Who would have thought that Forbidden Curses are so troublesome? A normal Ten-Ring Forbidden Spell, if not shortened in casting time, might take a day to chant, and some particularly complex ones might even require two or three days or more to prepare.
And to shorten the casting time from a day or even several days to a mere instant, one can only imagine the difficulty involved.
The vast majority of Great Witches may never reach the level of instant casting in their lifetimes. Those who can reduce the lengthy casting time of a Forbidden Curse to under ten minutes are considered geniuses; to under a minute, they are the favored children of the heavens; to under ten seconds, they are undeniably monstrous talents. If they don't die young, reaching the Peak is not a problem, but as for instant casting, one can only say this child has the qualifications of a Sage.
No wonder even senior Fanny, someone who holds herself in such high regard, couldn't help but praise Sophia's aptitude, stating outright that she has the qualifications of a Sage. Indeed, it seems she was not wrong—here is a mere sixteen-year-old instantly casting a Forbidden Curse, putting those Great Witches who have lived hundreds or thousands of years to shame.
"Heh, Dorothy, now you know what fear is, huh? Just because I can see through her Art of Bewildering Fate doesn't mean you can. I'm eager to see how you'll wrap this up. You've played the tough one, now finish it, even if you have to do it in tears," said one witch.
Over Dorothy's head, the wide brim of her Witch Hat creased into a smirk, and senior Fanny was thoroughly amused.
The Homebody Witch once secretly asked her how she knew it was Sophia's doing. Her response was simple: see right through the Art of Bewildering Fate—and then this foolish Master directly challenged the Pure White Witch to a bet.
Tsk, what arrogance—why does she think that what I can do, she can do as well? As the Future Fourth King, do I have no face to save?
Senior Fanny was quite irritated at the thought.
What's her strength? Even without considering the title of Fated Fourth King, she is a bona fide Sage.
So where does Dorothy get her overconfidence from, thinking she can do what a Sage can? Who gave her that courage?
Hmph, I'm certainly not going to help you cheat this time. I want to see how you handle this.
Sister Joyful's true nature emerged, and she gleefully prepared to watch the drama unfold.
Sister, you've betrayed me again. You, a Merry Maker, will eventually fall on your own merriment.
The Homebody Witch shivered with frustration.
To be honest, she didn't have much confidence either, especially since she understood from Sophia's instant cast of a Fate Series Forbidden Spell that her roommate was also a chosen one, a Lady of Fate. How could she, a mere transmigrator, best the true Child of Fate?
But there was no choice; she'd played the braggart, so she had to see it through, even if it meant losing. She absolutely refused to accept any cowardly surrender without a fight.
"Hmph, at worst, I'll just be laughed at," Dorothy steeled her resolve and tossed her coin into the air.
All she could do now was pray that her miraculous Inspiration would save face and grant her a successful Divination.
The Divination Witch's Coin Game was set into motion.
The crisp sound of the coin rang out across the room, and under the watchful eyes of the two witches, the Commemorative Coin tumbled into the air, then naturally fell back down.
Dorothy caught the coin on the back of her hand, then turned it over to see its face.
Yes! It's heads; the divination was successful.
The Homebody Witch couldn't help but laugh.
Heh, what an inept Lady of Fate. Under the might of my miraculous Inspiration, all fate is trivial. Sophia, let me properly see your unchangeable fate.
Dorothy closed her eyes and began to meticulously interpret the results of the divination, as visions unfolded before her.
Yet as she watched, the smile slowly froze on her face.
Good news, the divination was successful.
Bad news, it was too successful. This was not the future she wanted.
...Interpreting divination...