Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted

”I am going to perform a ritual that can strip away the authority of light, so I can kill the God of Light and Fire, and let this world return to normal.

”As a mythic creature, I think you know what this world was like before the gods descended.”

Mythic creatures are extremely rare, especially a creature like the Dusk Crow with order-system abilities. There might now be only one left, on the brink of extinction.

”Although we rarely interacted with humans before, we know of these matters. I thank you for what you have done for the people.”

The exchange between Loren and the Dusk Crow went very smoothly; the Dusk Crow showed Loren no suspicion.

”When do you need me, or can I follow you indefinitely?”

”Just keep following me.”

Loren wasn’t certain when he would need to perform the ritual, and the Dusk Crow could serve as a mount.

Besides, Loren could protect the Dusk Crow. Right now someone wanted to kill it, and Loren had ways to hide it, even disguise it as a common magical beast.

Things went so well Loren could hardly believe it. He had already prepared to kill the Dusk Crow and let the World Card record the crow’s abilities.But if he could avoid killing it, that was best; Loren did not want another species to go extinct.

The ritual required countless materials, many harvested from various creatures. If the Dusk Crow had already gone extinct, the Light-Erosion Ritual would be difficult to continue.

This was why Loren worked to preserve biodiversity. Who knew when some ritual would need a species on the brink of extinction.

After a brief exchange, the Dusk Crow carried Loren and landed in front of the villagers.

”The divine bird…”

The girl saw the Dusk Crow bearing Loren and couldn’t believe it.

”I will take your divine bird with me, and I can keep it safe.

”As for you, stay in the village.”

Loren had tested this before: even if the World Card switched to another creature’s ability, the Angler’s fishing line would not snap; instead it would hide.

The other end would connect directly to the void, which completely avoided any risk of Loren being exposed.

Although the Angler’s lines were basically only visible to Loren because he had the True Sight Eye, he would not take any chance.

”Don’t forget you are still an undead creature, especially now that you have self-awareness. You are fragile; sunlight could kill you outright, but you don’t need to worry where you live.

”We’ll leave directly. Meeting others would be a hassle, even if you claim you do not interact with the outside world.

”Don’t expose our information. You were rescued by the Angler, remember?”

”I remember…”

Now she was completely under Loren’s control; he did not fear betrayal. She could not disobey his orders, so he didn’t mind sparing her life. After all, she had stumbled into helping him find the Dusk Crow.

”Go. We’re leaving.”

”Yes…”

The girl knelt and solemnly thanked Loren, then turned and walked into the village.

Loren hadn’t truly saved her life, but he had given her and the others a chance to say goodbye, and he had helped rescue their divine bird. She genuinely felt grateful.

”Take this.”

When Loren dismounted, the Dusk Crow turned and plucked a feather from itself, offering it to Loren:

”This feather contains some of my power. You can use it to consume light, or use it in the ritual.”

”Good…

”Let’s leave now; there’s no point staying here…”

Loren stroked the Dusk Crow’s feather, about to depart, when his intuition began screaming warnings.

”Get out of here!”

He only had time to shout once before the night sky was torn apart; a beam of sunlight pierced the darkness and struck Loren and the Dusk Crow.

The light moved incredibly fast. Loren had no time to cast any magic or even take a step; he could only helplessly activate Void-walking.

Everyone else was near Loren. He could observe the situation through the Abyssal Gaze Eye.

The beam had been narrow, covering only the Dusk Crow, and Loren only incidentally.

So Loren immediately deactivated Void-walking and chose to take the hit directly; he wanted to see the Dusk Crow’s death with his own eyes and record its abilities.

The moment the sunlight touched the Dusk Crow, its body turned to ash and blew away; from being struck to vanishing into dust was only an instant.

The same attack hit Loren. With the Justice Card, the Crimson Elegy, the reversed Shattered Love, and other stacked bonuses, Loren only suffered burned skin, then restored completely the next moment.

Loren’s durability was now absurdly high.

”……”

When the sunlight faded, Loren lifted his head, feeling an incredible fury.

A monster hovered in the air, its body radiating intense light, six wings covered with eyes behind it, and where its head should be there was a ball of light.

The moment it appeared, the whole village was illuminated.

”The God of Light and Fire’s angel…”

This was Loren’s second confrontation with an angel. Unlike the damaged Angel of Confusion before, this one was whole, and it served the strongest deity: the God of Light and Fire.

”Looking for death!”

Loren leaped into the air at once. Wind burst beneath his feet, and in a blink he was in front of the angel.

Loren was no longer the same; he no longer feared any angel.

”Mortal…”

The angel lowered its head. The hundreds of eyes on its wings were full of arrogance; even with Loren before it, the angel did not take him seriously.

Until Loren’s blade bit into its neck.

”Throat-Severing Slash!”

A single strike with the triple bonuses of Lurking Fangs, Judgment, and Justice severed the angel’s head. The detached head ceased to glow; after the light faded it became an ordinary skull.

Such damage was not insignificant for an angel who held authority, and the angel reacted quickly, grabbing Loren’s wrist before Loren could pull his blade back.

At the same time, the angel’s many eyes locked onto Loren. Countless laser beams converged and pierced Loren’s body.

”What?”

The angel sensed something wrong, but it was already too late. Void-walking Loren had moved behind it, blade tip aimed at the angel:

”Die! One thousand mana, Blood Moon Condensed Light!”

In a surge of rage, Loren unleashed his ultimate. A blood-red beam far thicker than the previous sunlight beam enveloped the angel and slammed it into the ground. The shock shook the earth itself.

When the Blood Moon Condensed Light dispersed, a pit yawned in the ground, bottomless.

”Blood Moon Condensed Light!”

Loren roared, and an even more tremendous Blood Moon Condensed Light slammed down on the same spot.