The Witch's Anatomical Notes

Chapter 110

Extraction

"The Lord of Aberrations has already set up a sacrificial array on the Wizard Continent. When the time comes, a million souls will flow into the Styx as offerings, and the boss’s true form will descend upon the Old Lands."

Zoe’s voice was cold and resolute. "Through the Gate of the Dead, the Three Pillar Gods will manifest simultaneously at the Star Law Institute. Then, all that’s left is to tear up the original Old Pact kept by the Divine Remains Round Table."

At this moment, the fur on Fenrir bristled upright in rage.

There was one thing it couldn’t understand: "Why would the outer evil gods agree to cooperate with you?"

"It’s simple," Zoe said in a deep voice. "The Sleeper promised them that when the Old Pact is destroyed, the 'Star Law Codex' will be destroyed along with it."

"Are you lunatics?" Fenrir’s three heads roared in unison. "Once the codex is destroyed, the Primary Plane will open planar anchors to all other planes!"

Zoe’s face twisted suddenly. "You beast could never imagine the humiliation we Old Gods have endured. Those once-ant-like beings now trample over us, ordering us around, even brazenly exterminating our kin on a regular basis..."

Fenrir ignored the discrimination against its identity in Zoe’s words. All three heads were rapidly thinking of a way to escape.

Whether for its own sake or for the Primary Plane, it could never hand over the Gate of the Dead.

If the 'Star Law Codex' were truly destroyed, the entire Old Lands and even the Wizard Continent would fall into endless chaos.

Gods of all planes would no longer need offerings or followers and could descend in their true forms at any time and place.

Moreover, if it were simply killed, it would revive in about twenty years due to the power of the laws.

But if stripped of its law-bound power and the Gate of the Dead, it would fall into eternal slumber, no different from death—just like those quasi-deities of ancient times.

Though stripping law-bound power was no easy feat, the divine artifact held by the figure before it, "Judgment of Twelve," just happened to possess that very capability.

Zoe approached with her sword drawn. The silver threads binding Fenrir rendered it immobile.

"That Star Ring Wizard’s heretical spell saved me quite a bit of trouble indeed."

Fenrir struggled desperately to break free from the silver threads binding him.

Though the threads lacked in offensive power, their control was top-tier.

The powerless and furious Dog God could only glare in rage as Chief Arbiter Zoe stepped in front of him and slowly raised the Judgment Sword.

With a cold sneer, she brought the blade down—

Splat!

Above the Styx, Lucy’s oar scooped up another soul.

The ghostly green Meiwa curled up at the bow of the boat, her grass-like hair trembling as tears streamed down like a string of broken pearls.

This little girl, symbiotically bound to the "Enchanted Red Vineberry" and bearing vine-like hair, was clearly terrified out of her wits. Lucy had to soothe her for quite some time before she calmed down.

"The Tower of the Four Sages… has fallen!"

Meiwa sobbed as she explained.

The Cult of Mysteries and the Eternal Silence Blackthorn had joined forces in the siege. With aberrant creatures acting as traitors from within, the main tower completely fell shortly after Lilith perished. The apprentices scattered in retreat, unable to form any effective resistance.

"What about the others from the Mead Squad?" Lucy asked urgently.

Meiwa rubbed the corners of her eyes.

"Talia hasn’t woken up yet. Nure and Hain are together..."

Before she could finish, Lucy’s oar fished up yet another soul—surprisingly, another familiar face.

But this one wasn’t an apprentice of the Tower of the Four Sages.

"Cliff, long time no see."

Indeed, it was the second strongest from the Witch’s Cottage during the Tri-Tower Tournament—the one whose arm Lucy had severed during his Direbear Transformation—Cliff.

Still dazed, Cliff looked up at the sound of her voice. When he saw Lucy’s face, the figure that had haunted his mind for over half a year came back into clear focus.

He shuddered in fright and exclaimed, "Silver-haired demon Lucy!"

...

The souls in the Styx grew more and more numerous.

Apprentices and knights from the Tower of the Four Sages, even Raul and Judy, who had once escorted Lucy, were rescued one after another.

Lucy looked out over the churning river, her brows tightly furrowed. "If the Cult of Mysteries and the Eternal Silence Blackthorn really plan to sacrifice civilians from the Principality of Kolo to summon some god, then there will surely be millions more souls drifting downstream. One boat alone won’t be enough to save them all."

While pulling up a soul, Nure turned and asked,

"Then what should we do?"

Under the suppression of the laws of the Realm of Death, none of them in soul form could use witchcraft or battle aura. Even knights with formidable divine bodies couldn’t exert their physical strength.

Lucy stood up in the boat, her gaze sweeping across the banks of the river, where large patches of "soul-fishing reeds" grew. Suddenly, inspiration struck her:

"A net!" she said excitedly. "Aren’t they trying to sacrifice the souls of the Principality of Kolo? We’ll weave a giant net and block off the Styx. I’d like to see how that Old God plans to descend without his offerings!"

As the boat reached shore, the hundreds of apprentices and knights placed along the riverbank immediately sprang into action.

Nure quickly completed the task of organizing them into groups.

The knights would cut down the soul-fishing reeds, while the apprentices were in charge of weaving them into a net.

However, when the knights tried to cut the reeds, they found the plants of the Realm of Death utterly indestructible.

Lucy tried using witchcraft, but only managed to leave a faint scratch on one.

Clearly, the native inhabitants of the Realm of Death had some special method for harvesting them.

"What now?"

Deep in thought, Lucy suddenly remembered something and pulled out the broken divine artifact of the Lady of Harvest.

Though it had lost all divine power, when the Sickle of Harvest sliced through the soul-fishing reed, the previously indestructible plant was cleanly severed.

"Use this!"

She handed the sickle over to the knight Judy.

After Madam Green Vine, radiating immense soul energy, was fished out of the Styx by Lucy, everyone received the latest intelligence from the Primary Plane.

The Tower of the Four Sages and the Witch’s Cottage had completely fallen. The high priest of the Cult of Aberrations had already activated the sacrificial array.

And the area covered by the array was far larger than anyone had expected.

Not only did it include the cities surrounding both towers, but even the capital of the Principality of Kolo was within its range.

The number of people affected exceeded ten million.

Such a massive population was enough to support the simultaneous descent of the Three Pillar Gods of the Old Days.

As the giant net woven from soul-fishing reeds spread across the Styx in layers, the entire river suddenly trembled violently.

"Something’s coming from upstream!"

Anatomy apprentice Hain, tasked with surveillance, shouted to the souls on both banks of the Styx.

Lucy, aboard the wooden boat, also noticed the suddenly rising water level.

The wooden huts built by the native dwellers of the Realm of Death along the riverbank were swept away by the "current" one by one. She could see countless squid-like creatures fleeing for higher ground.

More than a hundred thousand souls surged into the Styx at the same moment—far exceeding the river’s capacity.

The souls of countless civilians from the Principality of Kolo flooded in like a herd of sheep being driven by shepherds and sheepdogs, crowding and pushing.

"They’re here, hold steady!"

Lucy shouted.

The apprentices and knights on both banks pulled the giant soul-fishing reed net taut together.

The first wave of hundreds of thousands of souls crashed into the net at once.

Even though the weight of a single soul was negligible, the sheer number made the net creak and groan.

Fortunately, as more souls continued to arrive, many were squeezed up onto the riverbank.

The moment they left the waters of the Styx, consciousness returned to their souls.

And so they joined the ranks of the rescuers.