Witch Redemption

The blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man was incredibly tall and wore a black and gray military uniform. This uniform resembled the "European military uniform from the World War I era" that Li Lan had mentioned to them before—simple and practical. He also wore a black overcoat with blood-red trim; this kind of uniform feature was only seen on the Inquisitors of the Empire.

"Although we don't know exactly what just happened, it looks like if we don't take this guy down, we'll be next to die."

The Twin Witches had endured many hardships in the Elf Kingdom, narrowly escaping death multiple times. Although they didn't have much life experience, after following Li Lan for so long, they were no pushovers anymore.

Death was not a source of fear for them; they had experienced things far more terrifying than death.

At this moment, their thoughts were not complicated: whoever was their enemy, it was a fight to the death, and they would just fight to the death.

"Sister, what about Karen and the others...?"

The twin sister, Bai Ling, was preoccupied with her teammates back home and was somewhat distracted at the moment.

"Karen and her group are far stronger than us. We should take care of ourselves first. Judging from their formation, they must have come prepared. Our enemies are probably not just these people."

The twin sister, Xue Ling, deduced that she could only guess that there might be countless ambushes nearby, but she could never have imagined that these ambushes were actually tens of thousands of meters away.

"So, are you ready?"

Even knowing that this unexpected middle-aged man was incredibly powerful, the Twin Witches still chose to strike first, charging towards the figure without hesitation, their Libra Cross Greatsword sweeping out a surging wind.

It's important to understand that the Twin Witches, after all, received gifts from the witch Matilda. With the "tutelage" and "accumulation" of these teachings, their grimoires reached level forty, and their physical abilities were also exceptionally strong. If their strength were ranked according to the Empire's military ranks, the Twin Witches would definitely be at the level of a lieutenant general; ordinary major generals would be nothing more than easy targets for slaughter.

With the powerful combination of two lieutenant generals and the telepathic understanding between the twin witches, they may have already surpassed the level of lieutenant generals and reached the level of admiral!

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

The sneak attack failed!

For Roy Spike, what was most terrifying was not the failure, but the strength his opponent displayed during their first encounter.

Clearly, luck alone wouldn't be enough to evade his sneak attack. The twin witches were surrounded by a very special defensive aura, which could be interpreted as the witches' instinctive intuition. This allowed them to pinpoint his location the moment he dispelled "Void Concealment" and dodge his fatal blow in time.

Of course, if you only avoided a fatal blow, it's not a big deal.

What truly surprised Roy Spike was that the guy from the Twin Witches who fought back and forced him to retreat was incredibly strong.

"Witches, these creatures summoned from another world possess terrifying growth potential. It is currently known that witches' natal magic books have a concept of 'level,' and the higher the level, the stronger the witch's physical attributes. In the past, before our country implemented witch reforms, we generally only allowed witches to grow up to the level of a silver magic book, which means the highest level of magic book would not exceed level 20. Such witches could be easily crushed by our major generals without much effort."

The only exception was the traitorous "Flame Witch" Vesta Hestia, who somehow grew to level 30 in her grimoire and successfully advanced to a gold grimoire.

Even among witches of the same rank, there are differences in strength. The Flame Witch, once hailed as a "super genius," was the strongest among her contemporaries. When this terrifying witch reappeared many years ago, even when besieged by twelve major general-level experts, she was able to hold out for a long time and even killed one of the major general-level priests.

Therefore, it is evident that for a witch whose grimoire has reached level 30 and successfully advanced to a gold grimoire, only a strongman of the rank of lieutenant general can easily defeat her.

"My strength is at the lieutenant general level. With the aid of the artifact 'Spatial Flashback' and the sealed item 'Book of Nameless Ghost Realm,' I believe I can contend with a true demigod-level powerhouse. Logically speaking, I shouldn't be unable to defeat these twin witches, but judging from what just happened..."

He was nominally a lieutenant general, but in reality, he was a general in command!

However, despite his strength as a near-general, he was slightly inferior when it came to a contest of strength.

What does this mean? It means that the Twin Witches are not just using Gold-level grimoires; their true grimoire levels are far above level 30!

