Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 61 – The Gradually Awakening “Witch of Envy”
In this war, the clash of raw power was paramount; there was little room for elaborate strategies.
Yan City, hunkered down in the core district, had limited strategic options, while Dawn, having hastily assembled its forces, relied on its superior ability users to gain the upper hand.
Although Dawn held the advantage, with Yan City trapped in the core district, their advantage would gradually diminish as time went on, and Yan City’s situation would improve.
Moreover…
When the Dawn teams attacking various locations found themselves easily breaching the first line of defense, the team leaders realized something was amiss.
It wasn’t their relentless assault that caused the collapse, but Yan City’s deliberate withdrawal.
A deliberate withdrawal was different from being defeated.
“The real battle… is about to begin…”
The Dawn teams realized this simultaneously.
They were seasoned veterans. Although large-scale assaults on mega-cities were rare, smaller skirmishes with the Free Federation were common.
Yan City’s calm retreat meant they had a stronger fallback position, no longer needing to hold the first line.
And this stronger position was…
The more heavily fortified second line of defense.
“But it’s not all bad news,” Rhine stood in the rain, the falling water seemingly parting around him. “With their defenses consolidated, we can also concentrate our forces.
“From now on, two teams will operate as a unit, spreading out to attack… As for Myers’s Team Four, they will join me, Grifres, and Alyxsia as a mobile force, seeking opportunities for a concentrated breakthrough.”
Rhine’s decision to join the battle had been announced to all Dawn members. Although some objected to their commander and trump card entering the fray so early, it was an order.
And Rhine knew the risks. If Yan City discovered his presence, they might use the “Ember’s eruption” or deploy the Eldest Mister’s remains against him.
Therefore, he decided to conceal his true strength, acting as an ordinary “Peril” level combatant.
…If his caution caused them to fail their objective, to fail to retrieve the Eldest Mister’s remains, he would face severe consequences, not just from his two older brothers, but from himself.
He cared for his Dawn family, but he wasn’t indecisive.
Since they were prepared for casualties, some losses were inevitable…
All of Dawn would mourn for them.
“Let’s move.”
Rhine stepped forward, Grifres and Alyxsia following close behind.
And the five surviving members of Team Four, their expressions resolute, their eyes burning with anger, followed their Cadres.
They would avenge their fallen captain, Myers.
The other Dawn teams dispersed silently, quickly moving towards their designated positions.
In this rain-swept night, these inconspicuous gray figures moved swiftly through Yan City’s core district, approaching the “Ember.”
And in their wake, a trail of corpses and broken defenses.
Blood mixed with rainwater, flowing like rivers.
…
After the battle to intercept Team Four, Qin Wen was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Fortunately, her injuries were mostly external; her mind and soul were intact.
Physical injuries, in this era of ability users, weren’t a major issue.
There were various healing ability users, and with the “Ember’s” energy readily available, their healing abilities were even stronger.
Combined with Qin Wen’s robust constitution, she recovered her basic combat ability within half an hour.
Since most of her attacks were long-range sword strikes using her ability, as long as the pain didn’t affect her mental focus, she was fine.
And even when seriously injured, Qin Wen’s strong will ensured her combat strength remained at its peak.
Just like in her battle against Myers, even injured, with the support of the “Ember’s” energy, she had been able to hold off his all-out assault.
This was the first time Qin Wen had experienced fighting with an unlimited power source. She didn’t have to conserve her spiritual energy.
As long as her mind could handle it, and before the “Ember” reached its limit, she could use her ability freely.
Even… a Forbidden Technique.
To Myers’s shock, Qin Wen had used the “Sword Slaying Formation” three times, barely holding off his attack.
Of course, there had been a cost.
Almost all the swords she had prepared were destroyed in that battle, leaving her with only six, and the aftereffects worsened her injuries.
As for the “Ember’s” energy limit…
Yan City hadn’t been idle in the years since its founding.
Their frugality had resulted in ample energy reserves, more than enough to last through this war.
“It seems I’ll need a long rest after this battle.”
Qin Wen flexed her newly healed arm and looked at the unconscious Hua Qiling in the next bed.
She was still murmuring “Miss Luo Yan,” “Go quickly,” “Don’t go”…
“So worried about ‘Miss Luo Yan’ even in this state…”
Qin Wen chuckled, then her expression turned melancholic.
She also had complicated feelings towards “Miss Luo Yan.”
On one hand, she sympathized with this kind and pitiful girl.
But on the other hand… Luo Yan’s demonic power couldn’t be ignored.
Qin Wen had experienced Luo Yan’s ability up close during the Spring Breeze Pavilion incident.
Having fought many Devil’s minions, she could recognize the nature of that power.
It wasn’t that Luo Yan’s ability was similar to a Devil’s minion’s; it was that the minions were crudely imitating her power.
“Is this what Master meant by ‘Demonically Infected’? But it doesn’t seem quite right… I feel like the old man is hiding something…”
Qin Wen sighed. Although simple-minded, she wasn’t completely oblivious.
She just wasn’t good at thinking from different perspectives. Like when she had initially mistaken Luo Yan for a demon, she had been unable to see past that initial judgment.
“Never mind,” Qin Wen patted her cheeks, too much thinking giving her a headache. “Miss Luo Yan is just Miss Luo Yan… Thinking about it won’t change anything.”
