Free Web NovelChapter 162: Chapter 162: Willow Man_1
In the Banquet Forest, three nuns wearing grey robes, holding short-handled sickles and flintlock guns, walked through the fog.
They had nearly reached the inner ring of the forest, and through the exploration of several teams ahead of them, the cult had gradually mastered the trick of finding their way through the fog of the Banquet Forest, as well as the route through the periphery of the forest.
At this rate, capturing Abigail’s stronghold, as well as the great meeting hall of the witches’ gathering, was only a matter of time, and the natural barrier advantage that the Banquet Forest provided for Abigail would soon be gone. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Suddenly, the nuns’ footsteps halted.
Rustling noises came from the treetops of the towering trees, and the nuns immediately raised their guns in the direction of the sound.
In the next moment, a figure that resembled a gigantic bird suddenly emerged from the mist, recklessly diving towards the three women.
All three guns spat out tongues of flame simultaneously, the wounded beast let out a pained roar, but its charging momentum did not diminish at all. It brutally knocked down one of the combat nuns who couldn’t evade in time, pinning her under its claws, while at the same time its wide wings flared, knocking another person aside.
It was a magical beast bigger than an adult, with a body like a raptor’s and a head resembling that of a stag, with a mouth that turned upwards at the corners in a semblance of a smile, filled with sharp fangs.
A deerhawk beast, a strange magical creature from legend, said to have the body of a monster but to cast a human-like shadow, that specifically hunted humans to devour their hearts.
In the Banquet Forest, this rarely seen magical beast in the outside world nested in large numbers, and there were even rumors that the mist that enshrouded the Banquet Forest could gradually turn humans and animals into monsters.
But the nuns were well aware that most of the magical beasts inhabiting the Banquet Forest were bred and cultivated by Abigail.
The Banquet Forest was Abigail’s magical beast ranch. The large groups of magical beasts domesticated by Abigail roamed the forest all day; they were Abigail’s watchdogs and would devour any uninvited guests who dared to trespass.
The nun knocked down by the deerhawk beast had several of her ribs broken on the spot, and the beast bit through her throat with lightning speed.
"She has granted me flesh, and likewise shackled me," chanted another nun upon seeing this.
In an instant, the fatally wounded nun twitched, and the blood flowing from her neck suddenly turned into bright-red ropes, firmly binding the neck and mouth of the deerhawk beast.
The bound deerhawk beast immediately flapped its wings trying to break free, but the bloody shackles tied it firmly to the half-dead nun, who became like a ball chained to the other end of the shackles, preventing it from moving freely.
Seizing the opportunity, the other two nuns aimed at the deerhawk beast’s forehead and shot it. This time the bullets finally penetrated the monster’s vital spot, and it let out a dull sound before collapsing. The blood that had bound it turned back into blood.
The two nuns holstered their guns and silently moved the body of the deerhawk beast, checking on their companion underneath.
The injured nun, unable to make a sound because her throat had been bitten through, could only sweep her vacant eyes back and forth between the two.
Without hesitation, one nun raised her sickle and plunged it deep into the other’s heart, ending her life.
But when she pulled out her scythe, the dead nun’s eyes suddenly flashed with a ghostly blue light. Then, the fallen nun rose from the ground with sluggish movements, staggering forward with dragging steps.
A simple necromancy spell, merely animating the corpse. They were all worker bees dedicated to the hive, expected to be of use even in death.
Leaving behind the slain magical beast, the "trio" continued their exploration deeper into the Banquet Forest.
But they hadn’t gone far when loud footsteps came from directly ahead; this time, the enemy that came to intercept them didn’t seem to plan on a stealth attack like the previous beast, choosing instead to come at them head-on.
The nun controlling the body had the corpse of her companion advance to the front. Through the fog, among the branches of the sky-high trees, appeared a giant figure over four meters tall, slowly approaching the corpse.
Under the control of necromancy, the corpse raised its gun to shoot. The movements of the corpse were extremely sluggish and lacked any semblance of accuracy, but the bullet still clearly hit the figure – the target was simply too large and made no attempt to dodge.
However, upon entering the dark silhouette, the bullets had no effect; the giant continued unconcernedly through the fog with large strides, revealing its true form before the nuns.
A giant effigy made of willow branches and thorns, its hollow interior stuffed with straw. The willow and thorns, woven into a lattice, made this willow-person appear like a human-shaped cage.
The willow-person reached out, grasped the nun’s corpse, and simultaneously its body opened up like doors, revealing an opening. It stuffed the corpse inside before closing again.
Then, the corpse sealed within the willow-person burst into flames along with the straw.
As the fire blazed, the willow giant seemed to fully awaken, emitting a deep and eerie roar. With agility far greater than before, it charged at the remaining nuns.
The nuns launched a counterattack, but it was meaningless. Their equipment, meant for combating magical beasts, had no measures against such lifeless, gigantic golems.
Soon another nun was captured inside the willow-person, her body entirely enveloped in the fierce fire.
With each burning prey added to its body, the willow-person’s movements grew even more swift.
Amid the anguished cries of the nuns, the willow-person began chasing the final prey. The third nun desperately fled deeper into the thicket, but on her own, she would inevitably fall to the claws of magical beasts if not to the willow-person. The annihilation of the trio was just a matter of time.
Meanwhile, in Abigail’s summoning space, the five Great Witches gathered around a table, watching the spectacle through the Crystal Ball. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Hahahaha to burn alive... It’s truly a spectacular scene, almost like the witch hunts of old times," Lamia cackled, staring at the Crystal Ball.
"What are you laughing at... you’re a witch too," Vila, sitting beside her, glanced at her, unable to comprehend her cruel humor.
"How did you come up with such an interesting invention?" Lamia asked Vila with genuine interest.
"This was originally an ancient method used by the Lurin people for offerings to the gods, constructing cages of willow shaped like animals and burning the livestock alive inside them. It was later adapted for executing heretics. During this process, the Lurin Priests developed a way to animate the willow-persons to hunt heretics actively. I merely restored this technique."
