Chapter 28: A Mother’s Scythe, A Daughter’s Plea

Yet, the woman in the bird-beak mask paid no heed to Robert’s frantic pleas, simply raising her white scythe and slashing down.

“Tch, damn it!”

Robert instantly realized that the woman had absolutely no intention of sparing him.

His blood-red longsword immediately rose to parry, only to be cleaved in two by the scythe in a single, devastating moment.

The scythe bit into Robert’s shoulder, and in the blink of an eye, bisected his entire body with chilling precision.

Blood gushed forth, yet Robert couldn’t even withstand a single exchange.

However, he did not immediately perish; his bisected body dissolved into a pool of blood that swiftly streamed away into the distance.

After scrambling a dozen meters away, the blood coalesced into a human form, reforming into Robert.

His already pallid face grew even whiter, resembling a corpse long since deceased.

“Who exactly are you? I can give you anything; just spare me! Anything the Hunter Guild cannot provide, the Source of Dreams can offer you!”

Robert shrieked almost hysterically, driven to the brink of madness by the fear for his life.

“You have no need to know. What I seek, an organization of your caliber could never provide. Now, die.”

The white scythe slashed forth a colossal blade-arc, virtually encompassing all of Robert’s escape routes.

Robert, sensing a mortal threat, transformed his body into a swarm of bats and frantically fled into the distance.

He would die.

If he didn’t run, he would truly perish here!

For the first time in his life, Robert felt a truly fatal threat, a sensation that filled him with unparalleled dread.

Nothing could be more terrifying than death itself.

However, before the swarm of bats could travel far, the crackle of an electric shock resonated through the air.

A colossal blue barrier materialized on the grassy ground, its electric aura enveloping an area dozens of meters wide.

At this moment, Robert had nowhere left to flee.

After being subjected to the intense electric shock, Robert instantly reverted to his human form.

Gazing at the barrier that refused to yield, no matter his efforts, he plunged into profound despair.

The woman in the bird-beak mask slowly advanced, as if merely confronting a trivial matter, treating it as utterly beneath her notice.

But the bone-chilling aura of terror emanating from her had already shattered Robert’s resolve.

No matter what, even using all his hidden cards, he knew he could not resist the terrifying woman before him.

In this final moment, his thoughts raced, encompassing everything from the day he embraced the Source of Dreams to the lengthy plan he had orchestrated for the Outer God’s arrival.

“Is this truly the end?”

The woman in the bird-beak mask drew ever closer, her white scythe like the Grim Reaper itself, gradually consuming Robert’s dwindling life force.

‘No,’ he refused to accept such an obscure, meaningless death.

‘My plan is flawless.

How could it be ruined by this suddenly appearing Hunter?’

Veins bulged on Robert’s forehead, his blood seemingly boiling within him.

In the cold night, steam even began to rise from his body.

The air grew progressively hotter, a warmth that even Bai Yu felt from a distance.

Indeed, Bai Yu was also trapped within this unknown Hunter’s barrier, and she was utterly distraught.

Originally, she had planned to seize the opportunity while the two were fiercely engaged to make a swift escape, and then seek help from the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau.

But what did it mean to trap her as well?!

Bai Yu felt an ominous premonition, wondering if the woman would turn on her next.

Bai Yu quietly retreated, pressing herself against one side of the barrier, and pondering if she could somehow dispel it.

On the other side, Robert had now descended into utter madness.

His entire body’s muscles swelled to a terrifying extent, ripping his clothes apart.

His once rather handsome face now resembled that of a beast, with massive fangs like sharp blades, displaying a savage fury and ferocity.

“So you finally reveal your true form, vampire.”

The woman in the bird-beak mask showed no surprise at Robert’s transformation.

Simply gripping her scythe with both hands, she turned her body slightly, and vanished from her spot in an instant.

When she reappeared, the woman was already before Robert.

Bai Yu hadn’t even perceived any movement from her.

‘Is this the true power of a high-tier Arcanist?’

Bai Yu swallowed hard.

She felt that, from beginning to end, the woman hadn’t even unleashed her true power, as if merely toying with the vampire.

Clanging sounds echoed through the air as the berserk Robert continuously parried the woman’s scythe with his sharp claws.

But this lasted only a short while.

The sounds persisted for merely a dozen seconds before completely fading away.

Robert, now resembling a true beast, stared at his arm, which had lost a limb.

In his maddened state, he didn’t seem to comprehend what had happened.

Yet reality offered him no chance to react.

In a mere instant, the beast’s head was utterly severed.

From beginning to end, the woman had not used a single arcane art.

This wasn’t a battle at all; it was a unilateral slaughter.

The woman flicked her scythe, shaking off the blood.

Ignoring the corpse on the ground, she turned her gaze towards Bai Yu.

