Witch Redemption

The white-haired uncle, with his elegant gait, raised his large, powerful hand, and magic began to transform into white flames that burned fiercely in his palm.

It is clear that both sides are displaying strong hostility at this moment.

"Sorry, now is not the time..."

As soon as Bangusen finished speaking, the middle-aged man in his field of vision vanished instantly. He only had time to raise the skeletal hand, but not enough time to stop the fierce attack.

"Snapped--"

The immense magical power spread directly through the bones in his chest to his entire body, thus imprisoning all his power to resist.

Yonex, who should have vanished suddenly, had already covered hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye and stood directly in front of Bangusen. His strong right hand gripped Bangusen's ribs tightly, and he lifted him up with ease.

"Don't underestimate me, Bangusen. You didn't even use your true strength when you saw me appear. Who do you think you are?"

"Ok?"

Yonex's expression changed slightly.

In response, Bangusen, who should have possessed terrifying strength, slowly spoke, "Have you noticed? You are still the same person you were ten thousand years ago, but I am no longer the same person I was ten thousand years ago."

“Indeed, for a divine messenger, you cannot be this weak.”

Bangusen's strength is less than one percent of what it was ten thousand years ago. Not only that, his body is gradually decaying, and his soul is riddled with holes. It can be said that he is already exhausted and can only bully weaklings.

“I am one of the hosts of my Lord’s soul, and the final vessel required for my Lord’s resurrection. Do you understand what this means?”

If he wanted to confront the demigod-level beings of the Primordial Era, he could easily use the power of the Moon God's domain to annihilate them. However, when the terrifying opponent Yennefers appeared, the situation would also become one-sided.

It wasn't that Bangorsen didn't want to resist, but that he was powerless to resist.

"Of course I understand, and I'm glad I do. Yes, you're not a traitor, just a naive fool! Your stupidity will cost you dearly!"

Bangusen did not respond to this question, but instead asked, "Is your arrival a command from my Lord?"

"Yes, she has decided to resurrect ahead of schedule. You know what to do. Do you want to resist? If you resist, you still have a chance to force me to retreat."

Just as he had done ten thousand years ago, when Yonnieres, also a messenger of the gods, uttered these words, there was a hint of barely perceptible pity in them.

As powerful individuals who shared that era, and as believers who jointly guarded the secrets of the Ancient God of Moonlight, even if disagreements arose later, their stance remained the same.

“No,” Bangusen said, as if he had accepted his fate. “I have only one request now. For the sake of our years of friendship, I hope that I can deal with those witches after my Lord has been resurrected.”

"I will consider it."

With a raised hand, magical flames erupted once more, and Yonnieux, as if lifting a piglet, smashed Bangusen's head open with a single blow.

The skeleton hidden beneath the black robe shattered into countless fragments at that moment, vanishing along with Bangusen's broken soul, leaving behind only a small, black, prismatic crystal with a missing corner—the very embodiment of the soul of the ancient god of moonlight, similar to the core of the demon's wisdom.

Yonnieux silently picked up the crystal and held it reverently in his palm.

He stood there for a long time, watching Bangusen's dust dissipate in the breeze, as if he had never existed.

“There are still some soul fragments missing, but it’s enough… I’ll let them off the hook for now, since you haven’t betrayed my lord. But as for my lord, they’ll have to leave it to fate.”

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

Deep within the underground temple, Celine Bellman, who had fled in panic, soon found the leisurely Li Lan, guided by Sandra.

"Miss Celine, is something urgent?"

Seeing the pale-faced, panting woman, Li Lan felt a sense of unease, though she was also surprised.

“Your whereabouts have been discovered, and now I am being hunted down for betrayal. We need to think of a way to escape quickly.”

In a single, simple sentence, Celine Belluman clearly explained the crisis at hand, then added with a worried expression, "I don't know what to do right now. You probably don't know how terrible it is up there."

This is the main base for restoring the Divine Court, and these witches were hiding in the deepest part of the base. Now that they have been discovered, how is this any different from catching turtles in a jar?

The reality is probably even more severe than Belin Belluman imagined; she is now not only filled with regret but also with fear and anxiety.

Li Lan really didn't expect that this woman, who was at least a demigod, would seem a little afraid of death today. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. No one would complain about living too long. The pointless whining of those long-lived creatures in literature is actually unrealistic.

