Mother walked ahead of us, heading straight toward the witch who had attacked us earlier with dark flames.
The three of us followed close behind her, keeping our guard up. The road was full of dead monsters. The two Swordsmen continued to battle the last remaining skeletons and ogres.
The ground shook beneath their strikes, but the worst of the battle had passed. Many of the other monsters had already fled—frightened by what they had witnessed.
After all, no one expected a calm village woman to unleash such terrifying magic.
As we walked across the muddy, smoky battlefield, I noticed the Priestess leaning her head against the Marksman's shoulder. They looked drained. Their clothes were torn, their eyes half-closed, and their breathing was slow.
They must have used up most of their magic energy. It was no surprise—after everything we had just faced.
I glanced around the farm field on this side.
The crops… they were completely flooded. The rows we had planted with care were now underwater, crushed by the force of Mother's magic. It was painful to see.
All that hard work—gone in an instant.
But deep inside, I knew it would've happened anyway.
Every time the Blood Moon rises—once every month—the monsters crawl out of the Forbidden Woods. They come with hunger, hatred, and chaos. They don't just attack—they destroy.
They rip up the soil, trample the plants, and burn what they can't eat—like they do it on purpose. It's like they enjoy ruining what we build. It makes all of us angry… because no matter how hard we work, it always ends the same way—everything we built smashed under their feet.
They even dared to stain the statue of Archangel Michael and Raphael with their black, disgusting blood. Not by accident—on purpose. Just to mock him. Just to make us feel abandoned. Just to make us doubt.
And now, standing just ahead, was the witch who had cast those terrible dark flames.
She was still alive—but barely.
She sat on the ground. Her robe was torn, her arms covered in bruises, and her legs were twisted beneath her. A dark bruise stretched across her pale, veined face, and one of her eyes was swollen shut.
Her bones looked damaged—possibly fractured. She was weakened… but still, I could smell her hate burning.
"Still alive?" Mother asked, her voice calm but cold. Her eyes didn't blink.
We stood beside her now, ready to face whatever came next if the witch made another move.
The witch raised her head slowly, glaring at us with a look of pure hatred. Her voice cracked, but the anger was still strong.
"Cowardly Adventurers," she hissed through clenched teeth. "You only rely on your magic… a gift given to you by your precious Creator."
She spat on the ground, coughing from the pain.
"A Creator who left you. Who turned away. And you still kneel to Him."
Her voice trembled—not from fear, but from rage… and something else.
"All done!" the Excalibur swordsman called out as he walked toward us, his blade still glowing faintly.
The Axe swordman followed behind him, resting his heavy weapon on his shoulder.
Both of them looked tired—but proud.
They had finished off the last of the monsters.
I turned my head and looked around the battlefield.
The road, once crawling with beasts and horrors, was now quiet. All the monsters were gone—either defeated or chased back into the dark.
It was finally over.
Then I saw it.
The sky was changing. The long crimson night was ending.
And rising in the distance—soft and warm—was the sun.
It peeked over the horizon like a gentle promise, casting light over the broken field.
After all the chaos… morning had come.
"It's over for you now!" the Marksman shouted, stepping forward with his bow raised. His voice was firm, filled with anger. He glared at the witch who had nearly burned us down with her Dark Flame Magic.
The witch was still sitting on the ground, weak and badly hurt. Her face was bruised, one eye nearly swollen shut. But even now… she smiled.
"Over?" she repeated, letting out a low, broken laugh. "Hahaha… You fools. You really think this is over?"
Her voice was shaky, but behind it was something chilling. She laughed as if she still had something left to give—as if pain didn't matter to her anymore.
Her laugh made my skin crawl.
Then, the two Swordsmen finally joined us.
They stopped beside us and looked down at the witch.
"We should kill her," the Axe Swordsman said in a loud, serious voice. His eyes were sharp and full of rage.
"She would've killed us all if she had the chance. Letting her live might be a mistake we can't afford." he added.
I looked at Mother, wondering what she would do. Her face was calm, but her eyes were unreadable.
"Water, bind and drown—suffocate the wicked! Let their breath be stolen by the stream,"
Mother began to chant, her voice steady and cold.
She raised her wand and pointed it directly at the witch.
A small stream of water appeared from thin air. It flowed quickly—twisting and curling making its way toward the witch.
"Water Magic: Drown Sphere!"
Spell Description: Close-Range / Suffocation / Binding / Targeted
(Drown Sphere is a close-range water spell that forms a floating sphere of water around the target's head or face, cutting off their ability to breathe.The water sphere stays locked in place until the caster is interrupted or willingly ends the spell. While non-lethal at first, prolonged casting can lead to unconsciousness or death.)
A small stream of water flowed from Mother's wand and connected straight to the witch's head—wrapping around her face like a living thread.
She was being drowned.
It was cruel to watch… but we didn't have a choice.
These witches weren't just people—they were evil creatures that lived to destroy and kill humans. If we let her go, she'd only return with more hatred.
The witch began to gasp and struggle. Her body twisted on the ground as she fought to breathe. She raised her hands and tried to swipe at the stream of water, breaking it apart for a second.
But it was no use.
The water reformed again and again, returning to her face like it was alive—determined to finish what it started.
Each time she broke the connection, the stream found her again—clinging, wrapping tighter.
Her breathing grew weaker.
Her hands slowed down.
It looked like it was over—
But then, we were caught off guard.
Without warning, the witch stretched out her arm and let out a growl.
Her wand came flying through the air, as if answering her call, spinning straight into her open hand.
The stream of water snapped and scattered the moment her wand sparked.
Then, in a sudden motion, she pointed her wand at us.
A dark flame burst from the tip—fast, silent, and filled with hatred.
But Mother reacted quickly.
With a swift motion of her wand, she summoned the water still surrounding us. It rose like a curtain—a veil of shimmering blue that wrapped around our group just in time.
The dark flame hit the water with a loud hiss, sending steam into the air.
We flinched from the heat, but the flame never touched us.
Mother had protected us again.
"Hahaha! You thought I was cornered?" the witch screamed, her voice wild with rage and madness.
"If I die—then you're all coming with me!"
She laughed again, and this time, the fire in her eyes burned even brighter.
She chanted an incantation.
"By my cursed flame, I burn all—myself included,"
Mother reacted fast.
She swiped her wand through the air and summoned a ball of water, aiming to strike the witch and interrupt her chant. But before it could reach her, the witch raised her wand—burning with dark flames—and blasted through the attack.
SPLASH!
The water ball was swallowed by dark flames, releasing a burst of smoke and steam.
"Darkness within me, ignite and consume.
Final spark of hatred—detonate and devour!"
The witch continued, her voice rising with fury.
We all froze in place.
She wasn't supposed to be able to move… not after all that damage. But there she was—still chanting, still fighting—her wand glowing with wicked light.
"Dark Magic: Disrupt Nova!"
Spell Description: Self-Destruction / Area of Effect (AoE) / Fire-Based / Wide-Scale / Burn Effect / Last Resort
(Disrupt Nova is a forbidden Dark spell that causes the caster to sacrifice themselves in a violent explosion. When activated, the caster's body becomes unstable, gathering dark energy and igniting into a core of cursed flame. In seconds, their form erupts in a massive, fiery blast that engulfs the area in black fire. It leaves behind scorched ground and lingering dark flames that continue to burn for a long time.)
And then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion of dark flames erupted all around us, shaking the ground and flooding the air with heat and smoke.
To be continued....