Hate Me, Miss Witch!

As the image on the psychic screen showed Xaya's retreating figure heading deeper into the inferno, everyone watching held their breath.

In their hearts, they hoped for a miracle—that Xaya might unveil some hidden trump card to turn the tables and pull off a dramatic comeback.

Despite knowing how impossible it seemed for one person to face down dozens of Pyromancers, including a Third-Ring adversary, hope still burned bright in their minds.

Yet no miracle unfolded.

The thin figure on the screen simply walked steadily toward the ominous black altar.

As Xaya approached, the altar reacted violently, its black flames roaring higher than ever. The searing darkness coiled around him hungrily, as if savoring a rare delicacy.

The flames licked at Xaya's skin, their touch promising torment. They had incapacitated other students instantly, leaving them gravely injured or unconscious.

But Xaya remained calm. Ignoring the flames, he pressed on, step after step.

Soon, his figure vanished into the shadowy heart of the altar, swallowed by the black flames.

The inferno surged, blocking all psychic surveillance and obscuring even the cultists' view.

"Will he… survive?" someone whispered among the gathered students.

No one answered.

The room was silent, except for muffled sobs from a few students.

Breaking the tension, a professor, evidently a devout follower of the Dawn Church, stepped forward. He held a silver scale, the symbol of the goddess of Justice and Judgment, and solemnly began to pray:

"The good fight you have fought…

The path you have walked to its end…

The cause you have upheld to the last…"

His voice wavered with emotion.

"Xaya Egut…

A crown of righteousness now awaits you."

In the distance, where three Fourth-Ring experts were locked in fierce combat, the fiery ritual also drew attention.

"Hahaha!"

The Ashen Primarch, despite his Lava Golem suffering heavy damage and nearing collapse, laughed triumphantly.

"Zieg, Karn… I truly owe you my thanks," he sneered.

Even if the cult's forces were wiped out in Freesta's capital today, completing the fire sacrifice made it all worthwhile.

Zieg, commanding his Earth Bear King, and Karn, leading their counteroffensive, showed no signs of relief despite their apparent advantage.

"Such a tragedy," Karn muttered. "He was brave, gifted, and unyielding. A rare talent. If he had lived, he might have become a titled or even legendary figure—a pillar of the Empire's future."

Zieg grimly nodded. "A single Legend can elevate an entire faction to the top of the continent's hierarchy. Losing someone with that potential… a heavy price."

Meanwhile, within the black flames, Xaya sneezed unexpectedly.

"Feels like someone's cursing me to die," he muttered. "And not just one or two people, either."

He glanced at the raging flames around him. The searing heat and soul-piercing pain were relentless, but Xaya's expression didn't waver.

"This is nothing. I've faced an unsealed Eldritch God before. A mere fragment of a finger bone? Laughable."

He smirked coldly, pulling out a mithril box from his spatial pouch.

Inside was the artifact he had retrieved from Reza City: a remnant of the Dusk Blight. Though its power had been exhausted in the past, Xaya had replenished it during his encounter with Sylvia, making it a perfect weapon for this moment.

Opening the box, he unleashed the artifact's power.

The black flames paused for an instant, sensing a rival. Then, like a predator spotting a greater threat, they surged toward the artifact in a frenzied assault.

The yellowish hue of the artifact's energy collided with the black flames, sizzling and crackling as they fought for dominance. Though the artifact was clearly overpowered, its resistance bought Xaya precious seconds.

"Magic beats magic," Xaya muttered with a smirk, using the reprieve to advance.

Reaching the altar's core, he found its source: a withered, oversized finger bone radiating an aura of malevolence.

A notification flashed in his mind:

Ashen Sovereign's Left Finger Bone

Category: Relic | Transcendent Material

Tier: Sixth-Tier

Attributes: Fire | Darkness | Curse

Description: No blood, no bone, no ash.

Another message followed:

Detected fire source matching the prototype skill "Amaterasu" of companion beast Silver. Would you like to integrate the source and complete the skill?

Xaya's lips curled into a confident grin.

"Let's see what you've got."