The Cornflower Witch

On the desolate wilderness, a long-distance carriage convoy was trapped on the road by countless monsters. The route that had always been safe had turned into a hopeless wasteland, filled with bloodthirsty figures everywhere.

"Eye-Stunned Frogs, Blacktail Rats, Scythe-Toothed Long-Strikers, Bloodfeast Demons—these are all monsters that only appear in the Shadow World. Now they've all come crawling out." A Second Tier apprentice on the carriage clutched his spellbook to fight back, ranting about the dire situation before him to vent his nerves and anxiety.

His robe bore the emblem of the *City Alliance*, and a row of potions hung from his belt. Right now, he was summoning shiny silver stars through his spellbook, illuminating the surrounding ground.

Not far from him, about forty soldiers in chainmail tabards held shields and long spears, surrounding the carriage in two defensive rings to form a solid line. Inside, six crossbowmen kept firing, while two other mages cast support spells, striking the monsters charging across the wilderness.

A short distance away, a striped giant frog with two massive eyeballs glared at the defense line. Ripples spread outward around its eyes, its vision carrying a confusion effect that crashed over the entire formation.

Fortunately, the mage inside had noticed. She raised her staff high, the spell inscribed on it activated, and a cold, clear aura instantly enveloped the team members, keeping them calm and preventing the monsters' abilities from clouding their minds.

At the same time, several two-meter-tall Long-Strikers charged at the shield formation. They had rows of razor-thin scythe-like spikes running from head to tail along their backs. Once they reached enough speed, their whole bodies leaped up and curled into balls. The outer spikes, like high-speed spinning saw blades, slammed into the shields, sending sparks and fragments flying. After just two rounds of rotary cutting, the soldiers' shields shattered with a crash, leaving those behind wounded and bleeding.

And once a gap appeared in the line, the smaller but equally dangerous Blacktail Rats swarmed in through the breach. Although they weren't powerful, the venom from their bites caused plenty of trouble, forcing the guards to split their focus to deal with them.

If these attacks were just troublesome, the team might still have had a chance to win if they handled it cautiously—but the Bloodfeast Demon emerging on the wilderness made them deeply uneasy.

【Bloodfeast Demon】 (Third Tier • Bloodline)

*One of the offspring of the Hour being 'Aberrant Mother Nest.' Half its body is a long, narrow head and mouthparts. It has no eyes, sensing enemies only through heartbeat and blood pulse rhythm. Its biting power is extremely strong, and it can roughly command lower-tier monsters.*

When the Bloodfeast Demon entered the fray, the pulsating rhythm of its heartbeat gradually affected every monster present, accelerating their blood circulation in a short time, making them faster, stronger, and even more ferocious.

"Hsss..."

It let out a low-frequency hiss to the sky, opening its terrifying mouthparts to reveal rows of sharp fangs and blood-red structures. It would be enough to terrify any child. Even the experienced warriors in the team found their palms sweating and hearts pounding.

This thing was no easy opponent...

The battle erupted again. The monsters besieging the team grew even more frenzied, their attacks coming like a torrential downpour without a moment's pause, pushing the defense line to the brink. Under the high-intensity assault, several guards grew weary, their minds blurry, and gaps began to appear.

Before long, a guard was bitten and dragged down by a monster, then pulled into the attacking horde and torn apart, devoured.

The brutal, bloody scene before them shocked everyone on the field into heightened vigilance. They fought desperately to hold every breach. But at that moment, the Bloodfeast Demon began its charge.

Its movements were swift and powerful. As it ran, its narrow mouthparts opened, snapping onto a front-line guard, yanking him out and tossing him into the air. Then it leaped up and swallowed him whole. Its fine, sharp teeth chewed, grinding him into scraps of steel and flesh.

As one of the offspring of the *Aberrant Mother Nest*, it was far stronger than an ordinary knight. Few creatures of the same tier could match it in strength and speed.

The defense line broke like a dam breached. A flood of monsters surged through the gap, catching many warriors in a pincer. The crossbowmen inside had to quickly grab short swords and shields to fill the breach, while the remaining mages downed potions and nervously cast enhanced spells.

Cerulean-blue ink scattered through the air before being absorbed by patterns traced midair. Then, blazing blue electric light exploded. Lightning slithered across the battlefield like mad snakes, striking many monsters and sending their bodies into convulsions.

