I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

Cecil pulled out a document from her knight's armor, which she had obtained from Zun. Although Zun showed her no respect whatsoever, claiming to support Amber and favor Annie, when Cecil asked for her help, this little dragon girl not only did not refuse but also diligently helped her with all the preparations.

Therefore, Cecil's task of destroying the original order of the underworld can be carried out by herself without Duke's assistance.

With an extremely solemn expression, the Radiant Witch slowly read aloud the contents of the document in the empty building where only the wails of villains could be heard:

"Thirty years ago, there was a major case involving a serial killer in the floating city. Within a month, eleven innocent residents were brutally murdered, one of whom was even the witch who was hunting down this cold case. Each victim's bones were smashed to pieces with a blunt instrument, leaving them lying motionless on the ground like a lump of mud, unable to move and dying. This tragedy attracted the attention of the floating city authorities. Carol personally tracked down the killer, eventually finding him and executing him."

"But at the time, Carol and the officials of the floating city obviously did not realize that the same copycat crime would happen again in the next ten and twenty years, with the same number of victims, eleven. The two serial killers who committed the copycat crime were arrested one after another, but their mental state indicated that... there was another culprit behind this mystery."

"Based on various clues, the mental state of the three 'serial killers' seems to have been brutally brainwashed and had their common sense replaced. The major crimes committed every ten years seem to be some kind of ritual, and the location of the caster, judging from the locations of these three rituals, is in the underground world of the floating city. According to a robot friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous, all the clues point to you."

“Zabka William, vice president of the Ancient Magic Empire Research Society, a near-legendary bloodline sorcerer.” Cecil put down the documents in his hand and said casually, “I have already obtained permission from the old president. Today I am here to take your head.”

"That old bastard actually revealed my whereabouts to you?!" An angry growl rang out, and an old man who looked about the same age as the president of the Ancient Magic Empire Research Association stepped out from behind the scenes. In his hand he held a scepter made of blood and bones, and his magnificent robes were as crimson as blood. He spread his arms wide, "Damn it, he betrayed the underworld class!"

“The old man guessed what you wanted to say, and he asked me to answer you for him: ‘I have lived for over a thousand years. Rather than saying I betrayed the Underworld, it is more accurate to say that the Underworld failed my expectations.’” Cecil magically produced the “I Want” Gun, then winked playfully and continued to relay the message for the chairman, “‘In the next cycle of the Underworld, I will continue to live, but I do not want to see you again, Zabuka.’”

"He and you are the ones who deserve to die!"

Zabuka spread his arms, and his previously withered body suddenly swelled up. The power of the bloodline sorcerer filled his body, transforming him into a complete dragon-blooded monster. His swollen arms were covered in dragon scales, and the flames burning in his mouth resembled dragon breath, surging towards Cecil's location with every breath.

It was as if the relentless, destructive dragon's breath had burned the room to a white wasteland.

But after a long time, Zabuka finally stopped venting his anger, shut his mouth, and extinguished the flames.

Just then, the tip of a spear pressed against his chin, sparking dazzling sparks as it scraped against the dragon scales on his skin.

"I want my spear to be strong enough to pierce through everything in the world."

Then, the dragon scales could not stop the spear's advance at all. She easily thrust the spear in her hand, piercing through Zabuka's throat and all the way into his brain.

"That's it?"

Guangbao curled his lip, drew his spear, flicked away the blood, and then stretched out his hand, releasing blinding holy light, preparing to burn the entire building down! This bloodline sorcerer planned to use sacrifice to gain greater power and exchange it for a chance to take another step closer to legend. In the past, he had always acted cautiously and never took action himself.

Because of the turmoil in the underworld, Zabuka became somewhat arrogant and prepared to perform the final sacrifice himself—which led to Cecil's hunt. His half-finished sacrifice was located within this building.

Cecil stepped out of the building, the raging fire ignited by holy light behind her serving as a stark reminder to the entire underworld, and the day she would achieve her goal drew ever closer.

When that day comes, she will become a legend, won't she?

So, like Amber, you can do all sorts of random things with Duke, right?

Cecil couldn't help but feel a little shy and excited when he thought about it.

To be honest, Annie, Duke, and Amber were worried about the wrong person's mindset. As a top-tier near-legendary who had made a great vow, Guangbao's mindset was completely different from her past self. Now she had accepted her fate—so what if she's stupid? Since I'm not very bright, I'll just ignore whether the logic is right or wrong and just single-mindedly move forward in the direction I believe in, isn't that enough?

For example, the belief in destroying the order of the underworld, and feelings for Duke.

This unwavering "playing it off" attitude is a key reason why Cecil became a top-tier near-legend.

She ran away in the middle of the night because she had received the latest news about Zabuka; otherwise, Guangbao would have been very interested in eavesdropping with Annie by the corner of the wall.

"Huh?"

But just as Cecil was about to go home, she suddenly saw something that caught her attention—she saw Ida on the streets of the underground world.

