"This kind of phenomenon?" Gale looked at the vision in the sky, her eyes showing a rare hint of seriousness.
"Either that person is an unparalleled genius… or she's a witch of the Death lineage."
Her spiritual power surged like a flood, spreading out to blanket the entire encampment below. Very quickly, she detected something abnormal in the central tent of the army. There was a barrier there—one that even she would have difficulty breaking through in a short time.
"So, she's here? But relying on a single barrier to stop me… isn't that a little arrogant?"
Just as she was about to break the barrier, dozens of figures came flying from the distant horizon. They were all draped in white cloaks—the foremost among them, none other than the Hand of Judgement.
Having seen the strange phenomenon from afar, he didn't bother with words and immediately unleashed one of his signature spells:
[Supreme Judgement Magic: Blade of Verdict].
In an instant, a bolt of purple lightning—symbolizing divine authority—cut through the air and struck toward the barrier below.
"Hm?" The Storm Witch, Gale, frowned slightly. As one of the Seven Calamities of the Supreme Church, she knew well of the Desire Witch's plans. Her mission this time was simple: capture the suspected Death Witch alive. If they could control her, the Church wouldn't have to lose the War Witch—a valuable pawn.
But clearly, the Hand of Judgement intended to kill her instead.
[Supreme Destruction Magic: Breath of Despair].
With a flick of her hand, Gale sent a breeze to intercept the lightning. When the two forces collided, lightning serpents danced and winds howled, the clash devastating everything nearby. Moments later, both magics dissipated, and calm returned.
"Storm Witch, do you really intend to let the Death Witch ascend to the Saint Rank?" Seeing his attack thwarted, the Hand of Judgement launched another one—identical in strength. Once again, Gale blocked it easily.
"You're playing with fire!" the Hand of Judgement shouted angrily.
"If that witch attains siant rank, she'll be beyond your Church's control. You'll doom this world!"
"Who can say for sure?" Gale twirled her staff lazily.
"My orders are simply to investigate and bring her back. Whether she can be controlled or not—that's not my problem."
"You're gambling the entire world on an impossible chance!" The Hand of Judgement roared, drawing his sword. Magic flared around him as he charged.
"For the future of this world, I'll cut her down myself! If you stand in my way, the Hand of Judgement will declare war on your entire Supreme Church!"
"Then so be it!" Gale snapped. Her temper, never good to begin with, finally flared. Raising her staff, she shouted:
"Don't think a pervert who grafted a woman's arm onto himself is worthy to compare with a witch!"
[Supreme Destruction Magic: World-Ending Wind Core].
A sphere of compressed hurricane energy formed in her palm—wild, unstable, as if it could annihilate everything at any second. With a flick, she hurled it toward the Hand of Judgement.
The orb spun once midair, then accelerated sharply. Seeing it approach, the Hand of Judgement's face turned grim. He tightened his grip on his staff and unleashed a spell he had prepared long in advance.
[Supreme Judgement Magic: Thunder of Verdict].
In an instant, black clouds filled the sky, lightning churning within them. Thousands of violet thunderbolts descended like spears, raining judgment upon everything below—Gale, her spell, the barrier, and the army beneath.
Seeing the apocalyptic destruction about to unfold, Gale realized the collision would obliterate everything—hundreds of thousands of beastmen soldiers included. Though a witch born of the houndfolk, she still cared for the Aila Kingdom. If their entire army was wiped out, it would deal a fatal blow to the already fragile realm. And she still needed to ensure the Death Witch's safety.
Without hesitation, she expanded her Mindscape World.
Dark clouds whirled overhead as colossal tornadoes manifested all around. The ground beneath everyone vanished—replaced by roaring tempests of pure wind.
"Wind is a thing of the world," Gale's voice echoed through the storm.
"But the power of Calamity—of the Storm—comes from the fear all living beings hold toward it. And I… am the master of that calamity."
With a wave of her staff, countless violent gales surged toward the Judgement Knights.
The Hand of Judgement, unshaken, opened his own Mindscape World. Instantly, chains of violet lightning filled the air, numbering in the thousands—each one sparking with divine thunder.
"To be honest," he said, gathering lightning into the shape of a long sword,
"It's been a while since I killed a witch of your caliber."
He swung the blade, cutting through hundreds of hurricanes with one motion.
"If I recall correctly, the last one was one of your fellow Calamities. What was her name again?" He paused, as if savoring the memory.
"Oh, right—Talisha, wasn't it? A rather pretty name."
At that, Gale's pupils contracted violently, her expression twisting with rage.
"What did you say?" she screamed. In her hand, the winds condensed into a massive spear of calamity energy—so vast it pierced sky and earth alike.
The Hand of Judgement's smile turned cruel. "Yes. She was the former Tsunami Witch. I heard she had a promising junior among the Seven Calamities…That junior wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
Seeing the fury in Gale's eyes, her reason consumed by wrath, he knew—his plan had succeeded.