Witch Redemption

Chapter 34 Whereabouts Exposed

"Found it! The intelligence was indeed true!"

The witch Roman Hydra is located about 12,000 meters away from here. Accompanying her are three middle-aged human adventurers, two seaweed-haired banshees, the twin witches wanted by the Elf Kingdom, and a blonde girl with strange white wings on her ears.

The former witch, now appearing as a young man with features of an Easterner from Earth, Helen Kingsley, is currently standing atop a mountain peak, having opened her innate magic book and using the witch class "Sharpshooter's" exclusive skill, "Extreme Eagle Eye," to capture all the sights of a distant valley.

The Witch class "Sharpshooter" has a basic skill called "Eagle Eye" that has no daily limit on the number of uses and can be activated at any time. Once activated, it can detect any movement within a radius of one kilometer. However, once the range exceeds one kilometer, the effect of "Eagle Eye" is insufficient, and a more powerful class skill must be used.

"Extreme Eagle Eye," an advanced skill of "Eagle Eye," expands Helen Kingsley's field of vision to approximately 15,000 meters. It can be used three times per day, and each use lasts for one hour.

"Strange, shouldn't that old man be the commander-in-chief of the allied forces of the United Kingdom of Kazan? Where are his troops? And why are they standing not far from this witch?"

It didn't seem like a standoff; they appeared to be exchanging information. Helen Kingsley noticed that the old man had initially taken out a strange ruby ​​necklace and shown it off.

At this moment, beside Helen Kingsley, standing beside him was Sharon Fern, the wife of Warrickson, the Grand Commander of the Elven Kingdom. This beautiful Elven woman was using her husband's specially made telescope to capture the figure in the distant valley, but the scene she saw was not as clear as Helen Kingsley's.

"It really is that damned foreign witch Roman Hydra and the Twin Witches! I'll send men to intercept and kill them immediately..."

"Wait!" Helen Kingsley immediately called for a halt. Wasn't this just alerting the enemy? All looks and no brains!

Of course, Helen Kingsley wouldn't directly berate this straightforward woman. Instead, she shook her head and said, "We have the advantage in numbers. Since we have the advantage, we must obtain the greatest benefit with the least cost. A direct face-to-face battle would most likely result in heavy casualties."

If it weren't for the fact that the command of the allied forces from the Elf Kingdom still needed to be handled by this woman, Helen Kingsley wouldn't mind getting rid of her immediately.

"That old man from the Kazan United Principality, if nothing unexpected happens, is a true demigod-level powerhouse. His magic is incredibly powerful," Helen Kingsley continued to explain. This world was different from what he knew. Many mages weren't weaklings who could only cast ranged spells. The more powerful a mage was, the more proficient they were in various amplification and support spells, creating close-range attacks that completely outclassed any ranged magic.

In particular, did you see those two thick, muscular arms of this old man? With muscles like that, his explosive power in close combat is no joke.

"Those two seaweed-haired guys should also be at the demigod level. Their strength is currently unknown, but as long as they are demigods, killing them would require an equal demigod to take action." Helen Kingsley's current strength is extraordinary. He immediately pointed out the level of those two banshees. Only demigods could make him feel wary from afar.

"This..." How could this be? Sharon Fern panicked for a moment. Three demigods! Where did this alien witch get three demigod-level helpers? Luckily, she hadn't rashly given the order to attack, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

They have a large number of people on their side. Although they have a trump card that can take down a demigod, they will definitely have to pay a considerable price.

At this moment, after Helen Kingsley pointed it out, Sharon Fern began to look at this man with new respect. "Mr. Helen, do you have a complete plan?"

“Don’t rush, let me analyze the strength of these people for you again,” Helen Kingsley was already confident of victory. “The three demigods are very strong, but the strength of the others should not be underestimated. Roman Hydra, this witch is not as simple as you think.”

According to the intelligence Helen Kingsley possesses, this Roman Hydra definitely has a secondary profession, and this profession is very likely the Witch Devourer that Ann Gnath once mentioned. It seems that the disappearances of the three witches who previously followed Roman Hydra—Violet, Anne, and Sophia—were very likely orchestrated by this witch in secret.

In other words, after devouring those three witches, Roman Hydra will definitely become a multi-class user!

Priest is just his apparent profession; behind him, there are likely other professions such as summoner and warrior, especially summoner. Roman Hydra may seem to be just one person, but in reality, he is a huge army all by himself. It would be unwise to fight him with numbers.

Putting everything else aside, the first thing to do to crush Roman Hydra is not to confront him head-on, but to use the most effective means to restrict his most powerful witch class, which is the "Summoner".

