2025-04-18 20:27:10Meuz had ordered Leah and Lazuardy Sword to create an illusion spell on the only mithril mine they had, but it seems that S-rank wizards are still quite difficult to deceive. They will soon know that the mine has actually been devastated. Of the 4 mines that existed, with 2 of them being the main mines, now only 1 mine is still operating. Anthonius even estimates that the last mine will not operate for long after the main mine is destroyed.
After they arrived at the settlement located about 8 kilometers from Fort Solfini, Anthonius asked Alyosha to buy some travel supplies for them. At first, Alyosha was silent, as if he were dazed, even failing to respond to Anthonius's orders. The anxious Anthonius then invited Alyosha to rest at a simple eatery to regain their energy.
…
"How are you doing now?" Anthonius asked while handing a cup of warm tea to Alyosha. "You kept silent the whole journey. That makes me anxious. Let's take a break first!"
Alyosha looked at Anthonius, but then he looked back at his teacup without saying anything.
"What are you thinking about? Is it about the creature we just encountered? Yes... finally we managed to find the creature that has been terrorizing Terra. We should feel relieved. Because if we don't find it immediately and try to analyze the creature's abilities as soon as possible, we can be sure that the number of victims will continue to increase." A moment later, Anthonius smiled. "Actually, this is not the first time I have encountered that creature. Previously, when Omar and I were at the Dark Dragon Temple, we were attacked, so... even though it was just a little, I had already conducted an analysis and investigation on my own," said Anthonius.
Alyosha remained silent. His hands even seemed to tremble as he reached for his cup of tea. "This... actually isn't my first time I've encountered that creature, although from what I know, there are some slight differences in its limbs compared to the last time we met."
Anthonius stared at Alyosha. Anthonius was surprised when he heard Alyosha say that he had encountered the creature before. "You... have you ever encountered that creature?!" Anthonius asked, trying to confirm. "Then how did you survive that creature?" Anthonius asked curiously.
"He asked me doesI was a blood witch or not. Of course, I answered no, although at that moment I answered it reflexively," said Alyosha.
Anthonius recalled the moment when he and Omar were in the Temple of the Dark Dragon. Just before the creature attacked them, he received the same question. "I also got the same question...," Anthonius whispered. "After that, we were slaughtered. Only luck helped us at that moment."
"Me too!"
Anthonius and Alyosa immediately turned when the little girl they had helped said that.
"The creature also asked us the same thing, then... ." The little girl's words were interrupted.
Anthonius looked around. Ensuring that no one overheard their conversation.
"This is too crowded!" said Alyosha, who then left a few bronze coins as payment for the food and drink they had consumed, called one of the waiters, and then asked Anthonius and the little girl they had rescued to leave the tavern.
"The fortress is still quite far; are you sure your strength has recovered?" asked Anthonius as he saw Alyosha walking out of the tavern, leaving him behind.
…
As soon as they arrived at Fort Solfini, Javier and the others were waiting. Seeing the arrival of Anthonius and Alyosha, Dima immediately ran towards them.
"Did you cross the Mother River to come back? I have built a connecting bridge over there," Alyosha said in panic.
"Thank you." Anthonius patted Dima's shoulder, then signaled for them to gather. Some guards were also ordered by Anthonius to close the main gate at Fort Solfini, including tightening surveillance.
3 main gates of Fort Solfini were completely closed. The guard soldiers are stationed in front of the gate, along the span, and also at the watchtower. Meanwhile, the archers and snipers are preparing at their shooting positions. The stone fortress built hundreds of years ago is actually a remnant of the war that once took place in Terra. It stretches from the Forbidden City of Bhangarh, across the Barren Lands of the Dry Valleys, to the Ares Desert, and the ruins of the City of Thory. The main purpose of the fortress was initially to protect the mithril mine, but after the war ended, Fort Solfini was repurposed as a defense center for the cities of Tohron, Euhron, and Thory (now a dead city, Thori).
Anthonius brought all the main investigation team members, along with the girl he had rescued, to one of the guard rooms in the fortress. The place did not have complete facilities such as seating or even a slate board to write down the discussion results. All members of the core investigative team had to make do with the limited facilities to conduct their discussion before heading to the River Charon.
"What's going on...?" Javier asked with an annoyed expression. "The road was suddenly closed, Dima asked us to return to the fortress, and then you came bringing a child... who knows where he came from!" Javier really couldn't contain his frustration.
Hearing Javier's complaint, Anthonius just smiled.
"You might not know the reason why the road to Tohron is closed. Even if you knew..., you might not believe what you see. With the reality of what is happening right in front of your eyes!" said Alyosha.
Alyosha's answer immediately shocked Omar and Javier. Meanwhile, Vanity Fair, who is a member of the Lazuary Sword, remained silent with a flat expression on her face.
Anthonius asked Javier to give him his bow, including placing a piece of amethyst crystal that he had taken when the banshee-like creature attacked him in the city of Tohron. "Omar and I were once attacked by a creature resembling a banshee, the monster found on the first floor of the Temple of the Dark Dragon, but in reality, the creature that attacked us was not a true banshee. It was its appearance that made you mistakenly think that the creature was a banshee."
Everyone fell silent, while Anthonius seemed to be examining every part of Javier's bow while explaining what had been concluded so far from several incidents that had happened to him, Omar, and Alyosha.
