City ​​of Witches 896

Chapter 896 – #195_Proposal(3)

#890

1.
Lightning bolts jaggedly crossed the sky, and torrential rain poured down like a fountain.
Amidst the twisting and surging waves, the counterattack began.

The army’s forces consisted of dozens of named homunculi, led by the stag, and hundreds of homunculi of various sizes.

The witch’s forces consisted of numerous exiles who had gathered at the Seoul branch, a special unit centered around Duke Tiphereth, and numerous support troops from Gehenna.

Hundreds of homunculi clashed with thousands of witches.

The aftermath of magic exploding in all directions and the death throes of physical laws filled the battlefield.
The screams of the homunculi and the incantations echoing from everywhere filled the air.
The dancing reflections were so dazzling that they illuminated the dark sea, which had not seen a single ray of light, as if it were midday.

“This is insane.”

Siwoo, who was eliminating homunculi at the front line as planned, scanned the battlefield while moving around.

He had expected it.
The power of the witches gathered over the East Sea was clearly not ordinary.

In fact, it was rare to find an instance in history where so many witches gathered together to fight.

And the moment the two groups entered a large-scale battle, he intuitively understood.
Why Hexennacht was reluctant to engage in an all-out war with Gehenna at this point, when Duke Keter was absent.

-Bang! Kwa-kwa-kwang!

“Next is that one.”
“Confirmed.”

Four witches, whom he hadn’t paid any attention to, formed a squadron on the spot and beat a named homunculus to a pulp.

“We’ve finished setting up the magic circle. Please lure them in.”
“I’ll send two or three. Can you handle it?”
“Of course.”

A group of witches who seemed to be from the Secretarial Office led the homunculi into a trap like hunters on a drive.

Thanks to the witches who were active in various parts of the battlefield, the flow of the battle had already become embarrassing to even call a war.

One-sided subjugation and one-sided massacre.

About 10% of the homunculi were eliminated in an instant, while not a single witch suffered a fatal injury.
The event, which had seemed so dangerous, was unfolding easily, like a campaign with cheat codes.

Well, it was only natural.

They were huddled in a small city, not paying attention to the outside world.
But witches were originally transcendents who devoted not only their lives but their entire existence to magic.

The power of a city where the owner of a clothing store and the owner of a bathhouse were at the 22nd level, and the perfumer and the head librarian of the library were at the 23rd level.

They had brought nearly 600 residents from such a city, so if it weren’t for the witches, conquering the world would be a very simple task.

Meanwhile, there were also witches gathered in the sky, slightly away from the front line.

Having come along, they had caught a few homunculi and were now taking a break, enjoying the rare spectacle.

It wasn’t often that one could witness the great witches and those far above them in the hierarchy displaying their power.

Among them, there were a few who stood out with their exceptional performances…

“That’s the Deep Sea Witch.”
“Doesn’t she get tired? She keeps using such powerful magic?”
“It’s over the sea, after all.”

The most eye-catching was, of course, the Deep Sea Witch.

She had been relentlessly striking the waves from a while ago, turning the homunculi into shattered shipwrecks.

Moreover, her enormous familiar was moving between the waves as if it were its home, swallowing the homunculi whole. It was a sight that inspired awe.

“Baroness Marigold is no pushover either.”
“She’s a former baroness. She fights so beautifully.”

Next was the best perfumer of Gehenna, who had recently been stripped of her title for causing trouble.

Thanks to the strong support troops, she didn’t need to conserve her strength and was freely unleashing her power, showing what area-of-effect magic was all about.

It was hard to tell how many she had killed, but about a third of the vast sea was covered in floating flower petals.

“Head Librarian Metis is here too.”
“That person… was she someone who appeared in the mortal realm?”

Head Librarian Metis Gremory, who rarely stepped outside the Secretarial Office, let alone the mortal realm, was also putting on a great show.

She transformed the magic book she always carried at her side into a giant bow and shot arrows made of forbidden texts.
Every time she drew the bowstring, at least one homunculus was pierced and sank into the sea.

While the magic show of the 23rd level was certainly a feast for the eyes…

“Where’s Shin Siwoo?”
“There, the one in black armor.”
“Wow, he’s really using magic.”

In fact, the witches gathered here were most curious about Shin Siwoo.

A man was using magic by creating a brand.
Well, let’s say that’s possible.

But in just a few years, he had gained combat power comparable to that of a great witch.
This was no ordinary feat.

“What kind of magic is that?”
“It seems like he’s mixing various things. Duke Tiphereth was his teacher, so I guess it’s a close-combat type?”
“Well, his weapon is a spear.”

Shin Siwoo, clad in sleek full plate armor and wielding a long, red spear, was dashing across the sea as if it were flat land when a named homunculus appeared before him.

It was over 3 meters tall, with a menacing muscular body and claws that were sharper than blades.
It looked as if a werewolf from folklore had been brought to life.

“What’s that homunculus? A werewolf?”
“Wait a minute, I brought a bestiary… Here it is.”
“Read it.”