Chapter 334 Rashomon

The order of the floating city's underground world is completely different from what it was a month ago.

Back then, the order of the underworld was established through cooperation between various forces, with Talia, Bugatti, and Norton—three true legends—playing a crucial role. But now, all three legends have vanished (the inhabitants of the underworld are unaware of their deaths). If they had only disappeared for a few days or a week, the inhabitants of the underworld might have maintained the original order out of inertia.

However... the effect of inertia has already passed.

Cecil's frenzied hunting during this period was the "last straw" that broke the old order, and more importantly, almost no one could defeat her!

There were already very few near-legends in the underworld, and now they've almost all been wiped out by Guangbao, who has grasped the destiny of legend, through a dimensional attack. With no other near-legends around, her execution of justice has no more concerns or obstacles.

However, Cecil's execution of justice always has a cooldown period. She doesn't carry out justice around the clock, nor is she someone who indiscriminately kills innocent people. Before each action, she waits until she has identified the target and has solid evidence of the crime, so her efficiency is not high.

During this period, the most efficient person in destroying the old order of the underworld was Noelle Cavendish.

"Noel and the mute members of the Tree of Life faction under his control have recently swallowed up nearly half of the underworld's sphere of influence, entering a period of rapid expansion. On the other hand, the Black Fang, which is suspected to be officially sponsored by the floating city, has also been expanding very rapidly recently, showing a trend of rivalry with the Tree of Life faction."

The little dragon girl spoke in a sweet, synthesized electronic voice, sounding like she was being coquettish, but the content carried a hint of murderous intent.

"However, besides the Life Tree School's Mute and the Black Fang, many other established organizations have also accelerated their expansion recently, such as the Ancient Magic Empire Research Society. Cecil went to cause trouble for the vice president of the Ancient Magic Empire Research Society. According to my analysis, the battle should be over by now. Although Vice President Zabuka William is a near-legendary bloodline mage, he has not comprehended the legendary destiny, and the difference in combat power between him and Cecil is enormous. She has almost no chance of losing."

"I understand."

Zun's access to the floating city's intranet was ridiculously high; she could learn about anything that happened within the floating city instantly, and her intelligence was extremely accurate. Therefore, Duke wasn't worried at all about her intelligence and analysis being wrong—as for the current situation in the underworld, it was Duke who took the initiative to inquire about it.

At this time, the situation in the underground world was not beyond Duke's expectations, and was even almost exactly the same as his original expectations.

Noelle, Black Fang, and Cecil are all pushing for the destruction of the old order in the underworld, and all they need to do is help Cecil destroy the Life Tree faction's mute people in order to fulfill Lightbear's great wish and help her become a legend.

But the only problem now is... where is Lite-On?

After the battle, where will she go? She won't go home, will she?

Duke's lips twitched slightly. He had a strong feeling that this was very likely the case. The carefree Cecil had probably already forgotten the unpleasantness of the previous night and had gone home briskly after finishing work—but didn't that mean he had made a wasted trip?!

He looked in the direction the bottle indicated and strode forward. Finally, he saw a magnificent building. It might have originally been a mansion, but now it had been ignited by the incandescent holy light and turned into a sea of ​​fire.

It was clearly Cecil's doing, and judging from the fire, the battle hadn't ended long ago, meaning that Guangbao might still be nearby.

Duke quickened his pace instinctively, his heart filled with excitement at the thought of seeing Cecil soon.

But at that moment, the building engulfed in flames suddenly exploded violently, sending thick smoke and flames soaring into the sky and towards the ceiling of the underground world... Then, as if they had never existed, the smoke and flames were easily wiped from Duke's sight.

"Huh?"

Duke was slightly taken aback.

Then, replacing the burning building in Duke's view was a robust, towering tree. It gave Duke an incredibly familiar feeling; the leaves on its branches evoked a deep sense of warmth. A rich vitality emanated from it, carried by a gentle breeze, and then a startling scene unfolded.

Vast expanses of green vegetation and vibrant flower fields covered the underground world of the floating city, where magical machinery was everywhere. Centered on the towering tree, a tremendous transformation occurred with the blink of an eye. The plants quickly spread to Duke's side, and the magnificent flower fields covered his feet, submerging his ankles.

Duke bent down slightly, picked a flower, and quickly confirmed that it was a real flower, not a magical creation or an illusion, but a real life.

Creating life, even if it's not intelligent beings, but these vibrant flowers and plants, is already the realm of the gods.

"Could it be... the Tree of Life?!"

……

"Meow! Meow!" Little Black perched on Amber's head, waving its paws and pointing at the towering tree that had suddenly appeared in the distance, then somewhat confusedly pointing to the vegetation and sea of ​​flowers covering the ground and buildings, "What's that, meow?"

"I do not know either."

