My Ex-Girlfriend is the Strongest Guild Master and I'm the Weakest! 99 – [VOL II – Ch16] (Healer Competition Arc) — Otherworldly

At the center of the arena stood a woman draped in a long black cloak. Only the lower half of her face and her bare feet—pale as porcelain—were visible.

The entire group stood on guard, half facing the Witch, the other half glaring at the impostor, who had returned to his true form after a grueso display of bone rearrangent.

When wolf ears sprouted from his black hair, so participants recognized him as Clara Domínguez's NPC, confirming the pattern of each digital mber of the Phantom Seekers taking roles within the test. That ant the Witch was none other than Clara's second and most powerful servant—one who, during livestreams, had demonstrated a devastatingly diverse skillset.

"Your quest ends here, healers," the impostor announced with a nasty grin, his theatrical intonation confirming he was following a script. "The Swamp Witch is the most powerful being in this entire land. You might have escaped if you had double your current forces. But in this sorry state? Could you even last five minutes?"

"What should we do, Edward?" a healer urged.

"Let's gang up on the impostor first!" another suggested. "Before the Witch shows her hand!"

"A small group can handle the impostor, but the Witch could attack our backs any mont. Let's prioritize her first!"

But Edward had other worries.

The impostor was accompanying Nicholas Laflam... Did Nick know? He threw a cautious glance at the necromancer, who had his back turned. I refuse to believe soone would deliberately bring a living trap with them... unless he's confident he'll win.

"Fucking bastard..."

"So what are your orders, Ed?" Nicholas asked. "Seems we're in your hands now."

"You and your bunch confront the Witch... And I'd like to have a talk with you once this is done."

"I don't usually have tea with n, but bring to a good steakhouse and I'm all ears," Nicholas replied with a smirk before strolling forward, silently commanding his undead minions to take the vanguard.

Edward clicked his tongue and spun around. "NPCs, protect your Guild Master! The rest, you know what to do! Let's bring this bastard down!"

"I'd love to see you try!" Fabio laughed. "It's ti to show them hell, Swamp Witch! Release your brethren!"

Everyone felt a chill down their spines. The team assigned to defeat Fabio shot a quick glance at the still-silent woman in the battlefield's center.

She would make her move any mont now.

Finally, whispers erged from her lips: "I'm all alone... Bound to this place... Enslaved forever by these stinking ponds and rotting trees... All alone..."

As she muttered, Nicholas ordered every undead under his command into position. Then ca the tinkling of chains from the rocky ceiling, where multiple silhouettes descended via unseen chanisms. At first, Nicholas thought they were hanging bodies—a horrific preview of their fate—but the chains displayed dozens of wooden mannequins, reminding both Nicholas and Maude of their previous battle.

The dolls began moving erratically, as if just noticing they were hanging by their necks. Their spasms were violent and eerie, simulating excruciating agony. The constant rattling of wood created a symphony of impending doom.

The Witch continued her script: "Welco to my chamber, mortals... I can't—I cannot let you escape. You're destined to beco my puppets, you fools... Puppets, huh? How fucking ironic. As I was saying... You'll be forced to do my bidding... You—What the hell am I even doing? Forced to take on this ridiculous act. What am I? A toy? A doll to play with? Curse it. Curse it all. Curse all of you for being part of this charade... But especially—" The Witch tore off her hood, revealing a heavenly-sculpted face and straight platinum hair underneath. She then yelled: "—CURSE YOU, CLARA, FOR MAKING DO THIS SHIT, YOU BITCH!"

A pair of black horns were now on full display, centing her status as Final Boss—though always present, they helped establish her role even further.

The chains above reacted to her distressed voice, releasing every single wooden doll. They fell with heavy thuds, standing imdiately after, rattling their limbs like war cries.

Maude moved closer to Nicholas. "What's the plan, big guy?" But she got no response. "Hey, Nick! Are you listening to—"

She cut herself short, finally noticing Nicholas's entranced expression.

He stood there, staring at the Witch with wide eyes and mouth agape.

He looked shocked.

Genuinely petrified.

Unmistakably rendered speechless even after Maude shook him by the arms.

"Goddammit, Nick!" Maude hissed, glaring at her fellow undead. "I just hope these things retaliate automatically." She turned to the other conscious user. "Oliver! Keep this asshole safe. Although it pains to say it, we need him."

"Y-Yes, leave it to ," Oliver replied softly.

The dolls charged forward as the Witch extended her hand toward the users. "Kill them all! It'd be hilarious if this test ends without a winner!" She suddenly jerked her head to one side, as if soone had scread in her ear. "Oh, shut up! Unlike the rest of the cast, I can actually mute you! There! No more bitching in my head! Now watch as I render this event completely pointless!"

Maude fired first, carving a hole in the closest doll. The other undead followed suit—one using martial arts, another casting a basic fire spell.

"Hey, watch what you're saying, little sis!" The sli acting as the Guild Master yelled from his position. "These swell guys have given everything for this test!"

The Witch shrieked, "W-What's with that 'little sis' thing?!"

"I was coded way before you, so...!"