The natives of this world generally have a common sense: when it comes to witches who are summoners, they like to attack the witch's true form directly. Killing the witch's true form means killing all the summoned creatures, which is undoubtedly a foolish thing to do!

Helen Kingsley was a smart man; she would never do that. "The best way to take down this Roman Hydra, who has the 'Summoner' class, is to first restrict all of his movement. Who knows how many summons Roman Hydra can actually summon? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Or even ten thousand? I don't know how strong his trump cards are, but as long as I know his trump cards belong to the summoning category, it's easy. Confine him to a certain cage. When the cage is small enough, the number of summons he can summon will definitely be limited. Give him a space where he can only summon about a hundred summons. Can he really summon a thousand?"

The best way to limit a summoner's power is to prevent them from summoning anything, or even if they can, all their summoned creatures must become sitting ducks.

To completely kill a summoner, when both sides possess great strength, the safest method is often to kill all of his summons first, and then attack his main body, rather than rushing towards the main body at the beginning, which could lead to being killed by the dense sea of ​​summons.

"Romon Hydra is not easy to deal with, and these twin witches are probably not as weak as you think. To escape from your kingdom's siege, they must have considerable individual strength. As far as I know, their spellbook profession is Gardener, right?"

All the information about the Twin Witches was provided by Warrickson, so Helen Kingsley now has a clear understanding of the situation.

The Gardener is an extremely rare spellcasting class, and it's said that only witches from the Elf Kingdom can possess it. They are primarily focused on support and control, with relatively low damage output. Judging from their murder of Adrian, the Elf Kingdom's lord, they seem to possess a method to directly enter a "divine" state. This suggests that their strength, even if not demigod-like, is likely quite formidable, and they must be treated with extreme caution.

As for the blonde girl whose ears were replaced by white wings, others might not understand much about her, but Helen Kingsley was an exception.

Helen Kingsley had at least had close contact with the witch Roman Hydra when she was in the Rune tribe. Although the witch claimed that a pair of blonde and black-haired twins were her daughters, Helen Kingsley later deduced, after obtaining a series of information, that the pair of girls were actually Roman Hydra's humanoid summons.

For a witch with the "Summoner" class, the most numerous summonable creatures would undoubtedly be ugly minions, while elite humanoid summons like this would certainly have a severe limit on their number. On the surface, there's only one, but in Helen Kingsley's understanding, there should actually be two! Well, Roman Hydra might be hiding his true strength; even if there's only one, it must be treated with the respect due to a demigod.

After hearing this series of analyses of strength, Sharon Fern broke out in a cold sweat. How many demigods were there already?

An old man, two banshees, three witches, and a humanoid summoner—seven in total?

"What about the other three humans..."

"Those three? They're weaklings, trash, nothing to fear. The main problem is the seven mentioned above. If they were just individual demigods, we could definitely take them down. But the problem is, seven demigods working together is not as simple as one plus one equals two. I can even assure you that in a fair and square head-on confrontation, while we won't suffer a crushing defeat, if they're determined to escape, we won't be able to stop them."

So, what should be done? Helen Kingsley squinted, her smile revealing a hint of smugness and confidence.

"Since I promised Senior Warrickson that I would help him avenge his family, I will naturally do my best. Miss Sharon, can you also give me some trust? And will you resolutely carry out all my commands?"

To ensure the successful execution of this decisive move, Helen Kingsley needs the Elven Kingdom's allied forces to be of one mind with her and absolutely cannot allow any mishaps to occur, thus increasing the margin for error.

“This…” Sharon Fern hesitated for a moment. She had originally thought that this archbishop from the Kingdom of Ross was nothing special, but today his judgment on the situation and strength was quite remarkable. He spoke with great reason and his humble yet assertive attitude was also very endearing. “My husband’s trust in Mr. Helen is my trust in Mr. Helen. From now on, please just give orders.”

"Alright! Miss Sharon, please immediately command all the allied kingdom forces to construct a magic fortification on the spot!"

Helen Kingsley was once a witch, and even now that she has regained her original body, she still doesn't possess any magic, but her understanding of magic is absolutely unparalleled.

In one-on-one combat, long-range magic does indeed require a significant amount of time and has certain range requirements. In essence, a mage gathering magic power to unleash a ranged spell is a sitting duck, and even locking onto the target becomes a problem.

But what if long-range magic were used for a surprise attack?

The more powerful a master is in this world, the stronger their sense of danger will be within a certain range. The condensation of magic power in high-level magic is bound to be quite a commotion, making it even more impossible for them to escape the senses of these masters.

"Here?" Sharon Fern suddenly felt that the young man seemed to be joking. This place was more than 12,000 meters away from the witch Roman Hydra and the others, which was not the best distance to launch an attack spell.

Generally speaking, magic is extremely energy-intensive and has a certain attack range.

