Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 158: Legendary Species "Snow Ferret"

Within the world of faith, that fragment of the Divine Kingdom suddenly surged violently.

Endless black flames erupted, as if to engulf the entire world.

And the little golden figure formed by Xia Ya’s Star-Spirit Body stood calmly amidst the roaring sea of fire.

Then, with a kind smile, he reached out his hand toward the wisp of divine will belonging to the Lord of Ashes.

……

At this very moment, if one were to summarize what was happening inside the world of faith, it would probably be—

“Be good, listen, let me take a look!”

“No!”

(removes glasses, releases the seal)

“Let me take a look!”

At first, when it sensed Xia Ya’s Star-Spirit Body invading,

that wisp of the Lord of Ashes’ divine will instinctively tried to corrupt and devour the intruder, assimilating it into its fragment of the Divine Kingdom.

Then, sure enough, it met a tragic end.

Only after being mercilessly pounded into the ground by Xia Ya over and over again, thoroughly realizing that this little golden figure was an invincible existence, did that divine will finally think of escaping.

If nothing else, it had to at least report the mutation happening in this Supreme Relic of the Material Plane to its true body slumbering in the distant Starrealm.

However, it was already far too late.

Because of the backup plan triggered by the Giant King’s Remnant Will, the entire world of faith inside the skull had been tightly sealed off by Xia Ya, not leaving even the slightest chance for any information to escape.

A few breaths later,

the little golden figure formed by Xia Ya’s Star-Spirit Body reached out and dragged back the last trace of black flame that had tried to flee from the Giant King’s skull.

“So this is the faith energy the Ashen Order spent over a thousand years gathering, burning who knows how many cities and countless lives in the fire sacrament to collect?”

He extinguished the final remnant of autonomous consciousness within the Lord of Ashes’ divine will.

In the next moment, Xia Ya’s thoughts stirred.

The black flames within that fragment of the Divine Kingdom began to slowly fade.

Countless dim shadows began to rise, surging upward,

then dispersing beyond that illusory rift and into the vast Spirit Realm.

As they dissipated, Xia Ya sensed faint, almost imperceptible feelings of gratitude being conveyed to him.

These were the souls of those sacrificed by the Ashen Order’s fire sacrament, trapped and corrupted inside this Supreme Relic, suffering day and night in the torment of black flame, unable to disperse due to the nature of the Divine Kingdom fragment.

If not for Xia Ya helping them find release, they might have continued suffering in this black-flame purgatory—perhaps for a hundred years, perhaps a thousand, or maybe even until the end of time.

And as the souls of the sacrificed scattered through that rift, returning to the spiritual sea of the Spirit Realm,

that illusory rift also suddenly widened significantly.

With the divine will lost, the faith energy within the Giant King’s skull was no longer restrained or controlled, and it began leaking continuously through the rift.

At the current rate of flow, it would likely be completely depleted in a few weeks.

After watching the vengeful souls fade away, Xia Ya narrowed his eyes slightly at the Divine Kingdom fragment now filled only with pure faith energy.

He could sense the immense power being nurtured within it.

With both the Giant King’s backup will and the Lord of Ashes’ divine will obliterated, Xia Ya, in theory, now held the highest authority over this Giant King skull.

If he wanted to, he could absorb all of the faith energy within.

After all, this was the faith gathered over a millennium by a True God’s cult, and it was meant to be the foundation for the Lord of Ashes to re-establish his Divine Kingdom when he returned from the distant Starrealm.

If all this faith energy were injected into an average low-tier transcendent at the First or Second Ring, it would be enough to push them to the level of a seasoned Legendary, just one step away from completing their life’s metamorphosis and becoming a so-called Mythical Being.

If Xia Ya absorbed it all, he could foresee himself stepping up yet another level, progressing far along the path of the Divine Domain.

But this kind of power—stitched together from countless believers and sacrificial victims—was not something Xia Ya would ever use to enhance himself.

Who knew if part of this faith energy had been offered up by some crusty dude scratching his feet? The thought of using that on himself was disgusting.

Still, before this power vanished entirely,

borrowing it temporarily might not be a bad idea.

After all, this skull wasn’t just the Ashen Order and Lord of Ashes’ treasure—it was also tied to a massive conspiracy targeting the Imperial Capital.

“Your Highness, oh Your Highness——”

“You caused such a ruckus before, just to resurrect me.”

“So this time, let me give you a big surprise too.”

Xia Ya thought for a moment and left behind a spiritual imprint within the skull.

……

“Ying ying ying! (Master!)”

“Ying ying, ying! (I evolved! I evolved!)”

The joyous chirps of the Little Snow Ferret called Xia Ya’s consciousness back from the world inside the Giant King’s skull to reality.

Snow Ferret, you evolved into what?

Xia Ya looked up and saw that the dark black flame once visible in the ferret’s eyes had vanished.

