Witch Hunter Rhapsody

For Vitas Vitalius, the Duchy of Vilan represented freedom and liberation; the duchy, which was tolerant of mercenaries and wizards, was the best place for all the homeless.

After making a name for himself in a year, Vitas received a job offer from Nectus, the court tutor personally appointed by the Duke. He even felt that he was only one step away from fulfilling his promise of honor to all the Knights.

"Those wild beasts are quite dangerous, but you should be fine."

Yes, if they were merely beasts, the Knights of Sin would be perfectly capable of returning.

Until, deep in the forest, Vitas saw a huge magic circle suddenly activate, a light curtain thousands of meters high shooting into the sky until it reached its end, the earth cracked, and the sky collapsed.

"Oh no."

Raymond Gallagher then realized who he had encountered.

He intruded into Vitas's consciousness, saw his memories, and now he felt a pang of regret.

"Was that the teacher's experiment?"

Raymond knew that his teacher was researching something incredibly dangerous, but that was all he knew.

The same applies to the teacher's other students.

This is the teacher's secret. If the teacher, who is skilled in soul magic, discovers it, he will suffer a fate worse than death.

Raymond knew this, of course, but at that moment a sublime nature controlled him, the very nature that distinguished them from ordinary, ignorant mortals, and it was this very nature that made them who they were.

Its name is curiosity.

Raymond had never been so curious before; after invading Vitas's soul, he had ample time to witness it all.

He saw it.

A rift was torn open in the mortal world, from which countless humanoid non-human monsters emerged. The thousands of members of the Knights of Sin, however, still displayed the qualities of excellent warriors in the end. They rallied together and fought back fiercely.

He saw Vitas clad in heavy armor, with power from another world emanating from him, leaving numerous marks on his armor.

Creatures not belonging to this world tore apart flesh, and the Knights of Sin retaliated with the most cruel acts.

Raymond's eyes took in all of this; he saw a world alternating between white, gray, silver, and black, and a world mixed with red, orange, yellow, and brown.

A world that belongs to the soul, not the body.

This is hell, and his teacher opened the gates to hell!

Perhaps those knightly orders that mysteriously disappeared perished under the bizarre creation of their own teacher.

Raymond saw the most horrific things he could imagine as a human being and as a wizard: how many combinations of blood and flesh could exist.

Fewer and fewer people survived until only Vitas remained, standing proudly alone. His sword showed no signs of wear, his strength was immense, and his soul was unyielding.

The gates of hell closed, but Raymond saw the dead still standing, gradually surrounding Vitas.

Ah, Raymond understood. These were members of the Knights who had died, entered Hell, and returned to the world. Look, Vitas had already thrown down his sword and knelt on the ground.

The souls of hell, another form of soul, raging and driven by their nature—Raymond was curious how Vitas managed to survive among these souls.

He saw the spirits surround Vitas, and he saw them reach out their hands.

Vitas showed no intention of resistance; he had lost all desire to live. Everything he had was tied to his honor, his oath, and his knightly order.

For the sake of his vow, he betrayed his family, lost his love, and now he has even lost his last bit of pride.

"I swear allegiance to you, my master. Wherever your sword points, our ranks will follow."

Raymond saw them reach out and place their hands on Vitas's shoulders, as if to comfort him. As if to embrace him.

"Facing a formidable foe, we remain fearless and undaunted!"

Raymond felt a sharp pain in his back; his body's instincts were frantically calling to his soul. He was brought back to reality, and instinct drove him to turn around. He saw demons crawling out of hell.

A giant man, two meters tall, with his skin split open and his blood glowing red, was about to strike with his giant axe.

Raymond's ring suddenly glowed, and a circle expanded, repelling everything around it.

Magical items are generally devices that can store spells.

However, the ring dimmed when it touched the giant, and Raymond instantly realized that this unknown entity possessed magical resistance.

He saw the giant's mouth opening and closing repeatedly, as if it were saying something. Suddenly, he realized that this was the very oath he had just heard in Vitas's memory.

Oh, right! Vitas!

