Release that Witch

”What?” Everybody gasped in horror and simultaneously looked at Zooey. What Kabradhabi said did not sound like boasting. Since the God’s Punishment Witch was connected to the demon by Camilla, the demon’s soul that had disappeared must have sneaked into Zooey’s body.

Alethea was the first one to take action. Whilst Camilla was crying out in alarm, she swung her main tentacle, which was strong enough to crush a Devilbeast, at Zooey. She spared no effort to press Zooey down to the ground and even the slate floor where the God’s Punishment Witch landed got cracked.

Zooey spewed out a mouthful of blood and passed out.

The hall fell into silence.

Everyone in the hall understood that Alethea launched a sudden attack to prevent the God’s Punishment Witch from causing damage; since the demon might be able to control Zooey through the mind connection. Once it managed to make the God’s Punishment Witch spread an anti-magic area, no matter how small it was, it would cause significant harm.

This was particularly true for most of the witches, who were not prepared to treat Zooey as an enemy.

In comparison to those witches, Alethea, a former commander of the Blessed Army, was much more experienced in fighting.

She acted right after the demon blustered out its threat and did not give it any chance to react. Zooey was knocked down by Alethea’s main tentacle and appeared like a dummy during the whole process. She did not fight back or struggle as the other witches had expected. It seemed that the demon failed to control the God’s Punishment Witch successfully.

”Did the demon’s soul really sneak into Zooey’s body?” After a while, Roland broke the silence.

”I’ve never encountered such a situation...” Camilla still looked frightened. ”Mind Resonance is just a communication method. How come Kabradhabi could get out of its own body and enter into Zooey’s body through the mind connection?”

”Are you sure?” Tilly frowned and asked.

”We can’t be sure until Zooey takes the initiative to speak to us.” Alethea loosened her grip on the God’s Punishment Witch but still pinned her to the ground. ”Souls can’t survive without carriers, otherwise, we wouldn’t have had to rely on these things left by the underground civilization. Although wiping out its soul in the process is a possibility; it’s also possible that it was able to successfully transfer its soul into Zooey’s body. We have to prepare for the worst.”

”I think I’ve a way to figure it out.” Roland thought for a moment. ”If I bring Zooey’s light beam into my Dream World...”

”I can’t agree to that!” Wendy immediately interrupted. ”Your Majesty, you should avoid taking risks as much as possible. Your Majesty’s safety is of utmost importance!”

”Yes, I agree with Wendy. What if the demon manages to occupy your body?” Nightingale added. ”It’s a real Senior Demon, not some loser on the Soul Battlefield!”

”I can control the risk.” Roland slowed down to consider his countermeasures. ”If the demon goes into the Dreamland with Zooey, it’ll appear at a certain place. As long as we send a group of God’s Punishment Witches into the Dream World to help me, we’ll be able to kill it before it adapts to the new world. More importantly, the Dream World is different from the Mind Resonance. No matter what takes place in that world, it’ll never affect the real world. Once I wake up, the time in the Dream World will stop and all visitors will be forced out. Given that, even if Zooey’s soul is replaced by the demon’s, I’ll be able to get a clear idea of the current situation and come back safely.”

”But...” Nightingale bit her lips and turned to look at Anna. ”Come on, say something to persuade him.”

”I agree with him,” Anna said, which was totally beyond the other witches’ expectations.

”Why?” Wendy and the other witches were stunned.

”Because he once did the same for me,” Anna replied seriously. ”If he had listened to the others and hadn’t taken the risk to come to my rescue, I would have been hung a long time ago. I can’t persuade myself to stop him from venturing to save Zooey. And I believe in his judgment. He knows that he isn’t alone anymore.”

She looked into Roland’s eyes while talking and then they smiled at each other tacitly.

”...” Alethea remained silent for a long time. ”I have to thank you on behalf of Zooey, regardless of the outcome.”

”And I would like to hear Zooey express her thanks to me herself.” Roland nodded.

”I’ll go and pick out our most capable warriors,” Pasha said gratefully.

”By the way, before we enter the Dreamland, please continue the Mind Resonance.” He smirked. ”Zooey asked us to keep the mind connection going until she gestures a ’stop’. If she’s in a fight with the demon in the world of consciousness, she will probably win in the end.”

***************

”Hey, female, guess what your bug friends are going to do?”

Zooey raised her head to look at the Senior Demon and then looked at herself.

Her chest swelled slightly. Although she was still almost flat-chested, she thought this body looked much better than a rough male body. She could clearly feel her own hands and feet again, but since she hadn’t cut her hair for a long time, it covered her forehead now. She felt as if she had somehow entered the Dream World.

”Aha! They must think of you as an enemy and have you surrounded tightly.” Kabradhabi mocked. ”After they figure out what has happened, you’ve a 30% chance of being imprisoned. When that happens, you’ll be tied to an iron bed and soaked in your own excretion like a dumb worm. Of course, you’ve a 70% chance of being executed right away too. After all, it’s customary for you to sacrifice some of your own kind to prevent further losses; it’s something you always did 400 years ago.”

Zooey looked around and saw nothing except darkness. She wondered why she could see herself and the demon so clearly in such a dark place.

”Hey, did I scare you silly? Or, do you think that you can escape from this fight by remaining silent?” Kabradhabi sounded agitated. ”My patience is limited. You’d better hurry up and understand the situation you’re in. We won’t die here, but if you devote all your energy to pleasing me, maybe I’ll let you suffer less!”

”I’ve never expected a demon to talk such a load of crap before a fight.” Zooey tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and used it to tie up her hair. ”If I were you, I’d never buzz in front of a bug, even if I mastered its language.”

”Keep talking for now. Soon, you’ll only be able to scream.” The demon sneered. ”I can feel the power of your soul. It’s much stronger than the souls of most bugs. You’ll make an excellent opponent for me. It’s good to fight you in my last battle.”

”And then? When I’m executed, what will happen to you? Did you pull me into this fight just because you want to vent your anger on me?”

”Yes, that’s right. Fight! Kill! Torture! Upgrade! Bug, that’s the attitude of an advanced species! Did you expect me to kneel on the ground and beg you for mercy?” Kabradhabi emitted a long, loud cry. ”What’s so scary about death? My soul will be taken in by the Fountain of Magic and when my species reaches the top, my soul will return to the world!”

”You’d better hurry up,” Zooey said with a straight face. ”They’ll execute me any minute.”

”Rest assured.” Kabradhabi grinned grimly. ”You don’t understand the mysteries of magic. In this world of consciousness, time will become sluggish and controllable. Here, you’ll feel that the blink of an eye is as long as several years. It’s my last battle, so I’ll do my best to satisfy myself.”