Following the witch hunter into his subspace, Baek Yu-Seol faced that distinct sense of discomfort once again. It wasn’t anything special.

‘Ugh...’

All around were the fragmented remains of numerous creatures used for experiments. Though he knew these horrific scenes were the witch hunter's desperate attempts to extend his life, he couldn’t help but feel a physiological repulsion.

“The interior looks a bit different from last time. Did you remodel after I visited?”

From what he heard before, this witch hunter had only managed to hunt seven witches so far, making him a rookie.

Some might say ‘only seven,’ but in a world where witches were almost extinct, finding and hunting seven witches was already proof that this witch hunter had been active for several decades.

“Let's see...”

That's that. For now, he needed to gather what he came for.

Wearing his Sentient Spec, he glanced around the laboratory. There were indeed quite a few pieces of equipment suitable for hunting witches.

While there weren’t many magical items he could use directly due to his lack of magic, there were plenty of things he could take for use as defensive gear.

“Is this Alek's Mantle of Extinction? No, it’s a burnt cloak. Why do you have this fake?”

“It was a trophy from a witch hunt. I didn’t realize it was fake…”

“Legro's Piercing... What's this? You should throw this junk away. Oh, you have Pahalen’s Old Tree Bracelet? Why do you have this when you don't even have wrists?”

“... I used to have them.”

“This is Sahalen’s Beaker. Mind if I take it?”

“You have a keen eye for magical items. That’s an ancient mage’s containment seal for capturing a witch’s spirit. Are you planning to capture a witch?”

“No, I’m going to use it as a throwable bomb. It burns well when ignited.”

Regardless of the witch hunter’s view, he continued gathering useful items.

This witch hunter took great pride in hunting witches, and now that he knew Baek Yu-Seol was serious about hunting a witch, he wouldn’t interfere.

“Are you planning to take all of that?”

“Oh, I’ll return then when I’m done using them.”

“... Fine.”

After gathering all the useful magical items, he cast a sidelong glance at the beaker containing the witch’s essence.

“Sigh...”

When Baek Yu-Seol licked his lips, the witch hunter quickly moved to cover it.

‘Sneaky bastard! He’s quick to take the hint.’

Not that Baek Yu-Seol intended to take more of the witch’s essence anyway. His current witch’s crystal orb was already 500 years old, beyond the point of further growth.

Moreover, due to the crystal orb’s side effects, he kept hearing hallucinations.

Who would be crazy enough to enhance it further?

“Oh right.”

... What is it this time?

He might as well ask since it came to mind.

“Hey, do you know what happens if a human is exposed to a witch’s magic? Like, what kind of changes they might experience?”

“Of course.”

“This is about someone I know. They keep hearing voices in the air after being exposed to a witch’s magic. What does that mean?”

“It’s a common hallucination.”

“No, it’s different. This person is extraordinarily strong in mental defense.”

Given the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, his mental defense should be among the best in this world.

Even a witch shouldn't be able to interfere easily, yet he kept hearing hallucinations which drove him crazy.

The 500-year-old witch might have been powerful enough to break through Yeonhong Chunsamweol’s protection, but it was doubtful that such power would remain after her death.

“I don’t know the extent of that mage’s mental defense, but it’s difficult to block a witch’s magic.”

“Well... That person is a Class 8 shield mage, working at the defense center in Bukom. Yet they’re tormented by witch’s hallucinations. Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“... A shield mage, you say?”

Among the few types of mages who could counter a witch, shield mages who could block all types of mana and spatial mages were notable.

Since spatial mages were extremely rare and didn’t fit his current condition, Baek Yu-Seol used the example of a shield mage who could defend against mental attacks.

The witch hunter tilted his head.

“That is rather strange.”

“What’s strange?”

"For a mage with that level of mental defense to be plagued by auditory hallucinations, it would have to be a witch from Rohalen. However, all witches from that place have been hunted, and the 'last witch' is sealed away."

"....... Really?"

"Then what on earth is it?"

"Hmm, I can think of another possibility. The mage might have tried to directly commune with the witch..."

"That's unlikely. He hates witches."

"If that's the case, there's also the possibility that he connected mentally with someone and then hastily set up a barrier, making the other person's voice sound like a hallucination."

"... Huh?"

At that moment, a thought struck Baek Yu-Seol.

‘Wait. Did I visit Celestia recently?’

Celeria used to be a spirit, but now, she was revived with the heart of a follower. She was connected with him by soul and could communicate with him anytime.

