It felt so good to be close to the witch!

A smile appeared on Roy's face.

By reuniting with the Shadow Witch Lilia, the safety of the upcoming operations will be greatly improved.

Without hesitation, the moment they met, Lilia reached out and grasped Roy's hand, and the two simultaneously entered a "shadowed" state.

"Lilia, did you find any trace of the Golden Armored Knight while you were looking for me?"

After entering the "shadow state," even without moving, the world in Roy's eyes turned into black and white, losing its vibrant colors. He looked at the girl beside him, who was also composed of black and white, and asked in a low voice.

"No." The voice of the Shadow Witch Lilia reached Roy's ears, with a faint murmur, a phenomenon unique to conversations in the Shadow World: "Lord Roy, I just circled almost the entire edge of this space and found no Golden Armor Knights."

“Is that so…” Roy nodded, turning his gaze to the lava lake in the center of the space, especially the crystalline islands on the lava lake: “Then he should be there.”

"The ice coffin on that crystal island is most likely the A-level forbidden item - the Lost Ice Coffin."

"Lord Roy, what should we do next?" The Shadow Witch Lilia stared at the ice coffin under the dark purple crystal tree. Although the ice coffin was tightly closed, for some reason, the thought of getting close to it made her feel a strange sense of unease.

It was her body's instinct warning her not to go near, that there was danger there.

“Let’s find a way to get to that crystal island first,” Roy said in a deep voice. “It’s too far away, and we can’t see many things clearly. If possible, we should try our best to find the Golden Armor Knight.”

“He entered here much earlier than us, but he still hasn’t opened the Lost Ice Coffin, and now he’s nowhere to be found. This place is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface, so we must be extremely careful.”

"Hmm." The Shadow Witch Lilia nodded, and using the shadows to leap, the two quickly arrived at the edge of the lava lake.

As Roy pondered how to cross the lava lake that was occasionally bubbling with hot water, a dark blue light suddenly appeared on the surface of the lava in front of him and the Shadow Witch Lilia. A translucent light path, large enough for the two of them to pass through, floated up and connected from beneath their feet to the crystal island in the center.

"!"

Roy's pupils contracted, and he abruptly raised his head, his gaze falling on the ice coffin on the ice crystal island.

Is she awake?

The speculation in his heart stirred up a storm in Roy's mind.

Not only Roy, but even the Shadow Witch Lilia's breathing became rapid when she saw the pale blue light appear before her.

"call……"

Taking a deep breath, Roy quickly calmed down after the initial shock.

The appearance of the pale blue light path meant that "she," who was sealed in the ice coffin, had awakened and extended an invitation to him and Lilia.

Turning around and running away at this point would only make one appear guilty, and if it provokes "her" to attack directly, it would lead to unpredictable consequences.

At present, "she" has only extended an invitation to visit the island and has not taken direct action, which means that there is still room for maneuver.

Roy had considered that "she," still in the lost ice coffin, had reached her limit in activating the pale blue light path and was powerless to launch an attack, but this was just speculation. What if "she" could launch an attack?

Moreover, regardless of whether activating the pale blue light path was "her" limit, landing on the island was the only option for Roy.

It wasn't "her" limit; not landing on the island was practically a death sentence. It was "her" limit; once on the island, Roy would have more options.

"Come on, let's go there."

Roy said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the Shadow Witch Lilia quickly calmed down.

The two took a step and stepped onto the path of pale blue light.

The translucent light path gives a fragile feeling, but it is actually incredibly sturdy.

Soon, Roy and Lilia arrived at the crystal island in the middle of the lava lake.

The moment the two stepped onto the island, the pale blue path they had just walked through vanished without a trace, and the lava lake continued to boil, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

The disappearance of the pale blue light path naturally caught Roy's attention. His expression remained unchanged as he narrowed his eyes and carefully examined everything on the island.

Everything on this island is made of crystals. Roy crouched down and reached out to touch the ground. After a brief moment of feeling, a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

He sensed an unimaginable, immense magic from the crystals that made up the ground.

Roy's gaze involuntarily swept over the dark purple crystal tree and the clusters of deep purple crystals protruding beside it.

"Magic Crystal..."

Yes, magic crystals!

The island gave him the feeling of being a super-large, low-purity magic crystal, while the dark purple crystals were probably magic crystals with slightly higher purity, but not yet meeting the standards for high-purity magic crystals.

As for that dark purple crystal tree, it's better to call it a high-purity magic crystal shaped like a tree!

Roy could hardly imagine how terrifying the upper limit of magic power such a large, high-purity magic crystal must contain.

In the center of the Star Lake outside the monster-free sealed space, a waterless area of ​​that size will form.

The pillars of magic that leaked out were merely the tip of the iceberg within the sealed space!

"Huh...huh...huh..."

Taking a deep breath in and out three times in a row, Roy suppressed his shock and calmed himself down.

The Shadow Witch Lilia looked at Roy with concern, not understanding why his emotions changed so drastically just from touching the ground.

