Chapter 51: Witch

When Lisa slid down the slope, she saw a horrific sight.

It was too late.

The Thorn Demon had been cut into pieces, with fresh blood flowing amidst the frost-covered grass and the broken, hard-edged thorns scattered everywhere, and a young man crouching in the pool of blood.

It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place here, but the final result was undoubtedly good - the aberrant was dead, and her subordinate was still alive, though not in the best of shape.

Mike had now calmed down. He was using a thorn stained with the aberrant's blood to draw something in the snow, slightly distracted.

His life energy had stabilized, and the Dark Matter within him had also been tamed and lay dormant.

The two seemed to have reached a state of saturation. For now, how much Dark Matter Mike could consume seemed to be related to the accumulation of his life energy. Once the two reached a balance, he would be unable to evolve further.

To make the Dark Matter evolve again, he would need to enhance his life energy.

But the Dark Matter had already covered his entire right arm and even evolved thorns.

That was enough.

"New recruit? Private first class?"

After seeing that Mike was right, Lisa let out a sigh of relief. When he did not respond to her calling out several times, she raised her hand and slapped him hard, "Mike!"

Mike finally snapped out of his daze.

"Are you alright?"

Lisa leaned in, closely examining his eyes, then poked his forehead, frowning, "Don't tell me the aberrant messed up your brain? No one can save your intelligence if that's the case."

So you knew about that as well.

Mike shook his head, "Don't worry, Lieutenant, I'm fine. That Thorn Demon has already been severely injured by you, so it wasn't too difficult for me to take care of it."

Upon hearing this, Lisa was delighted, her beautiful eyes crinkling into a smile as she said cheerfully, "Is that so? Hah, I knew it! Being by my side, you'll be safe and sound. But you also did very well. My father once said... every soldier with courage and bravery is a treasure to the army. In this mission, your performance was outstanding."

Not only did he take down eight weakened Thorn Demons, but he also completed the task of slaying one Thorn Demon.

After returning, he would likely be promoted to Corporal.

Such a rapid promotion, how impressive.

"Is that so? That's good then."

Mike suddenly pointed to the pattern in the snow, "Lieutenant, do you recognize him?"

Lisa just realized that he had drawn a human face.

After integrating the advanced painting chip, Mike's painting skills skyrocketed. Whatever he remembered could be reproduced with about 90% accuracy.

"No, I don't know him. I haven't been in Avalon City for long, so who is he?"

Mike crouched down, gazing at the young, elegant face in the snow, and said softly, "He's a high-ranking member of the Necro Cult, the mastermind behind turning those people into aberrants. I think he must have been researching some terrible thing. I just... caught a glimpse of him."

Lisa was startled and grew alert, looking around.

"He's gone."

Mike casually lied, "I only saw him from a distance."

Lisa didn't have the brainpower to doubt his lie, after all, if the Necro Cult could set up so many ambushes here, it would not be surprising if someone was lurking in the shadows observing.

"We can have the Inquisition look into it. With a specific description, Williams can find anyone."

Well, well, keep your distance when there's no need, and call on Williams when necessary. You've got it all figured out.

Hurried footsteps sounded in the forest, and the disheveled officers and soldiers rushed over. Their wounds had been treated, and they were mostly unharmed.

"Lieutenant Lisa!"

Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, Lisa was alright, otherwise Duke the Commander would have torn them apart.

However, when everyone saw Mike, they were all stunned.

This guy had ultimately charged at that Thorn Demon alone, yet he had survived and wasn't even badly injured - it was unbelievable.

Especially for Jack, whose expression darkened further.

Because they all remembered that moment of battle against the aberrants.

Electrical arcs had burst forth from Mike's body!

That was the power of Astral Lineage - lightning!

This was an extremely rare Astral Lineage, and they couldn't find a second one like it in all of Avalon City, yet now it had appeared in the hands of this unknown recruit.

Jack's gaze shifted.

If he had that kind of power, it's quite possible he could kill his nephew.

Even Ron's death, perhaps it's also related to him.

Lisa knew what they were all thinking, she stepped sideways to block the young man and coldly said, "Don't think about unnecessary things, how's the situation here?"

"Report, sir, there is still a half-dead Thorn demon, which you have already burned into roasted meat. We estimate it still has one breath left, but it must be sent back to the research institute as soon as possible," reported an officer.

The driver and medical staff, a person who was struggling to drag the huge stretcher over.

On the stretcher was a charred monster that had been burned to carbon.

It was the Thorn demon.

This was a troublesome thing, even being burned like this it still wouldn't die.

Just at this moment, the remnants of the Reincarnation Department emerged from the dense forest, and they again picked up their bows and arrows, aiming at them, seemingly as if facing a deadly enemy.

When facing aberrants, everyone was allies.

After the aberrants were eliminated, they became enemies again.

Gucy walked over unsteadily, looking at the two groups facing off, a little anxious.

Although that group of soldiers had beaten him, in the end, they didn't kill him.

He could see they had no malicious intent.

The elder leader of the Reincarnation Department remnants, leaning on a cane, spoke up, "I'm Guboo, the tribal chief of the Reincarnation Department. You've come here, what exactly are you after..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by gunshots.

Mike fired a shot into the air.

Jack was startled, stepping forward and rebuking, "Are you crazy?"

But unexpectedly, he was suddenly pushed back by the young man.

"Don't make a fuss."

Mike knew he was seriously injured now and couldn't stir up much trouble, so he just walked past him, and the officers and soldiers all instinctively made way for him.

It was not only because Mike's previous performance had impressed them.

It was also because they could see that Lisa cared for him quite a bit.

The proof was that Lisa hadn't spoken up until now.

It was tantamount to approving Mike's actions.

