Chapter 97: The Price of Victory

Initially, Rodd’s footsteps echoed faintly on the ground. As he accelerated, their rhythm intensified, growing louder with each stride.

Roar

A twisted corpse, resembling a rabid hound, lunged on all fours, tackling a weary soldier to the ground.

The monster’s mouth gaped wide as it roared, revealing putrid fangs, as if poised to tear through the soldier’s throat the next instant.

Yet, in the very next moment, a crisp, cold sword blade met the corpse, precisely severing its head.

The body stiffened, then fell limply to the earth, dissolving into a putrid mass of flesh.

“Buy me some time.”

Rodd reached out, pulling the soldier to his feet, his grip firm.

The soldier gasped, his terrified gaze shifting from the decaying flesh on the ground to Rodd, the hand clutching his weapon trembling slightly.

But Rodd’s expression remained calm and resolute, as if the surrounding chaos could not sway him in the slightest.

“Understood, boss.”

The man nodded, forcing his breathing to steady, then quickly retreated, rejoining his companions.

This time, the soldiers chose not to charge head-on, but rather to slowly draw the monsters away, creating an opening for Rodd.

Perhaps this method was effective, for even I, a complete novice in combat, noticed a momentary vulnerability in the witch’s defenses.

Rodd’s footsteps resumed, unbroken. He held his longsword horizontally, continuing his advance towards the witch.

His pace quickened, faster and faster still.

“Go, go!”

I clenched my small fists, cheering him on.

Heh…

The enchanting witch let out a cold sneer, raising her palm forward.

Almost the instant she made this gesture, all the corpse-monsters that had been lured away earlier, as if receiving some signal, uniformly rushed towards Rodd!

“Come on!”

He roared, his feet shifting, instantly meeting the first few corpses.

Sword light flashed like lightning, descending coldly.

Rodd’s figure weaved through the horde of corpses like the wind, his longsword sweeping. Streaks of sword light tore through the air, accompanied by dull hacking sounds, as several of the foremost corpses were instantly cut into pieces, rotten flesh splattering.

“As expected of a pirate king capable of slaying nobles. An ordinary person facing this situation would have long been torn to shreds by my controlled undead, but you…”

The witch’s voice was filled with cruel mockery.

“How much longer can you last?”

Her cold sneer, like a sharp blade, pierced everyone’s ears, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression.

Simultaneously, the putrid corpse-monsters seemed endless, surging forth from all directions.

Their claws and teeth were sharp, emitting heart-pounding roars, and their movements showed no hesitation, swift as if they had already merged with the darkness.

The encirclement tightened, almost completely blocking all of Rodd’s escape routes!

Watching his figure amidst the horde, I couldn’t help but whisper, my heart pounding wildly, my palms already drenched in cold sweat.

‘Was that man truly so important to me?’

‘I don’t know, I just knew I was worried about him, very worried.’

Just then, Rodd suddenly shouted:

“Everyone, fire—”

In an instant, all the private soldiers reacted swiftly, grabbing the scattered crossbows from the ground and pulling their triggers.

Crossbow bolts whistled, tearing through the air, flying directly towards the witch.

The taut twang of the crossbows and the whistling of the bolts intertwined with the roars of the battlefield, becoming the last glimmer of hope.

However, the witch merely snorted, flicking her finger lightly.

In a flash, a “flesh wall” composed of broken corpses rose from the ground, shielding her.

The arrows struck the corpses’ flesh with dull thuds, but without exception, all attacks were blocked by the thick “flesh wall,” not even touching the witch’s hem.

“This… is this even fair?”

I stood far off, gazing at the seemingly invincible witch, waves of despair washing over my heart.

Just watching all of this, I felt my strength draining away.

This unknown witch’s oppressive presence far surpassed even that strange witch, Lulu.

She was like an artist of corpses, continuously toying with us using her eerie power.

‘Was there still hope?’

Enveloped by helplessness, I stared blankly at Rodd.

That man’s face remained stern, unwavering. Even in such a desperate situation, there was no trace of fear in his eyes.

“Fire arrows!”

He issued the command again, attempting to suppress the witch’s power with crossbows.

But it was useless, utterly so.

Instead, numerous wounds appeared on Rodd’s body, and his movements grew increasingly sluggish.

At this point, the witch, as if bored with her game, displayed an expression of weariness.

“Ah… it’s about time, isn’t it? Mortals are mortals, after all. This is all they amount to.”

With that, she actually stepped out from behind the “flesh wall” and approached Rodd.

The surrounding soldiers attempted to intervene, but were once again entangled by the corpse-like monsters, unable to break free.

