Void Beetle Evolution Guide

“Vastaya? No, I’m just a lowly shapeshifter.” Seemingly touched on a sore spot for the harpy, she spoke with a somewhat dejected air.

"I was just an ordinary girl from a nearby villager's family, but not long ago, I suddenly became possessed. My body became aching and itchy, and I was incredibly agitated." (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

“My dad was going to take me to see a doctor, but I attacked him while I was not fully conscious. His blood dripped onto me, and when I came to my senses, I looked like this.”

“I can’t control what’s happening to me. The blood under my fingernails just won’t come off. I’m so itchy. I’ve scratched and scratched, but it doesn’t help.”

“I was forced to flee my home, leaving behind my mother and brother, but the news still reached the ears of the Demon Hunters. They even sent out rangers and demon hunters to capture me, so I had no choice but to flee into this Dark Forest to escape their pursuit.”

After hearing the girl's story, Syndra felt a pang of empathy, remembering how she herself had faced unfair treatment when she awakened her magical talent. However, her pressure stemmed from those close to her, while Syndra's pressure came from her country.

But she still retorted, "You deserve it. If you can't control yourself, don't blame others for arresting you."

"I know... I have no face to beg my family for forgiveness for doing such a thing... I destroyed this warm little family." The bird demon cried, and its cries, like those of a baby, echoed through the dense forest, sounding particularly eerie.

"So you're planning to hide in these deep mountains and forests for the rest of your life?" Syndra asked.

"Ah."

"What a pathetic sight." Seeing the harpy nod, Syndra shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was normal for a girl who had only awakened her powers of magic a few days ago to think that way. So she kindly told her, "Your magical talent is a gift from heaven, not a curse. Once you master the method to freely transform back into human form, you will still be able to return to human society."

"really?"

Why would I lie to you?

“Thank you, stranger.” The harpy breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the pain that had been building up in her heart ease a little, even though she could no longer return to that home. “Actually, besides hiding, I have another purpose for coming here—to find the legendary fallen witch and confess my sins to her… Perhaps that will make me feel a little better.”

"A fallen witch?" Syndra's interest was immediately piqued.

"Fallen Witch is what the witch hunters call her; a more common name would be the Veiled One, or the Lady of the Veil," the harpy explained. "The Lady of the Veil is the mother of all the mages in Demacia. Legend says she wanders the wilderness, speaking with stubborn mages and other exiles deemed dangerous, never abandoning those who seek her help. Many believe she is merely a shadow and a myth, not a real person, but I know no one else can help me; I can only seek her protection."

After hearing the harpy's answer, Syndra was almost certain that this fallen witch was the target she was looking for.

"That's interesting. Could you take me to her?"

"Ah...actually, I don't know her exact location either, I only know that she frequents this forest. And being with me also carries the risk of being hunted by the demon hunters."

The harpy seemed hesitant, still worried about Syndra. It seemed she wasn't a monster who fabricated a tragic backstory to gain sympathy, but simply someone who had suffered unfortunate circumstances.

"Do you think those demon hunters will let me go if I just walk away?" Syndra asked.

"That's true... If you don't mind my appearance, let's work together."

The harpy scratched its head sheepishly at Syndra's blatant levitation, thinking that having someone with you was better than being alone.

Shortly after the two left together, a special team arrived at the spot where they had just been talking.

This squad, consisting of a ranger riding a giant stag, a huntress with wolfhounds, a witcher carrying a giant crossbow on his back, and a recruit, has a completely inconsistent style and looks like a hastily assembled team.

"Be careful, there's the monster's scent here!" The huntress's words alerted everyone, and they all drew their weapons.

The huntress pulled out a heavy crossbow, the rangers raised torches to dispel the surrounding darkness, and the recruits picked up shields and one-handed swords.

The Witcher's reaction was slightly slower. Her equipment was the best among them. A black bodysuit allowed her to blend easily into the night, and red glasses, like the eyes of a predator, enabled her to see clearly in the darkness. The holy silver crossbow bolt on the back of her hand was ready to fire.

The black-backed, white-bellied wolfhound sniffed around in the forest, then snatched an indigo feather from the grass under a tree and brought it back to the huntress.

"That's right, those are the monster's feathers! It's gone, let's keep chasing!"

