Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 565: Into the bogs

Chapter 565: Into the bogs

The bog was another region in the Spirit World just like the Volcanic regions.

It was a low wetland filled with dead vegetation ruled by the Prince of Rot, Decad.

Due to its rather peculiar nature, only the nastiest of Spirits persisted in this land, those that enjoyed the pungent smell and reveled in the decay of the land.

It was in such a place that two members of the enigmatic organization known simply as Constellations, were encamped.

"What about the Interdimensional hallway?... Or Dimensional Pathway?... You’d think with the amount of wisdom I gained from the Princess, I’d have a better naming sense." Elena complained while walking behind Victoria through the swampy terrain, completely unaffected by the noxious smells wafting about in the atmosphere.

Victoria could hardly take any more of her yapping and so, turned to give her a long and stern look, causing Elena to finally fall silent.

An awkward cough followed before Victoria let out a sigh. "You should stay silent. Even though Decad is not as aggressive as Ifrit, that does not mean that he won’t come for us if we gain his attention."

"Understood."

"It’s a wonder how you can talk so much with the smell," Victoria remarked as she walked while struggling to keep herself from feeling nauseous.

To think that a Vampire, a being incapable of feeling sick, would feel nauseous was a crazy thought yet that just went to show how bad the smell was.

Thankfully, she was a Vampire and not one of the dog breeds, otherwise, she would have already been knocked out.

"I can’t smell anything." Elena suddenly said, causing Victoria to pause.

"What?"

"I’m practicing how to project parts of my body from the... hallway. That way, if a part of me was in danger, I could just take it away and avoid damage altogether." Elena casually explained, leaving Victoria intrigued for a bit longer than necessary.

Finally, she replied. "I see."

"Anyway, what are we looking for?"

"A Weaver." Victoria calmly replied as she decided not to think too much about what Elena had said earlier on.

"A what?"

"It’s a Great Spirit. According to the information the Witch gave to me, they are cannibalistic which keeps their population compact."

"So there are not many."

"Each one is a menace in and of itself. Too many would most likely cause damage to the spiritual ecosystem."

"And for some reason, you want us to go up against one of them?"

"I need its ability. Its control over webs is a perfect fit for Opal."

"You are hardly in a state to fight and in case you haven’t noticed, I am not exactly the best option to lead a fight."

"We won’t have to fight, at least not physically."

"I don’t understand." Elena furrowed her brows.

"The Weavers do not attack like brainless monsters. No, instead they weave labyrinthine traps. If you manage to escape the labyrinth, then it’s easy to take them on as they are physically weak."

"So the main thing is the labyrinth?"

"More or less," Victoria remarked before calmly adding. "We are here."

Ahead, a dark cave loomed ominously, inviting in all those who dared enter.

Gulping nervously, Elena intoned. "Is it too late to back out?"

"Let’s go."

***

As she stared at the frozen serpent, Ana couldn’t help but ask. "Why?"

She’d thought it would be a happy reunion yet not only was it not happy, but it was aggressive to the extent of having one’s life threatened.

Before she could ask again, she felt something causing her to falter as the serpent slithered out of the temporal lock she’d placed on it.

No, it was safe to say that instead of the serpent, she had locked the space around it.

It would seem I made a mistake. I had no way of knowing that a domain existed that allowed one to easily manipulate their organs.

The serpent imprinted its Will on the space, appearing as a god without divinity as it looked down on Ana and everyone else.

At the same time, the lightning bolts above began to intensify, flashing wildly, behind the serpent.

I would have to make amends.

Ana didn’t hesitate to hasten her time but even that was not enough as the serpent traveled at the speed of lightning, appearing beside her in a flash before proceeding to trap her in solid space.

At the same time, several lightning bolts rained down from above, attacking Alex, Humphrey, and Ulysses without mercy.

Humphrey reacted first, transmuting the lightning into light which he shot back at the serpent.

Alas, it seemed the serpent had anticipated this as the space above the trio glistened like glass just as the light beam struck it.

A space in which things could enter but nothing could go out.

Meanwhile, Ana didn’t hesitate to reverse time, allowing her to break out of the solid space only to be trapped in another one.

Before she could attempt the reversal again, several lightning bolts manifested within the space and struck her, leaving her disoriented for a moment.

Alas, in a battle of such magnitude, a moment was all that was needed to gain the upper hand.

The serpent didn’t hesitate to teleport over and swallow the space.

Instinctively, Ana tried to hasten time for the serpent but several more lightning bolts struck her, leaving her unable to do so.

With this, the serpent sent a perfunctory glance below before teleporting in a flash.

So much happened yet only a few seconds had passed, leaving Alex and Ulysses unable to react on time.

By the time they realized what was happening, the serpent was gone, same with Ana.

"What the hell just happened?" Alex asked, unable to come to terms with the unfortunate turn of events.

To think that it so seamlessly merged the domains of Space and Lightning. Unbelievable.

Humphrey muttered softly just as several more lightning bolts congregated, prepared to rain down heavenly judgment.

Alex’s expression shifted as he saw this, same with Ulysses who could hardly stop himself from trembling.