The Withering Crystal was Shade's loot after he killed the Shadow of Withering. Although Shade had found the [Ring of Withering Fire] in the Sixth Epoch, he considered this crystal purer. Even high-ranking Witches could not easily touch it. Only after Miss Feliana had placed a protective spell on it could Madam Gustav, the highest-ranking among them, carry it with her.
After the Old Witch handed over the crystal, Shade inspected it again. Having personally experienced the power of "Wither" in the Sixth Epoch, he now had a deeper understanding of this crystal.
As he examined it, he told the Witches about everything that had happened during the "week" he had been away: the Ring of Withering Fire, the Cursed Object [Life], Demon's Trail, the conflict between relics. In Gina's eyes, Shade's experiences over that short week had been even more exciting than being trapped here as they were.
[Outlander, you have gained insight into "Wither."]
As Shade played with the crystal in his bare hand, "she" softly reminded him by his ear. If he could keep this crystal in his possession for a long time, Shade was almost certain that he would obtain the [Wither] Spirit Rune. But for now, it was better to use the crystal on the final Furnace.
"Then let's give it a try."
After confirming that there was no problem, Shade took a deep breath and unleashed his strongest power of ice and snow—
"Chloe's Ice Echo!"
Amid the crackling of the flames, a distant sigh seemed to drift through the air. Then the Witches all felt the temperature in the tent rapidly dropping, while a stream of white Frost Qi directly surged from around Shade.
The blessing power Winnie had given him fully merged into this spellcasting. The Witches saw a pair of translucent