Chapter 58: Hand It Over
White Forest, the original site of Mist Castle.
Originally, Mist Castle was not built halfway up a mountain, but rather on the outer edge of the White Forest. For personal reasons, a certain head of the Moyi family relocated Mist Castle to the inner part of the White Forest, constructing it halfway up the slope of a dormant volcano.
The forest around the original site of Mist Castle was deathly still. A white mist drifted there, containing trace amounts of toxins, making it no longer suitable for habitation.
Through the hazy mist, the outline of a dilapidated ancient castle could be faintly seen. The damp, cold environment gave it a ghostly, eerie atmosphere.
Boom!
A loud crash came from within the castle, shattering the surrounding silence.
Inside the labyrinthine castle, a man and two women were quickly fleeing down a narrow corridor. Heavy gasps indicated they were already exhausted.
"Neil, I can't go on. I can't run anymore. You two go ahead."
The young woman in the trio slumped to the ground, one hand clutching her chest. Sweat plastered her short hair to her face.
"Lan, what nonsense are you talking about? How could we abandon you?"
The red-haired young man in the group hurried forward to help the slumped girl to her feet.
"I told you, if you give up on me, you can still live. That old witch won't let up."
"No way. We go together or not at all."
"It's coming again."
Another girl with a timid demeanor shouted. She was the red-haired young man's sister. One could say the red-haired youth was quite the lucky man; of the two girls, one was his sister, and the other was his childhood sweetheart.
Chaotic footsteps came from behind them in the corridor, along with the clear sound of claws scraping against the ground.
"Damn it!"
The short-haired girl struggled to stand. The gravel around her levitated and shot back down the corridor. After a series of whimpers, several badly injured synthetic beasts charged forward.
The red-haired youth's face showed despair. He instinctively glanced at a blue-black crystal in his hand, hesitating whether to abandon it. For this item, his sister had ventured deep into the Demon Kiln to steal it.
Boom, boom, boom...
Rubble flew as a humanoid synthetic beast crashed through the wall. Its muscles were knotted, and stitch marks were still visible on its face.
"No way! Even a fourth-stage synthetic beast has come after us?"
"What do we do? What do we do?"
The timid girl was panicked. Facing a fourth-stage synthetic beast, she was nothing more than an after-dinner snack.
"Escape underground!"
The short-haired girl, Lan, shouted. The red-haired youth beside her was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant.
The red-haired youth tightened his grip on a short staff. Golden patterns spread across his face, and in that instant, his aura surged significantly.
With a thunderous crash, the red-haired youth smashed through the corridor floor. The three of them fell through the rubble into the space below. They had fled into the castle out of desperation; if they had stayed in the White Forest, they would have been caught long ago by the endless horde of synthetic beasts.
Just as the red-haired youth and the others landed in the pit below, the humanoid synthetic beast charged.
"Roar!!"
The beast was clearly enraged. At that moment, a gaunt figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor. Her hair was gray-white. Though old, her aura was sharp, giving off a sinister feeling. With her somewhat masculine features, one might even mistake her for an old man.
"How strange."
The old witch looked at the pit before her. As a fifth-stage elemental witch, catching a few petty thieves should have been easy. Yet, for some reason, every time she was about to succeed, an accident interrupted her.
"I've wasted too much time. The master will be displeased. The game ends here."
A cyan glow emanated from the old witch's hand, and a long-handled trident appeared in her grip. Wind element surged.
The old witch leaped lightly into the pit. The moment she landed, she vanished from sight.
Boom, boom, boom...
Rubble collapsed, and dust flew. Inside the underground passage, the three young people shielded their heads with their hands. Something seemed to be chasing them from behind, and the situation was dire.
A piece of gravel wrapped in wind element pierced the air, creating layers of rippling shockwaves.
Bang! The gravel struck the short-haired girl's back. Her back visibly caved in, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
With Lan down, the red-haired youth and the timid girl couldn't just leave her. So, the red-haired youth had to carry her on his back and continue fleeing.
A gale swept in, dispersing the surrounding dust.
"I haven't moved around in a long time. It's not bad to stretch my legs occasionally. I just didn't expect to have to get serious."
The old witch stepped forward. Her trident scraped against the wall, leaving a deep gouge.
By now, the red-haired youth and the others had fled a short distance. He was utterly despairing. Behind him was a fifth-stage witch and a horde of synthetic beasts; ahead was an underground passage with no end in sight. To make matters worse, the short-haired girl on his back was coughing up blood.
Just then, the desperate red-haired youth heard a strange noise above him.
Clang, clang, clang...
Blade-shaped energy pierced through the ceiling above. The red-haired youth suddenly stopped. He was certain that if those energy blades struck him, he would die—torn to pieces.
A large amount of rubble fell from the ceiling, and a figure dropped down at the same time. Black robes rustled.
"Now... what is this?"
The red-haired youth stammered, stepping back a few paces. The old witch behind him appeared suddenly.
Trapped from both sides, the youth's timid sister let out a groan and sat down on the ground. This time, they were completely hopeless.
"Something... seems off."
The red-haired youth peered ahead in the dim light. He was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with wild joy.
"Are you the Witch Hunter from Oshan Kingdom?"
The youth seemed almost unable to believe it, feeling a strange sense of fate. Behind him was a witch; a Witch Hunter had arrived. Though he didn't know the other's strength, it was still an ally.
Hearing the youth's voice, Su Xiao brushed the dust off his shoulder. He recognized this youth—it was the "pseudo-protagonist" he had seen before, blessed by the World Force.
"It's you, no doubt. We were attacked by a witch."
The youth pointed at the old witch behind him. Her expression was gloomy. She had wasted too much time trying to catch these three little mice.
"The thing in your hand is good. Hand it over."
Su Xiao spoke. The red-haired youth was visibly taken aback.
"You... aren't you a Witch Hunter?"
"..."
Su Xiao's long blade slashed sideways. With a sharp sound, a nearly ten-meter-long cut appeared on the side wall.
"Hand it over, or I'll kill you right now."
Hearing this ultimatum, the youth's sister nearly burst into tears, muttering something like, "So Witch Hunters aren't good people either."
"Little mice, give me the thing, and I'll spare your lives."
The old witch behind them spoke sinisterly. The moment Su Xiao arrived, she sensed he was not to be trifled with.
"You..."
The youth was at a loss for words. After hesitating for a moment, he tossed the blue-black crystal into the air.
Boom! The ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked. Before the red-haired youth could even react, the black crystal he had thrown had vanished.
Bang, bang, clang!
Two dull thuds mixed with a slashing sound. A black shadow crashed at high speed into the wall not far away.
Su Xiao landed, holding the Moyi family heirloom in his hand.