Silence.
The air seemed to solidify.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Every prince and noble, every foreign prince and princess, held their breath.
"What are you doing?"
The King stood up in a rage.
"Why? Why!
"I invited you to this grand banquet, treated you to a lavish feast! Yet you cast a curse on Princess Aurora, on my kingdom?"
The King shouted, beckoning the Soldiers around him:
"Seize her, seize this ungrateful Black Witch!"
The Soldiers raised their sharp weapons, surrounding the Black Witch.
The other 12 Witches also looked solemn, raising their wands, cautiously pointing them towards the Black Witch.
"Hahahahaha!"
The Black Witch laughed heartily, her posture disheveled.
"That's right, my esteemed King, you invited me to the banquet, gave me a lavish dinner, and haven't I repaid you with the best blessing?"
Smash!
The Black Witch tapped her fingertip, and a bolt of lightning struck the table, shattering the golden plate on it.
It was the golden plate she had eaten from earlier.
The exquisitely carved golden plate shattered, revealing the cheap, silver-white metallic luster within!
"My esteemed King, I know that you, like everyone else in this kingdom, are unwilling to give me the same treatment as the other 12 Witches!
"In fact, I don't need your recognition at all. What if you are a monarch? Your entire kingdom's army combined is just a bunch of little bugs to me!"
Looking at the shattered plate on the ground, the King was instantly stunned.
The next second, he understood the reason.
"No, this is a misunderstanding! The craftsman used inferior materials, this plate was supposed to be pure gold."
The Black Witch continued to laugh:
"So what if it's a misunderstanding? Hahahaha, what a perfect misunderstanding.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time!"
The Black Witch's stern gaze swept over the 12 Witches standing ready.
"I am clearly the most powerful of all the Witches, surpassing all of them combined.
"But you fear me, dread me, slander me in secret, just because I am more excellent, able to wield darker powers that they cannot touch!
"Now, I have presented my final gift before leaving this kingdom.
"The curse has been cast, and it cannot be lifted unless I die!"
Rhine looked at the Black Witch's twisted face and maniacal laughter, and couldn't help but sigh.
This was completely a sensitive, neurotic madwoman!
Even if the golden plate hadn't been an issue, she might have been enraged by other details.
The 12 Witches could no longer tolerate the Black Witch's rampant behavior.
"Don't think you're the only one who can use magic. No matter how powerful you are, you are still only one person!"
The Violet Fairy, who was leading them, pointed her wand at the Black Witch and loudly declared:
"Since the curse can be lifted if you die! Then let you atone for your sins here!"
The King also directed the surrounding Soldiers, completely surrounding the Black Witch.
Facing the 12 Witches and the large group of Soldiers who had entered the ceremony, the Black Witch showed no fear.
"Be honored. You will have the chance to witness my most powerful form with your own eyes!"
As her words fell, a ghastly green flame ignited on her black cloak.
The woman's thin, pale body rapidly expanded and then burst open.
Rumble.
In an instant, the Black Witch transformed into a giant black dragon.
The giant dragon's head touched the ceiling. Its wings flapped, causing the entire palace to tremble, and dust and debris fell.
Foreign dignitaries and nobles screamed.
They either scattered and fled, or hid under the tables in the palace hall.
Rhine did not hesitate, quickly stepping in front of the panicked King and Queen.
"Danger, retreat quickly! Leave this to me!"
The Soldiers shot at the evil dragon, but the arrows struck its black scales like eggs hitting steel, easily deflecting.
The 12 Witches each cast their signature spells.
Some Witches pulled out bright mirrors, facing them directly at the black dragon; the mirror surface could suck away the souls of enemies who looked directly at it;
Some Witches pointed their wands at the black dragon, trying to turn Maleficent into a toad;
Some Witches sang eerie chants, trying to warp and enchant Maleficent's mind.
All these efforts were futile.
The giant dragon shrugged its shoulders, easily resisting the magic attempting to affect it.
The Witches' faces turned pale, their mouths twitching slightly, feeling a profound, heartfelt despair.
At this moment, the Witches finally understood that even though they were collectively known as the 13 Witches of the kingdom, there was an insurmountable chasm between them and this colleague.
Maleficent before them was a true legendary magic master, a terrifying existence who could destroy a kingdom on a whim!
The Black Dragon spewed ghastly green flames, instantly engulfing the hall.
Large numbers of Soldiers were reduced to ashes before they could even scream.
The 12 good Witches barely protected themselves with magic, retreating repeatedly, looking disheveled, their faces blackened, having long lost their noble, elegant, and unfathomable appearance from earlier.
"My beloved King, you wouldn't truly believe that this rabble under your command could harm a single hair on me, would you?"
The Black Dragon, transformed from Maleficent, laughed wildly.
"Foolish King, you could have resigned yourself to fate and lived for another decade or so, waiting for the curse to take effect. Since you refuse to wait, why not become my meal now."
The next moment, the Black Dragon flapped its wings powerfully, pouncing towards the throne where the King and Queen were, and again spewed ghastly green scorching flames from its mouth.
"Oh no!"
The Violet Fairy, leader of the 12 Witches, paled in shock, watching the Black Dragon spew flames, surging towards the throne.
She seemed to see that in the next instant, the King, the Queen, and the handsome young man beside them would be engulfed by the scorching fire.
The Queen was almost unconscious from fright.
Looking at the green flames about to engulf him, the usually composed King also turned pale, and couldn't help but close his eyes.
However, the scorching heat that seemed to consume him did not come.