"Mavois! You've arrived!

" Elder Amulgu exclaimed.

"Yes, elders. I'm contemplating of joining the fight once more,

" Mavois responded.

"Do you truly believe you can alter the course of this conflict?

" Red Mist's voice carried a chilling edge.

Mavois glanced at Red Mist before replying,

"I am not alone. I understand that my aging limbs alone may not be sufficient to halt you, Remuria.

"

With those words, several figures descended from above. They were the cream of the crop, the elite warriors of the Gold Faction known as the Crescent Moon Corps. Serving as the counterpart to the Dark Gold Corps of the Silver Faction, they ranked just below the six elders and comprised seven members renowned for their exceptional combat prowess.

Mavois had formerly served as the captain of the Crescent Moon Corps before retiring, but the current circumstances compelled his return to the battlefield.

Mavois positioned himself alongside the two elders and inquired,

"How are you both faring, elders?

"

"We're managing. Remuria's strength caught us off guard. It's nearing the level of the Supreme Elders,

" replied Elder Amulgu, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"The Supreme Elders... It seems her power stems from the spirit within her,

" Mavois murmured, his gaze fixed on Red Mist.

Having previously encountered Red Mist, Mavois had suspected she had attained a level of power akin to theirs. However, the realization that she was approaching the strength of the Supreme Elders exceeded his expectations. Though all were Sixth Shackles, disparities in abilities and power distinguished one expert from another. Just as the Supreme Elders were Sixth Shackles, they possessed Dream Power IV, elevating them above their counterparts.

The Crescent Moon Corps encircled Red Mist, their energies unmasked as they sought to exert pressure on her. All seven members boasted Sixth Shackle energy levels.

Ellan, the current captain of the Crescent Moon Corps, declared,

"No need to hold back. She's faced off against the elders, so don't underestimate her.

"

In response, the other members unleashed their Elemental Drive and Dream Power II. While they lacked the elders' level of dream power, they had yet to reach the pinnacle of the Sixth Shackle, unlike the elders.

"Attack!

" Ellan commanded.

In the blink of an eye, the six members surged forward with formidable momentum, their energies engulfing the entire vicinity.

"Excellent,

" Red Mist remarked, her own energy surging in response. Unfazed by her opponents' increased vigor, she asserted,

"Come! I'll vanquish every last one of you!

" Boom!!

...

Eilish and Kayla's squad traversed through the spatial gap, emerging in an unfamiliar locale. The atmosphere was shrouded in darkness, with the sky obscured by thick, billowing smoke. The ground lay strewn with desiccated leaves, and every tree stood barren, devoid of foliage.

"What sort of place is this?

" Eilish pondered aloud.

"I'm uncertain. The Dream Palace is vast, and I haven't explored it entirely,

" Kayla replied. Casting a glance back at the rift in space, she remarked,

"The golems haven't followed us. It seems your friend is keeping them occupied.

"

Eilish nodded, her confidence evident.

"Alice is strong. Those golems wouldn't pose much of a threat to her.

"

Having witnessed Alice's prowess firsthand, Eilish harbored no doubt about her friend's capabilities. Alice was among the Astros' most powerful experts, unlikely to be bested by mere golems.

"What are you going to do now?

" she inquired of Kayla.

"I will try to find the holy stakes,

" Kayla said.

"I see... Do what you have to do, and I will do what I need to. I will follow those people,

" Eilish said as she narrowed her eyes, recalling the scene where she saw her brother.

"Those people?

" Kayla said, slowly looking up.

"They are probably here. They keep ripping the spatial structures of the Dream Palace, but it ends here. If there's another rift, then they probably have gone there.

"

"Ripping the spatial structures of the Dream Palace...? That's something beyond our level,

" Kim, a member of Kayla's squad, said.

"It doesn't matter. I will find my brother no matter what,

" Eilish said in a determined tone.

"We'll go together with you while searching for the holy stakes,

" Kayla said.

"Thanks,

" Eilish replied before she turned around and flew off. Kayla and her squad followed Eilish.

Swoosh!

...

Alice stood in the middle of a devastated land. Edern and his parents had perished under her spear.

She loosened her grip on the spear, and it slowly dissipated into thin air. She felt it enter her inner consciousness, releasing an aura that increased her stamina, energy, and health

recovery.

