Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 123: Xia Ya, Back Turned to the World

Chapter 123: Xia Ya, Back Turned to the World

Aisgania, Valley of the End.

Woooooo—

A storm swept across the canyon from the wasteland, carrying the stench of corrosion and decay.

A man in black armor stood beside the military camp at the canyon’s entrance, his pitch-black plate seemingly devouring all light.

If anyone saw his face clearly, they would be horrified beyond words.

Futigon.

The despicable king who usurped the throne and plunged Aisgania into the quagmire of war.

According to reports from scouts in the knight alliance, Futigon was supposed to be stationed in the royal capital of Aisgania. Yet here he was—on the battlefield of the borderlands.

Crack—

The crunch of dry leaves being stepped on came from the side.

A well-dressed gentleman, graceful and poised in manner, appeared. The only strange thing was the pallor of his face, revealing his true nature as a member of the Blood Clan.

And from the way he stood beside Futigon without flinching, it was clear his status among the Blood Clan was anything but low.

A Prince of the Blood Clan at the Legendary Tier.

“Flandre, what’s the situation with the Church of Dawn?”

Futigon didn’t turn his head, speaking coldly.

“Same as always. That Cardinal’s mental energy is still locked onto the royal palace. He clearly thinks Your Majesty is still there.”

“In the end, he’s just an ordinary cardinal. Even breaking through to the Legendary Tier was only thanks to the blessing of divine favor.”

“Someone who reached Legendary through external help like that is stuck for life. He couldn’t even detect that Your Majesty split off a Legendary-tier half-body right under his nose.”

Prince Flandre of the Blood Clan let out a cold laugh.

Since ancient times, the Blood Clan and the Church had been sworn enemies. In the heretic purge rankings of the Church of Dawn, the Blood Clan had always held the top spot.

So naturally, Flandre had no love for that red-robed cardinal.

“Still… it’s just a little rebel coalition of noble lords… didn’t expect Your Majesty to take it so seriously.”

Flandre’s tone carried a hint of scorn.

“A rebel leader who hasn’t even reached Legendary, rallying followers with some so-called Sword in the Stone, and dares call himself the ‘Knight King’?”

“How laughable.”

In the world of Legends, the title of “King” was reserved for those who had surpassed the Throne Tier.

“Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength.”

The black-armored Futigon spoke without any trace of contempt.

Though only a half-body, the oppressive force radiating from this despicable king was in no way inferior to that of the Legendary-tier Blood Clan prince.

“Based on the feedback from this land… that so-called Knight King, Artoris, is someone who genuinely has the power to threaten my current rule.”

“Also, that holy sword he drew from the lake… it’s not ordinary.”

“But more importantly, it’s ‘Akatsuki’… and that Black Knight, ‘Kayin.’”

At this point, a rare gravity surfaced in Futigon’s sunken, withered eyes.

Though he had taken the throne through dishonorable means, once he became king, he inherited the authority and blessing of this land—and with it, access to information beyond the reach of outsiders.

The Knight King was indeed strong. The origin and immense mystery of that holy sword had even left Futigon shaken.

But that was still just individual strength. As king of this land, he had confidence in quelling any external threats.

What truly posed a threat… was belief.

It was the ideology spread by that group called “Akatsuki.”

Kill the rebel leader and the army would collapse—but if Akatsuki’s ideals endured, then even if this rebellion was crushed…

There would still be another King of Conquerors, another Hero King…

As long as Akatsuki’s beliefs remained, the flames of rebellion on Aisganian soil would never die.

“Remember—this purge, the most critical targets are Artoris and Kayin. The other Grand Knights, noble lords, and civilians are expendable.”

“I’ll handle Artoris myself. Kayin is yours, Flandre.”

“I expect the Prince of the Blood Clan not to disappoint me.”

Futigon’s calm voice echoed.

He was even prepared to abandon his pursuit of killing Artoris, just to personally eliminate Kayin—should Flandre fail.

That target was simply too important.

As long as he lived, Futigon would never sleep soundly.

“Kayin is barely at the Fourth or Fifth Ring… not even Titled Tier.”

“If I strike personally, he won’t have a chance to survive.”

Flandre glanced at Futigon with some confusion. He couldn’t understand why the king was so fixated on Kayin.

