Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 172 - 150 Treant Guardian

Chapter 172: Chapter 150 Treant Guardian

Only now did it truly feel like a secret gathering of witches.

Farosa sat at the head of the room, watching over the Little Witches kneeling and bowing before her, as a dozen candles flickered on either side, casting light upon each witch’s face.

At the moment, she had four loyal servants, 101, 102, Mizuiro Yoshioka, and Shallow Dream. Pan Ruiyi was actually Farosa’s most skilled follower, but she was currently out of contact, requiring the future Forest Master to assist in communication. That is to say, there could be considered five followers, while Farosa still needed to recruit two more witches for the first Ascending God Ceremony she anticipated.

There were two other witches in the industrial park just within reach, alas, Lila was fixated on Xu Yang, indifferent toward Farosa. The Rat Witch had her own agenda, aspiring to be the hope of the Ratfolk, unwilling to serve under Farosa.

No matter, the great cause did not need them. Farosa was very confident.

A high-ranking individual only speaks when necessary. Farosa’s gaze swept over those Little Witches, observing their behavior—none dared to meet Farosa’s eyes and lift their head.

Farosa gave them both fear and hope. They each had their own reasons for following the New Witch Council.

To protect something more important, for security, for growth, for power... In comparison, Shallow Dream’s reverence for Farosa was more pure; the others had formed their first impressions of her before actually meeting, while Shallow Dream only felt an immense charm emitting from Farosa, her heart filled with awe, affection, and adoration.

There was still much about Farosa that Shallow Dream did not understand. For her, still harboring the odd notions of adolescence, she even wanted to lie between Farosa’s feet and sniff the scent of her arches.

knew the procedure in advance from Farosa and acted as the one giving orders, even though she was not naturally talkative but still complied with Farosa’s will, forcing herself to speak.

"Our plan is very clear," 101 said in a soft voice, "Currently, we have located a Secret Ritual Group in Aizu City, who follow the will of the Forest Master."

"Is it to steal something from them?" 102 asked.

"It’s Dewdrops, and powerful ones," 101 explained, "They can enhance Lady Farosa’s power, and in return, Lady Farosa will grant us her power."

"A gift? What kind is it?" Shallow Dream asked, extremely curious.

"For me, it was like a dream," Mizuiro Yoshioka confirmed, "After receiving Lady Farosa’s gift, I was no longer just a witch who could release a bit of ink. The magic power that had once been sealed was now once again growing and evolving."

"Shallow Dream, only by proving your loyalty and making an offering, can you receive Lady Farosa’s favor," 101 declared, "Let’s get going now."

"Yes!" Shallow Dream nodded vigorously.

They began to move one after another.

Mizuiro Yoshioka was responsible for driving Anonymous, buying supplies, while 102 was tasked with tuning and preparing the Standard Witch Armor. Shallow Dream repeatedly sensed the magic power within her body, hoping it wouldn’t fail her when the time came.

"You are doing well," Farosa said to 101, very satisfied, "Carry on."

Speaking had exhausted all of 101’s energy, but she preferred to sit still and daydream; now, she could only slowly nod to Farosa.

"I will heed the command," said 101 with a nod.

To ensure her younger sister was healthy and safe, she knew following Farosa and Xu Yang was the best course of action; other companies couldn’t even provide this level of treatment.

The first raid of the New Witch Council was about to begin, and if successful, Farosa would obtain the coveted Dewdrops and a vast array of ritual items for the ceremony, greatly aiding her journey towards Ascension. The Forest Master had tacitly allowed this act, betraying its own followers in exchange for Farosa’s promise of freedom.

The ruthlessness with which Farosa devoured deities was not something that intimidated the Forest Master; on the contrary, it only admired the witch’s audacity even more.

There was nothing she could not do.

According to the intelligence from the Forest Master, its Secret Ritual Group was located deep within Number 26 Highland, at Building B of the 7th block at the Iwaki Abandoned Apartment Complex. The location was remote, far away from other companies’ territories, and controlled by a gang known as the Bamboo Gang. The leader, named Takeichi Jiro, was a ruthless middle-aged gang leader who had once dominated the criminal underworld of Aizu City.

Five years ago, the real estate company ran out of funds to finish these seven apartments. In order to recoup their investments, they still advertised on schedule, plastering ads all over the streets and alleys. Only after tenants moved in did they realize that the buildings were dilapidated, with no water or electricity, and the load-bearing materials were shoddy, making the structures extremely hazardous.

