Chapter 59: Melody's Counterattack
With a clatter, a few pieces of gravel slid down as the old witch stood up from the hole in the wall.
"Who are you?"
The old witch's face was ashen. Although she had been chasing the red-haired youth and his group earlier, she had mostly been toying with them using her synthetic beasts. After all, this was their territory.
The red-haired youth had a remarkable talent for courting death. It was unclear where he had gotten his information, but he had dared to steal the heirloom of the Moy family. If they had actually encountered Moy Nora herself, the three of them would have been dead long ago.
Su Xiao ignored the old witch. He glanced at the short sword-shaped crystal in his hand and pulled out a pendant to compare.
"Moy Nora's personality... unexpectedly cautious."
Su Xiao muttered to himself as he tightened his grip. The short sword-shaped crystal shattered in his hand, bursting into a cloud of crystal fragments.
"You!"
The old witch was horrified. Su Xiao looked at her. Based on his judgment, this old witch was probably not well-regarded by Moy Nora, otherwise Moy Nora wouldn't have sent her to retrieve a fake heirloom.
That was right—the heirloom the youth had stolen was a fake. The pendant in Su Xiao's hand contained a small piece of the real heirloom. While the two could sense each other, it was only a faint connection. They looked identical on the outside but were completely different internally. The fake heirloom only carried a trace of the real one's aura. Without seeing the genuine article, it was impossible to tell them apart.
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to the fifth-rank old witch. Barring any surprises, he would soon be fighting Moy Nora. He couldn't afford to waste too much stamina here.
With a thunderous crash, Amu leaped down from the hole above. As soon as he landed, he charged straight at the old witch.
The old witch spread her legs slightly and spun her trident, sending a flash of cold light through the air. She was clearly a melee expert.
Thump, thump, thump...
The ground cracked and shattered wherever Amu stepped. He gripped his Frost Warhammer, and when he was five meters from the old witch, he leaped into the air. Veins bulged on his arms as he brought the hammer down in a crushing blow aimed at her head.
Seeing Amu jump, the old witch sneered. Leaping during melee combat was a fatal mistake unless you had flight capabilities.
"Biting Wind."
The old witch twisted her trident and thrust it into the air three meters away from Amu.
The moment she thrust out her trident, she felt a sharp pain in her lower back. It was unmistakably the sensation of being bitten by something.
That bite sent a chill of cold sweat down the old witch's spine. She tensed her body and was about to flip her trident when three bullets flew toward her—aimed at her head, throat, and heart.
Bang!
Amu's hammer came crashing down. The old witch raised her trident horizontally to block, and frost spread from the weapon, creeping toward her body.
Both the old witch and Amu were pushed back a few steps by the impact. Bubu Wang, who had bitten the old witch's lower back, shook his head vigorously, causing her to gasp in pain.
The gleaming trident spun in the old witch's hand. She reversed her grip and thrust it toward Bubu Wang's head.
Crack, crack, crack...
Ice spread across the old witch's body—it was Amu's ultimate ability, "Winter's Wrath."
In an instant, the old witch turned into an ice statue. But in less than 0.5 seconds, the statue exploded. The old witch, her face tinged with blue and purple, exhaled a puff of cold air and continued thrusting her trident at Bubu Wang's head.
Just as Bubu Wang was about to meet his end, a silver slash of light cut across the old witch's neck. Blood sprayed several meters into the air.
The old witch was already struggling against Amu and Bubu Wang. With Su Xiao joining the fray, she was quickly overwhelmed and killed in a coordinated assault.
Su Xiao stood in front of the old witch. He turned sideways and delivered a straight kick to her head. With a bang, his foot sank into the wall. The old witch's limbs twitched once before her head was crushed. She died on the spot.
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his shoe and picked up a Legendary Chest from the ground. Killing a fifth-rank witch, he naturally chose the chest as his reward.
The red-haired youth and his sister stood nearby like schoolchildren being punished, their faces filled with disbelief. Just minutes ago, the old witch had been chasing them with no escape in sight. Now, she had been killed with a single kick to the head. Just like that, she was dead—a fifth-rank witch!
