Witch Redemption

“It hasn’t come to the point where Lolina has to die. I’ll go with you. You’ll find a way to awaken her soul. I’ll use my own abilities to try and see if I can bring her back. I’m an expert in physical mutations, but as for the soul, we’ll have to see how things go at that time.”

This was Li Lan's reply. After learning the complete plan of Skull Fifteen, he was now pondering what to do next.

It's certain that the mortal god who appeared that day represents the force behind all of this. They are very confident and currently indeed in control. Faced with such an enemy, it will be extremely difficult for these witches to escape their clutches.

Li Lan even had a strong intuition that once the real "Destroyer of Kingdoms, You Ji" officially died, the living god couldn't possibly be unaware of the signs. Therefore, just like in the past, Li Lan and his group absolutely could not confront them head-on this time; they had to fight quickly and resolve the situation, avoiding confrontation if possible.

"At the very least, the other thing inside Lorina's body must not die at this stage!"

Li Lan is very cautious. In some situations, he can be reckless, that's true, but he would never act blindly, especially in situations involving the conspiracy of a superpower, where he should be even more careful.

He even realized that if this "Destroyer of Kingdoms" were to die completely, the present-day god who had previously "let them off the hook" would immediately lead the armies of all the ancient, desolate kingdoms to destroy the region.

“Originally, I was thinking that if Lolina could reach her full potential, then our combined strength might be able to break the deadlock. However, so much intelligence has shown that Lolina is not so easy to rescue, and even if we can successfully rescue her, she will not be able to immediately regain her strength.”

As Skull Fifteen said, apart from the skeleton army centered around Skull Fifteen, all the undead creatures in this area currently obey "Destroyer of Kingdoms," and even if that guy is killed and Lorina is successfully brought back, she probably won't be able to control these undead creatures.

If she could truly control things, Lolina wouldn't have been so passive and ultimately helpless.

"That guy who's taken over Lolina's body deserves to die too easily. We have to find a way to keep her alive. Once we can successfully rescue Lolina, I need to reunite with Bai Antelope and Xue Antelope as soon as possible, and then see which direction to escape in. With Skull Fifteen's help, there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Lost in thought, Li Lan quietly peeked through the crack in the palace door and witnessed everything that was happening inside.

Skull 15, you've got it!

Without hesitation, he took the first step. From now on, it would be Li Lan's show!

Chapter 22 A Fragile Yet Resilient Soul

As far as the eye could see, the entire palace was made of blue and white ice crystals. On this cold ice crystal ground, an ugly dark red body was pinned down by the Libra Cross Greatsword, unable to move for the time being, looking like it was at the mercy of its master.

"Kalen Elf!"

The flesh-and-blood monster let out an angry roar. She had encountered this guy in the dream of the witch Lorina Euphemia, and even though he had now turned into a skeleton, she could still recognize him by his familiar aura.

Only now did Vanessa Irish, the real "Queen of Destruction," realize what had happened.

Skull Fifteen did indeed collude with this witch, but Skull Fifteen was also well aware that this vast area was Vanessa Irisht's territory, and any living creature that wanted to approach her could not escape her perception.

In order to deceive her, this witch somehow transformed into an undead creature and blended into the skeleton army belonging to Skull Fifteen, successfully approaching this core area.

So this was all a meticulously planned scheme, just waiting for the moment she truly trusted Skull Fifteen before the other side immediately bared its sharp fangs and tore her to shreds!

"You know me?"

Facing the roar of the ugly monster, Li Lan walked over cautiously, thinking to herself, "It seems that this highly mutated creature is Lolina. It's just a pity that her body has now been taken over by another stranger. I need to think of a way to save her."

The flesh-and-blood monster did not respond; instead, it fell silent.

At this moment, she was fiercely fighting against another weak soul within her. Vanessa Irish was never one to back down, and even in this extremely dangerous situation, she was calmer than ever before.

The current outcome wasn't due to her carelessness or miscalculation. While Skull Fifteen's betrayal was troublesome, it wasn't fatal. "My body and soul are immortal; no one can kill me! The most important thing right now is to immediately suppress this damned thing inside me. As long as she behaves herself, I can immediately unleash my full power, and then both this traitor and the witch will die!"

Indeed, Vanessa Irish has an extremely important asset.

On the other side, Skull Fifteen also knew this, and she immediately reminded her, "Lady Karen, be careful. She is still resisting the master's resurrected soul. My methods can only temporarily disable her. The duration depends on how long the master can hold on."