If you think you're too old to live, you can just commit suicide, or you can learn from some vampire and go to heaven to give up thinking.

“I roughly understand. We’re also preparing to leave here. You can be Violet’s bodyguard and go with them.”

After speaking, Li Lan took out the token given to her by Bangusen and explained the general situation.

Celine Bellman was a little confused. "The royal family of the United Kingdom of Kazan? What are you talking about?"

She had no recollection of it at all, but the necklace seemed to be a valuable item. Celine Belluman was a pragmatic woman; she simply accepted it without considering anything else.

Upon seeing Celine Bellman's mutated hand, the black-haired Yu Hui immediately moved closer and tugged at the bored little guy next to him.

"By the way, Leviathan, you need to prepare some insurance for us."

“I know,” Leviathan moved slightly closer to Li Lan, “Servant… could I… ask her for a finger?”

"Huh? Fingers?" Li Lan didn't know what Leviathan was talking about; he only instinctively felt that it was dangerous.

"Yes, fingers."

"A single finger?"

"Correct."

"..."

Li Lan remained silent for a while, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Miss Celine, could you chop off one of your fingers for me?"

"Huh?" Celine Bellman was a little confused again. Could there really be such a villain? Saying things about wanting to hurt others without batting an eye? She had finally made it here alive, and she even brought so much information with her, and this bastard was going to chop off her fingers?

"Although I respect you and consider you my master, I cannot pretend I didn't hear what you said!"

These words contained a threat, and also contained Celine Belluman's unique pride and defiance.

“It’s good that you heard me,” Li Lan breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s okay. I’m a priest. Even if I lose a finger, I can help you regenerate it.”

Pretending not to notice the woman's hostility, Li Lan gave Leviathan and the black-haired Yu Hui a wink, her eyes seemingly saying, "This is a demigod-level powerhouse, show some respect! You want her fingers, so why don't you explain yourself to me right now? Or just take action?"

A few minutes later, the mutated hand's fingers were still slowly regenerating. A resentful Celine Bellman grimaced and was quickly sent to Violet's room to await further instructions.

Taking advantage of a moment of free time, Li Lan asked the two guys why they needed a finger from the Hand of Abhoth, to which Leviathan simply replied, "A trump card."

Then he carefully hid the shocking finger close to his body, like a precious treasure.

Seeing that the two little ones were up to something, Li Lan didn't ask any more questions and began to recount what had happened in the deathmatch arena not long ago.

"You mean, you saw the Moon God?" Black-haired Yu Hui asked in surprise.

"Yes, I don't know what happened either. After the grimoire absorbed the soul fragment of that undead, I saw her deep in my consciousness."

Although it was an endless expanse of darkness and nothingness, Li Lan was certain that the one existing in that location was the Ancient God of Moonlight.

"I see. You must have connected with the sea of ​​consciousness of this goddess, using your grimoire as a bridge and the fragments of the undead's soul as a catalyst." Black-haired Yu Hui's smile suddenly turned up, very pleased. He didn't say it out loud, but his mind was in turmoil.

"Thank goodness I cast a blessing on this servant, otherwise he would be finished! That damned ant is really bold, I need to think of a way to teach her a lesson, and now this servant is the perfect bait?"

"Shabu, do you have any suggestions?" Li Lan asked, somewhat at a loss as he had never encountered this situation before.

"I suggest you leave here as soon as possible, the sooner the better."

"It's like saying nothing at all. Also, I'm starting to have a few clues about the origin of the creeping darkness in the monster-infested area..."

"Ah, this? Isn't that common knowledge? Those are the resentments of the ancient gods after their deaths, the purest soul matter, which devours the bodies of all intelligent beings. Only on the fifteenth of each month, when the aura of the Creator temporarily descends, do they quiet down a bit..."

Just as Li Lan was talking to the black-haired Yu Hui, Sandra, who had a premonition of Bangusen's death, suddenly stood blankly in front of the sacred pulpit of the sanctuary, her fragmented memories seemingly recalling something at this moment.

Chapter 52 Sandra

Our first encounter was a long time ago, and I've forgotten the exact date, but the amazing feeling I had when we met is still etched in my soul.

