Upsetting the Crow Hag's Nest

The Crow Hag's mouth split open, revealing uneven black and yellow teeth, as she let out two cackles like a crow's upon seeing Evan didn't turn and flee.

She casually plucked a black feather from her arm and tossed it towards Evan.

The feather drifted down gently and slowly...

Not knowing what she was up to, Evan held his sword, alert and ready, but didn't attack first.

Spellcaster extraordinaries had unpredictable abilities, even after transforming into monsters. The Crow Hag likely inherited some of the witch's abilities from her past life, and they absolutely couldn't be treated as ordinary monsters.

Caution is a virtue.

However, if this were a few years later, an experienced Evan would never allow a spellcaster to cast freely without interference. He would have immediately drawn his sword and attacked!

One second, two seconds...

When Evan realized something was wrong, he was suddenly shocked to find his body stiff and completely unresponsive.

It was like being trapped in a nightmare; his eyes were open and his mind was clear, but his body wouldn't move at all.

This was clearly a spirit sorcery, and the peculiar effect of "ghost hitting the wall" that Evan had initially fallen for, thinking he was going in circles, was also part of this sorcery.

But luckily, Evan wasn't the only one lacking experience fighting opponents with different extraordinary paths!

The Crow Hag clearly didn't understand the vast difference in resistance to sorcery between an ordinary person and a formal knight. It was fine that she had subtly led him astray earlier, but this mental sorcery, which was equivalent to a frontal assault, was not enough to completely control Evan, who had already undergone the Extraordinary Transformation.

Crack--

Just as she leaped from the tree, preparing to dig out the boy's fresh heart and liver to feast on.

Swoosh--

A brilliant sword light flashed towards her. Before she could even react, it sliced through half of her shoulder without any obstruction.

"Thump!"

A limb, resembling both a wing and a claw, landed on the ground.

If Evan's body hadn't still been somewhat stiff, causing the blade to deviate from its intended target, it would have been her ugly head landing on the ground instead.

"Caw--!!!"

As the Crow Hag let out a ear-piercing shriek, Evan felt as if a sharp thorn had just pierced his head. While he hesitated, countless crows flying in the sky swooped down, blocking Evan's pursuit.

Having suffered a setback once, Evan dared not let this monster escape. Through the barrier formed by the crows, Evan saw the Crow Hag staggering backward, about to retreat behind the trees again.

Without hesitation, he drew his short musket from his waist. His "Data Vision" analyzed the crows' trajectory, and seizing a fleeting moment of opportunity, Evan fired decisively.

"Bang--"

The Crow Hag fell to the ground with a large hole in her ugly head, spilling white and dark red decaying matter.

A foul stench spread through the forest.

"Flutter, flutter-- Flutter, flutter--"

The flock of crows that had been blocking Evan instantly panicked, flapping their wings and scattering like birds.

He casually twirled the musket, blew the smoke from the barrel, and stylishly reinserted it into his waist.

Evan was about to breathe a sigh of relief...

"Caw--!!!" "Caw--!!!"

Two more shrill cries echoed from different directions.

Without even bothering to loot the body, Evan turned and fled! His handsome face contorted, it was unclear whether from anger or fear.

"Damn it, there are two more of them?!"

As Evan desperately fled towards the outside of the tangled woods, three oddly dressed figures strode into the misty swamp forest.

The three wore identical long leather trench coats, military boots, and carried longswords at their waists. Three standard short muskets were slotted side-by-side on the bandoliers slung across their shoulders, and they wore leather gloves, leaving no skin exposed.

Most bizarrely, they all wore full-face bird-beak masks, seeing through transparent crystal lenses at the eyeholes.

Combined with their black attire, they looked like three more giant crows from a distance!

Their longswords and muskets bore a silver emblem of a humanoid crow, indicating they were likely combat personnel belonging to an official organization.

"Sean, Cedric, although you've just joined the Crow-Men Unit, you must strictly adhere to the operational protocols starting now," the person in front, seemingly the leader, said. His voice was somewhat distorted through the mask, but the other two could hear him clearly.

"We're still some distance from the mission location. Sean, please reiterate the intelligence you've gathered."

"Understood, Officer!" the person behind him responded.

Mission objective: Monster "Crow Hag."

Species and characteristics: Twisted sorcery creation, beware of potential spirit sorcery.

Intelligence gathered: The earliest sighting was two days ago, when four hunters wielding bows were killed by the monster...

"Mission objective: Determine if the current Crow Hag is related to the 'Three Sisters' who fled from Frost Leaf Forest. If not, kill it on the spot. If related, weaken and eliminate it as much as possible while ensuring your own safety."

Two days ago, hunters discovered a humanoid monster with crow-like features in the woods near the Saltwater Swamp. After several casualties, a survivor who managed to escape reported the situation to the city hall.

Subsequently, the Crow-Men Unit, belonging to the Kingdom's Extraordinary Event Management Department, dispatched a three-person team for follow-up investigation.

"We have entered the Crow Hag's range of activity as per the intel. I order you, enter combat readiness now.

Check your equipment and amulets, be wary of mental attacks, adopt combat formation, and advance! For Her Majesty the Queen!"

The officer took the lead, and the two newcomers moved to the defensive flanks as they began their operation.

"For Her Majesty the Queen!"

Rustle rustle—

Caw caw caw— caw caw caw—

Evan sprinted through the forest, enduring the incessant onslaught of crows.

With his newfound vigilance, the Crow Hag's mental misdirection could no longer affect Evan's judgment. He advanced rapidly along the path he had blazed.

