[You have leveled up to Level 3 (EXP 40/450)]
Health Points: 120/120 → 144/144
Mana: 24/24 → 28.8/28.8
Physical Attack: 12 (+3) → 14.4 (+3)
Magical Attack: 0.2 → 0.24
Defense: 2.4 → 2.88
Agility: 14.4 → 17.27
I murmured, glancing at my stats. "I leveled up again!" A satisfied grin tugged at her lips as I flexed her fingers, feeling the surge of power coursing through my veins. My movements felt sharper, body lighter, like I could take on an entire army of these grotesque creatures without breaking a sweat.
I pressed forward, my wings flickering as I danced through the air, weaving between incoming attacks with precise, fluid motions. Another swarm of Gokibura leaped toward me from the shrine’s rooftop, their grotesque mandibles snapping hungrily. Without hesitation, I twirled midair, my blade cutting through their chitinous bodies in a swift, elegant arc, sending dark ichor spraying through the air.
Each strike summoned another glowing swallowtail butterfly, the shimmering creatures darting forward to deliver an extra blow before vanishing in bursts of ethereal light. The battlefield glowed with their luminescent trails, a mesmerizing contrast to the darkened sky above. Their fluttering wings created a hypnotic pattern, almost making the carnage look like an intricate dance of destruction.
More Hebira slithered out of the portal, their eerie golden eyes locking onto me as they coiled in preparation to strike. One lunged, its fangs gleaming with venom, but Mashiro twisted just in time, flinging a talisman at its open maw. The sacred paper latched onto the creature’s scales, pulsing with purifying energy. A crackling hiss echoed through the air as its NONO status shattered, the snake writhing as it was forcibly returned to a weakened state. I took the opening and delivered a powerful downward slash, cleaving through its elongated body with a flash of steel, watching as its severed form dissolved into black mist.
Another Hebira attempted to ambush me from the side, but I reacted instinctively, spinning on my heel and slamming a talisman-laced palm into its face. A brilliant flash erupted as purification energy surged through the creature, disorienting it just long enough for me to follow up with a series of rapid slashes. Each cut was precise, deliberate, my blade moving with deadly grace. The Hebira let out one final screech before vanishing into oblivion.
"Come on, you creepy noodles! Keep up!" I taunted, exhaling sharply as another wave of enemies surged forward. The thrill of battle coursed through my veins, each strike fueling my momentum. With my newfound strength and agility from leveling up, I moved faster, hit harder, and dodged with even greater precision. The battle wasn’t over yet, but I was just getting started.
Thirty minutes had passed, and the battlefield was littered with the dissolving remains of my fallen foes. I had cut down dozens of those grotesque cockroaches, their twisted forms vanishing into nothingness as my blade tore through them. The Hebira, though tougher, had met the same fate, their eerie hissing silenced by the swift precision of my strikes. The shrine rooftop was now my stage, each movement another step in the deadly dance, my glowing butterflies trailing behind me like echoes of my relentless assault.
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“Hmph.” The violet witch scoffed, narrowing her eyes in frustration as she realized her plans were unraveling before her.
“You’re not gonna win this, sis,” Catherine called out, her voice steady as she continued to support Yuzu, reinforcing her spells while she fired another volley of projectiles. “It’s meaningless. Stop it before it’s too late.”
"Yuzu Surprise Attack!" Yuzu shouted with unshakable confidence, her sharp claws glinting under the dim, chaotic light as she lunged at the violet witch with all the grace and majesty of a beast ready to strike. Her fox ears twitched with excitement, her tail flicking behind her like a banner of war. The wind rushed past her, carrying the scent of burnt air and lingering corruption as she propelled herself forward with a burst of mana, her entire body coiled with the force of her impending strike. To her, this was the ultimate ambush, an attack so swift and decisive that the enemy wouldn’t even have time to react.
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The violet witch, however, barely seemed to acknowledge the incoming assault. With a lazy step to the side, she effortlessly evaded the attack, her cloak billowing slightly from the sudden movement. It was as if she wasn’t even trying. Yuzu’s claws sliced through empty air, the momentum throwing her slightly off balance as she landed on the rooftop with a disgruntled huff.
“Yuzu—!” Catherine started, her voice tinged with urgency, but before she could finish, Yuzu suddenly whirled around, her light blue eyes burning with indignation. Her tail bristled slightly as she jabbed a clawed finger in Catherine’s direction, her frustration spilling out in dramatic fashion. "Code Nine, I meant Code Nine! Stop yelling out the attacks! It ruins the surprise part!"
