That was… unexpected.
A flicker of solemnity and surprise passed through Sakeer's eyes as he quickly sifted through everything he knew about the Twin Witches.
Unfortunately—
There wasn't much.
Whether it was from his previous life, the information gathered from the Lizardmen, or even the Cave Lizardman standing before him—
The amount of useful knowledge was pitifully small.
The only certainty was this—
Four years from now, when the Great Tomb descends, the Twin Witches will still exist.
That realization sent a strange unease creeping into Sakeer's mind.
Something about this situation felt off.
Of course, it was possible that the Twin Witches, being as shrewd as they were, had orchestrated this strange encounter to intimidate him into retreating.
But—
That was wishful thinking on their part.
Sakeer's gaze shifted toward the dense forest wetlands, shrouded in a faint, ghostly mist.
A chuckle escaped his lips.
"Alright, let's see what game you're playing."
No matter what tricks they had prepared, one thing remained absolute—
Strength was the deciding factor.
And he was very sure that the Twin Witches could not be above Level 30.
At best, they were likely around Level 20 or slightly higher.
His inventory of summoning scrolls hadn't been replenished in recent days, but even so—
He still had 15 Archangel Flame scrolls.
And on top of that—
18 fourth-tier angel scrolls.
10 Principality Observation scrolls
8 Tranquility Angel scrolls (two of which had already been used against the Lizardmen)
"Lead the way."
His tone was calm, yet commanding.
The enthrall Cave Lizardman turned wordlessly and began walking.
The dense forest was thick with humidity, its twisted trees and verdant vines intertwining like a living maze.
The further they ventured, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
There was an almost unnatural silence, broken only by the occasional—
Coo—
Hiss—
Drip… Drip…
From time to time, sparse birdsong echoed in the distance, adding to the eerie stillness.
Sakeer tightened his grip on a magic artifact—"Forest Crossing"—ensuring that the Barghest's movement wouldn't be hindered by the terrain.
Then—
A massive black silhouette loomed ahead.
Its form is obscured by mist, its presence imposing.
Sakeer came to a halt.
The Barghest padded forward cautiously, its ears perked, nostrils flaring.
Sakeer narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the structure's details through the haze—
But for the moment, it remained indistinct.
"That… is the Master's castle."
The Cave Lizardman, still under the enchantment's influence, spoke in a flat, dull voice.
Castle?
Sakeer's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise.
A subhuman race had built a castle deep within the forest wetlands?
It seemed the Twin Witches were not only cunning—
They also knew how to live in luxury.
Still—
This only made Sakeer more cautious.
If the castle was in sight, then that meant he was already within the Twin Witches' territory.
Then—
"Hee-hee-hee~"
A delicate, playful laugh rang through the air.
It was light and airy, yet beneath its sweetness lurked an undeniable malice.
"Little Lizard, you actually brought a human here… That's very naughty of you."
The voice was ethereal, as though it came from all directions at once.
"..."
Sakeer's eyes sharpened.
He reached out and patted Barghest's head.
"Roar!"
The Barghest let out a thunderous snarl, its nostrils flaring as it tried to pick up a scent—
But the humid, murky air was too full of conflicting odors.
Even its keen sense of smell couldn't pinpoint their exact location.
"Strange… why isn't the little Lizard reacting?"
"Was it controlled?"
"Hehehe… So, human, you have such an ability?"
The voices drifted closer, their tone shifting from mocking amusement to intrigued curiosity.
Sakeer could feel it—
They were approaching.
Then, a notification appeared on his attribute panel—
[Detection: The spell "Phantom Sound" requires a base Spiritual caster class. Current conditions met.]
[Would you like to spend 1 Skill Point to learn?]
Sakeer's lips curled into a slight smirk.
"So, pretending to be ghosts now?"
His eyes flickered as he glanced at the notification.
Among the four primary caster classes, the Spiritual Caster was by far the rarest.
Even he had only mastered the Wizard class so far.
And yet—
According to his attribute panel, the Twin Witches possessed Spiritual magic.
That meant—
They were Spiritual Casters.
However—
Instead of using proper profession-based skills, they were relying on basic spiritual magic.
Sakeer's gaze drifted forward, toward the castle obscured by mist.
A flicker of understanding flashed in his eyes.
The Twin Witches were intelligent, that much was clear.
But if they were only using basic spiritual magic, then—
They weren't as powerful as they wanted him to believe.
If Sakeer possessed a Spiritual-class profession, he could directly learn the magic mastered by his opponent by spending skill points.
However—
The inability to acquire their innate racial abilities was a minor drawback.
With a wave of his arm, Sakeer issued a command.