The three blood-red tomoe slowly faded, leaving only those ruby-like beast eyes.

And Xia Ya’s gaze fell upon the Little Snow Ferret’s forehead, on the translucent blue screen that had just emerged.

【Name: Silver】

【Species: Pending Name (Newborn Legendary Species)】

【Soul Pact Status: First Soul Pact (Master-Servant Contract: Xia Ya Egut)】

【Combat Level: 70 (Seventh Tier)】

【Species Tier: Legendary Tier (Seventh Tier)】

【Pet Skills: Amaterasu (Legendary Skill), Tsukuyomi (Legendary Skill)...】

Legendary Tier—on par with Transcendent.

This was the stage the Little Snow Ferret had reached after its latest breakthrough.

In the Western Continent, especially within the Lost Domains, Legendary-tier Lost Beast Kings weren’t actually that rare—each ruled over a corner of a forgotten land.

However, Legendary-tier summoned beasts who had signed a Soul Pact with a Beastmaster were extremely rare—far more so than even Legendary Beastmasters.

After all, humans and summoned beasts had vastly different lifespans.

Even Legendary Beastmasters usually only lived for a few centuries at most, whereas many high-tier species of summoned beasts considered several hundred years merely their adolescence or growth phase.

As for fully matured Monarch-Tier or Imperial-Tier beasts, they were often already Beast Kings—proud, dignified beings who would never stoop to sign a Soul Pact with a human Beastmaster.

And for the sake of Soul Pact compatibility, synchronicity, and loyalty, human Beastmasters generally preferred to bond with pets still in egg form or the juvenile stage.

This also led to the fact that the vast majority of Legendary Beastmasters had contracted beasts that were only at peak Sixth Tier.

The path to Legendary, the threshold of Legend—whether for humans or beasts—was like a chasm. Countless geniuses and once-promising Legendary Seeds had been halted at this stage, never able to advance another step.

Even those pure-blooded dragons who had long since faded into legend, existing only in the songs of wandering bards, found this step anything but easy.

And though she'd spent most of the past decade in deep slumber, thanks to the feedback from her Soul Pact with Xia Ya, and this opportunity to devour black flame, Silver had managed to take that most difficult step.

The mark of a Legendary Beastmaster was the condensation of a Spiritual Sea—

And for a Legendary-tier summoned beast, the mark was the transcendence of its life essence.

It transcended its original species, and every cell of its flesh-and-blood body underwent a leap.

Because of this, any summoned beast that broke through to the Legendary Tier could be considered a completely new species—what people called a "Legendary Species."

The limitations of previous species rankings vanished like smoke, and they all stood once more at the same starting line.

"I heard from my teacher and Sylvia that Legendary-tier beasts go through a biological leap, with dramatic changes to their physical form being quite common. Silver, how come you don’t look like you’ve changed at all?"

Xia Ya, holding the Little Snow Ferret in his arms, asked with curiosity.

Other than its fur becoming even softer and whiter, and its ruby-like eyes looking a bit deeper,

its outward appearance hadn’t changed at all.

Still the same adorable creature that could melt the hearts of women aged 6 to 6000. Combined with Xia Ya’s passive trait "Pretty Boy EX", the two of them were walking heartthrobs on legs.

This was completely different from what he’d come to expect from Legendary Species evolution.

By all logic, even a lowly skeleton soldier, upon breaking through to the Legendary Tier, would naturally evolve into something like a Skeleton Emperor or King of the Undead.

"Ying, ying ying. (Master, I think this form is more deceptive and better for catching enemies off guard.)"

"Ying ying ying. (If I looked super fierce and intimidating, people would be on alert, and my illusions and sneak attacks wouldn’t work.)"

"So that’s why."

Xia Ya nodded in satisfaction. "Makes sense. No wonder you’re my First Soul Pact beast—you’ve inherited my true schemer spirit."

Indeed, Xia Ya had always seen himself as a strategist who planned ahead and controlled the battlefield.

As for those occasions when he personally stepped onto the battlefield, piloting the Black Knight mech and throwing hands with people—

Haven’t you heard of “Blunt-Fist Dialectics”?

While stroking the fur of the ferret in his arms, Xia Ya stared at the glowing blue panel in deep thought once again.

"A newly born, unnamed Legendary Species..."

Snow Ferret was just the name of Silver’s original species.

Breaking through to the Legendary Tier was equivalent to an evolution, becoming a one-of-a-kind Legendary Species on the entire Western Continent.

Naturally, the name “Snow Ferret” no longer fit Silver’s current status.

In other words—

It was once again time for Xia Ya’s favorite activity: naming things.

……

Silver blinked her ruby eyes obediently from Xia Ya’s arms.

What she had said earlier about not changing her physical form was only part of the truth—she hadn’t told the whole story.

