Witch Redemption

"In the year 100 of the new calendar, the first year of peace in the world, the Ross royal family was born, and in that year they presented our country with a great gift: using a sacrificial ritual of an evil god to interfere with our country's witch summoning..."

The illusion was perfectly presented with a witch with blood-red hair and eyes. This mutated witch was in the midst of a frenzied battle. Her hands had transformed into jet-black claws, and seventeen tentacles, each three meters long, extended from behind her. The grimoire patterns floating in front of her had turned blood-red and displayed strange markings resembling eyes.

"These mutated witches are called 'Abyssal Gods.' They possess near-divine immortality and are beings that we, the inhabitants of this world, cannot kill. The only way to completely eliminate them is to rely on witches summoned through 'witch summoning.' That year, due to insufficient preparation, the empire paid a heavy price, and the late Emperor Brown I also sacrificed himself in the war against the Abyssal Gods."

"Today, I have gathered you all here for only one reason: the Ross royal family has reappeared in the world and created yet another Abyss God, whose true name is Witch Codename 098 Ann Grenas..."

Within the illusion constructed by magic, the mutated figure of Ann Gnath reappeared. The Undying Iris began to mention the matter of the Ross royal family colluding with Leragin, one of the seventy-two pillar gods, to interfere with the Sunset Temple in Dawn City last month. She also mentioned the recent assassination of Imperial Major General Ebo Gler by the Ross royal family at the ruins of Mo City. Finally, she added a few words with a blank expression.

"Leaving aside how to fight the Ross royal family, what we need to do now is to carry out the execution ceremony against this Abyss God. The execution ceremony in the hundredth year of the new calendar cost the lives of hundreds of witches, and today there are only fifteen witches left who can serve as executioners. The situation is not optimistic. I invited you all to come and witness this execution ceremony so that you can be mentally prepared."

As soon as the warden of the Witch Prison, the Undying Iris, finished speaking, all the high-ranking officials of the Empire present began to whisper among themselves. It was clear that they knew nothing about the "Abyss Gods" and had never even heard of them.

"Warden Elis, forgive my ignorance, but how did this witch become a member of the Abyss Gods? Why are there so few records of such a dangerous situation in history?" The current head of the Holy See, Bishop Ultron, a kind old man with white hair and wearing a white robe, asked with a smile.

As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. The Holy See and the Witch Order are responsible for completely different matters, so this old man who belongs to the Holy See naturally does not know about the history of the "Abyss Gods".

"I'm sorry, the origin of the Abyss Gods is still a mystery. The Abyss Gods of the 100th year of the New Calendar sacrificed the humans of a city, corrupting the witch's summoning and giving birth to such terrifying monsters. As for the current one, we haven't been able to find out its origin yet, but one thing is certain: this Abyss God has not lost its mind and gone completely insane like the one from the 100th year of the New Calendar."

Perhaps it was precisely because this abyss god had not descended into madness that the highest leader of this witch cult felt even more uneasy.

"As for why history records so little about it, there is only one reason: the Ross royal family only succeeded once in summoning the Abyss Gods, and all subsequent attempts failed."

"Then why are the Abyss Gods immortal...?"

"You all should know this, right? The true reason for the fall of the ancient gods came from an even more ancient being..." The warden of the Witch Order raised her withered right hand and pointed to the sky. "Gods possess immortality, and mortals can never kill them. All beings with 'divine' attributes can only be killed by the same 'god.' Among them, the existence of witches is an exception."

The Immortal Iris did not explain what made the witch special, because it involved too many unspeakable secrets, concerning whether the barrier that maintained the peace and stability of the entire world could continue to exist.

"As the true trump card of the ancient gods, witches are the nemesis of all demons and all 'gods,' provided they can grow to a certain level. However, you should all understand that power must be in your own hands, and witches are a double-edged sword. If we move forward, they will become our strongest protective sword; if we retreat, they will become the most unstable magic crystal bomb in the empire, just like the 'Abyss Gods.'"

"What if these witches fail to kill this abyss god...?"

"It's alright. Right now, we're just letting you all witness the true power of a god, to prepare for that day in the future. Whether or not we manage to kill it successfully, there will be beings with the same 'godly' attribute who will take action afterward. The eternal oath between us and the apostles from ancient times to the present is also to prevent the large-scale birth of the Abyss Gods."

Seeing the seemingly fearless demeanor of the highest-ranking official of this witch cult, Bishop Ultron of the Holy See suddenly recalled the rumors about the six apostles. "I've heard that the sixth apostle was recently besieged by the other five apostles, and now I'm afraid..."

"It's alright. Even if they are too busy with their internal strife, they will definitely prioritize dealing with the Abyss Gods after receiving the news. We'll make a decision after today."

..................

