Chapter 386 - The Darkened Sister Returns

After all, the "Witch of Calamity," who once devoured half the world, was a fearsome entity whose name was known not only throughout the Kingdom of Lugnica but across the entire world, haunting like a nightmare.

Compared to the "Three Great Heroes" who sealed the Witch of Envy over four hundred years ago, the fact that only one person—named Wood Hussin—was responsible for the seal left everyone stunned.

The reason for the surprise was simple: the name Wood Hussin was practically unheard of in this world.

Wood had only recently begun to make a name for himself. Prior to that, Wood Hussin kept such a low profile that his fame was nowhere near comparable to that of Sword Saint Reinhard.

At first, many people believed that the resurrection of the Witch of Envy and the rise of the new hero, Wood Hussin, were merely rumors spread by troublemakers.

However, when they ventured to the former Elven Forest and saw the boundless ice plains and the enormous ice lotus blooming there, they fell silent.

The magic was so formidable that they couldn't imagine anyone being capable of such a feat. And the figure standing within the frozen lotus, though sealed in ice, emanated an aura so chilling it sent shivers down their spines, proving it wasn't some mere imitation.

Of course, not everyone could witness the Witch of Envy firsthand. The vast ice plain was formed from Wood's own life force and magic. Ordinary people couldn't even make it a few miles in before succumbing to the cold.

Even those with considerable strength could barely manage a hundred miles into the center.

Only true experts and those proficient in fire magic could reach the frozen lotus.

"Can this ice really hold the Witch of Envy forever?" Reinhard stared at the colossal frozen lotus, still in disbelief that his greatest rival, Wood, had chosen to end his life in such a manner.

"The ice is formed from Wood's life and body. You can think of it as Wood himself. The magic-infused ice can remain for tens of thousands of years, and even forbidden spells may not leave a scratch on it," explained the Witch of Greed, Echidna, who had since been "redeemed." She gently touched one of the lotus leaves as she spoke.

"To use one's life and body to freeze everything… Damn it, that guy even managed to look cool in his death!" Subaru Natsuki punched the ice in frustration, his grief evident.

Though death claimed them both, Wood's demise was far more heroic, grand, and beautiful.

Following the sealing of the Witch of Envy, Wood Hussin's name spread throughout the continent, earning him the title of the "Frozen Knight," the new hero after the "Three Great Heroes."

The ice and lotus that represented Wood even became the emblem of many knight orders across kingdoms, signifying the pinnacle of knightly honor.

The royal selection ceremony of the Kingdom of Lugnica ended, and the victor among the five Dragon Maidens was not Crusch, who was the favored candidate, but Emilia, who was initially deemed unworthy.

The reason was simple: with the Witch of Envy resurrected, and Emilia herself appearing, it proved that Emilia and the Witch of Envy were distinct individuals.

Though both were silver-haired half-elves with similar appearances, they were undeniably different.

Moreover, Emilia's ultimate victory was largely because Wood sacrificed his life to seal the resurrected Witch of Envy.

The Witch of Envy posed too great a threat to the world. Wood's self-sacrifice to seal her perfectly embodied the virtues of a knight.

Because Wood had been Emilia's knight, the people felt that granting Emilia victory was the only way to do justice to his memory.

Besides Emilia, the second biggest beneficiary among the Dragon Maidens was Anastasia Hussin.

Although she wasn't the sworn protector of "Frozen Knight Wood," everyone knew that Anastasia was Wood's elder sister.

Due to this connection, Anastasia, initially a mere merchant, was elevated to the highest ranks of nobility, and the Hussin name spread throughout the continent.

Now, the name "Hussin" was not only the stuff of heroic tales but an honored legacy.

Yet Anastasia refused to accept any rewards from the Kingdom of Lugnica and directly opposed Emilia, who had now become Queen of the Kingdom. She left with the "Iron Fang" and returned to Kararagi.

Anastasia believed that Wood's death was solely because he had become Emilia's knight.

Silver-haired half-elves were a disaster in her eyes. Her brother had been by her side for over a decade without any issues. But as soon as he became Emilia's guardian knight, a tragedy like this happened—how could she accept that?

With the help of the "Bowel Hunter Elsa," the Hussin Trading Company absorbed the underground assassination organizations and rapidly expanded, becoming the world's largest trading company.

Anastasia wasn't planning on stopping there. She aimed to use her economic power to bring down the Kingdom of Lugnica as vengeance for her brother.

While constantly troubling Emilia and the kingdom, she also sought a way to bring her brother back.

This determination came from Echidna, the Witch of Greed, who told her that strictly speaking, Wood wasn't truly "dead" but existed in the form of those frozen plains.

Echidna had said this merely to console Anastasia, but Anastasia took it literally, believing that her brother could still be saved.

If magic existed that could turn a person into ice, surely there was magic to reverse it. If she could find it, her brother could return.

Since she was the sister of a world-saving hero, many kingdoms turned a blind eye to Anastasia's aggressive expansion. Emilia was among them.

But when it became apparent that Anastasia intended to melt the ice imprisoning the Witch of Envy and bring her brother back, the kingdoms and other races became restless.

With so many interests at stake, the powers that be concluded that a hero was only a hero when they were dead.

