Eve stared at the Order of Witch Hunter team in front of her. She had already told Janice not to allow anyone outside during the fight. While she hadn’t expected to be fighting an Order aligned with the Inquisition it wasn’t unexpected. This group was well known for doing anything to take their target out according to Nota. Collateral damage wasn’t something Eve wanted as she had just finished acquiring the business behind her. It wouldn’t do to let some religious zealots burn it to the ground because of their fever dream stupidity.

Young Master Andrew, who had arrived with the group of Hunters, decisively stepped away from them and declared he wasn’t a part of them which caused Eve to laugh. The message from the System removing him from the list of targets she could retaliate against was less amusing but served as a lesson.

Eve should have taken action against him faster.

Learning that a singular enemy attacking implicated the entire group when she blocked the primary attacker’s first blow was valuable information. The Prison Plane clearly had slightly different rules as the same thing had not occurred back on Tal Mor at Sunspire. Possibly because those attacking her back then had instead been singular operatives one and all instead of a coherent group. It was good for her disciples and minions to know if they didn’t already. Eve noted that when the Witch Hunters had appeared the mana in the area peeled backward. Essentially excavating the area like a pit dug from will alone. It was probably a massively effective method of restraining a Witch’s power.

At least, any Witch that wasn’t Eve.

Countering the melee specialist that had charged had been child’s play with her physical stats and a blade formed from Witch’s Dust. Glancing at the mana structures of each enemy, Eve found the person who was the likely detection specialist. Mana structures on the detection specialist were based around the eyes and nose, both of which were well known for tracking Skills. With a single Spatial Step, her Jian was buried point first into the enemy’s heart, and the possible specialist’s days of hunting barely trained Witches down was over quite abruptly.

Eve casually parried a blow from behind as the older and more powerful melee specialist of the group charged her with an incoherent scream. She donkey kicked backward launching the man upward into the air, while at the same time slicing for the head of the one who appeared to be maintaining the effect that removed access to mana in the surroundings. Since they were the only individual with mana reacting to the current area that she could see, it was a reasonable gamble.

Unfortunately, the two heavily armored men behind her target shifted instantaneously into place to block her blow. Unwilling to risk being tied up in combat against clearly defensive specialists, Eve used Spatial Step to create distance. At the same time, she placed herself directly where the falling melee specialist arrived a moment later. Eve flexed physical might causing arm and blade to blur at a speed faster than mortal eyes could track. In a fraction of a second, the older male melee specialist was separated from his limbs. A quick slam with the pommel of her Jian knocked the man out long enough for Felix to pull him into the Dungeon.

With the acquisition of the most likely source of information handled, Eve’s eyes grew cold. There was no reason she could see to keep the others alive. Glancing at Andrew she marked him with a flicker of will in case he attempted to flee. Once that was handled she bent down in a crouching bow, placing the sword in her dominant right hand so that it aligned point backward on her left side. There was a moment of silence before a loud crack signaled the destruction of the paved area Eve had been standing upon.

Boosting Strength and Dexterity to inhuman levels allowed Eve to land directly behind the mana using the opponent, and his two defensive guards. As she turned Eve executed chiburi removing all the blood on her Jian with a single swipe, and a healthy bit of telekinetic effort. She was about to turn her attention to Young Master Andrew when the mana user’s body shifted in place. Eve’s eyes widened as the previously beheaded body grabbed the nearby head, and attached it to the neck once more with a hiss of cauterizing flesh. A glance at the younger man showed he was completely flabbergasted at the situation, and his dropped jaw showed this was completely unexpected.

Eve clenched her left fist and Witch’s Dust responded by devouring the two defensive specialists preventing them from resurrecting just in case, too. Since the mana specialist had temporarily died, the suppression effect was no longer working. It had only been a minor inconvenience due to her overwhelming physical stats thankfully. Even now Eve already had several options were the mana effect to occur again. A thin sliver of silver thread formed from Witch’s Dust floated in a string to great heights overhead. If the resurrected mana user cast another suppression it wouldn’t have any effect. Eve would simply pull mana from out of range of the ‘pit’ that formed.

“Well, that hurt.” the mana user said as he rolled his shoulders. Eve and Andrew both watched the newly risen dead man with narrow eyes.

Eve whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Andrew, “Just to be sure, the Order of Witch Hunters isn’t secretly a group of undead out to take over the world through infiltration and replacement techniques, right?”

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Andrew rolled his eyes as he looked at her and said, “No, the Inquisition wouldn’t work with the undead.”

“Greetings, you can call me Nox. Normally, I would make you an offer to join my association of like-minded individuals. I’m afraid you’re a tad too dangerous for us though. I’m willing to leave well enough alone and simply have us part ways if that works for you as well?” Nox said.

Eve looked at the System message given when she read the mana of the undead and sighed. It was clear the entity in front of her had infiltrated the Order of Witch Hunters for some purpose. She couldn’t care less about that, but the temptation to top up her Soul Slots was irresistible. In a bizarre twist, the fact that the opponent had been part of a group that attacked her exposed him to retribution now. The normal inability to attack those of equal or lower Tiers did not provide the undead any protection. Eve looked at the message once more before shrugging.

