Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 73: Here, the Gods Shall Not Tread

Cangting Royal Capital, Grand Ducal Estate.

The sky collapsed. The earth caved in.

This was no mere exaggeration but a literal reality.

A five-hundred-ton TNT-grade Detonating Clay explosion had utterly obliterated the massive underground chamber thirty meters beneath the Grand Ducal Estate.

The very heart of Cangting Principality, the symbol of the Branstat Family—was crumbling.

First, the foundation gave way. Then, the walls, the roof tiles, and the eaves.

Scattering, peeling, and crashing down.

The air was thick with the rumbling echoes of destruction.

In the span of mere breaths, the once-grand estate sank into the depths of the earth, much like the fabled Atlantis swallowed by the sea.

Xia Ya stood on a remaining high point that had yet to collapse, silently watching the demise of this magnificent architectural complex.

His mental energy spread outward, piercing through the layers of rubble, dust, and stone—

Reaching the deepest depths underground.

At the lowest layer of the collapsed rock formations, several faint life signatures were rapidly fading, slipping into nothingness.

Yet, just as those final traces of life flickered out—

A new life force suddenly ignited.

At first, it was weak and distorted, as if it contained remnants of numerous different life forms.

But in the next instant, that frail presence exploded in growth—expanding at an astonishing rate.

Blotting out the sky.

The next moment—

Boom—

A massive, grotesque abomination of flesh and distortion burst through the collapsing ruins of rock and rubble.

And with its emergence—

Endless Twilight Aura surged forth, carrying an overwhelming presence as if to engulf the entire world.

Twilight had descended.

The once-starry night sky dimmed, its radiance vanishing, replaced by an oppressive, congealed dusk.

The stars retreated, leaving only a single, blood-red full moon hanging ominously against the Twilight Veil.

Across its surface, gray-white metallic sigils spread, intertwining with crimson, eerie and foreboding.

"I'M ALIVE!"

"I'M ALIVE!"

The grotesque, bloodied form of Norton unleashed a thunderous roar, its distorted body trembling under the weight of the pulsating Twilight Aura.

No—calling this being "Norton" was no longer accurate.

Because the real Norton—

Was already dead.

Dead in the catastrophic explosion of the underground void.

Even as a peak Fifth-Ring powerhouse, a mere step away from Titled Tier, Norton stood no chance.

His mental energy had been disrupted by Sage’s Blood. Surviving the epicenter of a 500-ton TNT explosion was nothing short of delusional.

And even if he had miraculously survived—

He would have faced the Holy Water of the Radiant Sun Church, vaporized into searing steam, along with the dozens of meters of collapsing rock and rubble.

This was the grave Xia Ya had meticulously prepared for Norton.

Unless one possessed instantaneous spatial teleportation, even a Six-Ring Titled Beastmaster would be left with no escape, staring death in the face.

Let alone Norton—who had just had his Ascension Ritual interrupted, with his Soul Origin Circuit shattered.

So—

In the final moments before the explosion—

Norton gave up.

He abandoned the plan he had spent years orchestrating.

He forsook the Path to Godhood he so desperately sought.

Norton released his control and suppression over the Twilight Divinity—

And embraced the whispers of the Ancient God’s corruption.

His semi-divine body, which had already been deeply infused with Twilight Power, became the perfect vessel—

A willing offering to the ancient consciousness that was awakening.

Because only by doing so—

Could he survive the calamity Xia Ya had prepared.

A grave designed to bury a human Beastmaster—

Could not bury the half-body of a resurrecting God.

Yes.

The being before them now—

No, "It"—

Was no longer Norton.

Rather, it was a Twilight Ancient God, partially resurrected through Norton’s corpse, bearing remnants of his consciousness, walking once more among mortals.

…

The distorted, conscious husk that remained of Norton let out an earth-shaking howl toward the Twilight-shrouded sky—

The blood moon, streaked with iron sigils, trembled in response.

His grotesque flesh, fused with shadow and twisted beastly forms, pulsed as thick white smoke seeped from the wounds—

Scorched and burned away by the radiance of the Holy Sun.

Only to regenerate again.

The Holy Water’s steam—

For ordinary humans, it was harmless—some even drank it to cure minor illnesses and refresh the spirit.

But for cultists and Abyss-born beings, it carried the full wrath of the Radiant Sun—

A divine smite.