Basic spells, such as low-level fireballs and wind blades, have an attack range of one to three meters, limited destructive power, and a relatively small area of ​​effect. Mid-level spells, such as powerful fireballs and whirlwind blades, have an attack range of twenty to eighty meters, immense destructive power, and a moderate area of ​​effect. High-level spells, such as giant rock prisons and lava spikes, have an astonishing attack range of around five hundred meters, with enormous destructive power and area of ​​effect.

At the pinnacle of human capability, there is super-level magic. The most lethal spells of this type originate from magic skills created by the mage themselves. The range of these spells exceeds the limit of one thousand meters, but will not exceed one thousand five hundred meters. In terms of destructive power, super-level magic is comparable to the attacks of demigods and should not be underestimated.

The only regret is that the more powerful the magic, the more casting time it requires. Furthermore, due to distance limitations, even if they could cast magic from their current location, they definitely couldn't reach more than 12,000 meters away. This is beyond the capabilities of magic; it's a "miracle."

“That’s right, this is the place. Only by launching a sneak attack from more than 10,000 meters away can we be absolutely certain of success! If we get too close, the elemental fluctuations when we condense magic will be detected by those three demigods, which is not a good sign. Don’t worry, I have a way to get you that far, but it will require a little coordination.”

Helen Kingsley turned to one of her men and said, "Kaki, go and make the arrangements. We're about to start using the Chaos Order's trump card."

Magic can't actually reach that far, but what if it's combined with the Chaos Order's unique "space folding" technique? It allows magical energy to travel 12,000 meters, precisely striking the target location, disrupting the opponent's perception, and making it impossible for them to determine the direction and distance of the attack.

“Miss Sharon, please! By the way, after the magic array is completed, remember not to attack it. Follow my instructions. If nothing unexpected happens, I will ask you to use barrier magic.”

"Barrier magic?" This was another unexpected question for Sharon Fern.

"That's right, only by trapping someone like a turtle in a jar can we truly kill them!"

It's not just about trapping them like turtles in a jar, but also about dispersing our forces and defeating them one by one.

Some people prefer a simple and brutal approach, using the most powerful strike to completely annihilate their opponent in one fell swoop. However, this is based on overwhelming combat power. Currently, the allied forces of the Elf Kingdom and the Kingdom of Ross do not have the confidence to completely eliminate three demigods and four opponents with near-demigod strength in a single sneak attack.

Although "space folding" has the amazing effect of enabling magical attacks to strike across distances, the ultimate range of "space folding" is only about one thousand meters away from these demigods.

Especially that old man who was proficient in magic. Rumor has it that this great sage from the United Kingdom of Kazan once looked down on even witches' artifacts in order to prove his magical talent and strength, considering them heretical. If the final teleportation point of "space folding" were to appear close to such a freak who had devoted his life to magic, it would likely trigger some of the opponent's defensive measures, resulting in failure.

The opponent is a demigod-level mage, so they must have considered what would happen if they encountered a close-range attack from a super-level magic, and therefore must have a countermeasure.

Helen Kingsley is not a native of this world. Her thinking is never straightforward. If she can crush her opponent, she will never give them any way out and completely block any chance of turning the tables.

After Sharon Fern left, he turned his head to the empty space beside him and asked, "Lieutenant General Roy Spike, this is the arrangement for now. Once the Twin Witches are separated, can you handle the weaker ones on your own?"

Roy Spike, the proud Imperial Lieutenant General, suffered his most devastating blow. The Imperial Allied Forces were completely annihilated by the encirclement and suppression of many ancient barren kingdoms. As for him personally, if it weren't for Helen Kingsley's secret assistance, he would probably have died in this place long ago.

Of course, Helen Kingsley didn't save the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Allied Forces out of kindness. Rather, she felt that the actions of the Desolate Ancient Kingdom were suspicious, and there might be some conspiracy involved. Leaving the Imperial commander-in-chief alive was partly to curry favor with the Empire, and partly to allow this Imperial lieutenant general to return to the Empire in the future and report the situation to his superiors.

The plan to send this imperial lieutenant general to deal with the weakest twin witches was actually just to let him vent some of his emotions. After all, he had been suppressing his feelings for three days after being rescued and was about to explode.

"Humph!"

A middle-aged man in a dark gray military uniform suddenly appeared, his face extremely pale.

"Being able to take it and let it go is better to save your life than to die here," Helen Kingsley advised, then added, "Letting you deal with the Twin Witches is just to let you vent your emotions. Calming down will be good for you and for the Empire."

"What do you know?" Ross Spike replied in frustration. The glory of the Empire had been destroyed in a single day. How could he not be angry?

