Wither And Decay

The unexpected and appearance of the dense green mist should have incited panic amongst the cultists, but there was only an eerie and unsettling silence.

The Witch of Izakan, Jan, was being suffocated by [Air Decay], therefore leaving her momentarily incapacitated.

The few moments his skill had bought was more than enough for Arthur to make a move. Like a slithering snake, his arm grabbed the girl's neck and, with a monstrous force, smashed her body to the ground.

He used his other hand to pin one of her arms and used [Wither Touch]. By the next second, there was a cry of absolute agony echoing throughout the intersection.

Like a flower succumbing to the unstoppable passing of time, the Witch's hand withered before turning into nothingness. There was no blood or gore, just empty air that replaced what half of her arm was supposed to be.

The rest of it was covered in dark yellow-ish corrosive color, but Jan was too mentally shocked to notice it, much less resist. The pain was so much that her face was as pale as a sheet of paper and the rest of her body was trembling non-stop.

Even though she was already immobilized, Arthur didn't hesitate to grab her head and smash it on the ground until she fell unconscious.

The Mist of Decay swirled around like a tornado before enveloping the parasite and flying away with the unconscious Witch.

When the captives realised what was happening, they looked at each other in stupefaction and confusion.

The cultists were nowhere to be seen and only there were unharmed, much to their surprise.

Verno, who had recovered some of his magic, tried to unbind himself but a wave of flames shot at him. He desperately and clumsily rolled to the side, but some of it hit his right side.

Still, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he roared outloud and broke the rope binding his legs.

Feylord conjured another fireball and shot at Verno before turning around and sprinting away.

Meanwhile, Jonathan broke free and helped Stella and Frey. With their backs against each other, they stood still and warily looked at Verno.

"So… what now?" Muttered the anxious Frey.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Feylord!"

Verno didn't pay the Sun Alchemists any heed as he breathed heavily, a dangerous heat emanating from his body. Once he freed his hands, he kicked the ground and gave chase.

"Jonathan… l-look at that."

The fear-stricken young girl, Stella, shakingly pointed at a spot close to her. There was shredded clothes and some corroded body parts lying on the ground.

"They… were killed?" Even Frey was dumbfounded as shivers ran down his spines.

The cultists didn't just disappear, they were killed in an instant. It happened soundlessly and left almost no traces, which made the unknown assailant all the more terrifying.

Jonathan seemed to have sobered up a bit, though his face was distorted and flushing in rage and anguish.

"We have to leave. Follow me and stay close."

The intersection had three paths they could choose from, the first was where the Mist had fled and the second was where Feylord had run off to, so the Sun Alchemists took the last and relatively safer path.

An hour later, at the selfsame intersection, footsteps echoed within the dark and gloomy place.

Nader Coach stopped right at the center and, with a deep frown, looked around. His black pupils carefully inspected the place, focusing on the shredded remains of the cultists' clothes, the corroded body parts that survived the parasite's [Wither Blast] and the lingering signs of Fire-aspected spells.

"There's no doubt about it." Muttered the youth, his expression as unchanging as ever.

He didn't seem saddened about the cultists' death or the disappearance of the Witch of Izakan.

She was of equal rank to him, but they had different objectives. Moreover, he had warned her not to act and be patient, but she didn't heed his words and attacked the students.

"So you were at the party, which decreases the scope of my search to 3 suspects. However, I still don't know what you're after. Can't you throw me a bone to chew on?"

Nader let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head, his body turning blurry before vanishing into thin air.

…

Arthur couldn't stay in Ilexset, not with the Knights searching everywhere for the perpetrators behind the attack.

With the Mist wrapped around Jan, he hastily left the port city and headed to a coastal area he deemed secluded enough for a brief rest.

It was a rocky area away from the main roads and surrounded by large boulders on which the crashing waves of the sea crashed.

As the Witch of the Izakan laid unconscious on the ground, Arthur pondered for a couple of moments before switching hosts.

"I know you're awake." Coldly said the parasite as Jan pretended to be asleep while the Mana inside of her body was accumulating in her hand.

