Witch Redemption

Perhaps, what he really wanted was for his daughter to refuse him here, severing all his hopes. "Vanessa, the stronger you are, the more you can come into contact with the reality of this world. The scenery I've seen has always been different from yours, but if you really want to ask me whether all the sacrifices were worth it, I think I can give you an answer."

worth!

This world is heading towards destruction, and many intelligent beings, including humans, will follow in the footsteps of the ancient gods. However, unlike those cowardly and infighting ancient gods, humans will resist with their own will!

Tens of thousands of years of development have cost countless lives. Even with countless corpses piled up behind us, humanity will continue to move forward!

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

That night, Vanessa Irish, having made her decision, ended her life as a human. Her rebirth began in the spring of 10004, when she awoke in the body mutated by the witch. Everything that followed unfolded according to the plans of the desolate ancient kingdom. Repeated blood sacrifices drove her body into a frenzy, making her stronger than ever before, even giving birth to a domain power called the "Death Domain."

Unfortunately, an unexpected incident occurred in what should have been a flawless plan.

One unexpected aspect is that the necromancer's ultimate technique is the "Tide of Death," a terrifying method that grows stronger the more it kills. This technique was originally intended to deal with demons, but she later discovered that this witch could not transform demons into undead creatures.

There are only three sources of undead creatures. One is "Skull Summoning," which has daily limits on the number of times and summons. This summoning requires a core skeleton called "Skull Fifteen," and without this medium, the "Skull Summoning" cannot be used. Another is actively hunting intelligent beings in this world and transforming their corpses into undead creatures. The last method is to bypass all of the witch's abilities and directly utilize other evil rituals of this world to carry out a special summoning.

It was precisely because of this witch's incompetence that Vanessa ultimately had to sacrifice a large number of intelligent beings within the snowy mountains of the North in order to quickly create the "death tide," and eventually even needed to import sacrifices from other countries to continue to strengthen this body.

The second unexpected event occurred in September of the year 10005 in the new calendar. "Destroyer of Kingdoms" engaged in an unprecedented war with numerous small kingdoms in the snowy mountain region. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she initially formed a "death tide." Then, "Oz the Trembling Wind," the present-day god of the desolate ancient kingdom, who was also her father, secretly helped her eliminate the soul of the witch within her.

Originally, it was thought that this would solve the problem once and for all, but on June 13th of last year, the witch who should have died completely was awakened again in her body.

On June 13, 10007 in the Gregorian calendar, it was rumored that the alien witch Roman Hydra caused trouble in the "Lost Jedi" on the border of the Elf Kingdom, causing three alien witches who should have died to be resurrected and unleash an astonishing power. Vanessa also witnessed the blood-red pillar of light that pierced through the heavens and earth and tore open the false sky at that moment.

It was after that day that she unusually lost control, and almost committed suicide at that time...

As the alien monster took its seat, Skull Fifteen pressed her skeletal hands to the ground and began to infuse them with dark magic.

The grand array in the palace is called "Soul Suppression," but it's actually a magic array used to suppress souls, set up with the help of a powerful god-like being. Because this self-proclaimed "Undying King" cannot use magic to activate the array once she loses control, it's usually used with the assistance of her capable assistants, Eileen and Bellin.

Although Skull Fifteen rarely enters this area, her understanding of it is deeper than anyone else's.

So in no time, she had completed the task with ease. As she stood up, the strange magic circle patterns and characters began to emit a dark purple light on the ice crystal ground, enveloping the alien figure and causing Vanessa to let out a soft, comfortable moan.

For the first time in so many days, with her two capable assistants, Eileen and Bellin, away from her, Vanessa Irish had managed to suppress the restlessness within her body using "Soul Suppression".

However, Vanessa soon sensed something was wrong. Skull Fifteen did not leave but got up and reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Your Majesty, it is said that once you lose control, you will be unable to move for a short period of time if you activate this magic circle called 'Soul Suppression', is that right?"

"Huh? What are you saying?!"

Suddenly, Vanessa noticed that the hilt of the sword at Skull Fifteen's waist looked familiar. A terrible premonition surged within her, but at that moment...

"I've been waiting for this for so long!"

The gray bandages binding the Libra Cross Greatsword had all torn apart, revealing unfamiliar leaf-like engravings.

