The Cornflower Witch Chapter 268

The warhorse galloped through the shaded woods, light filtering through the leaves, hooves pounding into the grass, kicking up dirt, then leaping up again, speeding forward.

The wind rustled past Sylphidya’s ears. In her perception, the traces of pursuit became clearer and clearer, meaning she was getting closer to those who had been captured.

In a valley, a massive magic array had already been drawn. People in dark red robes moved back and forth, continuously perfecting the ritual site, and binding the captured prisoners one by one, blindfolding them.

Among these people, many were villagers from Regas, and some were captured Anti soldiers. However, these identities made no difference in the upcoming ritual.

“My lord, one of our teams has captured nearly 400 more people, and they also brought back some good news.”

The Cult Leader currently stood inside a tent, examining a map of Regas hanging there, on which many locations had been marked and noted.

“Oh, what good news?” He turned his head, revealing two pairs of sinister eyes.

“We discovered a hidden settlement near Burnt Stone City, a place ordinary people couldn’t find, and surrounded by sufficient water and food sources.”

“Good, now we have another stronghold.” The leader nodded, then recalled something.

“How was this hidden settlement discovered?”

“It was through these four hundred captured people. They were originally Burnt Stone City Miners, but they couldn’t endure the oppression and torture, so they escaped and lived in seclusion there.”

“It seems you were lucky this time.” The leader patted the other person, then sent them away.

After staying in the tent for a while, the leader walked out and headed to another place deeper in the valley, where a more luxurious tent hung, guarded by several knights.

After a brief announcement, he entered and saw Prince Jabbers leaning on the bed, looking distraught.

“Prince Jabbers.” He softly spoke his name, but his head and body showed no sign of bowing, indicating that he only paid lip service to the difference in status.

Prince Jabbers’ eyes were currently vacant. After hearing the call, it took him a long while to come to his senses, then he sat up wearily.

“What is it? Speak.”

“The new ritual site in the valley is almost ready, and the ritual will be held tomorrow night. Please prepare yourself, Your Royal Highness.”

“Ritual? Another one of those rituals?” Prince Jabbers irritably flailed his arm, but there were no porcelain ornaments here for him to vent his emotions on.

“For your damned rituals, how many loyal subordinates of mine have died? And now you still want me to prepare? Prepare what? With what shall I prepare?”

Hearing this, the Cult Leader’s expression remained unchanged.

“Prince Jabbers, if this ritual succeeds, we will possess power far exceeding that of the Anti people. Then, no matter how many loyal subordinates you desire, it will be no problem.”

“Although we failed to annihilate Katchis last time, you saw our power.”

“For victory, certain sacrifices are necessary. You cannot gain everything out of nothing without paying anything; no one would be convinced by you otherwise.”

“Your participation in the ritual tomorrow night will not only lead to a better outcome but also grant you the power to defeat your enemies. Do you not wish to personally slay your foes, avenge your parents and brothers, and establish a supreme legacy?”

“In ancient times, your ancestors fought countless battles and earned great renown. Even though the Regas Kingdom was not large then, the neighboring countries held it in awe. This was a glory and status unimaginable to their successors.”

“Those without power, no matter how much they speak, will only be mocked by others, Prince Jabbers, you should know this better than I.”

Prince Jabbers fell silent after his words.

He clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his flesh, and it took a long time for him to release them wearily.

“Tell me, what do you want me to do in the ritual?”

Seeing the prince’s heart waver, the leader’s mouth curved slightly, then he began to explain to him in detail.

…

“This… what will happen to those people?” Prince Jabbers still hesitated a little.

“If you fail, they will also die under the Anti’s blades. You must understand that even the most excellent general, in war, will sacrifice soldiers. This is an unavoidable matter.”

“Without victory, there is nothing.”

“As long as you continue to win, there will be a endless stream of people joining your ranks, and these trivial matters will be forgotten.”

“Victors are not censured.” Under his words, Prince Jabbers finally let go of his hesitation.

“Alright, if it can be done. But my elder sister must not know, her nature is rather kind and gentle, she can’t bear to see such things.”

“I will have someone take good care of Princess Masha,” the leader promised.

After convincing the prince, he walked out of the tent, satisfied. As he looked down upon the valley again, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and take a deep breath, savoring the beautiful atmosphere before victory.

The Hundred-Eyed Cult’s great undertaking, prepared for centuries, would be achieved in his hands. He had succeeded once, and he would succeed again.