As she heard him, her eyes flung open and she tried to snap her fingers but she couldn't. She was suspended in mid-air between two boulders, her legs and her remaining left arm were bound by sticky and silky spider webs.

Moreover, she was trapped inside a glowing yellow-ish barrier that had a cubic shape. The Witch's narrowed eyes menacingly glared at the woman in front of her.

"Who are you?"

Instead of lashing out emotionally, Jan kept a cool head and asked with a relatively composed tone.

"..."

Alas, her question was met with silence as Arthur gazed at her, seemingly thinking about something.

"Which organisation are you from? Identify yourself."

"I don't think you're in any position to demand an answer." Retorted Arthur.

Jan focused on the holes on the woman's body. The blood had already dried, but no human could survive such fatal wounds, especially the gaping hole on the chest.

"What are you? An undead? Did the Undead Theocracy send you?"

Seeing her continue with her questions, a sigh escaped the woman's lips. She appraoched the bound witch and extended her hand.

Jan tried to pull back but the spider webs rendered her incapable of any type of resistance. The cold hand of the mysterious woman touched Jan's chest. After a momentary stillness, Jan started shouting in agony as she felt her own life being sucked away.

It was the same from earlier, when she instantly lost half of her right arm from that sinister magic.

After ten seconds of soul-rending pain, Arthur pulled back his hand and watched as Jan was gasping for breath, her face distorted and her body shaking.

'The combination of [Sadistic Torture] and [Wither Touch] is really effective, huh.'

It was difficult to determine how strong-willed someone was, especially just from looking at them. However, as a high-ranked member of the Unholy Blasphemers, Jan should have been quite skilled. Still, when faced with the parasite's magic, she was totally helpless and subjected to inhumane suffering.

"Still have more questions?"

"..."

While biting her lower lips, the orange-haired girl looked down at the parasite with a mix of rage and fear.

Upon seeing the parasite stretch his hand to her chest again, Jan hastily yelled

"W-wait!"

Unfortunately for her, he neither stopped nor hesitated. The torment of the energy of Withering and Decay was unbearable. Eventually, Jan couldn't hold on and fell unconscious, though that didn't last long as she was splashed with salty water.

"Tell me about the Circle of Damnation."

"..."

The Witch regained her senses and, for the first couple of breaths, looked around and realised that it wasn't a nightmare. With tears pouring down her face, she said,

"P-please spare me. I'll tell you everything I want. Don't use that magic again… please…"

With a straight and solemn face, Arthur silently looked at the pleading and crying girl. He neither felt sympathy nor pity, after all, he had seen how she killed Verno's subordinates with cold blood. She had literally made their heads explode.

Morality or emotionality had no place in his mind, there was only rationality and the intention of getting what he wanted. This was an unanticipated opportunity, which could possibly have accelerated his investigation.

The reason he had spared the other spies was if the current plan failed. Furthermore, if he were to get some information from Jan, he would only ascertain its veracity by hearing more from another person.

Sonia tasked him with removing the Spies, which he was planning to do later on, after completing his own personal goal. The rewards offered by the Principal were lucrative and if Arthur played his cards right, he could get two birds with one stone.

As for the Alchemy Scripture, he had zero interest in it.

"This petty act of yours won't work."

Jan's crying and shaking came to a sudden stop when she heard him and saw his hand get closer.

"I don't know anything about the Circle of the Damnation."

"You certainly seem to know the name, though."

While sliding his hand lower, he grabbed the witch's thigh and tightened his grip.

"Last chance."

Jan's body twitched and her eyes waved as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. When she felt the invasive energy of the parasite, she hastily said,

"I'm going to die either way. You think I'm going to tell you?!"

"Alright, then."

Arthur seemed unfazed as she shrugged and used [Wither Touch] on her thigh. Within seconds, her entire right leg withered and disappeared, leaving only her echoing and hoarse cries.

"One more time; Tell me about the Circle of Damnation."

"I-If I die…" While breathing heavily, she muttered those words and paused for a bit.

"If I die, you'll be cursed. I will take you down with me."