Once the Dead Rite was completed, Siderius drew another seal with sulfur.
Pax had much more value being dead than alive and Siderius wasn’t going to waste it.
The second seal was called Malevitus Extraction.
Malefica Vitalis Duratus, also known as Malevitus, was the crystallized essence of magic. This seal was the main method to extract magic from witches and was a very common seal back in Siderius’ old world.
Its capability didn’t stop at witches however. It could be used for any beings with magic in them. Naturally, it could also be used for witch servants. Follow current novels on novel·fıre·net
This seal wasn’t drawn on the ground but instead was drawn on Pax’s exposed chest. It was a much smaller seal than the previous Dead Rite and didn’t need to cover the entire body.
The Seal lit up in orange as the body of Pax slowly dissolved into pure energy. Siderius took a handful of Salt and dropped it onto the Seal.
Dead Rite had already isolated magic in Pax’s body into focal points. Now with the Malevitus Extraction, Siderius could direct all of these magics into one solid crystallized container. That was what the added salt was for.
The sign sequence for this seal must be executed by only one hand.
The first Sign, four fingers up and a curved thumb. Then draw a circle with your hand.
The second Sign, palm aimed downward, fingers curved into an umbrella.
The third Sign, bent fingers but straightened your palm. Then smack it at the Seal on the creature’s chest.
Immediately, the corpse was engulfed in the bright orange flame.
This flame was different from the blue flame of Phosphorus and the normal yellow flame that the miners knew so well.
The blue flame gave a demonic and dangerous feeling. The orange flame was violent, but it contained a purity that felt righteous. It was the flame to destroy evil.
The orange flame was pulled to Siderius’ right hand. Pax’s body was being dissolved in front of everyone’s eyes.
The corpse turned to ash, leaving a single piece of dark red crystal at the palm of Siderius.
The vengeful hunter had converted Pax into what was useful to him. A crystalized essence of magic.
The two rituals, Dead Rite and Malevitus Extraction only took him minutes.
Now that everything was finished. Siderius had no more reasons to stay behind. There could be enemies here at any second.
"We’re leaving." Siderius said.
Nadia and the miners bowed to Siderius. Only Alex let his head stay up. They all watched the pair of master and apprentice leaving the mining camp.
When Siderius passed Alex, their gazes met each other.
"Because you may be able to save these people, I’ll let you live." Siderius’ killing intention was as dense as a swamp, pressuring Alex’s chest. "But remember, I would have killed you otherwise."
The traitor managed to speak up. "I know."
Siderius then turned his gaze away and left, leaving the miners on their own to face the upcoming wrath of a witch.
On his way out, he spotted a small iron ingot on the ground. Because of the battle, the ores were scattered everywhere. This small palm-sized ingot was not enough to even make a knife. But it might be useful in another way.
Siderius picked it up then looked at Nadia. She nodded to confirm he could take it. It was merely a small iron piece that wasn’t worth that much.
Nadia turned toward Alex. "He has a point, you know. What you did is unacceptable. Snow could have come and gone without anyone noticing."
Alex shared a bitter smile. There was more to it that Nadia could never know. But the man was brave enough to admit that he had underestimated Siderius. If he knew Siderius’ true power, he would’ve made a different choice.
"So... How are you going to save us?"
Alex took out a piece of gold coin from his pocket. It was different from Eldoria issued gold coins.
The coin was larger and had a skull symbol on it.
Siderius and Ashe were now far away from the mining camp. They were at the intersection of the towns.
"Lead the horse to the town. Use the main road so its footprint won’t stand out. Then tell one of our agents to find a place for it in Mucktown."
"I understand, Master."
The horse would leave traces wherever it went. If Siderius led it back to his hideout, that would be a sure way to expose his secret location. However, leading the horse to Mucktown wouldn’t have this issue.
There were a lot of carriages coming from the Rocky Pit and to Mucktown every other day to exchange minerals and ores. Red’s footprints would be blended amongst the thousands of footprints and looked nothing out of the ordinary.
"After that, leave your house. Do not stay in town for another minute. Follow the river into Rottin Woods and once you reach a high grassland, wait there. I will pick you up at dusk."
With it, the pair parted their ways.
Siderius left and entered the Rottin Woods. He didn’t return to his hideout but waited at the high grassland near the river.
Siderius climbed on a lush tree with thick foliage. He picked a thick and broad branch to sit on and stayed there.
He didn’t rest even though the battle had taken a toll on his body. Everything hurt and his muscles were sore.
The battle may look easy on the outside but that was purely because Siderius tried to act tough. He must always keep the enemy guessing and be oblivious of his true strength.
The day came. The noon passed. And soon it was dusk.
Ashe appeared and waited under a pine tree. But Siderius didn’t move. He sat silently with the highest alertness. He didn’t even meditate.
Hours passed and still nothing came. It seemed no one was following Ashe.
Siderius wondered what had happened with the miners.
He climbed down from the tree and approached Ashe. She slept peacefully and leaned on a trunk. Her dark hair flowed freely under the moonlight and glistened.
Siderius flicked Ashe’s forehead which caused her to wake up.
"Ouch! Who... Oh, Master!"
Ashe smiled with gleefulness in her eyes. She quickly got up.
"Master! You have to tell me what that silver strand and dark crystal were!"
"Still curious as ever, my apprentice. Actually, I already told you about them."
Siderius nodded. "The three Aethers. You have learned True Aether. And now, you have also seen Light Aether and Dark Aether."