Miss Luo Yan was a pitiful yet kind girl, and she was a good friend, and that was enough.
If Miss Luo Yan were just an ordinary girl, not even as beautiful as she was, Qin Wen would feel much more at ease…
“For now, I’ll focus on winning this war for Yan City.”
Qin Wen climbed out of bed and activated her communicator.
“Apprehension Department, Qin Wen, reporting for duty.”
“Qin Wen…”
A cold, feminine voice echoed from the communicator, sending a chill down Qin Wen’s spine.
But it seemed to be just a momentary lapse; the voice sounded again, the chilling feeling gone.
“Captain Qin Wen, please report to Apprehension Department headquarters immediately. There’s a special mission that requires a face-to-face briefing.”
It was Frick, Qin Wen’s direct superior.
But now…
“A mission… and a face-to-face briefing?” Qin Wen frowned. “Can’t it be explained through the communicator?”
“It’s… a very important mission. You’ll understand when you get here,” Frick’s voice sounded normal, but Qin Wen still remembered that chill.
Frick hung up, not giving her a chance to question him further.
“…So mysterious,” Qin Wen scratched her head. “I hope the Director isn’t up to something…”
But Yan City was currently at war, and Frick was her commander. A secret mission requiring a face-to-face briefing wasn’t unusual.
“Well, I’ll find out when I get there.”
Qin Wen stretched. Although not at her peak, she could still move and fight.
With her mind and soul intact, and the “Ember” as her power source, her combat ability wasn’t significantly reduced.
Her reaction time was just a bit slower.
Barely half an hour after the interception battle, the second line of defense had been established. Yan City was severely understaffed.
And time was of the essence.
A powerful “Ruin” level ability user was a valuable asset and needed to be deployed.
Qin Wen didn’t hesitate and left the ward.
Before leaving, she glanced at Hua Qiling, her expression darkening.
A bad premonition… where was it coming from?
…
Slender hands put down the communicator, a blood-stained robe swaying.
Surrounding her were the bodies of slain staff members, and in the center sat a beautiful, alluring woman.
Or rather… a man.
He was the one who had just spoken to Qin Wen.
However, considering his current form, twisted and distorted beyond recognition, referring to him as “her” or “woman” wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
This was once Frick.
But now…
Even his own parents wouldn’t recognize him.
Except for a faint resemblance in his eyes, he looked nothing like his former self.
Long, blood-red hair flowed around him, a sly smile playing on his lips, a single, malevolent eye glinting within the crimson.
“The Lord’s gift… my beauty…”
He looked down at his reflection in the pool of blood, chuckling.
But then, his gaze was drawn to something.
A seal.
Frick’s seal, a symbol of his authority.
Seeing it, a flicker of struggle appeared in the blood-red eyes, the seductive voice turning into a guttural growl.
“No…”
A flash of red light, and the seal was destroyed.
The struggle vanished.
“To return to the Supreme Lord… is the only true path.”
The blood-clad figure slowly stood up, its terrifying gaze sweeping across the room, confirming that there were no other life signs in the empty Apprehension Department office, then slowly raised a hand.
Its left index finger glowed crimson, and a blood mist filled the air.
The bodies of the slain staff members began to twitch and contort, then slowly stood up.
The ultimate form of “Envy,” rewriting wills and souls.
This was different from Luo Yan’s usage. The twisted wills had mutated, their bodies undergoing an irreversible transformation into monsters.
“If it weren’t for someone using ‘Soul Eater,’ the slumbering Lord wouldn’t have awakened,” the blood-clad figure chuckled. “And because of this… I was able to obtain the Lord’s true power…”
When Luo Yan awakened on the southwestern battlefield, pushing her “Envy” power to its near-limit, gaining the ability to transform the dead into “Heroic Spirits,” the “Witch of Envy,” dormant for millennia, had finally stirred.
Although only slightly, barely awake, a fragment of her consciousness had descended upon this world.
More complete than the will fragment Luo Yan had encountered before…
Just as she had mocked Luo Yan earlier—
The original “Luo Yan” had failed completely.
She couldn’t seal the “Malice of All Worlds” she had unleashed; the Primordial Demons’ awakening was only a matter of time.
However, Luo Yan’s power surge had stimulated the already active “Witch of Envy,” drawing her attention to Yan City.
—And to Frick, who had stolen “Demonic Power.”
Even a weakened, minuscule fragment of a “Primordial Demon” was beyond human comprehension, let alone resistance.
And Frick was only “Peril” level. His soul and consciousness were instantly rewritten, turning him into a servant of the “Witch of Envy.”
His, or rather her, consciousness was no longer her own, her body twisted by this transformation.
However…
A “Witch” only chose female Apostles; this servant was destined to be discarded.
But before being completely discarded…
“Demonically Infected… heh, is that what humans call those blessed by the gods now?” the blood-clad woman’s voice was filled with mockery, though her lips didn’t move. “Well, it’s better than these insects… more suitable for the Lord’s descent…”
The blood mist gradually receded, coalescing into an image.
Qin Wen.
In Frick’s memory, Qin Wen was the hidden Demonically Infected.
“Rejoice… for you have been chosen by the Lord’s grace…”
“And then… it will be time for your utter defeat, Luo Yan.”
Leave a Reply