Chapter 131: Too Late

Chapter 131: Too Late

“Stop. Whatever your connection to this Sorceress, I can guarantee you will bear no responsibility afterward.” A gentle woman’s voice passed directly through the Light Screen to Zheng Yichen’s ears.

Zheng Yichen’s tearing claws paused slightly. He instinctively traced the source of the sound and finally spotted the young woman who had earlier tied him up.

“No way!”

“…Once a Sorceress’s power goes out of control, a drastic change occurs. No matter what her personality was like before, no matter how kind she seemed, she will transform into a Fiend bent on destroying everything…”

“That’s you Humans’ problem,” Zheng Yichen replied casually. His previous response confirmed she could hear him. This time, as he watched the young woman’s expression, he clearly saw a faint twitch at the corner of her eye.

Annoyed by her reaction, Zheng Yichen couldn’t help showing a hint of smug satisfaction. Nonetheless, he didn’t let his guard down. In fact, he increased the speed at which he tore at the Light Screen. Watching this, the young woman sighed softly. This was yet another abnormal point. Those deeply cared for by a Sorceress often betrayed her for various reasons, while those loyal to her also shared this tendency.

Yet Zheng Yichen showed absolutely no sign of the expected distortion.

His actions were only adding to the burden of everyone in the Campsite. If the burden became too heavy, even if they could contain the consequences of the Sorceress’s power going out of control, forcing her into a severely weakened state after her powers went Berserk, they would still face a fierce fight.

Just as she grew concerned, the situation changed again. Zheng Yichen suddenly slowed his tearing. The Light Screen was too vast. Ripping it apart into shreds was impossible, even if he tore at it with all his might. “Hey… beauty, you still there?”

“…I am. Changed your mind?”

“No, how about we strike a deal? I stop tearing this thing. You shrink the Light Screen’s range? Just contain the spread of this Black Mist. Keep it within the original area, that’s all.”

The young woman didn’t respond. But further below, outside Zheng Yichen’s hearing range, a Sanctuary Church Archbishop snorted coldly. According to Sanctuary Church records, the interval for the Cursed Witch’s power going out of control was two hundred and forty years. That seemed long, but it was only because Loris possessed a secret method to suppress her powers. Otherwise, her power would lose control roughly every forty years.

The Sanctuary Church had previously launched numerous Witch Hunts against her. However, her thorough preparations and the Church’s lack of essential conditions had always ended in defeat.

This time, they were fully prepared and possessed the previously missing conditions. How could they abandon the hunt just because of some Little Dragon’s words? Abandon it, indeed! The Black Mist was precisely the Witch Power leaking out as it went out of control.

The spreading stage of the Black Mist marked not her Berserk state, but the loss of control itself. Only after control was fully lost did the Berserk state begin. This Black Mist was the power source of the Sorceress. Ages ago, a region beyond the Continent sank entirely due to a Sorceress going Berserk. That occurred early on when Sorceresses first appeared, before ancient Human powerhouses understood the dangers of a Sorceress losing control and going Berserk.

No such event had occurred since. Every time a Sorceress’s power went out of control and Berserk, the Sanctuary Church intervened, and hidden ancient powerhouses would also turn their attention to the matter.

“Ignore him! Let him tear away with his bare claws, bit by bit!” The Archbishop glared coldly at Zheng Yichen behind the Light Screen. Zheng Yichen’s actions would cause them some trouble, but only minor trouble at best. They would settle accounts after this affair ended. Zheng Yichen’s actions this time were simply too appalling.

Not even the proud Dragon Clan could openly interfere with a Witch Hunt. This concerned not just all Humanity, but every Alien Race in this world – the Dragon Clan included. Therefore, once they caught Zheng Yichen afterward, even the haughty Dragon Clan would have to obediently provide a formal explanation.

“You… take care of yourself.” The young woman looked at Zheng Yichen with a complex expression. Even if the Dragon Clan protected their own, the actions Zheng Yichen had committed this time would earn him severe punishment within the Clan.

“Hold on, everything can be negotiated… Hey, hey? Hell hung up!” Hearing no reply, a muscle in Zheng Yichen’s jaw twitched. He felt a headache coming on. He glanced down at his claws — frustrated, and thankful he had no hair to tear out. If he could enlarge his size a few hundred times, this membrane? He’d have ripped through it like paper long ago!

Right now, even if he ripped off a large chunk, the torn section quickly regenerated and sealed back up.

“Really ignoring me now? Fine. Don’t regret it…” Zheng Yichen completely stopped his futile action. He looked at a sphere of light he had torn off and held in his claw. This energy, ripped from the Light Screen, felt different from Mana in its nature. It wasn’t like Magic elements. Its quality felt hollow and insubstantial, like cotton, easily compressed.

“Wait…” The young woman sensed something strange in Zheng Yichen’s tone and immediately spoke. But Zheng Yichen just casually waved his free claw at her, revealing a sinister grin.

“It’s too late~!”

The Alchemical Puppets, almost indistinguishable from Humans in their internal and external features, suddenly went mad. Scattered throughout the Campsite, each one had been covertly watching a Sanctuary Church member deeply enveloped within the Light Screen. Receiving Zheng Yichen’s command, they launched themselves into immediate, suicidal action. Their internal Mana Sources surged, operating at critical intensity. This massive burst of power fueled the puppets, granting them terrifying speed.

Now, nearly everyone in the camp was focused on Zheng Yichen in the sky, oblivious to the danger right beside them. Within less than two seconds, over seventy Sanctuary Church members surrounded in Light Screens were stabbed. Their defenses punctured by daggers secretly coated with ground powder from Zheng Yichen’s claws. Immediately after the attack, each puppet triggered its Mana Source past critical point, causing it to self-destruct in a violent explosion.

The remaining puppets were intercepted by quicker-witted individuals, foiling their assassination attempts. Even so, their impact was devastating. The vast Light Screen covering the sky suddenly contracted violently. The main force sustaining it groaned collectively as immense pressure slammed down on them.

The Sanctuary Church members scattered across the Campsite acted as Nodes, distributing the enormous power consumption required to maintain the Light Screen. Each Node that failed meant the burden it absorbed would instantly transfer back to the main force. The immediate loss of seventy Nodes… That accounted for nearly one-third of all active Nodes!!

The pressure this inflicted on the main group was immense.

“Hurry! Fill the missing Node slots with reserves! Identify the source of those attackers immediately!!”

The well-prepared Sanctuary Church sprang into action. Reserve personnel swiftly replaced the lost Nodes. Information about the lurking Alchemical Puppets was also quickly gathered and compiled.