Witch Redemption

“Oh, that’s a distinguished guest of our country, Archbishop Helen need not mind.” Barton VIIVI quickly smoothed things over.

"Ah."

Helen Kingsley immediately said she wouldn't mind, and then couldn't help but take a few more glances at the tall, burly human man.

Over the years, Helen has traveled to many countries and met many kings of small and medium-sized countries. Those who can become kings are no ordinary people.

In general, without considerable strength and sufficient intelligence, it's impossible to ascend to this position. Furthermore, it's said that this world is actually extremely unsafe; most small and medium-sized countries rarely experience internal strife within their royal families. The throne is either bestowed by imperial decree or directly abdicated, and the king's term is generally only a short ten years or so. Once the kingdom weakens, the king immediately steps down.

"Please sit down!"

King Barton VIIVI politely gestured for Helen to sit down, then took out a large amount of data and placed it in front of her. "This is all the information about the destroyed kingdom of Youji and the Snowy Mountains. Even the powerful ancient kingdom of Desolation can only blockade this area at present. We hope that the world's coalition can take action to solve this problem together."

“Archbishop Helen can take the general information back and review it at her leisure; there’s no rush. Today, let’s discuss a few other important pieces of information,” Barton VIIVI paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. “First, Roman Hydra—is Archbishop Helen familiar with this name?”

"Oh?" Helen's heart skipped a beat. How could he not know? As a former witch who had once been in contact with her, Helen was confident that she knew far more about this witch than the king before her. However, she could only feign surprise for now, after all, Helen had once been a witch, and this was a huge, unknown secret.

"Romon Hydra, this name first appeared on the border of the Viana Theocracy, in the city of Kobe. Rumors circulate that this witch may have fled from the British Empire and has close ties to the Sixth Apostle, Kalamiti. She has passed through the borders of the United Duchy of Ries and the Elf Kingdom, causing considerable trouble. Especially in the western continent, she used unknown methods to severely damage several cities in the Elf Kingdom and the Naga Kingdom, subsequently incurring the wrath of both kingdoms. Now, she has arrived in the northern continent and infiltrated the snow-capped mountains a month ago, likely intending to cause trouble in this region."

King Barton VIIVI embellished the description before getting to the point: "I think many forces are very interested in this witch. The Ancient Wasteland can provide information about her whereabouts, but it will probably not be easy to seize this witch."

The implication is that the Ancient Kingdom will provide intelligence, but not to any single faction; rather, it will allow all factions to compete fairly.

“I understand, I will consider it.” Hunting down the witch Roman Hydra? Helen Kingsley had never considered such a thing before, after all, the two sides had crossed paths before, and strictly speaking, he still owed this witch a favor. “However, there is one thing I am very curious about. These great powers have countless demigods, and some even have the support of the gods of the present world. Why can’t they take down this witch? As far as I know, her strength is not yet at the level of a true demigod, and she is not strong enough to fight against any country.”

"Heh, this brings us to the second piece of information I wanted to share. It's highly likely that two weakened ancient creators are lurking around Roman Hydra. It was they who interfered with this witch's aura and causality, leaving many powerful nations helpless and unable to track her down."

Of these, the living god of the United Duchy of Ries is the most useless!

Those gods of the present world, who only focused on physical training, had no means to locate the two ancient creators. They searched like headless flies, and in the end, they allowed the witch to leave the border of the duchy openly.

The Elven Kingdom possessed methods to restrain the two ancient creators, but unfortunately, after this witch entered that realm, the two creators beside her vanished without a trace. Although the witch's whereabouts were eventually exposed, the Lost Wasteland, formed from the deaths of three foreign witches, unleashed a power far exceeding the limits of the world, severely injuring the present gods of the two kingdoms and successfully rescuing the witch.

“Ancient Creators?” In an instant, Helen thought of their true mastermind, the Chaos Creator. Could these two creators be beings of the same level as the god they worshipped? But if they really were beings of the same level, why did Roman Hydra end up in such a miserable state back then?

So, was this guy actually acting all along? Perhaps, as Ann Gnath said, this hypocrite is also a bastard who devours his own kind, and his purpose in entering the snowy mountains is probably the same as Helen Kingsley's.