"I am fine."

Sensing Lilia's gaze, Roy offered her a word of comfort, then continued to survey his surroundings.

He was looking for the figure of the golden-armored knight.

The crystal island wasn't very big; the few clusters of protruding dark purple crystal pillars were only knee-high, making it impossible for anyone to hide there.

After searching for a long time without finding anything, Roy withdrew his gaze, his eyes somewhat solemn.

He didn't believe that the golden-armored knight whose target was the A-level forbidden item—the Lost Ice Coffin—wouldn't have come to the island after entering the sealed space.

But now, not only are there no people, but there aren't even any footprints left.

Where did the golden-armored knight go?

Or perhaps, he has already been...

"you……"

Just as Roy's thoughts were churning, a soft voice entered his ears.

Roy suddenly looked up in the direction from which the sound came.

Beneath the dark purple crystal tree, beside the ice coffin, a young girl sat leaning against the tree trunk, her hands clasped together and gently placed in front of her lower abdomen, quietly watching him.

She wore a loose, voluminous pointed witch's hat with a gradient of dark blue tips, and a dark purple-black shawl draped over her white, form-fitting long dress.

On either side of her jade-white face, irregular dark blue fluorescent patterns emerged from her neck, adding a touch of fantasy and mystery to the girl's already perfect face.

Her pupils were a clear, dark blue; compared to the dark blue crescent moon hanging at the top of the sealed space, her eyes were more like the real moon.

Roy could clearly see that the girl's exposed arms were noticeably different from those of an ordinary person. Although her skin was so delicate and flawless, there were obvious signs of something inhuman around her elbow joints.

Doll?

The word involuntarily popped into Roy's mind.

"Are you... here to kill me too?"

The voice, so calm it was almost indifferent, rang out again. At that moment, both Roy and the shadow witch Lilia beside him felt an indescribable sense of dread.

……

Near the bottom of Star Lake, in a waterless, hollow cave.

The standoff between the Ice Witch Ais and the figure in the black robe and hood has lasted for a full ten minutes.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of the hooded figure in the black robe, his eyes fixed on the white-haired crowned witch in front of him.

The prolonged standoff gradually made the figure in the black robe and hood realize that something was amiss.

Aside from the initial sneak attack, the unknown white-haired crowned witch showed no intention of making another move, as if that attack was merely a means to force him back.

He didn't move, and the other party didn't seem to be moving either. In this situation, it was more like a delaying tactic than a standoff.

It's been fifteen minutes since the Golden Armored Knight entered the sealed space. With that much time, he should have opened the Lost Ice Coffin long ago, given that he possesses the forbidden item.

But now, the sealed space is completely silent. Clearly, things are not as planned, and something has gone wrong within the sealed space.

And then there's this white-haired Grand Witch who suddenly appeared...

Could it be that a witch organization has discovered the secret beneath Star Lake and is eyeing this place?!

Thinking of this, the black-robed, hooded figure's face gradually darkened.

The "Star Lake Project" is far too important. It is not only a bargaining chip for the Second Prince's forces to reach a "deal" with the border dukes, but also concerns the Lord's next plan. It absolutely cannot be lost.

The black-robed, hooded figure shuddered at the thought of his fate if the plan failed, and his gaze toward the white-haired crowned witch opposite him turned icy cold.

Although he wasn't confident he could defeat a Grand Witch, he was going to die anyway, so he might as well give it a shot.

Moreover, he wasn't alone.

Although Crimson Sword Callus adopted a hands-off stance before the "deal" was finalized, his black-robed, hooded figure clearly indicated that the Border Dukes' forces were far more eager for the A-grade forbidden item—the Lost Ice Coffin—than he was.

The appearance of the white-haired Grand Witch not only hindered his plans but also prevented Crimson Sword Callus from obtaining the A-rank forbidden item - the Lost Ice Coffin. Under these circumstances, the black-robed, hooded figure believed that Crimson Sword Callus would eventually make a move. Of course, he also believed that Crimson Sword Callus would not make a move unless he saw him in a sorry state.

That being the case...

Let's have a battle first!

I refuse to believe that you are stronger than the Grand Witch I previously besieged.

A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the black-robed, hooded figure, and his battle aura exploded further. The ferocious monster that swam rapidly around him let out a roar and pounced towards the white-haired crowned witch.

Can't we keep dragging this on any longer...?

As the shadow of the grotesque fish gradually enlarged in her pupils, the Ice Witch Ais sighed inwardly.

Ten minutes have passed. I wonder how Miss Lilia is doing inside?

The Ice Witch Ais raised her ice sword and slashed it in front of her.

In an instant, the surging lake water turned white and froze in a very short time, forming countless icicle pillars that stacked on top of each other and gradually grew larger.

"boom!"

A terrifying explosion resounded from the bottom of the lake as countless icicles collided with the ferocious fish, causing violent ripples on the surface of Star Lake.

"Um?!"

A thousand meters outside Star Lake, the Crimson Sword Callus's gaze sharpened.