Date a Witch: Reborn as the Witch of Lust! (GL)-Chapter 98: "Just Run when you see her"

Ka-broom yawned sheepishly in the air, its Master shifting restlessly with her lover on its twig.

Mel’s eyes darted between the Archbishop and the Saintess, her blush fading as a sharp glint replaced it.

"Warning shot?" The man’s grip over his sickle tightened. "Please do not test me, Miss Mel."

His sickle swept toward the crystals scattered across the soil and cliffside.

"See those? They’re the same crystals used to forge our crossbow bolts, each packed with condensed mana, strong enough to kill an Adept-ranked in a single shot."

Then, he swiped the sickle slowly in the air like an impending death sentence.

"And there were thirty of them lined up." He continued. "On each cliff. That’s sixty bolts aimed at you right now."

"You spoke with the eagerness of the hunted." The elf’s grasp left Mel as she descended from the flying broom.

"You spoke as if you truly seek death." The Archbishop scoffed. "Our Master has told us to treat you fairly."

His metal armour clinked as he hunched his shoulder in a battle-ready stance. "But be aware, I’m not afraid to deliver you half-dead."

The elf blinked as if hearing something ridiculous, then she tapped her cheek.

With a kind smile, she merely... walked forward, her steps gentle and graceful.

"Please repeat to me again."

As Maria’s words rang in the tense silence, the archbishop drew back his stance in mock arrogance.

His lips moved. One more step, and you’ll-

The archbishop spoke, but nothing followed. Only glassy breaths tumbled out from his throat.

A <Silence>... spell? Was her Mind-bending magic related to sound emission?

The Saintess’s calm voice sliced through the silence, snapping the archbishop back to grim awareness.

His years of experience as an <Executioner> grounded his judgement, as he merely raised his hand for the warning shot.

Yet he heard no slices of the wind, not even a bolt shot from above.

Frowning, the masked figure shifted his gaze upwards-

Only to find his subordinates... subordinates?

He looked toward the cliff and froze; his men stood motionless. Not even a twitch.

Their fingers remained on the triggers, yet no one saw his order and shot.

"Before the end of the Unprided Crusade, every humanity cowered as they feared their time no longer belonged to theirs alone."

He glared at the elf, still approaching at a distance.

"From the moment I was awake as a child, I was quite frankly... disappointed in this strength."

Even the silence shivered under her presence, the elf’s voice remained its only occupant.

"Pride could have achieved so much more," she continued. "Yet she was too blinded to realise her true potential."

Yet the silence allowed the archbishop’s heartbeat to drum against his chest, and words desperately clung to his throat.

"Blinded by her sense of time, too slow to see the world shifting with every passing second."

Then, she stopped before the hooded archbishop.

A mischievous smile adorned her immaculate face as she tilted her head. "Then what happened to those who would perceive the world in only a millisecond? Would they eternally freeze only at a single, endless moment?"

The archbishop caught his shuddering breaths, his feet backing down in a belated realisation.

His grip over the sickle was sweaty, and despite every bit of his instinct screaming for him to run...

A bitter laugh escaped his lips; for once, he felt no gratitude for his years of experience.

Because no matter how he ran, the Saintess would always be one step ahead.

His defeated gaze scanned his men above; the ones locked still in an eternal moment.

Beautifully eerie, just like in the {Unprided Crusade}.

With a dull thud, he dropped his weapons and slowly raised his hands, mouthing

"It’s my loss."

Yet, even if he must sacrifice everyone here, he must notify others of her presence.

Give them time to run. Abandon their operations here. And just run.

His foot inched stealthily towards the chained sickle on the soil, as the Elf squinted behind her rounded glasses.

Watching how the Saintess relaxed, Samaria, the Archbishop, took a gamble-

And kicked the chain upwards, sending the sickle flying towards the elf.

But without a chant, the Saintess merely raised a finger and flicked the sickle back down, an effortless end to his first and last strike.

And from his <Storage Ring>, he pulled out a magic scroll, the ’one-second distraction’ allowing him to mutter.

"<Blink>!"

With a flash of white light, Samaria disappeared from the scene, leaving behind Mel and the Saintess.

The elf, unbothered by Samaria’s escape, shrugged carelessly. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Oh!" Mel flew to her on her broom, a foxy smile curling up. "A mistake by the Saintess herself? How peculiar."

"Relax, Mel."

The elf took her glasses off, brown eyes narrowing in softness as she faced Mel.

"Revealing my identity early was necessary. Had he not feared my Mastery in Space, he would’ve used a full teleport rather than a simple blink. Even the slightest dimensional anomaly would’ve given away his presence."

"Then why did you let him run away?" Mel frowned a little. "If you want information, isn’t it easier for me to interrogate with my <Witch Form>?"

"No. It’s necessary for the Knights to know, not you and I alone."

A serious glint crossed the elf’s eyes as she stared into Mel’s relaxed gaze. "Remember, Envy also has to participate in what will come soon. Revealing the cult publicly in this area was more than crucial."

"Oh, I see!" Mel clapped her hands in understanding. "Then, I suppose you let him run away to his base, right?"

Then, Maria’s hand swayed in the air, before Mel felt the air thinned, as if sapped by an unknown force.

"Correct. I’ve created a <Dimensional Block> barrier that prevented the cult’s common communication channel."

She patted her Mel, smirking. "And the rest? We will continue East until we reach Envy, Greed, and Calina."

"Got it!"

Mel nodded with strength before stretching out her hand. "So, want me to give you a ride again?"

The broom’s twig extended to tap its master on the head; it had long since exceeded its weight limit. Again? Really?

"Hehe... sorry, sorry!"

As the Saintess watched the cheerful Mel pat her broom, she eyed the Eagle-eye and Kitsu, now sending her cautious yet admiring gazes.

She glanced at the frozen cultists; a sight so eerily familiar, it felt like routine.

A heaviness pounded in her chest as she accepted Mel’s hand again.

"Alright."

Come to think of it, hadn’t Mel teased her the instant she appeared to slip?

The Saintess licked her lips, wondering how Mel could ’make up’ for it later.

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