But Futigon’s strength and status were undeniable—he said nothing more.

“Since we’ve chosen to cooperate, I’ll give it my all.”

“I just hope…”

“That when this is over, Your Majesty will keep your promise—to help us hunt down the fugitive True Ancestor, ‘Black Princess’…”

“That’s not just my opinion. It’s also the will of our progenitor, the Crimson Moon.”

“Of course.”

Futigon glanced sideways at Flandre.

In today’s chaotic Western Continent, countless cults and factions vied for power.

And behind Prince Flandre stood a power of equal weight.

“The Crimson Moon.”

Not a Demi-God, but an Ancient God—on equal footing with the True Gods.

Without that backing, Flandre, with just a run-of-the-mill Legendary-tier cultivation, wouldn’t even qualify to sit at the same table as Futigon.

Futigon looked up at the dim sky.

“Two more hours until nightfall. Once it’s fully dark, we’ll enter the Valley of the End, break through the rear, and launch a surround—”

“Honestly, I thought the despicable king Futigon would be some crazed, brainless tyrant… didn’t expect him to actually have some brains.”

“For a Blood Clan prince, resisting sunlight outside of high noon shouldn’t be an issue… and yet he still waits for nightfall to strike, just to avoid even the slightest weakening of strength.”

“Then again, makes sense. A man who could usurp a throne… obviously knows a thing or two about scheming.”

“If that idiot Gawain had insisted on coming with me, he’d probably be lying dead right now.”

Suddenly, a hazy voice echoed through the vast, silent Valley of the End.

Futigon and Flandre snapped their heads up.

There stood a figure, clad in the black-and-red cloud robe of Akatsuki, wearing a swirling mask that revealed only a pair of eyes.

He stood there in silence atop the heights of the Valley of the End, bathed in the amber dusk.

Like a demon in darkness.

Cries of alarm erupted from the soldiers in the nearby military camp—each and every one of them recognized that black-haired figure.

The founder of Akatsuki.

The Black Knight—Kayin.

Xia Ya stood high above, the Akatsuki cloak behind him billowing wildly in the stormy winds sweeping through the canyon, overlooking the tiny, ant-like figures below.

“One, two… damn, they even hid multiple Lord-tier Abyssal aberrations in the camp? That combo alone makes up a full Legendary-tier force.”

“Sending out three full Legendary-tier combatants at once—you guys must really think highly of me.”

Futigon’s half-body wore no expression. “Kayin.”

“Even though we’ve cloaked ourselves from divination and prophecy-based abilities… some part of our movements still leaked?”

He scrutinized the surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary.

“Did Artoris set up some kind of ambush here?”

“An ancient relic? A divine descent ritual? Or maybe a military-level formation?”

Futigon listed off possibilities one by one, but his voice carried no tension.

Though this was just a half-body formed from a holy relic, its tier was genuinely Legendary. Any ordinary traps or schemes posed no threat to him.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

However, the black-cloaked figure above the valley merely shook his head slightly in response.

“An ambush? Why would I drag around that kind of deadweight?”

A glint of cold light flashed from the eyeholes of the swirling mask.

“I came alone.”

“But one is more than enough.”

BOOM—

Suddenly, pitch-black mana erupted.

Though he bore the title of king, Futigon’s attack matched his moniker of “Despicable King”—brutal and dishonorable.

In an instant, darkness that devoured all light engulfed Xia Ya entirely.

The stone beneath his feet crumbled, breaking into countless falling shards.

At nearly the same moment, the soldiers in the camp began to scatter in all directions.

It was a preemptive order from Futigon himself…

He knew the Black Knight Kayin had a unique explosive ability—he’d often dive into the center of enemy formations and detonate massive destruction, emerging unharmed while leaving carnage behind.

The explosions were no threat to Legendary-tier powerhouses, but they were devastating for rank-and-file troops.

If Kayin were allowed to strike here, the casualties would be enormous.

However—

The very next instant, even though the ground beneath him shattered all at once, Xia Ya’s figure blurred and flashed.

He landed again atop another intact stone pillar jutting from the cliffside.

There he stood, expressionless, overlooking the fleeing soldiers and abyssal creatures below.

“Think you can run?”

As those words left his mouth—

A pale golden radiance spread across the ground.

