Witch Redemption

Faced with this sudden attack, Rebecca only had time to raise her crescent-shaped scimitar, but she was unable to withstand the violent blow.

In just a brief exchange, she watched as the dagger pierced her heart, bringing unprecedented pain. Before she could even cry out, she felt a chill in her throat, and a gruesome wound completely silenced her last words.

"Susan! Oh no! Susan! Run!"

In the final moments before she passed away, Rebecca's only remaining thought was of her only family member.

However, how cruel is reality?

The strongest Rebecca has already fallen, let alone this cousin who is related to her by blood?

With an expressionless face, Major General Arnold raised his knife and brought it down. The incredibly sharp military knife was like a whistling wind. After severing Susan's resisting arms, the blade then pierced the elf's throat. A huge amount of red blood, like a fountain, poured wildly into the messy room in less than a few seconds, staining the entire floor red.

What is reality? This is reality!

Most intelligent species lose all fighting ability the moment they suffer a fatal injury. Whether human or elf, death is only a matter of a moment for them. No matter how strong their will is, it is completely impossible for a seriously wounded person to put up a fight.

Are there any exceptions? Yes, for example, witches whose physical structure is completely different from others, intelligent species from the true mythological era, or powerful beings who have awakened their primal power and advanced to the demigod realm.

Unfortunately, Rebecca and Susan were nothing special; they were just ordinary elves, even though they were much stronger than most adventurers.

“Susan…Susan…”

Her heavy body collapsed into a pool of blood, the intense pain almost overwhelming her. Even so, she still endured the pain, making a hissing sound as she struggled to raise her powerless right hand, trying to grasp that unique hope that belonged only to her.

Faced with this sudden and shocking turn of events, Rebecca, whose vision was blurring, felt not resentment, but fear—the fear of Susan's death...

"Finish!"

Arnold took out a handkerchief, wiped the military knife clean, and put it back in its sheath.

If these two were truly heinous criminals, Arnold would prefer to simply behead them and offer their heads as a sacrifice to the god of justice.

However, since there was not much evidence to suggest that they were heinous criminals, Arnold took a more lenient approach. One of them, who did not have time to resist, had her heart and throat ruptured by two stabs, ending her life completely. The other, who had begun to resist, had her limbs severed and her heart and throat ripped open.

In any case, at least these two guys were left with intact corpses, which is full of humanitarian spirit.

Having accomplished all this effortlessly, Arnold walked out of the room with a cold expression. He was about to signal one of the soldiers cleaning up the mess to use the relevant flammable magical materials to completely reduce the two corpses to ashes when, unexpectedly, several abrupt footsteps came from the shop across the street.

"Ok?"

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

This wasn't a fight; it was a one-sided massacre!

Li Lan never imagined that, having already noticed that these imperial soldiers had been observing the two elves next door, only a month later, these ruthless men would dare to kill them in broad daylight, slaughtering the two muscular elves like chickens.

Is there no law left?

Li Lan witnessed it all. This terrifying massacre lasted only a few seconds. White knives went in and red knives came out, and the two elven women lying on the ground were already unconscious.

This Imperial Major General named "Arnold" didn't even blink; just how terrifying was his strength?

What if Arnold hadn't targeted the two elven women, but instead intended to kill Li Lan outright? Li Lan had no doubt that he would have survived even less than the two elven women. The one with the light blue hair would have had time to retaliate, but this Imperial Major General was far too fast!

It's as fast as a ghost.

This overwhelming strength finally reminded Li Lan of the fear of being dominated by the empire. If that abyssal monster hadn't concealed its true power, and if they hadn't used the "human wave tactic" in conjunction with Lolina's trump card, "Locks of the Underworld," they certainly wouldn't have survived that long.

If they hadn't used the slimes' characteristics to "cheat," they probably would have ended up like these two elven women, slaughtered like pigs, lying stiffly in a pool of blood, watching themselves die a miserable death.

"courage!"

Unable to resist giving herself a pep talk to calm her agitated emotions, Li Lan felt a surge of grief and indignation welling up inside her.

Even though he didn't know why these two elven women had offended the Empire, seeing their tragic deaths still stirred up feelings of sympathy in him, like the sorrow of a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.

This feeling is called "compassion," an instinct of all upright people who have traveled from Earth. It is not the emotion of a saint, but simply grief and indignation towards this unjust world.