Amber lifted Little Black off her head and held him in her arms. The solemn and grand change before her made her hesitate. She had never been a brave person in her life. The only two times she had gone mad were when Annie provoked her into entering the Tower of Babel, and when she went mad herself and rushed into the Gate of Truth.

Especially the latter. If it weren't for the thought that "I have to go" popped into her mind when Zun told her about the plan, how would Amber have dared to rush into the Gate of Truth? Looking back now, Amber even feels that she was mentally hijacked at the time.

Faced with this colossal tree that could be seen throughout the entire underground world, Amber did not muster any courage; her first reaction was to escape... or rather, to shift the blame.

"Really... I should have come with Duke or Annie."

"Amber Meow!" Little Black, who was nestled in Amber's arms, suddenly struggled and pointed in a direction completely opposite to the towering tree. "Look, isn't that Monica?"

Amber paused, instinctively looking in the direction Little Black was pointing. She vaguely saw a woman in a long black dress—in the witch game, she hadn't had much direct contact with Monica and didn't have a deep impression of the former city lord. However, she was very familiar with the elf standing next to Monica:

“Bane? That’s strange, didn’t he return to the kingdom?”

Chapter 335 The God Born from the Floating City

"So, why... why did you bring me along..."

“Because Ida took Alice, Duke snatched Zun, Amber took Blackie, and no one can keep up with Cecil, that idiot. I can’t be like her; I need to find a companion too.” Annie leaned in with a half-smile, grabbed Stephanie’s arm, and said in a seemingly intimate way, “Don’t look down on me, Stephanie. Aren’t we good friends?”

"I... I don't think we're really good friends, are we?"

"Oh, I think so too. It's just that I need someone to play the straight man, and I can't leave you all alone."

The poor, armored witch looked like she was about to cry.

In Stephanie's eyes, the rebellious squad led by Duke was a bunch of weirdos!

Duke, the perverted lecher, needs no introduction. He repeatedly tried to strip himself naked, and his audacious lust is beyond question. The debauched coastal space was proof of his ambition! Anne is even more of a heavyweight. Her performance in the Little Mermaid Witch game left a deep impression on Stephanie—the indescribably terrifying bone modification and the ever-present murderous intent made Stephanie tremble at the mere thought of it.

The girl named Ida, who appears small and cute on the surface, is actually the embodiment of the legendary mute (Ida: That's me!). In the final moments of the witch game, her every move extinguishes all resistance from the world's will, leaving Stephanie with an unforgettable impression.

Aside from these members who "shared joys and sorrows" in the witch game, there's also the space witch who traveled back from the future, the mechanical dragon girl who's as cold and rational as a robot, and the cat that can talk and turn into a shadow... none of them seem to be normal people!

In Stephanie's view, the only normal person in the entire rebel squad was the Witch of Radiance.

Clearly, the only normal person, Lady Cecil, has been isolated by this group of freaks. Why would she join such a strange group? She must have been threatened by Duke using some underhanded means!

Damn it, when I figure out how to escape, I must help Lord Cecil escape from this hellhole!

Stephanie clenched her fists in indignation, her complex emotions written all over her face, and she couldn't escape Annie's observation—Annie only needed to glance at her to know what the girl was thinking.

Anne didn't care what she was thinking; she just smiled, put her arm around her, and pressed herself against her, leading her into the underground world. They were much slower than Duke and Amber, who could teleport, so they entered the underground world much later than the other two groups.

Upon entering the underground world, Annie paused slightly, while Stephanie, a former member of the secret service and now a prisoner, who was also very familiar with the underground world of the floating city, was equally stunned. The two exclaimed in unison:

"what happened?"

Lush greenery and vibrant flower fields cover the entire underground world, transforming the originally monotonous underground world into a delightful natural landscape.

But before the two girls (mainly Annie) could even think about what the connection was between the towering tree in the distance and this green world, or what the connection was between the towering tree and the Life Tree Leaf, a treasure of a certain faction in the underground world, some unexpected change suddenly occurred.

A bright "sun" rose from the ground and hung directly above the towering trees, beneath the ceiling of the underground world.

"What is that?"

Stephanie stared wide-eyed at the sun hanging in the sky.

“If something looks like the sun, shines and heats like the sun, rises and sets like the sun, then it is the sun.” Anne said this seemingly trivial thing seriously, then frowned and said to Stephanie in a condescending tone, “Stephanie, I’ll teach you the right way to analyze problems.”

"what?"

Regardless of whether Stephanie wanted to hear it or not, Anne continued:

"Looking beyond appearances to see the essence is the key to thinking about and analyzing problems. The greenery covering the entire underground world and the sun that suddenly rose are all appearances. What is the essence and the key is what kind of people want to achieve through these appearances."

"So, you already know the essence and the key?"

Annie glared at her and said irritably, "Of course I don't know. What do you take me for? The all-knowing Doraemon?"

"..."

Stephanie, who had been scolded by Annie, was speechless. Although she was very concerned about what Doraemon was, her instinctive fear of Annie kept her quiet.