NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66: Stop.
Mr. Valen hit the ground with a loud thud before rising just as fast, the scratches on his form already healing as his eyes adjusted.
He caught sight of Olga who had leaped towards him, arms outstretched and inches away from his throat.
«If that attack connects, I'll die!»
Suddenly-
"Whoosh!" The air tore in a flash of green as a luminous spear, as long as a human, came striking down at Olga; but she noticed it and pulled back.
"Whoosh!"
The thing made contact with Olga's arm, and the moment it did, it exploded into a pillar of scorching flame that vaporized the surrounding raindrops and dried the land, only for a split second.
When the flame subsided, there stood Olga, a huge chunk of flesh missing from where her right arm used to be.
There was no blood to be seen that too had been vaporized, but she did not squirm or scream in pain; rather, a strange black mist began to form into the shape of her arm, before regaining color and solidifying into the actual limb.
In some twisted way, she had regenerated, and this fascinated Mr. Valen, but this fascination was not enough to wane his curiosity.
He looked up at the sky as one might yearn for salvation and saw her: an angel with wings of pure emerald flames, flapping slowly.
Somehow beyond all logic she kept herself suspended.
Her presence alone illuminated the world around her, turning the gloom green.
Her most striking feature was the wide matte black silk blindfold that covered her emerald green eyes, glowing beneath the fabric.
She wore a wide-brimmed, conical hat of woven black straw, reminiscent of a kasa, tied securely under her chin with a thin, dark leather cord.
Her flowing robes were deep charcoal grey that swayed with the wind, almost black, crafted from a fabric that seemed to drink the light while she observed the beings beneath her.
But what was above her was even more terrifying, a large bird, larger than any he'd ever seen on earth, circled the sky above her, its form unclear.
From that large bird, another figure jumped down, and floated to the Angel's side, her form becoming increasingly visible, her eyes glowing purple.
This other girl wore a large, slightly battered, wide-brimmed pointy hat that seemed too big for her, casting deep shadows over her face.
Her robes were layers of worn, patchwork fabrics, deep purples, forest greens, faded blacks looking more like something found in an ancient attic than crafted.
They hang loosely on her frail, almost gaunt frame, giving her the appearance of a sickly or malnourished teenager, the green hue from her companion adding to her awkward mystery.
Looking at the sky, Sophia seemed to recognize this angle, her eyes lighting up. "Calista!"
Ceberus, who lay on the ground, also looked to the sky. His eyes widened as he muttered, "The Veiled Oracle!"
Feeling confused and unsure, Mr. Valen asked Sophia, who stood by his side, "My Lady, who are these formidable women?"
Standing proudly and confidently, Sophia immediately responded, her eyes widening with glee, "Calista! The Veiled Oracle! She's my father's personal attendant! We're saved!"
But immediately she spoke, her guilt returned as she remembered Olga's fate.
Heeding her words, Mr. Valen noted that the purple-eyed Witch beside Calista remained unidentified.
Suddenly, he heard a voice beside him, "All of you, step back. That includes you, little Scioness!"
'My-' Mr. Valen thought in shock as he noticed that the purple-eyed Witch had appeared beside them, he looked to the sky and saw that she was no longer there.
«That green eyed Witch in the sky, she gives of a dangerous feeling, similar to Vlad, and Luna from District Fourth Two, this Purple Eyed Witch on the other hand, I can't feel anything from her at all, judging by the way she moves, she strong, she looks young too, too young maybe fifteen or sixteen, what do you think?»
Meanwhile, Olga, now fully healed, stared at the being in the sky; she seemed to have recognized her from the original Olga's memories.
'T-The Veiled Oracle! Why! Why! Why! No, I'm strong! I must fight! I must survive!' It or she thought with desperate resolution.
As though sensing Olga's thoughts, the Veiled Oracle raised her arm, her voice like a melodious decree. "First art of the suffering flames: Purgatorium Pluit!"
Immediately, the air itself trembled and began to heat up, and the raindrops suspended, floating upward.
Seeing this, Sophia muttered, "Resonance," her eyes lighting up as she added, "She's using a high-level Nethercraft Technique!"
Simultaneously, in the sky before them, ten spears formed and shot down at Olga at a speed too fast to follow.
