Warlock Apprentice

When Haley sensed that something was wrong, the defenses of her heart had already begun to crumble. It was like a breached dam, with a torrent of negative emotions surging uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Haley had noticed early enough that she could still barely suppress it for now. Even so, to completely mend the emotional breach would likely take a very long time.

Haley forced herself not to entertain any intrusive thoughts. She knew that this Magical Creature wasn’t just physically resilient but could also manipulate emotions. Facing it, she had to proceed with utmost caution.

While Haley was locked in an internal struggle, Toby had no intention of slowing down. It directly activated its Gravity Meridian, pulling the invisible bowstring taut like a slingshot. Caught off guard, Haley was flung into the air by its immense force.

Immediately after, Toby shifted its gaze toward the others... But just as Toby scanned its surroundings, it noticed something infuriating.

Where are they?!

The surroundings were desolate, with only a half-closed Space Rift remaining. Clearly, when Toby had turned its attention to Haley, the rest of the black-robed attackers had fled! That gaping Space Rift resembled a mocking smile, further stoking Toby’s ire.

Toby thrashed about in frustration, rolling over several times before begrudgingly accepting the situation. There was no way it could rip open the rift and go after them, after all.

Toby was no fool. It knew all too well what lay behind the Space Rift. Wreaking havoc in the Sky Mechanical City was a line it wouldn’t dare cross—even if Angel could bail it out, it wasn’t something Toby would risk willingly.

It didn’t want to act on impulse anymore. Back at the Duskdeep Well’s auction, its rashness nearly got Angel killed. Since that day, Toby’s mindset had changed. It worked so hard to improve itself, not to be a burden to Angel but to become his ally.

Its impulsive pursuit back then, creating a mess in the Sky Mechanical City—for which Angel had to clean up the aftermath—still weighed on its heart.

Thinking of all this, Toby shook its head and decided to ignore the Space Rift. For now, it needed to reunite with Angel and Greya and perhaps vent some of the grievances it had endured during its tribulations.

Toby scanned the surroundings but encountered a new problem: where were Angel and the others?

As Toby hesitated, a sharp gust of wind suddenly screeched from the depths of the Void. Toby turned its head to see a strange being appearing before it.

It was a woman with a human face, but most of her body had transformed into that of a Hawk Falcon.

Dark feathers covered her face without obscuring her features, exuding an austere yet alluring ceremonial beauty.

At first glance, Toby didn’t recognize this bird-woman by appearance, but it was intimately familiar with the smoldering fury burning in her heart.

Not too long ago, it had manipulated her emotions.

It was none other than Haley, who Toby had earlier launched away using the Gravity Meridian. However, whereas Haley’s arms had previously transformed into Hawk Falcon appendages, she now appeared almost fully in a half-beast state.

Clearly, she had fully activated her Bloodline.

As for the earlier group of black-robed attackers, Toby had shown them no mercy. By using its immense power, it had cast them all into the depths of the Void. Among them were surely those whose bodies were destroyed or even perished entirely, but some might have survived.

Those who died—Toby felt no sympathy for. As for the survivors, Toby didn’t care, as they were likely scared out of their wits, their futures bleak, left to mere subsistence at best.

Survivors in such a state generally had the sense not to return for revenge—except for Haley. She seemed determined to fight Toby to the bitter end.

Narrowing its slit-like pupils, Toby fixed its gaze on the approaching Haley, her wings flapping vigorously. Its earlier resolve to let things lie was once again reignited.

Before, it had simply vented its frustrations using brute strength. But now that its anger had largely dissipated, this insolent bird-woman seemed like the perfect opportunity to test its abilities.

Beyond defense and speed, there were many of its Snake Bird capabilities that Toby had yet to unleash. For instance, the crimson serpentine crown atop its head was far from mere decoration. Moreover, the venom sack near its upper jaw, which tingled with anticipation, remained unused.

Since someone was so eager to court disaster, Toby had no intention of letting her off easily.

As Haley and Toby locked eyes, a palpable pressure began to rise in the air.

When the tension peaked, Haley was the first to make a move—not out of a tactical advantage but because she could no longer endure the crushing force Toby was imposing on her. If she delayed any longer, she feared she might collapse under the strain.

As Haley lunged at Toby, a blinding red light suddenly flared from Toby’s head—not from its eyes but from the crown-like growth on its skull.

The fleshy crown now glowed like a piece of superheated crimson crystal, radiating an intense brilliance.

When the light erupted, Haley felt as though she had fallen into a bizarre world of red illumination. Toby’s massive form disappeared, replaced by a spinning, blood-red void. Amid the dizzying chaos, faint silhouettes began to emerge, blurry yet eerily familiar.

”What is this?” Haley frowned. ”An Illusionary Realm?”

It had the semblance of an illusion, yet something about it felt incomplete—lacking in one way but imbued with something else entirely.

As Haley pondered the specifics of her predicament, she suddenly sensed a figure behind her, so close she could feel their breath. Without turning, she dashed forward, putting some distance between them before glancing back.

Standing where she had just been was a shadowy, indistinct figure.

This figure seemed familiar? Haley strained to recall the sense of recognition welling up within her, before hesitantly murmuring, ”Morton?”

Morton was one of the members of their Void expedition team.

At Haley’s call, the blurry figure rapidly came into focus.

It was indeed Morton—but his face no longer bore its usual calm demeanor. Instead, it was filled with deep-seated hatred and malice.

”Morton, is it really you?” Haley couldn’t ascertain if this was the real Morton or just an illusion.

His bloodshot eyes glared at Haley with intense resentment. ”It’s you. It’s all because of you!”

Haley frowned. ”What’s wrong?”

”I hate you! I truly hate you! If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have been affected by the Mark, and she wouldn’t have joined Misaro’s forces.” Morton’s venomous gaze pinned Haley down. ”I’ll never forgive you. I’ll kill you!”

Haley couldn’t tell whether this Morton was real or fake, but anyone daring to challenge her presence was unacceptable. Without a second thought, she swung a black feather, slicing the figure cleanly in two with a flash of dark light.

The voice ceased abruptly, and the figure began to dissolve into nothingness.

”An illusion.” Haley quickly deduced. Yet her heart harbored lingering doubts—if it were merely an illusion, why had it spoken such words? That kind of hatred felt all too real.

Haley also knew exactly who Morton’s ”she” referred to. In the past, whenever their eyes met, she could sense Morton’s subtle dissatisfaction with her.

But how did the illusion know about these private matters?

As suspicions swirled in Haley’s mind, more figures began to appear in the blood-red world. To her horror, they were all people she had once called allies, each now staring at her with the same hateful, unforgiving eyes as Morton.