In a hidden island, a blood-red moon shone on the land and sea.
Amidst the ominous silence of the dark night, a woman could be seen trekking across the forest, her breaths ragged. The woman was carrying a seven-year-old child in her arms; the child was huffing with a high fever, and blood could be seen dripping from his forehead.
Despite being exhausted and severely injured, the woman continued to run without looking back. After a while, she paused and leaned against a tree. As she took deep breaths in her extreme fatigue, her long black hair fell across her beautiful face, concealing her mesmerizing red eyes from view.
Regrettably, before the woman could even properly rest, the rustling of leaves and the footsteps of people could be heard from a distance.
The black-haired woman became alert and struggled to get up. However, before she could correct her footing, a blast of power shot straight at her from behind.
Due to her hazy consciousness, the black-haired woman reacted too late. She was only managed to turn herself toward the blast before it struck her.
Boooooooooooooom
A thunderous explosion reverberated across the small island. The forest within a hundred meters of the blast's center was obliterated, leaving behind scorched earth and gray ashes.
Amidst the dust and smoke, figures could be seen approaching the blast zone from a distance.
"Witch of Calamity, surrender your pointless struggle. The entire island has been sealed off. There is no escape," a female voice, laced with contempt, echoed from the approaching group.
"I still can't believe a descendant of that damned bloodline has survived to this day. I thought the remnants of that lineage had been hunted to extinction long ago," a male member of the group said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Indeed. And she has been hiding right under our noses until now. What a cunning woman. Fortunately, we discovered her before she could advance to the next level. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to kill her," an elderly voice agreed with a nod.
As they chatted leisurely, the dust and smoke that had obscured them began to slowly dissipate, revealing their figures.
Among the group, there are three men and two women. The three men include an elderly man, a scholarly middle-aged man, and a handsome elf. The two women consist of a dragon lady and a vampiric woman.
Meanwhile, the dust settled completely in the blast zone, exposing a crater marred by cracks.
At the center of the crater, a dark barrier can be seen enclosing a small area. Within the barrier, the black-haired woman stood frozen, her clothing splattered with blood and blown body parts.
Her crimson-red eyes widened in horror, and her otherworldly beautiful face contorted in unimaginable pain. She gazed at her blood-drenched hands that should have been embracing her child.
Still in disbelief, she reached out towards the blood mist in the air, hoping to recover her dead child.
"What a pity. That boy was the cutest and most beautiful child I have ever seen. I really wanted to have a taste of his blood. Alas, this dragon bitch blasted him to smithereens before I could get my hands on him," the vampiric woman said, dissatisfied, as she licked her bloody lips.
Beside her, the dragon lady whom the vampiric woman had cursed frowned slightly. "Watch your mouth, Eliana Bloodstain. Next time, I won't hesitate to tear out your vocal cords."
However, Eliana Bloodstain showed no fear and sneered in response, "Oh yeah! Then I welcome you to try, bitch."
"You...." Just as the dragon lady was about to become angry, a heart-wrenching scream filled with pain and hatred echoed from the crater.
This redirected the group's focus back to the black-haired woman they had been pursuing to kill.
The Witch of Calamity, as they preferred to call her, let out a cry of sorrow as a black aura, filled with unnatural intensity, surged from her body, devastating the surrounding area for miles.
Caught off guard, the group of three men and two women was thrown back several meters. They quickly cast their protective skills and spells to counter the dark energy emanating from her.
"Damn it! Didn't she deplete her power source and mana? How is it still possible for her to unleash this much power output?" the scholarly middle-aged man exclaimed in disbelief.
"As expected from the Witch of Calamity! She truly deserves her reputation as the most terrifying prodigy in the last millennium." Unlike the skeptical expression of the middle-aged scholar, the elderly man beside him praised her with admiration.
"She must have feigned exhaustion while concealing a reservoir of her power," the elf remarked indifferently.
Amidst the dark surge of power, the Witch of Calamity suddenly vanished.
At the same time, a woman with fluttering jet-black hair and gleaming crimson and violet daggers in both her blood-dripping hands appeared right above the scarlet barrier of the vampiric woman.
The sharp daggers, coated in pitch-black darkness, shattered the scarlet barrier upon contact and lunged toward Eliana's bloodstain.
Unable to react quickly enough, Eliana's bloodstain hastily activated her blood claw skill, transforming her nails into sharp claws in an attempt to intercept the daggers.
Unfortunately, the skill she instinctively activated in desperation proved useless against a derived ability of a power source, especially when that ability belonged to the dreadful Witch of Calamity.
The dual daggers, one crimson and the other violet, sliced through Eliana's blood claws as if tearing through a piece of paper. Then. They then breached her natural defenses.
The violet dagger plunged into her heart, but just before it could penetrate deeper, it was deflected by a life-saving Armament. Simultaneously, the crimson dagger pierced Eliana's left eye, eliciting a scream of pain and terror from her.
The force of the dual assault propelled the vampire's body backward, sending her crashing to the hard ground several meters away.
Fortunately or unfortunately, thanks to the life-saving Armament and her high-ranking stats, Eliana managed to kept her life. However, her injuries were fatal, and without treatment within a few hours, she could die
Due to her unleashing an ability even in her severely exhausted state, the Witch of Calamity's power source was emptied, leaving her body paralyzed. She knelt on the ground, devoid of any strength.
The other four, who were also too late to respond when the Witch of Calamity suddenly attacked, stood in stunned silence, glancing at her powerless form in terror.
The dragon lady, who was supposed to be closest to the vampiric woman, had already moved a few feet away, watching her helpless adversary with caution and fear.
"An ability that can bypass all defenses and inflict devastating damage? What a frightening ability! This must be her trump card," the middle-aged scholar said hesitantly.
"That may very well be the case," the elderly man agreed. "Otherwise, the academic database would have recorded it."
"Since she is no longer capable of resisting, let's finish her off and eradicate the last remnant of the Damned lineage," the Elf said with indifference as he approached the Witch of Calamity.
Meanwhile, the Witch of Calamity was barely aware of her surroundings. As she heard the footsteps approaching, she realized that her death was inevitable today.
She lifted her gaze to the blood-red moon, which seemed to herald her tragic and unavoidable fate.
Her crimson eyes lost focus as a whirlwind of emotions—longing, pain, hatred, fear, and regret—swirled within her. Her life flashed before her eyes, a mix of joyful and sorrowful moments, like a faded film. She even thought of her late husband, who had died while protecting her and their chid.
Finally, she recalled her supposedly deceased child. This time, instead of sorrow, a sweet yet beautiful smile formed on her lips.
Even in her final moments, her graceful smile illuminated her lustrous beauty beneath the sprinkles of blood-red moon and the dark night, creating a striking contrast with her deep black hair and crimson-red eyes.
For a fleeting instant, even the elf who had already swung his sword to pierce her heart paused, momentarily dazed.
However, he quickly shook his head and resumed his stabbing motion. Although he was perplexed by her strange behavior, he didn't dwell on it.
As the sword pierced her heart, she closed her eyes in pain. Ultimately, before she fell into eternal Oblivion, she made a heartfelt wish to herself: [Please stay safe and grow up healthy, my sweet boy. Forgive mom for not being by your side.].]