A fantastical journey across the heavens, beginning with the Witcher.

The Kingdom of Sintra is located at the border between the north and south. To return to Cowburg, the only way is to head north.

Coincidentally, the cart tracks and hoofprints left by the army on the ground all extended northward.

The dirt road, repeatedly trampled by vehicles and pedestrians, was muddy and treacherous. With each step the horse took, it sank into the soft mud, and the two people riding together did not make progress very fast.

As dusk gradually descended, the sky turned a dark orange-red, the color of which resembled dried blood.

"Look! There's smoke coming from the chimney!"

Olivia pointed with shining eyes to the sky not far away, where several plumes of black smoke drifted on the horizon.

She excitedly patted Li De's arm. After traveling through the dense forest for days, the sight of smoke made her think she had encountered living people. Even though she didn't like humans, most of her fatigue instantly dissipated.

Li De remained silent. The smoke from the cooking fire was white; only when the damp thatched roof was lit would such thick black smoke be produced.

He silently urged the coal ball beneath him to run towards the direction where the black smoke was rising.

A few minutes later, the outline of the dilapidated village came into view. The moment Olivia saw the scene before her, the joy on her face froze instantly, her whole body trembled uncontrollably, her fingertips turned icy cold, and even her breathing became labored.

This is no village inhabited by people; it's a living hell.

Most of the houses in the village were on fire, the charred beams leaning precariously, and thick smoke carrying flames licking the sky.

The pungent smell of burning and blood mixed together, making people want to vomit.

The village was deathly silent; not a single rooster crowed or a dog barked. The only sounds were the crackling of flames and the occasional faint groan of someone on the verge of death.

The bodies were scattered haphazardly everywhere: some hanging on old trees at the village entrance, some nailed to the walls of wooden houses, and some carelessly thrown into the mud. Their deaths were gruesome and unbearable to look at.

Most of the male corpses were stabbed and stabbed, with black and red blood oozing from their wounds; the female corpses were even more tragic, barely clothed, their limbs twisted, their ashen faces frozen with extreme pain, fear and deep-seated hatred. Even without breath, one could clearly see their despair and struggle before death. At the village entrance alone, there were more than ten female corpses that had been tortured to death.

Several warhorses with black saddles were tied at the village entrance, pawing restlessly, seemingly disgusted by the heavy smell of blood and gunpowder, and snorting every now and then.

"Ahhh—!"

A piercing scream suddenly shattered the silence, faintly mixed with the soldiers' crude laughter and inhuman roars.

Li De's eyes suddenly turned cold, and the pressure around him was frighteningly low. He immediately started moving the coal briquettes and rushed into the village through the mud, following the sound straight to the south side of the village.

Turning past the ruins, the scene of the violence came into view.

A group of Nilfgaardian soldiers were in a frenzy. Two soldiers, half-naked and covered in blood, dragged a woman by her legs. Her mouth was tightly gagged with a strip of cloth, and she could only whimper and cry. Her hands were tied behind her back with thick rope, and she struggled until she was covered in wounds. Her skirt had already been torn to shreds.

The remaining soldiers went even more frenzied; some weren't even wearing trousers, swaying their lower bodies as they surrounded the group, shouting and yelling, their swords still dripping with undried blood.

The rapid hoofbeats startled the soldiers, who were indulging in their lust. They all turned around, their blood-stained swords pointing at the approaching figures, their eyes fierce and wary.

The squad leader, still retaining some semblance of rationality, glanced at Li De's attire and sneered, "Witcher? There are no monsters for you to kill here. If you want food, go search inside the houses. If you want some fun, there's a bunch laid out at the village entrance. Don't fucking get in the way!"

Li De remained silent, his golden cat-like eyes fixed on the bound woman.

"Damn it! Don't push your luck! This is sacred Nilfgaard territory, get out of here!"

A soldier with a fierce face cursed angrily, waving his machete, and drops of blood, not yet dried, dripped onto the muddy ground.

The squad leader's gaze fell on Olivia in Li De's arms. Even though the hood covered most of her face, revealing only her fair and delicate chin and cherry-like lips, it was clear that she was an absolute beauty.

A glint of greed flashed in his eyes. He subtly waved his hand, signaling his men to spread out and block the witcher's retreat in a fan shape. His tone was lewd and arrogant.

"You've got your eye on this chick? You'll have to wait your turn if you want to play with her. But if you let us have the little beauty in your arms, I'll let you go first, how about it?"

Li De gently patted Olivia's arm, signaling her to sit up straight.

Then he dismounted, his steel sword barely half-drawn from its sheath before shoving it back in. The blood of these scumbags was not worthy of soiling his sword.

The next second, he pulled a sharp skinning knife from his lower back.

"Before this, I have killed many humans—bandits, mobs, and soldiers—without any qualms. But now, I will gladly repay you for all the atrocities you have committed."

There were no unnecessary shouts, nor much anger.

In fact, Li De's tone was surprisingly calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly rushed out, his steps as light as a ghost, stepping on the muddy ground to avoid the first slash from the soldier.

Before the splashed mud and water even hit the ground, the skinning knife plunged straight into the thigh of the soldier wielding the knife. With a twist of the wrist, the wound became a bloody mess.

In the instant they passed each other, the beastman howled and collapsed to the ground, his wounds gushing blood as if pumped by a water pump.

Before the second beast soldier could react, Li De was already close. With a flick of his wrist, the skinning knife precisely sliced ​​across the abdomen with deadly force, instantly ripping open the beast soldier's belly. Blood mixed with intestines gushed out, and the beast soldier clutched its stomach, collapsing to the ground, its body convulsing.

Seeing this, the beastmen beside him brandished their spears and thrust them forward fiercely. Li De dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the spear tip, and grabbed the spear shaft with his armored hand.

In terms of brute strength, ordinary soldiers could hardly match the mutated demon hunter. With a sudden burst of strength, he pulled the beastman to the ground and snatched the spear into his own hand.

He then reversed his grip on the spear and thrust it downwards with all his might. The sharp spear tip pierced straight through the shoulder blade of the fallen beastman and embedded itself deeply in the mud.

The beastman was writhing in pain, unable to move an inch. Even his cries would aggravate his wounds, leaving him only with muffled groans as if he were dying.

Li De caught a glimpse of a beastman at the back of the group, whose eyes were darting around and whose body was quietly shrinking back, already thinking of escaping. He immediately flicked his wrist, and the skinning knife in his hand flashed through the chaos of the soldiers, accurately stabbing into the beastman's thigh, the blade wedged firmly into the bone.

The beastman let out a wail and instantly collapsed to the ground, trembling as he reached out to draw his sword. But the moment his fingertips touched the hilt, excruciating pain that went deep into his bones swept over his entire body, causing him to convulse.

From the start of the battle until now, in just a few breaths, the eight-man squad has lost half of its manpower. The key point is that the witcher in front of them even deliberately held back and did not kill anyone.

Could it be that he's kind-hearted and intends to punish me as a warning?

That's absolutely impossible! The squad leader, a master of torture, was certain that what awaited them was a scene more cruel than hell.

The flames from the burning houses behind them illuminated their figures in a crimson glow, but the beast soldiers only felt a chill run through their bodies. The reason that had been swept away by their beastly desires returned instantly, and their arms gripping their weapons trembled uncontrollably.

The beastman captain swallowed hard, forced himself to remain calm, and raised his voice, trying to intimidate Li De with his power.

"The army of Sintra has been utterly crushed by us! That bitch queen fled back to the capital with her remaining troops like stray dogs! Our army is everywhere in Sintra; kill us, and you won't survive either!"

As he spoke, he seemed to find his confidence, the extinguished lust in his eyes reigniting, his gaze growing increasingly arrogant: "I advise you to think carefully! Witcher! Don't throw your life away for a bunch of insignificant strangers!"

Upon hearing this, Li De slowly raised his hands, displaying them covered by iron-clad gauntlets, his eyes indifferent and his tone calm.

"If I don't make you see your own brains within three punches, then I've blown your hand."