"Alyosha apparently also experienced the same incident, even before he joined the main investigation team. And strangely, the characteristics of the creature that attacked him were somewhat similar to the one that attacked me and Omar when we were at the Dark Dragon Temple. Unfortunately... while saving this little girl, we both encountered that creature again." Anthonius smiled, as if mocking the misfortune he had just experienced. Meanwhile, Javier looked very surprised at Anthonius's explanation.
"The girl..." Javier seemed to ask whether the little girl Anthonius brought also saw the creature that had just attacked Anthonius.
"She also... is the only survivor among the hundreds of victims we have found. This girl concealed her magical powers to deceive the creature. So today I will explain to you what kind of creature we are facing. This explanation is based on the conclusions from the events I experienced, as well as some initial analysis data from the Crimson Knight investigation teams located in every major city on Terra. I will summarize it and explain the conclusion to you in the simplest language I can explain!"
Anthonius explained that the creature responsible for the murders of the witches in Terra resembles a banshee. A monster that resides in the Dark Dragon Temple area 1. The creature uses a hellish scythe as its main weapon, but the most deadly attack from the banshee is actually the sound produced by the creature, often referred to as the song of hell. This is clearly very different from the creature that attacked Alyosha, Anthonius, and Omar. The creature that attacked them utilized its hair, which could transform into metal blades capable of penetrating even pure orichalcum shields.
The creature also always asks the same question to its victim, 'Are you a blood witch?' This is very different from the Banshee, who cannot understand human language, let alone speak it. Banshee has its own language, and many magic researchers in Terra are still trying to identify what language Banshee actually uses in each of its deadly songs.
"So it's clear... that the creature attacking us is not a banshee. The creature only has an appearance resembling a banshee, so we thought that the creature was a banshee," explained Anthonius.
"Then... what is that creature?" asked Javier. "It will be very difficult to fight it if we don't even have information about its identity or type. Moreover... this creature often appears suddenly. killing without any pattern, and then disappearing, leaving only shards of amethyst crystals, which are antimatter magic. "This creature seems to cause chaos without purpose, using crazy legendary magic, killing everywhere, then disappearing without a trace!" Javier said with annoyance. "Truly a troublesome creature!"
Anthonius explained that the creature they faced did not kill without purpose, as evidenced by several victims whose bodies were still found in relatively intact condition. "Alyosha and I had a disagreement about the physical condition of this creature. Alyosha said that the first time he met this creature, it had complete legs, intact arms, and all its organs were also intact, but its condition was completely different in our meeting today."
Anthonius explained that the creature they encountered today was very different from what he and Omar saw a few days ago at the Temple of the Dark Dragon. The creature they saw today had some incomplete organs. Antonius even confidently stated that the creature's arm appeared to be rotting, leaving only bones with little skin and flesh. Some of the creature's fingers were also incomplete. There are several segments of its fingers that have turned black, possibly due to the process of decomposition.
"Could it be... that he kills to renew the rotten organs he has?" Vanity asked. "As medical witches, we often perform organ transplants on human bodies as well as animals. In battle, for example, if there is a soldier who has lost their hand but has a high chance of survival because their other organs are good, we will take an organ from another soldier who has a lower chance of survival. The organ donation can only be performed if the donor is still alive, not a corpse. So... we kill one person who has a slim chance of survival to save another. In the medical world, this is very common," explained Vanity.
Everyone fell silent, except for Anthonius, who was jotting down every conclusion of today's meeting in his small notebook.
"Are there creatures that like to steal human organs?" Dima asked.
Vanity actually laughed upon hearing Dima's question, "Not only mythical creatures, humans are also very fond of stealing other human organs for money. Illegal organ trade, especially kidneys, livers, and eyes, is very easy to find in the City of Trade Ein, which is why people often say that Terra's law has died in that city!"
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Meuz had ordered Leah and Lazuardy Sword to create an illusion spell on the only mithril mine they had, but it seems that S-rank wizards are still quite difficult to deceive. They will soon know that the mine has actually been devastated. Of the 4 mines that existed, with 2 of them being the main mines, now only 1 mine is still operating. Anthonius even estimates that the last mine will not operate for long after the main mine is destroyed.After they arrived at the settlement located about 8 kilometers from Fort Solfini, Anthonius asked Alyosha to buy some travel supplies for them. At first, Alyosha was silent, as if he were dazed, even failing to respond to Anthonius's orders. The anxious Anthonius then invited Alyosha to rest at a simple eatery to regain their energy.…"How are you doing now?" Anthonius asked while handing a cup of warm tea to Alyosha. "You kept silent the whole journey. That makes me anxious. Let's take a break first!"Alyosha looked at Anthonius, but then he loo
Examination
The creature doesn't appear to be moving from its spot. Although the amethyst crystals that covered the creature's body were constantly eroding, the creature genuinely paid attention to Anthonius's Rain Arrow. Alyosha, who had successfully moved Anthonius's body away from their former battlefield, saw this but said nothing, staying hidden.Anthonius asked Alyosha, "Can you hide your magical power for as long as possible? The creature will target someone with the greatest magical power in this area.""I can." Alyosha instantly concealed his magic, though it might not last long."Even if you walk in front of it, as long as you don't have any magic, the creature won't be able to find you. We return to Fort Solfini right now. That is the nearest safe place we can reach." Anthonius advised Alyosha to go back to Fort Solfini."Are you sure?" Alyosha questioned doubtfully as he observed the creature that had only moments before attacked them. "I might not be able to face it. You and Dima hav
