Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 628: Baba Yaga

Chapter 628: Baba Yaga

Cybele waited patiently but no one appeared, leaving her no choice but to continue on her way.

She made her way to the third step, using the mechanism put in place to allow for easy movement between the steps before finally heading towards the harbor.

Through it all, she continued to sense the presence of a tail but it was clear that they weren’t planning on revealing themselves.

It couldn’t be the barbarians considering those guys lacked the grace to be stealthy, which meant that it had to be the Thieves Guild.

Most common folk thought it to be a myth but it was real, as real as the Nighteye in the sky and the ground beneath her feet.

Of course, it was difficult to find true members of the guild with most thieves claiming to be a part of the guild while not having the qualifications to join.

The real members were akin to assassins, all of whom pledged their allegiance to the Figure Hidden in the Shadows.

It was hard to tell if the entity was a deity or a concept but either way, it allowed true members of the guild to harness powers that were useful for their craft.

In any case, Cybele pondered why a member of that enigmatic organization would be tracking her considering they had an understanding with the Three Ring Bazaar.

Unless... she trailed off as she came to an understanding at that moment.

The Bazaar was the one keeping an eye on her.

Now that Pierrot was ascending, they were finally revealing the fact that they didn’t trust her completely.

Quite unfortunate, Cybele thought as she slowly made her way down the rocks, getting closer to the waves of the Azure Seas.

Once she was close enough, she glanced up and, with a mocking smile on her lips, fell in, resulting in a splash.

Moments passed before, a human wearing a black cloak along with a hood and a mask appeared, his gaze fixated on the raging waves of the Azure Seas.

***

The submarine was enough to catch the interest of the ladies the moment they came on board, with Ana playing the role of a tour guide as she showed them around.

Meanwhile, Alex met with Ulysses to discuss their next course of action.

"The Wailing Peaks." Ulysses mouthed with an expression that showed his fear for that location.

Alex nodded. "What do you know about it?"

"Apart from the fact that it’s located at the center of the Grim Forest and that it’s the home of the Banshee. Nothing much."

"I thought your family mapped out the entire continent?"

"We did. But that doesn’t change the fact that going there is dangerous."

"How dangerous?"

"As dangerous as a man summoning a Devil."

Alex frowned. "So they hate men?"

"More like they hate beautiful women and children for having what they can’t have, but..." Ulysses trailed off, taking some time to gather his thoughts before he explained. "The Banshee are an all-female race. No man can become a banshee and those that end up taking the Banshee route to grow in the Monster Wheel would end up turning into a woman."

"Hmm."

"For that reason, the Banshee can’t breed alone. They need men. In the past, during the age of the ancient cryptids, it was a usual thing for banshees to kidnap entire villages and towns, devouring the women and children while turning the men into sex dolls."

"And now?"

"They still kidnap men but not as many as before. According to rumors, they are in a silent agreement with the Alliance. As long as they don’t overdo it, they can take men whenever they want."

"So you’re saying that if we go there, there’s a chance we’d be turned into sex dolls and the girls would be ripped apart?"

"More or less," Ulysses remarked, causing Alex to shake his head.

"Apart from that, anything else we should be wary of?"

"The Grim Forest. It’s the dwelling place of Baba Yaga."

Alex raised a brow. "Who is that?"

"Just like the Warrior Wheel has the Battle God, the Beast Wheel has its Fenrir, and the Conjoined Wheel has the Lord of the Flies, the Undead Wheel has its own Undeath. That is Baba Yaga."

Alex’s expression shifted as he was well aware that Aiden, Alejandro, and Humphrey were no pushovers in combat.

Aiden had done well to give him a reality check, ensuring that he wouldn’t ever overestimate himself and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Humphrey if he had met him before his death.

To think that he would be faced with another 7th Advancement Mystic.

Pursing his lips, he snapped his fingers, allowing Humphrey to emerge from his shadow.

You sent for me.

"How confident are you in taking on another 7th Advancement Mystic?"

Humphrey raised a brow, intrigued by the question while taking the time to assess his strength.

It depends. Against the Living Water of the Storm Wheel, I would be hard-pressed. As for Aiden, I won’t be able to do anything. If it were Alejandro, I should be able to manage for a minute.

"It’s Undeath."

There was a long pause and then a drawn-out sigh.

You seem to enjoy going up against entities far above your grade. Courting death seems to be a hobby for you.

Rolling his eyes, Alex remarked. "Just tell me what I need to know."

Against an Undeath, I doubt it.

"I see," Alex remarked with a hint of annoyance.

However, that’s if I’m alone. We have an entire team capable of extraordinary things. Even if we can’t score a great victory, it should be relatively easy to beat the Undeath back. That is if their domain doesn’t have a sure hit kill effect.

"Alright then."

With that, Humphrey returned and Alex intoned, addressing Ulysses. "Tell me everything you know about this Baba Yaga and the Grim Forest. We’ll make plans accordingly."

"Alright."

It would be a long time before their conversation would end and a meeting would be called for all members of Constellations.