The rental agreements required tenants to live there for at least 24 months and also to prepay a six-month deposit, leaving them with no way out. Half of the people swallowed their complaints and continued living in the rotting apartments, paying exorbitant rents for an extremely inconvenient life and being extorted by the surrounding Bamboo Gang. The other half simply lost the courage to go on living.

Now the Iwaki City Apartments have become even more abandoned. Tenants moved out or were killed one after another, leaving behind shell-like ghost residences. The surroundings were barren, without even a store in sight, reminiscent of a desolate graveyard.

Acting on principles of bureaucracy, Lady Farosa, on behalf of the Witch Division, requested intelligence on Sun Biotech and Yahara Masato from Nestor Corporation’s CEO, Lila, and quickly received relevant information from them.

What a marvelous and meticulous corporate system. The instant she received the email response, Farosa almost forgot the grudges that lay between them.

After studying the intelligence, she learned that Sun Biotech was a Secret Ritual Group disguised as a biological company, and Yahara Masato was an important member among them, nearly equivalent to an Elder and Priest, dedicated to reviving the status of the Forest Master in Aizu City.

They prepared their battle plans in Building 6, just a street away from Building B. The Anonymous hovered above the apartment rooftop, with only a narrow gap left between it and Aizu City’s simulated luminous screen, a slight misstep could lead to collision with the crystal display.

102, carrying the Great Chain Axe, was ready to strike. She wore "Whisper" class Witch Armor, with astonishing defense capabilities, and armed with an advanced alloy battle axe that was effective both in close combat and at range, her destructive power and breaching ability were exceptional.

Responsible for reconnaissance was 101. She wore a utility vest with high-speed cameras attached to the front and back. She teleported directly inside Building B, constantly moving instantly, leaping from floor to floor, flickering briefly in each room. At each location, the cameras she carried captured the environment and distribution of people in the surrounding rooms, transmitting the information to Mizuiro Yoshioka’s smart display. She scanned these images and handed them over to Farosa.

Because of 101’s continuous leaps, the people in the rooms had no time to get a clear look at her before she moved on to the next area.

"Wow..."

"There’s a strange phantom..."

"What is that..." The members of the Secret Ritual Group pointed and muttered amongst themselves, second-guessing what they had seen.

Farosa, watching the intelligence brought back by 101, slowly understood the overall structure of Building B.

The basement to the mid-levels of the apartment had been hollowed out, with ceilings broken to allow enough space for plant growth. A developing tree was growing upwards, surrounded by thousands of sun lamps, artificially creating a clear-sky environment to illuminate the tree. Each branch of the tree had a withered human body strung up. These people had not died but had entered into symbiosis with the giant tree. From the basement to the second floor, there were no less than seventy people hanging from the tree.

Their bodies were merged with the tree branches to various extents, with spines transformed into thick branches and limbs into twigs, hair resembling leaves. The surrounding sun lamps enabled the giant tree to continue photosynthesis, generating energy to sustain their existence. It was as if the tree had sprouted dozens of withered parasites, a grotesque sight.

The ritual site was on the top floor of the apartment, a clean, spacious room with a statue of the Forest Master in the center, a monstrous figure with heads of a deer, bear, and boar, assembled from cheap metal and plastic, wrapped in thousands of thorns and dripping with blood.

Around it lay countless followers, penetrated by the trees, with their bodies plant-like. They turned their bodies into nourishment for the Forest Master, and it was vaguely visible that streams of power formed bright green glimmers, drifting from their corpses toward the central three-headed beast, merging into the mysterious metal-crafted effigies, forming a substantial lifeforce transfer. This ensured it would not perish in the frigid Far North Lands, a sacrifice they deemed most worthy.

The hanging tree was on the lower levels, and the ritual site was on the top, with a mezzanine for the followers to rest and cook. The elite elders of the Secret Ritual Group roamed near the ritual site.

concluded her reconnaissance and jumped back to Farosa’s location.

Aside from the parasitic humans hanging on the giant tree, there were not a few movable enemies, including 200 ordinary followers with slight features of tree branches. There were also seven "Elders," who had given enough to be transformed by the Forest Master into mature Treemen.

There was also... Yahara Masato, the head of Solar Company and the most devout and powerful among them.

Farosa judged that he was mid-tier in the power hierarchy created by the Forest Master, above the Treemen, and a Treant Guardian with considerable combat ability.

Sending in the precious Little Witches to fight these tree creatures was truly disheartening. What if they got hurt, Farosa contemplated. If only the Rat Witch were willing to bow and submit, sending those insignificant Ratfolk to the front lines as cannon fodder would be delightful.