"You mean these things are capable of cracking the mountain and the earth?"

Elena widened her eyes after she heard the Ice Witch's concise introduction about the explosives. She condemned angrily, "What if these things explode in Fran's stomach? How could they not think of that?"

Fran's giant body could not help quivering at the thought.

"It's the lab sample that easily explodes," Agatha said as she rummaged through the box for a bag of copper pipe and showed it to Elena, "not these kind of explosives, which won't ignite on ordinary impact or heat. The only way to make them explode is to put these pipes in explosive containers."

The explosives had aroused the other G.o.d's Punishment Witches' interest, who had heard of the splendid scene of the artillery exercise long ago from Phyllis, the G.o.d's Punishment Witch who they called No. 76. They had witnessed the First Army's battle against the incursion of demonic beasts a few times since moving to the Western Region of Graycastle and were not unfamiliar with gunpowder. But this was their first time to be so close to this kind of weapon.

"Is it really okay to burn it? The thing that can create such a loud sound when it explodes should be very volatile at ordinary times."

"It looks very much like a brick..."

"How to make it work? Does it explode once the copper pipe is put into it?"

"Who dares to do that?"

The questions troubled Agatha too, for she only knew the general principle of those firearms that His Majesty had made. Her knowledge of how to use it was no more than her Taquila fellows.

"The thing with the red mark on it is the detonator that must be ignited for it to work." Lightning suddenly leaned over and said professionally, "The blue-marked one is the detonator that is needed to pull out the string to trigger it. I remember there is another kind of detonator with a yellow mark that will be activated by electric current, but this bag only has the red and blue ones."

That got Agatha amazed, and she blurted out, "How did you know that?"

"Because I'm an explorer!" The young girl touched her nose. "I was basically present at every new weapon test that the First Army held."

"So, should we bury these things in the cave mouth beforehand and blow our way out or cast them along the way as we retreat and carry Fran with us?" Elena tried to work out a solution. "If the explosive could hold back the enemies, I believe 10 G.o.d's Punishment Witches are able to move Fran."

"It doesn't matter, leave me behind..."

"Shut up!" Elena cut in. "Even though we're not afraid of sacrifice, we'll never give up our companions easily. Don't forget what Lady Eleanor has told us."

"Every witch is of equal importance." The rest of the people joined in and nodded.

"I'm afraid... neither of your plans work," Lightning muttered. "One bag of explosives is enough to tear us into pieces if you set it to work at the mouth of such a small cave. But if we put the explosives in a larger cave, the explosion will be unsatisfying." She looked at the shovels and spades on the ground and went on, "The explosives should have been used to make caves or open pa.s.sages. They're not formal weapons, and the fire and air current created in the explosion is only able to kill the beasts within 10 paces."

A silence came over them, who knew that the explosion might be fearsome enough to drive away general beasts, but not the swarm of demonic beasts that were obviously summoned by the monster on the dome of the cave. They'll never stand a chance to get out unless most of those demonic beasts were destroyed.

"Maybe we have one more choice." Nightingale chimed in suddenly. "Bring down their boss."

"You mean... the monster dwelling in the dome?" Elena frowned. "We can't fly."

"Even if you could fly, that's too dangerous!" Agatha said before Lightning found her words. "It's not a defensive battle where we have support whenever we ask. We all know that it's not uncommon that some hybrid demonic beasts are able to fly, and Lightning loses her speed and flying height considerably as long as she's load-bearing, so it's highly possible that she'll never get herself close to the monster once the enemies spot her and besiege her."

"I'm not proposing to make Lightning do it," Nightingale said word by word. "I'm planning to put this bag of explosive into the monster's mouth with my own hand, given it does have a mouth."

"You?" Agatha was shocked. "Don't be ridiculous... You should know that your Mist can't hide anything in front of Magic Eyes. Wherever you see it, it notices you too."

"Its ability to see me doesn't mean that its underlings can notice me. I'm confident that I can get through them, even if they are under their boss's order to intercept me." She paused. "Do remember that the Mist can do much more than concealing."

"But..."

A cacophony coming from the rock formation interrupted Agatha's next words. It sounded as though numerous cicada were eating leaves, or gravel was clas.h.i.+ng, being smashed and ground.

The witches' faces changed. The sound was not unfamiliar to them.

"d.a.m.n it. They've sent the devouring worm," Elena said with a stern face. "The enemy is coming. Get yourself ready."

A worm carrier was hardly a threat, but as soon as their concealed vantage point was uncovered, they were to be faced with endless demonic beasts that traveled through the worm's stomach.

"Don't worry about me. No one is more competent in this kind of mission. Back at the time when the Witch Cooperation a.s.sociation was running in the old king's city, my t.i.tle was well-known everywhere in the central region of the kingdom," Nightingale said as she packed four bags of explosives in her bag and bound it tightly on her back. "At that time, people used to call me 'Shadow Killer'."

"Wait..."

"Rest a.s.sured. I'll finish that deformed thing before the worm tunnels its way here."

Before Agatha could say anything to stop her, she disappeared into thin air.

The last sight Agatha had of Nightingale was a thumbs up.

...

In the world of black and white, directions meant nothing to Nightingale, and everywhere would become flat and level if she wished.

It felt as though she was the manipulator of this world where everything was under her order.

Pa.s.sing through the collapsed stones, she straightway jumped up to the steep cliff and rushed to the dome of the cave.

Suddenly, her vision changed the angle by 90 degrees. The monster that should have been above her hid somewhere was ahead of her now. The turbulent underground river looked like a ribbon beset on the precipice, while the broad subterranean lake now rose up like a huge window.

By then, she had caught sight of the monster, and it had her in sight as well.

Nightingale did not look away.

With her eyes fixed on the monster's star-like eyes, she sped up to it. In the Mist, the glare radiated from the monster's powerful Magic Cyclone and looked like a b.l.o.o.d.y moon, outs.h.i.+ning the crowded light spots.

This monster could not be a simple hybrid demonic beast, she thought.

Its magic power outperformed even Anna's.

For a moment, Nightingale sensed her mind had been connected with the monster's.

The feeling was chaotic and unspeakable, but she was sure that both of them had received the undisguised hostility from each other.

She grinned.

The monster raised its tentacles.

With a low roar, the demonic beasts in the cave flocked to her.