He heard the last part of the oath, but it wasn't spoken by the undead before him; it was Vitas's voice. Although his voice was now distorted by pain, Raymond could still recognize it as Vitas's voice.

"Until death do us part!"

Not good!

Raymond was not prepared for battle, especially against an unknown creature with magic resistance and a powerful warrior clad in heavy armor in a confined space.

His original spells were enough to bind Vitas tightly, but who would have thought that a guy who looked like a warrior could directly summon an unknown entity?

The scouting spells I had been using hadn't produced any results. If it weren't for my own senses telling me that there was an enemy behind me, I probably would have been killed instantly.

Raymond let out a piercing scream, as if trying to stop him.

He didn't want to die; he had so much research to do and so much to accomplish!

How could you die here!

Any spell will do, but even triggering the ring on your hand takes time.

Damn it, damn it!

Raymond's mind went blank.

In the end, Vitas's sword pierced through him from behind, and the executioner's giant axe nearly cleaved his body in two.

Raymond could feel Vitas's cold gauntlets pressed against his head. The last thing he saw before he died was Vitas's eyes, filled with sorrow and anger, through the eye slits of his helmet.

"Until death do us part..."

Vitas ripped Vitas, whose neck had already been broken, off his own blade.

His body was burning with pain, but he had no energy left to think about it.

He looked at the demon before him. He knew its name, but what could he do now?

Having survived that hellish scene, he was able to recall his former subordinates from hell.

However, what was recalled was merely an empty shell, a puppet that only obeyed its own orders, a prison that bound their souls!

Why, why is this so?

Vitas promised them freedom and liberation, but now he can only leave their souls trapped in misery. Vitas can never forgive himself.

Even if the pain in my body makes me lose my mind when I use this curse, this sorrow and regret will not be diminished in the slightest.

Only the death of the wizard could bring Vitas some comfort.

"So, will I die too?"

Vitas killed another guard as he broke free from the vines, leaving only the woman still speaking.

"And who are you to him?"

"Slaves, in all forms."

Vitas did not want to deceive her.

"I can't let you go."

"Sometimes death is better than life."

"To be honest, I think so too."

The woman nodded, and suddenly said, "You can take that roof-shaped ring from Raymond's hand. It's his most precious possession, and even someone without magic power or talent can use it, once a day, and you can take it back with your own will when you no longer need it."

There are such useful things?

As she spoke, the woman knelt down and took the ring off Raymond's index finger.

The moment the ring was removed, the hut vanished in lines of light, then disappeared into the air.

Vitas, the woman, and the summoned executioners all fell to the ground, Vitas's armor clanging loudly.

Vitas and the woman looked at each other, and then both laughed.

Hahahaha!

Amidst laughter, the executioner vanished from the world, and the woman handed the ring to Vitas.

"Please be gentle."

Vitas stood up and drew his longsword.

"Um, are there any that don't look too scary?"

"If I were to slice open your head in an instant, it would only take an instant, but if I were to suffocate you, the process would be much slower."

Vitas isn't interested in women's pasts; in this world, who doesn't have a story?

"All right."

The woman suddenly spoke again.

"Mr. Vitalius, my master has a brother who will do everything in his power to find my master."

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"there is none left."

He swung his longsword, beheading the woman, then picked up his pocket—his mission, his necessities.

Is death easy?

Perhaps so, but Vitas firmly believes that death is only the choice of cowards.

……

After he threw the corpses deep into the forest and waited for nature to unleash its terrifying power, Vitas dragged his weary body back to the city.

Unfortunately, the city gates were already closed. However, a side road had been opened for those who had missed it. After paying twice the usual entrance fee, Vitas walked back to his residence step by step.

He dreamt of that eerie and terrifying scene again, where his companions were embracing him, and he actually felt a momentary fear because of it.

He discovered that there were still many things he didn't know. Why did Nectus go to such lengths to destroy his own knightly order? What kind of power did Via, whom he had killed, possess? Was the magical fluctuations the wizards spoke of actually the spell Nectus used against his knightly order?

There is still a lot to be done.