Chapter 1387: The Bloodred Array Was Feeding

The figure behind the throne raised a hand and gave a gentle wave. A breeze swept through the hall, stripping the mud from the two scouts and leaving their clothes and skin clean.

Both men bowed low, slamming their foreheads against the floor.

"Keenear and Keeneye, reporting! They may be preparing to leave."

The Witch stepped out from behind the throne.

She approached the two men and tapped each of them on the head with her staff. Every strike released a ring of purple smoke into the air.

The smoke swirled around Keenear and Keeneye before seeping into their bodies through their noses, mouths, and skin. Their power rose as they absorbed it, accompanied by faint pops from their muscles and bones.

"Bring them here," the Witch said, withdrawing her staff. Her voice remained gentle. "We can’t let such fine ingredients simply walk away."

Keenear and Keeneye looked up together.

"We won’t fail!"

After they left, the Witch walked alone toward the back of the hall.

An enormous cauldron stood there, its bottom still stained purple. As she approached, her youthful appearance began to change. Her skin lost its luster, wrinkles spread from the corners of her eyes, and her voice grew old and slow.

"You should go as well."

The old Witch looked toward the shadowed corners around her.

"They won’t be easy to handle."

At her command, a group of dark figures rose from the shadows and rushed out of the building, heading toward Ethan’s group.

The old Witch didn’t follow.

She took a broken mirror from her sleeve and stared down at her fractured reflection, remaining motionless for a long time.

Ethan’s group had no intention of staying in Gloommire Marsh any longer than necessary.

The ground was far too wet. Their shoes sank into the mud with every step, and sometimes they had to brace against tree branches just to pull their feet free.

The atmosphere was even worse.

The woods were unnaturally quiet, and the damp air sat heavily on their chests, making it difficult to breathe. Other than footsteps and the squelch of mud, they could hear almost nothing.

Two figures appeared in the treetops ahead.

Keenear and Keeneye.

They stood high above the group, all traces of their earlier uncertainty gone. Their expressions had turned vicious. Both men raised their hands and interlocked their fingers, completing a series of unusual gestures.

Purple smoke rose beneath their feet.

Their bodies dissolved into it and vanished among the trees.

Bloodred light immediately flared beneath the group.

Red lines spread across the muddy ground, forming a circular magic array. Mysterious runes appeared one by one, followed by eyes that opened between the lines of the formation.

Each eye contained six strange dots.

Andona spread her golden wings as the blade in her hand split into many. With a sweep of her arm, she launched the golden blades into the surrounding trees.

They pierced the trunks one after another, taking up different positions around the bloodred array.

Andona brought her hands together and quietly chanted an incantation.

Every blade embedded in the trees lit up. Golden lines connected through the air, and a brilliant second array unfolded above the group. Divine Power descended from it, colliding head-on with the bloodred formation below.

Hiss—

The two forces ate away at each other where they met.

Bloodred runes crept upward while golden holy light forced them back toward the ground, layer by layer. A piercing noise spread through the woods, and leaves shook loose from nearby trees under the pressure of the clash.

Andona’s expression quickly turned serious.

She gripped the blade that had returned to her hand and watched the surrounding forest.

A golden energy sphere shot out from between the trees.

Its color looked almost identical to Divine Power, but Andona sensed the evil hidden inside before it reached her. The golden surface was only a disguise.

She swung her sword into its path.

The blade came down through the sphere and split it in half. The mixed energies inside immediately exploded, spreading a golden shell and purple smoke in every direction. Andona had already raised a pale gold shield, keeping the blast away from the group.

Before the explosion had fully faded, the array beneath their feet was completed.

Deep within the woods, Keenear and Keeneye sat facing each other. Their eyes were closed, and their hands moved through seals at incredible speed. Each completed gesture lit up another set of runes in the bloodred array surrounding Ethan’s group.

The mysterious formation rose from the ground and enclosed everyone inside.

It continued to clash with Andona’s golden array, somehow holding its own.

Auri sat quietly beside Ethan, watching the commotion as if it were nothing more than a show. Ethan was also studying the two arrays, but he still added a layer of white shielding around them both.

A faint whistle came from behind.

A dart sliced through the leaves, flying straight for the back of Ethan’s head.

Snap!

It struck the white shield, broke in half, and dropped into the muddy water.

When the first dart failed, cold flashes appeared throughout the woods. More darts and energy spheres came from every direction, passing over everyone else to target Ethan alone.

Darts from the left.

Energy spheres from the right.

Even several attacks skimming along the mud changed direction midway and went for his legs.

Every enemy in the forest was focused on him.

Ethan couldn’t exactly blame them. He was the only man in the entire group, so of course he drew attention. It was like being the one person mosquitoes always went after—and it wasn’t as if he could bite them back.

But after enduring a full barrage, his anger still began to rise.

White lightning gathered in his palm. Electric arcs crawled between his fingers and up his arm. As his power intensified, the air around him expanded outward. The nearby trees bent under the pressure, their branches and leaves nearly touching the mud.

The dark figures hiding in the canopy were forced down as well.

Several of them fell from the trees and slammed into the mud, though they suffered no obvious injuries. They scrambled to their feet, gathered together ahead of the group, and watched them warily.

Catheryn glanced at them and gave a small nod.

Dark energy expanded in her palm.

She walked toward the shadowy figures alone, her tone as calm as if she were offering ordinary advice.

"Gotta admire the courage."

Black light flowed down her arm and gathered in her palm.

"But next time, maybe don’t be so brave. Oh, right—I forgot. There won’t be a next time."

A pitch-black laser shot from Catheryn’s hand.

The beam swept forward just above the ground, destroying mud and soil alike. It carved a straight trench through everything in its path.

The figures ahead didn’t scatter. Instead, they chose the most direct possible way to combine.

One person planted himself at the bottom while the others climbed onto his shoulders one after another, feet on shoulders and shoulders supporting feet. Within moments, they had formed a swaying human tower.

Just before the black beam struck, a purplish-pink shield spread out in front of them.

The barrier was thin and immediately bowed inward on contact. Cracks raced across its surface, and its purplish-pink glow steadily dimmed, yet it refused to break.

The fact that it could withstand Catheryn’s attack for this long was surprising enough.

Andona had noticed something wrong as well.

Her golden array wasn’t overwhelming the enemy formation. When Divine Power struck the bloodred lines, the runes actively absorbed it.

The golden array wasn’t judging and destroying the evil power below.

It was feeding it.

Deep in the woods, Keenear and Keeneye were already suffering the backlash.

Blood began flowing from their eyes and running down their cheeks. Then it seeped from their noses, ears, and the corners of their mouths. Still, they continued forming seals. Their fingers moved faster and faster even as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.