The stars were already in position. Before the Leo constellation obscured the rift, he would once again summon the great being from the other side of the astral plane. And this time, his goal was not merely to birth a few Demon Contractors; it was the Hundred-Eyed Cult’s centennial wish to bring about the reappearance of the true “Alien World.”

On the mountain path, Sylphidya rode over a hill and emerged, finally spotting the moving procession ahead.

It was a convoy of about 800 people, with over 200 cultists in dark red robes, and the rest were captured commoners. Among them were the captured miner refugees, residents of nearby villages, and even some captured Anti soldiers.

*Have I finally caught up?* Sylphidya thought, then accelerated, charging down the slope. Just then, Karen had ridden up to the top of the slope. Seeing Sylphidya already charging ahead, she was quite worried whether the young girl could fight alone, so she also sped up to follow, drawing her longbow from its quiver and nocking an arrow.

The horsemanship Sylphidya had learned in the Golden Glades was completely unleashed today. During the continuous pursuit, she adjusted her movements bit by bit based on feedback, synchronizing her rhythm with the warhorse beneath her. This not only minimized the burden on the warhorse during its gallop but also allowed her to influence the warhorse with her own rhythm, bringing its running pace into an efficient and steady state.

On the plain, the long procession was advancing when a rider flashed past from the grassy side. Before the people in the convoy could even question or attack, the horse and rider sped past their eyes.

In less than ten seconds, Sylphidya overtook the procession, reached a point ahead of them, then quickly turned back, her horse rearing up, mud splattering, blocking their path.

The path ahead was blocked. The cult leader at the front rode forward, followed by his members who took up crossbows, pointing them at the young girl, treating her with caution.

“Who are you? Get out of the way,” the Tier 2 cultist frowned, drawing his personal longsword.

Sylphidya took a deep breath, shaking her head and refusing.

“I should be asking you who you are and why you are doing this.”

“Doing this? Heh.” Hearing this naive question, he and his companion couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did you just come out of your parents’ arms? You’re asking “why” others are doing things, that’s none of your business.” He was now gradually discerning Sylphidya’s appearance.

“Since you’re pretty, come with us.”

“To blame, blame yourself for foolishly rushing over.” After saying that, he and his companion spurred their horses forward, preparing to knock the girl off her horse and capture her.

However, as they charged, the young girl’s aura suddenly changed, escalating from the Tier 1 they had observed to Tier 3. Under the intense Aspect suppression, their warhorses became restless, and radiating outwards from the girl, emerald green grass and leaves spread like waves, continuously extending.

This was not the end. Numerous vines, like a fence, spread towards the entire team, until they completely surrounded the more than eight hundred people.

The emerald green vines intertwined, climbing upwards, continuously extending, forming a wall. Then, the vine branches blossomed with eerie blood-red thorns, progressively blocking and filling their vision.

Only at that moment did the cultists of the team realize that something was amiss. They looked in astonishment at the black-haired girl standing on the hillside, her eyes glowing with emerald light, and the aura of natural life spreading outwards, instantly transforming the grassy area they stood on into a cage of emerald green vines.

“Who exactly are you?!” A Demon Contractor swiftly emerged from the team, and behind him, a gigantic eyeball monster, about four meters tall, slowly materialized from the void.

An eerie purple light condensed within its eyeball, then shot out.

The dark purple light instantly engulfed the girl’s figure. Just as the Demon Contractor felt a flicker of happiness, that figure emerged from the dark purple ray, unharmed. An invisible barrier had appeared around her body, and when the dark purple ray struck it, it instantly dissolved into fine flowing sand.

“What is this?” The Demon Contractor controlling the eyeball monster was utterly unable to comprehend the situation, until his gaze met the girl’s.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and also the easiest channels to reach the soul’s consciousness. This was the conduit for many arcane practices, and the most important gateway.

In that instant, he was initially excited, because as a member of the Hundred-Eyed Cult, he possessed powerful ocular magic, and as long as he made eye contact with an enemy, he could maximize the effect of his ocular magic, whether it was intimidation, illusion, or hypnosis, he had countless ways to make this girl surrender.

Then, when he looked into the girl’s eyes, he froze.

What beautiful eyes they were, in her transparent blue irises, countless stardust seemed to flow, and myriad starlight shimmered and ascended, as if a thousand words were being spoken, and many scenes were evolving within them.

Slowly, the Demon Contractor gave up his resistance. He slowly lowered himself, kneeling on one knee on the ground.

“Great Descender, I pledge my allegiance to you.”