Chapter 76: The Unmaking of a Principal and the Return of Bai Yu

“Who are you…?”

The aged Principal, her strength almost entirely spent, struggled to even speak.

She summoned every ounce of her remaining energy, arduously lifting her head to gaze at the woman standing before her.

“Who I am is of no consequence,” the Woman replied.

“I simply ask you this: do you still wish to live?”

The Woman posed the question once more, her seductive aura, like a potent enchantment, entrancing the Principal on the ground and making her yearn for it with every fiber of her being.

“Save me, quickly.”

With her final breath, the Principal, prostrate on the ground, uttered these words.

“As you wish.”

The Woman smiled, her full red lips exuding an eerie allure, as she retrieved a pendant from within her robes.

However, this pendant was clearly no ordinary adornment; instead, it was covered in black flesh, resembling a tumorous mass riddled with grotesque blood vessels.

The Woman slowly crouched, forcing the chunk of flesh into the mouth of the person beneath her, compelling her to swallow it roughly.

“Cough, cough, cough!!!”

After swallowing, the Principal on the ground immediately erupted into a frantic fit of coughing, desperately trying to expel the flesh from her mouth.

Yet, all her efforts proved futile; her body was now entirely beyond her control, her limbs feeling as though they no longer belonged to her.

The flesh surged within her, proliferating into grotesque, tumor-like masses.

Then, these masses violently exploded, scattering blood and shredded meat in every direction.

They then reformed, reassembled, generated, and reassembled again, transforming from chaotic lumps of flesh into a rudimentary humanoid shape.

The humanoid mass had no skin, only exposed muscle and gruesome flesh, appearing utterly terrifying, like a living being flayed alive.

The monster continuously roared, clutching its head, seemingly in immense agony as it writhed uncontrollably.

The Principal’s personality, meanwhile, had been instantly extinguished amidst the frenzied surge of flesh, vanishing completely from this world.

All that remained was this horrifying mass of flesh, akin to a zombie.

****

“It seems to be a failure,” the Woman murmured to herself.

“As expected, creating an artificial Witch is virtually impossible.”

The sight of the monster before her filled her with profound disappointment.

“It appears the true Witch remains only that child,” she mused.

“Even I am merely an imposter.”

The Woman let out a self-deprecating laugh, her heart heavy as she gazed at the monster before her.

‘Another valuable sample wasted,’ she thought.

‘How best to dispose of this thing?’

The Woman rested her chin in her hand, pondering what possible use this monstrous lump could still have.

“Roar, roar, roar!!!”

The monster’s flesh surged, transforming it into something resembling a four-legged lizard, complete with bony spikes protruding from its back.

“Oh? It still retains a flicker of self-awareness!”

The Woman’s surprise grew as she discerned an almost frenzied desire for vengeance in the monster’s eyes.

“Roar, roar, roar!”

The monster seemed to harbor intentions of attacking the Woman before it, yet it remained paralyzed by the aura emanating from her.

“Still possessing a degree of intelligence, aren’t you?” the Woman mused.

“How should I deal with you?”

Observing the monster’s eyes, brimming with vengeful desire, the Woman’s interest steadily deepened.

“Consider this a training exercise for that child,” she declared.

“To die by the hand of a true Witch would be your honor.”

“And if you somehow manage to kill her, perhaps you, too, could become a Witch,” she tempted.

“Isn’t that what you’ve always desired?”

The Woman chuckled maliciously, casually casting several Arcanist spells upon the monster.

‘It wouldn’t do for those from the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau to find this creature prematurely,’ she thought.

‘That would spoil all the fun.’

Having completed her tasks, the Woman vanished into the shadows.

‘Let me see, the true power of a Witch…’

“Oh my goodness, I’m finally home!”

****

The moment Bai Yu returned home, she collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted after such a long and arduous ordeal.

‘I vow to spend the rest of my life with my cozy bed and blanket!’

Bai Yu made an immediate resolution: no matter what major events unfolded, she would now remain a homebody.

However, just as Bai Yu was luxuriating in the soft embrace of the sofa, a pair of large hands abruptly snatched her up.

Bai Yu found herself hoisted into the air, her limbs flailing wildly, yet she could not break free.

“Ahhh! Let me go!”

Bai Yu shrieked, lamenting that she hadn’t even had a chance to see her beloved bed and blanket.

Tianyu observed Bai Yu, who in her grasp appeared utterly childlike, and couldn’t help but feel a twitch in her facial muscles.

While she had accepted the fact that her child had transformed into a little girl, she had not anticipated such a complete shift in personality.

‘Is the spiritual core truly that outlandish?’ she wondered.

At that moment, Lu Xingyao entered after changing her shoes, immediately spotting Bai Yu dangling in the air.

“Xiao Yu?”

Lu Xingyao asked timidly, a hint of fear in her voice as she noticed Tianyu’s darkened expression.

“Xingyao, quickly, save me! Someone’s got me!”

Bai Yu struggled with all her might, oblivious that if she had simply turned her head, she would never have uttered such words.

The instant Tianyu released her, Bai Yu plummeted onto the sofa, bouncing several times before finally settling into its depths.

“So tell me, how exactly did you end up like this?” Tianyu demanded.

“I want to know every single detail.”

Tianyu’s face was devoid of emotion.

Previously, the urgent circumstances had prevented her from questioning Bai Yu, but now things were different.

The more Tianyu considered it, the angrier she became, seething at the thought of who had dared to transform her son behind her back.

“I’ll tell you!”

Bai Yu rubbed her head, then glanced back to see a rather awkward Lu Xingyao.

‘Details, huh…’

Bai Yu painstakingly recalled the events of that day, recounting everything from opening the box to her transformation.

Though the agony of her transformation had brought her mind to the brink of collapse, her memories remained intact.

“The box!”

Tianyu pondered deeply, realizing that with only this information, it was impossible to determine who had impersonated her.

“Just you wait,” Tianyu vowed, clenching her fist.

“I will certainly find that person!”

Although Bai Yu was still alive, this grievance felt no less profound than the murder of her own child.

‘This is an irreconcilable feud,’ she thought.

“It’s fine, actually, I feel pretty good now, hehe…”

Just as Bai Yu was about to speak, Lu Xingyao quickly covered her mouth, recognizing that Tianyu’s mood was far from pleasant.

“Don’t say another word!”

“Hmph!”

Tianyu said nothing further, simply turning and walking out of the house.

She did not question why Lu Xingyao hadn’t informed her about Bai Yu immediately.

After all, while she was with the Hunter Guild, she had been consistently unreachable, a situation for which she bore some responsibility.

But now, things were different; she was a complete vagrant, entirely free from the constraints of the Hunter Guild.

Moreover, she had retaliated and eliminated the hunters sent to apprehend her, meaning that even the Hunter Guild would be unlikely to dispatch more personnel to deal with her in the short term.

This was precisely her moment to deal with that damned fraudster who dared to cross her.

Tianyu clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury, as the scene of her eliminating those hunters moments earlier replayed vividly in her mind.