Chapter 216: Something Impossible

"Could it be Sir Arthas?" the Shadow asked, his voice filled with respect and reverence at the mention of that name.

To them, Arthas wasn’t just a name. He was a legend, the strongest and bravest man they knew. All of them had grown up dreaming of one day becoming someone like him.

His greatest battle, the most legendary story about him, was still vivid in their memories, having taken place less than 12 years ago.

When a Behemoth came from the Realm of Giants and marched through the Witch World, destroying everything in its path, it was that man who had stood against it.

It was the first time they had ever heard of a 2-meter-tall (6’7") human engaging in a fistfight with a creature as enormous as a mountain.

And it wasn’t just some tall tale.

The impacts of their battle had been so powerful and loud that even people living kilometers away still spoke of the tremors that had lasted for days and the thunderous sounds that had echoed across the land.

"It shouldn’t be possible." Renna shook her head, knowing very well that Arthas wouldn’t be in the Underworld.

Arthas was one of the strongest forces they still had at their disposal after the Grand Witches, so there was no way they would send him to another realm for a mission like this.

Even now, protecting what little land they had left was incredibly difficult. Losing even the slightest amount of their fighting strength could mean losing everything.

There was simply no way they would send their strongest weapon away like that.

"Then who could it be?" The other Witches were equally stunned.

They also considered Master Adam, who was said to be an exceptionally powerful man, although none of them had ever witnessed his strength firsthand.

There weren’t even any proper stories about him that would allow them to compare his strength with anyone else’s.

The man was also extremely old, and he hadn’t left his mountain once in the last 12 years, always using his duty of protecting the entrance to the Underworld as an excuse.

Although he had never joined any battles, there was one mysterious thing about him. Despite all the invasions over the years and the vast territories they had lost, the mountain he guarded had never once been attacked.

Forget trying to invade his territory. Not a single creature, not even the greedy Dragons, had ever tried to claim that place. None of them had even gone anywhere near it.

"Oh, I think I know!" Another Witch’s eyes lit up as she turned toward Renna, hoping to confirm her suspicion. "I heard there’s a mysterious group directly under the Grand Witches that’s been training since before the invasions began. Could it be one of them?"

Rumors about secret Witch and Shadow camps were something almost everyone had heard once or twice in their lives, but no one had ever managed to prove their existence.

Even after the Witch World had fallen into its current state, there were still speculations that the Grand Witches were hiding their greatest trump card somewhere.

According to those rumors, there was a mysterious elite team that only accepted the most difficult missions and completed them in secret.

Of course, it was probably just a ridiculous rumor.

Why would the Grand Witches continue hiding their strength when the their world had already fallen so far?

Still, rumors were rumors, and this particular one gave many people hope.

Just believing that an elite team of the strongest Witches and Shadows was still working in secret to help them regain their former power was enough to motivate many people to get out of bed every morning.

"It doesn’t matter who he is." Renna finally let out a sigh as she spoke.

Her eyes remained on the Desolation’s enormous body, watching as it slowly began to recover.

Although the impact had been powerful enough to destroy a large portion of its head, it hadn’t been enough to finish the creature off.

And since they had no idea whether the unknown man had enough strength left to deliver another attack, they needed to make a decision.

"How are your mana reserves?" she asked.

"Only 30 drops left. I’m out of recovery pills too."

The others began answering one after another, with even the Witch who had the most mana remaining reporting only 35 drops.

Drops were the standard unit they used to measure mana. A single drop was generally enough to cast 1 high-tier spell, such as the Fire Missile spells they had been using throughout the battle.

Hearing how little mana they had left, Renna quickly came up with a plan.

"Keep firing until you’re down to 10 drops. Save the rest for our escape."

She raised her hand as well and began chanting her Fire Missile spell, once again aiming at the Desolation’s cracked eye. ℯ

Although this was the perfect opportunity for them to escape, it was also their best chance to bring down the monster.

If that man still had enough strength to deliver even 1 more attack like the previous one, she was certain it would be the end of the giant creature.

But just as she was hoping for that, something even better happened. ℴ

Something far more amazing.... Something impossible.

"What’s going on? Is that ice?"

Right before their eyes, a thick layer of ice suddenly began forming across the monster’s enormous stone body.

It rapidly froze the summit before spreading down across the rest of the creature.

The sight made everyone pause once again, just as they were about to resume firing their spells to support the mysterious man.

Renna turned toward the sharp-eyed Shadow again, her voice filled with suspicion as she asked, "Are you sure the person you saw was really a man?"

There was simply no way a man could cast a spell, let alone an ice spell powerful enough to freeze a Desolation, without his Witch nearby, yet they hadn’t seen any sign of one so far.