"Of course I don't understand. In the end, your life or death is not important to me. It's just that you're the only one left among the people the Empire sent. If even you die, hehe."

"..." The middle-aged man remained silent for a long while before disappearing into thin air again. He did need to vent his emotions. "I can't guarantee I'll leave the Twin Witches with their corpses intact!"

"No need. If you have that ability, you can kill Roman Hydra as well, and I'll arrange an opportunity for you!"

Helen Kingsley had practically sentenced this group to death. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was 100% certain he could take them down. After all, his own people knew him best, and their sneak attacks were the most ruthless.

Chapter 35 Deadly Offensive

"We have an overwhelming numerical advantage; the key to victory lies in how we leverage this advantage!"

On the very first day after the incident, Helen Kingsley led all the followers of the Chaos Order of the Kingdom of Ross deep into the snow-covered mountains, avoiding a direct confrontation with the army of the Desolate Ancient Kingdom. As a result, more than 2,500 of her men are still alive, and most of them are hiding in the shadows, secretly assisting the allied forces of the Elven Kingdom in carrying out assassinations.

After all, the army of the desolate ancient kingdom numbered in the tens of thousands, and they would be no match for them in a head-on battle.

In terms of the history before Helen Kingsley's time travel, examples of "the few defeating the many" are extremely rare. The vast majority of wars were overwhelming victories by the strong over the weak and the many over the many.

If we really delve into it, there are far too many factors to consider when "winning with fewer troops." One of them is the asymmetry of "information." Since there was no modern electronic communication technology in ancient times, there would be a significant lag in obtaining battle reports. Furthermore, the various "rumors" caused by information warfare could lead to a decline in overall morale and misjudgments by commanders.

Another factor is the will to fight. Most ancient soldiers did not have the same strong sense of honor and will as modern soldiers. True warfare with cold weapons was a bloody battle, and not deserting in the face of battle was already a great act of courage.

But this world is different. In Helen Kingsley's observation, the armies of all superpowers are filled with fearless and valiant warriors. For example, in the fierce battle between the British Empire's allied forces and the desolate ancient kingdom, neither side retreated, and the empire suffered utter annihilation.

The Chaos Order followers, led by Helen Kingsley, are essentially an "Iron Army," using religion to bind their collective will together. Against the armies of small nations, they might have a chance of winning with fewer troops, but against the equally formidable army of the desolate ancient kingdom, it's suicidal.

When the reckless clash with the reckless, it's a true battle of strength, where even "information warfare" is ineffective.

"The Kingdom Elves that Senior Warrickson entrusted to me number about 15,000, and all of them are at least lieutenant generals in strength and are proficient in the use of various magics."

In this world, intelligent beings of different races also have different starting points in terms of talent. Humans are relatively balanced, orcs focus on physical strength, while elves and fairies dominate in all aspects.

From Helen Kingsley's observation, these elves were all muscular and possessed unbelievably strong close-combat explosive power, even stronger than the Imperial Army. Furthermore, these "dual-wielding" elves were no less skilled in magic than the magical kingdom of Kazan; they had even developed unique "magic arrows" based on magic, whose power was several times greater than the Imperial Army's ordinary firearms, both in accuracy and range.

At this moment, looking around, all the soldiers of the elven kingdom hidden in the mountains had built their own magical fortifications.

A magic field is a place where any intelligent being skilled in magic can unite and pool their power to cast the same spell, thus shortening the time required to gather magical energy. However, constructing a "magic field" is far from simple; it requires the assembled intelligent beings to possess a certain degree of understanding and control over the flow of magical energy among themselves.

It can be said that this is a powerful method that only the military or religious believers can use, and not something that just any rabble can do.

"In groups of one hundred? If so, it's not impossible for the barrier to be strong enough to completely surround these demigods, but it will still take some time to kill them."

Those three witches might be close to demigods in strength, but they weren't true demigods, so taking them down wouldn't be too difficult. The main challenge was this old man from the Kazan United Kingdom and the two seaweed-headed figures of unknown origin. Only fellow demigods could kill these genuine demigod-level powerhouses.

In other words, Helen Kingsley herself has to deal with these three guys.

“Mr. Helen, everything is ready.”

In less than a few minutes, Sharon Fern returned and asked for instructions.

Because the Elf Kingdom possesses a very special auxiliary magic called "Spirit Transference," this auxiliary magic allows elves to achieve extremely rapid telepathic communication, much like online voice chat on Earth.

Helen Kingsley didn't understand the underlying principles; all she knew was that Sharon Fern could issue orders to these Elven Kingdom soldiers at will and receive immediate responses.

The Chaos Order does not have a so-called "spirit transfer technique," but it does have a method to achieve rapid communication, although the effect is not as convenient as the "spirit transfer technique" used by these elves.