"Hmph! So it was a Great Ogre... no wonder it had such nerve."
A pleasant, cold snort came from midair. "But for a single Great Ogre to come wreak havoc during the Winter Hunt, isn't that a little too disrespectful to the school?"
The Hooped-Head Ogre's four pupils contracted at once as it abruptly looked up—standing gracefully in midair not far above its head was a graceful and elegant witch. Her eyes were filled with killing intent as she stared coldly at them. A long Red Cloak streamed behind her, while four enormous azure tails extended from beneath it, wreaking havoc through the woods.
The witch held a spellbook in her hands. Its pages lay open, and Brilliant Magic Light surged forth. Without any need for careful probing, it could sense the immense destructive power gathered within.
"Su Shijun!"
The Hooped-Head Ogre growled the witch's name. Raising its chin, the newly grown head beneath its jaw suddenly opened its eyes and shrieked the prepared curse in a somewhat childish voice: "There is a Fox, Gentle and Graceful!"
The witch in midair furrowed her delicate brows slightly and raised one hand, as though intending to chop downward. But under this curse aimed at foxes, every movement she made became extraordinarily slow and laborious, like an insect trapped in Amber.
Seizing the chance, the Hooped-Head Ogre's other head shook violently and roared out a second spell:
"Devolve!"
Gray-white Incantation Light abruptly spread out from it, sweeping across the entire battlefield in an instant. Trees touched by the light visibly lost their Life Force, their bark blackening and cracking as though scorched by charcoal fire, exposing the pale trunks beneath. The vines binding the Ogres trembled violently before silently turning to ash. From above, it looked as though a patch of ringworm had