The female hunter with graying hair gritted her teeth and crushed the feathers in her hand. Her team originally consisted of five people, but her husband was killed by the bird demon while they were hunting it.

Driven by a thirst for revenge, she was determined to make that evil Blood Curse Bird Demon pay for its crimes in blood, to comfort her husband's spirit in heaven!

"I know you are sad, but please control your emotions. Don't let your loss of control become our weakness." The witcher named Vayne had a cold expression, showing no trace of pity.

In fact, this squad was indeed hastily assembled. Vayne's presence here wasn't due to any grudge against the harpies; she was simply using the widowed huntress's hounds to track them down.

“You heartless bastard, you have no idea what this pain is!” Vayne’s admonition made the huntress look indignant, but Vayne ignored her and turned to look at the new recruits in the group.

His expression was complicated as he gripped a crumpled letter written in blood, his body trembling as he murmured, "Sister... I've come to find you after all..."

This team looks problematic by all accounts. Apart from the slightly more rational Ranger, these two emotionally unstable and disobedient guys will only be a burden.

If it weren't for the fact that following them would lead to the harpies, Vayne wouldn't have bothered cooperating with them; she had already silently sentenced them to death in her heart.

Chapter 525 The Cabin in the Woods

As night fell, a heavy, damp fog began to appear in the forest. Syndra could barely breathe fresh air; the fog stung her so much that she couldn't speak or open her eyes, and she had to cover herself with her helmet.

At the same time, she began to feel an irresistible itch—at first it seemed like an imagined itch, then it became more and more real and intense.

A gloomy atmosphere permeated the forest, as if shrouded in a shadow. But this shadow was invisible; it could only be felt, like a miasma enveloping one's heart.

Clearly, traveling through the Dark Forest at night was not a wise choice. In this situation, Syndra was fortunate enough to stumble upon a cabin in the woods.

“Let’s rest here tonight,” Syndra said.

"Agreed." The bird demon nodded.

Though small, it has everything you need. The house is fully equipped; you can move in immediately. There's also a well and a storage room outside, making one wonder why it was abandoned.

Could the homeowner have been a sorcerer who was taken away by the demon hunters and left all this behind?

It's nice to have someone deliver a pillow when you're sleepy, but too much of a coincidence can easily make you suspicious. However, Syndra isn't afraid of anything supernatural; she'll deal with any evil spirits with one method.

"Go to the bedroom, I'll stay in the living room."

Worried that Syndra wouldn't sleep well and would have nightmares if she shared a room with her, the harpy told her this, and Syndra, without hesitation, slept in the bedroom next door.

They were exhausted after a long day's journey, and they didn't even bother to light a fire in the closet before lying down to rest.

In the latter half of the night, the demon-hunting team tracked them all the way to the vicinity of the cabin in the woods.

"That thing is inside the house!" Noticing that the wolfhound's gait had also changed to a hunting stance, the huntress raised her axe and quietly paced around, giving a hand signal at the same time.

Upon receiving the huntress's signal, the rangers dismounted early and proceeded on foot to minimize the noise and avoid alerting their target. As the captain, he gestured, instructing the recruits to take the risk of opening the door.

The recruit knew they were going to sell him out, but he couldn't do anything about it because he was the monster's brother. If the monster still recognized him, then his risk of being attacked would be the lowest.

Just a door away, the bird demon was startled awake. For the past few days, she had been living in constant fear, unable to sleep soundly; the sound of her iron boots pounding on the wooden planks was impossible to muffle.

"They're coming for me, hide well and don't come out!"

The harpy first came to the bedroom door, scratched at the door with its sharp claws, making a piercing but not loud sound to wake Syndra, and then hung upside down on the living room ceiling at any moment to launch an attack.

The fact that she always tried not to get involved in such situations earned her some goodwill from Syndra, which became the decisive factor in turning the tide.

The recruit mustered his courage and pushed open the wooden door. The old, dilapidated hinges emitted a creaking, decaying sound that echoed in the dimly lit room, instantly raising the tension to its peak.

He froze, motionless, awaiting the consequences of his foolish actions. He strained to hear the voices inside the house—the angry doorman, or perhaps the homeowner.

If anything had changed, the whole house felt quieter, but he knew that thing was inside, lurking in the darkness, watching and waiting.