Considering that the Twin Witches and the Seven Witches who defected from the Empire belong to the same group that escaped capture five years ago, and that they've grown to this level in just five years, what would happen if they were given another five or even ten years?

Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable! It's even terrifying!

Only now did Roy Spike truly understand why the Witch Cult's warden, the Undying Iris, valued these escaped witches so much.

In order to successfully eliminate them, the Empire even deployed its trump card, the "Imperial Warship." If it weren't for the interference of the Desolate Ancient Kingdom, these witches wouldn't have survived to this day. They would have been dead long ago!

"Damn desolate ancient kingdom!"

Roy Spike grew angrier the more he thought about it. The thought of his useless teammates and the strength the twin witches had displayed after their first encounter made him feel like he was about to lose his mind. His face turned an unbelievably dark color.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the twisted, silver-white longsword aside.

This longsword, forty centimeters in length and shaped like a cross, is called "Radiant Praise." Originally a ritual implement of the Holy See of the Empire, it possesses the strongest anti-magic effect and is a defensive weapon that every Inquisitor must possess.

However, this weapon was destroyed during their first encounter due to the combined monstrous power of both sides. Roy Spike was helpless, but he also felt a great deal of apprehension.

"Time is almost up. Now that we can use Void Concealment again, we absolutely cannot give them any chance to react next time we strike!"

Then Roy Spike raised his thick right hand, and it was only at this moment that it was discovered that a grayish-white iron chain was wrapped around his right hand, and a strange pocket watch was hanging from the thin chain. The pocket watch had no hands, only a large number of irregular marks and Roman numerals that would only exist in another world.

This peculiar item is none other than the witch's artifact, "Space Flashback"!

"White Antelope!"

Faced with the blond imperial soldier who had once again vanished without a trace, the twin sister, Xue Ling, called out.

"Judgment!"

"ruling!"

In an instant, the twin witches summoned the "Judgment Scissors" and "Decisive Scissors," the sacred artifacts unique to "Gardeners," and unleashed their most proficient "plant-based area-of-effect magic."

Since this guy is trying to hide and play dirty tricks again, let's just give him a cage with nowhere to hide, and then use an area-of-effect attack to kill him!

"The Desolate End Garden!"

Countless emerald green vines emerged from beneath the Twin Witches' feet, then surged out in all directions, transforming the landscape like a "realm boundary," and finally soared into the sky, completely sealing off this vast area and forming an impenetrable "plant domain"!

The powerful support magic that once killed the former witch "Water Mage" Frien has reappeared. The ruthless twins intend to use this indiscriminate, suicidal skill to "determine the winner" in a three-minute battle.

The Garden of Desolation is a special skill unique to Gardeners. It creates a vast area where vines descend, sealing off the area and giving it an absolute "magic-suppressing effect." Subsequently, all living things within this area will have their life force forcibly drained without exception.

Faced with an unseen opponent, the twins acted in the same way they did when dealing with the water sorcerer Frien. The difference was that this time they were many times stronger, and they seemed to have found the biggest weakness of this imperial soldier.

Unlike Frien's method of concealment, if this Imperial soldier, who is in stealth mode, wants to launch an attack, he is very likely to expose his presence. He is not as terrifying as that former witch.

In short, these two brutes had only one thing to say: Come on! It's either you or me!

Chapter 37 The Book of the Unknown Ghost Realm

The ever-spreading emerald green vines were so intense that, almost the instant he entered the "Void Concealment," Lieutenant General Roy Spike was trapped within it by this sudden anomaly, and he felt his strength steadily declining.

"What exactly is this ability...?"

His stamina was draining away at an astonishingly fast pace, as if he were being constantly devoured by the vines on the ground. Not only that, he also felt that all the magic power in his body was out of control.

For any "hero" of the empire, gaining the approval of a divine artifact is essential to acquiring the witch's profession and abilities. Furthermore, upon successful acquisition, the artifact merges with the owner's magic. In other words, depriving a "hero" of their magical abilities to some extent is tantamount to sealing their artifact, preventing them from unleashing their full potential—like having a leg severed.

