The two candidates of fate located in entirely different areas on the Continent of Adepts now looked at each other through the help of the strange connection of fate. Their spirits were temporarily connected.
"Are you the one that has been scrying on me and my private life? Well, please stop it, lady, or else… " A hint of curiosity was contained within Snowlotus' angry gaze as she stared at this mysterious enemy. However, her heart trembled when she felt the opponent's adept-level mental flux.
"Or else what? Are you going to send people to kill me?" Alice spoke from the other end of the mental connection in her slightly sharp voice, "It isn't as if you haven't done such a thing already. Thanks to you, I have already been attacked by people from your clan. Now, please endure your deserved backlash from fate!"
Snowlotus' face became increasingly pale.
With her arrogance, she had never bothered to care for these schemes and dirty plans. She had only heard of her grandmother and mother making plans behind her back. She had never actually tried to understand and participate in these activities. Her heart suddenly trembled when she finally heard Alice's furious accusations. She could vaguely sense yet another thread between her soul and the laws of fate snap.
Snowlotus faintly heard the screams of the dead and the curses of the resentful in the air.
Another candidate for the Witch of Fate had died. Moreover, her death also seemed to be due to her clan as well!
"You heard that, didn't you! These are the screams of fate and the tolling bells of your death!" Alice had felt the events that had transpired in the distance, "The more your clan does for you, the further they push you away from fate. Did they really think that you could successfully become the only Witch of Fate once they exterminated all other candidates? Hahaha. I really have no idea why the laws of fate picked you as a candidate. Everything you have done has gone against fate itself. I can't wait to see your grim future."
Snowlotus' hands that held the crystal ball trembled.
She had only trusted in herself all this while. She had never believed in fate. Yet at this moment, where the streams of fate clashed against each other at their most intense, Snowlotus seemed to be able to see through that endless river of time and peer at the moment of her death.
A sizeable, bloody hole had pierced through her body. A fearsome flame completely reduced her hair and robe to ashes. In her weakest moment, the cute and delicate face of a girl appeared before her eyes.
It was her!
The one that would kill her was this damned little witch before her eyes!
While Snowlotus shivered in a daze, a terrifying woman's face appeared on the back of the toad. It seemed to be the adept-level phantom that had been trapped in the crystal ball, Liz.
The toad opened its large mouth, and a long and sticky tongue shot out towards Snowlotus' forehead. It quickly stabbed right into her skull.
Strangely enough, not a single drop of blood flowed out from the wound.
Then, Agatha chanted. A horrifying amount of resentment from the wraith surged into Snowlotus' mind through the connection with the tongue. A large cluster of dark curses followed along with the phantom's animosity. The curses and hatred traveled along the mysterious fate connection and surged towards the other end.
"Aaaaaah……" An ear-piercing screech. Alice grabbed her head with both hands and rolled about the ground in agony.
Pu.
The image within the crystal ball suddenly turned dim and disappeared. The trace of fate's connection was broken.
Snowlotus also could no longer endure fate's backlash. Her vision went black as she fell unconscious.
…………
Feidnan City, Adept's Tower.
Seven minutes later, Greem appeared in Alice's room.
The first thing he saw was an insane brat rolling on the ground and mumbling all sorts of nonsense.
"Help me… I think a vengeful wraith has controlled me… "
"Damned adepts… damned humans. You all must die. Die. "
Two completely different voices came out from the same body. One was Alice, while the other was an unknown voice. It was thick, hoarse, and dripping with hatred.
At the same time, many black spots appeared on Alice's milky white skin.
These black spots were bizarre. They appeared as if they had surfaced from within Alice's body and were quickly spreading all over. Alice's skin rotted and abscesses formed wherever they spread.
Blisters filled with purple-black blood and pus exploded one after another. Black blood splashed everywhere, and a pungent smell filled the room.
Alice stood at the brink of death and endless agony. She rolled her eyes and fainted!
Greem had just moved close to Alice. He hadn't had time even to examine her condition when she once again leaped up. Her cute little face was distorted entirely out of shape. She extended her sharp fingers and lunged at Greem.
"I will kill you. I want to kill you."
Alice grumbled wildly with the whites of her eyes exposed for all to see. Something clearly possessed her.
Greem extended a finger, and a brilliant chain of fire appeared in the air out of nowhere. The chains bound Alice in one swift move and kept her suspended in the air. The chain entirely restricted her movements.
The few apprentices that had hurried over after hearing the commotion gasped. They looked at this scene with their eyes wide open.
"What are you all standing about for? Go and get Adept Ferrier, quick!” Greem scolded.
The apprentices quickly rushed to get help.
"Chip, examine Alice. What's happened to her?" Greem ordered in an unamused tone.
This Alice always gave him things to be concerned about. He was still trying to build a golem to protect her, and already she had somehow managed to get herself cursed in this high-security room!
The intense blue light in Greem's eyes flashed, and the chip had soon completed its scan of Alice's body.
"Beep. Alice's examination report is completed.
"Initial conclusions estimate this to be wraith possession along with dark curses.
