Chapter 242 - 243: Shadow Witch

Chapter 242: Chapter 243: Shadow Witch

Far from the dwarven capital, beyond the territories controlled by the Beast Kingdom, stood an enormous fortress surrounded by an endless expanse of darkness.

It was not merely a military stronghold.

It was the domain of one of the Five Heavenly Kings of the Demon Race.

Noriela.

The Shadow Witch.

Among the demons, her name carried a weight that required no explanation. Noriela was not feared because she commanded the largest army, nor because she possessed overwhelming physical strength like some of the other great demons.

She was feared because almost no one ever knew when she had decided to kill them.

Noriela specialized in four branches of magic that were particularly suited to her nature: curses, assassination arts, illusions, and shadow magic.

Her curses could gradually weaken an opponent’s body, interfere with their magical abilities, or inflict effects that were difficult to detect until it was already too late. Her assassination techniques allowed her to eliminate targets without revealing her presence, while her mastery of illusions enabled her to manipulate perception and deceive even experienced warriors.

But her greatest specialty was Shadow Magic.

Noriela could merge with shadows, conceal her presence, travel through darkness, create shadow constructs, manipulate the shadows of other beings, and use darkness as a medium through which she could attack from unexpected directions.

She was not a demon who needed to stand at the center of a battlefield.

She was the kind who could remain unseen until the battlefield was already covered in corpses.

Inside her fortress, a vast chamber was illuminated by several dim violet flames.

Noriela sat upon a black throne at the far end of the room.

Her long, silky black hair descended past her waist, blending almost perfectly with the darkness behind her. Two elegant black horns curved backward from the sides of her head, while her violet eyes possessed a sharpness that made it difficult for anyone to meet her gaze for long.

She wore a refined black dress with dark violet patterns running along its edges, and a pair of long black gloves covered her hands. Her appearance was beautiful, but there was nothing gentle about it.

And the faint pressure surrounding her was enough to remind anyone in her presence that she was one of the highest-ranking beings in the Demon Race.

A demon was kneeling before her.

It was the same man who had stood on the rooftop overlooking the dwarven capital.

The same demon who had watched Selene burn the Tiger King’s soldiers to nothing.

The same demon who had followed Ares’s group afterward.

And the same demon who had fled when Ares’s Soul Art reduced his entire force to screaming victims.

His hood remained over his head, but his face was partially visible beneath it, and for perhaps the first time in his life, he looked genuinely unsettled.

Noriela stared down at him.

"Speak."

The demon lowered his head.

"My Lady, I have returned from Ravellon with information concerning the three adventurers I was investigating."

Noriela’s eyes narrowed.

"You were investigating them personally?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Then tell me exactly what happened."

The demon took a breath.

"I first observed them near the dwarven capital after they had encountered members of the Tiger King’s forces."

Noriela remained silent.

"I witnessed the entire incident from a nearby building. One of the women accompanying the human burned the Tiger King’s soldiers alive with flames I had never encountered before. Their bodies were completely destroyed."

Noriela’s expression remained unchanged.

"Continue."

"I continued following them afterward."

"You followed them yourself?"

Noriela’s gaze sharpened.

"And you still allowed yourself to become involved in an operation that ended with the loss of every demon you brought with you?"

The demon’s expression tightened.

"Yes, My Lady."

Noriela’s fingers slowly tapped against the armrest of her throne.

The demon lowered his head further.

"I believed the three were powerful adventurers, but I underestimated the extent of their strength. I gathered several high-ranking demons and attempted to capture them alive."

Noriela’s voice remained cold.

"And what happened?"

"They defeated us."

There was a brief silence.

Noriela stared at him.

"Defeated?"

"Yes."

"How?"

The demon hesitated.

"I cannot properly explain it."

Noriela’s eyes became colder.

"You cannot explain what happened to your own subordinates?"

"My Lady, I witnessed it myself, but I still cannot understand it."

His voice became tense.

"The man standing in the center of the group did not even move when we surrounded them."

Noriela stopped tapping her fingers.

"He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers."

The demon swallowed.

"After that, the demons began screaming."

Noriela’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Their bodies were not burned. Their souls were."

Silence filled the chamber.

"The flames appeared directly within them. They were screaming as though their souls were being torn apart, yet there was almost no physical damage. I have never seen anything like it."

Noriela leaned back slightly.

"The man remained completely calm. The woman with the flames seemed almost amused, and the other man watched the entire thing without showing any fear."

Noriela stared at him for several seconds.

"So, are you telling me that three human adventurers defeated a group of high-ranking demons without any difficulty?"

The demon lowered his head.

"Yes, My Lady."

Noriela’s expression hardened.

"Then perhaps you should explain something else."

The pressure inside the chamber suddenly increased.

The demon’s body stiffened.

"You are a Greater Demon."

"Yes, My Lady."

"Why did you not capture them yourself?"

The demon’s face tightened.

"I apologize."

"That was not an answer."

The pressure increased further.

The demon’s knees sank slightly into the stone floor.

"M-My Lady, I could not."

Noriela stared down at him.

"Could not?"

He clenched his teeth before continuing.

"The three of them are stronger than I am."

The words were difficult for him to admit.

"There are three of them, and their abilities are completely different from anything I have encountered. Even if I had confronted them alone, I do not believe I could have captured even one of them."

Noriela’s eyes narrowed.

He paused before adding:

"I would not have survived a direct confrontation."

Noriela’s expression became even colder.

’Three humans capable of overwhelming a Greater Demon.’

She found the situation irritating.

Not frightening.

Irritating.

Something about it did not make sense.

Humans were not supposed to possess this kind of power.

Not without an explanation.

Noriela rose from her throne.

The shadows beneath her feet immediately began spreading across the floor.

"You will continue investigating them."

The demon looked up.

"Yes, My Lady."

"I want their names, their identities, their origin, their abilities, and every piece of information you can uncover about them."

Her violet eyes became razor-sharp.

"And this time, you will not approach them."

The demon bowed.

"Understood."

"You will observe them from a distance. If they discover you, you will retreat immediately. I have no intention of losing another Greater Demon because you were foolish enough to underestimate them twice."

The demon lowered his head.

"Yes, My Lady."

Noriela turned away.

"I will discuss this matter with the other Heavenly Kings."

The demon hesitated.

"My Lady, should we mobilize additional forces?"

Noriela stopped.

"No."

Her answer was immediate.

"Until we understand what those three are, sending more demons after them would accomplish nothing except increasing our losses."

The demon bowed deeply.

"Yes, My Lady."

Noriela glanced over her shoulder.

"And if you discover anything unusual about the human who possesses Soul Art, report it to me immediately."

"Yes, My Lady."

"Leave."

The demon disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

For several moments, Noriela remained alone within the chamber.

Her violet eyes rested upon the empty space where the demon had disappeared.

The information was incomplete.

The demon had witnessed the confrontation himself, yet even he could not properly explain what he had seen.

That alone was enough to make the situation troublesome.

Noriela slowly narrowed her eyes.

’Three humans appear in Ravellon, possess abilities that should not belong to them, and casually destroy a group of high-ranking demons.’

Her fingers curled slightly.

’Who exactly are they?’

The shadows surrounding her throne moved quietly.

Noriela’s expression remained cold.

She had no intention of allowing three unknown adventurers to move freely through Ravellon without first discovering what they truly were.