The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 17: Sharp Feather Bird

Looking at the girl who had discovered his whereabouts, Abyss Jellywin's expression was uncertain. He was considering whether to immediately kill her to eliminate the threat or to quickly leave here while those police officers weren't paying attention.

He currently had a bottle of high-quality 'Featherweight Potion' in hand. Just by drinking it, he could easily jump down from this sixth floor and escape at an extremely fast speed. However, he didn't dare to gamble that those police officers had no means of accelerated pursuit. It was best to first kill the girl in front of him, buying himself a few minutes. Once he ran far enough, it would be difficult for those police officers to catch him.

Thinking it, he acted. After all, the girl in front of him was only at the First Tier, so dealing with her wouldn't be much trouble. In just a few seconds, he made his decision. Then, with a lift of his finger, several threads shot through the darkness toward the girl opposite him.

Seeing this, Sylutia leaped backward. At the same time, several purple threads appeared beside her, interweaving and knitting together to block the corridor, entangling the enemy threads that tried to pass through.

"Oh—" Seeing this, Abyss Jellywin drew out his tone, a mocking look flashing in his eyes.

She actually dared to use the same technique in front of him. Did she not know he had started learning 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' ten years ago?

A glint flashed in his pupils. The pursuing threads turned pitch black and sharp, severing the purple threads in the air and rushing toward Sylutia at an even faster speed.

However, by this time, Sylutia had already woven her own 'Thread Bird'. The purple bird agilely spun and circled, entangling all the incoming threads onto itself before rapidly burning up, incinerating them.

After neutralizing the opponent's move, Sylutia thought for a moment. Resisting with a First Tier Aspect was still too difficult. Even with her high talent, it was hard to bridge a gap in numerical values that was too large.

Better to advance a tier. She was at the critical point anyway.Then, Abyss Jellywin saw the aura around the girl opposite him change. An incredibly complex magic array unfolded beneath her feet, as if thousands of different runic characters flew in and merged into it, quickly solidifying. Her rank also rose from 'First Tier' to 'Second Tier'.

【The Maiden Who Comprehends Runes】(Second Tier·Secret Word)

'The veins of knowledge, ancient reappearance, the patterns of runes, are now familiar to you.'

- Effect 【Discernment Eyes Lv.6】: Originating from special talent and physique, you can distinguish fivefold colors imperceptible to ordinary people, as well as the intrinsic essence of things. (This ability also improves synchronously when you raise the tier of your Fate Card.)

- Effect 【Inspiration Lv.3】: Can subconsciously piece together the vast information stored in your mind to provide assistance in solving problems. (The activation of this effect is not stable.)

- Effect 【Rune Mastery Lv.5】: You are exceptionally familiar with runes, granting you better effects and faster response speeds when constructing spell models. (Spell Effect +3, Response Speed +2)

Ability Cards: 【Mnemonic Method Lv.4】【Spell: Thread Bird Lv.3 → Lv.4】

After completing the advancement, the magic array beneath Sylutia's feet dissipated. The light points within spiraled and converged in the air, quickly sketching out two birds.

The birds, which were previously only about the size of sparrows, now became as large as pigeons, their forms more solid and condensed.

The two birds appeared in the air like a pair of chasing Taiji fish, then changed direction and flew toward Abyss Jellywin opposite.

In the short corridor of just over ten meters, hidden black threads manifested one after another, sharp as blades, slicing through the birds' wings. Broken feathers scattered in the air, eventually turning into fragments and dissipating.

Seeing this, Abyss Jellywin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she had just advanced. How could she possibly master more powerful spells immediately?

【Decapitating Threads】

He once again used the spell he was most proficient in. Sharp threads crisscrossed as they stabbed toward Sylutia. He had expected her to panic, dodge, and flee. However, the girl at the other end of the corridor was now holding her hands out in front of her chest as if cradling something. A brand new white bird was rapidly taking shape.

At a time like this, she was still weaving a bird? How naive and overconfident. He inwardly mocked and secretly rejoiced, but what happened next immediately changed his expression.

He saw the white bird complete its formation within seconds, then break free from the girl's palms and fly out. Its pure white feathers flapped as it charged toward the incoming sharp black threads. He had expected the scene of the bird being sliced to pieces, but reality was the opposite.

As the bird passed through, the black threads were all severed, while the bird remained pristine and intact.

'Bird + Sharp Feathers·Charge·Speed·Sharpness·Threads' 【Spell: Thread Bird Lv.5】

Compared to before, Sylutia had added a new compound rune, 'Sharp Feathers', to the spell model. This made its wings as sharp as blades, capable of slicing through the incoming threads.

