Chapter 35: The True Power of the Witch
“Clang clang clang—”
The wide scythe blade clashed with the sharp claws, accompanied by a piercing sound that almost ruptured our eardrums, and a series of dazzling sparks burst forth in the darkness.
The scythe blade, originally aimed at the neck of the Headhunter Wild Dog leader, was blocked by its promptly raised foreclaw.
The hardness of the Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog’s claws was no less than that of the strange scythe; it merely left some white marks.
However, the unprotected paw pad was sliced open by the sharp edge.
The defensive capability of its fur was directly ignored by the sharp blade.
The blood spurting from the wound and the stinging pain caused the Headhunter Wild Dog to let out a painful howl.
It immediately retreated, its injured forepaw leaving several blood-soaked footprints on the ground.
That figure’s attack did not end there.
It closely followed the retreating figure of the Headhunter Wild Dog, not allowing the distance to be pulled apart.
Stepping on a nearby pillar, its propelled body leaped to a height level with the Headhunter Wild Dog.
The giant scythe in her hand was already prepared for an attack, while the Headhunter Wild Dog opposite seemed to still be preoccupied with the constantly aching forepaw, utterly unable to protect its own head.
Now is the time……
Gripping the long handle of the giant scythe with both hands, the figure twisted her body, using her body’s strength to swing the giant scythe in a half-moon arc straight towards the skull of the Headhunter Wild Dog leader.
“Clang—!!!”
‘Pfft…’
Dark red blood splattered in all directions, and there were even a few broken teeth.
However, what accompanied it was not the sound of a blade cutting into a skull as she had anticipated, but an extremely heavy, dull thud.
The tremors transmitted through the long handle even made the web between the thumb and forefinger of both her hands go numb.
What?!
The Headhunter Wild Dog leader’s actions were beyond her expectations.
It didn't retreat to dodge, nor did it use other parts of its body to block.
Instead, at the moment of her attack, it opened its mouth and bit down on the incoming scythe.
Adopting such a countermeasure came at a considerable cost; a piece of its tongue was severed, its upper and lower jaws suffered heavy damage, and the continuously gushing blood and those broken teeth all indicated that the price was not small.
But in this way, it also restricted that immensely threatening scythe.
“Quite capable, aren’t you……”
As soon as the figure’s words fell, the Headhunter Wild Dog violently swung its head towards a nearby wall, slamming the figure hanging onto the scythe heavily against the wall.
“Boom!”
A human-shaped indentation spread out a spiderweb of cracks on the wall.
Stone debris, like rainwater, peeled off the wall under such a heavy blow and fell to the ground.
‘Hiss…’
We squad members who witnessed this scene couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air in our hearts.
Such a heavy blow would have been fatal for an ordinary person; even a corpse under such an impact would likely not remain intact.
“Boom—”
A single attack was clearly not enough to make the Headhunter Wild Dog leader stop.
Swinging its head again, the second attack sent the figure crashing into a nearby support pillar.
Shattered concrete blocks splattered and scattered, and countless twisted and deformed steel bars poked out from the breaks in the concrete.
They connected the ground and the ceiling, barely supporting the pillar's body, which was almost broken in half.
“Thump!”
Two consecutive heavy blows seemed to make her unable to hold onto the long handle of the scythe any longer.
Her body flew backwards and slammed heavily onto the ground, another impact that made the entire ground tremble.
The violent momentum dragged her body, scraping it along the ground for some distance.
The benches and other things along the way were all smashed to pieces.
Finally, after flying over ten meters, the figure tumbled several times before slowly propping herself up.
At this time, her windbreaker and jeans had become even more tattered, making her appear very disheveled.
“Awooo—”
Flinging the scythe from its mouth to the side, the Headhunter Wild Dog leader would not give the opponent any room for a turnaround at this moment.
After a long howl, it immediately pounced towards the figure.
Its massive body most directly demonstrated the astonishing speed it possessed, even kicking up a hurricane that swept through the entire hall as it ran.
Seemingly oblivious to the rapidly approaching danger, the figure slowly stood up straight.
Her hood had already been thrown back during the disheveled tumble just now, and her messy black long hair cascaded down.
