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Witch Point.

The witches’ frontmost base in their efforts of hunting down Homunculus and Criminal Exiles in the Modern World that was established by Duchess Tiphereth.

At first, there were fewer than ten branches worldwide, but over time, after negotiations with various government officials were made, they expanded their reach, steadily growing in influence.

This was due to the interests of witches and influential figures of the Modern World—both in politics and business—intertwined.

From the perspective of high-ranking officials in the modern world...

The atrocities committed by Homunculus or Criminal Exiles were disasters that couldn’t be handled even with the advanced technology they had.

Since the Witch Point could prevent the disasters caused by Homunculus’ mere existence, as well as the Criminal Exiles’ tyranny, they were pretty much an all-purpose problem-solving agency.

This was why politicians from various countries granted enormous benefits and extralegal privileges to establish and maintain the Witch Point.

For witches (mainly Exiles), Witch Points were a welcome presence.

Unlike Gehenna, the Modern World had no clear laws protecting witches.

This meant, the witches living out there lived in constant fear of being attacked by Criminal Exiles or even by other Exiles.

Even with their supernatural abilities, witches still needed a system that allowed them to exchange information and ensure their safety.

Therefore, while the initial purpose of Witch Point’s establishment was as a frontmost base for subjugation, these days, it also had been playing a complex role of an information hub, safe havens, and research facilities.

In a way, they had become miniature versions of Gehenna.

Because of this, Witch Points were implicitly recognized as neutral zones, allowing them to establish their branches in major cities across Eastern Europe, Africa, and South America—regions heavily infested with Criminal Exiles.

Hence why, ‘an attack on a Witch Point’ came out as shocking as an attack on an embassy.

“...”

Reading the report she received by fax, Branch Manager Sua frowned.

The message was blunt and to the point:

[Multiple unidentified Criminal Exiles. Dar es Salaam Witch Point under attack. The branch manager, Abdest, and eight others were confirmed dead. Evacuation initiated. No backup needed.]

The Dar es Salaam branch in Tanzania was hit hard, suffering massive losses before they were forced to retreat.

Just a few days ago, the Addis Ababa branch in Ethiopia also had fallen. Which meant, the two largest Witch Point branches in East Africa had been wiped out.

“...Is Duchess Keter really not going to make her move...?”

For the longest time, Duchess Keter served as the pillar holding the witch society together.

But, ever since rumors about how she was no longer able to act had started to spread, the Criminal Exiles started to make bold moves.

All the incidents happening worldwide only made those rumors seem more likely to be true.

The Criminal Exiles launched a coordinated assault on Witch Points, their biggest obstacle.

Their number was small—less than 5% of all witches.

But they were the embodiment of madness and obsession—a bunch of deranged witches who were willing to do anything in their pursuit of magic.

After the fall of Qliphoth, the haven for the worst Exiles and Criminals, their survivors clawed their way out from beneath Duchess Tiphereth’s vengeance.

Those Criminals might have the same rank as regular witches, but their combat skills were on a completely different level.

And now, they had joined forces and were attacking together.

The effect was massive. In less than two weeks, twelve Witch Point branches had been wiped out, including those in Mexico City, Cairo, Lima, Santiago, and St. Petersburg.

The South American branches, which had been somehow continuing their activities even amidst the active Criminal Exiles activities, were all destroyed, and in fact, the South American as a whole had been transformed into a lawless zone.

Not only that, the Criminal Exiles even started to expand their operations in the global underground economy, sparking even more violent conflicts.

All this chaos prompted the regular Exiles to lie low, resulting in fewer subjugation missions being taken up, and more disasters caused by Homunculi.

In short, everything was falling apart.

Just like how countless small kingdoms popped up after the fall of an absolute ruler, the forces once kept in check by Duchess Keter were now running rampant.

The biggest issue was that neither the witches of Gehenna nor the Exiles outside were doing anything about it.

While the stronger nations pumped billions of dollars into supporting Gehenna and the various Witch Points, places like South America, where Criminal Exiles ran wild received almost nothing.

Since it wasn’t their fingers that were bitten, they were watching with their hands behind their backs, taking the stance of, ‘Let them do whatever’.

Not many of them were willing to go up against these bloodthirsty hounds just to protect a worthless scrap of territory.

A foolish, short-sighted mindset.

Although the branch managers of the Witch Points, who grasped the gravity of the situation, were scrambling to respond to those attacks under Eloa’s leadership, trying to suppress the chaos, they were completely outnumbered.

“What a mess...”

It was becoming painfully clear just how much witches had taken their privileges for granted.

Then, as if the Criminal Exiles weren’t bad enough, there were signs that even the ‘Ancient Witches’ were starting to move.

If those Criminals are no longer satisfied with what they’re doing and aiming for the major Witch Points, will we even be able to fight back?

Branch Manager Sua could already feel the weight of her problems piling up.

2.

Bianca Belleli, once a lover and a partner bound by love and hate.

Now, she was dead.

