Cornflower Witch

Chapter 74 Dark Monster Cat
After dealing with the 'leaf monster', Hilti felt a little relieved. Then she looked around the small clearing in the woods again, searching for any similar monsters that might exist.

Sure enough, during her search, she discovered two more 'monsters' disguised as leaves and killed them with her sword.

Black blood flowed along the blade, causing it to twist and writhe like an earthworm.

"This sword is probably ruined," Hiltiya shook her head, but she had no better choice at the moment and could only make do with it for now.

After resting for a while, she continued up the hillside. This time, nothing unexpected happened; there were no monsters in the clearing.

But there are strange trees.

A twisted tree stood in the center of the 'colorful bubble' area. Its broad canopy had no leaves, but instead had various knotted branches hanging down, which looked disgusting and bizarre, as if they had grown all kinds of tumors.

If you can't see the enemy in a chaotic and dangerous place, then the biggest enemy is probably right in front of you.

Hiltiya gazed at the large tree from afar, not daring to approach rashly.

【Bug Tree】(Sexual aspect: Twisted): A bizarre variant of the banyan tree, without leaves but with numerous branches covered in knots.

Realizing that standing there wasn't a solution, Hilti picked up a stone and threw it at the tree, but it didn't elicit a reaction.

Does she have to walk over there herself for there to be a response? She couldn't help but wonder.

Forget it, let's not take the risk. She'd rather take a detour than be caught by the tree. What if she really couldn't break free? Wouldn't she regret it?

Hilti decided to be cautious and did not continue forward. Instead, she circled around the edge of the tree, slowly moved to the other side, and stepped into the gray world again.

After she left, the withered bark in the center of the big tree slowly cracked open, revealing a face-like shape looking in the direction the girl had left.

'I sense the aura of supreme power… Could there be another 'Blessed One' arriving in this forgotten corner?'

"I apologize, Your Majesty, but I am powerless to fight any longer. I can only eke out a living by coexisting with these twisted creatures."

Through the gap in its split mouth, one can vaguely see that the center of the tree trunk has become a cavity, filled with various corpses and bones. Those hideous skulls tell of its former power and terror.

……

Far from the 'colorful bubble' node from not long ago, Hilti continued forward, traversing the gray and white world until she reached another 'colorful bubble' near the mountain peak.

People have been here before!
The moment Hiltiya stepped in, she noticed that this place was different from the previous ones. There were broken weapon handles, tattered leather armor, and traces of a campfire on the ground.

Then her gaze searched forward again, the light in her eyes shifting, allowing her to see the cave hidden behind the thick bushes, where some kind of monster seemed to be lurking, and a faint stench wafted in the air.

She covered her face with her hair, took a few breaths to regain her strength, and then looked around warily, searching for any monsters that might be lurking.

With the addition of [Natural Perception Lv.2] and [Discerning Eye Lv.3], these two fate effects that excel in perception and observation give her a keen insight far exceeding that of a first-tier being. If we were to add another point, it would be that 'Radiant Moon' is the only one among all the fates that focuses on being clear and flawless, and is also the nemesis of many illusions.

Even though she did not cultivate the 'Radiant Moon' aspect, she still retained some of the qualities of affinity with the Radiant Moon.

There were many ruins and rubble around, but no monsters were present, so the only possibility was the cave behind the bushes, Hilti thought to herself.

As a practitioner of the 'Emerald' nature, she is not as skilled in combat as the 'Blood Law', and she tries to avoid resolving problems through combat whenever possible.

It would seem better to retreat now, but... the path to the summit is right next to that cave. If she takes a detour, the rest of the way is steep cliffs, which would not only be difficult for her to climb, but would also require her to expend more energy trekking through the gray world.

It seemed that the pioneers who had come here before had encountered the same problem as her, she thought to herself, looking at the ruins of the campfire at her feet.