The real reason Silver didn’t want to evolve into a more powerful Nine-Tailed Fox or a majestic and dashing Silver Moon Wolf King was because—

while those forms might look cool, none of them worked as cuddle pillows!

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Given that she specialized in illusion arts and didn’t rely on physical combat, sharp fangs and claws didn’t matter to her.

Compared to those flashy, over-the-top edgelord designs, she preferred something that would let her stay comfortably in Xia Ya’s arms.

That elegant white cat with full Empress energy? Already confirmed to be Sylvia’s alt thanks to a certain Holy Grail leak, and that Argent Witch clearly felt too awkward to keep openly acting affectionate under a disguise—

So Silver had reclaimed her rightful position as Xia Ya’s cuddle pillow.

Other than Crimson, there were no rivals left in the race to be the master’s snuggle buddy.

It was time to reclaim everything that once belonged to her.

However—

The master said he wanted to name her new Legendary Species...

The Little Snow Ferret nervously poked her head out, looking at her master’s thoughtful side profile. Her previously joyful mood took a sudden nosedive.

As the first summoned beast to follow Xia Ya since the days of Ceylan, Silver remembered all too clearly his horrifying naming skills.

He was the type who, despite being utterly terrible at it, was weirdly enthusiastic about naming things.

If she hadn’t put her foot down back then—threatening to destroy the house, even—

she wouldn’t be called “Silver” right now, but probably something like “Lil Whitey” or “Pretty Ferret-Ferret.”

Don’t be fooled by Xia Ya’s current “thinking man” posture. Silver had very little faith in her master’s final choice of name.

"I’ve got it!"

Xia Ya’s eyes lit up, a spark of brilliance flashing through them.

It was as if countless ideas had collided in his mind, erupting into sparks of genius.

With a thought, a new line of text appeared on the translucent blue panel:

【Species Name: Realm.Snow Ferret (Legendary Species)】

Feeling the name transmitted through the Soul Pact, the Little Snow Ferret was momentarily stunned.

“Ying ying ying? (Meow meow meow?)”

"Realm Snow Ferret. The full name is ‘Limit-Breaking Snow Ferret.’"

Xia Ya patiently explained to his main beast, "Silver, think about it—"

"Now that I’ve been branded a Godslayer, and my teacher clearly doesn’t get along with the Ancient Gods either,

there’s no way we’re going to follow the path of igniting divine fire and becoming a god through faith. We’ll have to aim for the Throne path instead."

"So this ‘Realm.Snow Ferret’ name—

it’s my heartfelt expectation for you."

"I hope that after becoming a Legendary Species, you don’t grow arrogant or complacent, but push forward with even more determination."

"Strive to break past the Throne-tier barrier and become a Throne-tier summoned beast."

He gave Silver’s little head a rub.

"Once you reach the Throne Tier and gain power rivaling Mythical Beings and Demi-Gods..."

"Then we’ll rename your species from ‘Limit-Breaking Snow Ferret’ to ‘God.Snow Ferret.’"

"To rise from the humble form of a snow ferret, stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods, and slay the divine…"

"What do you think? Cool, right?"

“Ying… ying ying~ (Is… that so?)”

Silver gave a weak little chirp from Xia Ya’s arms, her fluffy white tail loosely wrapping around his wrist.

She had a sneaking suspicion that her master was pulling some serious bulls**t, but she had no proof.

And Xia Ya didn’t dwell on it too long, either.

Come up with a name, slap it on—this was Xia Ya’s way of the ninja.

What? Your own pet says your names get worse every time?

Then all I can say is: "A genius is half a step ahead of the times. A madman is one full step ahead."

With the lofty aesthetics of a transmigrator, his refined tastes found no kindred spirit in the Western Continent, which still lingered in a medieval civilization—

perhaps this, too, was a sorrow unique to transmigrators.

His gaze fell upon the swirling black mist, and the pale white skull of the Giant King in his hand.

Xia Ya hadn’t forgotten—

over in the Imperial Capital, there was still a certain traitor comrade waiting eagerly for his delivery of a Corrupted Object.

If the Ashen Order sent out the relic, but the Imperial Capital side never received it, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Judging by how openly both sides plotted during the secret gathering of Golden Dawn,

it was clear they both knew each other’s real-world identities.

That secret gathering only occurred once every few months—

and if the other party sensed something off and initiated communication in the Material Plane to change the grand conspiracy they had previously agreed upon,

that would throw everything beyond Xia Ya’s control and make it impossible for him to continue observing from the shadows.

So, a few minutes later—

when Xia Ya once again sensed that illusory voice of prayer—completely different from before—

echoing from a certain hidden coordinate within the Imperial Capital on the Material Plane,

he picked up the Ashen Order’s Supreme Relic in his hand—the Giant King’s skull, now "enhanced with special ingredients."

Then, he tossed it straight toward that coordinate in the Material Plane.

The black mist surged and swallowed the Giant King’s skull whole.