It was a barrier of gold, like the pressure of royal authority itself, suddenly weighing down on the heart of every soldier.

It felt as if a thousand tons bore down on their bodies.

Futigon let out a cold snort.

The next moment, under the pressure of a true Legendary, the golden barrier shattered violently.

Yet in that brief instant of delay—

A thousand shrill, piercing screeches echoed through the air.

One after another, golden doorways shimmered behind Xia Ya, glittering in the soft night sky.

They were portals tied to spatial laws—the gates of gold linked to sub-dimensional spaces formed by Shiny’s “Spatial Pocket.”

Then—

Argent starlight gathered.

Countless silver-white particles were conjured and parsed in the atmosphere.

Using Yui’s intelligence as a foundation…

And powered by Chi Hong’s “Sword Bones”…

The free-floating metallic particles were transformed into blades of steel.

Like a meteor shower of shining silver, the swords shot forth from the golden gates, slicing through the night sky.

Pshhh—

Pshhh—

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed.

Though thousands of blades had been fired simultaneously, under Yui’s intelligent targeting, every single one struck a vital point—

The heart, the neck, the spine.

Thud after thud echoed as bodies hit the ground.

Under that rain of argent blades, nearly every soldier and abyssal creature below Fifth-Ring was instantly slain.

The ground was littered with corpses.

“How interesting.”

Futigon’s voice rang out faintly.

He showed no anger over the slaughter of his troops. He merely looked at Xia Ya and spoke: “From what I can sense, your total mana reserves aren’t very high—only around the Fifth or Sixth Ring.”

“But by combining various unique abilities, you’re able to fight far above your tier.”

“What do you call this spatial ability?”

“You can call it—Unlimited Blade Works.”

Xia Ya stood atop the lone stone pillar, answering indifferently.

It was a new combo technique, created by combining Shiny’s “Spatial Pocket,” Chi Hong’s “Sword Bones,” and Yui’s “Metal Genesis.”

However, there had been some disagreement when naming it.

Chi Hong preferred “Unlimited Blade Works,” while Shiny insisted on “Treasury of the King.”

The tie-breaking vote went to Yui.

And thanks to some “plastic bestie” loyalty, Unlimited Blade Works won out.

...

Hundreds of miles away, in the rebel coalition’s city.

Inside the lord’s manor, Isadella slowly opened her eyes. The holy sword in her hand gleamed brilliantly.

She felt her resonance with the sword deepen in this realm.

The shackles that once suppressed her power were now gone. In this special space-time, she could use her full real-world strength.

“Good… I made it.”

Feeling the city was still calm, Isadella let out a long sigh of relief.

Good—no assault had begun yet.

As a ruler, she shouldn’t hesitate. She couldn’t let personal emotions influence critical decisions.

But that wasn’t reason enough to watch Kayin walk to his death.

Now that the shackles were gone, she had power rivaling a Legendary-tier warrior.

Even if Futigon’s army had its own Legends, Isadella was confident she could win.

She no longer needed to flee like a cornered dog. She could face them head-on.

And in doing so…

Kayin wouldn’t have to die.

Just as that thought arose—

The sound of rapid footsteps echoed from afar, closing in fast.

“My King.”

“Lord Kayin… he’s vanished from his quarters.”

The soldier knelt on one knee, speaking urgently.

“A patrol knight saw him heading west—toward the enemy lines. But Lord Kayin was moving so fast, no one could stop him.”

BOOM—

The explosion of pressure in that instant stunned everyone in the manor.

“Sir Tristan.”

Her voice was sharp—but carried a trace of confusion.

“I understand.”

The red-haired knight, who had long been standing by, plucked the strings of his harp and quickly activated his ability.

He was a Beastmaster specialized in detection. The harp-like sacred relic was his contracted summoned beast.

The next moment—

As the harp’s melody rang out, a water-like screen slowly materialized in the air.

The scene that formed revealed a black-armored man radiating Legendary-tier presence… and a pale-faced Blood Clan prince…

Behind them—countless corpses of soldiers and abyssal beasts.

And on the other side—

A slender figure in a black-and-red cloud robe, wearing a swirling mask.

Black hair, black eyes,

Back turned to the world.

Alone—

Yet it felt like he stood with an army of thousands.