Yuzu huffed, crossing her arms as if Catherine had just committed an unforgivable sin.
Catherine blinked, utterly baffled. “You literally just screamed it at the top of your lungs.”
"Nyever!!" Yuzu declared with absolute conviction, flipping her hair with an exaggerated flourish before immediately leaping back into the fray, her battle cry echoing through the sunlight.
“Tch.” The violet witch clicked her tongue in irritation, her eyes narrowing as she observed the battlefield. The tide of battle had shifted, and she hated it. Her carefully laid-out plans, her orchestrated chaos, were beginning to crumble. And worst of all, she was part of the reason why.
Her gaze locked onto Catherine, who was still supporting Yuzu with spells, her golden aura shimmering faintly under the shrine’s flickering light. It made her sick to her stomach.
“Why…?” Her voice was laced with disbelief and something bordering on contempt. Her fingers clenched around her staff, the swirling dark energy crackling ominously. “Why are you getting friendly with the fox, sis?”
There was a raw edge to her words, as if she couldn’t comprehend how Catherine could stand side by side with someone like Yuzu, fighting together so naturally. The way they covered for each other, the way Catherine’s magic instinctively followed Yuzu’s movements—it was seamless. Almost like they had been allies from the very start, and that infuriated her.
The violet witch’s grip on her staff tightened, her voice dripping with venom as she glared at Catherine. Dark energy crackled at her fingertips, pulsing in rhythm with her rising fury.
“Is this why you didn’t take part in the War of the Witches?” she sneered, her words laced with scorn. “Were you such a coward that you couldn’t even choose a side?”
Her eyes burned with something deeper than mere resentment. Betrayal, disappointment, perhaps even pain. To her, Catherine wasn’t just an opponent. She was supposed to be more than this, a force to be reckoned with, an ally, family. And yet, here she was, standing against her, aiding the very ones who had no place in their world.
The violet witch’s energy flared wildly, distorting the air around her. "Tell me, sister—was it weakness that held you back? Or was it them?" She cast a glance toward Yuzu and the shrine maiden who were fighting the unknowns, her lips curling in disgust. "Have you really thrown away everything for the sake of a bunch of strays?"
Catherine narrowed her eyes, gripping her staff a little tighter as she studied her sister’s expression. “I don’t get it. What’s your obsession with fox-kin?” she asked, her voice laced with both frustration and curiosity. “Were you really so desperate for their spatial magic power?”
The violet witch let out a low chuckle, dark amusement dancing in her eyes. “Yeah,” she admitted without hesitation, a twisted smile spreading across her lips. “And what’s wrong with that?!”
Catherine’s heart sank. There was no hesitation, no remorse in her sister’s words—only raw, unfiltered ambition. "What were you planning to do with those powers, Viola?" she pressed, though deep down, she already feared the answer.
Viola’s grin widened, her aura flaring with unchecked malice. "So I can teach those arrogant humans and elves a lesson," she declared, her voice dripping with a thirst for vengeance. "They’ve looked down on us witches for long enough. It's time they learned their place."
The air between them grew thick with tension, the crackle of dark magic intertwining with the distant sounds of battle. Catherine clenched her teeth, her grip on her staff unwavering. "So that’s what this is about," she muttered. "You never changed, did you, Viola?"
Viola’s eyes gleamed with an unsettling light as she took a step closer, her dark cloak fluttering like a shadow behind her. “Oh? Is that so?" she mused, tilting her head. "It’s not my fault. They were foolish enough to start a war. After sacrificing so much to defeat the Demon Lord, after our people gave their very lives, those arrogant fools trampled over the witches who bled for them.” Her lips curled into a bitter smile. “Don’t you think they deserve punishment?”
Catherine’s heart ached at the venom in her sister’s voice. "You think vengeance will fix anything?" she shot back. "All it'll do is drag us even deeper into the cycle of hatred!"
Viola scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Spare me the moral lecture, Catherine. This world isn't fair, and I’m simply restoring balance. If the humans and elves won't respect us, then I'll make them fear us.” She spread her arms, the air around her crackling with dark energy. "And once I wield the fox-kin’s magic, no one will be able to stop me."
Catherine shook her head. "You're wrong, Viola. Power won't bring you justice—it'll only make you the villain in another story."
Viola’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes darkened. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to rewrite the story myself.”