## Chapter 576 – #118_Betrayal(5)
#576
1.
The old-fashioned royal palace vanished like a mirage, and a massive cathedral appeared.
Majestic, sacred, or divine.
There would be many words to describe the cathedral.
However, the first word that came to mind was ‘massive’ because its grandeur was extraordinary.
A ceiling that one had to look up at, so high it was dizzying.
This space, which was more reminiscent of a prophet’s dream than a realistic structure, seemed more than adequate to become a witch’s battlefield.
As I had confirmed before, the nun’s habit that Dorothy always wore was no ordinary item.
It was an artifact with excellent defensive capabilities, a wearable fortress.
Of course, that was just a fragmentary guess.
I hadn’t grasped the details.
And the moment Dorothy’s reverse barrier completely engulfed the surroundings, I was able to understand the full role of the nun’s habit.
The pillars connecting the floor to the ceiling were as thick and large as the World Tree.
However, what supported this entire space was not those pillars, but Dorothy’s nun’s habit.
She had become a central axis, the center of a newly redrawn world.
There was no way she would do something so troublesome without some calculation.
It seemed to be a reverse barrier that had been modified in some way, like Aea Sadalmelik’s ‘Water Bottle’ or the ‘Arena Flag’ that Bianca had used.
And that modification would be working to Dorothy’s advantage.
“…”
Swallowing an indescribable bitterness, I charged my magic power.
I donned my armor and raised the Red Branch.
In fact, I knew that such emotions were a luxury.
My disappointment wasn’t because I was afraid of the fight.
My disappointment in Dorothy stemmed from the fact that I had held some expectation for her.
“What happened to His Majesty?”
“Why don’t you find out for yourself if you’re so curious?”
Even as I asked the question, I was half-certain.
Dorothy’s actions were excessively bold.
If she were aiming for a surprise attack and then fleeing, that would be one thing, but she was openly deploying a barrier and preparing to use her power.
And that was in the deep sea, which was practically Llyue’s territory, and in the Nuckelavee Kingdom, which was practically her main base.
This indirectly implied that Llyue was in a state where she couldn’t intervene in the battle.
It wasn’t difficult to predict the circumstances.
It would be similar to a dog that was friendly to people approaching a dog butcher without any wariness.
She probably approached her calmly, just like she did to Siwoo, and stabbed her.
“Why the hell?”
Knowing it was meaningless, I asked the final question.
Dorothy chuckled, as if all of this was a joke.
“I finally found a toy I liked. But you didn’t accept my offer to join me, did you? And looking at the Queen’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like she’d allow it either~ What else could I do?”
“Just for that reason?”
It was literally just for that reason.
Anger surged within me.
Did she have no sense of obligation or even common sense?
Llyue’s trust in Dorothy was so blind that it seemed precarious from the sidelines.
She didn’t care about her achievements at all and treated her generously purely as a friend.
And yet, Dorothy stabbed Llyue without any hesitation.
Moreover, wasn’t Llyue the disciple of a friend who had recently passed away?
“Oh my~ How scary. So you can make that kind of face too?”
I barely managed to control the urge to shout all sorts of curses and screams.
“I~ clearly told you. I only know this method.”
Dorothy said it so casually.
It was such a trashy excuse that it wasn’t worth responding to.
I re-evaluated all my judgments about her.
She was no longer Llyue’s friend.
Nor was she the gray character who had caused Siwoo to fall into complex thoughts.
She was a clear enemy.
Nothing more than a dangerous person who needed to be eliminated.
Therefore, I needed to be even more composed.
A disturbed mind would affect the battle.
In the first place, Dorothy’s nonchalant behavior itself might be a deliberate provocation.
My body and mind entered battle mode.
As a habit, I listed the situations and advantages between the two sides.
It was something I always did before a battle.
It was different when I faced Bianca before.
Neither Siwoo nor Dorothy had much information about each other.
At that time, even though my power was lacking, I was able to grasp Bianca’s magnetic magic and her equipment and make thorough preparations.
But now, I couldn’t know anything.
Because of the lack of information, even when trying to exchange the first move, the choices were divided.
There were two choices here.
One, to keep a distance from Dorothy, use the ribbons to grasp her magnetic magic, and then approach.
Two, to suddenly close the distance and induce the close combat I was most confident in.
Each had its risks and returns.
The former was a more cautious approach.
Rushing in without any information was no different from running through a minefield without any equipment.
Therefore, using the ribbons as a tester to identify and eliminate any potential dangers was a great advantage.
However, this would also give Dorothy information, and when I had a rough estimate, it would be very difficult to close the distance belatedly.
