The enormous figure did not vanish after that single strike. Instead, it continued calmly watching the smoke and dust on the ground. But the Black-Haired Lady soon dismissed the thaumaturgy herself, sheathing her sword in displeasure before flying back to the Flying Carpet:
"It got away. It has actually become a natural phenomenon within this woodland."
The power of her strike far exceeded the Doctor's Mid-Ring Words of Sublimation. However, the Doctor's Words of Sublimation had specifically targeted that Demon, which was why she had not been able to defeat it in a single blow like that psychotherapist thirty years later.
But the Sorceress had no intention of continuing the pursuit. Even for her, it would be difficult to completely destroy such an existence. Besides, she was eager to treat Shade's injuries. After returning to the Flying Carpet, she continued after the Silver Moonlight waiting for them ahead.
That moonlight did not leave the bounds of Vesta Woodland, eventually descending into an unmarked, secluded spot deep within the woods.
The murmuring stream reflected the moonlight, making the place not quite so dim. After the Black-Haired Lady carried Shade off the Flying Carpet, she walked several steps farther into the forest. A few minutes later, she saw the moonlight stop.
It swayed a few times in the air, and a scene that had been hidden away since some unimaginably distant past returned to the forest.
Amid faint vibration from the ground, a small Temple appeared among the once-dense trees, wrapped in vines, concealed by trunks, and claimed by wild grass.
Calling it a Temple was perhaps excessive. It was merely a square clearing paved with floor tiles, with four pillars standing at its corners. There were no walls and no rooftop, while at the center stood a statue of a goddess.