Blood tears streaming from her eyes, Ariel Bennett wore a twisted, ferocious smile as she raised her grotesquely deformed arm, gently licking the blood and bits of flesh still clinging to her hand. A smile curled at the corner of her mouth, followed by a fit of maniacal laughter.

Her voice was crazed and wicked, yet carried an irrepressible sob.

But it was precisely this painful sob that made the evil all the more chilling.

“Hahahahahaha…”

“Witcher? Pfft, hahahahaha, I… I saw you go to my beloved child with my own eyes…”

“So? How strong are those evil spirits? Hehehe… Each one is a child who killed their own mother, or… a mother who tortured her own child to death, born from endless pain and resentment…”

“My lord’s most beloved flavor…”

As she spoke, ‘Ariel Bennett’ closed her eyes in intoxication, chanting as if in song: “To be immersed in the rapture of this faith… Mortal, do you understand? No, you don’t…”

“Now, I will once again offer myself in sacrifice to my lord… My life—surely, to be sacrificed before you, a paladin, hehehe… that intoxication…”

“So, knight, will you watch me kill Tina Bennett? Or, after I kill Tina Bennett, will you kill me as well? Hehehe…”

In silence, the witcher stepped back with his right leg, slowly raised his longsword, and gazed at the witch along the blade. Then, his five fingers spread one after another, and as the ‘witch’ cackled madly, the longsword, gleaming with silver light, came slashing down.

Bang!

At that moment, the locked door was kicked open with a bang. Charlie Carter, dressed in white robes, darted in like an arrow, his arm swinging fiercely. With a dull whoosh, a small silver vial smashed hard into the witch’s face almost instantly.

The liquid, sparkling with flecks of silver dust, splashed down, provoking a shrill wail. At the same time, the witcher’s right leg, just withdrawn, lashed out like a venomous dragon, striking the falling sword hilt with precision.

Buzz, buzz, buzz…

The longsword paused, then shot forward like a ballista bolt toward the witch’s shoulder. With a sudden burst of battle energy underfoot, Charles Carter arrived before the witch almost simultaneously with the sword. His right hand spread wide, gripping the sword hilt with a sudden grasp, battle energy roaring through his arm and bones as memory guided him.

Endless leaves fall… rustling down, the mighty Yangtze… rolling on!

“Hah!!!”

With a thunderous shout, the longsword in his hand stabbed forward in a furious, rapid succession. The simple movement now carried a terrifying, overwhelming sword force, and in an instant, the decayed arm was shredded to pieces.

At the same time, his left hand reached out and scooped up the young girl, pulling her into his arms. His five fingers covered Tina Bennett’s eyes, and with a twist of his waist, the sword hummed and then pierced straight through ‘Ariel Bennett’s throat.

Releasing his left hand, the girl arced through the air and landed precisely in Charlie Carter’s arms. The low shout made Charlie Carter pause in his tracks.

“Get them out of here!”

“The other two girls are unconscious in the corner! Evacuate the crowd, and don’t cause me any more trouble!”

With a sudden strike of his left hand on the sword hilt, both arms bulged with muscle as he pinned the witch, who was glaring at him, hard against the wall. The runes on the blade flared brightly.

Amid the witch’s shrill curses, Charlie Carter bit his lip, then turned away in anger, barely managing to carry the three girls on his back as he hurried out of the room.

“…Survive, knight!”

Moments later, the roars and wails faded away, leaving only Charles Carter’s slightly quickened breathing in the deathly silent room, rising and falling. The silver light on the sword blade dimmed, but did not disappear; instead, it seemed to solidify, flowing along the blade.

“Heh…”

With a cold laugh, Charles Carter pulled the longsword from the wall, sensing the thick malice around him. The witcher’s left hand brushed his waist, spinning his witch-hunting firearm twice at his fingertips, crossing it with the longsword before him.

“So, round two?”

He tilted his head, his once-cold voice now as sharp as a blade on a snowy night, gazing coolly at the charred black body before him—

Powerful magic surged endlessly—

This signified a power no longer bound by a mortal body, the true strength of a witch!

(Really, have some pity on me, give me some votes, or at least leave a comment, hey hey hey, don’t go, dear reader～(“▔□▔))

Chapter 10: Battle the Witch!

“Heh…”

Amid the harsh, low laughter, the violent magic slowly dissipated, revealing the face of a young woman—not the ferocious evil shown when possessing Ariel Bennett, but a rather delicate face, with a smile that felt familiar to Charles Carter.

Gentle and devout!

She stretched slightly, then bowed slightly to Charles Carter, a black robe materializing on her body. A strange black cross dangled from her sleeve, swaying gently with her movements.

“May my lord grant you forgiveness…”

“Reverse cross, Satan’s redemption?!”

Two different voices rang out at once. The witch looked up and smiled faintly: “Yes, knight…”