"Tilly, you can't—" Ash was just about to stop her when she interrupted.
"To enter the cave, we need a Witch with flight abilities to escort us out," Tilly waved her ring. "While carrying heavy loads drains Magic Power, it lets me bring an extra Witch—a game-changer for mobility. One more Witch means more options." She paused, turning to the Border Town Witch. "Anna, Lightning, and Maxie, I need your help." The three agreed without hesitation, and the young girl beamed with excitement.
Tilly let out a slight sigh of relief. "Then the ones heading to the cave's depths—Ash, Shavi, Sylvie, and the remaining sisters—will be left at the surface entrance." "Lady Tilly, let me join you," Andrea interjected.
"Should we encounter a horde of evil beasts, Nightingale alone would be overwhelmed," she shook her head. "Your proximity to her creates perfect synergy." "Rest assured, I'll guard the exit," Nightingale declared with confidence. "Neither the Devil nor the beasts can approach this place." Tilly had carefully calculated that the number of witches who could descend depended on the flying witch's carrying capacity. The heaviest load was the "Ice Coffin" —if it couldn't be awakened on-site and had to be disassembled and carried away, it would weigh at least two to three witches. Only Shavi's invisible barrier could lift such a massive object.
Hilvy's Magic Power Eye is indispensable—without it, they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the monster's internal ruins. Anna's cutting and heating abilities are equally vital, though neither can fly. Fortunately, their lighter build allows Maxie to transform into a magic bird and carry them. Lastly, Ash, the Extraordinary One who can maintain stable combat under any circumstances, operates independently.
Although lightning can fly, according to her own account, once it engages personnel, its altitude drops dramatically, making it unlikely to escape this deep cave. Her advantage lies in exceptional flexibility and speed, enabling effective roles in surveillance, reconnaissance, and ambush.
These few witches are irreplaceable in importance; the absence of any one would make matters exceptionally difficult. Thus, my decision to descend was not a spur-of-the-moment impulse but a well-considered choice.
As for Andrea... her destructive power is astonishing at close range, but when she encounters pitch-dark narrow spaces, her abilities are severely compromised. It's better for her and Nightingale to stay on the ground, keeping watch for nearby evil beasts.
Tilly had considered abandoning the rescue mission and returning home. Yet a lingering unease haunted her—why had the surrounding areas remained intact, while this stone tower ruin alone had drawn their attention? The direction of the giant beast's movement—she gazed at the northwest mountains, where Devil's dwelling lay just beyond.
Is there a link between the two?
Under Wendy and Anna's control, the hot air balloon landed steadily. Tilly cleared her mind of distractions, reviewed the plan again, took a deep breath, and said word by word, "We're off."
The pit proved deeper than she had anticipated, stretching about two stories high. It began as a straight downward slope, then gradually tilted until forming a horizontal passage. The surrounding soil emitted a foul odor, and upon closer inspection, one could see sticky droplets dripping from the surface—like wet trails left by slugs.
As the group pressed deeper, the light from the cave entrance soon vanished, plunging the entire floor into pitch darkness except for the faint glow of a few torches. The howling wind fell silent, replaced by the warmth of the earth's heat, and Tilly felt her body gradually warming.
Looking at the flickering firelight, she couldn't help but think of fireflies.
"The beast is ahead," Sylvie whispered.
Yet without her needing to remind, everyone knew they were nearing their goal—strange sounds drifted from the cave's depths, a mix of the rustling of autumn wind through the woods and the crunch of gnawing.
"Lower down." She made the ashes behind her flick the torch twice, then steered the magic stone downward until her feet sank into the soft, sticky soil.
Then Anna's cold light lit up.
She transformed the black fire back into heart fire, and a cold yet gentle glow instantly bathed the surroundings. Under the emerald firelight, the witches clearly saw the beast's tail. It slowly crawled forward, its writhing gray skin secreting mucus continuously, and the stench of decay grew more intense.
"A disgusting giant beast," Ash drew his sword. "Should we cut open its belly now?" "Wait," Tilly shook her head. "Anna must kill it. I don't know if its contents are dangerous. It's too risky for you to approach with the sword." "Fine, I'll try." Anna summoned another black flame while keeping the green fire burning. In an instant, the black flame transformed into a finger-thick thread, hurtling straight at the beast.
The thin thread pierced the monster's skin without resistance, slicing toward its belly. The scorching heat likely caused the black thread to ignite upon contact with the epidermis, vaporizing the internal fluids and spewing white mist. Savie, who had prepared in advance, raised an invisible shield to block the splattering liquid.
This is the power of evolution, Tilly mused. Though Anna had explained her abilities beforehand, the sight of them in action still left her awestruck. Capable of moving through the mind's eye, the black fire that crystallized into threads was sharper than any steel blade, its movements so elusive that evading it was impossible.
The monster let out a shrill wail and writhed wildly. Yet the black flames kept cutting forward relentlessly, soon reducing its plump body to fragments. Before the liquid could even reach the Witch, another green flame had completely evaporated it.
Gradually, the giant beast stopped struggling, and its skin began to sag.
"It's dead," Sylvie said. "The heart has stopped beating." "This thing has a heart too?" Ash asked, pinching his nose.
"The head is about the size of a Deepsea Vessel's grappling net. And..." She paused. "Magic Power flows through its veins." "So this is a hybrid demon beast?" "No one knows," Tilly said. "Historical records about demonic beasts and the Wildlands are scarce. There's too much unknown here. Let's dig out the ice coffin first." After Anna's second incineration, the putrid stench had lessened. Guided by Sylvie, they soon found the devoured ruins—though the basement now lay in ruins, with most of the glowing magic stones Lightning mentioned having turned into mushy clumps. The transparent crystal pillars, however, remained intact. Emerging from the sticky belly, they showed no signs of decay, and the woman sealed within the crystals still appeared lifelike.
"It's up to you now," Tilly said to Anna.