"How is this possible?" At this moment, Abyss Jellywin finally couldn't help but shout out.

Weaving threads into a bird inherently consumed more mental effort. Maintaining a complex model would greatly reduce the stability and power of the spell model. Why could this girl in front of him, after constructing the threads into a bird, still maintain such strength and stability, and even add a compound rune that seemed even more powerful?

Adding one basic rune would double the difficulty of the spell model. Compound runes were composed of multiple basic runes. Adding one compound rune was equivalent to increasing the difficulty of the spell model by more than tenfold out of thin air. Which apprentice would expend so much effort on such a thing? Moreover, complex spells also required more mental power to mobilize and control, making them cost-ineffective.

Seeing this bird about to reach him, Abyss Jellywin curled his fingers. A garnet ring he wore on one of them shone brightly, then an invisible shockwave spread out, shattering the bird in front of him. Afterwards, the garnet on the ring shattered and broke, turning into glowing fragments that dissipated.

Having temporarily neutralized Sylutia's attack, he no longer hesitated. He quickly pulled out that bottle of 'Featherweight Potion' from his waist, gulped it down in one go, then charged toward a nearby room, leaped out of the open window, and plunged into the darkness.

Under the enhancement of the transcendent potion, his body became lighter. After landing on the ground, he quickly began to flee.

At this moment, Sylutia arrived at the window he had jumped from, a step too late. This wasn't her intentionally letting the opponent escape. Rather, when Sylutia saw him drink the potion, she was surprised to recognize that the potion was one she had brewed herself earlier, so she was momentarily distracted.

Picking up the small glass bottle left on the ground, Sylutia carefully examined it, confirming it was indeed the one.

She remembered that after submitting the potion as part of her assessment, the school said they would uniformly hand over the potions brewed by the students to the local Apothecary Association for sale, then convert the proceeds into bonuses for the students.

She never expected it to be bought by him and used right in front of her.

Looking at the figure fleeing swiftly in the alleyway below, Sylutia raised her finger. One white bird after another manifested, then dove down, chasing into the night.

The police officers stationed outside also noticed the white birds flying past. They immediately called the remaining personnel and swiftly gave chase.

"Grab him, don't let him get away!" The shouts in the night were particularly loud, making Abyss Jellywin, fleeing ahead, panic.

Although his speed was more than double his usual pace, as a Mage, he wasn't naturally fast to begin with. Even with the potion's enhancement, he couldn't match the Transcendents among the police officers who had the 'Bloodline' Aspect.

After running for a while, he increasingly felt that the clothes he was wearing had too much wind resistance and weren't suitable for movement, only for showing off status and looking cool on ordinary days. But at this moment, there was no time to change clothes and shoes.

Within a few breaths, several police officers had already caught up. They drew the military sabers from their waists and closed in. The long, narrow, silver blades flashed in the darkness, slicing through Abyss Jellywin's coat and leaving deep, bone-visible wounds on his back and arm. The intense pain made the corners of his mouth twitch. He endured the agony and summoned threads, preparing for a desperate fight.

Unfortunately, at this moment, several white birds from the sky had already arrived. Multiple white, resilient threads crisscrossed and tightened, locking his joints and throat. The suffocation and the tightening pain from his neck instantly filled him with fear. His limbs began to go limp, and he slowly knelt on the ground.

Soon, other police officers also arrived and surrounded him.

Half an hour later, under the escort of a group of police officers, Abyss Jellywin, bound and blindfolded, was put into a police car. Then the steam vehicle started and took him to the police station.

The Bureau Chief stood by the roadside, watching the receding taillights, and took a satisfied puff of his cigarette. Then he turned around and looked at the black-haired girl beside him.

"Thank you very much this time, Miss Hedra."

"Although the police station's funds are limited and we can't offer much in thanks, if you encounter any minor troubles or problems in the future, you can always come to us."

Seeing the slightly naive and puzzled look in the girl's eyes, he laughed heartily.

"It's fine. Just consider it as having gained a group of friends you can call upon anytime. Are you free the night after tomorrow? Come join us for a meal. After cracking this case, we can properly relax a bit."

"The day after tomorrow? I should be able to." Sylutia agreed.

The next day, news of the serial murder case being solved was published in the Asra District newspaper. The front page commended the Bureau Chief and the police officers for their wise, calm analysis and brave arrest operation, making an outstanding contribution to maintaining local safety and order.