When she raised her head, a face, though stained with dust, still couldn’t hide its exquisite features, causing us squad members, except for me who remained focused, to stare blankly for a moment.
Especially Uncle Lin and Xiao Liu, whose internal reactions were the most intense.
They, unlike me who had seen this face in a ‘dream’, and unlike Han Nianling who had considerable research on beings like witches, had both previously imagined what lay beneath that black robe.
They had never thought that this existence, which displayed such formidable strength in battle, would possess such a captivating face.
The huge contrast even made them forget their fear.
In contrast, witnessing this familiar face, a complex emotion immediately surged in my heart.
This face had appeared in the last scene I saw before my death.
Beneath the exquisite face hid a demon that disregarded human life.
Thinking of this, I could feel cracks appearing in my hard-won composure.
However, very quickly, Xiao Liu’s muttering voice ended my growing unease.
“She’s simply… as beautiful as Sister Stone…”
Although I knew this was a compliment from Xiao Liu’s perspective, when it reached my ears, it made me want to both laugh and cry.
If I could, I really wouldn't want to accept such a face.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be unable to legally retrieve my stored personal equipment, nor would I have ventured into such a dangerous place to investigate the so-called truth.
Thinking of this, a sudden impulse arose in my heart.
My ‘death’ was the turning point of everything.
Did the one who caused this turning point know any crucial information?
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to jump out and question her loudly.
But soon, I suppressed this impulse in my heart.
After all, I myself wouldn't believe that the other party would honestly answer my questions.
Sending me directly into the cycle of reincarnation was the most likely outcome.
“Somewhat… beyond my expectations…” Brushing aside the strands of hair in front of her face, the girl’s face showed no emotional fluctuations.
Facing the pouncing Headhunter Wild Dog leader, she instead took a few more steps towards the direction of danger.
And the space behind her seemed to be undergoing an imperceptible, an supernormal change.
“Although I don’t want to use it, you’ve already delayed me for too long…”
“Growl growl growl!!!”
“Boom boom boom!!!”
This heavy blow already contained all the strength of the Headhunter Wild Dog leader.
This time, the ground was no longer just trembling violently; it was directly pierced by the Headhunter Wild Dog’s foreclaws.
Its entire forelimb pierced through the floor and into the platform below.
With the point where the ground was pierced as the center, cracks in the ground crazily spread outwards.
The ordinary Headhunter Wild Dogs watching from afar were also affected by this violent tremor and retreated to even farther places.
We squad members couldn't do the same as those Headhunter Wild Dogs; the only place that allowed us to hide was behind this cover.
We dared not risk exposing our position and being torn apart by the pack of Headhunter Wild Dogs.
Fortunately, apart from the vibrations, no other situation occurred.
Our current situation was still relatively safe.
After a rough assessment of our own situation, our gazes immediately returned to the battle.
Such high-intensity battles between non-human entities were rare.
The information that could be gleaned from them was extremely valuable.
More importantly, we all eagerly wanted to know the outcome of the battle, as it was directly related to our lives.
The stirred-up dust slowly dissipated, and the girl’s figure was gone.
Did she dodge it?
Our four pairs of eyes scanned the surroundings; there was no trace of her anywhere.
This made our gazes involuntarily turn to the Headhunter Wild Dog’s forelimb that had pierced the ground.
Could it be that the girl hadn't dodged that heavy blow just now, but had been directly hit and smashed into the subway platform below?
The Headhunter Wild Dog leader’s behavior was the best answer.
It didn't immediately retreat or show any other abnormalities, indicating that it had indeed hit its target just now.
Was the battle over?
That girl, such an existence, couldn't defeat a Tier 2 mutated beast?
“No… something’s not right…” Han Nianling’s self-muttered words made me involuntarily glance sideways.
“Her strength is more than this…”
Indeed, if the Witch’s strength was truly only this much, the Chu Sheng City Human Base Logistics Department in the dream wouldn’t have had to go to such great lengths, mobilizing a large number of troops to deal with her.
From the very beginning, I didn’t believe the Headhunter Wild Dog leader would win.
So then……
“Pfft—!”
Without any warning, the sound of a blade cutting into flesh suddenly came from the gradually calming hall.
