Chapter 358: The Deceased Witch
Shaye materialized, her gaze fixed on the massive heart and the gaping hole in its center.
Her brow furrowed in thought. After a long moment, she looked at Qin Chu:
“Shall we begin?”
Qin Chu understood. She was asking if he wanted to extract the heart’s blood, to take it back, purify it, and absorb its energy.
The heart was simply too large.
It wouldn’t fit in a storage ring.
And even if it did, he wasn’t sure it would be wise to store such a… volatile object. It could cause unforeseen problems. Extracting some blood and leaving was the safest course of action.
But he shook his head, surprising Shaye. She didn’t think he was the type to be driven by greed, risking his life for power.
He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart, the strange yearning, and the oppressive fear. After a long moment, he walked around the heart, towards the back.
Though they didn’t understand his intentions, Anthea and Shaye followed, the sapling trailing behind awkwardly, its slightly yellowed leaves swaying.
It wasn’t accustomed to walking on its roots.
The heart was so massive that walking around it took a considerable amount of time. He regretted not having descended from the other side.
But he wasn’t about to climb back up and try again.
Finally, they reached the back of the heart.
And they froze, their eyes widening.
Even the sapling stopped moving.
A woman knelt there.
Perhaps because of the heart’s sheer size, they hadn’t noticed her before.
She was slender, clad in a thin black veil that hinted at the pale skin beneath.
She knelt, her head bowed, her hands clasped together in prayer, as if worshipping the heart.
While they couldn’t see her face, her figure and the glimpse of skin suggested she was a beauty.
She seemed oblivious to their presence, remaining motionless, her posture unchanged.
At first glance, she seemed like an ordinary, perhaps even beautiful, young woman.
But anyone appearing near this monstrous heart couldn’t be ordinary.
Shaye’s face paled. After a long moment, her voice filled with uncertainty: “The Gluttony Witch?”
One of the Witches she knew of.
And a powerful one at that. She had heard that the Gluttony Witch had killed the Ocean Witch, absorbing her power.
Even Qin Chu was startled, and Anthea’s expression hardened, her spear materializing in her hand, ready for battle.
The woman kneeling here… the Gluttony Witch?
What was she doing here?
Weren’t Witches created by inheriting the authority of fallen gods after the great war a thousand years ago?
A Witch wielding divine power should be repulsed by an Evil God’s heart. Why was she worshipping it?
Was this not an Evil God’s heart? Or was there something wrong with the Gluttony Witch?
Something didn’t add up. He was missing something.
No, wait.
Not all Witches inherited their power.
Shaye was a natural-born Witch, not a successor.
And the intense yearning he felt… it emanated from the Gluttony Witch.
She seemed to possess a powerful allure, drawing him towards her.
He swallowed, taking a step closer. She didn’t react. He had assumed it was the heart’s oppressive aura suppressing his senses.
But as he approached, he realized…
She wasn’t breathing. There was no heartbeat.
And she was… too thin. He had imagined the Gluttony Witch to be… well, gluttonous, a large, imposing figure.
He frowned, his senses on high alert, as he reached her. She still didn’t move.
He hesitantly reached out, gently touching her shoulder.
Her body crumbled into dust.
His heart skipped a beat.
The Gluttony Witch, one of the most powerful beings in the Heavenly Continent, dead? Reduced to dust? He couldn’t quite process it.
As her body dissipated, two wisps of light, one azure, one black, emerged from the dust.
Seeing them, Qin Chu’s heart pounded. This… this was what he had been yearning for.
Especially the black wisp.
Divine Authority!
He had seen it before, with the Fire Witch.
The black one must be the Gluttony Witch’s own Authority of Gluttony, while the azure one must be the Authority of Water, taken from the Ocean Witch.
Why was he reacting like this?
He had felt nothing when Phil and Violet had offered him their Authorities, even refusing them.
But now, he felt an intense yearning for these two… no, specifically for the black one, the Authority of Gluttony.
The pull was even stronger than the heart’s.
His confusion and unease intensified.
