CHAPTER 122: CARPET-BOMBING

Passing through the frozen forest, Mel eventually flew past an empty field, the soiled ground replaced by a glittery skateground.

The lava veins were covered by smooth yet firm ice—a trace of a Pride’s familiar, overwhelmed by a Witch.

She flew forward again, her heart beating steadily, to admire Lila’s work along the way.

Then, upon another frozen ground, Mel immediately stopped.

Seemingly innocent, Mel’s eyes narrowed at a sight she’d glimpsed countless times from the sky.

She knew from Maria’s Telepathy: Beneath the Skateground, where she stared at lay another frozen Erdtree, and a crew of panicking Cultists.

"Alright then."

Legs dangling to the side, Mel petted the Ka-broom with a doting smile.

"Tell your buddies to dress up for the occasion, alright?"

The end of Ka-broom’s tip drew a circle in the air, dancing as if excited.

It was time. Her Master’s Promise of Destruction! They shall go out in a blaze of glory!

As the Ka-broom told her brothers and sisters in their realm to prepare the best ribbons, Mel chuckled at her summon’s childish excitement.

Then, she coughed twice to clear her throat, before huffing a huge breath.

The Cultists were always a crew of evildoers, yet Mel herself was much more cruel to her enemies who hurt Lil’s sister.

Yet first, a warning. To toy with them before messing them up, of course!

Telepathy on. Echo Magic readied. And...

"Attention, everyone! It’s my job to inform you that you’ll be under attack!"

The breeze brushed her cheek as Mel stared at the empty ground, devoid of a single Cultist on the surface.

"Consider this your only and final warning! Once again, in accordance with international law..."

The latter part, by the way, was a complete and utter lie.

Mel was too busy flirting to learn the laws. In her Mother’s words, back in her World:

Who needed laws when you had beautiful girls to hug nowadays?

"We shall now commence a fair and civilised attack on your military facility!"

In a blink, magic circles spread on both her sides like wings.

Mini circles, numbered in hundreds or perhaps thousands, formed an ethereal ring as they all aimed at the ground like a grand ceremony.

"Please evacuate the buildings in advance! Or enjoy being made a firework show!"

Within those circles, ka-broom’s twigs poked out from within.

Ribbons of different colors, shapes, and sizes were found; some even wore ties, their parents’ advice to ’die’ like a gentleman.

"And don’t worry."

She cast her Echo Series: Rally on the cultists below the ground, upping their defenses to prolong their suffering and prevent their deaths.

Mel’s hand raised, her head tilting as the moonlight’s shadow shrouded her smile.

"You won’t die, probably."

Then, with her hands lowered, all ka-brooms launched like lightning.

"Echo Series: Rally."

BOOM!

With all the Ka-brooms enveloped by purple hues, hundreds upon hundreds of them boomed on the ground in tow; a rhythmic, controlled choir of explosions.

Clouds of dust kicked up as the skateground split open; ribbons fluttered before dissipating, proof of a job well done.

Mel lacked a summoner’s magic, but she could still sense her Ka-brooms’ euphoria, like smacking towers of dominoes repeatedly.

The first few seconds? The ground shook in awe.

The next? The skateground revealed a gaping hole, as shaken stares locked onto the smoky sky above.

Then? The Ka-brooms, sensing the fear of their caged targets, launched faster: fervent, mad.

"Hel-help! What the hell is this!?"

"AH! Someone! Archbishop! Save us!"

"Oi! Stop-exploding for one bloody sec-AH!"

"Master! Master! Ma-AHHHHH! MAMA!"

Mel nodded approvingly, the gentle swaying of her head in contrast to the absolute chaos below her.

Screams of utter fear and shock echoed whimsically, bodies of cultists bouncing with each ka-broom’s burst.

One blast, one roll. Another blast, another bounce.

There were no cultists here; only bowling pins for Ka-Broom’s personal feast.

In the middle of rolling and yelling cultists, lay a frozen Erdtree with its root beyond the dusty smoke.

Each ka-broom’s hit impaled small holes on the tough Erdtrees, countless roots dug out as the ka-brooms’ explosions sank further into the soil.

Eventually, all below (except the unluckily strengthened cultists) would be ground to ashes.

"Alright." With a little twirl, she waved to her magic circles. "Have fun! Remember to behave yourself and stop once the Erdtree is destroyed."

A couple of complaining groans sounded from the explosion beneath her, but that must be her illusion:

The cultists’ screams for help were too loud for her to hear her summoning’s complaints.

So as she finished deploying her version for ’Gate of Babylon’, she twirled before heading in another direction.

That gate would last at least an hour, so her Ka-brooms would have their fills by then!

So, she flew away to the North, leaving behind the ka-brooms to fulfill their lives’ purpose.

Next stop: another cultist Erdtree!

----------

Unfortunately, as the Witch of Lust’s time was limited, she merely deployed her ’Gate of Kabroomlon’ on one site, then zoomed out for another.

Carpet bombings of miraculous magnitudes were placed one after another, as Embervale was filled with scream after scream with explosions intact.

By the time Mel reached the fourth site, where a river was placed right above the ground that hid another Erdtree...

"Oh."

Mel’s ka-broom stopped, as she raised her brow in front of her.

Two hooded figures were set afloat, their masks made of silver laced with gold.

Explosions echoed afar; the hooded figures’ shoulders hunched, shaking in terror.

They have heard how the third site’s archbishop faced... a lesser-than-ideal fate.

So the fourth and fifth sites’ archbishops joined up; a desperate attempt to stop the terrorists.

"Thi-this is your end, Witch!"

One on Mel’s left shouted and held up a sword, as the one on the right stretched his arm to prepare what seemed to be chanting.

Mel narrowed her eyes, unamused.

"We shall stop you! Right here, right now!"

Mel dubbed him ’the right one’; he continued. "Your dastardly attack shall not end the Cult’s spirit! Surrender at once, and stop your bombings at the other Erdtrees!"

Not even one hour has passed since Mel reached the fourth site, so their colleagues remained in a dire, ridiculous humiliation.

They were the victims here! They had full rights to defend themselves!

Mel grinned at such a prospect, before her lips withdrew to a kinder, more graceful smile.

She raised a hand.

Magic circles spread like wings again.

Ka-brooms poked out, ribboned twigs pointed to the ground like usual, then froze-

Before bending to the floating cultists, like ghosts snapping their necks for their victims.

Someone... dared to threaten their masters?

No need for more words, as the Cultists shuddered; their gazes locked with all the ’snapped necks’ of the kabrooms.

Immediately, they threw away their weapons and raised their hands.

"We surrender."

Mel nodded.

"I forgive you!"

They were promptly made an example: the first in Ka-brooms’ centuries as they played ’catch’ in the air.

Their bodies became pitballs, spinning and swirling to the ka-brooms’ delight.

The last Erdreee awaited Mel, after the fourth and fifth bombing she finished.

The one, if her memory served correctly, where Nyrel resided.