"Code name 098 Ann Gnas, I have a mission for you. In this mission to the ruins of Mo City, the last remaining witches betrayed the Empire and murdered Major General Aibo. This is an unforgivable crime. The Empire hopes to use your hands to personally bring them to justice."

Ann Gnath, who was finally released, still clearly remembered Major General Eisen's words, which were words that he found extremely puzzling.

I thought that after being imprisoned for more than three days, he might be put on trial, but instead, he was told these words. Why? Why does the empire want to use him to eliminate these witches? Wouldn't it be safer for them to do it themselves?

"No, could it be that the Empire has completely seized control of most of my intelligence? Is it because they've determined that I possess the profession of Witch Devourer and can grow stronger by killing other witches that they intend to turn a blind eye and let me become even stronger?"

"That's not right either. He also mentioned that Major General Abbott is dead? How could that ridiculously strong guy be dead? Did something happen the day I was interrogated?"

Completely baffled, Ann Grenas hesitated for a moment before breaking into a pleased smile. "The Empire wants to use me to eliminate the other witches, isn't that exactly what I want? Whether it's a conspiracy or a legitimate scheme, I can simply turn the tables and become stronger than ever before! If I eliminate the remaining witches, I might even be able to ascend directly to the Gold Spellbook, and then..."

Meanwhile, Li Lan and the other three, who were also released at the same time, received orders from Major General Geno, the Inquisitor of Heretics: "The Empire will not stop you from killing codename 098 Ann Gnath. Rather, the Empire never allows witches to kill each other. Ann Gnath's actions have already committed a grave offense. Today, this Charlotte City is your stage. The Empire will not interfere with your battles, but there is one thing we hope you will pay attention to: Ann Gnath is no longer the witch you imagined. Carelessness will only lead to your annihilation."

The smiling Major General Geno didn't say anything more and left immediately after releasing them.

It was ten o'clock in the morning. Unlike the usual gloom, the sun was warm today. Unfortunately, it was this warm sunshine that made the lifeless city seem even more oppressive.

Li Lan never expected that after being detained for so many days, she would receive such an order.

When Li Lan and the other three stood on the deserted street, they looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering, "What exactly is going on with the Empire?"

"Today should also be the day of the Crimson Night Flood, so why would the Empire choose such a day to release us and allow us to fight against Ann Gnath? Could there be a trap here?"

It was precisely because of Major General Geno's words that Li Lan became worried. Of course, he wanted to get rid of this Ann Grenas, but would doing so now play right into the Empire's hands?

“They say they’re letting us fight it out, but this area is so big, it won’t be easy to find this guy,” Lana said. She looked up into the distance and saw that strange high walls had been erected all around, each hundreds of meters high. “Strange, these walls weren’t here before we were imprisoned, were they?”

The city walls looked like they were made of silver-white steel, full of a strong sense of metallic technology, not magical at all. It was these high walls that surrounded the four sides and completely isolated the entire city of Charlotte.

Little did they know, this wall was actually one of the Empire's secret weapons, the "Immovable Fortress." With the help of bio-metal and magic crystal power, it could form a terrifying defensive barrier. It was not only a great weapon of war, with the same status as the Imperial Fleet, but more importantly, it was infused with the flesh and blood of the dead witch. With the blessing of many spells, it could withstand the devouring darkness and completely resist the invasion of the Crimson Night Torrent.

As Major General Geno said, today's Charlotte City is the stage prepared for them by the Empire. Even the Crimson Night Torrent cannot disturb these witches. The Empire will create the best space for them to fight, just so that they can witness the true form and power of the "Abyss Gods"!

“I don’t know, maybe it’s some kind of conspiracy by the Empire,” Li Lan pondered for a moment, but then his mind settled down. “Forget it, whether it’s a conspiracy or an open scheme, Ann Grenas must die today! Let’s find Peggy and the others first and see if they are willing to join forces. Once we’ve joined forces, we’ll consider confronting Ann Grenas head-on.”

Lanxi's death must not be in vain. Li Lan will not allow someone who uses his accomplices as stepping stones to continue to exist. He is also certain that they want to kill Ann Gnas, and Ann Gnas is probably also secretly plotting how to kill them.

Today, the conflict between the two sides is no longer just about personal grievances, but has escalated to a matter of ideologies and wills.

Whether it is right to "spare no effort, even if it means killing all your fellow human beings, in order to survive" or to "uphold the last dignity of being human, even if it means certain death" is right, we shall see today.

In this cruel world, these transmigrators, for the first time, reflected on what the right thing to do was, and after this day, no matter which side survives, they will definitely continue to fight with all their might to escape this empire.