Immediately, the figure burst forth and instantly closed the distance of more than ten meters between the two sides!

"It is time for you to embark on your journey, my esteemed king!"

Chapter 21 Taking Action

"Soul Suppression," a magic circle set up by the present-day god "Oz the Trembling Wind" of this desolate ancient kingdom, was once used to suppress the witch's soul within Vanessa Irish, and then completely destroy it using the unique methods of the ancient gods.

After September of the year 10005 in the Gregorian calendar, the witch's soul was declared dead. To be on the safe side, the present-day god of the ancient kingdom did not remove the magic circle, but left it in place to prevent the witch from rising from the ashes in the future.

Sure enough, starting in mid-June of the year 10007 in the Gregorian calendar, the witch who was supposed to be dead awoke again.

At that time, the ancient wasteland's plan to create a god had reached a critical juncture. The present-day god "Oz the Trembling Wind" began to hide behind the scenes, checking on Vanessa Ireland's situation only every six months through two trusted confidants, the demigod-level zombies Irene and Bellin.

Vanessa, being a stubborn woman, naturally knew she couldn't cause trouble for her father, so she deliberately suppressed the matter. She didn't tell her two trusted confidants about her first loss of control, and the witch's soul remained well-behaved for a long time afterward. Until the beginning of this year, this creature began to awaken gradually, and as before, it started vying for control of the body.

No, this guy isn't trying to seize control; he's planning to destroy everything in the process!

Although she was initially panicked, she quickly calmed down. As a former demigod, her skills were far beyond what ordinary people could match.

Vanessa began directing her two subordinates, Eileen and Bellin, to assist her. Whenever things went out of control, she would have these two subordinates activate the "Soul-Suppressing" magic circle in the palace to suppress the soul, allowing her to safely seize control of the body.

Knowing that at this stage, the desolate ancient kingdom could not be involved with the "Destroyer of Kingdoms" in any way, lest it break the rules of this world, she still did not tell her two subordinates the truth, and as always let them leave, allowing them to go to "Oz the Trembling Wind" to give regular reports.

However, what she really didn't expect was that, just when she thought she had tested the loyalty of this "Skull Fifteen" and was in desperation to ask this guy to help suppress the witch's soul in her body and eliminate the witch's last obsession, this cunning guy actually betrayed her at this moment.

"Number 15!"

The monster, seated on its throne, barely managed to raise one of its hard, sharp claws, aiming directly at the impending Libra Cross Greatsword.

"Can it be stopped?"

As the one who possessed the body, Vanessa Irish had a deep understanding of witches. She knew long ago that every witch was born with a Libra Cross Greatsword and a natal grimoire.

Among them, the natal magic book grants the witch special abilities, while the Libra Cross Greatsword grants her the means to slay demons. This greatsword, bearing a special inscription, can absolutely restrain the bodies of demons, but the greatsword will also lose its power when the witch dies, eventually returning to dust.

Vanessa understood in an instant that this damned Skull Fifteen must have come prepared. The original owner of the greatsword was not only alive, but had also conspired with this guy to kill her here!

"When the Soul Suppression is activated, my body becomes sluggish, and my soul enters the sea of ​​consciousness to fight this witch for control of my body. But now..."

Damn it!

Vanessa Irish was never afraid of death; from the moment she resolved to give her life for this great nation, she was fully prepared.

She was simply unwilling to accept defeat and wouldn't allow any enemy to sabotage their plans at this crucial moment.

Suppressing her out-of-control body, Vanessa Irish began to gather the magic within her, unleashing the most intense resistance of her life! In an instant, numerous viscous tentacles from beneath the crimson alien's body shot into the sky, intending to work in conjunction with the bladed claw to try and stop all attacks in its berserk state!

but......

"Die!"

With eyes burning with furious bloodlust, the skeleton warrior charged forward with the starting stance of a berserker, completely ignoring all oncoming attacks. Her Libra Cross Greatsword slashed out like a startled swan, unstoppable and unstoppable.

The next second, dark red blood gushed out in all directions during the attack, massive amounts of flesh crumbled under this sword strike, and even the blade-like claws that tried to block it shattered instantly in this frenzied assault...

"what--"

After the woman's hoarse, piercing screams, the two bladed claws that had tried to resist were completely shattered, and the numerous fleshy tentacles that had burst forth were also cut off and fell to the ground, and the stench of blood began to spread throughout the ice crystal palace.