This was one of the abilities of Rhongomiant, a universal grade weapon.

"Huff... I need to find the others now,

" Alice sighed as she looked up at the sky.

She felt that there was more to this Witch Hunt Game, and the Walpurgis Night held a lot of dark history. Edern and his family were victims of the witches' experimentation. There were victims who had reached the level of Fifth and Sixth Shackle, levels beyond her current abilities. The only thing she could do was fight people at her level.

But what if there are some at Seventh Shackle... Who would dare to confront someone at that level? The Matriarch of the Walpurgis Night? But the matriarch had been missing for a long

time.

Alice shook her head. There was no need to dwell on these details at the moment. The information wasn't sufficient to draw a conclusion.

She walked towards the village and untied all the ordinary people who had been captured. She couldn't help but feel pity for these individuals. Edern and his parents had been desperate enough to die that they would resort to anything to achieve it.

As expected, strength mattered in this world.

Alice turned around and muttered,

"Eilish... I wonder if she caught up with her brother.

"

As for Souta, she was confident that he would be fine. He was stronger than them, even if his condition restricted him, though it would be a problem if he encountered someone at Sixth

Shackle.

The person she was most concerned about was Amanda. She was the weakest among them, lacking even enough strength to contend with someone at Second Shackle. In Walpurgis Night, there were hundreds of SS-rank experts, and even the human-like golems possessed

significant power.

Encountering a fourth-stage dream beast would be extremely dangerous for Amanda. It wouldn't be an issue if she were at least at Eilish's level, but she was currently only at One

Shackle.

In this place, too many creatures could snuff out the life of a One Shackle expert.

This was merely the diminished Walpurgis Night. In its heyday, they would have seen Seventh Shackle and above walking around in broad daylight.

"I need to find Amanda. If she's in the Dream Palace, the danger is even higher since people

like Edern are here. The golems may be failed products of the experiments, but they can leave the Dream Palace, unlike Edern and those like him. There should be a reason to it.

" Alice

muttered.

...

In other regions, experts battled human-like golems. Some fought among themselves for the so-called points of this Witch Hunt Game.

Outside the elders' influence, chaos reigned. Combatants clashed with a singular aim: to

accumulate one hundred points.

The human-like golems moved with startling speed, cutting down people indiscriminately. Blood stained the ground crimson as corpses littered the floor.

It was a gruesome spectacle.

Amanda ran, evading the attention of the human-like golems. Beside her were Princess Iris

and Captain Sarguan of the Palleo Kingdom in the Obsidian Desert.

They had met at the onset of the Witch Hunt and decided to stick together to mitigate the

dangers of the chaotic situation.

The group halted as they landed atop a building. Peering down, they witnessed people locked

in desperate combat.

Captain Sarguan cast a glance at Amanda and inquired,

"Can you keep up?

"

Amanda nodded in response. Despite being the weakest among them, they had chosen to include her out of deference to her leader, the renowned Blood Lightning Monster.

"Don't fret, we'll locate your comrades and my brother,

" Princess Iris assured Amanda.

Princess Iris and Captain Sarguan found themselves separated from Prince Servon, much like Amanda had been from Souta and the others. Fortunately, they encountered each other.

"Take a breather. We'll rest here for a minute before continuing,

" Captain Sarguan instructed Amanda and Princess Iris.

Seated, Amanda and Princess Iris complied while Captain Sarguan kept a vigilant watch over

their surroundings.

Narrowing his eyes, Captain Sarguan noticed something amiss.

"Prepare yourselves, a golem

is approaching our location,

" he warned.

Amanda and Princess Iris immediately rose to their feet. Not even a minute had passed, yet a

golem was already closing in on them.

"It's still advancing. I'm certain it detected us,

" Captain Sarguan remarked, his hand inching

toward the sword strapped to his back.

"Thermal readings... Exterminating the participants,

" the golem announced as it surged

toward their location.

Swoosh!

"So it detected us based on our body heat?!

" Captain Sarguan exclaimed as he revealed

himself, drawing his sword. With a determined swing, he aimed for the approaching golem.

"Die! I prefer not to attract further attention with a fight, but you'll meet your end today!

"