For a fleeting moment, Li Lan even considered that he might be able to persuade Ann Grenas to stop the infighting and even reveal detailed secrets so that they could work together to escape the Empire. However, when he saw that unsettling, strange steel wall, he began to abandon the idea.

"If the witch's death is the true destiny, then before we deceive this true destiny, all we need to do is submit to it. I will choose to believe the Flame Witch's prophecy and all the guidance of Senior Number 47. Now is not the time. The secret will not be revealed today, at least not today when countless eyes are watching this area."

Li Lan stared intently at the top of one of the high walls, as if he were looking at a large number of eyes, and that those eyes were probably not just on the four witches.

"Something's strange! Today's events are unusual!" Lana and Lorina, who also sensed the top of the high wall, exchanged a glance and read a lot of unease in each other's eyes.

“Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Although it’s a bit of a pity, I won’t show any mercy today, so don’t worry.” Lolina didn’t show her usual innocent expression; instead, she became incredibly resolute. As Ann Gnath’s former accomplice, the thought of him killing his own comrades made Lolina unwilling to forgive him. This behavior not only violated Li Lan’s bottom line but also Lolina’s.

Della remained as taciturn as ever, thinking to herself, "The reason I want to live is not just for revenge, but more importantly, to protect my comrades. If I have to fight Ann Gnath today, I will only stand on Karen's side."

“Let’s go. I remember Peggy and the others should be being held over there.”

Li Lan took the lead.

Chapter 125 The True Assassin in Distance

The Witch Gunner is no ordinary class. It possesses the ability to conceal itself, allowing it to hide in various spaces, and also boasts numerous explosive offensive skills, enabling it to unleash long-range energy cannon fire using its sacred weapon, the "Roar" gun.

This class can be described as the pinnacle of ranged damage output, while also possessing unimaginable strength in close-quarters defense, and even a terrifying, little-known support trap skill.

Of course, even with such great strength, Ann Gnath is still an extremely cautious and ruthless person. Even though he has a magic book level of up to level 20, the highest among the existing witches, he would not be so reckless as to want to confront these witches who have gathered together.

At this moment, the sealed-off city became his hunting ground, and as a hunter, he would only take the initiative to attack when he was absolutely certain that everything was foolproof.

"First of all, let's make this my personal base."

Ann Gnath's profession is similar to that of a hunter. In addition to numerous attack methods and his ridiculously strong defensive methods, he also has two trap-type auxiliary skills: "Mysterious Spike" and "Piercing Cage".

"Mysterious Spikes" is an invisible trap set on the ground, about thirty centimeters in diameter. Any living creature that steps into this trap will be instantly pierced from the rear by giant rock spikes. "Piercing Cage" is a spatial invisible trap, similar to a door as tall as a person. Any creature that passes through this invisible door will be like entering an Iron Maiden, instantly riddled with numerous black iron spikes before it can react.

In fact, both of these trap-type auxiliary skills were learned by Ann Grenas when he reached level ten of the magic book. He has not yet actually used them in actual combat. What he can confirm right now is that only ten of each type of trap can be set up per day, and only he can confirm the location of each invisible trap and accurately see which area it exists in.

Waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out is not Ann Gnath's style, so he decided to set up these traps before making a move, and then "lure the snake out of its hole" when the time is right to witness the power of this so-called trap skill.

"Each trap takes about ten minutes to set up, and the ten mysterious spikes and the piercing cage will take a total of two hundred minutes, which is more than three hours. Hopefully, spending so much time will be of great help to me."

With a slight, sinister smile, Ann Gnath chose a house in the eastern part of the town and quickly began making his preparations.

For Ann Gnath, his terror lies not only in the special nature of his witch profession, but also in his unbelievably powerful memory, which allows him to exert strategic advantages that ordinary witches do not possess.

For example, he has already memorized all the routes in this entire area. If he can use his memory to guide him to a certain extent, he will turn these traps into unimaginable super weapons.

“Those witches have a numerical advantage, and to eliminate them without taking any damage, I must take them down one by one. It’s still early. According to this major general of the empire, the time limit he set is until the early hours of tomorrow, so until then I just need to wait until these witches show a weakness before I make my move.”

Patience has always been Ann Gnaz's strength!

..................

Sure enough, Li Lan and his companions eventually found Peggy and the other witches in the building where Lanxi died. However, to their surprise, only three witches remained, including Peggy, while the other eight witches were nowhere to be found.

"What about the other witches?"

Seeing that the three witches seemed to have been waiting here for a long time, Li Lan felt a sense of foreboding.

"A small mishap occurred, and we parted ways with them."

Peggy, the "Minotaur" witch with short black hair and a dashing appearance, helplessly spread her hands and said frankly, "I can't persuade them, so now we can only wait here for you to come."