He scanned the surrounding walls, from the floor to the eaves. The entryway behind the door was secure, and the recruit saw nothing amiss.

The recruit turned to look at his teammates and saw them nodding at him from close to the wall. He then mustered his courage and walked into the hall.

Darkness enveloped everything, and nothing could be seen after entering. A dining table sat in the hall, with a silver tray on it, but it was empty.

The recruit didn't pay attention, but as the torchlight gradually drew closer and reflected on the tray, he suddenly saw a black shadow with outstretched wings reflected on the tray, staring intently at him with scarlet eyes.

The battle was about to begin when the harpy swooped down, and the recruit quickly raised his shield to block. The immense force knocked him to the ground, and even the shield was knocked away.

The monster pinned the recruit down, and just when he thought he was about to die, the bird demon suddenly stopped clawing, realizing that it had recognized him.

"Ji'an?! What are you doing here?"

"elder sister……"

Although he knew the monster was his sister, the recruit was stunned when the familiar voice came from her mouth.

"A blood debt must be repaid! Give me back my husband's life!" The huntress Canaan roared as she charged forward with her wolfhounds, swinging her axe at Canaan's head.

The bird demon instinctively raised its arm to block the blow, taking the full force of it. A painful howl escaped its lips as scalding blood gushed from the wound. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

Blood splattered on the recruit's face, and tears immediately streamed down his face. It wasn't just heartache for his sister, but also an understanding that she hadn't dodged or evaded the axe in order to prevent it from falling on him.

The wolfhound rushed up and bit the bird demon's wing, while a ranger a little further away also fired a crossbow bolt that hit her in the chest.

The bird demon was both shocked and enraged. The pain and the smell of blood seemed to have aroused her ferocity. She swept Canaan aside, flapped her wings to fling away the wolfhound, and then crashed through the window and flew out.

"Chase her! She's injured, she can't have gone far!" The super-strong huntress decisively got up and chased after her out of the hut. The bird demon hadn't gone far; it was standing on a branch, pulling out a crossbow bolt and licking its wound.

It seems this is a fight to the death. Canaan crouched down, gesturing for the wolfhound to come to his side. He took a sharp, double-edged sword from its scabbard and had the wolfhound hold the middle handle in its mouth.

This German Shepherd named Maggie was raised by Canaan from a puppy. Although she is now old, she is so loyal that she would give her life for her, just like her lover.

The new recruits chased after the harpy from the house and happened to see it swooping down with a shriek. Canaan rushed forward to meet it, joining forces with Maggie in the attack, but they were all easily overpowered by the harpy.

But she was just bait; the real killing blow came from the ranger Lowell behind her, whose crossbow bolt pierced the harpy's wing unexpectedly.

The bird demon cried out in pain and scratched its back, but Canaan swiftly drew his sword and sliced ​​open its other wing along the direction of the feathers. With both wings injured, the bird demon lost its ability to fly, greatly reducing its intimidating presence.

She swept Canaan away with one claw, and the latter, unable to defend in time, was sent flying, crashing into a rock and breaking two of his ribs.

A monster is a monster; even with multiple stab wounds, she remained full of life. She turned and pounced on the ranger, so fast that he hadn't even dropped his crossbow or drawn his sword before she knocked him down, using her weight to pin him to the steps.

Just as the harpy was about to smash the ranger's skull with its claws, the recruit suddenly cried out to stop her: "Sister! Please don't kill anymore! Come back with me..."

“Jian, I didn’t want to do this either… but if I don’t kill them, they will kill me.” The bird demon paused for a moment, then finally smashed Lowell’s head with a claw.

On

Chapter 526 Night Hunter

The ranger is dead, now it's the huntress Canaan's turn.

The human body is still too fragile. She was unable to get up after just one blow. The loyal wolfhound stood in front of her with its double blades in its teeth, but that posed no threat to the bird demon at all.

"Lowell is dead! Witcher, when are you going to make your move?!" Canaan shouted, coughing up blood from her broken ribs.

"Damn it." Vayne cursed as she waited in the shadows for the fatal blow, and could only hastily fire the crossbow bolt in her hand, which only grazed the harpy's scalp.

The bird demon, wary, turned towards her location, spread its wings, let out a fierce cry, and then charged forward, kicking up fallen leaves.

