Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1021 Go and come back?
The moment he pressed the talisman on the face of the "Dark Saint", Leonard suddenly withdrew his left hand and used the reaction force of the pressure to move his body backwards to avoid being affected by the powerful talisman.

But the "disaster" spell seemed to have its own consciousness. After gushing out a heart-pounding destructive force, it quickly gathered all the power and released it on the only object that came into contact with it - Xesma. It did not harm the surrounding environment like the dressing mirror that transmitted the "petrification" power, nor did it harm Leonard himself, who was the second closest.

The power of destruction and disaster immediately destroyed Xesma's head with short black hair and eyes surging with deep red light, and then went all the way down along the neck, blasting his entire body into fine powder like sand, which was scattered on the grayish-white petrified ground, making a rustling sound that made people's teeth ache.

Leonard learned from his previous lesson and did not relax his vigilance immediately. Instead, he raised the "Word of the Sea" in his other hand, condensed the silver-white electric light on the tip of the staff, and muttered to himself:

"Is he dead?"

The old voice that came from his ear made his heart rise to his throat again:
"No……

"But he was badly injured and has already escaped."

Escaped... Leonard finally felt relieved and immediately frowned.

Although he knew that the "Secret Prayer" who was proficient in flesh magic and shadow abilities was difficult to kill, Leonard could not hide his disappointment that he did not die even after being crushed into dust under the "Disaster" spell.

"Why are you disappointed? How can a demigod be killed so easily? You were able to severely injure a Black Knight and make him flee in disgrace. You should be thinking about how to explain to the church later that you have combat capabilities beyond Sequence 5." Pales said unhappily, "Don't worry about him. You can't catch up with him. Go check on Sherman."

Oh, Sherman... Leonard's body, which had become hot due to the surging adrenaline in his body, cooled down instantly. He looked at the slender figure lying in a pool of blood on the street corner. He took two steps at a time and came to her side. His nose was immediately filled with the strong smell of blood.

“Isn’t it possible for a Sequence 6 witch named Pleasure to freeze herself and heal her injuries…?”

He muttered something, not knowing whether he was asking Sherman or Pales. He lifted Sherman, who was lying on the ground, up with trembling hands and found that there was a wound on her chest that was three times longer than the blade of the Dark Saint's straight sword. It passed through the sternum and the spine at the back, and shattered everything along the way.

"This is a wound caused by the 'Blade of Flesh and Soul'. It can corrode flesh and blood and annihilate the soul at the same time. Even the 'Mirror Stand' cannot escape it... and her spine is injured and her spirit is out of control, so she can't use other means to save herself." Pales' voice sounded again, "Fortunately, it's not a big problem. Press the wound with your hand and I'll steal it..."

There is also this method. The old man's strength has really recovered a lot... Leonard just sighed and pressed his hand on the huge wound that was still bleeding.

Suddenly, he heard a crisp "bang" sound in his ears, like the crackling sound of wet firewood being ignited, which made him involuntarily look forward.

A figure wearing a linen shirt and with eyes flashing dark red under his short hair appeared again on the messy street.

He had a handsome face and neat clothes, as if he was not affected by the "disaster" spell at all. As soon as he landed on the ground, he looked at Leonard squatting in a pool of blood and Sherman in his arms.

Then he raised his hand.

----

In an alley in the East District, the shadows under the moonlight suddenly became thicker, like a dark, viscous liquid.

They squirmed and gathered together, stretching out their limbs, and their necks shook and grew a head, forming a man with a pale face but eyes that strangely glowed red.

He was the "Dark Saint" Xesma, who had just been severely injured in the battle, lost a lot of flesh and blood, and used the shadow to escape from the battlefield.

From time to time, wounds deep enough to see the bones appeared from the inside of his body, but were instantly covered and repaired by the surrounding flesh and blood, and then torn apart again by the destructive force. The process of growth and destruction was repeated in this way, causing him to groan in anger.

"Damn it, how can a team of 'hounds' that aren't even demigods possess such a powerful spell? And the mirror thrown by that damn witch, the ability I suddenly forgot..."

He cursed under his breath, looked up and observed his surroundings, and found that he had hurriedly arrived at the densely populated East District with few churches. He felt a little more at ease.

Without taking the time to rest, he dived into the shadows again, erasing all traces of his movements, and entered a house with gas lights on.

He planned to devour some flesh and blood to recover from his injuries, and then meet up with the "Secret Saint" Butis, who should have captured the "apprentice" who accidentally exposed himself in various gatherings, and leave Backlund together.

Without the other party's "secret-keeping" ability, he would not be able to escape the pursuit of the official extraordinary people.

The shadow flowed along the wall, entered the second floor of the house, and covered the man who was reading a newspaper under the lamp like a dark curtain without him noticing.

But the "curtain" shrank in an instant, and then turned into Xesma lying on the ground.

The man he just tried to devour was actually just an illusion!
Oh no, it’s a trap... Xesma didn’t care about exposing himself and rushed towards the half-open window, trying to blend into the shadows outside the window.

At this moment, his rapidly running thoughts suddenly became hazy and stagnant, his limbs became heavy and uncontrollable, and he crashed into the window sill, broke through the window, fell from the second floor, and fell into the alley below.

