Chapter 213: Witches vs. the Devouring Desolation [Bonus]

"Keep firing! Don’t let it turn this way!" The woman wearing a red robe and a matching Witch hat ordered the Witches standing behind her.

The 20 Witches stood side by side, their hands raised toward the colossal stone monster in the distance. They continued chanting without pause, sending fire missiles from their palms one after another, bombarding the Devouring Desolation with a constant barrage of explosions.

Every one of them knew that if they stopped for even a second, the creature could turn its huge mouth toward them and suck them all inside like a giant vacuum cleaner.

Knowing that getting caught in that suction meant instant death with no chance of escape was enough to leave anyone too terrified to keep fighting.

Yet fear alone wasn’t what drove them to keep firing, burning through their mana reserves without stopping to rest.

They trusted the Witch standing in front of them enough to follow her orders, even against such a terrifying creature.

Every one of them wore red robes and hats, indicating that they specialized in the Fire Path. But on that Witch’s clothes, there was something that made her different from the others.

Her hat was decorated with 2 golden lines forming circles around it.

These weren’t merely signs of her strength as a Witch. More importantly, they represented a major discovery or invention she had made, something important enough to change the lives of others.

During the 12 years since the fall of the Witch World, countless lives had been lost. Not only the weak but also many powerful Witches had died fighting against the overwhelming invasions.

However, the crisis hadn’t brought only destruction to Witch society. It had also forced those who survived to become stronger than ever.

Many powerful Witches had risen during these years, proving their talents in desperate times and earning their places in history. Many had made important discoveries and inventions that helped the surviving population, earning golden lines on their clothing as symbols of honor and authority.

In fact, even the spells the 20 Witches were currently using against the Desolation had been invented by the Witch leading them.

Among the 20 Witches, the highest-ranked was only a 16th Trial Witch. Yet despite their relatively low powers, their combined attacks were still powerful enough to damage the Desolation, although only slightly.

And that was no small achievement considering that even a 50th Trial Grand Witch would have difficulty fighting such a creature.

"Ready your Shadows."

At her command, the shadows beneath the 20 Witches began to tremble, and another 20 figures emerged beside them.

They were all wearing identical knight armor made of dark metal, its surface glowing with red cracks that resembled burning magma.

Unlike the Witches, the Shadows didn’t immediately join the attack. They remained in position, watching the fire missiles continue striking the massive monster while waiting for their next order.

A few seconds later, it came.

"Ready the artifact."

The 20 Shadows immediately reached into their dimensional storages and pulled out large pieces of metal.

Without wasting any time, they began assembling them, each piece fitting perfectly into the next with a metallic click.

Within seconds, the separate parts had formed a single big artifact.

It resembled a giant cannon made entirely of crimson metal, with its long barrel pointing toward the Desolation’s head.

This was another invention the Witches had developed during the past 12 years, specifically designed to fight colossal creatures such as Dragons and Behemoths.

And now, for the first time, they were about to test it against a Desolation.

"It’s ready, Lady Renna."

The Shadows respectfully lowered their heads as the Witch approached the cannon.

She had a fair face, 2 crimson eyes that looked like burning flames, and a small, star-shaped red mole on her cheekbone. Her beauty was enough to draw their attention, but none of them dared to stare for too long, quickly lowering their eyes out of respect.

Renna walked toward the artifact without showing any hurry, her long red hair swaying behind her with each step.

Once she reached it, she placed both hands on the 2 handles at the back of the cannon.

She studied the enormous monster in the distance, still being bombarded by fire missiles, before noticing something wrong.

"The aim is off."

The Shadows responsible for positioning the artifact immediately stepped forward.

"Sorry, my Lady. Let us fix it."

The cannon was so heavy that even adjusting its direction required at least 2 Shadows working together.

But Renna simply dismissed them. "No need."

Under their surprised eyes, flames suddenly erupted from her body, long streams of red fire rising from her skin and surrounding her entire figure. ℯ𝐥.

At the same time, the huge cannon began to move.

Holding both handles firmly, she turned the heavy artifact herself, gradually adjusting its position until the barrel pointed directly toward the center of the Desolation’s head.

"Cease fire on my command."

She kept her eyes on the creature, watching its enormous body struggle to maintain its balance under the constant bombardment.

The explosions continued striking its head as it slowly but surely turned toward them.

Renna waited, carefully following its movements and the angle of the cannon’s barrel.

Then, as the monster turned just enough for its single red, gemlike eye to line up perfectly with her aim, she shouted.

"Stop!"

At that exact moment, she fired the cannon at full power.

An huge amount of mana was immediately drawn from her reserves, flowing into the artifact as a blinding beam of light burst from its barrel.

The beam shot straight toward the Desolation’s head, aimed directly at the center of its giant red eye.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the beam crossed the distance to the monster.

It struck the red gem right in the center, exactly where Renna had aimed, filling them with relief and excitement.

The cannon was powerful enough to mortally wound creatures from the Realm of Giants, so they believed a direct hit would at least severely injure the Desolation, even if it didn’t kill it outright.

They didn’t want to consider the possibility that it might have no effect. They only had 1 shot, with no backup plan if things went wrong.

"Dismantle the artifact. Get ready to pull back." Renna ordered immediately, keeping her attention on the mountain of stone slowly falling toward the ground.

As the Witches prepared their spells to escape if necessary, the Shadows began dismantling the cannon, returning its parts to their dimensional storages.

Then they all waited to see the result.

The Stoneman mother’s enormous, heavy body hit the ground with an impact that made everyone jolt where they stood.

The suction had also stopped after the beam hit, which was a good sign.

"Is it dead?" one of the Witches muttered, trying to swallow nervously despite having no saliva left in her mouth.

They had only been fighting the Desolation for a few minutes, yet its passive aura had already drained nearly all the fluid from their bodies, leaving them exhausted and parched.

Seconds passed as they strained to see through the dust thrown up by the impact, trying to make out what had happened.

Finally, Renna frowned, her voice heavy as she announced, "We failed."