Witch Taming System

Nyx had no intellectual thinking of its own.

All it knew was that its master was in danger, and that the source of that danger had to be eliminated.

Like an autonomous shadow, Nyx moved on the offensive. Its claws lashed out, only to be met by one of the troupe members’ swords.

Clang——!

The impact rang out as sparks burst from the clash. The man staggered, his arm shaking from the force behind it.

"Fuck... that’s heavy."

"Idiot. Look out!"

Nyx moved again, faster this time, moving like a blur of black. Its limbs twisted unnaturally as it closed the distance in an instant. Another heavy slash came down.

Clang! Clang!

The troupe member barely held on, his blade grinding against Nyx’s claws as the pressure mounted. The others quickly moved in to support, rushing in from the sides.

"Surround it!"

Steel flashed.

Blades came from every direction, aiming to overwhelm it through numbers. But the moment they struck...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every hit bounced off.

The sound of metal striking something far harder filled the alley as sparks scattered in the air.

"What the fuck... It’s not even taking damage!"

Before they could adjust, Nyx moved again.

One limb snapped forward faster than the eye could follow, slamming into one of the attackers. The man was thrown back instantly. His body crashed against the wall with a loud thud.

"Gah...!"

Another followed.

Nyx’s elongated limbs swept across the ground, forcing the others to retreat or be cut down, forcing them to reposition.

"Spread out!"

One of them shouted as he pushed off the ground and put distance between them. The others followed immediately, trying to avoid getting overwhelmed in close quarters.

"Fine... then we cut it down!"

One of them cut a clean arc through the air, aiming straight for Nyx’s center, where its spine-like structure converged.

Clang——!

The strike landed.

But not the way he expected.

The force ran straight back through his arm as his blade rebounded. It was so jarring that it rattled his bones as his wrist nearly gave out under the resistance, causing his eyes to widen.

"What—?!"

Nyx moved.

He had clearly attacked Nyx’s blind spot. Yet for some reason, even that didn’t amount to anything.

"Does this bastard not have any weak points?!"

Another lashed out. But one of Nyx’s limbs moved upward, catching the blade mid-withdrawal and forcing it off its line.

The moment the sword was displaced, another of its limbs drove forward, cutting through the opening that had been created.

Slash——!

"Ukh...!"

The man’s figure locked for a split second before the strength left his body entirely. His weapon slipped from his grasp, clattering against the ground as his knees buckled before collapsing completely.

"Shit!"

"Don’t let it isolate you!"

The remaining two reacted faster this time.

They moved in together, their timing tighter, one lowering his stance as his blade swept toward Nyx’s lower half while the other came from above, angling his strike to cut down its core from the opposite direction.

Clang! Clang!

This time, the pressure forced Nyx back. Though as much as they hoped, it wasn’t that far, implying their force wasn’t enough.

Moreover, they began to realize something was wrong.

Their blades were starting to crack under the repeated clashes. Fine fractures spread along the edges with every impact slowly building up.

"It’s that bastard’s familiar, isn’t it?!" one of them shouted. "Kill him, and that monster dies—"

Slash——!

In the same instant those words were spoken, his head separated cleanly from his body.

For a brief moment, it flew in the air as if time had slowed, before gravity took over.

It dropped to the ground with a thud, rolling just slightly before coming to a stop.

"...."

"...."

Silence fell over them.

In that brief pause, they understood the reality of their situation.

There was no use fighting this thing.

It was far beyond what they could handle, and that alone was enough to make their instincts tell them to retreat.

And that was saying a lot, considering every single one of them could be considered high-grade A-rank adventurers if they ever chose to register with the guild.

"T-Take the witches!"

"I got them!"

One of them moved immediately, breaking away from the standoff as he rushed toward the two unconscious witches. His decision was quick, abandoning the fight entirely in favor of securing something they could still take.

This wasn’t a battle worth dying for.

And fortunately for them, Nyx didn’t move to retrieve the witches.

With no command to follow or any thought to guide it, all it could do was remain where on standby, its purpose fixed on a single point.

Protect its master.

Protect Lancel, who lay unconscious behind it.

"Let’s get out of here!"

The moment they crossed the boundary of its range, Nyx didn’t pursue. It simply remained there, hovering slightly above the ground as the troupe fled with the two witches.

And just like that, Lancel was left alone.

* * *

"Fuck..."

The moment Lancel opened his eyes, the first thing that met him was two crimson eyes staring right back at him.

"Ahhh...!"

He flinched instinctively, his body jerking back before he even realized what he was looking at. It took him a moment to recognize it.

Nyx.

His breathing settled as he forced himself to calm down, pressing a hand against his forehead as he tried to recall what had happened before he blacked out.

When he finally looked around, his eyes widened.

There were bodies. Two unfamiliar men were lying motionless on the ground. One had his head torn off, while the other’s torso had a wide, gaping hole in it.

But more importantly... Faust and Fiore were gone.

"Where did they go?!"

Lancel’s gaze turned back to Nyx, as if expecting an answer. But Nyx only tilted its head, its crimson eyes fixed on him, as if it didn’t understand the question.

Lancel let out an exhale, dragging a hand down his face. The dizziness still hadn’t completely faded. He tried to piece everything together.

This was bad.

Really bad.

From what he could tell, Nyx had protected him. That much was obvious from the bodies scattered around.

But...

"...Why didn’t you protect them?"

And yet, even as he said it, the answer was already obvious.

Nyx had never even looked in their direction.