When the Headhunter Wild Dog slowly pulled its forelimb out of the hole it had pierced, it discovered that its forelimb had already disappeared, leaving only a smooth cut.
The excessive smoothness of the cut made it unimaginable how it was done.
Everything happened too suddenly; time seemed to stand still at this moment.
“Pfft!”
“Awooo ooo ooo—!!!”
In the next second, a column of blood gushed out from the wound of the severed limb, soaring several meters into the air.
Only then did the Headhunter Wild Dog leader, in the midst of intensifying, excruciating pain, belatedly roar wildly.
Its massive body collapsed to the ground, writhing frantically under the stimulation of the pain.
Amidst the hoarse and frenzied roars, the gushing blood pooled beneath it into a bloody mire.
And at the hole it had pierced, where it had just lost its right forelimb, a familiar figure walked out slowly through the dust.
It was clearly the same face as before, the same attire, yet it was completely different.
Her crimson pupils emitted a soul-stirring light.
Unknown black smoke continuously billowed from her entire body.
Just looking at it, we could faintly feel the ominousness within, instilling fear in us.
There was no obvious air current in the hall, but her clothes were already moving automatically without wind, not following any discernible pattern.
The giant scythe in her hand had reappeared in her grasp at some unknown time.
Just now, the Headhunter Wild Dog leader had clearly flung it far away.
Why had it reappeared in her hand?
“Awoo… awoo…” The Witch’s approach made the Headhunter Wild Dog leader unable to care about the severe injury of losing its right forelimb.
It struggled, wanting to stand up and flee, but the other party no longer gave it such an opportunity.
‘Pfft!’
The same sound was heard again.
This time, what detached from its body was no longer its forelimb, but that massive dog head.
The connecting neck also only had a smooth cut.
Separated from the body, the Headhunter Wild Dog’s head rolled and fell at her feet.
And that headless corpse, after a few seconds, lost its support and slowly collapsed amidst gushing blood.
The Headhunter Wild Dog leader, which had been causing havoc in the hall just moments ago, completely lost all signs of life.
We squad members, who had witnessed this scene dumbfounded from beginning to end, couldn't believe it.
In just two moves, she had dealt with that Tier 2 Headhunter Wild Dog.
Even though we knew the Witch was strong, we had never imagined she would be this strong.
Even Han Nianling, who had done considerable research on Witches, found it hard to believe for a moment.
It ended just like that?
This battle ending with such a simple conclusion suddenly made us feel somewhat unfulfilled, but this was the truth.
Everyone knew that the headless corpse was as dead as could be.
This life-and-death struggle had come to an end.
The black smoke on her body disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
When we saw the Witch turn around, we squad members all came to our senses.
Only when the battle ended did we remember our own situation.
We immediately and quickly shrank back, hiding behind the cover again.
The other Headhunter Wild Dogs in the hall had long since fled completely.
The death of their leader had made them all profoundly aware of the disparity in combat strength between the two sides.
Moreover, the death of the Tier 2 leader meant they had lost the strongest fighting force in their pack.
This situation had already made it difficult for the entire pack to survive in this central area of the JD Ruined City.
The Headhunter Wild Dog den that had been giving us squad members such a headache just moments ago was thus easily wiped out in an instant.
However, this really couldn't make us feel optimistic, because the approaching footsteps instantly dragged our hearts into an abyss.
The means she had displayed just now made us unable to entertain any thoughts of resistance.
Confronting her was tantamount to suicide; this was the consensus of everyone after this battle ended.
We could only pray that we hadn't been discovered yet, that her approach was merely an unintentional act of passing through here to leave the subway station.
It seemed that our prayers had indeed worked.
When the sound of footsteps reached its peak distance from us, it slowly weakened.
From this point, it seemed the other party hadn't discovered us.
Many of us felt a sigh of relief.
If the other party had discovered us and taken hostile action, we couldn't possibly have survived.
However, just a second before she was about to walk out of the subway station, her steps, which had been ascending the stairs, stopped.
“That thing… belongs to me.”
After throwing out this sentence to the seemingly empty subway station, her figure, along with the receding footsteps, completely disappeared.