"Regarding the information about these two ancient creators, the ancient wasteland instructed me to convey it to Archbishop Helen. They will not inform any third-party forces, but only hope that you will report it to the master behind you as soon as possible. If he is willing to intervene, that would be good. After all, it doesn't feel very safe for these two hidden dangers to remain in our country."

Unfortunately, while the Elf Kingdom still has ways to track down the two creators, the Desolate Ancient Kingdom is still lacking in this regard. At present, they only know that the two are hiding in this place, but finding them is extremely difficult.

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

It was already late at night when I returned to my residence.

The weather in the North was ridiculously cold; the wind outside felt like a knife, causing Helen Kingsley to frown the whole way until she entered the warm room and her mood improved.

"Darling, what's wrong?" His wife Jenny, dressed in her pajamas, came to greet him.

“We have three days to prepare. In three days, I will lead my men to the snow-capped mountains. The death tide is important, but what is more important is to seize the related benefits.” Helen Kingsley has always had her own secret, which can be said to be a secret shared by her, Ann Gnath, and Connie Jo: they can become stronger by devouring their own kind.

Therefore, if the Demoness of the Kingdom is indeed a witch, Helen Kingsley wouldn't mind devouring her. Furthermore, what lies before Helen isn't just the gift of the Demoness of the Kingdom, but also another old acquaintance, Roman Hydra. If she can eliminate him, it would be a way to thwart his ambitions and avenge her former comrades.

The first accomplice to die, the fairy witch "Savasi Finn," was suspected to have been killed by this Romon Hydra. Later, Violet and the other witches who joined him also appeared to have died. If Ann Grenas is not mistaken, then this Romon Hydra, like them, is one of their kind—a witch devourer.

Where those witches went after they died is a matter of course.

In any case, there's no need to sympathize with this Roman Hydra. As long as Roman Hydra is an enemy of Ann Gnath, he is an enemy of Helen Kingsley.

"That......"

"I need you to take some of the men back to the Kingdom of Ross. Leave the rest to me. I'll be back soon."

Jenny's cold, beautiful face showed a slight change, as if she were being stubborn. "Didn't we agree that we would look after each other?"

“My dear, the situation has changed slightly. It involves two ancient creators, and this is urgent intelligence that must be reported to An Gonas.”

Only in front of his wife would Helen Kingsley show his true tenderness, unlike his "low emotional intelligence" in front of outsiders.

"But wouldn't it be better to send someone else back to report? Why does it have to be me?"

“That’s…that’s because…” Helen’s face flushed slightly. “Of course I wouldn’t be thinking of you, a mere woman, hmph. I’m thinking of our future baby! Be good, things here will be over soon. I’ll not only go back alive, but I’ll also become stronger!”

"Hey, what you're saying..."

“It’s decided then. I will tell you all the information I have today, and you can pass it on to Master Ann Gnath. Rest assured, if there is anyone in this world that I can truly trust, it is definitely Ann Gnath. He is my benefactor.”

This was true then, it is true now, and it will be true in the future.

It was Ann Gnath who saved him and gave him everything. Moreover, as unlucky souls who had traveled from the same world, their bond was no longer just that of kindred spirits; it had long since reached the level of "family."

This is Helen Kingsley's awareness and her stance.

Chapter 15 Team Combat

After Helen Kingsley, the envoy from the Kingdom of Ross, left, two more uninvited guests set foot in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Fenyan.

Of course, the two uninvited guests did not seek an audience with Patton VIIVI, but rather with the present-day god of the desolate ancient kingdom.

"Miss Eileen, Miss Bellin, you've arrived just in time."

In the palace's reception room, a very handsome young man sat in the main seat, his smile amiable and approachable.

The newcomers were two ragged women. Their gray hair was a tangled mess, and their pale skin was covered with countless livid spots. Their once beautiful faces were now nothing but ugliness and stench. Without a doubt, they no longer resembled living people, but were complete zombies, the kind that had been dead for many years.

"What are your instructions, Lord God, for summoning us here?"

The two zombies kept a certain distance from the beautiful young man, and spoke in a low, submissive voice.

"How is Vanessa now?" the boy asked casually, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Last June, the master suffered a strange influence, and his mental state has not been very good since then. At first, we didn't pay attention to it, but recently, the master has occasionally engaged in various self-harming behaviors. Fortunately, as you know, possession has certain aftereffects, and it is already the best outcome that he is not rejected by the current body."

"Oh?" Last June?

Several major events did indeed occur in the world last June, such as the shocking changes in the Elf Kingdom, which made many living gods in the world aware of a more powerful force. This force is closely related to the materials used in the witch's body, and has even caused some changes in the research directions of various countries.

After listening to the reports from the two female zombies, the beautiful young man murmured, "I have completely destroyed the witch's soul inside her, without a doubt. The real reason she lost control is probably because her mind still cannot control this crazy power."

The two zombies remained silent, staring at each other in bewilderment.

"But it's alright. I believe in Vanessa's will and that she's not that fragile." After all, she chose to sacrifice herself for the greater good. If it weren't for her resolve, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold on until today.

After pondering for a while, the beautiful young man spoke again, mentioning another purpose for bringing them here: "I brought you here to remind you that the coalition of forces from all over the world is about to officially enter your territory. In addition to treating them well, the plans that I asked you to carry out earlier also need to be brought forward."

Zombie Bellin was taken aback for a moment. She had originally thought she would have to wait longer, but it had come sooner than expected. She hesitated for a while before giving a wink to Irene, who was monitoring her. Irene, emboldened, asked, "Your Highness, what about what you promised..."

“Help her well. If she can take this opportunity to become a true god, I will fulfill my promise and restore your former bodies.”

"There's one more thing. There are two powerful banshees in this position. You know what to do when you go back to report."

Several minutes later, the two female zombies, whose strength had reached the demigod level, had already left, leaving only the beautiful young man alone in the palace once again. He gazed at the night outside, his thoughts drifting back to a distant past.

The birth of "Destroyer of Kingdoms" was not accidental. After capturing the traces of a foreign witch and confirming her strength and specific abilities, the present god of the desolate ancient kingdom began to descend to the mortal world and guide her step by step.

Whether it was the arrival of this foreign witch in the northern continent, her attacks by numerous small kingdoms in the snow-covered mountains, or her subsequent death and possession of her body, everything was within the calculations of the Desolate Ancient Kingdom, without any oversights. In order to achieve a plan called "creating a god," the Desolate Ancient Kingdom spared no expense, sacrificing a large portion of the northern continent's population, and even deceiving adventurers and superpowers from all over the world to add more high-quality sacrifices to the stage of "creating a god."

However, there was one thing that puzzled him. Logically speaking, everything should be foolproof, and the witch's soul should have been completely destroyed. Why was the state of "Destroyer of Kingdoms" still unstable? Controlling the body of a witch who had fallen into "divinization" was not easy, but it was no more difficult than seizing the power of the gods in ancient times. Could it be that this witch's body had some secret that he did not know?

"Currently, the focus of many major powers is on the tide of death, and to avoid affecting too many variables, I can only remain behind the scenes and it's not appropriate for me to interfere too much. It seems that perhaps more covert agents are needed, especially if this foreign witch doesn't die easily..."

Regardless of which major power's mortal god is behind it, to avoid impacting the mortal realm, they all reside in a celestial region outside the false sky. Although the death tide has a significant impact, these mortal gods will not easily descend to the mortal realm at present, but their attention has long been focused on the snow-capped mountains region, and everything must be done with even greater caution.

Furthermore, something was amiss with "The Demoness of the Nation," leading him to even suspect that the witch's soul within her wasn't truly dead. Since she wasn't completely dead, he had to strike hard again to eradicate all potential threats.

"Alright, we'll arrange these things gradually from now on."

"The group from the Kingdom of Ross has arrived today, and the second group should be from the British Empire, expected to arrive in about a week." It's a bit strange. I originally thought the coalition of major powers would arrive several months later, but unexpectedly each major power has gone to great lengths, which may be because they have sensed something.

I've also heard that the Elf Kingdom, Naga Kingdom, and Fairy Kingdom on the western continent have joined forces and have made preliminary progress in researching the principles and repair techniques of the ancient teleportation array. It seems that a large group of people will arrive at the same time soon.

For the desolate ancient kingdom, the rapid support from multiple superpowers was a huge variable, meaning that their plan had to succeed this time and they absolutely could not wait for the arrival of the second batch of allied forces.

Making one's own people a sacrifice may not be objected to by other countries, but if other countries are fooled, it's not just a diplomatic crisis; it breaks all the rules and makes one an enemy of the entire world.

Moreover, it now appears that each of these major powers is not to be underestimated. They have been developing in secret for thousands of years, and their technological capabilities are no less than those of ancient, barren countries.

Fortunately, the ultimate goal of many major powers is the same, and no matter how many twists and turns there are in the way, they will not become enemies when the "prophesied day" arrives.

All of this is to save the world!

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

On the morning of March 14, 10008 (Gregorian calendar), Helen Kingsley led more than 3 followers into the sealed-off area of ​​the desolate ancient kingdom. Naturally, their treatment was different from that of the legendary adventurers who had become prisoners before them.

Of course, no one expected that almost all the legendary adventurers who were cannon fodder had died. Now, those who were able to survive in this godforsaken place all had their own forces and organizations.

"Each group of twenty people will be divided into multiple teams and launched a joint attack..."

It must be said that Helen Kingsley, as a time traveler, possessed top-notch skills in personnel management and planning, in no way inferior to the senior generals of many major powers. Furthermore, her fanatical followers were inherently obedient, perfectly executing Helen's orders, thus multiplying their overall combat strength.

Unlike the disorganized adventurers, Helen Kingsley witnessed the strange town and its countless bizarre, flesh-and-blood rooms on her very first day.

His extensive knowledge and experience enabled him to make an accurate judgment on the spot.

"Undead creatures of this caliber... Hmm, has this place become something like a 'domain'? These creatures can sense us, and while their flesh appears rotten and chaotic, they are actually alive."

This mission is not only to hunt down "The Destroyer of Kingdoms" and the witch "Roman Hydra," but more importantly, to fight against the legendary tide of death.

It's still early stages. With the limited number of people around Helen Kingsley, the best course of action is to continue to play it safe until the combined forces of all the major powers arrive.

"Oba, pass down the order to use the sacred fire to purify all rooms like these filled with flesh and blood. After the purification is complete, this place will become our temporary base."

After issuing the first command, Helen Kingsley opened her personal grimoire and then slightly bent down, pressing her right hand onto the street. Instantly, all the strange phenomena that had occurred recently appeared clearly in her grimoire.

When Helen Kingsley was a witch, her race was Night Owl, and her grimoire class was Sharpshooter. The skill she is currently using is the Night Owl Sharpshooter's unique "Hunting Track," which can reconstruct what happened in a certain area within seven days.

There are no inherently ingenious or almost supernatural schemes or strategies in this world; there are only games played out based on information asymmetry. Helen Kingsley, as an elite individual who transmigrated from another world, values ​​information and intelligence to an almost pathological degree. If he fails to glean any valuable intelligence here today, he will not only stop here to conduct further investigations, but he might even retreat directly outside the isolation barrier to regroup, just to be on the safe side.

"I see, so this is what undead creatures are like..."

Helen quickly gave a second instruction, "Oba, pass on the order to stay in this area tonight. The regional defenses you set up will not only require light-based barriers, but also special barriers for souls."

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

Snow and wind filled the road, and a cacophony of howling winds echoed outside the mountain caves.

Li Lan suddenly opened her eyes, waking up on time. She quickly calculated the time, "Today should be March 14, 10008 in the Gregorian calendar. It's probably noon. We should still be in the eastern part of the snow-covered mountains."

On that day, in order to help Franklin and the other two overcome the crisis, Li Lan transplanted a faith imprint into each of them. These imprints were made from the magic cores of high-level demons, which successfully enhanced their strength. After that, their entire team began to flee within the snow-covered mountains and has been on the run ever since.

In some ways, they were indeed lucky. After choosing to travel through remote areas, the "death-like" undead creatures they encountered that night never appeared again. Their encounters were mostly with low-level zombies, which were not too difficult to deal with.

"At this rate, it will probably take another two or three months to reach the legendary 'Destroyer of Kingdoms' position."

According to the map, the distance between the two points is only 500 kilometers, which seems like a small distance, but in reality, it is not that easy to travel.

In other words, what are the snow-capped mountains? Li Lan used the most apt analogy: countless Mount Everests, covering half the area of ​​China, with four-fifths of the land bordered by these peaks, tightly packed together. The remaining one-fifth is valleys, the territory of clustered small countries. To bypass these small countries' territories means spending much of their time climbing these terrifying peaks; the speed and danger involved are self-evident.