It felt so good to be close to the witch!

If you act as if nothing happened, there won't be too much awkwardness between the two parties.

"...Well, thank you."

Finage paused slightly. Although she was prepared, the moment she saw Roy, everything that had happened in the cabin earlier involuntarily flashed through her mind, almost making her turn around and leave.

But as a "senior," she had to be dignified and composed, so Finai nodded slightly and said calmly, "It's all thanks to you."

"Let Xiaoyi and the Border Duke in."

After saying that, Finage waved her hand, and the spatial portal opened.

As the great spatial witch, Latie could certainly force her way into this place, after all, she was the one who built it. However, even if she had the guts, she wouldn't dare to force her way into her teacher's room.

Seeing Finage's performance, Roy's tense nerves completely relaxed.

As expected of a senior, she is calm and composed in her work, and has a wealth of experience. What I thought were big things were just trivial matters in her eyes.

As the portal opened, the next second, Latiyi, dressed in a palace-style cheongsam, and the border duke, clad in crimson-gold armor, walked in.

Clearly, the two were waiting at the door, and as soon as they saw the portal open, they went inside.

Then, the two saw the "transformed" Finage.

"Teacher!" Latie's eyes shone with joy and excitement. As a witch herself, she knew better than anyone how much corruption tormented a witch. Decades of torment had already made her wish she were dead, let alone the centuries of "hellish torture" her teacher had endured.

If she were in her shoes, she would probably have already fallen into depravity and completely lost control...

Therefore, she was overjoyed to see her teacher freed from the shackles of pollution.

Her teacher was not only her teacher, but also a "mother" who raised, taught, and helped her.

"Lady Finage, congratulations," the border duke offered his sincere congratulations.

Now that Finagei has broken free from the shackles of corruption, her combat power will undoubtedly experience a significant leap, which will be of great help in the upcoming operations.

At the same time, the border duke's gaze toward Roy became extremely solemn.

He knew very well how lofty Roy's status must be in the hearts of witches, given that he could remove centuries of accumulated pollution from even demigod witches in such a short time.

Any malicious act against Roy will inevitably provoke the witches' frenzied actions.

The Border Duke understood this perfectly when he observed the completely different look that Fenegi occasionally gave Roy.

The four sat down again around the stone table, and Finaigi slowly began to speak:

"My pollution has been completely removed."

"During the adjustment period, I also completed the second evolution of my talent, and the Light of Evolution underwent a qualitative transformation."

"Therefore, I need some time to help my partners complete the upgrade of their strength."

"The rescue plan will have to be postponed."

Upon hearing this, the border duke eagerly asked, "Lady Finage, approximately how long will it take?"

It wasn't that he was in a hurry, but rather that Mayina's condition was far from optimistic.

The temple has been preparing for so long, but it's uncertain when they will activate the formation and sacrifice the witches.

“Don’t rush.” Finage said calmly, “Maina is my disciple. If possible, I will of course rescue her as quickly as possible.”

"However, haste makes waste."

“I have some understanding of formations. The terrifying formation at the bottom of that Privy Cathedral will most likely not be able to be activated until the ‘sacrifice’ on the blackwood cross is gathered.”

"Therefore, we still have time."

"It's 1 p.m. now. Give me 24 hours. We'll set off immediately at this time tomorrow."

“Perfect timing, I also need 24 hours to prepare properly,” Roy said.

The cooldown time for 【Eternal Paradise Lost】 is 24 hours. This trip will most likely involve conflict with the demigods in the temple. Having this trump card will make you safer.

Hearing that Finage and Roy had both said so, the Border Duke could only nod in agreement.

He naturally understood the reasoning behind it; more thorough preparation leads to a higher success rate for the operation.

The anxiety is simply due to excessive concern.

“In that case, let’s begin the operation at 1 p.m. tomorrow,” the border duke said with a sigh of relief.

Having set the time for the operation, Finage nodded slightly to the three of them, and then disappeared from the spot.

Roy, Latie, and the Border Duke left this alternate dimension.

"Ms. Latie, could you please take me back to Blackrock Territory? There are a few things I need to tell Shanika and the others before we begin our operation."

Roy looked at Latie. The cooldown of [Eternal Paradise Lost] didn't require him to do anything; he could just wait. Therefore, during this time before the operation began, he would at most practice his breathing techniques.

Such a short period of cultivation obviously cannot bring about any qualitative change. In comparison, it would be better to return to Blackrock Territory and explain some things to Shanika and the others.

He was worried that Shanika might rush into a breakthrough.

Before Roy followed Latie to Witch Island, Shanika's progress in the Basic Meditation Technique had reached the ninth rune of the second stage, and she had completed the second perfect evolution of her talent, meeting the prerequisite for breaking through to become the Great Witch.

If possible, Roy would prefer that Shanika spend more time honing her skills, as this would make the breakthrough safer and increase the chances of success.

The breakthrough from Grand Witch to Great Witch is just like the breakthrough from Golden Knight to Legendary rank—it's all or nothing, with no chance for regret.

Roy knows Shanika.

The gentle and kind-hearted ram-horned girl can actually be quite stubborn once she's made up her mind about something.

During this time, Roy encountered powerful opponents one after another, and in battles above the legendary level, Shanica, being a Grand rank, was unable to intervene or help Roy. She could only silently heal Roy's wounds afterward, a feeling that was definitely not what Shanica wanted.

Therefore, Shanika has an extremely strong obsession with breaking through to become a Great Witch.

Once she breaks through to the Great Witch realm, even if it's only at the initial stage, with her unpolluted pure body and the perfect evolution of her second talent, she'll be able to intervene in high-level battles between legends!

The power of life is not only for healing; even the best medicine, if taken in the wrong dose, can kill!

Faced with Roy's request, Latie naturally had no reason to refuse, and the Border Duke also said at this moment, "Then I will go back and prepare more, and we will come together tomorrow."

Having made her decision, Latie instructed the giant green snake to send a message to Finage, and then led the two back to Blackrock Territory.

……

In the courtyard of the Blackrock Lord's mansion.

As space twisted and rippled, Roy and his two companions emerged from it.

Having learned from the first experience, Roy was much more comfortable with the second long-distance spatial teleportation.

I believe that after a few more times, I'll be as composed as Latie.

Looking up, Roy saw the witches gathered in the courtyard.

Ais, Lilia, Vivian, Elena, Tonnie, and the newly joined little witch Bea.

Except for Shanika, everyone was there.

Seeing this, Roy's face showed a helpless expression.

Sigh, I'm still too late...

"Shanika is undergoing a breakthrough to become a great witch, isn't she?"

In response to Roy's question, Lilia nodded: "Yes, Lord Roy, after learning that you were going to Witch Island, Sister Shanica immediately began her breakthrough, and it has been going on for more than four hours now."

"Four hours have passed..." Roy sighed, but there was nothing he could do.

Once the Great Witch's breakthrough begins, there's no such thing as stopping halfway.

Right now, even he can only wait quietly for the final result, and doesn't even dare to venture into the hidden place rashly, so as not to affect Shanika.

“Let’s wait…” Roy shook his head and looked at the border duke beside him: “Your Grace, please do as you please.”

The border duke nodded in agreement.

To be honest, he was a little surprised.

During his stay at the Blackrock Lord's mansion, he also got to know the witches around Roy. Apart from the very young witch Bea who had just awakened, the other witches were at least at the Grand Witch level. He paid special attention to Shanika.

After all, he was critically injured and on the verge of death after the battle of the capital, and it was Miss Shanika who forcibly pulled him back from the brink of death.

He had never even heard of such an outrageous healing ability, let alone seen it—it could even heal injuries that were "incurable" caused by A-level forbidden objects. If he told anyone, probably no one would believe it.

The border duke knew that Shanika's strength and talent were extraordinary, but he never expected that Shanika had already touched the threshold of the "Great Witch Realm" and had now begun to break through.

Compared to the Gold Saint breaking through to Legendary status, the difficulty of Grand Witch breaking through to Great Witch is immeasurably higher.

Behind the fact that the great witch of the same rank is far stronger than the legendary knight is a terrifying corruption that even demigods are helpless against.

If Shanika succeeds in her breakthrough, the world will have another great witch, and one who is free from the shackles of corruption and has a very high probability of becoming a demigod.

Shaking his head, the border duke's body gradually disappeared into the air.

He needed to return to the Duke's mansion; some items were still stored in the Duke's treasury.

Roy found a spot nearby and sat down cross-legged, practicing his breathing techniques while waiting for Shanika to emerge from seclusion.

Time passed slowly, bit by bit, amidst the agonizing wait.

About two hours later, Roy's eyes flickered, and he suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of the hidden place.

His senses penetrated the walls and doors, and he "saw" the person emerging from the portal.

He stood up, took a step, and in an instant, his body disappeared from the spot, leaving only a fading afterimage.

Among all the witches, Latie was the first to notice. As a space witch, her perception of space was unmatched even by demigods, so she noticed it the moment the spatial portal began to fluctuate.

A genuine smile appeared on her face.

Being able to leave the hidden place means that Shanika's breakthrough was successful!

From now on, she will no longer be a weak Grand Witch, but will truly step into the top combat power level of the Empire!

What kind of power does this great witch, who controls the power of life and has undergone two perfect evolutions of her talents, possess? Latie is very much looking forward to it.

However, it's best to leave the time for the two of them to be alone.

Latti smiled and stood still, not going up to join in the fun.

Meanwhile, Latie and Roy, who were the first witches to notice Shanika's successful breakthrough, exchanged glances and saw joy in each other's eyes, but also a hint of melancholy.

As the support healer, Shanica was the first to reach the Great Witch's realm, a fact that undoubtedly stirred complex emotions in them, especially in Ais and Lilia. Previously the mainstays of the fight, they were now gradually falling behind…

Unaware of each other's intentions, none of the women chose to go to Shanika at this time.