Skull Fifteen couldn't kill this guy using only physical means. Even with the Libra Cross Greatsword, which could counter this guy, he could only temporarily break through its defenses and severely injure it.

She had initially planned to use a powerful trump card, but after hesitating for a few seconds, she ultimately decided not to use it.

"If, if he really could save my master, then I..."

Karen Elf, can we really trust him?

Passing through the sea of ​​consciousness were those few hazy figures, seemingly memories from when she was still alive.

The skeletal hand became incredibly firm, and Skull Fifteen suddenly grabbed the monster's body, pulling it off the throne like a chick.

The raised Libra Cross Greatsword continued to spray terrifying blood, and then with a backhand motion, the Greatsword pierced through the woman's chest with a "clang," pinning her firmly to the ground.

At the same moment, another female skeleton, who had been waiting for a long time, opened her natal magic book and stepped into the gate of the Ice Crystal Palace.

"Sure enough, your fighting style always seems familiar to me, like I've seen it somewhere before."

The female skeleton made a curious sound and paced forward warily.

Skull Fifteen did not respond to the topic, but instead spoke in a low voice, "Lady Karen, is it really impossible not to kill her? If we don't kill her, how can we save my master?"

"I'll give it a try!"

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

The timeline returns to March 14th, 10008 in the Gregorian calendar, the day Skull Fifteen met the witches.

“My master, Lorina Yuffie, sensed that she might have fallen into a huge trap long after she fled the Empire. At that time, I did not have the wisdom I have now, but I could still see that everything we encountered was illogical. No matter how we avoided human settlements and ventured into the more dangerous monster areas, we would eventually be exposed.”

"Being exposed isn't entirely a bad thing. My master had reflected on why she was exposed many times and took numerous precautions. However, it was all in vain. Many adventurers, as if they had foreseen the future, blocked our path countless times, and even hunted down my master in large numbers. More importantly, most of these adventurers didn't even care whether she was a witch or not; their only goal was to kill her."

"What truly convinced the master that she had exposed her whereabouts from the very beginning and could not escape the control of the conspirators behind the scenes was after she became the 'Destroyer of Kingdoms'. It was around the end of the year 10003 in the new calendar. For the master, with a large army of small countries with strength close to the gold level, plus the encirclement and suppression by two unsolvable demigod-level beings, there was absolutely no way the master could survive."

"The result was that the severely injured master dragged the battle to the very end, and in her out-of-control and mutated state, she defeated and destroyed a small country. At that time, the master who had awakened only had a level 18 natal magic book, not even reaching the level of a gold magic book. So, Lady Karen, you understand what I mean. At that time, there was probably a huge force controlling everything. They didn't need the master's life, and even needed her to live temporarily to achieve their conspiracy. All the intelligent beings who died at the master's hands contained huge mysteries."

"It was precisely after that certain death battle that the master's mind fell into a daze, and at the same time, another personality awakened within her. No, calling it another personality is not quite right; it should be said that some outsider took over her body and began to seize control of it!"

"After that, as a large number of summoned creatures ignored their master's orders one after another, the master began to realize the seriousness of the situation. At that time, the master did not consider her own life or death, but was worried about whether Lady Karen and you would also encounter the same situation, worried that if her body was taken away, she would become your enemy in the future, or even do something she would regret for the rest of her life. She had no choice, so at that time, in order to resist her fate, she left three insurances."

"The first safeguard was that she secretly modified the 'Skeleton Summoning' ability of the necromancer series. Unless she did it herself, the other guy inside her would have to use me as a medium to use it. That was the limit of what she could do at that time. It was impossible to completely prevent the other guy from using it, so she could only resort to tricks. On one hand, it was to protect the intelligent me at that time, and on the other hand, it was to have me secretly monitor the actions of the other guy inside her. If he really threatened her former friend in the future, she hoped to use me to make amends."

"The second insurance was to use the unique talent of the Raven Feather Clan necromancers to sever her own soul, allowing a weak portion of it to hide deep within her body. In other words, the master knew from the beginning that she would definitely die, and as the other soul within her grew stronger, everything she possessed would inevitably be stripped away. Sure enough, in September of the year 10005 in the new calendar, her main soul was destroyed by a guy who called himself a 'god,' while the weak secondary soul was fortunately preserved."