Buying themselves a few precious seconds, the entire team barely managed to regroup. The torn gap was sealed again, and the light curtain formed by the shields closed back up, restoring the position into a ring-shaped City Wall Veil that isolated the inside from the outside.

Even under such dire conditions, they still fought desperately, showing just how elite they were.

Over the past two years, the Mage Alliance had honed many battle-ready elites through the war in the western region and had summed up plenty of experience. Squads like this were now the backbone of the *City Alliance*, propping up this newly established organization as it took root in the mountains.

If not for this sudden, large-scale monster surge, their strength and response tactics would absolutely have been reliable.

High up in the distant sky, the Hour, Ya, was flying at top speed. The wings on her back had transformed into flowing electric light, propelling her forward rapidly.

As the newly promoted elite and representative student of Tetis College, she had just received a message on her portable orb not long ago, ordering her to immediately reinforce the nearest city to resist the invasion of a major monster tide.

Time was critical. This was also the first time since entering the western mountains that she had pushed her full speed in travel.

【Enchantment Spell • Lightning-Charged Wings】 (Wing • Swift Dive • Wind Wings • Energy Infusion • Ionization)

The cold wind scoured her body as she flew. Frost had begun to form at her brow, yet her eyes remained bright and clear, flowing with a pale blue luster like precious gems set in a black night, scanning the scene below.

There... A flash of light bursting from the dim mountains caught her attention high above. She turned, and the lightning-glowing wings on her back traced a *Z* shaped trajectory, quickly diving toward the location of the flash.

Down on the ground, the squad that had been holding its line faced yet another life-or-death crisis.

By now, a third of the outer perimeter soldiers had fallen. Inside, one mage had fainted and another was severely injured. The last one pulled out his final potion, barely managing to cast.

【Construct Spell • Spiked Iron Cage】

Iron spikes burst from the ground like bamboo shoots, reaching up toward the sky before closing in at the center. Then, horizontal rings grew between them, connecting the whole structure. Sharp barbs blossomed on the outside of the iron cage, wounding the monsters that approached.

After casting, the last mage collapsed in exhaustion, sitting down and gasping for air. But before he could rest even a few seconds, he felt violent impacts against the outer cage.

Driven by the Bloodfeast Demon, the monsters charged without feeling pain, bending the cage's structure and crushing gaps into it.

"Damn it..." He let out a weak curse. But by now, he had no strength left to cast anything. He could only watch as the monsters systematically destroyed the protective iron cage.

The Bloodfeast Demon devoured a dead monster. Its narrow mouthparts tore the flesh again, absorbing the residual power from the creature's body.

Although it was only Third Tier, after devouring several powerful beings tonight, it was gradually approaching the threshold of Fourth Tier.

As long as it drove and led monsters to invade the surface continent, it would receive a reward from the *Aberrant Mother Nest*. Even without much intelligence, under that Hour's blessing, its flesh would spontaneously transform, ascending to a higher rank.

When it came to accumulating Aspect power, the *Aberrant Mother Nest* was undoubtedly first among the current Hours. But its vague state of consciousness and chaotic composition of power made it hard to bring its full strength to bear. It could only expand outward based on some unconscious instinct.

This state of *inhumanity* caused it to be unrecognized by other Hours and regarded as a great enemy. Because the existence of the *Aberrant Mother Nest* was like an ever-expanding tumor—it would only keep devouring and absorbing other beings and spaces until the entire world dissolved into a chaotic placenta of flesh.

Having absorbed the power of the devoured monster, the Bloodfeast Demon raised its head and mouthparts again, stepping onto the battlefield. This signaled the arrival of the most dangerous moment.

It began its charge. Its hind legs were powerful and strong. Its front limbs were short but tipped with sharp claws, hooking onto the iron cage. Then its mouthparts bit sideways, tearing open the steel defenses.

Up close, its surging heartbeat affected the surrounding guards. These First and Second Tier soldiers felt their hearts twitch in pain, and some even collapsed to the ground.

"Hsss!" The soundless roar sent terror through them. The remaining team members began to break.

It was over. The mage stared at this scene, a chill surging in his heart as despair spread through his entire body.

But the turning point of events often comes in an instant. A cold, silver longsword shot down from the sky like a meteor, piercing through the Bloodfeast Demon's body and briefly pinning it to the ground. Then came a second, a third, a fourth... Seven swords pierced its body, extinguishing its arrogant flame instantly.

Everyone looked up. A figure blazing with lightning descended like a falling star, then darted across the battlefield, rapidly slaying monsters one after another without a moment's pause.

