The lingering scent and magical aura of the four goddesses, each with their unique grace, momentarily captivated Wayne. If not for the urgency of Yennefer's rescue mission, he might have stayed longer. Not out of ill intent, of course—he genuinely valued the opportunity to forge friendships with beings of such stature.
The blessings bestowed upon him by the goddesses were nothing short of extraordinary, designed to aid him in the coming trials.
The Goddess of Birds granted him the power of wind, increasing his speed and giving him the ability to see through the pervasive fog, an invaluable tool in the corrupted landscape.
The Field Goddess blessed him with the protection of the wilderness, rendering him immune to diseases, curses, and dark spells while amplifying his magical resilience.
The Forest Goddess gifted him the protection of the forest, enhancing his physical strength, endurance, and granting him an exceptional self-healing ability.
Lilith, the Lady of the Lake, imbued the Aerondight with her divine power, making it a bane to dark magic, capable of dealing double damage to creatures of evil.
After receiving these blessings, Wayne felt an incredible enhancement—not in raw power, but in his resistance to alien energies. It was as if his very body could now withstand and repel magic aimed against him.
However, these blessings were not eternal. Wayne understood that the goddesses, revered as deities, were in fact magical beings known as nymphs, whose powers came from their deep connection to the world and its will. While they held immense magical strength, their combat abilities were limited, and they were vulnerable to malevolent forces.
To further assist him, the goddesses opened a magical pathway to the mountain range near Ban Ard, where the dark rift lay. Guided by the Forest Goddess, Wayne stepped into a shadowy tree hollow, traversing dozens of kilometers in an instant, emerging in a dense and unfamiliar forest.
As he took in his surroundings, Lilith's voice resonated softly in his mind.
"Forgive us, my knight. The evil forces from the other world saturating this forest are too strong for us to reach you here."
"The battles ahead will rest entirely on your shoulders."
"There is a being controlling this catastrophe—an evil god wielding the laws of another world."
"Seek it out, defeat it, and banish it from our realm."
"If you succeed in destroying this evil god's presence, the dark forces will weaken, and the crisis will abate."
Wayne's heart sank as he listened. For the first time, a sliver of unease crept into his normally composed mind.
Throughout his years as a Witcher, he had faced countless foes, yet never had he encountered a being of such magnitude. This wasn't some overblown legend—it was real. He had stepped into a battle that demanded far more than mere swordsmanship.
He reasoned that the "god" he was to face likely wasn't a full-fledged deity but a powerful avatar or vessel, akin to what he had encountered in certain games or myths. Still, even as an avatar, such a foe would far surpass anything he had battled before.
This was no mere Witch King or dragon like Smaug—those were tangible and mortal in comparison. The evil god represented a force from beyond, one that could warp reality and spread corruption with ease.
Despite his apprehension, Wayne's resolve didn't waver. Whether for Yennefer, his companions, or the survival of this world, he knew he had to face the challenge. Still, as a pragmatist who valued his life, he silently vowed that if the odds turned insurmountable, he wouldn't hesitate to retreat and reassess.
Having steadied his mind, Wayne took a deep breath. He felt the lingering warmth of the goddesses' blessings and the weight of their expectations. Pulling the invisibility cloak over his shoulders, he began his cautious approach toward the rift.
If the enemy's goal is to expand the space rift, then their core forces must be concentrated near it. Once that location is identified, the target is found.
Although the mountain range had been ravaged by earthquakes and hellish corruption, rendering it barren and twisted beyond recognition, remnants of the old terrain could still be discerned. By piecing together these clues, Wayne began to navigate his way forward.
Avoiding the hordes of monsters converging through the fog, Wayne marveled at the Invisibility Cloak, a magical artifact from the Harry Potter world.
He couldn't help but admire how, despite their comparatively limited power, the wizards of that world displayed unparalleled ingenuity in the practical application of magic. The Floo Network, space-expanding tents, transfiguration, and elixirs—their creativity surpassed the magic of many other realms. If the opportunity ever arose, Wayne vowed to explore the Harry Potter world and study its magical systems.
Thanks to the vision granted by the Goddess of Wind, which allowed him to pierce through the thick fog, Wayne no longer faced the constraints of limited visibility. With ease, he identified the distribution of monsters and charted a safe path through the desolate terrain.
After about an hour of careful progress, he finally reached the area near the canyon where the rift was initially created. However, the landscape had undergone drastic changes in the past months due to the earthquake. What was once a lush canyon had transformed into a chaotic, fissured region pulsating with corrosive energy.
As the locus of hell's power, the area was teeming with monsters—thousands of them. These creatures were not only numerous but significantly stronger than those elsewhere. It was clear this was the heart of the corruption. Wayne realized that any direct engagement here would not only be suicidal but would also alert the enemy to his presence and risk a counter-ambush.
With no other option, Wayne donned his Invisibility Cloak and relied on stealth to search for his target. He reasoned that the most densely guarded areas would likely hold the highest importance.
After about thirty minutes of silent reconnaissance—roughly four hours after Yennefer's capture—Wayne finally located the rift he had inadvertently created. The surrounding terrain had collapsed into a vast, crater-like pit encircled by jagged stone pillars. The location was so concealed that from the outside, it was nearly impossible to discern its contents.
Only his unique blood, which allowed him to sense the intense fluctuations of chaotic magic, enabled Wayne to find the site in such a short time.
Climbing to the top of one of the towering stone pillars, Wayne's breath hitched as he took in the scene below.
The rift, which had once been a mere half-meter fissure, had been expanded into a two-meter-wide elliptical portal, pulsating with dark energy. The rift no longer wavered; it had stabilized into a formidable gate, held open by a relentless torrent of power.
Surrounding the rift were twelve beams of chaotic magic, each glowing with a kaleidoscope of unsettling hues, continuously pouring energy into the portal. The process appeared to be systematically widening the rift, though the exact mechanics of the spellwork were beyond even Wayne's understanding.
The source of these beams became apparent as he surveyed the area: twelve sorcerers, their forms corrupted by hell's influence. Their faces were marked with grotesque blue and black infernal inscriptions, and their features twisted with a blend of pain and malice.
To Wayne's shock and dismay, he recognized several of them—former colleagues and acquaintances, now lost to the power of the abyss.