"To awaken the secondary soul, an extremely strong stimulus is required. Originally, I thought it would be better if the secondary soul of the master could continue to lie dormant. But unfortunately, in June of last year, the energy pillar that erupted in the western continent affected her. It was only near the end of the year that I learned from several dead adventurers that three foreign witches died in the Lost Wasteland on the border of the Elf Kingdom last year. The master's awakening is very likely related to this."

"The third and final insurance is that necromancers are naturally skilled in soul manipulation, primarily targeting the native inhabitants of this world. Witches' souls are extremely special and cannot be controlled, but they have methods to harm their own kind. To prevent this from happening, the master used his own soul to alter the nature of the grimoire's power to a certain extent, eliminating all threats against their own kind."

"Although it's always good to be prepared, those 'Shadow Reapers' in the border region also possess powerful physical abilities. It's fortunate that they didn't harm Lady Karen. After all, all I can influence is the skeleton army, and my influence is limited. At the time, I wanted to provide support, but I was under that guy's surveillance and couldn't use too much power."

"This is the truth of the past, and it is also the reason why I, Skull Fifteen, came to pursue Lady Karen. My master once swore that he would fight to the end, even if it cost him everything in this life. And today, I will fulfill my master's will and let Lady Karen and you leave here safely."

"Of course, I do need your head next, but not the real head. I just need to confirm Lady Karen's aura so I can secretly use my methods to copy it at will."

"The purpose... Your head can directly awaken the master's secondary soul, which will cause that guy to lose control. As long as I can gain her trust, I will have a way to take action and let the master rest in peace in her final moments. This is also her wish."

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

Li Lan, who was anxiously waiting outside the Ice Crystal Palace, was currently in the form of a skeleton.

The reason things turned out this way dates back several days. At that time, Skull Fifteen came to the door and explained the whole truth about the place, including the ancient wasteland's intention to "create a god" by using Lolina's body.

She explicitly stated that the snow-covered mountain range had been completely transformed into the "King's" "immortal domain," and any living creature that approached within about 100 kilometers of the domain's center would be completely exposed.

Therefore, it was impossible for her to take Li Lan and the others to that area. She planned to act alone and then find an opportunity to turn against her master to ensure their safety.

Li Lan had witnessed the deaths of the three elderly men before, powerless and forced to act at the time. Now that Luo Lina still had a sliver of hope, how could he possibly stand by and watch his former comrade-in-arms die?

So he rejected Proposal No. 15 and pondered for a long time before finally arriving at an answer.

That is, Li Lan could consider borrowing the power of Jin Huangyu Hui!

When Yu Hui reached level 30 in her natal magic book, she already possessed several powerful talents. In addition to the initial "Faith", "Word of Power", "Holy Cross Eye" and "Ancient God Curse", she also had powerful talents such as "Magic Control", "Instinct of Insight", "Radiant Protection", "Positive and Negative Reversal", "Radiant Descent" and "Elemental Reversal".

Among them, the talent that can truly help Li Lan is "positive and negative reversal"!

This is a supportive talent with an effect similar to causality, capable of reversing the state of certain events or things in an instant.

For example, when paired with "Elemental Reversal," it directly converts all her light-attribute energy attacks into dark-attribute energy attacks. And this is just the most basic application. Advanced applications, similar to how the barrier of the Pillar God Vipa's seal was broken, can change the barrier's state from an internal blockade to an external blockade.

Similarly, could this talent be applied to a witch?

Li Lan has always been a ruthless person, without exception. Concerned about Luo Lina's safety, he immediately arranged for Yu Hui to use it on him in a fit of passion.

Fortunately, the "positive-negative reversal" method was successfully implemented.

Li Lan transformed from a living being into a "dead spirit," becoming a skeletal skeleton, and officially embarked on the journey to the central region of the snow-covered mountains with Skull Fifteen.

During this time, Skull Fifteen repeatedly used the power of the "Undying Domain" to shorten the spatial distance, finally arriving at its destination on the fourth day of its journey. Afterwards, Skull Fifteen, as if making the act real, placed Li Lan, who had been transformed into an undead creature, outside the Ice Crystal Palace, while she entered the Ice Crystal Palace alone. Five minutes had passed by then.