The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 136: Reunion with Maleficent!

"You'll regret this, little girl." The Eastern Witch grinned, her face twisted with madness—nothing like someone on the verge of death.

"I won’t regret it. Capturing you is one of the best things I've ever done," Aurora said.

"No, that's not what I meant..."

The Eastern Witch struggled to sit up on the deck, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

She laughed hysterically, uncontrollably, like a lunatic.

The surrounding sailors exchanged confused glances.

"What’s she laughing about?"

"She must’ve been crazy to begin with—why else would she slaughter innocent civilians like that?"

"Yeah, some witches live in isolation for so long, obsessing over magic, they go insane."

But as Aurora listened to the witch’s laughter, a chill ran down her spine.

A deep unease, like an instinctive warning, took hold of her.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!"

She strode forward, grabbing the Eastern Witch by the collar and shaking her violently.

"Little girl," the witch smirked at Aurora, "you should’ve killed me in the sea, not dragged me up to the surface. That was your only chance…"

She broke into laughter again.

"I can kill you right now! If not for my teacher needing answers, I’d have run my sword through you already!"

Aurora’s voice was sharp, but her unease only grew.

Her warrior’s instincts screamed at her—

Something was coming.

Something terrifying.

"Who are you, little girl?" The Eastern Witch stared at Aurora. "You call Magician Rhine your teacher, yet you’re a super warrior. How did a small kingdom like Rose Kingdom produce someone like you? Where do your monstrous strength and sword skills come from?"

"That’s none of your concern," Aurora replied firmly.

"True, I don’t really care," the Eastern Witch said, tilting her head back to gaze at the sky.

"But she does."

"She?" Aurora’s heart clenched. She immediately looked up.

The sky was empty, only white clouds drifting with the wind.

"She’s very interested in you and your teacher—two extraordinary figures from the Rose Kingdom. If not for you two, I never could’ve convinced her to come today."

The Eastern Witch collapsed onto the deck, staring at the sky with a grin.

At that moment, Aurora, the sailors, the soldiers, the Queen, and the Sea Hag all felt it.

Something was wrong.

As if compelled, they all lifted their heads.

"Hahahahahaha."

A cold, chilling laughter echoed through the heavens.

Everyone who heard it felt an unbearable shiver, a bone-deep fear creeping into their hearts.

The sea roared.

Waves crashed violently against the ship, white foam spraying across the deck as the entire vessel rocked.

"Slave Master, you're a disgrace."

The voice was both elegant and deranged, resounding from an unfathomable distance, drifting through the sea and sky.

"Who's there?!"

Aurora drew her sword, pointing it at the heavens.

Hearing that voice, the Eastern Witch smirked in satisfaction.

With urgency in her tone, she called out to the sky:

"You see? The Queen has betrayed the Witches’ Coven.

"And here’s another traitor—the Sea Witch!

"I’ll leave them to you. Get rid of them."

The next second—

Massive thorned vines as thick as carriage roads erupted from the ocean.

They surged skyward, forming an impenetrable barrier around the Queen’s ship.

Tens of thousands of these colossal vines sprouted in every direction, weaving into a dense forest across the ocean, blocking every possible escape route.

The entire area—large enough to encompass a whole city—was now sealed within towering walls of thorns.

"What terrifying magic!" Aurora's heart pounded.

She had never seen a single spell cover such a vast area so instantly.

Then—her eyes widened.

She recognized these emerald thorns.

—From the vision her teacher had once shown her through the mirror.

In that unchosen future, after the curse was triggered, the entire Rose Kingdom had fallen into an enchanted slumber.

Every inch of the land had been overrun with thorns and brambles—twisted, claw-like vines that ensnared any warrior who dared to enter, trapping them there forever.

Aurora clenched her fists.

She wasn’t afraid.

This was the enemy she had always been destined to face.

The cold laughter grew louder.

The wind howled, scattering the clouds, revealing a figure clad in black and violet.

Her robe billowed wildly in the storm, a vision of dark beauty, chilling elegance, and unbridled madness.

The Black Witch—Maleficent.

"It’s her!" The Queen gasped, stumbling backward in fear.

The Sea Hag’s expression darkened.

As members of the Witches' Coven, they knew better than anyone just how terrifying Maleficent was.

Among the Coven, aside from their elusive leader, only she and the Middle Eastern Witch wielded such catastrophic power—capable of annihilating entire kingdoms with a single spell.

Aurora stood at full attention, her mind racing.

"Ten years ago, on the night of my baptism, when Maleficent finally revealed her true power, everyone realized she was far stronger than they had ever imagined."

"My teacher Rhine, Grandma Rosa, the Violet Fairy, and the twelve other witches—along with the elite Royal Guard—all fought with everything they had. They exhausted themselves completely…"

"And yet, they couldn’t force Maleficent to reveal even a single one of her trump cards."

"And back then, they were facing a Maleficent who had just unleashed a kingdom-destroying curse—who was already weakened!"

"Now, Maleficent is at full strength, fully prepared for battle…"

The soldiers aboard the ship brandished their weapons, trembling as they prepared for the worst.

But their hands shook.

The sheer scale of this magical catastrophe made it painfully clear—this was not an enemy they could face.

Maleficent stretched lazily, descending gracefully onto the deck, utterly unfazed by the weapons pointed at her.

"The Queen, the Sea Witch—you two really have turned your backs on the Coven, haven’t you?"

The Queen bit her lip, refusing to speak, though the sweat on her brow betrayed her fear.

The Sea Hag, however, remained unfazed.

"Excluding the leader who never appears, the Witches’ Coven has only six members. The Queen and I make up a third of the Coven. How can you call this betrayal?"

"Interesting point." Maleficent shrugged, smiling.

"You’re right. A little group of only six or seven people… having two so-called ‘peripheral’ members is a bit excessive."

Then—her gaze turned icy.

"But after today… the Coven will be two members shorter."

At that moment—

Maleficent felt the cold press of steel against her back.

Aurora stood behind her, sword poised against her spine.

"Enough with the talk," Aurora said coldly. "Do you really think you can kill all of us?"

Maleficent turned her head, her smile sweet yet unsettling.

"Oh, my, my. Look at you. Such a gorgeous,adorable little girl!"

"Don't be so hostile, dear. Out of everyone here, you are the one I’m most interested in!"

Aurora remained silent.

"Tell me, little one from the Rose Kingdom," Maleficent murmured. "You're so young… and yet your swordsmanship is exceptional. Why is that?"

Maleficent chuckled, eyes gleaming.

"Strange, isn’t it? I don’t even know you… and yet, for some reason, you feel so familiar to me."

Aurora’s heart tensed.

So, she still doesn’t know.

She doesn’t realize that I am the child she cursed—the princess blessed by every last gift.