Witch Taming System-Chapter 55: Crimson Witch [1]

"The commotion seems to have come from here..." Fiore said.

"It’s strangely quiet."

They moved side by side as they continued forward. Their pace slowed as the surroundings became clearer.

There were more than a few corpses littered all across the ground.

The smell only made it worse. It mixed with the already foul stench of Mount Kratoa, turning it into something indescribable that even Lancel had to raise his shirt to cover his nose as he kept moving.

"Lancel, wait."

"What?"

Fiore narrowed her eyes as she raised a hand, stopping him before he could step any further.

It didn’t take long for him to understand why.

"There’s magic emitting from the corpses," Fiore said.

Lancel followed her gaze and looked down.

What lay there wasn’t just a pile of remains. From the structure of the bones to the shape of the skull, it was clearly a human.

"It seems like Death Magic..." Fiore trailed off.

"Death Magic?"

"Even amongst witches, it’s considered taboo to even practice it. Anyone caught using Death Magic is sentenced to exile."

She didn’t elaborate further.

In other words, they would become Black Witches.

"Should we head back?"

"Yeah, let’s—"

But the moment they tried to take a step, the sound of metal slicing through the air echoed.

Crash——!

The two immediately leapt off to opposite sides as a large sword came crashing down onto the ground where they had just been standing.

"What the hell—"

Lancel took in the sight, pausing mid-word.

A large, looming figure stood there, its body coated in dark metallic armor and a massive sword in its hand.

"A Death Knight..." Fiore muttered, stepping forward.

A staff materialized in her hand as she twirled it once before gripping it properly.

"Stay back, Lancel. A Death Knight isn’t something you can handle."

Lancel was utterly unfamiliar with the concept. He didn’t even know what a Death Knight was. Hell, he had only just learned about Death Magic moments ago. But even without understanding it, he didn’t need an explanation.

He could feel it.

The pressure emanating from the monster alone was enough to make even moving feel difficult. On top of that, the stench of death the Death Knight emitted triggered all his survival instincts.

That alone told him everything he needed to know.

This was something far beyond his capabilities.

As the Death Knight went berserk and rushed toward her, Fiore summoned her broomstick, creating distance as she rose just enough to keep herself out of its immediate reach.

At the same time, she began to chant.

"Fulmen voco... percutiat caelum..."

Lightning slowly gathered, coiling around her staff before expanding, stretching outward, and taking form.

What started as a current turned into something shaped like a serpent made entirely of thunder.

"Tonitrus cadat... exsecare omnia...!"

———!

Chains of lightning, writhing like serpents, crashed down one after another, striking the Death Knight continuously without giving it room to recover.

From what she knew, Death Knights weren’t living beings. They were nothing more than armor that moved, sustained by Death Magic.

And because of that, Lightning was a natural counter. Since the armor itself was made of metal, a natural conductor, the moment it was within range, the spell would find its mark on its own.

Crackle——!

On her broomstick, Fiore cast spell after spell, chaining lightning-based magic one after another.

The nature of lightning made it effective. Each strike had a natural, staggering effect, locking the Death Knight in place and preventing it from moving too much.

"Run, Lancel!"

Lancel didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and immediately bolted the way they came, not looking back even once.

Truthfully, Fiore had thought this would be over quickly, hoping two or three spells would have been enough to bring it down.

But that wasn’t the case.

The mana emitting from the Death Knight was far denser than she initially expected, to the point that even she had to reconsider her approach.

And because of that, Fiore couldn’t help but wonder just how much mana the Black Witch responsible for this actually had.

"Ah—"

In the middle of casting another spell, the Death Knight hurled its sword at blinding speed.

Fiore reacted immediately.

Crackle——!

Lightning wrapped around her body as she shot away, her figure disappearing from where she had been just a moment ago. The movement wasn’t just fast. It was instantaneous, leaving behind nothing but a faint afterimage of where she had stood.

It was the spell, Flash. One of Countess Gretelle’s most notable spells, a technique where the caster turned into lightning for a brief instant, repositioning in a way that felt no different from teleportation.

It was also one of her most dangerous spells. Push it too far, and the caster wouldn’t survive it.

Even that single cast was enough for Fiore to feel like her body was starting to heat up.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Nevertheless, Fiore pressed on.

The Death Knight had already lost its sword, and at this elevation, it had no means to reach her. From above, the advantage was absolute. This was the unfair gap that witches held over everything else.

Not even a Death Knight could bridge that.

But, just as Fiore prepared to launch the finishing blow, a sudden gust of red fire cut through.

It struck her mid-cast, fast enough that she couldn’t fully react, sending her body crashing down.

Crash——!

But Fiore didn’t stay down. The moment she hit the ground, she forced herself back up and cast another Flash, her body dispersing into lightning as she repositioned.

But the moment she appeared, a sudden hand caught her by the nape.

"Got you."

"Ukh...!"

She was lifted up.

Fiore was considered tall among ordinary women, yet here, she was raised off the ground as if her weight didn’t matter at all. And, strange enough, there was no sign of flight to support the one holding her.

When she turned her head, she saw her.

A woman with crimson hair and bloody, crimson eyes.

"Let... Go... Kh...!"

That iron, tight grip, made her feel like something deeper than her body was being seized, like her very soul was being pulled away.

And just like that, her consciousness faded.

"Fiore!"

———!

At the same time, bolts of golden light shot in from a distance.