At present, apart from the leaders, witch codename 040 Peggy, witch codename 027 Sherry Nancy, and witch codename 035 Matilda, all the other witch members are against cooperating with these wandering witches, and in the end, serious disagreements have arisen.

What Peggy didn't mention was that during their days of detention, all eleven witches had completely lost their composure, arguing countless times about the merits and demerits of the Imperial Witch Cult, the merits and demerits of the wandering witches, and their future prospects, and even almost came to blows.

Indeed, after their trip to the ruins of Mo City, when they learned that few of the witches remained after their lucky escape, it was inevitable that anyone would feel sad and depressed, and even feel a strong sense of crisis and loss.

In just three days, nearly a hundred witches perished in the ruins of Mo City, leaving only a dozen or so. Human life was as worthless as grass.

Moreover, unlike Li Lan and her three companions who ventured deep into the underground region and remained relatively safe and sound throughout, Peggy and her group spent nearly an hour fleeing with the heavily injured Lancy. They not only witnessed the brutality of the Goblin Kingdom but also the terrifying power of the Empire.

Even now, Peggy still vividly remembers the series of horrific battles that took place that day. The massive, overwhelming army of the kingdom surged into Charlotte City, killing indiscriminately and launching a self-destructive attack that lasted for three hours.

If they hadn't been lucky enough to enter Charlotte City ahead of time and hadn't been arranged to a temporary safe zone by Major General Eisen of the Witch Cult, everything would have ended differently.

As Peggy stood alone atop that building, watching the terrifying carnage below, watching the "Imperial Fleet" raze the outer perimeter of the Mo City ruins to the ground with its ridiculously powerful firepower, how much did he question the meaning of life?

At that moment, every witch, for the first time, strongly questioned the so-called "savior theory" of the Witch Cult.

Because the empire is just too powerful!

Not only are these Imperial Major Generals and the Chairman of the Order unfathomable, but the high-tech weaponry displayed by the Imperial Army also far exceeds their imagination. In the face of such strength, what are monsters? What is the Crimson Night Torrent?

With such strength, why would the empire need to send these useless witches to the front lines?

The stark contrast between their past and present circumstances led many of these witches to question whether the empire was merely using them as cannon fodder, and they began to reflect on their future...

On the evening of May 12th, the day when Peggy and the other eleven witches were imprisoned, Li Lan's attention was focused on Lanxi, and he quickly had Major General Eisen separate them. Therefore, Li Lan did not notice that, apart from Peggy and the other two witch leaders, the other eleven witches were on the verge of collapse.

After Li Lan and the other three left, the eleven witches spent almost the entire night arguing about various matters.

Finally, aside from Peggy, Sherry, and Matilda, the other members unanimously believed that the Empire must have had good intentions, otherwise there would be no way to explain why the Empire placed them in the safe zone that day, and why the Imperial army deliberately protected them.

Faced with these self-deceptive remarks, Peggy was heartbroken. His five-man squad included four teammates who were his true subordinates. He should have known them well, but at this crucial moment, he couldn't keep them in check, causing these nearly broken teammates to leave him.

The reasons are quite simple. First, Peggy trusted these wandering witches too much and failed to upgrade her magic book in time, preventing them from becoming stronger immediately. Second, even now, Peggy still had the idea of ​​cooperating with the wandering witches. Why did she choose to defy the Witch Cult? Why didn't she trust the Witch Cult's guidance?

Peggy had always known that this was like "grasping at straws when one is desperate." When everyone placed their hopes for survival on the Witch Cult, his dissenting voices would only make him a target of public criticism.

Therefore, when he chose to wait here in the morning, all his original teammates left in anger.

Peggy didn't stop them; in fact, he understood their actions. He simply felt like a failed leader.

"We won't go into details about what happened. Right now, the only ones who can cooperate with you are the three of us."

Peggy still had her dead fish eyes as always, but these dead fish eyes now carried a hint of helplessness compared to her usual expressions.

Li Lan only slightly suspected that something extremely unpleasant must have happened among these eleven witches. Although Peggy did not say it explicitly, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, as if he had caused someone else's "family to break apart." However, he didn't know how to comfort the team leader at the moment.

"This is not your fault. As you said, we are all adults and have our own judgment. We don't care about your good or bad, or the good or bad of the Witch Cult. Just like a certain politician I admire said, it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. At this moment, whether it's an ordinary witch or a wandering witch, as long as it can help us cooperate better and achieve a win-win situation, it's a good witch."

There aren't that many black-and-white things in the world. Only children consider perspectives; adults only consider interests!

Clearly, in Peggy's subconscious, after witnessing the Empire's terrifying power, his doubts about the Empire had risen to an almost pathological level. It was this unresolved doubt and fear that led him to join the ranks of the wandering witches and seek a real chance for survival in the future.