However, the mental strain was too great to contact her whenever he wished.

Recently, he’d been too busy running around to pay any attention to Celestia.

"Could it be...?"

Due to the increasingly powerful blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, telepathy might have been blocked, and if Celestia was calling for him…

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Thanks. I think I just figured something out."

"... Just don’t damage any of my tools. Use them carefully."

"Of course. I'll return them in pristine condition, don't worry."

Saying that, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't focus because he was worried about Celestia.

‘Why has she been trying to contact me?’

If the witch hunter's words were true, it meant she had been looking for him for several days... Could something serious have happened?

‘I’ll go see her as soon as this witch hunt is over.’

For now, he had to focus on the witch hunt in front of him, so he pushed the thought away.

"Anyway, thanks. I'll use it well."

Baek Yu-Seol waved to the witch hunter who had readily lent him the magic item for the noble goal of witch hunting, and left the subspace immediately.

Swish!

He knew exactly where she would be hiding.

'The underground sewer.'

Now, all that remained was to cut off the witch's head.

——-

In the Arcanium, underground sewer.

Mellie Sher, who was walking while avoiding dripping water, leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

Thanks to the heart that was restored to her chest, her magic recovery speed had greatly improved, but the pain from being stabbed by the witch hunter had not yet subsided.

However, the wound was almost healed now. Once her magic recovered, she could resume running her restaurant.

'Not enough.'

She needed to recover her magic a bit faster.

Should she capture and absorb a wandering dark mage from the underground sewer?

No, that wasn't very efficient. Besides, if she touched a dark mage from the Dark Mage Alliance and they all came after her, it would be quite troublesome.

Despite having no sense of belonging, they were insane enough to go wild using any excuse to defend their own kind.

'Maybe I should....'

Feeling the heartbeat in her chest, Mellie Sher received a nauseating sensation from within and instinctively cast an illusion shield in the air.

Clang...!!

The underground sewer began to crack like broken glass as she blocked the huge scythe from the shadow flying through the air.

Crash!!

As the shield shattered into countless pieces, the underground waterway twisted to the side, the ceiling collapsed to the floor, and the floor soared to the ceiling—space itself began to distort.

"... Witch, found you."

"Ugh!"

A chilling voice brushed past, as if penetrating the brain. An eerie sensation ran through her body, making her hairs stand on end.

Mellie Sher slowly lifted her gaze to the ceiling of the underground waterway.

A fluttering black robe.

A form darker than darkness itself. And eyes as red as the shining sun which was obscured by the moonlight.

'Witch hunter...!'

This was different from the witch hunter she had encountered before.

She felt like a mouse before a cat.

She gripped her staff with trembling hands, having witnessed a true predator.

"... Damn."

She had known this would happen eventually. Without her witch's restaurant, there was hardly any chance of winning. Even though she knew she couldn't win, a grin spread across her lips.

"Finally found you."

The witch hunter didn't care about her words. Mellie Sher slammed her staff into the ground, focusing solely on the scythe meant to decapitate witches.

BOOM!

Immediately, with a deafening explosion, the underground waterway shattered into fragments and soared into the air.

With the distinction between up, down, left, and right gone, and as the fragments scattered further into pieces, the witch hunter didn't move an inch.

"Foolish act..."

"Foolish act? Laughable. Ha, I’ve prepared this show to hunt you witch hunters! You're the first sacrifice!"

BOOM!

The ceiling of the underground waterway was pierced, and the floor of the Arcanium collapsed. Brilliant moonlight invaded inside.

"Ugh!"

The space folded in half as the witch hunter swung the scythe, splitting the illusion shield in two.

Mellie Sher barely managed to block the blow with the illusion of a giant lotus in the air but ended up coughing blood due to internal injuries.

"Cough...!"

But it was okay.

Mellie Sher didn't hold back her power and covered the entire area with her illusion.

The purple dawn sky turned green, and the dark clouds turned white-gray.

'No doubt about it.'

That witch hunter possessed the power of the [Breath of the Dead Witch.]

It was a fatal ability for witches, but if she could absorb it completely...

Perhaps, Mellie Sher would become perfectly immune to witch hunters.

A witch who no longer had to be chased by witch hunters.

If such a witch existed.

'I could rule this magical world with my hands!'

A witch's restaurant?

There was no need for such troublesome tasks. If she could wield the ultimate magic that governs both illusion and reality, why bother with tedious groundwork?