In just one minute, not a single large monster remained alive on the wilderness. Some smaller ones, like the *Blacktail Rats*, sensed the danger and scattered in all directions.

Finally, the figure came to a halt, hovering in the air. Only then did everyone see her face.

Her flowing hair was illuminated by electric light, refracting pale white and silver luster. Her graceful neck, her skin even more dazzlingly white under the glow. Her flawless figure turned in midair, and her stunning beauty and eyes were revealed to all.

Without wasting words, Sylutia checked the condition of the people there, then distributed the healing potions she carried to those who could still move, letting them assist with rescue and treatment.

Just then, the Bloodfeast Demon—which everyone had assumed was dead—stood up again. It shattered the swords stuck in its body, and the horrific wounds on its flesh healed rapidly.

Are all creatures with the 'Bloodline' Aspect this hard to kill? The girl thought to herself, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Let's make this quick.

She brought her hands together in front of her chest. A delicate, stunning silver-blue Astronomical Clock phantom appeared in her palms. Then, behind Sylutia, a large clockwork wheel materialized. Every tick mark on it held a different symbolic meaning, and inside the disc were smaller dials representing the moon and the sun. Intricate patterns shimmered with light, making the entire clock disc seem alive.

Since stepping into Third Tier, she had never truly used the core secret art of the *Mithril Clock* school system—until today, when she displayed it for the first time in the outside world.

【Clock Disc Engraving • Hulier's Eye】

The quenched crystal pointer on the silver disc rotated, pointing to the third tick of the clock. That was the Star-World Eye that analyzed all things.

At the same time, the Astronomical Clock phantom on her chest and the large clockwork wheel behind her began to spin. Gears and hands turned. Finally, one pointer set with a blue crystal diamond stopped, pointing to one of the ticks.

Then the clockwork wheel dissipated. An eye formed from azure-blue flames opened. Its gaze fixed on the Bloodfeast Demon before it, cold and merciless.

Every characteristic, internal Aspect life-force structure, strength, and weakness of the Bloodfeast Demon was completely analyzed. And the azure-blue flame eye grew even colder and more dangerous.

A beam shot from the eye, striking the Bloodfeast Demon's body. The creature's regenerating form seemed to have a switch found within it. It began to disintegrate. Its body collapsed like mud. Bones and flesh were pulled apart. Its Aspect rank quickly declined and dissolved. Finally, it turned into a puddle of blood.

If a normally promoted Third Tier Transcendent's life force card was like a stable building built with bricks, then a creature like the Bloodfeast Demon, which relied purely on *Aspect power stacking* and *forcible elevation by an Hour*, was like a shoddily constructed dangerous building. All it took was to pull out a few key bricks and pillars, and the entire life force card would unravel and collapse, the condensed Aspects rapidly dispersing.

After dealing with the Bloodfeast Demon and confirming it would not revive, Sylutia did not linger. Under the grateful and admiring gazes of everyone, she flapped her wings and rose again, transforming into flowing electric light, vanishing into the night sky.

Only long after Sylutia had left did the people gradually snap back to reality. They looked at the now-silent battlefield, feeling a sense of unreality.

"What was that?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Should be an elite from one of the Alliance's top colleges—the top-ranked Tetis College."

"So strong? We're both Third Tier, but she's at a level where we have to look up to her completely." A mage couldn't help but sigh.

"No wonder they're called the true core and backbone of the Mage Alliance. As for us, we just need to do our part as gears." The survivors admired her in awe.

"Phew, what a stroke of luck, to be saved from a hopeless situation. This feeling, this experience—I'll probably never forget it as long as I live."

"Beautiful and powerful like that. I don't know the girl's name, but I don't think she'll stay unknown for long. Someone like her will sooner or later be known throughout the Alliance."

After resting a bit, the survivors began cleaning up the battlefield. Some gathered the wounded, helping and checking on each other, making sure they could survive the night safely.

On the other side, the crumbling Violet Fern Fortress also welcomed its descending savior.

In the night sky, the girl spread her wings and descended slowly. Electric light illuminated her hair and features. Sylutia hovered in the air, spreading her hands. One by one, dazzling beams of light, like the activated ticks of a clock disc, lit up behind her, piercing the monsters surging up from below.

【Clock Disc Engraving • Anarite Impact】

The quenched crystal pointer on the silver disc rotated, pointing to the first tick of the clock. From there, stars were lit, each shining in sequence.