Perhaps this will continue into the future.

However, she never imagined that the god she and her lover, Bangusen, both worshipped would perish on the day the apocalypse arrived...

The world of the dead in the underground temple, in the sanctuary where the divine messenger Bangusen resides.

"Bangusen, why did you hide this from us? If we activate the 'Knight's Oath' now, we still have a chance to be resurrected and go to rescue our lord. What you've done is undoubtedly a betrayal of our lord!"

Enraged and deeply trusting of her lover, Sandra was completely unable to accept this terrible truth.

“Sandra, I can tell you the truth, but I hope you are mentally prepared.”

Even though she couldn't see her lover's face, Sandra could sense a trace of sadness in his words, which inexplicably pained her.

The devastating news of the Moon God's death, coupled with the numerous doubts from the outside world, brought Sandra to the brink of emotional collapse. "You know, I've always trusted you, Bangusen. Please don't shoulder everything alone."

The tall man did not face her directly, as if he were in great pain. He quietly turned away, his gaze seemingly penetrating through the layers of space blocked by the walls, looking at the large number of bewildered and uneasy undead.

"You know the day of prophecy, right?"

The goddess of space, Chronos, along with many other deities, announced to the world the day of destruction, which roughly stated that "the great creator who created all things in this world is about to leave this world and return to the homeland of the true gods. The world will soon fall into darkness and destruction, returning to the most primordial nothingness and chaos."

"The day of prophecy is real. Above the gods we believe in, there is an even more terrifying higher god, called the 'Creator.' The Creator's revelation is absolute. Whoever He needs to die, must die. Even the ancient god of moonlight whom we believe in will not be an exception."

Bangusen spoke calmly, as if he were recounting a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"How is this possible?" For Sandra, such information was undoubtedly a huge shock.

From the moment she began to believe in the Moon God, she firmly believed that this deity was omniscient and omnipotent. Now, however, she was being told that there were even stronger gods above the gods, who could even rule over everything in this world. How could she accept this?

“It is regrettable that my lord must die. I do not know the specifics, but she has told me and Yonnieres about the plan. The creator who created her and guided the entire Landorocco granted her the only chance to live. If she wants to live, she must obey all the creator’s commands.”

"The first command is to kill all cooperating deities within the Moon Sea region; the second command is to annihilate the Impure Goddess, devise a plan to lure out the Creator's avatar behind the Impure Goddess, kill it, and sacrifice it to the Creator behind my Lord; the third command is to commit suicide after completing the first two commands and wait for the opportunity to be resurrected in the future."

Bangusen held nothing back; he was one of the most trusted believers of the Moon God and was willing to give his entire life for this great deity.

He knew most of the inside story. "My lord basically fulfilled all three orders, except for the second one, which went wrong. That was because the creator behind the goddess of impurity abandoned her. As for the last order, which was three days ago, the reason I chose to conceal the bad news that my lord was killed by many orc followers on the outskirts was because it was all my lord's will."

Once again, Bangorsen recalled his previous hysterical conflict with several of his subordinates, and his expression darkened. In his heart, he hoped, "Why won't that bastard Domino or Alec believe me? And you, Sandra, the one I love, will you believe my words?"

Sandra fell silent. She knew Bangusen's past. Unlike other believers who unconditionally devoted everything to the Moon God, Bangusen, this high-ranking divine messenger, always had his own ideas and was always doing things against his will, troubled by his own contradictions.

"I see." Sandra's anger subsided quietly with her calm reply.

If the apocalypse as Bangusen predicted were to come, she would stand by Bangusen's side until the very last moment of her life, because in her heart, her feelings for this beloved man would always surpass her faith in God.

"So, what should we do next?"

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

The fragments of the Moon God's soul reside within the souls of all the undead, slowly devouring them over the long years.

This was a secret that Sandra and Bangorsen had kept together, so they could only watch helplessly as countless undead gradually lost themselves over the long years, eventually turning into decaying skeletons that could only walk on instinct.

Bangusen had told her many times that he regretted being saved by the Moon God, regretted becoming a follower of an evil god, regretted having to do all sorts of things against his conscience because of the god's will, making his hands stained with sin, and regretted meeting and falling in love with her, ultimately leading to endless despair.