The Warden of the Witches Chapter 196

 Chapter 196 - Your Doom is Approaching

    In the abandoned mine pit, Qimora took a drag from a lit hand-rolled cigarette, exhaling a cloud of white smoke.


    The smoke quickly spread, becoming denser rather than dissipating, eventually enveloping the entire area around the mine.


    The chimera plunged into chaos.


    Qimora had cast a fogging spell similar to those used by the inquisitors of the Inquisition, but more advanced. It not only obscured vision but also included simple illusions.


    In the fog, the chimera vaguely saw the silhouette of a witch and lunged to attack, only to strike their companions each time.


    Lamia moved effortlessly through the fog. With her body modifications far surpassing those of the version developed by Melusine, she had grown six arms, each fingertip extended into blade-like claws.


    She ambushed the chimera in the fog, using her claws to pierce their throats, abdomens, and the gaps between their ribs. With her monstrous strength, she tore apart their vital organs. As the inventor of the beastification drug, she had an intimate understanding of the anatomical structures of humans, magical beasts, and beastified humans. Each time she killed a prey, she would lick the thick blood and chunks of flesh clinging to her claws.


    Some of the chimera, sensing the danger of their situation, leapt into the air and flapped their wings, trying to escape the fog. However, as soon as they emerged from the fog, they were met with iron chains descending from above, like venomous snakes striking prey from treetops.


    The iron chains bristled with thorn-like spikes, each one seeming alive, swiftly coiling around the necks of the chimera and tightening abruptly. The spikes bit deeply into their flesh.


    The other ends of these iron chains were tied to the broomstick ridden by Hasbinis. She hovered above the fog, lying in wait, setting traps for her prey. Once the chains ensnared their targets, Hasbinis excitedly shouted, "Giddy-up!"


    The floating broomstick immediately ascended, pulling the chains taut.


    The chimera flapped their wings, trying to rise, while clawing at the nooses around their necks, attempting to tear them off with brute force. Although the spikes on the nooses tore into their hands, causing them to bleed profusely, it was better to endure these superficial wounds than to be strangled to death.


    Of course, Hasbinis wouldn’t give them such a chance. She uttered an incantation, and electric shocks instantly traveled along the chains. These shocks weren't enough to kill the resilient chimera but were sufficient to temporarily paralyze them.


    As Their bodies slackened, their wings losing strength, causing them to fall. The chains around their throats, pulled tight by their own weight, severed their spinal cords and cut off their breathing.


    Beneath Hasbinis broomstick dangled a dozen chimera, nearly two tons of weight, yet the broomstick showed no sign of faltering.


    "Execution! Execution! You all deserve to be hanged!" Hasbinis face twisted into a sadistic smile.


    The fog soon dissipated, revealing a scene of bloody carnage. Lamia, still hungry for more, gnawed on one of the chimera. Qimora, unable to stomach the gruesome sight, turned away with a slight frown and continued smoking his hand-rolled cigarette.


    Hasbinis controlled the iron chains to release the now lifeless chimera, letting them crash heavily to the ground before she slowly descended.


    More than thirty chimera, capable of annihilating ten times their number in armed soldiers, stood no chance against the combined might of the three grand witches.


    "Are Priscilla and the others still alive?" Lamia pushed aside the mangled corpse she had been gnawing on. "I wonder if it's too late to collect their bodies now."


    "If they're dead, they're dead," Hasbinis replied nonchalantly. "We've already abandoned them. We should just proceed at our own pace."


    Qimora finished off his hand-rolled cigarette in one drag and offered no objections.


    The three of them were indifferent to the fate of the two grand witches who had become captives, as well as their temporary ally, Aiden Galord. Ideally, from their perspective, Aiden would be killed by the priest, and by the time they arrived, the priest would have exhausted his powers, making him easy prey.


    Their current target, therefore, should be the nun Nawei.


    A sound of Footsteps approached, causing the trio to turn their heads toward the sound.


    Three nuns were walking briskly along the tracks towards the mine pit, the one in the middle wearing a black robe, flanked by two in gray robes.


    Sister Nawei Bales.


    Seeing the corpses littering the tunnel entrance, Sister Nawei paused, her expression grave as she assessed the three individuals before her.


    "How considerate of you to come to us," Lamia grinned wickedly. "It Saves us a few steps."


    "Don't kill her, just subdue her," Qimora reminded the others.


    Killing the heir prematurely would only prompt Father Bales, upon realizing the heir's death, he will designate another nun or even create a new successor. The most expedient method was to control the heir—by severing her limbs or poisoning her—so that when Father Bales was killed and attempted to use the "inheritance" ability, he would find himself trapped in a completely helpless body, allowing them to easily dispose of him.


    "Your doom is aproaching, little nun," Hasbinis grinned at Sister Nawei.


    Sister Nawei scanned the three of them, then suddenly began chanting in a strange, ancient language.


    The three grand witches present all froze, recognizing that Sister Nawei was reciting the divine word.


    The bodies of the two nuns flanking Sister Nawei were suddenly torn apart by a strange force, splitting their gray nun robes and each dividing into three separate entities.


    Meanwhile, Sister Nawei own black robe suddenly ballooned like a balloon from the waist down, and then two more nuns crawled out from under her long robe.


    Using The "reproduction" ability, She simultaneously spawned new descendants from the two offspring accompanying her and from her own body.


   At this moment, Hasbinis and Lamia had yet to fully grasp the severity of the situation. It wasn't surprising that Sister Nawei possessed the ability to "reproduce"; it might have been granted to her by the Father, and with the divinity required to utter a divine word, it wasn't uncommon for a saint-level individual. If there was surplus divinity, bestowing the ability to her offspring would indeed be the most profitable choice.


    But Qimora face changed instantly. Having infiltrated the cult's stronghold multiple times to gather intelligence, she had only seen the Father use divine words to create new nuns within the cult. Upon comparison, Sister Nawei use of divine words was evidently stronger than the Father's.


    Moreover... upon closer thought, if Sister Nawei herself possessed the ability to "reproduce," what was the necessity for the Father, the leader of the cult, to personally undertake the task of breeding soldiers?


    "Kill them," Sister Nawei said in a cold tone.


    "Understood, Mother," the other nuns responded mechanically.