Judging by the Gluttony Witch’s appearance, she hadn’t been driven mad like Violet or Phil. She had seemed… at peace, as if she had chosen this place as her final resting place.
How long had she been dead?
And why?
Witches were practically immortal.
Even Shaye stared in shock and sadness. While they hadn’t been close, seeing a fellow Witch dead, reduced to dust, was… unsettling.
Despite his doubts, Qin Chu extended his hand.
The black wisp, as if summoned, floated towards him, entering his body.
As it merged with him, he realized it wasn’t just Authority.
It also contained a fragment of divinity, similar to the one he had absorbed from the Lord of Pleasure’s statue.
It was Gluttony Divinity.
The Lust Divinity within him recoiled, as if encountering its natural enemy, not attempting to absorb it, to strengthen itself.
Instead, the Gluttony Divinity pulsed, as if trying to consume the Lust Divinity.
Qin Chu’s consciousness intervened, preventing it.
It seemed the Gluttony Divinity, while obedient to him, still saw the Lust Divinity as a potential meal.
The poor Lust Divinity cowered within him.
Phil, the Fire Witch, wielded the Authority of Fire. Violet, the Storm Witch, wielded the Authority of Storms.
But they only possessed Authority, not Divinity.
Even Ireta, the Daughter of Death, didn’t possess Divinity.
Why was the Gluttony Witch an exception? Was there something special about the Authority of Gluttony?
A new ability appeared on his status panel.
Authority of Gluttony – Are you hungry? You can devour anything in this world.
Authority Special Ability: Hungry Wriggling – Everything you consume is converted into your power. Fight! Devour!
Another vague description.
But the name itself was self-explanatory.
He looked at the azure wisp, the Authority of Water, waving his hand, sending it towards Anthea.
With the Authority of Gluttony absorbed, the yearning had vanished.
But Anthea shook her head, not interested.
She preferred her chains and spear.
Beside him, the sapling bounced excitedly, its branches and leaves swaying, trying to catch his attention, as if saying, I want it! Give it to me!
But Qin Chu glared at the greedy little thing. It had already stolen most of his experience, and now it wanted Divine Authority as well?
Look at the Goddess’s Hair. While also a parasite, it wasn’t nearly as greedy.
He grumbled inwardly, then, ignoring the sapling’s pleading gaze, absorbed the Authority of Water.
Now, what to do with the heart?
Chapter 359: Shaye Shub-Niggurath’s Bewilderment
Not having received the Water Authority, the sapling sulked, its leaves drooping.
While she had been residing within him, stealing his experience, she wasn’t entirely useless. He could access her energy reserves. As long as she wasn’t depleted, he had an unlimited supply of energy.
She had helped him break free from the Void’s influence, along with the Goddess’s Hair.
And she had devoured the monstrous fetus born from Mavis.
She had made significant contributions, yet he wouldn’t even give her a measly Authority. Stingy bastard. He’ll probably die alone.
While technically a plant, her reaction was almost… human. Even Qin Chu was surprised. Was he imagining things?
It was just a tree. Could it really have such complex emotions?
Having absorbed the Authority of Gluttony, he now also possessed its Divinity.
Combined with the Lust Divinity from the Authority of Desire, he now had… well, lust and gluttony.
He also had the Abilities of Greed and Wrath.
Four of the Seven Deadly Sins. Only Pride, Sloth, and Envy remained.
If he acquired those as well, he would truly be a villain.
Well, whatever. He wasn’t planning on being a hero anyway.
Another thing puzzled him: the Lust Divinity seemed to fear the Gluttony Divinity.
They were supposedly of equal strength. Why the fear?
Unable to understand, he dismissed the thought, focusing on the massive heart before him. It was so large it was… intimidating.
Since absorbing the Gluttony Divinity, the heart’s allure had intensified, a powerful pull, a desire to approach, to touch, to consume…
Perhaps this was the same influence that had corrupted Wadsworth.
Taking the entire heart was impossible. It was too large for a storage ring.
He could extract some blood.
But having come all this way, taking only a small amount seemed like a waste.
Should he… just eat it?
The thought startled him.