"The source of the spells can no longer be traced.
"An intensely monstrous resentment has been detected in Alice's body.
"It is recommended to expel it as soon as possible.
"Moreover, one hundred and twenty-seven closely intertwined dark curses have been detected.
"It is recommended that these be neutralized as soon as possible."
Christ! What the heck have you done, Alice? Why would there be so many curses and so much resentment crammed into your body?
Greem's handsome face twitched in disbelief. He had absolutely no words for this situation.
Chapter 339 Fate's Backlash
Unique problems required specialists to be solved!
If this had been an ordinary curse, it could have been resolved with a simple Purifying Potion. It cost forty magic crystals, and every single adept carried a couple of them on them.
That said, Alice had kicked a hornet's nest this time. What's more, it was the ridiculously large kind. Greem had no choice but to ask for Ferrier. She was, after all, the potions master that the Sarubo Clan was investing in.
Half an hour later, a massive cauldron had been erected in Alice's room. All sorts of valuable herbs were thrown into it in succession. Ferrier placed Alice into the cauldron once the fire was warm enough.
Troublesome!
Extremely troublesome!
Even Ferrier shook her head in silence when she felt the numerous intertwined curses and resentments in Alice's body!
If they wanted to get rid of the resentment, they first had to purify the curses mixed within. If Ferrier wished to cleanse the curses, they would have to deal with the frantic attacks of the lingering resentment. It was far too troublesome!
Fortunately, Alice was a divining witch that had lost 'all' of her abilities. The wraith within her body couldn't do much with a weak adept like her. Greem just needed
to use one of the Eyes of Petrification, and he was able to partially petrify her and throw her into the cauldron. The petrification ensured that Alice wouldn't be able to cause any commotion as they treated her.
Greem tirelessly ran to Motta City as well. He visited a necromancer and bought a magical tool from him that was used to exorcise spiritual beings.
He had no choice. The Sarubo Clan didn't have a professional necromancer. Greem had to seek external help when faced with such annoying resentment. Ferrier was only a potions master. She wasn't a professional curse adept. Thankfully, most of the knowledge that she had to learn was related to curses. Greem had no alternative but to ask her for help in treating Alice.
After he returned from Motta City, Greem instantly released Alice from her petrified state. He then stabbed a black dagger into her forehead before the resentment within her body had any chance to break out.
The palm-sized dagger wholly embedded itself into Alice's head, yet not one drop of blood flowed out of the wound.
Alice shivered when the dagger pierced into her head. The blade released her from the effects of the evil spirit's possession.
"Too… too scary." Alice grabbed the sides of the cauldron with her hands and only kept her head above the water. Dazed, she asked Greem, "What did you use to save me? Why do I feel a little heavy-headed?"
Greem didn't bother to entertain her. He turned his head slightly and his apprentice Meryl immediately brought a mirror over and placed it in front of Alice.
She almost fainted once more when she saw her reflection.
Strange runes flowed out of the black dagger in her head and entered her brain through the tip of its edge. The bizarre sight was enough to send chills down anyone's spine!
Alice had just moved her hand towards the dagger when Greem snorted coldly.
"Go ahead and touch it if you aren't afraid of dying! If you pull it out, I can guarantee the sight of your brain exploding will be an amazing sight."
"Then how long do I have to keep this thing on my head? Why do I feel like thinking has become a chore with this thing here?"
"Hmph. You think you would be able to get away from the resentment of an evil spirit if it wasn't because of this dagger sealing away a large portion of your spiritual consciousness? Speak up now. How and which curse adept did you offend this time?"
"I didn't offend any curse adepts!"
"So where did these things come from?"
"I… I have been peeping in on that competitor. She should be the candidate that the Witches of Deceit are backing."
"Then?"
"Then… she got an unknown adept to deal with me. I was defeated before I even got to take a look at the person who cursed me!"
"You should feel lucky for yourself. It is only a surge of resentment from an adept-level wraith that is plaguing your body. If the enemy were a little more heartless and sent the wraith itself over, you would probably have been dead within fifteen minutes." Greem spoke solemnly, "It seems we should start purchasing some magical tools that provide spiritual and curse resistance. Otherwise, it would be a pain if another situation like this one came up again."
"Yea! Yea, I already mentioned this problem several times, but you have never really paid enough attention. Ouch!" Alice couldn't help but lift her neck above the water when she got excited.
Who knew? Her healed skin started to blister once her body left the water. Rotting wounds appeared once again. The angry Alice could only wince in pain and submerge herself in the cauldron once more.
The sickly green brew mixed with the blood from her wounds, causing Alice to be on the verge of throwing up.
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," Alice cursed towards the sky with her small mouth, "I curse you to an eternity of suffering."
Again and again, her screams and cries of agony spread towards the distance through some unknown and unseen means.
…………
"What's happened?"
The beautiful witch that had hurried to Agatha's haunted cottage instantly questioned her when she saw the unconscious Snowlotus.
This witch was already two hundred years old, but her delicate face was still as pretty as she had been in her youth, thanks to proper maintenance. Her full and bursting figure was curvaceous, even covered by her robe. She was exceptionally seductive.