The Reincarnation Department tribesmen felt like they were facing a deadly enemy, they had all seen this young man slaughter aberrants like a madman, and now seeing him step by step, they felt a shudder of horror.

Mike ignored the arrows, without a word raising his revolver and pressing it against the old woman's forehead, speaking word by word, "I ask, you answer, or I'll kill you all."

As if matching the young man's threat, Lisa silently raised her iron bow.

A flame began to burn, reflected in the trembling pupils of the Reincarnation Department tribesmen.

This was a naked death threat.

Lisa's strength was something they had all witnessed.

Just one arrow could send them all to heaven.

"First question, since the Holy Mountain's deities are the secret your tribe has guarded for generations, how did these Necro Cult followers know about it and share the same faith?"

When Guboo remained silent, the middle-aged man next to him wanted to say something.

Bang, a shot landed at his feet.

Mike impatiently said, "Let the tribal chief speak."

Guboo hesitated for a moment, then answered in a low voice, "We do indeed believe in the great immortal gods, but the people who can enter the Holy Mountain are not only us. More than a hundred years ago, there was a person of divine destiny who obtained unimaginable blessings in the Holy Mountain and swept across the entire world. After that, more and more people also tried to come here to explore the secrets of the Holy Mountain."

"Recently, for example, eight years ago, a pair of siblings successfully entered the Holy Mountain. At that time, my tribe had already declined, and we could only watch them from afar, not daring to approach them rashly. The lieutenant died inside, but the younger brother survived and never came back. But after that, the Holy Mountain seemed to have undergone some changes, and people kept entering it, but none of them returned."

She sighed, "Until my eldest son and his wife, while exploring the Reincarnation Land, accidentally rescued a woman. That woman was very beautiful, and no one knew who she was or where she came from. She seemed to have lost her memory, like a newborn baby, but after waking up, in just seven days, she learned everything we taught her."

Everyone was at a loss, completely unaware of what she was talking about.

But Mike had a vague guess.

That pair of siblings were very likely the Long siblings!

Lisa's subtle expression could confirm this.

"That woman is extremely powerful, she has helped our tribe solve many troublesome problems and made our lives better and better. In her head, she has a lot of knowledge that we don't know about, and she is very useful whenever we encounter difficulties. We are also gradually trying to help her recover her memory, and as her condition gets better, she can remember more and more things. But now it seems that she should not have remembered those things, otherwise there would not have been the subsequent disaster..."

Guboo continued, "Until one day, that woman pointed to the Holy Mountain and said she wanted to go back. We were all frightened because the word she used was 'go back'. After a while, that woman saw my tribesmen feeling the sacred rhythm and said something.

"She said that the so-called sacred rhythm is nothing more than the false grace that God bestowed on human beings. It is a constraint and a shackle. The so-called evolutionists are nothing more than that, the real powerful force is far from here, and she wants to save those who can truly evolve. We thought this was just a joke, but one day we saw her transplant a piece of aberrant flesh and blood onto a scavenger, successfully mutating that person! It was an extremely terrifying scene, but that woman was laughing wildly, using her powerful strength to capture many people and turn them into deformed shapes, letting them admire themselves in the mirror until their minds collapsed and went mad."

At this point, she revealed a fearful expression, "She claimed to open the key to evolution and unlock the secrets of Holy Mountain. We were too afraid, so we carried out a migration and left that woman in the tribe. A month later, when we came back, we found that the woman had mysteriously disappeared, and the clay tablet scriptures that had been buried in the depths of the earth for generations had also disappeared. Later, a new religion appeared in the wilderness, polluting the ecological environment and creating aberrants.

"There is even a rumor in the wilderness that if you see a red-robed woman laughing and asking you if you want to be beautiful at midnight, you'd better run away quickly."

That is the Necro Cult.

Such a strange woman made everyone present shudder.

It sounded like a ghost story, terrifying to hear.

Mike thought for a moment, "The second question, why is the Necro Cult hunting you?"

Guboo hesitated again and sighed in resignation, "Because the Necro Cult wants my granddaughter, they are giving power to that freak, and they want to use the witch to fight the Akashic Records."

Mike's pupils shrank, "Go on!"

Guboo frowned, "There is a legend in our tribe that every sixty years, a witch with innate divine power will appear among the believers of the immortal gods. But it is not a blessing, it is a curse. Because God thinks our faith is not devout enough, so he sends down disasters to punish us. The witch is an inauspicious omen, and her power is a disaster."

"This is my family's business, I shouldn't have told you. But since you are so determined to know about the witch, then good luck. Anyone who is tainted by the witch will become unfortunate. She was born and caused the decline of our tribe. The death of the prophet, the sudden death of the elders, and the terrible things she drew when she fell ill, all became reality."

Her voice trembled, "That woman once sent people to demand the witch from us. Out of fear of the curse, I decided to agree to them. But her parents disagreed, insisting on taking her away. When I caught up with them, I only saw the bodies of the couple."

Mike was stunned.

"Yes, they were killed. That woman, to seize the witch, did not hesitate to repay kindness with evil. However, after the witch was taken away, she kept running back several times. We don't know how she did it, because the people of the Necro Cult have already infiltrated Avalon City, and theoretically she should have been imprisoned in the city! We were too scared, so we sent her back again."

Guboo said in a low voice, "Until the fourth time, she never came back again. I think she must be dead, right? Witches don't live long, and death is a good thing."

After saying this, she even showed a look of relief.

The tribesmen also seemed to agree with the chief's remarks.

Whenever the witch is mentioned, their eyes will flash with disgust or fear.

Mike was silent for a while, put down the gun, and sat down on the ground.

He took out his phone and deleted all the photos he had taken of the Vanishing Tribe before.

"I was originally going to find you a home," he sighed, "but now you don't have a home anymore."