Eat… the heart?
Was this the Gluttony Divinity’s influence, making him see everything as a potential meal?
This wasn’t good. He wasn’t usually so… gluttonous.
But if the Authority of Gluttony truly allowed him to devour anything, converting it into energy…
Consuming the heart wasn’t entirely impossible…
As he pondered this, Shaye produced a large glass vial.
Seeing the vial, Qin Chu’s heart skipped a beat.
He remembered her using it to collect his blood, its size comparable to a large soda bottle.
Her sharp nails, sharper than any blade, scratched at the heart’s surface.
But they only left faint marks, unable to pierce it. Shaye frowned.
If she couldn’t even scratch it, how could she extract blood? As she prepared to use magic, the Goddess’s Hair, without his command, detached itself from his wrist, swirling through the air before slicing across the heart’s surface.
A crack appeared, and blood flowed out.
Shaye’s eyes narrowed. She quickly positioned the vial, watching as it filled with crimson liquid, a happy smile on her face.
With a bit of refinement, this was pure energy. How could she not be happy?
The small amount Wadsworth had given him had been incredibly effective. A full vial of this would be… invaluable.
And having come all this way…
She couldn’t leave empty-handed.
The wound created by the Goddess’s Hair began to close, but each time it healed slightly, the Goddess’s Hair would slice it open again.
Until she had filled seven large vials, she finally stopped, sighing regretfully.
Enough for now.
While only a small amount, it was still a considerable haul. One couldn’t be too greedy.
She stored the vials, and the wound, no longer being aggravated, finally began to close.
She approached Qin Chu, holding out a smaller vial. He facepalmed.
As expected. After the Evil God’s blood, it’s his turn.
But seeing her crimson eyes, he sighed, knowing he couldn’t refuse. He reluctantly cut his palm, letting his blood drip into the vial.
Thanks to Holy Healing, the wound closed within seconds.
“Fill it up,” she grumbled. It wasn’t even half full.
He rubbed his temples: “This is enough for now.”
She pouted, then, about to leave, she noticed he was still staring at the giant heart, lost in thought.
She frowned. What was he doing? They were done here. Surely he wasn’t thinking of taking the entire heart?
“Aren’t you coming?” she tilted her head.
He shook his head: “You go ahead. I’ll stay for a while.”
While curious, she didn’t question him further, simply nodding: “Be careful.”
She walked away from the heart, but not out of the chasm, stopping where they had landed and beginning to mix the two types of blood, neutralizing the Evil God’s blood’s volatile will, transforming it into pure, readily absorbable energy.
As before, the moment his blood touched the Evil God’s, its chaotic aura subsided.
She wouldn’t do this back in the Imperial City. Too many prying eyes. It was safer here.
She knew Qin Chu had the same thought. That was why he had brought Heloise and Iyeta.
Qin Chu remained near the heart.
Perhaps because of the Gluttony Divinity and the Water Authority, he felt less pressure now, even when touching the heart. His movements, however, were still slightly sluggish.
The heart’s surface felt warm beneath his fingers, its rhythmic pulsing almost… soothing.
Had the Gluttony Witch died trying to consume it? He wondered.
It was a pity she was gone, not even a fragment of her soul remaining. He couldn’t ask her.
After a long while, he and Anthea returned to where Shaye was waiting.
She handed him a small vial filled with the mixed blood.
He drank it without hesitation.
…
In the Snow Chain Mountains.
Shaye Shub-Niggurath, realizing she had been tricked, prepared to leave.
She would teach that damned Hero a lesson.
Her slender fingers drew the pattern of a teleportation array in the snow. Just as she was about to complete it, she shuddered.
Her final stroke went astray.
A blush crept up her cheeks, her crimson eyes glistening.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful.
A soft moan escaped her lips.
Her legs trembling, she stumbled back, leaning against the icy mountainside, the cold unable to quell the heat within her.
She clutched her abdomen, her eyes filled with a mix of anger, shock, confusion, and shame.
Not again…
Which bastard was tormenting her like this?
And worse…
Her body seemed to be enjoying it…
