986  Witch Hunt: Dream Palace

"You're not getting away!" a woman shouted, leaping from a nearby rooftop.

Alice and Eilish spun around to see several witches closing in on them. The situation was dire; they were being targeted without knowing why.

"We can't shake them off! We have to fight back!" Eilish said, her eyes narrowing with determination.

Alice surveyed their surroundings quickly. The human-like golem continued its battle with the witch, while ordinary people scrambled for safety around them.

"Yeah, we have no choice but to defend ourselves," Alice declared. She turned swiftly, summoning a spear into her palm and thrusting it towards their approaching adversaries.

A surge of mana erupted from Alice's body, causing the temperature to plummet. A bluish beam shot from the tip of her spear.

Swoosh!

The pursuing witches halted abruptly, leaping aside to dodge the attack.

Alice raised her spear skyward and cast a spell.

[Hailstorm]!

A frigid wind swept out, accompanied by countless ice fragments that rained down from above.

Eilish raised her staff, her mana surging sharply. A magic circle appeared beneath her feet, intensifying the downpour of ice.

[Slow Rain]!

This rain could at least slow the movements of their pursuers.

After casting her first spell, Eilish quickly followed up with another. She tapped the air with her staff, causing a glow of light to flicker around herself and Alice.

[Raindrop Speed]!

It was a buff spell designed to enhance the speed of a target affected by any form of water.

[Greater Speed Enhancement]!

[Enhance Perception]!

[Greater Agility]!

Eilish had been diligently studying different spells since her arrival in Imperium. She had access to dozens of spell models exchanged from the Athen's Champion. Unlike Souta, who started learning from scratch, Eilish already possessed a solid foundation in spellcasting upon her arrival. Her focus was on mastering Tier 3 spells and exploring forbidden spell realms.

She cast a total of four buffs on herself and Alice. Eilish knew she was weaker than Souta, so she focused on learning support spells to assist him.

Having slowed down the pursuing witches, Alice and Eilish swiftly turned around and burst into the distance.

Bang!!

As they flew, the two heard a loud sound behind them, accompanied by rising energy fluctuations. It seemed the witches were getting serious, employing their skills and soul weapons.

"They really don't want us to escape," Eilish muttered, stealing a glance behind her.

"We're approaching the border!" Alice exclaimed, causing Eilish to look ahead.

In front of them lay a dense curtain of Dream Power, covering everything like an opaque veil. They couldn't sense anything beyond it, as the Dream Power blocked their perception.

Swoosh!!

Alice and Eilish crashed into the Dream Power. Inside it, they couldn't even sense each other. They could only continue to fly through this vast power, akin to navigating an ocean.

After a few seconds, they emerged on the other side, arriving in another region.

"Ugh, that feeling is unpleasant," Eilish said, referring to the unsettling sensation caused by passing through the Dream Power, which had completely blocked all of her senses.

"Look!" Alice exclaimed.

This region was markedly different. It featured a singular megastructure resembling a mansion, stretching across several dozen kilometers in diameter and towering to meet the Dream Power above.

This colossal building occupied most of the space in this expansive region.

"Let's go!" Alice said, kicking off the air and flying toward the building.

Eilish followed closely behind.

Swoosh!!

The witches who had emerged from the Dream Power saw the two of them heading toward the building and increased their speed to catch up.

Alice and Eilish didn't look back as they entered the building through the window.

Once inside, they immediately sprinted through the expansive hallway. The corridor was vast, lined with numerous doors on either side, and even doors above, creating an inverted appearance. With witches still in pursuit, finding a place to hide was paramount.

The two abruptly halted at the sound of a voice. They glanced upward and spotted a woman peering at them through a slightly ajar door above.

Eyeing each other warily, Alice and Eilish deliberated their options regarding the unfamiliar woman.

"I'm Kayla from the Gold Faction, captain of the Third Night Squadron. If you want to avoid the Silver Faction, follow me," the woman introduced herself.

