Chapter 379: Manifestation of Evil
"Triss, what... what are you doing?"
The sorceress turned to face the voice. It belonged to her uncle, Prince Yourcast of Maribor, who was accompanied by several of his guards.
"Uncle." Triss quickly explained Lynn's theory and Foltest's command.
"Nonsense. All because of a lowborn mutant's—"
Yourcast's words were cut short. The pentagram sigil flared in Lynn's cat-like eyes.
Detect Evil activated!
Yourcast's bloated body suddenly burst into spontaneous combustion. The guards at his side instinctively recoiled, but then quickly realized that if their liege died, their comfortable lives would end. One guard ran to fetch water, while another tore a curtain from the corridor window and tried to smother the flames on the Prince.
But the fire burned with unnatural speed. In the blink of an eye, the flames consumed Yourcast's entire body.
"Uncle!" Triss cried out. She was about to cast a water spell to douse the flames, but Lynn grabbed her hand.
Lynn pulled Triss back several steps, shielding her behind him.
"Lynn, what are you—" Triss was startled.
Lynn's face was grim. "Watch."
Detect Evil was a passive ability granted to him by the Lady of the Lake at the end of his journey in Toussaint. It had never activated before. Its sudden use now could only mean one thing…
The flames receded, and the illusion that had masked Yourcast vanished, revealing a grotesque, bloated, humanoid monstrosity. The guard who had tried to help the Prince stood frozen in shock. He couldn't comprehend that the man he had served was, in fact, a monster.
Yourcast ignored everyone else. Its eyes, which occasionally dripped with a viscous green fluid, were fixed on the witcher.
"You... you're a chosen of that Bitch of the Lake?"
Triss gasped, covering her mouth. Only now did she realize with dawning horror that her uncle had already fallen into depravity. He had become a minion of evil.
She immediately connected the dots. If her uncle was an Elder God's thrall, then he was surely the culprit behind Foltest's worsening condition. A wave of shame washed over Triss. She had been the one to recommend her King seek refuge in Maribor. She had led him right into the lion's den.
A look of humiliation and fury flashed across her face. Her staff spun in her hand, and she pointed it forward. Raw, chaotic magic coalesced into the jewel at its tip, erupting into a massive ball of magma. The terrifying liquid burst into a roaring blazing serpent that shot straight toward Yourcast.
The deformed monstrosity either was too terrified or simply didn't care to dodge. It stood there, dumbly, allowing the blazing serpent to strike it directly. There was a deafening boom and a blast of fire. The flames splashed across the floor and walls, but when the light faded, Yourcast was completely unharmed.
Not only that, but a faint, shimmering purple aura surrounded the bloated monster, protecting it.
Yourcast let out a disgusting laugh. The sound alone made a normal person's head spin. "Your mortal tricks are no match for the anti-magic ward personally bestowed by my master!"
"I was planning to take my time, but since you've exposed me, I'll simply turn all of you into my master's flesh thralls!"
"Except for you, my dear niece. As we are kinsmen, I will give you a chance to serve my master."
Yourcast laughed triumphly. Then, his vision blurred. He saw the mutant raise a huge blade blank in his hands. An ominous premonition suddenly seized him.
"An anti-magic ward, you say?" Lynn's mouth curled into a cruel smile. The next moment, the massive blade blank shot forward like a meteor, striking Yourcast viciously in the side.
The evil aura protecting Yourcast didn't react at all. The Prince was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing through a window in the corridor and out of the castle.
Lynn hefted the massive blade blank and, without waiting for the dust to settle, rushed out through the shattered window. After the brutal attack, Yourcast's humanoid form had become even more unstable. The swelling grew worse, making it look like a disgusting lump of flesh with more limbs sprouting from its sides.
Yourcast crawled furiously on the ground, turning to look behind him as he did. The sight nearly scared him to death. The witcher, whose power seemed inhuman, wasn't letting him go. He was right behind him.
Yourcast shrieked and sped up.
Noticing that Yourcast was headed straight for the King's manor, Lynn stopped his pursuit, concerned for Foltest's safety. He pulled out his Koviri longbow, aimed at the bloated figure, and let loose. Arrow after arrow, like a violent storm, pierced Yourcast's body.
The creature's speed slowed, but its vitality was truly tenacious. A normal monster wouldn't have survived such a barrage of arrows. Yet Yourcast merely slowed down, as if the damage were minimal.
Lynn put away his bow and hurled the giant blade blank with all his might. The blade blank fell from the sky, and even without a sharpened edge, its terrible momentum sliced into Yourcast's body, pinning it to the ground and rendering it immobile.
But moments later, a new mutation took place. Yourcast's head twisted with a wet snap, detaching from his neck. It then sprouted segmented legs like a crustacean and scurried away in a blur, escaping into the small building next to the manor. The body that had been impaled by the blade blank gradually softened, turning into a foul-smelling, viscous puddle.
"Blade blank, to me!" a voice from behind him called out.
The giant blade blank tore itself from the ground and flew back to Triss, hovering in front of her. She immediately cast a cleansing spell, scrubbing away all the filth that had stained it.
Lynn thanked her, grabbed the massive blade blank, and stormed into the small building with Triss. Although Yourcast had escaped ahead of them, his trail was crystal clear to Lynn's witcher senses. He effortlessly found a room that should have been locked. On the floor was a wooden ladder leading down.
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