she stared down at the artifact the two powerful women had just been fighting over.
Her innocent question shattered the stunned silence in the room.
Dorothy and Loco spoke in perfect, horrified unison: "It's so ugly!"
The two girls exchanged a look of profound mutual understanding. Truly, great minds thought alike.
"Eh?" Snow White blinked in surprise. "Did neither of you actually know what Babbo looked like?"
"No," Loco stated flatly, her voice drifting like a ghost. "Loco had only heard that Babbo was the weapon Phantom once wielded. Loco did not know what it looked like."
She paused, staring at the snot bubble. "And Loco certainly did not know it was so..."
"Hideous!" Dorothy finished with venomous conviction.
"Oh, I see," Snow White nodded in understanding.
"Well? Do you still want it?" Suyan asked nonchalantly.
Dorothy looked at the snoring metal ball in the chest, then up at Suyan.
"Even if you do, I'm not giving it to you," Suyan added smoothly.
His casual cruelty nearly gave Dorothy an aneurysm. She glared at him with absolute exasperation. This man! This infuriating man! He always does this! I'm so mad!
"Wake up, Babbo."
Ignoring the girls' reactions, Suyan reached down, grabbed the metal ball by the mustache, and yanked hard to rouse him.
Truth be told, the soul residing inside Babbo—Ginta's father from Earth—was a shameless piece of work. After being summoned to the magical world six years ago, he refused to tell anyone his real name, instead insisting that everyone call him "Master" just to take advantage of them. Suyan had exactly zero respect for him. Besides, pulling a metal mustache wouldn't break it.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Violently yanked from his slumber, Babbo instantly snapped awake. He was just about to explode in anger when he heard the man who woke him ask a very specific question:
"Babbo, do you want to know the truth about your past?"
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