Bai Yu, now the focus of her attention, was instantly terrified into stillness, standing rigid in place.

The barrier still hadn’t vanished.

This woman’s next target was surely her!

“What do I do, what do I do? She’s looking at me! Moweila, quick, think of something!”

[What can I do? Logically, you should be fine. After all, this is how I foresaw the future.]

“Stop with the nonsense! She’s coming over! Ah, she’s raising her scythe!”

Bai Yu screamed internally.

“Wait, wait! Let’s talk this out properly!”

Ultimately, Bai Yu could only address the woman before her with a tentative tone.

“Oh? A nascent witch. What do you wish to say?”

The woman’s voice seemed less imbued with killing intent than it had been with Robert, instead carrying a hint of curiosity.

‘There’s a chance!’

Upon hearing the woman’s voice, Bai Yu instantly felt a surge of hope, believing herself saved.

“Heh heh, look, I’m not like that vampire from before.

A child like me is definitely a good person; I haven’t done anything bad.

And from what that vampire said, you specialize in hunting beings like him, right? I do too! We’re the same!”

Bai Yu, frightened, quickly defended herself, speaking with such conviction that she almost convinced herself.

“The same? A witch like you has the right to say such a thing? Though killing a child of your age isn’t something I desire, witches must be purged. That is all.”

The woman had no intention of listening to Bai Yu’s explanation.

She raised her scythe, ready to strike.

“Wait, wait! Your voice sounds familiar! Perhaps we’re acquaintances! Don’t act yet!”

Bai Yu no longer cared about anything else, blurting out every possible plea.

However, the woman paid no heed to Bai Yu’s explanations.

In an instant, the scythe was at Bai Yu’s neck.

‘It’s over…’

Bai Yu tightly shut her eyes, ready to accept death.

She never imagined her life would end like this.

‘To die still thinking of Chu Nan… ah, wait, not anymore…’

‘She also wanted to fall in love and get close with beautiful girls.’

Yet, the anticipated strike never came.

Bai Yu opened her eyes, finding the scythe right before her, barely a centimeter from striking.

“You… you are?!”

The voice of the woman in the bird-beak mask trembled slightly, as if she couldn’t accept what she was seeing.

What had she discovered?

As she prepared to kill this witch, she had received a warning that her son was in danger.

How could this be?

The arcane art she had left behind would only notify her if Bai Yu faced a mortal threat, prompting her to decide whether to teleport.

This was a high-risk arcane art, usable only once, and extremely difficult to learn.

But why did this witch before her possess the arcane art that her son should have?

“Who exactly are you? Why do you have Bai Yu’s arcane art? Where is he now?”

The woman’s voice was laced with anxiety and anger as she shouted at Bai Yu.

Bai Yu was a little bewildered.

Why was she looking for her?

Had her mind gone awry?

“What do you mean, ‘where is he’? I am Bai Yu.”

Bai Yu, speechless, quietly moved out of the scythe’s attack range; the weapon made her uneasy.

“How could that be? You are Bai Yu?”

The woman’s voice trembled.

She lowered the scythe she held and removed her mask, revealing a face Bai Yu knew all too well.

Bai Yu’s eyes widened.

At this moment, she finally recognized the person behind that familiar voice.

This face was beyond familiar; wasn’t it her Mother?

‘Huh?’

Bai Yu felt as if she were dreaming, wondering if she was still asleep in Lu Xingyao’s bed.

But reason told her that none of this was a dream.

“Mother?”

Bai Yu asked softly, barely daring to raise her voice, fearing she might have mistaken someone else.

In that case, it would be terribly awkward, wouldn’t she be like those who play certain games, calling others ‘mom’?

Upon hearing Bai Yu’s words, Tianyu also reacted.

“Bai Yu? It really is you.

The new witch who appeared is you?”

Tianyu could hardly believe that her target for execution was her own child.

“Um, how do I put this? It is me.

But shouldn’t you explain your current situation?

Weren’t you working abroad? Is this… your work?”

Tianyu felt a little awkward, especially in this situation.

She quickly put away her scythe and walked over to Bai Yu.

“Xiaoyu, are you hurt?”

“Almost…”

Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief; she had almost been righteously eliminated by her own parent.

“I’m sorry, Xiaoyu.

I truly didn’t realize that witch was you.”

Tianyu was now consumed by guilt; she had almost killed the most important person in her life.

“Mother, why didn’t you answer my calls? Wasn’t it because of that box you brought that I ended up like this?”

Bai Yu scratched her head.

Could her Mother really not know what was inside that box?

“A box? I haven’t been back at all.

Where would a box come from?”

In an instant, Tianyu realized the problem.

Someone must have impersonated her, leading to Bai Yu’s current predicament.

‘Damn it! Who could it be?!’