"THAT DOES IT—PROFESSOR FORM!" A massive, elongated, black, lustrous arachnid leg crawled out from under her robe and fell heavily to the ground, followed by seven more. As they raised her in altitude, her rear grew in mass, forming an enormous round abdon. Discarding her robe, she revealed that only her torso, arms, and head retained human resemblance. "Now taste this: Dark Conjuring, Ariadne's Anti Aid!"

She channeled mana, creating multiple ethereal threads spreading from her core through her dolls, then the undead vanguard, and finally everyone else, interconnecting every single fighter except the impostor.

Maude saw the golden thread pierce her abdon and exit her back. "What the hell is this thing? It doesn't hurt." She then watched as the doll before her reford its chest, its health bar back to green. "Oh, great. This one can regenerate."

A sudden piercing cry caught her attention—one of the healers at the back fell to his knees, HP bar dropping abruptly.

"What happened to you?!" a teammate cried.

What the…?

Maude turned to her side, where the other undead were fighting. A doll fell to its knees as it burned in flas and another was beheaded by a swift Monk technique. None of them rose to their feet again.

The doll targeting her pounced on her once more, but she countered by bashing its head with her shotgun handle, forcing it back. A visible crack in the doll's head sealed itself within seconds, which was followed by a groan from soone in the backlines.

"What's happening?! I just healed you!" soone scread behind her.

Maude glanced at the magical thread. So that's what's happening. But not every doll is causing this. How do I fight without hurting the others then?

She gritted her teeth before turning around. "Hey, Monk! Help restrain this one without killing it! I'll be right back!" Without waiting for confirmation the undead understood, she rushed to the other side, where the fight against Fabio was not going well.

The NPC moved swiftly, dodging every attack and spell while maintaining a boxing stance with his guard up. It did not take long for him to effortlessly break soone's arm with a punch.

"Heal him!" Edward ordered, taking the injured's place. "What kind of test is this?! We're healers, not combatants!"

"Let us help!" the Guild Master yelled from a distance. "Let Clara and Anastasia handle him!"

"NO!" Edward snapped. "If sothing happens to you, all this hardship goes to waste!"

"Let take care of him then!" Maude cried, dashing toward Edward while Fabio seed content giving them brief respite. "Let's swap fights! I'm not suited to fight the dolls."

Edward studied the undead's face, wondering if this was another of Nicholas's tricks, and was about to refuse, but Maude grabbed his arm. "I may be under Nick's spell, but I'm fully conscious! I just made a deal with him!"

Her tone convinced Edward, though he narrowed his eyes. "You should rather say you made a deal with the devil."

"I know he's a moron, but there's no ti. Listen—so dolls are connected to you guys. If you hurt the doll, one of you takes damage."

Edward glanced at the inexplicably injured healer and nodded. "Fine. I'll buy it. But can you really take this one? He's quite the fighter."

Maude smirked. "I eat close-quarter fighters for breakfa—"

"Maude!" Oliver called from afar. When she looked, he was engaged with a doll blocking his way. "I tried to stop him but—!" He pointed toward the stage's center.

In the distance, Maude found Nicholas strolling toward the Witch, alone. "That fool! Can’t he stop causing trouble for five minutes?!"

But as soon as she tried stepping forward, Fabio threw a punch she barely dodged.

"You're my new opponent, aren't you?" Fabio said. "Let's dance then."

Edward seized this opportunity to gesture at his group and retreat.

anwhile, Nicholas climbed the stairs toward the central arena. One step after another, until he stood eye to eye with the Witch.

"Look who decided to die first!" the Witch sneered, raising an arachnid leg and launching its claw like a projectile.

The blade connected with Nicholas's chest. He nearly tumbled backward but regained balance and continued forward. Monts later, the claw disappeared, coinciding with a hole suddenly forming in one of his undead minions.

The Witch snarled and threw another missile, which pierced its target before vanishing again. This ti, Maude felt a stabbing sensation in her tallic chest but barely took damage.

Unimpressed, the Witch prepared to launch a spell. "Don't get near , you stupid—!" But stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening at what unfolded.

Nicholas was kneeling before her in knightly fashion.

He spoke softly: "Your lantations have not gone unheard, fair lady, and I am moved to offer my services. I am Nicholas Laflam, a humble wanderer and professional problem-solver. May I have the honor of knowing your na?"

At first, the Witch thought this was a strategy for a surprise attack, but when he raised his head and t her eyes, she recognized this man was... being serious?

She found herself compelled to answer. "I'm... I'm Dylak..." she said in a tiny voice. "Wait... what? What's all this?"

“Dylak,” Nicholas repeated reverently, as if savoring each syllable. “A na as enchanting as the lady who bears it—the most radiant vision I’ve ever had the fortune to witness...”

Outside the battlefield, at the stadium, Alan Warden and Clara Domínguez let out a simultaneous: “EHHHHHH?!”

As for Miss Nebuline, she burst into laughter while Alia Laflam was rendered unable to move or even think.

anwhile, the stream’s chat was filled with a rush of comnts, ranging from shock to excitent.