"Bring it on!" Ogla growled as she stomped on the ground rushing into the distance—
"Boom!"
A loud explosion of flames could be heard and seen as one of the spears hit the ground, barely missing her, but the other spears redirected themselves, adjusting themselves like heat-seeking missiles.
Olga ran and ran, sonic booms sounding out as she dodged spear after spear.
Meanwhile, upon seeing Olga run out of her range, Calista's wings flapped, and she disappeared with a sonic boom.
'Did I escape?' Olga thought. But as the surroundings above her illuminated green, she realized that she had not.
This woman was keeping up with her speed effortlessly, creating a few more spears that shot down at her.
In response, Olga zigzagged, dodging spear after spear, but it was too much even for her, the flames scorching her skin.
"Argh," Olga grunted after dodging another strike, 'I can't outrun her, I have to fight,' she thought before pushing off the ground, her form dissipating into mist.
Seeing this, the Veiled Oracle was unbothered.
Due to her blindfold, her emotions were hard to read, her kasa also cast a shade over her face that further hid her expression.
Olga was now in a shadowy humanoid form, floating in the air as though she were a part of the dark clouds above her.
"Let me go, Calista! I am strong! I slaughtered most of your men before you arrived! Don't force me to kill you!" Olga yelled, her voice reverberating through the firmament.
There was a brief stillness as Calista just stared, her head tilted slightly, before she spoke: "My men? Oh no, darling, you are mistaken. What you killed were green-eyed muscle heads who didn't understand their roles. Allow me to show you how a green-eyed Witch truly fights!"
As she spoke, she raised her hand. "It is repetitive!"
"Whoosh!"
Ten to twenty green spears shot toward her, and upon seeing this, Olga flew upward, her speed abysmal even in this form.
Taking a curve, she flew straight at the green-eyed Witch before her, the spears following her tail. It would appear that she was attempting to redirect the attack.
Olga closed in, quickly reaching arm's length from the Witch and drawing back for a punch. Unfortunately, the spears behind her vanished, and a single spear materialized before her.
In an instant, it began spinning, forming a makeshift flame shield that incinerated her entire arm.
"It is efficient!" Calista's voice resounded in the firmament, as Olga desperately pulled back, dodging (or barely dodging) another onslaught of spears.
By now her form was riddled with holes that healed slowly, and in one of these holes, Calista noticed a small black bead, specifically at Olga's chest.
"I wonder what would happen if I struck that bead?" The Veiled Oracle mused, her voiced thought sending a chill down Olga's spine.
'I I have to escape! But how? I can't outrun her... Unless?' she thought gravely before speeding off into the distance, prompting Calista to follow. While attacking patiently, she didn't seem strained at all.
'I have to get out of here! But I can't escape... What if?' she thought desperately before speeding off into the distance, prompting Calista to follow. And so Calista pursued, attacking patiently, showing no sign of strain.
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Mr. Valen observed the little girl standing before them. She gazed into the distance with a look of faint interest in her eyes, ignoring the rain drenching her.
Ceberus and Sophia also watched her, hesitant to ask questions. They could tell she was strong but her form confused.
Why was she so young?
Ignoring the stares of the group, the little purple-eyed Witch suddenly spoke. "Ohh? It's turning back this way..."
Feeling confused by those words, Mr. Valen and everyone else followed her line of sight, but noted nothing but a black dot in the distance.
But then as the black dot rapidly gained visibility, their faces paled. "It's Olga, she's back, we have to run!" Ceberus grunted and prepared to move despite his battered form.
Sophia and Mr. Valen seemed to agree, but the little Witch shook her head. "Stay put, little ones!"
Such words were strange coming from such a little girl, but no one had the time to question her eccentricity.
Yet, no one tried to run despite their lack of trust in the little girl, why? Because in an instant, Olga was upon them, her voice causing the very air to tremble: "Come High Scioness Sophia, be my hostage!"
Running would have been futile.
'Oh-' Sophia's face drained of color at the ominous address. But suddenly, the purple-eyed Witch raised her palm, eyes glowing faintly.
"Cease!" she commanded, her small voice somehow making the world tremble (a phenomenal effect).
Olga, who had been moving at Mach speed, suddenly stopped. No deceleration, no inertia, it was as if space itself had chosen to restrict her.