The latter was a surprise attack to seize the initiative with the first blow.
Dorothy also had no information about Siwoo.
Based on experience and common sense, this was the best time to strike.
However, there was the problem of having to respond to all subsequent situations with improvisation, and there was also the risk of not being able to respond to any traps that Dorothy might have prepared.
“Bloom.”
The time for deliberation was short.
Dorothy was a 22nd level.
She was the same level as the powerful Witch of Desire and had combat experience with many witches.
Even though Siwoo had become incomparably stronger than before, rushing in with a straightforward approach would have low expected value.
First strike wins.
Siwoo’s greatest advantage was to induce close combat using the Red Branch.
Siwoo’s body disappeared into the air with a blue light.
The place where he reappeared was behind Dorothy, in the air, aiming for her exposed nape.
The visual system, enhanced by magic power and heightened by the excitement of battle, captured even the smallest downy hairs on her neck.
I swung my spear with all my might towards the vital spot that was fatal to both humans and witches.
The spear blade wrapped around her defenseless neck like a lick.
For a brief moment, I felt certain of a hit.
“You really remind me of that terrifying pink peacock. So you really are her disciple?”
Dorothy’s body moved slightly.
She lightly took a step and spun around, as if waltzing gracefully.
With minimal movement, she avoided the unexpected attack from behind without even looking at Siwoo.
There was no need to panic.
I just needed to use the missed force to add to the rotational power.
The sharpness of the spear in my hand was vastly different from a month ago.
-Whoosh!
A much more intense blow than before collided with Dorothy’s pure white sword.
-Clang!
-Crack!
White light scattered beautifully, and the barrier spread roughly like sparks.
“Cough!”
At that moment.
Starting from my wrist, my entire arm felt like it was about to be shattered, and I heard an ominous sound from my waist, which was adding to the rotational force.
A pressure that seemed to shake my insides.
If I went back to my human days and swung an iron pipe with all my might at a giant alloy cube, I would feel something like this.
The fact that my wrist wasn’t broken or my bones cracked was purely thanks to the toughness of my spirit body.
Staggering backward, I tried to understand the incomprehensible situation.
I had a lot of experience with weapons clashing in battle.
I had already had many experiences with myself in trials, with enemy knights, and with my teacher.
But there had never been a case where such a phenomenon occurred when our weapons collided.
“Surprised?”
I reflected on the situation a moment ago.
Dorothy had only slightly extended her sword to defend against Siwoo, who was swinging his spear with all his might.
At that point, something that defied the laws of physics happened.
Dorothy’s sword didn’t move even 1mm from where it was originally extended.
Her body also remained in its defensive stance, deeply rooted in the ground.
Not even a single strand of her hair fluttered.
“Try again. I’ll give you a chance.”
Dorothy spread her arms while holding her sword, showing a relaxed demeanor.
It seemed like she hadn’t been affected even slightly by the clash a moment ago.
“Hoo…!”
I felt that something was wrong, but there was no other way but to try.
However, this time, I was a little more careful, wrapping my wrist and joints with ribbons like a bandage inside my armor.
It was to minimize the impact as much as possible.
Pretending to aim high, I thrust down from above.
It was a simple thrust that seemed unremarkable at first glance, but it was a swift blow that was almost impossible to respond to if viewed from the front because it was mixed with feinting movements.
-Bang!
-Crack!
“Ugh…!”
However, even with a different type of attack, the result was the same.
Dorothy’s stance didn’t seem that impressive at first glance.
It was a stance full of openings, as if she hadn’t professionally trained in swordsmanship.
Nevertheless, she easily saw through Siwoo’s feints and simply brushed them aside, as if brushing away a spider web.
With just that much, the trajectory of the spear, which was imbued with fierce power, was completely distorted, and I received an impact that felt like my insides were being crushed.
On the other hand, Dorothy’s sword was swung with a uniform motion that didn’t change at all from its original movement, and the distortion field that occurred in the process was easily neutralized by her nun’s habit.
It was a movement and result that seemed to completely ignore action and reaction.
What I felt was the weight of facing a mountain and the absolute difference in raw power.
I had momentarily forgotten because there was no flashy display like in the Bianca battle.
The opponent was a 22nd level.
A powerful being who had risen two levels higher than even the realm of the great witches who twisted the natural order.
“Are you done? Shall I go now?”
Dorothy, as if she had waited for Siwoo, who was about to fall on his own, to regain his posture, took a stance.
Her voice, which always seemed frivolous, was now overflowing with the experience of a powerful being.
After that.
Her sword was swung.