She rolled away from the attack, slung the heavy crossbow behind her back, and with a flick of her wrist, aimed the hand crossbow under her cloak at the harpy. It was also loaded with holy silver bolts, but much smaller than the bolts on the heavy crossbow.

But do not underestimate its lethality against dark creatures. This is a treasure kept by the nuns of the Temple of Lightbringers. Vayne donated most of her parents' inheritance to the temple in exchange for this rare metal.

Legend has it that it has the power to kill demons, and only a few people know that the greatsword that Fosleyen Crownguard used to kill Nightmare was made of holy silver.

Vayne tightened her grip, and with a crisp metallic clang, a hidden dart flew out from beneath her cloak and pierced the harpy's back.

"Great, you want to attack me? Try boxing with your shadow first."

Vayne grinned, a sly smile tinged with disgust. This was good; after all… if the killing were done hastily, where would the fun be?

And didn't she also enjoy tormenting and teasing her prey, watching them scheme and plot until they were utterly defeated? This was the only pleasure she had left after being stripped of everything.

The harpy retaliated immediately, and Vayne ducked again to avoid its claws. She had already loaded a silver arrow into her crossbow while rolling, and with a flick of her wrist, she fired the arrow into the harpy's armpit.

The holy silver crossbow bolts began to take effect. In addition to the excruciating pain, the harpy felt as if blood was constantly flowing from her wounds, as the holy silver was preventing them from healing.

This made her launch attacks even more swiftly and violently, but Vayne nimbly dodged them each time, like a dancer walking on a knife's edge, using a barrage of arrows to keep the harpy from advancing.

She displayed amazing flexibility, sometimes leaping from trees, sometimes doing somersaults in place, using various tricky movements to dodge the bird demon's attacks, and retaliating with her crossbow, always maintaining the initiative.

After a fierce exchange, the experienced hunter in his trench coat only had a few scratches on him, while the young harpy was riddled with arrows—more than a dozen holy silver crossbow bolts were embedded in her body, which was almost filled with excruciating pain, and every step she took was excruciating.

The harpy could only let out a shrill scream in frustration. She was no match for the witcher at all. If she hadn't been worried that these people would go in and cause trouble for Syndra, she would have left long ago.

The only good news is that the enemy has very few crossbow bolts left. If they can hold on a little longer, they might just get the chance to turn the tide of battle!

Little did they know, Vayne had no intention of letting the hunt continue.

She took down the heavy crossbow and placed it in front of her. This was the only giant crossbow bolt capable of directly killing the bird demon. She had retrieved it during the earlier struggle and loaded it.

She only had one chance, so she didn't casually shoot the arrow on the heavy crossbow. She held it still, knowing that if she missed, the intimidating crossbow would lose its deterrent power. She had to ensure a 100% hit before firing.

As she expected, the harpy was tight-lipped about it, focusing intently on dodging the heavy crossbow bolt. So she turned the gun around and, right in front of the harpy, aimed the heavy crossbow at the recruit beside her, pausing deliberately.

A cold-blooded and decisive thought took hold of Vayne's mind. She pulled the trigger, the bowstring snapped back, and a silver bolt pierced the night with a whistling sound.

"No—" the bird demon let out a sharp cry and flew over to block the arrow for its younger brother.

A piercing scream echoed through the jungle. Her body convulsed, and her feathers fell like leaves as she was forced back into human form by the Judgment Crossbow.

The recruit was completely stunned. He instinctively caught his sister as she fell into his arms. The crossbow bolt was embedded in her chest with unimaginable weight. He couldn't imagine how someone could live after suffering such a serious injury.

"Ji'an, my little brother... forgive me... and remember to be good to Mom..." Blood kept gushing from the girl's throat as she spoke these words to her brother on her deathbed.

"Sister..." The new recruit couldn't accept this ending and desperately called out to his sister, but her eyelids slowly closed.

The huntress, impressed by Vayne's cunning and scheming, grabbed her axe and staggered forward, determined to take the final head herself. (The last two lines are unrelated and appear to be random characters.)

Just as the axe was about to strike, she found herself unable to move. The axe hung suspended, frozen in place by an invisible force. Not only her, but everyone was affected, even the dog.

"Sigh." A sigh drew everyone's attention to the doorway of the wooden house, where a white-haired woman floated out, her expressionless gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield.