Witch Redemption

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Adrian, born into a noble family in the Elf Kingdom, was raised from a young age to be the heir of the Hal family because of his powerful magical talent.

He was so fortunate, possessing a status and identity from birth that most elves in the kingdom lacked—his very existence was on a completely different level. But he was also so unfortunate, for from the moment he was designated as the heir to the Hal family, he was forced to become embroiled in the dirty power struggles.

Whether it's royalty, nobility, or commoners, the social order was solidified long ago. The resources represented by each class are also limited. It is precisely in the struggle for these limited class interests and power that, with the increasing number of new generations, conflicts gradually erupt.

From the moment Adrian was designated as the successor, a nightmare began to befall him when he was only ten years old.

Overnight, his birth mother died tragically, and his father's many half-brothers fell into infighting and fighting, all for the sake of seizing his father's vast fortune. His father, however, watched all of this unfold indifferently, even allowing Adrian's best brother to send him to prison on trumped-up charges.

This was the tragedy he experienced in the Hal family, a tragedy he could never forget. Even if he was a genius, how many geniuses were there in this kingdom? Who would care about the life or death of a genius? Not only his Hal family, but also other noble families, the more brothers there were, the less bloodshed there would be.

Young and naive, he never understood why he had to suffer such sins. He even resented his family, his origins, and this extremely dark country. Apart from that, he had no other thoughts.

Yes, at first Adrian was also trapped in a desperate wait, waiting for death to come.

However, he did not expect that Lady Luck would ultimately be on his side. Just six months after he was imprisoned, due to the descent of the God of the Present World, the kingdom initiated an unprecedented general amnesty, and this great God of the Present World personally held the annual "Trial of the Brave" to personally select the spokesperson of the gods.

At that time, he only knew that the great deity who descended to earth was revered as "Goddess of the Stars, Gaia". It was this great deity who gave him a new life and a bright path.

If he wants to break free from the control of aristocratic families and change his destiny, he can choose to join the "Kingdom Army," which is independent of aristocratic politics. As long as he advances to the rank of Major General, Lieutenant General, or even General in the army, he will have the opportunity to participate in the sacred "Trial of the Brave" and become a spokesperson for the gods!

It was for this sacred and great goal that he began to climb step by step, and finally, at the age of eighteen, he obtained the title of "Hero," gained the recognition of the artifact, and became a capable soldier of the kingdom.

It was at this time that he finally came into contact with the reality of this world and the real reason why the kingdom maintained the status quo.

This world will be destroyed on the "Prophecy Day," at which time not only the Elf Kingdom but the entire world will be reduced to nothing. In order to save this world, the Elf Kingdom, like other superpowers, must use countless transmigrators from other worlds as stepping stones, letting their corpses build the kingdom's "Dream Ark."

All the benevolent gods are striving to save the kingdom and the world, and the reason why these soldiers who become "heroes" must sever all family ties and put the kingdom above all else is because they must maintain the kingdom and give everything to protect it.

Adrian never knew why the kingdom's resources were so scarce, or why the protector had allowed such a system to exist for thousands of years. It was all because of the national circumstances and a desperate plan to save the world.

Therefore, sacrifices are necessary for the kingdom!

No matter how many civilians or witches are sacrificed, as long as the goal can be achieved, the process is secondary!

Everything is done on the basis of righteousness!

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The loyal Adrian never forgot the oath he made that day; he was loyal only to the Elven Kingdom and only to the great gods.

He would live his entire life for the future of the kingdom. As long as he could fulfill the common wishes of the gods, he would not hesitate to sacrifice his humble life if his future was stained with blood and sin, if the country was hopelessly corrupt, or if he had to give up his life at any time.

As he calmed down and recalled everything that had happened, Adrian's face became more resolute than ever before.

In all his years as the city lord, what storms and waves hasn't he seen?

He believed that Lady Luck had always been on his side, both when he was young and now!

The open "Revelation" began to float in front of Adrian, then emitted a dazzling blue-purple light, transforming completely into an ice-blue crystal wand in the intense light, while even more dazzling and brilliant lightning began to crackle.