The collision restored some of his thinking ability, and he understood with difficulty what had happened to him:

An enemy who is at least a "weird wizard" is hiding in the dark, controlling his spirit thread!
Having traveled to many countries including Intis and Loen and dealt with many "Masters of Secret Dolls" and "Magicians", Xesma knew that he would not have more than ten seconds to save himself, so he gave up repairing the continuous scars on his body without hesitation, allowing them to expand rapidly. No blood flowed out of the wounds, but there were eyes that seemed to be peeking out from behind a curtain of shadows, peeping at the outside world from inside the wounds.

This is an incomplete mythical creature form of the "Secret Prayer" path. The gaze of those eyes can make most creatures' hearts filled with corrupt thoughts, causing their flesh and blood to lose control and become crazy. This power will also affect Xesma himself.

But for him at this moment, even the craziest ideas are better than stagnant thoughts and stiff limbs!

At the same time, he used his somewhat numb tongue and lips to recite the words that were already very familiar to him:

"The lingering heroic spirit, the followers of the true Creator..."

Faster...faster...faster...

His brain, which was filled with paste, turned over a thought, and his lips moved uncontrollably, about to say the last sentence "Eyes that gaze at fate". But the invisible spiritual thread was plucked and pulled by the dark power, causing him to bite his tongue and swallow the last word of the honorific name.

The pain restored Xesma's last bit of clarity, and he looked towards the corner of the alley with a sensitive look.

Lying there was a fat rat that could be seen everywhere in the East District. Its fur was messy and its body was covered with garbage from nowhere, but its eyes were quietly looking at Xesma.

This is... a secret doll...

Through the eyes of the mouse, Xesma looked at the "weird wizard" who was controlling the thread of his spiritual body. His eyes gradually relaxed, and the wounds on his body recovered at an extremely fast speed. The destructive force that had ravaged his body before was now obedient and did not cause any hindrance.

Then, he placed one hand on his chest and bowed to the mouse on the ground.

The surrounding scene shattered like a mirror, revealing the real streets of the East District. It seemed no different from before, but the window above was not broken by Xesma. The man inside was still reading the newspaper by the light and did not notice the abnormality outside the window.

Everything that just happened happened in the "mirror world"!

If Xesma still had his own consciousness, he would know by now that it was not only the "weird wizard" who was hunting him, but also a "disaster" witch who could transmit the power of "petrification" to a distant place, create talismans that could kill demigods, and drag him into the mirror world without knowing it.

But he just smiled upwards, straightened his clothes, and disappeared in a sudden burst of fire. In an instant, he appeared on the petrified street in the North District, in front of Leonard who was holding Sherman.

Then, he stretched out his hand and conjured up a silk hat on his head that was completely incompatible with his attire. He grabbed it in his hand, pressed it to his chest, and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally hurt this lady during the fight just now. As an apology, please let me treat her."

He said in a low tone.

Leonard was still in a daze as he watched the "Dark Saint" who had just fought with him slowly approaching. He tilted his head to listen to the voice that only he could hear, and then nodded hesitantly.

"Xesma" squatted down and swung his hand to pull out a roughly cut paper figure from the bright yellow flame.

As he touched Sherman's body, the huge wound that went through his chest and back was transferred to the "paper man substitute", almost cutting it in half, emitting flames and burning up.

Sherman's chest had regained its smooth skin, and apart from his clothes and the blood on the ground, there was almost no sign of the fatal injury.

Watching all this, Leonard opened his mouth silently, not knowing what to say.

With Pales's reminder, he already knew that the "Dark Saint" in front of him was not the original Aurora Saint, and most likely had become someone's secret puppet. As far as he knew, there was only one person who could capture a saint in Backlund as a secret puppet and show kindness to him.

bang——

In front of him was a paper figure burning in red flames, and in the flames a pair of illusory wings appeared faintly, giving it a bit of an angelic feel.

This is some kind of anti-divination power... Leonard looked at "Xesma" with enlightenment. The latter stood up and bowed again, put the top hat on his head, and left in the surging flames.

In the rapidly dissipating flames, a tarot card slowly fell to the ground. It depicted a beautiful woman surrounded by a wreath of green plants.

"'The World'...it is indeed him."

Leonard murmured, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Suddenly, the soft body in his arms moved. Sherman, who had just fainted due to severe injuries and spiritual instability, woke up slowly, opened her bright eyes, and quietly looked at Leonard who was holding her.

Being stared at by these eyes, Leonard's body, which had gradually cooled down after the battle, became hot again.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine. The 'Black Knight' just now... was dealt with by a wild Beyonder who has a favorable impression of the Church."

Leonard curled his lips, but ultimately decided not to take all the credit for himself. On the one hand, it was to make it easier for him to deal with the church's internal scrutiny later, and on the other hand, he felt that he had caused Sherman to be seriously injured, and he was too embarrassed to brag about it.

"Really... can you let go of your hand?"

Leonard was startled when he heard Sherman's words. He then realized that the hand that had covered Sherman's wound was still on her chest. At this time, the wound had been transferred to the paper man and had returned to white skin. The bulge above was pressed against his forearm, soft and with a little body temperature.

Leonard let go of his hand as if he had been electrocuted, and secretly glanced at Sherman, and found that her face was also quickly turning red.

"Ah……"

There was a good-natured sneer in his mind.

"Ah……"

On a glass window behind the two of them, Angel watched all this quietly, smiled with satisfaction, and turned away.

(End of this chapter)