The Flower Is Finished

My breathing was still heavy as I watched the witches throw something down from above onto the villagers. There was not even the slightest trace left behind. No bones, no ashes, not even a single strand of hair remained.

"What kind of magic are they using?" I asked in confusion as I stared at the horrifying scene before me.

"AAAAAAH… it hurts… AAAAAH…!"

Several villagers screamed in agony, but only seconds later their voices vanished into complete silence.

My eyes lifted toward the sky, and I saw several witches floating above us while laughing with satisfaction.

I immediately unleashed my Ancient Fire toward them, but around ten of them managed to dodge my attack effortlessly. In return, they began attacking me with their own magic.

It seemed they had prepared themselves carefully for this battle against me. Perhaps this massacre had been planned from the very beginning.

The trembling footsteps around us grew even heavier. I turned around and saw the silhouette of another monster approaching, as if it intended to crush everything in its path.

Michelle quickly ran toward me.

"What should we do?" she asked with a confused expression. I knew she was struggling to decide whether to help the villagers or fight the monsters beside me.

"Do you have a secret escape route?" I whispered quietly, because deep down I could feel something even worse was coming.

"Yes. The Elder already prepared an underground passage," Michelle answered.

I frowned. More villagers had already fallen victim to the witches' attacks, and I had no idea how we could possibly save the remaining survivors. There was no way the two of us could handle a disaster this massive alone.

"Take them and leave. I'll deal with them myself," I told her firmly.

Michelle hesitated. The vibrations in the ground grew stronger than before, while the wind howled violently around us. Fear was clearly visible on her face.

"What about you? Can you really hold them off?" she asked anxiously.

Only a few villagers remained alive, and even they sounded terrified. I still did not understand what the witches had thrown from the sky, but now many villagers were collapsing onto the ground while the witches laughed mercilessly at the elderly victims suffering beneath them.

I attacked the witches one by one using my Ancient Fire. Several of them were struck by the flames and immediately fell from the sky, burning alive.

Their screams echoed loudly through the battlefield as I continued attacking relentlessly.

Suddenly, someone attacked me from behind.

I managed to dodge just in time and quickly turned toward my attacker. The person wore all-black clothing along with a mask covering their face. I tried pulling the mask off, but they swiftly avoided my hand.

I didn't know who they were, but something about their figure felt strangely familiar.

"So you're that little bastard after all?" the masked person sneered softly.

I frowned immediately. Even their voice sounded familiar somehow.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

But instead of answering, they only laughed quietly.

The figure carried a staff, making it obvious they were a witch. Yet the way they spoke sounded as though they had known me for a very long time.

"I don't want to fight you," the witch said calmly. "Just hand over the Ancient Fire, and I'll free all your captives."

I let out a small laugh after hearing those words.

"You think I'm some child who can be fooled that easily?" I mocked.

The witch laughed loudly while lightly tapping the ground with their staff.

"Very well. If you refuse, then we'll fight… and perhaps this time your life will truly end."

The moment those words left their mouth, they immediately attacked me with the staff.

"Attack!"

Their movements were swift and agile, striking repeatedly with techniques that also felt strangely familiar to me. But I pushed that thought aside for now.

Srang!

Srang!

BRUK!

"Akhhh!"

The witch wielded the staff skillfully, and before I realized it, they struck directly into my stomach. The impact forced me down onto the ground.

"So this is all you can do?" they mocked while slowly approaching me, casually swinging the staff in one hand.

"There's no right choice left for you now. Prepare to die."

Hearing those words, I clutched my chest painfully while the witch slowly raised the staff.

They began chanting a spell, and light emerged from between their fingers.

When I tried to move away, both of my legs suddenly became completely immobile.

"Why can't my legs move? What's happening?" I muttered in confusion.

Before I could understand the situation, the witch pointed the staff directly toward me.

A beam of light shot out from the tip of the staff, racing toward me.

I had no other choice.

I immediately summoned my Ancient Fire.

I clenched both fists tightly, and the flames slowly spread through my veins. Then I stretched my hands forward, releasing a torrent of fire that collided directly with the incoming magic.

BOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted as the two powers clashed violently against each other.

The witch staggered backward several steps, finally realizing how terrifying the power of my Ancient Fire truly was.

"How… how is this possible?" they muttered in shock.

I smirked faintly at them.

"Then feel this instead."

"WHOOSHHH! WHOOSHHH!"

Wave after wave of fire forced the witch backward, and some flames struck their shoulder directly. They cried out painfully.

"Take this!" they shouted before counterattacking with magic once more.

I managed to dodge their attack, but this time they failed to escape mine.

"WHOOSHHHH—BRAK!"

"Akhhhh!"

The witch collapsed onto the ground as my flames engulfed their body completely.

"Fire…!"

"Damn you, Xanders!"

They desperately tried using magic to extinguish the flames, but I tightened my fist, strengthening the Ancient Fire so it could not be put out.

Slowly, the witch's body disappeared entirely beneath my flames.

"It's hot…!"

"Put it out, Xanders…!"

"I'll tell you everything…"

I ignored every single word.

I took a deep breath while watching the witch finally vanish completely before my eyes.

The smell of blood and battle filled the air heavily.

When I looked around, there were almost no bodies left behind anymore. Only pools of blood remained scattered across the ground.

I immediately rushed toward Michelle's house, remembering what she had told me earlier.

Within minutes, I arrived there.

I searched desperately for the underground passage, turning the house upside down, but I still couldn't find where the hidden entrance was located.

"Where exactly is this underground room?" I muttered in frustration.

Suddenly, the sound of countless horse footsteps echoed outside.

I quickly peeked through the cracks in the living room wall.

"So they still haven't given up trying to kill me," I growled angrily.

Outside, more enemies had arrived, and the vibrations shaking the ground felt even stronger than before.

BRAK!

BRAK!

BRAK!

Heavy logs crashed violently into the yard, causing the entire house to tremble. The footsteps outside grew louder and darker, signaling that something even bigger was approaching.

I peeked outside once more and saw that Michelle's house had been completely surrounded by massive demons with huge bodies.

While I was still thinking of a way out, suddenly a gigantic log crashed through the roof, nearly smashing my head apart.

I immediately stepped outside while gripping my sword tightly.

"There's no other choice… I'll slaughter every last one of them," I declared confidently.

Several giant demons with horrifying faces stood before me.

"So you're the cowardly brat hiding inside the house," one of them sneered.

The moment he opened his mouth, a disgusting rotten smell spread through the air, forcing me to cover my nose before spitting beside me.

"Shut your filthy mouth, bastard," I cursed loudly.

The demon instantly became enraged. He grabbed a huge tree beside him effortlessly and ripped it from the ground.

Then he hurled it straight toward me.

"ATTACK!"

All of them charged at me simultaneously.

I raised my sword and immediately activated the Thousand Shadow Technique, allowing my movements to become incredibly fast and agile. Combined with my Ancient Fire, my sword burned with scorching heat.

As I slashed several of them repeatedly, they only burst into loud laughter and looked down on me mockingly.

Akh!

Akh!

BRRAK!

SRANG!

CRASH!

I grabbed one demon's shoulder and drove my sword deeply into its arm, but the creature only shook its body violently.

Blood splattered everywhere across the ground, yet none of them seemed to feel pain at all. Worse, when I looked closely, their wounds began regenerating almost instantly.

At that moment, I realized these monsters could not be defeated with ordinary sword wounds alone.

"You think your sword can kill us?" one of them mocked arrogantly.

"If that's the case…"

He paused briefly before lifting a massive tree again and throwing it directly toward me.

"Then let me show you how to truly kill an enemy."