However, Evan hadn't expected that the flock of crows he had initially escaped from would return upon hearing the calls of other "Crow Hags," causing him immense trouble in his escape.

Clang—

He attacked as he fled.

The longsword in Evan's hand was almost a blur of silver light, felling the fearless, giant crows one by one.

At this moment, he dared not gamble with his own body, wondering if the claws and beaks of this abnormal species of crow were coated with deadly toxins or pathogens.

Fortunately.

After activating the extraordinary transformation of physical augmentation, Evan's physical capabilities had surpassed mortal limits. He could maintain his swordplay for a long time.

But Evan dared not relax in the slightest.

Not long after he slew the first "Crow Hag," he was surrounded by a much larger flock, severely slowing his retreat.

Knowing that two Crow Hags could catch up at any moment, killing any number of ordinary crows was meaningless.

If there were only one Crow Hag behind him, Evan might have attempted to kill it, but the problem was that there were at least two.

He would bet that if he tried to counter-attack, they would not hesitate to take turns inflicting "stuns" on him before commanding an endless swarm of crows to tear him to shreds.

The battle royale lasted for nearly thirty minutes.

Evan estimated he was nearing the forest's edge. The sparse puddles and muddy pits had mostly disappeared, proving his chosen direction was correct.

Perhaps seeing that ordinary crows could no longer stop Evan, two "caw" sounds were heard, and five crows, larger than eagles, accelerated their pursuit from the forest behind him.

Hearing the familiar "caw" sounds, Evan sensed that the Crow Hags were very close. These five extra-large crows were likely their final resort.

His speed didn't decrease, and Evan mustered all his focus, constantly on guard against the oversized crows now flying overhead.

Caw—

Caw—

Following the crows' cries, the attack arrived as expected. However, it wasn't the physical assault he had anticipated but the mental sorcery that should have belonged to the Crow Hags, and its effect was incredibly disgusting.

"Sorcery · Loss of Will!"

Five attacks landed simultaneously, and Evan was instantly engulfed by an overwhelming and endless sense of despair.

Despair! Utterly dispirited! He couldn't muster any motivation.

His agile steps gradually grew heavy, and wielding his longsword felt like moving a mountain. Negative thoughts echoed in Evan's mind.

"Why run? Escaping is so tiring. Forget it!"

"Everyone's life has an end sooner or later. What difference does it make if it's sooner or later?"

"My arms are so tired, and this heavy sword... I really want to drop it..."

An ordinary person under such an attack would have already surrendered, but Evan gritted his teeth, using his immense willpower to suppress the overwhelming despair.

In reality, this was somewhat similar to the situation when a Formal Knight broke through, both involving the use of one's will to suppress negative emotions. Having prior experience, Evan could still grit his teeth and persevere.

"Damn it, I need to find an opportunity to take care of these foul birds first!"

Caw—

"Officer, there's movement ahead, sounds like crows!"

On the other side, a squad of three Crow-Men was also slowly approaching the battlefield.

Upon hearing this, the Crow-Men officer gestured, and the entire squad concealed themselves, cautiously moving towards the direction of the sounds. Their movements were efficient and practiced, clearly indicating they were elite troops who had undergone professional training.

As the group drew closer, the cawing of crows and the flapping of wings grew louder. Soon, the stealthily advancing Crow-Men neared the edge of the human-crow battle.

"Hiss— Such large crows!"

Cedric, though an elite of his level, was still young. While he had seen many strange monsters in monster encyclopedias, this was his first time seeing them in person.

"Someone is fighting the crows, such powerful swordsmanship!"

Everyone's focus was clearly different. Sean then asked:

"Officer, should we help?"

Unaware that he was being brutally observed, Evan had already launched a sudden assault and successfully killed two large crows capable of using mental sorcery. Although their abilities were special, they were essentially still mortal beings. Apart from their larger size, their close-combat capabilities were not much stronger than ordinary crows.

Evan was extremely grateful that the attack range of these large crows was very limited. The "Loss of Will" attack required him to be in close proximity to Evan to be effective. If they could cast debuffs from afar while being protected by ordinary crows, like a typical mage, even Evan would have trouble.

Whoosh--

"Third one, slash!" As they approached again, Evan employed the same tactic, like a nimble ape, leaping from treetop to treetop. His longsword swung, and he was about to cleave the third large crow.

Unexpectedly, after a few attempts, the already intelligent crows learned their lesson. Seeing him leap high, they immediately flapped their wings and ascended rapidly, narrowly dodging his attack at the last moment.

It was only grazed on the wing by the tip of Evan's sword. It flapped its wings, struggling to maintain balance, and fell crookedly to the side.

Evan spun lightly on the treetop, using the tree trunk for leverage, and dove down like a bird of prey.

His killing intent was at its peak!

A fallen crow must be utterly annihilated!

Caw--

"Watch out, it's Loss of Will! Dodge quickly, get away from it."

As luck would have it, the injured large crow staggered and landed right where the Crow-Men squad was hiding. Immediately after, Evan saw three strange black figures leap out from the grass, startling him.

"Damn it, did I flip over a crow's nest today?!"

Evan felt like he had uttered more curses today than in his entire life.

However, the Crow-Men didn't have time to worry about Evan's mood.

As the three of them leaped to dodge, the Silver Amulets around their necks had already weakened the effect of Loss of Will. The battle-hardened Crow-Men officer was the first to draw his musket, firing rapidly as he retreated.

Bang--

"Caw!" A short crow's cry abruptly ceased.