[FGO]: 213

Moreover, the Oni Clan inherently respects strength. Unconsciously, aside from her resentment towards Ryou, an inexplicable emotion began to stir in Rem's heart—perhaps an instinctive reaction of a female submitting to a powerful male.

The dragon carriage continued forward and soon arrived at a desolate village. Ryou quickly noticed that the residents here were highly xenophobic. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and hostile gazes peered through the cracks.

At that moment, Rem slowed down slightly and turned to look back.

"Master?"

Faced with Rem's inquiry, Ryou pondered for a moment. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about this village, so he spoke up.

"Speed up. Let's head directly to the Witch's Tomb."

"Yes."

Rem cracked the reins, and the dragon carriage immediately picked up speed, passing through the unfriendly village. After leaving the deathly silent village, the dragon carriage traveled for quite a while longer, eventually reaching ruins at the edge of the Sanctuary.

The ruins were a complex of stone buildings, reminiscent of ancient Mayan architecture. These structures had stood for untold years; weathered stone blocks, rain-eroded sculptures, and vegetation growing between the cracks were all marks of time's passage.

Once the dragon carriage came to a halt, Ryou and Anastasia approached the ruins. Rem followed behind, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen; her maid etiquette seemed more refined after some training.

Standing before the ruins, Ryou felt a stifling, heavy atmosphere emanating from the entire area, as if the very air was about to solidify.

"What a show of trickery."

The only one who could be playing these tricks was the Witch of Greed, Echidna, putting on airs with her so-called trials.

Today, I'll show you the Nguyen way of clearing trials!

"Smash it!"

With a wave of his hand, Ryou directed Anastasia, who gave a slight nod and raised her small hand. A black mist of ice spread through the air, forming a massive block of black ice as large as a football field. The block descended toward the ruins like a meteor, its size enough to not only destroy the ruins but affect the entire Sanctuary.

"What a rough guest~"

A playful, mischievous voice echoed, tinged with slyness. In the next moment, specks of starlight gathered in front of Ryou and the others, forming the figure of a young girl dressed in what resembled a black mourning gown. Her pure white hair, as white as snow, cascaded down to her hips, and a delicate black butterfly hairpin adorned her left temple.

The black accents on her dress, interspersed with threads of white, gave her an air of solemn dignity, perfectly fitting mourning attire. The dark fabric further accentuated her porcelain-like skin, which was so pale that it seemed untouched by sunlight. Her doll-like face bore a slight smirk, her lips curved mischievously, and her pitch-black eyes were as deep as the night sky, completely unreadable.

"Could you please stop?" the girl asked with a full smile.

Ryou glanced at her, his eyes filled with scorn. Anastasia, on the other hand, didn't acknowledge her at all. Without Ryou's orders, she would listen to no one.

"You!"

Seeing that both Ryou and Anastasia ignored her, a hint of anger appeared on the girl's face. Soon, the massive black ice meteor was about to crash down. The girl shot a furious glare at them, then waved her small hand.

A dense fog, as if drawn by a giant fan, converged above the ruins, quickly forming a large, milky-white cloud shield. As the fog was drawn away, the once mist-covered Lost Forest gradually revealed its original appearance.

Witnessing this transformation, the hybrid residents who had been hiding indoors came outside, marveling at the forest now bathed in sunlight.

Boom!

At that moment, a loud explosion echoed from the ruins at the Sanctuary's edge. The villagers looked up in astonishment, and in the next second, a terrifying storm swept out from the ruins!

The storm was like a massive invisible broom, clearing away every obstacle in its path. Century-old trees, boulders the size of dragon carriages, and even the houses in the village were not spared. Many villagers were blown backward by the force.

From a bird's-eye view, a massive chunk appeared gouged out of the Sanctuary, with the ruins at its center.

"You! How dare you!" the girl exclaimed, pointing at Ryou and Anastasia, trembling with rage. Her ample chest heaved as she glared, looking both infuriated and strangely alluring.

Anastasia shot her a cold, piercing glance as if to say, "Another damn vixen has appeared. Should we just kill her?"

Ryou noticed that Anastasia's gaze was fixed on the girl's heaving chest, making it clear what had triggered her killing intent.

From Ryous perspective, Anastasia's figure was certainly no worse than the girl's. Thanks to her Russian heritage, Anastasia had a voluptuous build, with a perfect chest shape. However, in sheer size, she was indeed slightly smaller than this white-haired girl. Ryou could only sigh; women's thoughts are truly hard to understand—they always seem to miss the point!

"Hey! Who are you people? You barge into my home, smash everything up, ignore me completely, and now you're leaving without a word? What exactly do you want?!"

After being ignored for so long, the white-haired girl was furious. Ryou finally snapped out of his thoughts, his face filled with confusion. Wasn't this supposed to be the most knowledgeable, cunning, and manipulative of all the Witches of Sin? Could she be an impostor?

"Are you the Witch of Greed, Echidna?"

Perhaps it was Ryou's questioning look that stung the white-haired girl, or maybe she was simply displeased with his tone.

"No, I'm not the Witch of Greed. I don't know any Echidna."

Ryou's face showed a hint of embarrassment as he realized he had mistaken her identity.

"My apologies, I got the wrong person."

One second, Ryou was apologizing sincerely, and the next, he casually said, "Well then, since you're not her, you're useless. Ana, kill her. Let's go."

The girl initially thought Ryou was joking, but to her shock, Anastasia launched her attack without hesitation. Black ice spikes mingled with shadowy energy, shot toward her from all directions.

"Wait! Wait! I am Echidna! I surrender!"

Echidna was forced to cast defensive magic, struggling to fend off Anastasia's relentless assault. But she couldn't hold out for long. Not only was Anastasia proficient in both ice and shadow magic, but she had also entered the Abyss and absorbed its corrupting power, which now imbued her spells with a terrifying energy that could erode anything in its path.

If Echidna had been in her prime, she might have held her ground. But as a mere spiritual form, she had already expended much of her energy defending against the earlier black ice meteor, using the Sanctuary's barrier. Even with the Sanctuary's protection, her long-prepared tomb had been destroyed by the meteor. Now, with her defensive magic about to fail, she desperately cried out.

Ryou waved his hand, and Anastasia immediately halted her attack. He scrutinized Echidna, his face full of suspicion.

"Are you really Echidna?"

"Of course I am…"

Just as she answered, she noticed Ryou's gaze was filled with amusement. Realization dawned on her—she had been played. Had she not been so outmatched, Echidna would have exploded in rage. But now, Ryou held the knife, and she was the fish on the chopping block.

Echidna suppressed her anger, forcing a smile.

"Please, no more jokes. You've already figured out who I am."

Ryou immediately responded, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Since you're Echidna, please come with us."

Although he used the word "please," it was clear that refusal was not an option.

Echidna erupted in frustration.

"What's wrong with you people?! First, you destroyed my home, and now you're trying to drag me off somewhere! There's a limit to how much you can humiliate someone!"

Ryou remained unmoved in the face of her outburst.

"So, are you coming or not? Make your choice."

"I'll go…"

Echidna muttered tearfully. She had no other choice.