"How audacious! I might not be from this kingdom, but I am still a witch with some status! Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do?" Dorothy snarled coldly at Vaan, exerting the pressure of a Peak-stage Senior Witch.

At the same time, two other seemingly Peak-stage Senior Witches behind also stepped forward and coerced Vaan with their pressure.

However, their pressures were even greater than Dorothy's. They were actually Early-stage High Witches posing as Peak-stage Senior Witches.

Nevertheless, Vaan stood his ground, seemingly unaffected by their intimidation and pressure.

On the other hand, the four Peak-stage Senior Witches in front of him stepped aside and sweated nervously.

"He is the master of the blue flames.." One of the witch merchants explained.

In that instant, the multiple pressures on Vaan all fluctuated; Dorothy and the others were shocked by the information.

"Will you all follow me back obediently for interrogation, or do I have to use force?" Vaan calmly asked, taking a step forward and revealing his vigor and aura.

Dorothy and the other members of her group wore uglier and grimmer expressions after they felt the pressure of his powerful body.

They immediately recognized him as the one who fought with the group of black cloaks last night. It was too shocking that he possessed mighty physical strength and wielded powerful blue flames beyond their imaginations.

He didn't seem to have any weaknesses.

"Please escape, My Lady. This person isn't someone we can win against," one of the High Witches advised as she stood in front of Dorothy protectively along with the other High Witch. "We'll buy you some time."

"Sorry," Dorothy uttered with a heavy look, taking out a rank-five spatial-type magic tool from her Magic Domain.

As the leader of the group, she carried important information that she could not afford to spill to the other kingdom. Thus, she didn't hesitate to abandon her people while they bought her time.

They were willing to die for their mission. Unfortunately, they didn't understand Vaan's strength.

When Vaan saw the rank-five spatial-type magic tool appear in Dorothy's hand, he immediately burned it with his blue flames.

The rank-five spatial-type magic tool became too hot for Dorothy to hold, causing her to drop it instinctively.

"Oh no!" Dorothy cried.

"Did I say you could leave?" Vaan asked coolly before shifting his gaze to the two High Witches. "If you value your lives, step down. Reaching the High Witch rank shouldn't have been an easy feat."

"Run, my Lady!" the High Witches cried after gritting their teeth with resolution.

They immediately blasted Vaan with their most powerful magic simultaneously. Coincidentally, they were both fire specialists. Thus, their fire spells were widespread and highly destructive.

"No—!"

The four Peak-stage Senior Witches closest to Vaan cried in horror at the incoming wave of scorching-hot flames.

Even though they stood to the side, they were still caught within the range of the High Witches' fire spells.

The High Witches did not care about their lives, thinking they were traitors!

At the same time, Vaan narrowed his eyes and took on the fire blasts head-on without bothering to put up any defense.

Boom!

The large wave of fire swept past him and the four Peak-stage Senior Witches, burning their half of the basement and everything behind them.

It smashed into the stone walls and ceiling, destroying everything in its path and blasting a hole right through to the surface.

At the same time, the passerby outside suddenly saw a thick pillar of flames surge out of the building, shooting toward the sky like a beam of fiery light.

However, Vaan wasn't hurt in the slightest.

Even the four Peak-stage Senior Witches were unharmed as Vaan's timely flame barriers protected them.

The High Witches' most powerful flame spells didn't come close to hurting Vaan. In fact, they were so weak that they even powered him up momentarily.historical

Ding!

<You have been struck by weak sources of flames>

<You have been blessed by the fire>

<You have temporarily gained 220 points of strength (20% increase)>

<Your stamina and vitality recovery has increased>

..

Nevertheless, the buff only lasted a few seconds before disappearing.

Vaan's eyes flashed with a cold light before he took a step forward and disappeared in front of the High Witches' eyes.

However, he didn't really disappear; he simply moved too fast for the High Witches to catch his figure with their eyes.

Even so, they instinctively conjured their strongest shield to protect themselves.

Vaan's figure reappeared right in front of them in the next split second before he extended his hands out and breached their shields like shattering glasses.

The two High Witches attempted to retreat but failed to escape Vaan's hands as he gripped their throats and slammed the back of their heads into the ground.

"Take a nap for me," Vaan said.

However, the two High Witches did not respond. They had passed out after receiving the heavy and concussive blows to their head.

Dorothy retreated a few steps from Vaan while the rest of the witch merchants in the basement cowered in the corners.

Each time Vaan took a step, Dorothy would also retreat a step.

Eventually, Dorothy was backed against a wall before she glanced at Vaan and noticed his amused smile.

"Since you don't want to be interrogated, it shows you have something important to hide. Now that you don't have anywhere to go, what will you do? Too scared to take your own life?" Vaan commented.

Dorothy stared at Vaan's smug look before she used anger to overcome her fear and took a step forward.

"I refuse to be bullied and humiliated by a man! Do you know who my father is?! You better let me—"

Pak!

Vaan abruptly backhanded Dorothy's left cheek before she could finish speaking.

The force behind his smack was so strong it shattered Dorothy's facial bones, disfiguring her face, shifting her upper and lower jaws, and paralyzing her from the neck down.

Her face swelled with blood, and her eyes blurred with semi-consciousness, still unable to process what had just happened.

Nevertheless, Vaan force-fed her a drop of his blood, healing her body and bringing life back to her eyes.

"You dare raise a hand against me..!" Dorothy glared at Vaan and spat furiously, "A swine of a man like you dare to touch—!"

Pak!

Vaan smacked her back to a near-death state before restoring her grievous wounds with his blood again.

"Are you trying to anger me into killing you because you don't have the courage to end your own life? Well, it won't work on me," Vaan said with a soft chuckle.

Nevertheless, Dorothy remained stubborn. She continued to threaten him after her recovery. In return, Vaan also smacked her to a near-death state and brought her back each time.

The repeated process of torment and pain whittled away Dorothy's stubbornness and broke her spirit, making her obedient and fearful.

Vaan picked up a familiar hairpin off the floor and grabbed Dorothy by the hair to drag her back. The hairpin had fallen out of Dorothy's hair from the repeated smacks, but he knew who its original owner was.

"Will you follow me back obediently, or do you need to be beaten and dragged back too?" Vaan asked the rest of the witch merchants in the basement.

They shivered with fear and gave him the obvious answer.

"W-We'll follow you, Your Excellency."