Should we continue taking the detour, or take a gamble? Taking the detour would consume extra energy and strength, and there's no guarantee of finding a path up the mountain; not taking the detour would expose us to unknown dangers.

It was such a difficult decision, she thought, fiddling with a strand of hair.

However, at this point, there seemed to be no need to think anymore, because the monster in the cave seemed to have smelled the presence of living people and came out.

It's hard to imagine that from that small cave, as if liquid were overflowing, a black monster cat emerged, taller than Hilti and bigger than an ox. Its black fur was as dark as night, making its shape somewhat indistinct. The only striking feature was its pair of fierce, lemon-yellow eyes.

"hiss--"

The exposed fangs are sharp and long; it's no wonder they're beasts, with the power inherited in their blood giving them powerful claws and horns.

【Dark Strange Cat】(Twisted): Its shape is blurry, with strange black fur that is like liquid, and it is extremely ferocious.

Looking at the tall, strange black cat in the distance, and then at the twisted short sword in her hand, Hilti decided to stop fighting and prepare to escape first.

She leaped backward into the gray world, preparing to head to other safe, colorful bubbles.

However, she soon realized that she was wrong. The black cat also entered the gray and white world. The jet-black color flowed along the edges of its body, as if ink was spreading, giving it the ability to move around in the gray and white world.

Left with no other choice, Hilti accelerated again, dodging the black cat's pounce, and plunged back into the colorful bubble.

Stepping onto the grass, Hilti took a step forward, the blade in her hand swung back, slicing a sharp gash and striking the black furry front paw that lunged down.

The expected immense force did not materialize; it was as if an inflated balloon had been struck, and after the tough outer layer was broken, the inside was just empty air.

The black cat was slightly injured, and black liquid and smoke were oozing from its front paws, constantly rising.

Is that all? Hilti wondered to herself, but then she felt something was off. If it were that easy to defeat, then why were there so many broken pieces and blades on the ground?

The injured black cat arched its back, its fuzzy fur suddenly bristling like a hedgehog's quills, each hair sharp. It hissed and roared again, then charged at Hilti.

The girl stood and spun around, the blade in her hand flashing in a dazzling silver arc, like a new moon appearing, the sharp blade cleaving the black cat's brow.

As if its skin had been torn apart in an instant, the black cat's body split in two, but it did not die. Its two split eyes were still staring at Hilti, and then it pounced forward. Its internal organs, like swirling black mist, engulfed Hilti.

Oh no, this is its real attack method.

The completely unpredictable attack caught Hilti off guard, leaving her no time to react before she was engulfed in the thick black fog.

All light and sound disappeared, and nothing could be touched. There was only endless void. An invisible distortion came from the surface of the body, starting with the delicate blood vessels. Under the influence of the distorted sexual force, the blood flowed in reverse, and the blood vessels twisted like worms.

Then came the internal organs, as if an invisible hand was tearing and pulling at them, causing various internal organs to become displaced. This sensation made Hilti feel nauseous and nauseous.

Finally, even the invisible destiny chart deep within the soul was shrouded in a black, distorted mist. It entered from all directions, gradually spreading and staining the [Breathing Technique Lv.3] and [Blooming Flower Technique Lv.1] below with black.

Like a virus, the once beautiful and clear cards became cloudy, and black spots appeared on them, spreading and eroding the cards little by little.

【Breathing Technique Lv.3】, as a level 3 card, could still resist, but the level 1 【Blooming Flower Technique】 quickly shattered under the distortion and erosion, turning into fragments and scattering. As a result, Hilti lost the newly learned 【Blooming Flower Technique】 and could no longer use the various abilities of the Blooming Flower Technique.

Moreover, these black, distorted fogs, by disrupting the [Blooming Flower Technique], also opened the path to the central Destiny Card, and began to erode and spread towards the [Gardening Apprentice Girl].

If even the Destiny Card shatters, it would mean the end of Hilti's life.

(End of this chapter)