However, her care and concern for Snowlotus appeared to be genuine; there was no disguising the worry in her eyes.
What's more, she was a terrifying Second Grade witch!
"Lady Rena, the backlash to Miss Snowlotus has already stabilized. You do not need to be worried about this." The First Grade Agatha had none of her earlier mystery and quirkiness. She offered up a fawning smile as she explained to Snowlotus' mother.
Lady Rena was also an individual of ordinary talent. She had barely advanced to Second Grade with Lady Angelina's unrestrained investment and sinking of resources into her. Her advancement potential had been completely exhausted at this point. There was no hope for her to continue improving on the path of an adept.
It was due to this that she was ordered by Lady Angelina to pursue unreserved pleasure and attempt to continue her bloodline. Rena kept a harem of male slaves and had ambiguous sexual relationships with several male adepts within the clan at the same time. Fortunately for them, Rena was finally able to give birth to Snowlotus after much difficulty. Her daughter, who had exceptional talent to be an adept.
It was thanks to this 'credit' of hers that Rena's status in the clan skyrocketed. She had quickly turned into an important authority figure within the territory that no one dared to provoke.
Perhaps it was because of Snowlotus' significance to her, but Rena couldn't help but fear for her daughter's life when she discovered that her daughter had entered into the dangerous Battle of Fate. She couldn't overcome her anxiety and ended up begging her mother, the Fourth Grade Lady Angelina, leader of the Witches of Deceit, to interfere in the selection for the Witch of Fate.
This was why she had hurried over to Agatha's hut when she received news of Snowlotus' condition.
Rena repeatedly examined Snowlotus condition and was surprised to find her physical health to be well. It was only her mental flux that seemed to be weak and slow. She even screamed out loud occasionally.
It was as if she was trapped in a nightmare!
"Is this what you meant by stabilized?" Witch Rena couldn't help but shout in her fit of anger, "My daughter has exceptional talent. Even my mother herself has acknowledged this and praised her for this. Moreover, she still has the blessing applied by my mother. How could she be trapped in a nightmare? Speak! Did you do something?"
Agatha could only smile when confronted by this Second Grade witch that managed everything within the territory, "Lady Rena, this is already the best I can do! You should know that Miss Snowlotus is under the effect of severe fate backlash. Moreover, it seems like she saw something she shouldn't have during her mental connection with the enemy diviner. Her spirit consciousness has received a severe impact. Staying within the nightmare at this point might actually be the better option. If we woke her up carelessly now, I'm afraid… "
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid her mental self will be severely damaged!"
"Will this harm her advancement potential?" The fierce Rena immediately became nervous when she mentioned this.
Agatha nodded her head with a grave expression on her face.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit… " Witch Rena paced about the room anxiously, "I knew this would happen! Agatha, tell me the location of that accursed diviner. I will send people after her and tear her to pieces now!"
Agatha's frail body trembled all of a sudden. She thought for a moment before reluctantly speaking, "Lady Rena, I would advise against that."
"Why?" Rena straightened her body. A murderous aura hung on her pretty face.
"I'll be straightforward with what I say. It is precisely because of what you have done for Miss Snowlotus that things are as c
omplicated as they are. The more candidates you kill, the more the laws of fate will reject Miss Snowlotus. Conversely, the other candidates will also receive the favor of fate. Have you not realized? The more candidates you kill, the quicker the remaining ones can advance to adept. This is fate maintaining balance!"
"Hmph! We of the Witches of Deceit have never believed in fate!" Rena snorted arrogantly.
"But Miss Snowlotus has to!" Agatha patiently explained, "Miss Snowlotus is extremely talented. She has plenty of resources to aid her training as well. However, why is it that she is still stuck at the pseudo-adept level, while everyone else, even those candidates inferior to her, have already advanced? It is because we have interfered far too much!"
"Are we to do nothing at all then? Should we let Snowlotus participate in that dangerous Battle of Fate without any preparation?"
"My Lady, Miss Snowlotus' fate was no longer in our hands when she awakened to the bloodline of the Witch of Fate. The more you do, the more mistakes you will be making! Miss Snowlotus is already suffering the backlash from the laws of fate. On the other hand, that diviner has received the favor of fate. I fear Miss Snowlotus will become the enemy of fate if you continue to intervene in this matter. At that point, she honestly won't have any chance of winning!"
"Are we not even allowed to retaliate after that damned diviner put Snowlotus in this state?"
"It doesn't matter what you do. Be it by your hand, someone else's, or employing some underhanded scheme, all that you do will cause fate to distance itself further and further away from Snowlotus. It simply isn't worth it."
Chapter 340 Seven Years
"Agatha is right!"
A crisp and commanding voice suddenly interrupted, shocking both witches in the cottage.
The wooden door creaked as a slim figure wrapped in a royal dress appeared before the two.
"Mother!"
"Welcome to my humble abode!"
The two witches quickly bowed and paid their respects. They couldn't help but feel nervous in front of this person.
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 218