If Wood were to come back to life, it would pose a great threat to their power and influence.

Moreover, if they melted the ice that was Wood, how would they deal with the freed Witch of Envy?

The current world lacked the "Three Great Heroes" from four hundred years ago, and there was no other "Frozen Knight" like Wood.

Unable to tolerate Anastasia's whims, various countries began to suppress her trading company. However, the Hussin Trading Company was now a force to be reckoned with.

The original "Iron Fang" mercenary group, assassins from underground organizations led by the "Bowel Hunter" and the "Beast User," and even the Oni twins Ram and Rem, who also wished to save Wood, now stood united.

Emilia found herself torn. She too wished to save Wood but feared that unsealing the Witch of Envy could plunge the world into chaos.

Hence, while various nations and Anastasia faced off, people like Emilia and Echidna remained neutral.

They neither opposed melting the ice to save Wood nor supported Anastasia's aggressive stance. They sought a more balanced solution.

Emilia and Echidna were far from ordinary. Given their extended lifespans, they had plenty of time to wait for a resolution.

In short, even though the Witch of Envy had been sealed, the world did not find peace but plunged into further turmoil.

If one were to look closely, they'd find a platinum-haired girl cloaked only in a sheet, operating behind the scenes, fueling the chaos.

Among those who felt the most bitter about the outcome were the Witch of Envy and, naturally, Pandora.

She never anticipated that, after years of meticulous planning and seeing her goals nearly within reach, her efforts would be thwarted by Wood Hussin.

Pandora tried everything she could, but even her power to warp reality could not shatter the frozen lotus.

Since she could do nothing, she chose to lurk in the shadows, helping Anastasia behind the scenes.

The world was vast, and Pandora refused to believe there was no way to melt the ice. After waiting a millennium, she now had all the patience in the world to continue waiting.

Compared to the chaos in the "Re: Zero world," Wood had just concluded another life simulation due to his depletion of life force.

[Ding! The character you simulated has died. The 'World Life Simulation' has ended. You have acquired the following unique abilities from Wood Hussin.

Blessing of 'Knight's Honor (Modified)': When fighting with the intent to protect someone, all attributes, willpower, and recovery rate are greatly enhanced.

Blessing of the 'Bright Moon': When fighting under the moonlight, your speed, strength, and skill power increase.

'Witch's Contract' Active Ability: Contract with a Witch of Sin allows you to summon the Witch of Greed, Echidna, in certain conditions and worlds.

Passive Ability: Due to the contract with a witch, your mental strength is enhanced, your affinity with magic increases, and your magic power is strengthened.]

[The 'World Life Simulation' has ended. In addition to the default simulated character rewards, the host can select one of the following:

-Blessing of the Sword Saint: Derived from Sword Saint Reinhard's core blessing, grants the power to slay the unslayable and fully unlocks the sword's potential.

-Blessing of the Archmage: Derived from Margrave Roswaal's blessing, enhances affinity with all elemental attributes, maximizing magic power.

-Unseen Hand: Derived from the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, enables the conjuring of numerous invisible arms to strike foes.]

Wood's unique ability, the "Knight's Honor" blessing, had undergone a slight change after his appearance in the Re: Zero world.

Previously, this blessing only worked when he was a "knight," but clearly, not every world had such a role. Therefore, the system made some adjustments.

As for the three abilities that appeared, they were neither disappointing nor particularly surprising.

There were no dreams of the "Phoenix Blessing," "Return by Death," or incredible abilities like "Lion's Heart" from the Witch of Greed or Pandora's reality-warping powers, but the three abilities offered were certainly strong.

"Blessing of the Sword Saint" was self-explanatory—world-unique, the blessing that the Sword Saint family relied on for survival. Even an ordinary swordsman could instantly become one of the world's strongest with such a blessing.

If the "Blessing of the Sword Saint" was the ultimate blessing for a swordsman, then the "Blessing of the Archmage" was the pinnacle for magic users.

Its effect could similarly turn an average mage into a powerful grand sorcerer.

Among the three choices, Wood was torn between selecting the "Blessing of the Sword Saint" or the "Blessing of the Archmage."

The "Unseen Hand" was immediately dismissed. Though it seemed impressive, being both offensive and defensive, it would be quite useless in the world of One Piece.

The ability to be "unseen" was pointless since countless people in the New World had awakened their Observation Haki. Sneak attacks on the strong were impossible, and using it against the weak was unnecessary. Hence, it was quite underwhelming.

To be honest, if the ability could also make Wood invisible, he would consider it—at the very least, it could be useful for voyeurism...

No, even if it allowed shared tactile sensations, Wood would have considered it, but unfortunately, this power had no such features aside from being invisible.

After much hesitation, Wood finally chose the "Blessing of the Sword Saint."

Wood's reasoning was simple: compared to magical prowess, swordsmanship remained one of the primary forms of combat in the One Piece world.

Additionally, the "Blessing of the Sword Saint" had a unique feature that the "Blessing of the Archmage" lacked—its ability to "cut what cannot be cut."

In other words, even natural-type Devil Fruit users, as well as some that were nearly immortal—such as certain Paramecia and Mythical Zoans—would find no advantage over Wood.