Unfortunately, even so, it would be difficult for Li Lan to stand up for the two elven women and seek justice, because he had no idea if there were more secrets involved, and he had no power to intervene in this dispute. All he could do was act as a spectator and choose to protect himself.

That's what I was thinking, but suddenly I heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from the stairs behind me. I glanced over and saw Lachesis Wagner rushing down the stairs, looking extremely anxious. "Excuse me, Dr. Roman, I'll take my leave."

The red-haired beauty, dressed in the distinctive brown-black uniform of the Beicheng Chamber of Commerce and looking dashing, quickly walked out of the store after greeting them and headed straight for shop number 976, the very spot where the two elven women had died.

Li Lan frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then followed a few steps with a stiff upper lip. "We shouldn't cause trouble in this situation, but what's Lachesis's reason for wanting to go over there? Could it be that she also feels pity for those two elven women? I hope this guy doesn't act rashly later."

After more than a month of contact, Li Lan had gained a deeper understanding of Lachesis. This seemingly cold person was definitely not someone who couldn't control her emotions, but the way she left now was really too abnormal.

When Li Lan arrived on the dimly lit street, the thirty-odd tall men in Imperial military uniforms began to surround her, intentionally or unintentionally, radiating an invisible pressure.

"Yu Hui and the others are still upstairs and don't have much fighting power. Thomas and the other two were dispatched to improve my magic book level and will only come back once a month at most. Does that mean I can only rely on myself now? Damn it, these lackeys of the Empire are very strong and can basically crush ordinary platinum-level adventurers. I am powerless to help them now."

Quickly assessing the situation, Li Lan, though she had stepped onto the main street, did not rashly approach Lachesis, but instead allowed her to argue with the Imperial Major General Arnold.

He stepped back slightly, reaching a safe and optimal distance, and began to hear a heated argument coming from ahead...

"Major General Arnold, this is the territory of the Viana Theocracy and the territory of the Beicheng Merchant Guild. It is unacceptable for you to blatantly murder two women from the Elven Kingdom and then try to destroy the evidence by setting fire to the place."

Lachesis asked, in fact, if it weren't for Mira, the little girl who had just been beside her, reminding her, she wouldn't have known that such a serious situation had occurred below.

As someone who had gradually distanced himself from the Bay City Merchant Guild, Lachesis's position was that it would be best to turn a blind eye. At the very least, the Bay City Merchant Guild had known about the Empire's murderous intent for a month, so what happened today was almost inevitable.

However, she did not expect that Mira, who was usually taciturn, would actually beg her to step in today.

"Doing this would undoubtedly go against my father's orders, and although I feel a little sorry for Mira, there's not much I can do."

On the surface, he questioned Lachesis coldly, but in reality, he was unsure of himself and was intimidated by the powerful pressure exerted on him when facing the major general of the Empire.

"This must be Miss Lachesis Wagner, Viscount Ivan Hank's adopted daughter. As an outsider with little blood relation, I advise you not to get involved in this matter."

When Arnold saw that the woman who came was someone he recognized, his face immediately fell.

Lachesis Wagner, a frequent visitor to the "Roman Clinic," was thoroughly investigated by Arnold from the day after her arrival. He didn't overlook anything, from her family background and social connections to her true abilities.

He was just an adventurer with only the peak of the Gold rank. If it weren't for giving Viscount Ivan Hank some face, Arnold would probably have already killed this guy if he were an ordinary person.

Looking around, how many adventurers are unaware of the commotion here? Who isn't keeping their doors and windows tightly shut, pretending they haven't seen anything?

Only this scepter is so ungrateful!

"What if I have to intervene?"

Lachesis had already placed her right hand on the sword at her waist. For a moment, she clearly sensed the murderous intent hidden in this Imperial Major General, something she would never have been able to detect in the past.

"This is my last piece of advice. Get out of here immediately. I have no obligation to explain myself to a woman of no status like you. If you want to know why, go find your father. If you're delusional about saving them, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

Arnold's cold words effectively shut down any possibility of communication.

It's fair to say that Arnold knew this woman's intentions from the very beginning, so how could he possibly listen to her?

"Colonel Yage, set it on fire!"

Chapter 36 Deterrence

At a command, the soldier next to Arnold Hopkins, who had received the order, walked over without hesitation, intending to enter the shop that had been destroyed.

"..."

Faced with such an unreasonable situation, Lachesis tried hard to control his emotions.

