Chapter 518: Ancestral Witch

Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Ancestral Witch

Seraphina Sullivan took out the Three Realms Compass and looked at the dot of light on it.

Sean Chandler was in a different direction.

He was with the Native People who truly needed to be saved.

"Let’s go." Seraphina put away the Compass and glanced toward the cave exit. "We’re going to find Sean Chandler. He’s with the people who truly need to be saved."

Crystal Lynn nodded.

Flora’s long hair returned to normal, and she fell in line behind Seraphina.

Lamb walked over to Kyle Kane’s corpse, lifted a hoof, and stomped hard on the face still frozen in terror and resentment.

"BAA—!" ’Hmph! You wanted to eat me? In your dreams!’

It stomped a couple more times for good measure before retracting its hoof, satisfied. It shook its woolly coat and trotted back to Seraphina’s side, chest puffed out, looking proud as if to say, ’I got my revenge, too.’

Crystal Lynn watched, speechless, but said nothing.

Seraphina opened her system panel to check the progress of the revenge mission.

[Revenge Mission: Kill Awakeners (Demonized Superpower Users)]

[Current Kill Count: 27]

[Mission Evaluation: Base kill count met. Recommended to continue eliminating remaining Awakeners.]

[Special Notice: The ringleader, the "Ancestral Witch," and their core members are still at large. Killing them will grant the favor of the Demon God’s remnant Divine Status.]

Seraphina read the message, lost in thought.

"I wonder how many more Awakeners like these are out there." Flora walked up beside her, looking at the bodies strewn across the ground. "We’ve killed more than twenty of them, and the mission still isn’t complete."

Crystal Lynn thought for a moment before offering her analysis. "The Divine Flesh can’t be infinite, right? There was only one Demon God, so not many people could have eaten it. I’d guess there are only a few hundred of these Awakeners. Maybe even fewer?"

Seraphina nodded, then shook her head.

’She recalled what Kyle Kane had said before: "Make a sacrifice to the great Ancestral Witch and receive the Blood of Awakening."’

’They weren’t eating the Divine Flesh directly. They were receiving blood through a sacrifice.’

’What did that imply?’

’It meant that this so-called "Ancestral Witch" likely had a way to convert the Demon God’s residual power into a form that could be distributed.’

’They were like... a distributor.’

’And the people to whom they granted the "Blood of Awakening" became new Awakeners.’

"The number of Awakeners isn’t the problem," Seraphina said gravely. "The problem is the Ancestral Witch, and whatever it is they know that we don’t."

Crystal Lynn and Flora exchanged a look, and both saw the gravity of the situation reflected in the other’s eyes.

As long as the Ancestral Witch was around, new Awakeners could be created endlessly.

’And the people being sacrificed... who were they?’

’Innocents captured by Hunters like Kyle Kane’s group, or...?’

Seraphina didn’t let herself dwell on it.

"Let’s go." She closed the system panel. "First, we find Sean Chandler. He’s with the real Native People, and we need to regroup with them."

The three of them and the sheep left the cave and stepped into the Demonic Forest.

This time, Seraphina picked up the pace.

Along the way, they saw several other Players.

Some were alone, struggling to navigate the forest. Others moved in small, wary groups, maintaining combat formations.

But when they saw Seraphina’s party, they all invariably grew guarded. Some even tightened their grip on their weapons, ready for a fight.

Seraphina didn’t linger on these Players.

She understood their wariness.

The mission for this instance—to save one hundred Native People—was, in itself, an implicit competition.

The number of Native People was finite. Whoever saved the most would complete the mission first and be the first to leave this dangerous world.

And on top of that, there was the revenge mission.

’Kill Awakeners, gain the favor of the Demon God’s remnant Divine Status.’

’Who knew what that "favor" entailed?’

’Perhaps greater power, some kind of special privilege, or maybe... a path to godhood?’

No Player would give up such an opportunity lightly.

So, wariness was to be expected.

And competition was inevitable.

Seraphina mentally noted the other Players’ features and locations before continuing on her way.

---

The edge of the Demonic Forest drew nearer.

The surrounding vegetation grew sparse, and the light became brighter.

The viciously attacking vines and Cannibal Flowers became noticeably fewer, eventually disappearing almost completely.

At last, Seraphina and her companions emerged from the terrifying Demonic Forest.

An open plain stretched out before them.

In the distance, they could faintly make out a sizable settlement—a wall built of thick logs, a towering watchtower, and wisps of smoke rising from cooking fires.

That was where Sean Chandler was.

Seraphina picked up her pace and headed in that direction.

But she had only taken a few steps when—

"Halt!"

A sharp cry came from up ahead.

Immediately, a dozen or so people burst from their hiding places, quickly surrounding Seraphina and her companions.

The group consisted of men and women, young and old, but all of them were armed—with rifles, bows, spears, and one person even carried a massive Shield.

Their eyes were sharp and wary, fixed on Seraphina’s party as if they were terrifying monsters.

Their leader was a middle-aged woman with a nasty scar across her face, holding a modified rifle. She looked Seraphina and her companions up and down before speaking coldly.

"Outsiders? Identify yourselves. Where are you from, and what are you doing here?"

Crystal Lynn instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of her knife. Beau poked its head out from her arms, its forked tongue flicking in and out.

Flora’s long hair began to stir, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.

Seraphina didn’t move. She simply watched the middle-aged woman calmly.

’She knew these must be the Native People Sean Chandler had found.’

’It was natural for them to be wary of outsiders. In a world overrun with monsters, anyone who wasn’t vigilant was already dead.’

’But she needed a chance to explain.’

Just as she was about to speak—

"Wait! Don’t attack!"

A familiar voice called out from the settlement’s entrance.

A tall figure came running toward them.

It was Sean Chandler.

He ran in front of Seraphina, positioning himself between her and the Native People, and waved his hands frantically at the middle-aged woman. "Ms. Lewis, it’s okay, relax! These are my teammates! The ones I told you about!"

The middle-aged woman, Ms. Lewis, hesitated. She lowered her rifle slightly but didn’t put it down completely.

"Your teammates?" She eyed Seraphina’s group with suspicion. "You mean the... Players you mentioned?"

"Yes!" Sean Chandler nodded. He then turned to Seraphina, a rare, faint smile gracing his usually expressionless face.

"You’re here."

Seraphina smiled back.

"Yes, I’m here."

Soon, Seraphina and her group entered the survivor settlement of the Native People.