This highly mutated creature's true strength was already infinitely close to that of a god in the mortal world; she was just one step away from breaking through her limits and achieving a metamorphosis. At this point, if she didn't resort to underhanded tactics, not only Li Lan, but even this powerful Skull Fifteen would be no match for her.

"Thank you, I'll be careful." Li Lan nodded in response to the kind reminder.

"There are rumors that no matter what kind of intelligent being it is, as long as it awakens its origin and becomes a demigod, its body will undergo some mutations, thus entering the ranks of the immortals. Beings above the demigod level can basically only be killed by other demigods, and these powerful beings can crush any mortal."

"The demigodification or deification of a witch is similar to the awakening of the original nature of intelligent beings, only the degree of mutation is more exaggerated."

The intelligent beings of this world, after awakening their true nature and undergoing mutations, retain their human form and do not descend into madness. But witches are different; their mutations result in a more chaotic and grotesque state, and once they enter this state, they inevitably lose all reason.

"The plan of the desolate ancient kingdom may be to take advantage of each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses. The witch's mutated body does indeed have enormous potential, but the witch's soul will be permanently lost. In that case, why not consider replacing the witch's soul with the human souls of this world?"

From the current perspective, the plan of the desolate ancient kingdom has indeed succeeded. The guy who possessed Lolina now has unparalleled power and still maintains a clear mind.

At this moment, she possesses near-immortality; ordinary physical methods can only severely injure her, not kill her completely.

"It's a pity that the witch lost her mind and mutated out of control. Although this brought her immense power, the price was too high. You could even say that this kind of dark power is a negative state for the witch and cannot bring her any real hope."

This was the answer Matilda, a comrade-in-arms, left for Li Lan: at least in the absence of a "godhood" like "Ann Gnath," pursuing uncontrolled power was tantamount to courting death.

“Since this guy gained power by using Lolina’s deification, I should be able to control him.”

With her mind made up, Li Lan gently stroked the natal magic book that floated in front of her with her right hand.

"Revelation!"

First, he summoned the Life Hammer, a weapon unique to elven priests, and then Li Lan unhesitatingly cast "Soul Soothing" on the mutated flesh and blood monster.

The next second, the emerald green light emanating from the natal magic book began to envelop the fleshy monster that was struggling madly, and quickly condensed into a radiant thorn mark on its lower abdomen.

"If I'm not mistaken, my skill 'Soul Soothing' is the nemesis of the witch's 'Godhood'. If I can suppress Lorina's state and restore her to normal, I will definitely be able to weaken this outsider's power!"

Based on various inferences, Li Lan made the most correct choice.

Then, under the emerald green glow, an incredibly astonishing scene unfolded.

The monster, which had been struggling, suddenly began to melt and spread out, like rolling black oil, covering the entire ice crystal ground in just a few seconds.

"This is......"

Even though only bones remained on her feet, Li Lan could still feel the burning pain emanating from them. This strange liquid could corrode the soul!

"what--"

At the same moment, within the palace that had transformed into a black "ocean," a woman's piercing scream came from nowhere, causing all the "black oil" to boil violently.

"Ah—what did you do to me? Why did this happen?"

The monster, now in liquid form, trembled and howled incessantly. She was horrified to discover that her body had completely lost control. She had expected the other witch's soul to seize control of her body, but strangely, at this moment, the witch's soul miraculously calmed down, as if it had fallen into a deep sleep once again.

She screamed, the situation before her completely defying all her understanding, and she couldn't even imagine what kind of tricks that damned Karen Elf had used on her.

At this point, Li Lan ignored the voices of any outsiders; he simply stared intently at the spread-out "black oil." He felt as if he were adrift in a vast ocean of despair, waiting for the return of that familiar figure, and searching for a way to save the person he so desperately longed for.

"Lorina".

The instinctive, soft call caused countless ripples to spread across the trembling "black sea".

Li Lan had a strong intuition that he could save Luo Lina!

If there truly is such a thing as "fate" in this world, then perhaps only at this moment can Li Lan understand what her fate really is.

Because he possesses a body that can never descend into madness, and can forever maintain his sanity, he needs to live better than anyone else. As long as he lives, even if one day in the future all his comrades succumb to darkness, lost in madness and despair, he can be their only guiding light, able to extend their only helping hand.

This might be the answer Matilda and the others once told Li Lan. They wanted Li Lan to know that living alone was not about escaping, but about saving others in a better way.