Alice and Eilish decided to follow Kayla, partly because of their previous encounter with Elder Amulgu from the Gold Faction. They hoped that aligning with her faction might offer some safety.

Navigating through several rooms, Kayla finally stopped and turned to them. "This should be a safe spot. They won't find us here for a while."

Despite Kayla's assurance, Eilish and Alice maintained their guarded expressions. Eilish spoke up, her tone serious, "We appreciate your help, but there's really no need for you to assist us. You can leave us be."

Kayla nodded understandingly, but her gaze remained steadfast. "I understand your caution. However, we of the Gold Faction have been ordered to prioritize the six holy stakes over acquiring points. Please, rest here for now. I won't harm you."

Alice exchanged a glance with Eilish before nodding slightly. They didn't fully trust Kayla yet, but they also knew they were vulnerable alone in this hostile environment.

"Still, there's no need for you to help us. You can simply leave us alone," Eilish said firmly.

Kayla nodded in understanding, her expression resolute. "I understand your caution, but the Gold Faction's mission is to solve this game and uncover its truth. We're different from the extreme tactics of the Silver Faction."

She regarded them earnestly. "I chose to assist you based on your actions. If you had chosen violence, I wouldn't be here. I would have left you to the Silver Faction's pursuit."

Eilish nodded in acknowledgment. "We're focused on avoiding conflicts and finding our comrades. If we're cornered, we'll defend ourselves."

Glancing around the room, Eilish noticed its peculiar atmosphere. "Anyway, what's with this room? It feels different from the outside."

"This place is called the Dream Palace. It was created purely from Dream Power by our ancestors. Each room is a separate space, and sometimes it appears larger or smaller from the outside. This place is also dangerous because there are many dream beasts living here," Kayla explained.

Alice glanced at her, intrigued. "So you don't know this whole place?"

Kayla shook her head. "I only know the usual routes in this building. Even we witches didn't dare to fully explore this place. If we were as strong as our ancestors, we wouldn't have allowed these dream beasts to occupy a building built by them."

17:38

"I see... So that's why the building you guys are using isn't as grand as this one," Alice nodded in understanding.

The current Walpurgis Night was nothing compared to their glorious days when Morgan Le Fay was still present.

"Can you tell us more about the Silver Faction? I'm concerned that their actions will provoke retaliation from all the guests. It seems like you witches have limited information about the current situation in reality," Alice asked Kayla, her expression serious.

Kayla nodded in response. "Yes, we witches are not fully informed about everything happening outside. The Silver Faction is known for their aggressive approach. They prioritize earning points through violence and killing participants. They disregarded all the non-witches in this game."

Eilish interjected, her tone grave. "Some of the guests here are affiliated with dangerous groups, like the Gluttony Army. They're capable of causing significant trouble, especially if provoked. It's crucial for you witches to understand the potential threats among the guests."

"The Walpurgis Night is inside the Dream Realm. It's not easy to find this place. If you exit, the Dream Power will erase a part of your memory, and you won't be able to pinpoint it from outside. That's why no one has managed to find us in the past several hundred years," Kayla said with a slight confidence about her home.

"Fine, so what should we do now?" Eilish sighed and asked.

"Our elders tasked us with finding the six holy stakes. That's the objective of my squadron, but I got separated from my comrades while venturing into this place," Kayla explained.

"Holy stakes?" Alice narrowed her eyes. "Do you have any idea what the holy stakes are?"

"Actually, none of us knew about these holy stakes. We are currently investigating, and we only know that they have a connection with the witches," Kayla shook her head. She glanced at the two of them and said, "The information from the Dream Power said that it's in the corpse of a witch. That's our only clue for now."

"Let's go. Tell us something about the Silver Faction while we're trying to find these holy stakes and our companions," Eilish suggested.

Thanks for reading and I hope you like it.

DonnEll

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