It felt so good to be close to the witch!

A pale skeleton fell from the healed spot of the semi-illusory crack.

Roy stared intently.

It was a broken skeleton the size of a fist, with nothing above the neck. The headless skeleton's hands were placed in front of its body in a strange gesture—the tips of the five fingers of both hands were pressed together, with the thumb and little finger parallel to each other, which looked extremely sinister.

Just as Roy was observing, the headless, broken skeleton that had fallen to the ground developed fine cracks on its surface, and in the next instant, it exploded with a bang.

A blinding crimson light filled Roy's entire field of vision.

Subconsciously, Roy prepared to raise his aura shield for protection, but at that moment, the [Heart of Leviathan] within him emitted a slight tremor. A sudden realization made Roy abandon his plan to raise the aura shield.

When the crimson light reached Roy, it was drawn in by an unnamed, powerful suction force and flowed into Roy's heart. During this process, a large amount of impurities were removed, so that grayish-white light particles kept drifting around Roy's body.

Ultimately, this purified crimson aura condensed into a dark red blood essence next to the black-gold blood essence formed from the essence of the Evil Spider, and its quality was even better than that of the Evil Spider.

"This is... the power of life and soul? A massive, complex force of life and soul?"

Roy's eyes widened slightly.

Obtaining a Blood Soul Essence of comparable quality to a legendary two-star item certainly delighted him, but what Roy cared more about now was why this pale, headless skeleton containing a massive amount of complex life force and soul power was here.

Generally speaking, the life force and soul power of the strong are very pure. Even the extremely evil spider with seemingly impure magical attributes is like this. There is only one reason why there will be impurities. That is, this life force and soul power does not come from a single life form, but is provided by a large number of life forms.

As for the large number of living beings that died during this period, they were the countless animals and numerous citizens who perished in the mouths of monsters and ferocious beasts.

Roy quickly ruled out the animal option. Compared to humans, the most intelligent beings, the soul power of ordinary animals is too weak. If it were an animal, the total amount of its life force and soul power would not be roughly equal.

Therefore, the life force and soul power within the pale, headless skull statue most likely originated from those who perished among their people.

Since the beginning of winter, no, including before winter, how many of his people have perished at the hands of ferocious animals or monsters? Roy didn't know.

Thanks to his protection and the constant patrols of the Blackrock Knights, no one has died in Blackrock Territory yet. However, Roy is well aware that not every territory in the Rafa Province has sufficient protective power.

During this period, the number of ordinary people who have lost their lives is at least tens of thousands!

Looking inside his heart at the newly acquired dark red blood essence, Roy vaguely saw the cries and struggles of thousands of innocent people.

"boom!"

Roy swung his hand, his fist slamming heavily into a boulder beside him. With a cracking sound, the several-meter-high rock shattered into pieces.

After a brief outburst, Roy slowly regained his composure.

The deaths of these innocent and tragically deceased are a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed. The only thing he can do for them is to find the person behind all of this, to smash them to pieces, and to annihilate their souls, so as to appease the spirits of these tragically deceased in heaven.

Roy's gaze deepened.

The appearance of the pale, headless skeleton allowed him to glimpse the conspiracy behind the scenes.

Whether it's artificial magical energy points or the driving force behind the monster calamity, the ultimate goal of those behind the scenes is to obtain a massive amount of life force and soul power.

Looking at the pale, headless, broken-looking area, Roy felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Presumably, the person behind this was using this strange bone statue to collect the life force and soul power of the people who died in the clutches of monsters or ferocious animals throughout the entire province.

Thanks to his reminder and the Duke's mansion's protection, the number of people who died in the beast plague in Rafa Province was the lowest in the entire Radiant Empire, except for the capital. What is the current situation of those provinces that do not have enough high-end power?

What astronomical figure must be of the mixed vitality and soul power collected from those headless statues hidden somewhere in the provinces?

Thinking about this, Roy felt a chill run down his spine.

The person behind the scenes who has gathered so much diverse life force and soul power must be planning something extraordinary.

Roy was horrified when he thought of the alien, monstrous power that existed within these spawned monsters.

He recalled the apocalyptic scene he had witnessed in the "Seventh Realm of Original Sin: The Realm of Lust"...

Is the ultimate goal of the person behind this all to bring about the abyss of evil?!

Chapter 168 Physical Breakthrough, Legendary Body!

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Blackstone Territory, Lord's Mansion, in the main hall.

The warm fireplace dispelled the winter chill and brought warmth; the steaming soup bubbled and simmered, with tempting chunks of meat rolling around.

Roy picked up the large bowl in front of him, took a big, satisfying sip, and then let out a long, contented sigh.

Shanica's cooking skills are getting better and better...

Roy sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to the people seated at the long table in front of him.

Fuma, Andrew, and Doug.

"That's roughly the situation."

"The overlord monsters born from the artificial large magic pulse point are actually two: the Evil Spider and the Ghost-Faced Pangolin. The Evil Spider is stronger, at the peak of Legendary Star One, and has a very strange possession ability. It corrupted the Ghost-Faced Pangolin, which had just entered Legendary Star One, and hid inside the Ghost-Faced Pangolin's body. When you defeated the Ghost-Faced Pangolin and lowered your guard, it launched a sneak attack on you."

“I went deep into the underground space and, after clearing away the large man-made magic energy points, I discovered a strange, pale, headless skeleton. Inside it was an immense amount of mixed life energy and soul energy, which was suspected to have come from the people who had died in the province of Rafa recently.”

"Man-made miniature magic points, beast tides, monster calamities... The mastermind behind all these disasters is to collect massive amounts of life and soul energy in order to achieve some terrible goal."

As soon as Roy finished speaking, the scene fell into an awkward silence.

"It's...unbelievable and terrifying..."

Fuma pursed her lips.

Her voice broke the silence in the hall.

Following her words, Andrew also spoke up: "Lord Roy, it's not that we don't want to believe you, but what you've said is simply too horrifying. After we removed the spider venom and went down into the underground space, we didn't see the pale, headless skeleton you described... If similar pale, headless skeletons exist in all the provinces of the Radiant Empire, then what's behind this..."

Andrew didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood what he meant.

The impact was so widespread that even the Duke's Mansion failed to detect a single clue before the outbreak. There are very few forces in the entire Radiant Empire, no, or even the entire continent, that could do this.

Andrew was about to say something when Fuma interrupted, "Uncle Andrew, I believe Lord Roy."

"You all know my prophecy: a great calamity is approaching. This pale, headless skeleton is the only clue we can currently grasp regarding the mastermind behind this... I plan to return and inform my father of this matter... As for whether to report it to the royal family, we'll discuss it further before making a decision..."

Fuma's voice was weary.

Now, even the royal family of the Glorious Empire can no longer be trusted.

It's not that the royal family was among her suspects.

But what's the use of doubting?

The Glorious Empire is a nation formed by the union of numerous nobles, with the royal family being the largest and most powerful noble family.

Everyone says that the Border Duke is the strongest legend of the Radiant Empire, but Fuma knows very well that no one knows what kind of trump cards the royal family, with its more than 500 years of history, possesses, even if they are beings beyond legend or forbidden treasures...

Given the current situation, we can only take it one step at a time and follow the lead of the "pale headless skeleton" to continue the investigation...

"Lord Roy, thank you very much for your help this time. If it weren't for your intervention, my two uncles and I would probably be dead by now, pierced by the venomous spears of the Evil Spider..."

Fuma's expression was sincere. She stood up and gave Roy a deep aristocratic bow, while Andrew and Doug also straightened their faces, pressed their right hands firmly against their chests, and gave a knightly salute.

Roy did not refuse and generously accepted their gratitude.

"Lord Roy, do you have any ideas on what to do next?"

After expressing her gratitude, Fuma stared intently at Roy with eyes as bright as a star's, her gaze full of anticipation.

Roy shook his head: "Next, we can only ask the Duke's mansion to use its intelligence network to investigate clues related to the pale headless skeleton in other provinces."

"You predicted that a giant beast would appear in the province of Central Rafa, but now it's unlikely to appear. Have you heard of the butterfly effect? ​​It roughly means that the breeze created by a butterfly flapping its wings, after a series of reactions, will eventually lead to a hurricane in a very distant place."

“We are the butterflies that have flapped their wings. Part of the prophecy has changed, which means that the final outcome has become uncertain. You don’t need to worry too much. Next, just follow the known clues to investigate, and the identity of the person behind the scenes will eventually come to light.”

A faint look of disappointment appeared in Fuma's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

The series of "miracles" that happened to Roy made Fuma unknowingly develop a deep dependence on him. So when she encountered a problem, the first person she thought of was Roy, and she wanted to ask him what to do. But she also knew that Roy, like her, was just a human being with flesh and blood, not an omniscient and omnipotent god.

Fuma, Fuma, you need to work hard too; you can't rely on others like this...

After silently admonishing herself, Fuma smiled faintly and said, "You're right."

"Time is of the essence, so my two uncles and I will return to the Solid Wall first. If we find any useful clues, I will let you know immediately."

"Having obtained information about the pale, headless skull, I plan to try a few more times when I get back to see if I can get any new clues to the prophecy."

"If you make any unexpected discoveries, you can also let me know. By the way, if you need any supplies or assistance, you can let me know, and I will do my best to meet your needs."

"Not at the moment, but I won't hesitate to ask if you need it." Roy smiled.

After the conversation ended, Roy, Fuma, and the other two went to the courtyard together.

As he parted, Doug's eyes held a hint of regret.

He longed to spar with a genius knight like Roy, who could defeat a powerful magical beast even before reaching the legendary level, but unfortunately, he simply didn't have the time...

Andrew grinned and said, "Lord Roy, including this time, I owe you two big favors. If you need anything, come to Stonewall anytime. I will do my best to help you!"

Fuma smiled faintly at Roy and said in a clear voice, "Unbeknownst to me, your strength has already surpassed mine. I may have a higher cultivation level, but my combat power is far inferior to yours. When I return this time, in addition to investigating clues, I should also work harder."

"By the way, Princess Fuma, I've been researching some interesting things lately. I'll share them with you once they're ready." Hearing Fuma's words, Roy seemed to remember something and said with a smile.

“Even if I were to press you now, I doubt you would tell me.” Fuma blinked, her allure almost overwhelming, even for Roy who had seen countless stunning witches. “Well then, I’ll look forward to it…”

"Goodbye~"

Fuma was surrounded by specks of crimson-gold light, which then transformed into a streak of light and flew south. Andrew and Doug exchanged a glance and also transformed into crimson streaks of light, following Fuma.

Roy stood in the courtyard, watching the three figures depart. Behind him, light and shadow flickered, and Shanica, Lilia, Vivian, Ais, Elena, and Toni appeared one after another.

"A storm is brewing. I thought I could grow up properly this winter, but alas..."

Roy sighed.

But he quickly composed himself, looked at the witches, and smiled: "We must also work harder."

The witches exchanged glances, each seeing the unwavering determination in the other's eyes.

Having witnessed the power of the legendary beasts in this battle against the overlord, they deeply felt their own weakness.

Even though the Grand Witch is comparable to a Gold 3-star or even the pinnacle, she is still too fragile in the face of a Legendary.

Fortunately, they still have a lot of room for improvement.

With the inheritance of basic meditation techniques and Roy's help, the Grand Witches are by no means the end for them!

……

Inside the room, Roy sat quietly cross-legged on the bed.