The True Ancestor, Claire Asmodeus, accepted the cruel reality.

With the death of their leader, the loss of over ten thousand members, and the collapse of the Alcoriza Familia, Bianca’s organization was completely wiped out.

Had Claire decided to make her move during the aftermath, she could’ve easily seized what was left of Bianca’s assets.

But she decided not to.

“I will have my revenge...”

Because all she wanted was revenge and nothing else.

She was set on one thing; to make those vermin pay with a fate worse than death.

According to the rumors, Bianca’s final battle was against the male witch.

Some even claimed that the man, Shin Siwoo, had killed her.

But, there was no one among the Criminal Exiles that believed such nonsense.

“There’s no way Bianca was killed by some pathetic man.”

After all, none of them was unaware of the Witch of Desire’s infamy.

A 22nd ranked witch, undefeated in her entire life, an impeccable sharpshooter.

Even the mere idea that she lost in a one-on-one duel against a male witch sounded like a bad joke.

Convinced that ‘there was more to the story,’ Claire began searching through Bianca’s old workshops.

Its location was well-known, so at this point, it had been ransacked by other witches.

But, securing escape routes and having various safehouses was common sense for Criminal Exiles.

Claire knew plenty of Bianca’s secret workshop locations.

After three days of searching, she finally found something worthwhile.

In the place where they once shared a passionate love that felt like a dagger to the heart now, tucked away in the drawer of the workshop where she stayed for the last time in her life, was all the intel Bianca had dug up.

Claire managed to confirm that Bianca was indeed aiming for the male witch.

Shin Siwoo.

The only male witch in history, who had stirred up trouble even in the Modern World.

A former slave of Gehenna.

Estimated to be on the 19th rank.

Currently residing in Gehenna, his status was guaranteed by Sua Agatha, Eloa Tiphereth and Countess Gemini.

He had close ties with famed witches like Countess Yesod, Cybele Periwinkle, and Sharon Evergreen.

The documents contained scattered information about him, along with detailed plans on how to lure him out of Gehenna.

Bianca had even tested his combat prowess by inciting a Homunculus incident in Gehenna.

One of her key strategies was to isolate him from Duchess Tiphereth.

And that was when the record was unnaturally cut off.

Regardless, it was a valuable discovery.

At the very least, Claire now had a lead on the matter.

She didn’t believe that Bianca had fallen to some random male witch.

Which led her to believe it was Duchess Tiphereth who had taken her down after seeing through her trap.

“Ah...”

A deep, gut-wrenching despair twisted inside Claire, tangled with burning rage.

She didn’t care who the enemy was.

Even if it’d cost her every last cent, every last breath, she’d have her revenge.

But Duchess Tiphereth was the one exception.

Claire vividly remembered Duchess Tiphereth beating three Grand Witch-level Criminal Exiles like dogs on a hot summer day 40 years ago.

Even as a True Ancestor standing at the peak of rank 21, Claire knew she didn’t stand a chance against that insane, vengeance-obsessed monster.

“But, I don’t need to set her specifically as the revenge target...”

Claire’s red eyes swept over the documents again.

Bianca’s research stated that Shin Siwoo and Duchess Tiphereth were incredibly close.

It was written that the male witch was likely both her disciple and her lover.

That woman wandered the Modern World for centuries in grief when she lost her beloved apprentice, now what would happen if she lost the man she loved?

If Claire could make her feel even a fraction of her pain, she decided that it would be worth taking the revenge in that way.

“Then...”

But, there was a problem.

Shin Siwoo seemed to exclusively stay in Gehenna.

Claire’s Self-essence Magic wasn’t suited for stealth.

Sneaking into Gehenna to meet him wouldn’t be hard, but the second she tried to kill him, she’d be stopped instantly.

The fact that Bianca, who was much more cautious and thorough than Claire, decided to deliberately lure him out of Gehenna was evidence of this.

Before this, the two witches who were at least somewhat acquainted with Bianca offered to help Claire.

In exchange for a small favor, they’d assist with her revenge.

But Claire didn’t trust them.

Whether it was the ‘Witch of Crafts’ or the ‘Witch of Swords,’ in her eyes, they were nothing more than vultures circling, waiting to pick apart the scraps.

The second they saw an opening, they’d stab her in the back without hesitation.

Instead, Claire thought of the ‘Witch of the Deep Sea,’ Shalit Nuckelavee, who had made a vow with her predecessor.

She was one of the Ancient Witches who was known to the world to have been purged by Duchess Keter.

In reality, she was still alive, ruling over her kingdom deep beneath the sea.

She survived thanks to the former Asmodeus, who had risked everything to help her fake her death 300 years ago.

Whether Keter had failed to notice...

Or simply chose to turn a blind eye to Shalit’s isolated existence, Claire couldn’t know for sure.

What she knew was that the Witch of the Deep Sea was still alive.

And she made a vow with her predecessor under the name of Nuckelavee.

A vow that ‘One life shall be paid for with another.’

Without hesitation, Claire set off for the Arctic Ocean.