Nox

Tier Six

Lv. 7502

Bounty: 113B SS

I can’t let someone who’s seen a fraction of my power depart. Eve thought as she wrapped the surrounding space into a barrier to prevent the enemy from escaping. Especially someone who is clearly part of a large picture with unknown motives.

Witch’s Dust spun into existence around Eve becoming visible for the first time since the fight started. Her silver dust grew and multiplied around her as her Jian faded into the cloud that began expanding around Eve’s body.

“I haven’t fought undead before, but it doesn’t really matter. You’re the same as every other creature in existence. A combination of Mind, Body, and Soul.” Eve said as she walked slowly towards the enemy. “Just like everything in Existence, I just need to erase all the parts.”

Nox’s eyes grew dark as mana the color of ebony ink swirled out from under his robes. The air shook with suppressed power, and Eve felt multiple attempts to break the spatial barrier she’d woven over the fight. It was clear the opponent was willing to escape if the option was available, and she couldn’t let that happen. Both of them struck without warning, each attack blazing into existence without delay.

Nox utilized darkness’s link to gravity to form multiple miniature micro-black holes. They flew at Eve like homing bullets from every direction. It was an attack that would leave no trace of her existence, assuming it could strike.

Eve’s own attack was slower but more lethal. She’d carved a box of space that Young Master Andrew was inside, along with one to surround the brothel, and then proceeded with the simplest form of attack.

Mass conversion of everything within the sealed space to more Witch’s Dust.

On the surface, it appeared like nothing so much as an idiot’s attack, but Nox’s eyes widened as his micro-black holes were devoured. Eve knew she didn’t have the same level of skill as a person who had matured the normal way to Tier Six. She didn’t have the training, the backing, or the foundation honed through a millennium of magical combat. However, she also knew those incredible advantages lost to the simple expedient of pure brute force.

Witch’s Dust could convert anything to more of itself.

So, in order to counter the opponent, Eve went with the simplest yet most utterly braindead solution.

Convert everything inside the sealed box, and the enemy dies. Eve thought as she watched ever more frantic attempts by Nox even as the space he had available to fight within shrank. I have no way of knowing what incredible methods of survival this guy might have, but if everything inside the sealed space is eaten, it doesn’t matter.

Waves of darkness were consumed, larger black holes were dissembled and devoured. Even the attempt at airborne plagues was deconstructed. As the silver dust grew, Nox’s expression slowly morphed from one of self-assurance to that of dawning horror. Eve reinforced the spatial barrier around them even as the attacks trying to pierce it became ever more desperate.

“I surrender! I give up! Take me, prisoner, I’ll agree to anything!” Nox shouted even as he continued to attempt to either escape or penetrate the growing silver cloud of true death reaching for him.

“Sorry, I can’t let such a delicious bounty escape,” Eve said with ruthless words.

“Bounty? I can provide five, no, ten times my System bounty! We can use a System contract, so payment is promised in full!” Nox said as his eyes lit up.

Eve’s attacks only redoubled at the undead revealing the true extent of the resources of whatever group he was part of. She had no doubt now that if Nox escaped there would be nothing waiting for her but being served on a silver platter. Just like she had ways to kill those of a lower Tier, there probably existed methods to murder those of a higher Tier. An organization that could pay out the amount Nox offered would undoubtedly have access to them.

Removal of risk takes higher priority than the acquisition of wealth. Eve thought as her eyes flashed cold silver. I might not remember all of my brother’s teachings, but some things are unforgettable.

The undead, Nox, was finally squeezed into a corner of the sealed spatial box his eyes grew dim. Eve took no chances smoothly controlling Witch’s Dust as it began to consume the undead. Even as the body was being eaten by silver dust Nox continued to speak, “You can’t kill me. Space is sealed, true, but that won’t stop my soul from escaping. If you stop now, I promise I won’t take revenge. However, if you don’t, I’ll spend all my resources hunting you down.”

Eve noted the way the undead was pulling dark mana into what appeared to be a core inside his body. It was clear he had a move planned to reverse the situation in a single strike. Even as she watched all the dark mana poured into the finger that he raised to brandish at her location with lethal intent.

“Finger of Death.” Nox intoned causing a dark ray to split the silver dust like a focused laser of destruction.

Eve’s body was struck through even as the attack splattered against the spatial wall behind her.

The undead grinned with sadistic glee that turned to disbelief in a moment.

Looking down at the hole that had been drilled through her body filled with necrotic mana Eve laughed and said, “Good game.”

A wordless scream was ripped from the undead's throat as Witch’s Dust methodically ate them out of existence moments later.

Turning away from the truly dead creature, Eve approached Andrew even as the hole in her clothing and body repaired itself.

“What to do about you,” Eve said looking at the shivering young man.