She knew from the beginning that she shouldn't have gotten involved in this conflict; her task was simply to act as Dr. Roman Hydra's intermediary and secret bodyguard.

“Before this, Father had mentioned that these soldiers from the Empire came to the Viana Theocracy for reasons unknown. Whatever illogical things they did, it was definitely authorized by the higher-ups of the Theocracy, such as the killings they are doing now.”

The main reason for choosing a time after 8 p.m. is that there won't be many adventurers on the streets at that time, making it the most advantageous for them to take action.

Moreover, there is a high probability that after they take action, higher-ups will send people to help with the aftermath. In other words, after tonight, these two elven women will be treated as missing persons, and no one will care where they went.

In the border cities of the Viana theocracy, the disappearance of adventurers was almost commonplace, and Lachesis had seen it all since childhood.

Therefore, she should have been numb to this cruel scene long ago. If it weren't for the little girl Mira's pleading not long ago, she would never have stepped into this area. Right now, it's not that she regrets it, but rather that she is confused and at a loss.

"Lachish, please save them! If they can survive, the information they possess might be of immense value to Dr. Roman!"

This was the first time Lachesis had ever seen Mira plead so earnestly. This quiet little girl was usually so aloof, so why did these words touch her heart?

Glancing slightly, I saw the two figures lying in pools of blood. "Their throats have been ripped open, and their hearts have been destroyed. No matter how you look at it, they're beyond saving. Is it really worth it for me to intervene now?"

"Judging from our daily observations, these two elven women are definitely not vicious people. They are keen on business and, like ordinary adventurers, are smug about making money and occasionally like to show off their muscles. How could such elves become a thorn in the side of the British Empire? There must be some inside story!"

After weighing the pros and cons, and witnessing the Imperial soldier responsible for disposing of the body about to enter the room, she could no longer control her impulse.

"Wait!"

He suddenly took a step forward, wanting to stop these murderous guys.

"Perhaps Mira is right, I have to stop them! Maybe these two guys can still be saved!"

A strong intuition dispelled Lachesis's confusion, but unfortunately, the moment she intervened...

"She's just a weakling with no real background. I don't know why she would intervene. If I just took her out..."

If we take this guy out, our relationship with Ivan Hank will probably plummet to rock bottom. But the Empire is fearless. At worst, we can notify our superiors to put pressure on them. There's nothing to worry about.

Major General Arnold was currently very irritable, even murderous. He had decided that if this woman named "Lachish" continued to be ungrateful, he would kill her immediately.

Of course, no sooner had he thought that than the woman acted exactly as he predicted...

The drawn military knife and the exquisite sword collided at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

In that instant, both Major General Arnold and Lachesis showed astonishment on their faces. At the same moment of astonishment, the collision of magic and strength caused both of them to take several steps back and barely regain their footing.

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point. Everyone present only saw Lachesis sprinting towards the shop, while Arnold Hopkins, who had intercepted her, showed no mercy whatsoever, drawing his military knife without a second thought and aiming it directly at the man's neck.

The result was unexpected for everyone. Arnold was incredibly fast, but Lachesis was even faster!

The clash of metal sparked brilliant yellow fireworks and a thunderous explosion. Immediately afterward, the two combatants retreated.

What does this mean?

This shows that what should have been a crushing defeat has turned into a close contest!

"Her power is extraordinary! Her magical energy is also exceptional! She's stronger than me!"

More importantly, this woman also possesses a hidden talent for lightning elemental magic, and it's a high-level amplification magic!

In the instant the weapons clashed, Arnold had already realized that this guy's speed wasn't just due to physical attributes, but rather an additional boost from magical abilities. Furthermore, the moment the weapons collided, an irresistible electric current surged through Arnold's hand; had he not forced the guy away in time, he had no doubt that he would have met his end.

"This is the power of an Imperial Major General! He's stronger than me!"

Lachesis, who was also forced to retreat, was filled with astonishment. She was not only shocked by how powerful she had become, but also by the terrifying strength displayed by the Imperial Major General.

In just a brief exchange, she felt an overwhelming force that she could not resist.

This strength is definitely not just a simple physical ability, but a unique enhancement magic of the British Empire. It is likely that this major general, empowered by the enhancement magic, could crush any adventurer of platinum level strength, and even diamond level adventurers would only be able to suffer defeat in front of him.

It was only at this moment that Lachesis began to understand why the two elven women had died so tragically, because the two sides were simply not on the same level.