Immediately—
The two Archangel Flames hovering beside him shifted into action. Taking Sakeer as the center, they raised their flaming swords and unleashed a sweeping slash, cutting through the dense foliage around them.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
A cascade of splintered branches and severed vines exploded outward, the air thick with burning sawdust.
And just like that—
The ethereal voices that had been whispering around him abruptly stopped.
Sakeer's eyes glinted with understanding.
It wasn't just directionless echoes caused by their Phantom Sound spell.
The Twin Witches must also possess natural abilities that allowed them to blend into their surroundings.
But—
No matter how elusive they were, they could not hide from him forever.
His attribute panel allowed him to learn an opponent's magic and skills through skill points, but it couldn't grant him their innate talents.
"You damn human!!"
The once playful voice had shifted into pure anger.
"Darkness!"
In an instant—
The already dim jungle was swallowed by an even deeper blackness, consuming every trace of light.
Even the Archangel Flames' glowing forms—normally impervious to darkness—were snuffed out, leaving the world in absolute pitch black.
Swoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
CLANG!
Then—
A metallic impact rang out, followed by a piercing scream from within the darkness.
Moments later—
The oppressive black veil lifted, and the forest was once again bathed in a gloomy light.
Sakeer remained seated atop his Barghest, completely unharmed.
Beside him, one of the Archangel Flames had returned, floating silently at his left flank.
But—
A closer look revealed a noticeable dent in the angel's chestplate, evidence of an attack sustained during the darkness.
Meanwhile—
The second Archangel Flame hovered about eight meters ahead, locked in a standoff with a mysterious figure.
Wrapped in emerald-green leaves, the slender creature stood in stark contrast to its surroundings. Only a pair of bright yellow pupils gleamed through the foliage.
Yet despite being almost entirely concealed, the creature's graceful curves were still visible beneath the leafy covering.
So… this is one of the Twin Witches?
Sakeer's gaze narrowed.
A subhuman species, yet one he couldn't immediately identify.
More importantly—
Where's the other one?
His eyes flickered across the battlefield, scanning the surroundings.
But aside from the figure standing before him, there was no sign of a second presence.
"How did you see me?!"
The Twin Witch's voice wavered, tinged with shock and disbelief.
She clutched her shoulder, where a small patch of her leafy cloak was still burning—the exact spot where the Flaming Sword had struck.
Sakeer simply tapped the monocle on his left eye and smirked.
"Magic tools, of course."
The spell "Darkness" wasn't just an illusion—it was a true negation of all surrounding light.
As such, it wasn't considered a debuff, meaning his "Blessed Body" passive ability couldn't counteract it.
However—
The simple "Night Vision" magic item he had equipped wasn't quite enough either.
Instead—
Sakeer had secretly activated the martial technique "Heart Eye", allowing him to detect the Twin Witches' position the moment it attempted to launch a sneak attack.
"So… 'Darkness' is Arcane Magic, and 'Phantom Sound' is Spiritual Magic."
Sakeer quickly pieced it together.
That meant—
The Twin Witch were dual-system mages.
With this realization, he wasted no time.
"Magic Arrow!"
Swoosh!
Three magical arrows shot through the air, streaking toward the Twin Witch at high speed.
At the same time—
The Archangel Flame lunged forward, flaming sword raised for a powerful strike.
Sakeer had just confirmed something—
The leaves covering the Twin Witch's body were extremely vulnerable to fire.
A perfect weakness.
"Corrupt Destruction!"
The Twin Witch screamed, releasing a pulse of dark gray mana ripples.
The magic arrows in flight disintegrated mid-air, reduced to nothingness by the corrosive energy.
The same power washed over the Archangel Flame, but its effect was minimal—
The angel pushed through without hesitation.
Whoosh—!
With a flash of fire and steel, the Flaming Sword struck home.
A deep wound split across the Twin Witch's chest, sending a spray of crimson blood into the air.
At the same time—
The leaves covering its torso ignited instantly, engulfing its upper body in flames.
"Corrupt Destruction!"
Twin Witch shrieked, casting the spell again in a desperate bid to extinguish the flames.
The fire was snuffed out, but the pain remained.
Its bright yellow pupils locked onto Sakeer, filled with rage and desperation.
"Human… CHARM!"
A surge of Spiritual Magic erupted from its gaze, targeting Sakeer's mind.
"Mind of Undeath."
Without hesitation, Sakeer countered with Magic Block, neutralizing the attempt.
At the same time—
He issued another command.
"Continue the attack."
The Archangel Flame lunged forward once more, sword raised for another strike.
"HELP ME!!"
The Twin Witch screamed—
And in that instant—
A second head emerged from its chest.
This one was wrapped in white mist, with an identical pair of bright yellow pupils, staring directly at Sakeer.