This is the divine artifact Adrian obtained after making his vow, the "Thunderous Ephemeral Flower," symbolizing the most intense power of the lightning element. The witch who once possessed this artifact was a rare lightning mage, who, like the ephemeral flower, bloomed magnificently on a night of raging torrents before tragically dying.

Adrian appreciated the witch's efforts, but he would not sympathize with her plight.

These are all deserved. In order to achieve our goals, we should not be bound by any meaningless morality. Kindness alone cannot save this desperate world.

Letting this divine artifact, which was completely incompatible with his image, float in front of him, Adrian raised his hands as if holding up countless lightning elements in the air.

"The moment of divine punishment!"

All heroes who seize the witch's "artifact" will gain all of the witch's class and skill levels, unlock all her abilities, and upgrade these abilities to their most perfect state. In other words, Adrian can now use more magical abilities than the original witch, and can also utilize the immense magical power possessed by this general-level being to create even more powerful attacks; he is now a mobile super turret!

At this moment, the divine artifact "Thunderous Ephemeral Flower" floating in front of him began to unleash even more exaggerated lightning. It was also because of the pull of this lightning that this area, which should have had an endless starry sky, suddenly became covered with dark clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring. Thick lightning rolled in the depths of the clouds, about to bring the most extreme destruction to this land.

"Five minutes, it's a bit long, but..."

On the other side, ten blood-red monsters were already locked in battle with this pitch-black monster, their fighting spirit gradually rising to its peak.

It was the most primitive, savage, and brutal battle of flesh and blood. Without any fancy special abilities, under the overwhelming pressure, this dark monster, whose true form should be one of the twin witches, began to retreat step by step. Its body's healing ability began to slow down, and many of its injuries became more and more serious.

No one expected that this pitch-black monster, which had expanded its domain, would be so easily restrained by the ten Blood Shadows. This immediately filled all the kingdom's soldiers present with a strong sense of hope, as if they could already see the future of this pitch-black monster.

At this point, ten lieutenant generals, who also displayed various divine weapons, began to float in the air, joining the intense battle from the side.

Indeed, these lieutenant generals, who have been immersed in the use of divine artifacts for many years, can be said to completely surpass any contemporary witch in their mastery of these artifacts.

For example, Lieutenant General Richie, who wielded a spear-like divine weapon, was proficient in both magic and martial arts. One after another, he used auxiliary, amplifying, and offensive spells, which, combined with the witch's unique professional skills, made the lieutenant general seem like a god descending to earth. His powerful offensive was fierce and awe-inspiring, and for a moment he performed even more exaggeratedly than the ten demigod-level demon spirit guards.

Furthermore, unlike these mindless demonic guardians, intelligent elves are the most terrifying beings.

Taking advantage of a lull in the enormous monster's attacks, Lieutenant General Richie finally managed to launch his most lethal, self-destructive strike. His massive figure, crackling with countless bolts of lightning and fire, flashed like a streak of light. Then, his two-meter-long bronze spear slammed into the black monster's weak spot, shooting upwards and tearing open an incredibly gruesome wound. Instantly, black blood gushed through the air, transforming into a storm of blood and gore.

All the lieutenant generals were greatly encouraged!

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In less than five minutes, the snow antelope, which had been besieged, was in an unprecedented predicament.

Despite possessing unparalleled strength and being able to initially control this still immature realm, she was never a match for these guys and quickly found herself in a fatally passive position.

Firstly, her current physical size isn't excessively large, her attack speed easily reaches supersonic speeds, and her strength is like the force of creation, unstoppable. However, it's unfortunate that such power is only enough to keep pace with these high-speed, blood-red monsters.

These monsters, constructed from the souls of witches and the flesh and blood of intelligent beings, engaged in the simplest form of combat, yet the resulting oppression was akin to the pack of hyenas she had witnessed on an animal channel in her past life.