The onlookers were excited about the match between the knight and the beast.

“Werewolf, does not utilize any notable magic. However, its innate regeneration is comparable to magic itself. It can regenerate quickly even from injuries, exceeding the limits of its bones and muscles. Its strength and agility, which are exerted without limit, are also threatening.”

The werewolf was the first to move.

With a cracking sound, the werewolf’s body, which had closed the gap at several times the speed of sound, lunged at Shin Siwoo.
As recorded in the bestiary, it was a speed that sent chills down the spines of the onlookers.

However, Shin Siwoo did not flinch and countered with his spear.

A speed that was hard to distinguish from the werewolf’s.
The ominously glowing red branch painted a crimson afterimage on the darkness.

“What happened? I couldn’t see because I was reading the book.”
“Shin Siwoo pierced its heart and then deflected it to the side. It looks like a fatal blow.”

As he said, unlike Shin Siwoo, who had made a stylish turn and readjusted his spear, the werewolf was skipping across the water several times before being flung away.

“Is it over already?”
“No. It says here that its regeneration is incredible. It can regenerate even from a single piece of flesh.”
“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”

But the werewolf did not get up.
It struggled with its limbs a few times before turning to ash and disappearing.

“…It was supposed to regenerate?”
“Well, I don’t know? Is the book wrong?”

Even so, a one-hit kill was absurd.
A named homunculus that was worthy of being included in the bestiary would have lived up to its name.

Humans tend to choose the possibilities within the realm of their imagination when faced with an incomprehensible situation.
This was the same for witches.

The confused onlookers found their own answers.

“That’s Shin Siwoo’s spear, isn’t it? The Red Branch that the Red Knight used. Duke Tiphereth had a hard time catching it, so it must be an amazing weapon.”
“Ah, it’s because of his gear.”
“That must be it.”

The witches nodded in agreement with the satisfying answer.

The second match.
The opponent Shin Siwoo faced was a smooth, giant golem made of what looked like chrome alloy.

It was a colossal size that could ‘walk’ across the sea.
You could roughly guess its size by looking at the seawater sloshing around its waist.

“What’s that now?”
“Alloy Golem. Along with the Ironclad Dragon, it’s a homunculus that boasts formidable durability. It has strong resistance to alchemy magic and wields weapons made by disassembling its own body. This one looks pretty strong.”

The Alloy Golem, which was weaving a giant sword and shield, certainly exuded a formidable presence.
In front of it, Shin Siwoo looked reckless, like a knight charging at a windmill.

“Maybe we should help him…?”

The golem raised its sword and swung it down.

-Kuuuuuung!

Due to the giant body that distorted the sense of perspective, it looked slow, but for Shin Siwoo, who was facing the blow head-on, it was like the sky was falling.

-Splash!!!!

The surface of the water split like the Red Sea the moment the sword cut through it.

“Hey, hey! Something happened!”
“Did he get hit? Did he get hit?”

The last thing they could see was Shin Siwoo being swept away by the massive sword strike, so low screams could be heard from the onlookers.

If the only male witch in the world were to die like this, it would be a truly futile thing.

“D-did he die?”
“No! He’s over there!”

However, as if mocking their worries.
A black armor was dashing like a black wind through the splashing waves.

Shin Siwoo’s body, which had raced around the golem’s arm, soared into the air in an instant.

-Kiiiiiiing!!!

A surge of magic that shook the atmosphere.
A ring-shaped halo that had appeared above his head spun and emitted a tearing roar.

“Three Thousand Piercing Fangs!”

The technique name, shouted out loud like in a shonen manga, was cheesy and even a little cringeworthy.
It was easy to understand if you imagined Mayweather saying ‘Shoulder Roll!’ every time he did a shoulder roll.

But the scene that followed did not allow for even a slight chuckle.
It only inspired awe.

The golem’s body was shattered as if a mountain had collapsed by three streaks of red light that cut across the sky.
The solid body and giant shield, which seemed impossible to even scratch with ordinary magic, crumbled like cookies.

It was another one-hit kill.
He had subjugated a mountain-sized homunculus with just one blow.

“……”
“……”

The onlookers, who had been making a fuss, all fell silent.

No matter how powerful the gear was, it was up to the user to fully utilize it.
None of the witches gathered here were confident that they could display the same martial prowess as Shin Siwoo.

Shin Siwoo, who had landed slowly on the sea after removing the armor of his shattered upper body, as if he had taken the full force of the great magic’s recoil.

He shook his head lightly to get rid of the sweat and rainwater. He showed no signs of exhaustion or being burdened by the excessive use of magic.
The way he swept his hair back and looked for his next prey was like a hero from mythology.

“Heuung… His collarbone and abs are insane. Siwoo, oppa, I’m wet…!”
“……”

Half of the homunculus army had been subjugated 1 hour and 32 minutes after the clash.

The stag, who led the army, had not stood on the front line even once.
He simply led the completely defeated remnants and disappeared into the subspace.