To ensure its new vessel survived the explosion—

The Ancient Consciousness had invoked the Soul Pact to devour every one of Norton’s Summoned Beasts in an instant.

Their flesh and essence were forcibly merged into Norton’s body, stitching together this monstrous aberration.

Grotesque. Hideous. Overwhelmingly powerful.

"XIA YA!"

"AND SYLVIA!"

The roar was pure rage.

For now, Norton’s consciousness still clung to dominance over the body.

The Legendary-tier Seals had held firm—

Even the cataclysmic explosion had only cracked them, not shattered them completely.

The Ancient God beneath the seal was still in the midst of waking.

It would take time.

If Norton could find Sylvia before the Ancient God’s full resurrection, he could leverage her Divinity and Authority to maintain his self-awareness—

And resist the Ancient Consciousness.

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This was his last chance.

And—

Finding Sylvia meant finding Xia Ya.

The traitorous pawn who had sabotaged his plans time and time again.

Who had personally cast him down from the heights of power.

Norton wanted nothing more than to tear Xia Ya to pieces.

His blood-red eyes swept across the ruins—

But the next moment—

He froze.

Because in the scene he had imagined—

Xia Ya, having orchestrated everything, should have already used his spatial abilities to escape the scene immediately.

Catching him should have been an arduous hunt.

But—

At this very moment, Xia Ya stood atop a protruding rock not far away, gazing silently at Norton with an unreadable expression.

"You little bastard!"

"You’re not even running away? You actually dare to stand before me?!"

The instant Norton caught sight of Xia Ya, he could no longer suppress his seething rage and venomous hatred.

"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you!"

"I’ll keep you alive—just barely—so you can watch as I devour that little girl Sylvia piece by piece."

"I want you to feel the helplessness, the despair, as you watch the girl you love being completely consumed, unable to do anything but—"

Norton’s venomous curse abruptly halted.

Because in the next moment, he saw that Xia Ya’s black pupils had turned into pure, molten gold, like flowing lava.

And before Xia Ya—

A pitch-black metallic page had appeared, floating in midair.

With a crisp, clangorous resonance, the metallic tome unfolded in the air.

Then—

On the black-iron pages, a line of pale golden ancient script was inscribed in a solemn, majestic manner.

"Edict of the Black King—"

"Here, the Gods Shall Not Tread."

In that instant, the pale golden domain unfurled.

Countless illusory chains materialized from the void, stretching forth and binding Norton’s grotesque, bloodied form tightly.

Each of these chains gleamed crimson-gold, a manifestation of sovereign law.

This was Xia Ya’s "Sovereign Domain", its power amplified by the "Judgment Edict" he had obtained from the Second Imperial Princess—

A synergy that far surpassed Xia Ya’s expectations.

Perhaps it was because the divine banishment decree resonated with the original will of the Black King, the First Guardian Beast of the Fresta Empire.

With the Judgment Edict enhancing it, Xia Ya’s Sovereign Domain was significantly strengthened, achieving an effect where one plus one was greater than two.

"I see!"

"I see!"

Even as crimson-gold chains pierced through his body, Norton continued to roar.

Deep within Norton’s soul, the ancient consciousness residing there recognized a familiar old adversary—

A surge of furious emotion erupted, accelerating its awakening.

"The Black King—Fresta’s Legendary Guardian Beast!"

"I see now. You were sent by Fresta Empire! Did Emperor Augustin II send you?"

"Hah! The so-called ‘Godless Nation’—founded on iron and order, built on the belief that human power can surpass the divine—"

"Yet even they couldn’t resist meddling in the authority of the Ancient Gods?!"

"Tch, I already told you—I’m just a hero doing this for fun. I don’t have any background or affiliations."

"And that Augustin II guy? I don’t even know him. He’s just some old relic from the history books."

With effortless grace, Xia Ya descended from the stone pillar, his gaze fixed upon the Norton-turned-abomination, now completely ensnared in countless chains of sovereign law.

"Don’t misunderstand, alright? I wouldn’t want the Empire getting tangled in unnecessary grudges—"

"If Isadella came knocking on my door over some stupid political mess, that’d be a real hassle."

Xia Ya’s tone remained as calm as ever. "Oh, but then again, it doesn’t really matter if you misunderstand."

"After all—dead men can’t cause trouble."

Norton’s expression froze.

Then—

His face contorted wildly, shifting through expressions of despair, madness, and struggle, one after another.