His comrades were his hope for survival, and his survival would also become their hope.

This is the mission of Li Lan, whose real name is "Karen Elf," a witch whose profession is "Priest."

"Lolina?"

Li Lan's intuition told him that Luo Lina was here, that Luo Lina was not dead, and that Luo Lina had been waiting for him all along.

He took a step forward, his outstretched skeletal hand groping in the "dark sea." At that moment, he recalled the time before everyone's escape. Those memories, which should have been painful, brought him not sorrow, but excitement and joy, making his heart surge.

Everyone is so strong. Even after experiencing countless hardships, everyone is living to this day in their own way, fighting against the world in their own way, and never compromising.

This is everyone's shared will. Whether in the past, present, or future, they will continue on this path until the end of the world.

This is also Li Lan's desire. More than revenge or returning to his hometown, what he wants most right now is for everyone to survive together, no matter how cruel and hopeless the world is.

"Lorina!"

Another desperate roar erupted, a yearning from the depths of the soul, causing the entire space to tremble violently.

Li Lan's mind went blank. He was simply following his instincts, using his skeletal hands to relentlessly search in the "deep sea," seeking a response from his former comrade-in-arms.

He did not feel despair, but rather confidence, unprecedented confidence.

He can definitely save Lolina!

"Karen..."

Suddenly, a faint yet familiar figure spread across the "dark sea," creating a barely perceptible ripple.

found it!

The moment their hands clasped together, Li Lan plunged completely into this boundless sea of ​​despair, enduring the corrosive pain in her soul, and forcefully dragged the figure out of the abyss.

"Splash—"

The weakened girl's body reappeared, and the thorny mark formed by "Soul Soothing" was now glowing with emerald green light on the back of her right hand, protecting her from all the surrounding black corrosive liquid and safeguarding her faint soul fire.

After many years apart, upon their reunion, the black-haired girl nestled in Li Lan's arms like Sleeping Beauty.

Years ago, they fought side by side against the malice and despair of this world. Today, years later, they meet again and face similar predicaments. The difference is that this time, Li Lan has come to save her, to save Luo Lina's fragile yet resilient soul.

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

"Impossible! Impossible! How could this be?"

Vanessa Irish witnessed the most incomprehensible scene of her life: the witch's body that she was supposed to possess was forcibly stripped of its connection by Karen Elf, and then, in this bizarre state, it was pulled out of her body.

She felt no discomfort whatsoever, as if a small piece of flesh had been suddenly cut off from her body, along with the witch's soul that had threatened her. Then the wound quickly regenerated and returned to its original state.

She felt like she had lost something, but in reality, she hadn't lost anything. Instead, it was as if she had been freed from the shackles that had always bound her, and an even more terrifying power was reviving within her.

"What exactly am I...?"

After the initial shock, a strange pleasure suddenly surged through my body, and immense power was constantly rising.

Meanwhile, Skull Fifteen, also situated in this "sea of ​​oil," immediately noticed the anomaly. After witnessing Li Lan forcibly rescue her master, this "Destroyer of Kingdoms," now in a bizarre state, began to rapidly recover her power; it seemed she would be back to full strength within minutes.

There are gains and losses in everything!

If the goal was to eliminate this guy from the start, it would have to come at the cost of sacrificing Lorina. However, if the goal was to rescue Lorina, the outcome would be predictable, as Lorina's soul would no longer be able to suppress this guy.

"Proceed according to plan. It was decided from the beginning that I would use any means necessary to rescue my master!"

Without any hesitation, just seconds after Li Lan forcibly pulled Lolina out, Skull Fifteen spoke up, "Lady Karen, you must leave immediately!"

The loyal skeleton warrior stepped forward, and at the same moment her left skeletal hand touched Li Lan's shoulder, she directly used the power of this "Undying Domain," instantly teleporting the two of them more than ten kilometers away. The surrounding ice crystal palace and "sea of ​​oil" were suddenly replaced by cold mountains.

Li Lan was still immersed in past memories. He naturally understood that now was not the best time to reminisce. However, before he could react, the incredibly fast Skull Fifteen had already sent him and Lorina out of that dangerous area.

At the same time, along with Lorina, who returned to her side, came her unique grimoire and the Libra Cross greatsword with a skull inscription.

"Thank you, Lady Karen. Although I know you have many questions, now that my master has been rescued, please escort her away."

"then you......"