The witch commanded the monsters to disperse, actively facing Rodd in an utterly defenseless posture.

Rodd, at this moment, seemed to be lost in some strange contemplation.

His body was clearly exhausted; his trembling hands could barely hold his sword, and he was on the verge of collapsing.

“Oh…”

The witch’s lips curved into an eerie smile.

“Your mortal body is rather robust, quite interesting. It’s a pity the Governor wants me to turn you into a living corpse, otherwise I would have liked to take this body back and play with it properly~”

“Heh… playing with corpses? It seems those rumors weren’t false.”

Rodd’s voice was icy, his grip on his sword growing steadier, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

“What rumors?”

“Heh… don’t you remember what those people called witches like you? The fallen ones entangled with devils.”

The witch paused, then let out a scornful laugh. Her smile still lingering, her gaze suddenly shifted to me, a playful expression in her eyes.

“What about the one beside you? Is she not?”

“Compare her to you?”

Rodd’s figure moved like lightning the next instant, his sword light carving a bright trajectory through the night, directly assaulting the witch.

“You—are—unworthy!”

His voice was cold and firm, as if pouring all his fury and resolve into each swing of his sword.

Yet, the witch maintained her leisurely smile, facing Rodd’s swinging sword without the slightest attempt to dodge.

*Thwack—*

The sound of blade slicing through flesh was clearly audible; one of the witch’s arms was severed by Rodd’s sword.

However, surprisingly, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound.

The severed arm lay still on the ground for a moment, but in the next instant, it moved of its own accord, as if possessing its own consciousness. It rapidly elongated, brutally seizing Rodd’s neck and pinning him to the ground.

“Ugh—”

Rodd, fallen, let out a painful groan, struggling to break free from the merciless arm, but his strength was gradually suppressed, his breathing becoming ragged and difficult.

“Tsk tsk tsk…”

The witch looked down at Rodd, a cold smile playing on her lips.

“Although I’m quite interested in that child’s blood, the blood on your sword must have been depleted from attacking those corpses, didn’t it? To say I’m not worthy, you’re quite arrogant… But it doesn’t matter, I’m very kind-hearted, I won’t hold it against you.”

Her foot lightly pressed against Rodd’s face, as if she were looking down at a trivial insect, smiling.

“Don’t worry, I told you, I’ll turn you and your little witch lover into living corpses to play with properly~”

“Ugh… ugh ah—let… let…”

Rodd’s voice was pained and weak, these few words barely squeezed out.

“What?”

The witch listened to his voice, a delightful, cold sneer curving her lips.

“Are you trying to say ‘let me go’? Hahahaha…”

She deliberately eased some of the pressure, seemingly relishing the superiority of her impending victory.

I could barely maintain my composure, countless emotions and anxieties surging within me.

“Quickly, give me that command, Rodd!”

“Let… let—”

Rodd’s voice once again rang out, firm and urgent.

This was the third time Rodd had shouted such a command.

I snapped out of my shock, quickly springing into action.

*Whoosh—*

I pulled the trigger of my already aimed crossbow, launching an arrow that had been thoroughly soaked in my blood.

The arrow shot out swiftly, carving a sharp arc through the air, striking its target in barely a second.

The previous two arrow attacks had made the witch instinctively assume soldiers were attacking, but the moment she turned, my arrow had already accurately struck her.

“Ugh—”

Her expression instantly turned to shock, the smile on her face frozen in that moment.

The combined effect of the arrow’s force and the blood caused her expression to stiffen.

“Ugh… ugh… ah—”

The witch let out a painful shriek, rapidly losing her balance. The severed arm clutching Rodd’s neck also loosened its grip, finally granting Rodd precious freedom.

Seizing this opportunity, Rodd, who had been biding his time, swiftly drew his sword and severed her other hand.

The witch, now missing both arms, displayed an extremely terrifying look of fury, but the moment she attempted to retaliate, her eyes fell into a brief daze, as if trapped in some chaotic illusion.

Even after her feet were also severed, she still did not awaken from this trance-like state.

Her body gradually lost strength, falling to the ground like an abandoned puppet, without any resistance.

The monsters around her also collapsed instantly, dissolving into puddles of pus and blood.

“Did we win?”

“Did we really win?”

“We won!”

The surrounding soldiers gradually recovered from their shock, embracing each other tightly, tears of joy sparkling in their eyes.

My legs feeling weak, I rushed to Rodd.

“Rodd… Rodd! Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“Did we really win?”

I tightly gripped his hand, anxiously seeking an answer.

Rodd had intended to smile, but seeing my helpless and anxious demeanor, he put away his smile and said earnestly:

“We won. We… defeated that witch.”

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