But after a brief moment—

The constantly twisting, deformed face gradually stabilized.

And those frenzied, twilight-stained eyes—

Calmed.

"You are arrogant."

Though his grotesque flesh-and-blood monstrosity was still bound by crimson-gold laws, Norton’s voice no longer carried impotent rage—

Instead, it exuded an ancient, abyssal stillness.

Xia Ya raised an eyebrow. "Twilight?"

He could feel it.

The petty, scheming ambition that had once fueled Norton’s soul—

Had vanished.

In its place—

Something deeper.

Something vast, unfathomable, and ancient.

"I have many names.

'Twilight' is indeed one of the titles mortals have given me, derived from an aspect of my dominion."

Norton—

No, the entity that had taken over Norton’s body—

The Twilight Incarnation spoke once more.

Though its voice was the same, it now resonated like the tolling of an ancient bronze bell—deep, boundless, and enigmatic.

"In truth, I should thank you."

"Had you not interrupted this fool’s scheme, this half-body of mine might have truly been usurped in my slumber—used as nothing more than a stepping stone for another."

"And had you not wielded that relic imbued with the Black King’s power, my dormant consciousness might not have sensed my old adversary’s presence and awakened ahead of schedule."

The Twilight Incarnation’s gaze, dark and immeasurably deep, locked onto Xia Ya.

"You are powerful. Not just in ability, but in mind, talent, and foresight—far beyond this reckless madman called Norton."

"To beings like us, Fifth and Sixth-Ring subordinates are nothing special—"

"With enough faith, they can be created at will."

"But you… are different."

The Twilight Incarnation spoke without a shred of emotion—yet it did not conceal its admiration for Xia Ya.

"A true legend relies on nothing external—"

"Each legend is a unique, irreplaceable miracle within this world."

"And you—have already begun carving your own legend."

The bell-like voice paused briefly.

"Become my chosen."

"I will grant you the fastest path to legend—"

"Even a glimpse beyond, into the divine."

"Fear not. For a rare legend seed like yourself, I would not subject you to the crude indoctrination methods I use on ordinary believers."

"You would retain your full consciousness and free will."

"Believe me—this would benefit you greatly. A mutually advantageous transaction."

Hearing this offer, Xia Ya simply shook his head.

"Not interested."

Man, he really was a hot commodity, huh?

Every random Evil God out there seemed hellbent on recruiting him.

Just the other day, the Lord of Ashes had tried to make him a Divine Son—and now, this second-rate Ancient God wanted him as a chosen follower.

Sure, people said "A real man bows to no one", and this might’ve been the perfect time to reconsider that philosophy—

But Xia Ya had standards.

A sealed, half-body fragment of an Evil God, locked away for over a decade, was barely a second-rate deity in his eyes.

Not even worth his time.

"Now that’s a real shame."

The Twilight Incarnation sighed, shaking its head slightly.

It did not try to persuade him further.

Unlike Norton, who had been ruled by emotion—

The Ancient God understood one thing with absolute certainty:

Every legend that carved their own path was unshakable.

Once they made a decision—

It was final.

Those who wavered in conviction could never walk the path of legends to begin with.

So, it wasted no more words.

"You have many tricks—far more than I anticipated."

"Holy Water imbued with the Sun’s Blessing, highly concentrated explosive materials—"

"Even an alchemical catalyst capable of directly interfering with Soul Origin Circuits—something even I had never encountered before."

"And now, you’ve obtained a decree imbued with the Black King’s power."

"But in the end, none of this matters."

"Even the true Black King failed to kill me back then—so what can a mere relic imbued with a fragment of its power possibly do?"

The Twilight Aura that had been lingering in the sky plummeted in an instant.

Then, it poured directly into the grotesque flesh-and-blood vessel that had once belonged to Norton.

The Twilight Incarnation was still bound by countless crimson-gold sovereign chains, yet it did not kneel as the cultists before Xia Ya had—

Instead, it stood tall, bearing the weight of its shackles.

It had made its decision.

Since Xia Ya refused to become its chosen follower, then it would simply defeat him first—

And convert him afterward.

Forcibly turning Xia Ya into a follower would diminish some of his future potential to ascend to Legendary Tier—but it was a sacrifice worth making.

And more importantly—

Once it had Xia Ya, it would have Sylvia.

Then, it could claim the last missing fragment of its Divinity.