Roy Spike could now clearly sense that not only was his stamina draining at a rate that could render him immobile within three minutes, but even his artifacts would become completely unusable. If he dared to leave the state of "Void Concealment," he would be an unarmed sitting duck the next moment.

"Damn it! The information from the Elf Kingdom didn't mention that the Twin Witches had such an ability!"

According to the Elf Kingdom, the Twin Witches may be very powerful, but no matter how powerful they are, they can't reach the level of a demigod; at most, they are at the level of someone who has just advanced to the Gold Magic Tome.

However, this happened twice in a row. The first time, the Imperial General noticed that the Twin Witches' power was abnormally exaggerated, at least exceeding the "level 30" of the magic book, though the exact extent of the excess was unknown. The second time was after he entered a state of concealment, when the Twin Witches used this special vine barrier.

The Gardener is an extremely rare profession among witches, rumored to exist only in the Elf Kingdom and Fairy Kingdom of the Western Continent. However, information about this profession in these two kingdoms is currently scarce.

If Roy Spike had known from the beginning that these two guys could use a similar ability like "magic suppression field," he would definitely have used a more reliable method of assassination.

"Is the area roughly three hundred meters in radius? What should we do now?"

They'd already been affected, and there was no point in regretting it now. Roy Spike quickly calmed down and pondered what to do.

Little did they know that the Elf Kingdom did have some knowledge of the Twin Witches' gardeners, but each gardener, depending on their race or personality, might develop another strange ability.

For example, the "Garden of Desolation" contradicts the vibrant nature of "Gardeners," as it's based on their belonging to the dark race of "Demons." Secondly, this skill requires both witches to use it simultaneously; it cannot be used alone—it's a combined skill.

The Elven Kingdom did indeed learn of this ability from the death of the former witch Frien, but they only mistook it for a plant-based barrier spell used for sealing, unaware of its powerful effects of "absorbing stamina" and "silencing magic." These two effects are not apparent on the surface; only those who have experienced them firsthand know how terrifying they truly are. Thus, the fear that the former witch Frien once experienced has been reenacted in Roy Spike's life within the Empire.

However, unlike the former witch Frien, Roy Spike is clearly much stronger and has more trump cards, so he will definitely not be as restrained as that guy.

"It seems I can't hold back any longer. If I don't show my skills and just drag this out until I'm exhausted..."

At this point, the information asymmetry becomes apparent. "The Desolate End Courtyard" is a large-scale support skill that indiscriminately affects both friend and foe. Within the skill's range, not only will the empire lose stamina, but the Twin Witches themselves, and even the two demigod-level Banshees, will also suffer the same negative effects upon entering this place, without discrimination.

It was precisely because Roy Spike only knew that his stamina was constantly being depleted and could not judge whether the Twin Witches would be in the same state that he subconsciously believed that the Twin Witches were deliberately trying to weaken his strength so that they could kill him when he was unable to resist after three minutes.

In that case, Roy Spike would definitely not sit here and wait to die.

He had also discovered that these twin witches were no different from seasoned veterans. When faced with an opponent skilled in stealth, they simply stood back to back, using a large number of vines to protect various important areas, and then began to unleash a large number of area-of-effect "plant magic" attacks indiscriminately.

It has to be said that the approach of "if you can't see it, attack the entire area at once" is simple and brutal, but it works inexplicably. Before he knew it, even he, who was invisible, was forced back to the edge of the "vine barrier" and was unable to get close to attack the two witches for a short period of time.

"As expected of someone from the same batch as the Seven Defected Witches, they're quite remarkable, but..."

Even the former witch Frien was afraid of death, but Lieutenant General Roy Frien of the Empire was different; to him, dying for the Empire was a great honor.

So since the Twin Witches have forced him to confront them head-on, he will absolutely not back down!

With the artifact temporarily unresponsive and unusable, he quickly retrieved an item emanating a black aura from his storage space at his waist.

To be precise, it is a book, about the size of a witch's grimoire. What's different is that this peculiar book evokes a strong sense of fear at first glance, as if it possesses a strange power to steal one's soul.

This book is Roy Spike's unique sealed artifact, the Book of the Unknown Realm!