These blood-red monsters would instinctively tear at the most vulnerable parts of her body, and they were fast enough to deal with any of her tentacle attacks. What was even more terrifying was that the more flesh and blood these creatures devoured, the faster they became, and they would also undergo extremely terrible mutations, as if they would become the same as her.

Devouring its opponent and then evolving—without a doubt, this was the insurmountable obstacle the snow antelope felt in the very first moment of the battle.

If we cannot kill them immediately and completely eliminate them, and instead get bogged down in a protracted war, then the situation will be one-sided.

Secondly, because of the restraint of these ten flesh-and-blood monsters, the kingdom's soldiers, whose strength was far inferior to Xue Ling's, began to attack one after another, severely injuring her body. Meanwhile, the strongest soldier, who was watching her intently from afar, was brewing some terrifying attack, causing this domain that should have been hers to be turned upside down.

Finally, and more critically, this was the first time the snow antelope had controlled the body of this powerful monster in its most lucid state. Both its body extensions and attacks from all sides were a beat slower due to its unfamiliarity with the controls.

To put it more aptly, it's like an ordinary newbie suddenly getting a pro's game account, only to be easily defeated by a bunch of opponents who are less skilled than her because she's not familiar with the game. How can anyone imagine the frustration she must feel?

Perhaps even the snow antelope itself did not expect that the attacks it made in its usual dazed state would be so difficult to control when it was in a conscious state.

"If this continues, it will be far too dangerous!"

As the snow antelope struggled to hold on, it roared furiously. In that instant, all the tentacles on its back burst forth, attacking all the surrounding enemies indiscriminately and overwhelmingly. At that moment, due to its exhaustion, the invisible protective barrier that should have been guarding Li Lan and the others began to disappear.

Li Lan couldn't possibly have missed this. When the gusts of wind began to make him lose his footing, he had already sensed something was amiss with Xue Ling.

"She's already been suppressed, which is understandable. On one hand, it's her first time using such power, so it's normal that she's unfamiliar with it. On the other hand, those monsters constructed from the witch's soul probably have other secrets!"

Their speed was incredibly fast, and with each bite of snow antelope flesh they devoured, their bodies underwent even more terrifying changes.

"We can't afford to get bogged down in a protracted war! It's almost time to reveal my first trump card!"

Li Lan's fingers swiftly swept across the open natal magic book, summoning twenty followers once again to protect the twin sisters, Bai Ling, who stood still. Instantly, his unusual actions attracted the attention of the highly focused generals of the kingdom.

"Successful!"

Chapter 29 The Self-Salvation of the Despicable

What is the most feared thing on the battlefield?

It's a distraction!

From the moment they stepped into this land of conflict, the kingdom's soldiers were no longer solely focused on the arrogant, jet-black beast; their attention was primarily drawn to the foreign witch. To them, this foreign witch was arguably the most mysterious and possibly the most powerful being.

She hasn't intervened in this battle yet, but once she does, will it bring about an even more terrifying change in the situation?

And so, the instant the foreign witch summoned a multitude of humanoid monsters, the attention of all the kingdom's soldiers present simultaneously shifted, focusing entirely on the foreign witch. Little did they know, for both humans and elves, a person's attention span is ultimately limited. The dark monster had already exerted immense pressure on them, making it difficult for them to keep a watchful eye on everything around them.

It was precisely because they were all on high alert for Roman Hydra that a fleeting blind spot was created.

"Successful!"

At that moment, realizing the opportunity had arrived, Li Lan once again raised her hand to direct the twenty humanoid followers in front of her, trying to attract the attention of the kingdom's soldiers as much as possible. The ten humanoid figures lurking around the snow antelope were even more in sync, seizing this rare opportunity and striking with lightning speed.

Concealed on the ground, the blades in their hands, supported by immense power, transformed into terrifying aerial attacks.

It's important to know that none of Li Lan's humanoid followers are simple-minded fools; rather, they are cunning and treacherous individuals. Long-range techniques like throwing knives are definitely their specialty, and unless they are brute-forced, they are almost always accurate.