The Twilight Incarnation knew well that its resurrection would draw predators.

Not just the righteous deities of Order, but also other Evil Gods—

None would let such a helpless, weakened prey escape their grasp.

Thus, before the true gods descended upon this battlefield, it had to restore its power to its peak.

But much of its strength remained sealed—

The only body it could freely control now was Norton’s.

Yet—

At the precise moment when the Twilight Incarnation infused every last shred of its remaining Divinity and Authority into this vessel—

It saw Xia Ya’s golden eyes begin to glow.

"Now that you’ve poured every last drop of your Divinity and Authority into this body—"

"It’s going to be a lot harder to hide, isn’t it?"

In that instant—

The Twilight Incarnation understood Xia Ya’s gaze.

The look of a hunter watching its prey step into the trap.

Everything leading up to this moment—

The interrupted Ascension Ritual, the underground explosion, the forced surrender of Norton’s will, the premature awakening of the Twilight Incarnation, and now—

The reckless decision to invest its entire essence into its temporary vessel.

All of it.

Had been within Xia Ya’s calculations.

He had been orchestrating this from the start, waiting in silence for Twilight to fully merge with its vessel—

For the prey to step into the snare.

But—

How?

How dared Xia Ya attempt something this reckless?

The Twilight Incarnation wavered.

After multiple setbacks, it had already suffered severe losses.

The Sage’s Blood and Holy Sun Church’s Sacred Water were still corroding this vessel—

The Black King’s Judgment Edict continued binding it in chains, restricting its movements under the decree of "No Gods May Tread Here."

Yet despite it all—

It was still a Fifth-Ring entity.

And unlike human Norton, this was its domain.

As time passed, the broken seal beneath the earth would continue to leak Abyssal energy, replenishing its strength.

Here, in its own domain—

How could Xia Ya hunt a being two tiers above him?

As if reading the Twilight Incarnation’s thoughts, Xia Ya spoke.

"You're right."

"This place is your domain."

Xia Ya’s gaze lifted toward the dusk-shrouded sky—

To the blood moon, streaked with iron sigils.

"Even beings stronger than you would be suppressed here."

"So, if I want to defeat you here—"

"I’ll have to become something just like you—"

"No, something even darker, even closer to the Abyss than you are."

In Xia Ya’s hand—

A silver-white vial had appeared at some unknown moment.

Then, with a casual flick of his fingers, he uncorked the bottle—

And drank it all in a single gulp.

"Advanced Armored Alchemy Elixir."

A crimson glow ignited.

A figure appeared beside Xia Ya, emerging in silence—

Crimson.

In its true Star-Spirit form, Little Silver Spirit gently closed its eyes.

Because at this very moment—

The god responsible for its parents’ death, the cause of Crimson’s tragic childhood—

Was standing right before it.

When Xia Ya had formed a contract with Crimson—

He had promised it a chance at vengeance.

Crimson had assumed it was just a casual remark—

That, even if Xia Ya kept his word, it would be decades or centuries before it could happen.

But instead—

Within half a year, the opportunity for revenge had arrived.

And so—

Between master and summoned beast, their souls resonated in perfect unison.

A 100% Soul Synchronization.

In the next instant—

"Armor Fusion."

As Xia Ya uttered the words—

A silver-blue radiance descended.

The metallic body of Little Silver Spirit began to melt away—

Transforming into streams of silver and crimson light—

Flowing around Xia Ya’s form, forging its new shape.

And when the radiance dissipated—

What manifested was a full-body suit of blood-red armor.

Every curve and edge of the crimson armor was sharp and menacing, like the horns of a demon.

From the back of the armor, blades of crimson metal extended outward—

Blood-colored metal fused together, unfurling into a pair of menacing sword-wings.

It was the antithesis of the holy, angelic wings people envisioned.

Xia Ya’s scarlet metal wings bore no semblance of purity—

Only the visage of a Demon Lord, a King of Purgatory who wielded death and calamity.

Beneath the heavens—upon the earth.

Xia Ya, clad in crimson armor, slowly reached out his hand.

The next moment—

A blood-red light gathered in his gauntleted palm.

Then—

It solidified into a single-handed sword, as dark as blood and ink, reflecting an eerie brilliance.

And in the blade’s reflection—

Xia Ya’s figure could be seen—

His demonic, terrifying visage.

And above—

The glow of the blood moon.

Like a demon with a sword beneath the crimson moon.