The cover of the sealed object is beige, and looks almost like human skin. It is covered with a large number of black lines that together form a large number of human-shaped ghost shadows, forming a ghost face that looks like a painful scream. The rising, ethereal black mist is emitted from the lines on the cover.

Furthermore, just as Roy Spike took out this sealed artifact, countless black wisps condensed and took shape around him, like a procession of a hundred demons. Countless monsters and goblins were stepping out of the underworld into the real world, about to unleash their resentment and thirst for blood.

Without a doubt, such a terrifying anomaly already indicates that this ominous sealed artifact possesses extremely powerful strength.

This is the sealed artifact, "The Book of the Unknown Ghost Realm," which can create a strange alternate dimension for the user. This alternate dimension will be covered by eternal darkness, and all living beings except the user will completely lose their five senses. In other words, if this sealed artifact is successfully used, everyone except the user will become blind or deaf, and may even completely lose their sense of direction.

The loss of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—the five senses—leads to consequences far beyond simply being unable to see or touch. Creatures killed in this alternate dimension don't even experience pain; they only truly realize their death the instant the domain is removed.

It can be said that this sealed artifact has no destructive power at all, but it has the most powerful auxiliary effect. Whether it is a demigod or a being below demigod, as long as it is affected by the power of this sealed artifact, they will all meet the same fate and be forever lost in the darkness.

Furthermore, although these ghostly figures formed from black mist do not directly attack enemies but only serve as the foundation for the entire dark alternate dimension, their existence also endows this dark alternate dimension with another ability. That is, the souls of all creatures that die in this alternate dimension will be permanently banished, directly becoming part of the resentment of the sealed artifacts. Even demigods will suffer the same fate if they die in this space.

It has no lethal force, but it has the strongest killing effect on demigods or beings below demigod level. It is so powerful, but the requirements for the user's strength are extremely demanding. The stronger the user, the stronger its effect!

Of course, using sealed items comes at a price; to use the "Book of the Unknown Ghost Realm," at least three prices must be paid.

The first price to pay is that the user must be a virgin. Any non-virgin will have all their life essence absorbed by the sealed artifact in an instant, turning into a dried-up corpse and dying instantly. Therefore, from the moment he obtained this sealed artifact, Roy Spike swore an oath to never marry, to become an "ascetic," to dedicate his life to the Empire, and to uphold the honor of the Spike family to the very end.

The second cost is that after using the sealed item, the user needs to feed it a certain amount of fresh blood to satisfy its thirst for blood.

The third and most severe cost is that the sealed artifact will only recognize one master, much like choosing a lifelong partner. The sealed artifact will form a symbiotic relationship with the user; the user's death will cause the sealed artifact to vanish completely, and if the user dares to actively abandon the sealed artifact, both will perish.

This double-edged sword made Roy Spike one of the few Imperial soldiers who carried the sealed artifact for life. The Empire had complete trust in him, and he consistently demonstrated his loyalty to the Empire.

And it was because of this sealed artifact, combined with his own strength, that he became a special powerhouse who could "kill even a demigod if the conditions were right."

It must be said that the old demigod McIan Emerson, the elder of the desolate ancient kingdom, was killed by this very sealed artifact. If it weren't for that battle, he wouldn't have been so severely injured and ultimately rescued by Helen Kingsley, the archbishop of the Chaos Order of the Kingdom of Ross.

He could even take down an old scoundrel at the level of a demigod, so what could Roy Spike possibly be afraid of when facing these two greenhorn twin witches?

Isn't this indiscriminate killing?

At this moment, Lieutenant General Roy Spike of the Empire opened the sealed artifact without hesitation. The opened human skin book was like opening Pandora's box, and endless darkness along with hundreds of millions of ghostly figures burst out, instantly filling the entire desolate End Garden.

This lieutenant general from the Empire was ultimately a case of "the devil is always one step ahead of the saint"! He actually used the sealed artifact "Book of the Unknown Ghost Realm" to break through the Twin Witches' greatest trump card in one fell swoop! He broke through the greatest restriction of the "Forbidden Magic Domain", and in the blink of an eye, the artifact was once again usable!