Why? Because followers possess individual talents, and the lower their physical strength, the more specialized they become in stealth and special attacks, transforming them into formidable assassins. The ten individuals currently lurking in the shadows are precisely the ones Li Lan summoned when facing the three hundred-plus kingdom generals. Aside from their incredibly powerful stealth abilities, their specialized "throwing talent" is absolutely top-tier.

In that moment of distraction, the ten kingdom generals surrounding the snow antelope quickly shifted their attention due to the loud banging sound nearly a hundred meters below, but it was too late!

"It's alright, we still have magic armor and golden silk armor, we can definitely..."

Their hopes vanished abruptly. The rapidly swirling projectile, made of an unknown material, pierced through their magical defenses as easily as cutting tofu, slicing their protective soft armor in two.

The murderous intent surged in from their groins, tearing their bodies apart with overwhelming force. In that instant, a large amount of intestines burst open in mid-air, and countless shattered organs, some crimson and some dark green, turned into blood and flesh that rained down.

In the blink of an eye, the ten figures, which had been forcibly cut in half, fell straight down like kites with broken strings, a shocking sight!

Li Lan had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He was a weakling, and as a weakling, he had to use the methods of a weakling to solve problems. He had never underestimated any country, let alone the powerful figures from the kingdoms he was fighting against.

Therefore, he would use his most adept and despicable methods to help the snow antelope out of trouble, and at the most unexpected moment, mercilessly kill these elves of the kingdom.

"Snow Antelope! Get these knives ready in a moment!"

Li Lan calmly gave instructions, as if he had returned to the time when he was on the run in the British Empire. Just like before, no matter how bad the situation was, as long as he could give up everything and risk his life, he would be fearless.

What exactly was the object that killed these ten soldiers of the kingdom?

These were the claws of that mutated abyssal monster, originally named "Rock Devourer," a creature with terrifying speed and attack power. Its claws were so powerful that even a Leviathan with specialized defenses could be severely injured as easily as cutting through tofu. Li Lan crafted these ten claws into short blades specifically to deal with certain highly defensive beings.

He only knew that the blades made from these claws were very strong, but he didn't know that these ten claws contained powerful "demon-breaking" and "armor-piercing" effects. Apart from the professional holy artifacts unique to witches and the divine artifacts used by ancient gods, there were very few "armor" in this world that could withstand the attack of these claws.

But it doesn't matter. What this thing actually is isn't important. What matters is that Li Lan has already made his move, and through this action, he has successfully relieved the pressure on the severely injured snow antelope. Furthermore, he noticed that the ten blood-red humanoids frantically attacking the snow antelope were completely mindless creatures; their attacks were not something intelligent beings could produce—they were more like wild dogs!

What's the point of a snow antelope fighting a wild dog in this state? To beat a dog, you need a dog-beating stick!

If Xue Ling could use these ten extraordinary blades to unleash her witch-like skills, it would surely alleviate her current predicament.

This is Li Lan, a man with keen insight and a cautious nature, capable of effective coordination.

He is just an ordinary weak person. Precisely because he is an ordinary weak person, he should think more and think further ahead!

Without a doubt, he had gained the upper hand, and he had already anticipated what the elven uncle, who was still nearly a thousand meters away, was going to do. Judging from the guy's attire, he was clearly a high-ranking member of the kingdom, and the terrifying thunderclouds he was currently creating were definitely not to be underestimated.

Li Lan had no doubt that if they were hit by a bullet in their position, they would definitely die on the spot.

Because he had taken this into account, he had made arrangements in secret long before the war began, and now it was about time.

Rather than waiting for the elf's high command to become enraged and attack, it's better to provoke them proactively, forcing them to change their target.

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In the blink of an eye, ten lieutenant generals carrying divine weapons became like kites falling from their strings. Adrian, who witnessed this, stared wide-eyed, and an uncontrollable grief, anger, and murderous intent instantly filled his heart.

However, no matter how strong his killing intent was, the current situation still left him no choice.