It was a plan she had been preparing for a very long time. Having inherited the prophecy from the ancestor, ‘the last witch,’ she had crafted the final spell to absorb the abilities of the witches' arch-enemy, the witch hunters.

‘Illusions are just illusions.’

‘That's what you witch hunters always say.’

‘But it will no longer hold true.’

"Reality will become an illusion too."

The witch hunter's eyes changed. Those red eyes flashed as he attempted to suppress the illusion by scattering black space everywhere, but it was useless.

Such tricks couldn't work against a perfect illusion indistinguishable from reality. It was created by sacrificing even her lifespan.

Crackle!

"Strike down!"

As Mellie Sher chanted and swung her broom in a wide motion, red lightning struck the witch hunter.

Crackle!

The witch hunter momentarily staggered by the blow to his real body. He soon regained his stance and spun the scythe in the air. Like a fan dispersing dust, the illusion began to slowly dissipate, but Mellie Sher clenched her hand in the air, stopping it.

"You are no ordinary witch."

"Of course not."

A being akin to the mother of all witches. The one who allowed witches to remain as witches; the 'Last Witch', had directly passed down her magic to her.

She possessed abilities that set her apart from other witches.

"I can fulfill our long-cherished desire...."

A world where witches no longer have to live in hiding. The Last Witch simply wanted such a world.

But... Witches inherently couldn’t blend with humans.

Driven by emotions, forming societies, binding themselves with laws—those inferior beings were fundamentally different from them.

Since they were perfect on their own and able to stand at the pinnacle of the world, why should they compromise with inferior races?

"Ruling them is enough."

CRASH!

As Mellie Sher thrust her broom into the air, the space shattered into fragments, trying to tear the witch hunter's body to pieces.

The witch hunter surrounded himself with a black shield to endure it, but his limits were approaching.

"That power... only eats away at your lifespan..."

She knew that.

But what was the problem?

After this fight, if she could absorb the [Breath of the Dead Witch], she might gain a perfect form and perhaps even immortality.

"Think that as you die. You are just fodder for me."

"... What a pity."

The witch hunter finally sensed his end, closed his eyes, and scattered into pieces, meeting his death.

Watching the witch hunter, who completely vanished into the four-dimensional space without leaving a corpse, Mellie Sher gritted her teeth and grinned.

It was easier than she thought.

She had left her scent all over that blue-haired witch at the restaurant to divert the witch hunter's attention, but that would have been disastrous.

"If I hadn't faced that witch hunter, I would have regretted it."

Thanks to facing the witch hunter herself, she could now seize the greatest power.

"Sigh...."

Mellie Sher forced strength into her thigh and approached the witch hunter's remains. Once she absorbed that essence, everything would be over.

As she pondered that.

Clink!

… Suddenly, someone appeared from the shadows and grabbed the witch hunter's essence.

"What...?"

The boy wore the uniform of Stella Academy. He had black eyes and black hair, and most notably, he held a staff emitting a beautiful light.
And more than anything,

"The flow of mana... is strange...?"

There was no mana in the boy's body.

No, to be precise... As soon as natural mana was absorbed into his body, it was immediately expelled outside. As if his body was rejecting mana.

‘How could something like that exist...?’

Suddenly, a thought struck Mellie Sher’s mind. Something the Last Witch had said a long time ago…

"You, could it be...?"

But before Mellie Sher could continue, the boy raised his sword and closed the distance.

Whoosh!

She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the boy had already closed a distance of ten paces and was swinging his sword at her neck.

At that moment, she realized.

‘All things in this world flow with the fate of mana. No being can defy it. Even the constellations and gods contain mana.’

As she swung her broom to create a wave of illusions to block the light sword, she wondered if the reason this being felt familiar was because of what the Last Witch had said.

‘But, if a being without mana exists... That one could even defy fate.’

Back then, she had asked what should be done if such a being truly existed.

‘Run. Do not look back.’

A voice so weak it was hard to believe it came from the Last Witch.

Clang!!

She sent a powerful illusion at the boy, but he easily pierced through it and swung his sword at her neck.

"Ha, it’s real…. It truly exist...."

A being she once dismissed as mere legend now stood before her.

But it appeared Mellie Sher would not heed the Last Witch's advice.

"Run without looking back? How can I do that...."

Suddenly, her eyes turned cold.

"When you look so delicious to devour!"

Shouting this, Mellie Sher stabbed the sky with her staff.

Immediately, the world turned upside down.

"If you are the being even the Last Witch feared...."

‘I'll hunt and devour you.’

Mellie Sher made her decision.