"It seems I wasted my time."
Su Xiao walked past the red-haired youth. Not everything could go as planned. The current situation, while unexpected, was still reasonable.
He leaped out of the large pit above and found himself in a pitch-black room. It was an abandoned castle. Following the wall, he saw a row of holes Amu had smashed through, leading outside.
When Su Xiao emerged from the castle, Melody was waiting in the White Forest, her expression anxious.
"How did it go?"
Seeing Su Xiao, Melody quickly approached.
"Not well."
"What does that mean?"
Melody's face fell. She thought Su Xiao was going to renege on their deal. For someone to act like that after getting what he wanted, Melody silently condemned him—at least in her heart.
"It's a fake."
"Then... do I need to go into the Mist Castle with you?"
"No need. You can leave as agreed. Here's the final payment."
Su Xiao tossed a bag of gold coins to Melody. He had no use for them. Although Melody lacked combat power, she had made significant contributions during the previous witch hunt.
Melody caught the bag and staggered a few steps. It was too heavy.
"Quick, the bomb! The bomb inside me!"
Melody was clearly so excited she was incoherent.
"What bomb?"
Su Xiao's expression was calm. He casually lit a cigarette.
"The bomb you planted inside me!"
Melody's eyes reddened. At this point, the grievance she felt overcame her fear of Su Xiao.
"Oh, I lied about that."
"!!!?"
Melody seemed to short-circuit. She just stared blankly at Su Xiao.
"You... lied to me? So there was never a bomb inside me?"
"You could say that."
With Su Xiao's confirmation, Melody's eyes grew even redder. She looked like a child who couldn't bear this injustice.
"No bomb... Ha, hahaha... You lied to me..."
Melody seemed to be breaking down. She started laughing foolishly, tilting her head back.
"I wish you a safe journey out of the Southern Region."
Su Xiao patted Melody on the shoulder and walked into the forest. Before long, he heard Melody shouting from behind.
"Kukulin Bai Ye, you, you..."
Melody wanted to curse Su Xiao out, but considering the risk of death afterward, she abandoned that tempting idea.
"I'm free!!"
Melody spread her arms and took a deep breath of free air. Just then, a red-haired youth emerged from the nearby castle. He was carrying a severely injured girl on his back, with another girl following behind.
"Oh, young man, it looks like you need help."
Melody adjusted her smile until it bore a faint resemblance to Su Xiao's grin. Although she hadn't learned any combat skills from Su Xiao, she had picked up one thing: never let others fully understand your situation, and be ruthless when necessary.
"Who are you?"
The red-haired youth eyed Melody warily.
"Me? I'm a white witch. But more important than who I am, your companion seems to be dying. And I can save her. That's what really matters, isn't it, young man?"
"You can save Lan?"
"Of course."
"Please, save her! I'll give anything to save her!"
The red-haired youth rushed to Melody, his eyes full of pleading. Seeing the look in his eyes, Melody felt a bit uncomfortable.
If traveling with Su Xiao, Carmen, and the others was nightmare difficulty, then negotiating with this youth was beginner mode. Thinking this, Melody's smile grew even kinder.
"Really... anything?"
"Yes."
"Then trade her life for it."
Melody pointed at the red-haired youth's sister. The youth's mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words.
"Just kidding. I'm not a demon, even though I traveled with one for nearly a month. Young man, say something nice. If you make me happy, I'll save your little lover."
"We're not—"
"Eh, eh, it doesn't matter what you are."
"Alright... Ma'am, you're truly beautiful. You're the most beautiful witch I've ever seen. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Please save her. I... can't lose her."
Hearing the youth's flattery, Melody smiled. In the eyes of Su Xiao, Carmen, and the others, she was just a little flower. Offending them meant days of worry. But now, this youth was like a little weed to her. Melody couldn't help but think that if this youth fell into Su Xiao's hands, he would be used until he doubted his own existence in no time.