Witch Redemption

No one expected that a mighty abyssal monster, who kept shouting about fighting to the death, would suddenly back down and cower in the next second, as if it were just bluffing.

"It's alright. If we push it too far, we'll have to pay a heavy price. The ritual in this temple has already been activated. Our priority is to seize the core of Archangel Angel. As for killing this lackey of the Sixth Apostle, there will be plenty of opportunities."

A woman's sweet voice came from inside the stairwell door, and with the crisp sound of high heels, a tall woman walked out the next moment.

The woman, nearly 1.9 meters tall, possessed a near-perfect, devilish figure, with a curvaceous bust and buttocks. The elegant, form-fitting grey-blue classic dress draped over her body added to her allure. However, what truly captivated the eye wasn't her stunning figure, but rather her exquisitely beautiful face and the dreamlike, knee-length, jet-black hair flowing behind her.

But those blood-red eyes contained strange golden ring-shaped pupils, and simply looking into them gave one the illusion that one's life was in their hands. Her long, black, knee-length hair was simply brushed aside with a silver arrow-shaped hair ornament, letting it fall loosely down her back. As she moved, her hair trembled like mist, as if it could transform into another terrifying object at any moment.

This woman is none other than Leragin, the fourteenth of the seventy-two gods who once terrified countless humans in ancient times!

“Let’s go, Parker. We need to find those witches first. They are important sacrifices for the empire. We need to decide whether to kill them based on the situation.”

"Yes!"

The boy named "Parker" bowed respectfully and then strode down the corridor to the right.

………………

The journey was uneventful, and Li Lan and her two companions did not encounter any danger.

But after going around three more corners, they suddenly made a new discovery.

On the way here, Li Lan kept a close eye on his surroundings, and nothing unusual could escape his notice.

For example, right now, they stopped in this dimly lit corridor and carefully observed the wall next to them.

The wall, which should have been smooth and rough black-gray bricks, had many more characters and various shapes than the other walls we had seen before.

Li Lan initially judged that the messy marks on it were probably marks made by the witches to prevent them from getting lost, while the large amount of text carved on it was rather intriguing.

However, it turned out that this was a diary left behind by a witch who had already died.

"On June 15, 10001 in the Gregorian calendar, I didn't trust those guys and insisted on acting alone. As a result, I got lost in the temple. At first, I wanted to go back the way I came, and I even prepared the marks in advance, but something unexpected still happened. All the marks I left disappeared, and I couldn't find the way back at all. No matter which way I went, I would eventually return to the starting point."

"On June 16th, 10001 in the Gregorian calendar, estimating the approximate time, we had been in this temple for over 24 hours. I fell into a deep sleep once due to exhaustion. After waking up, I continued searching for the way back, but ended up back at the starting point once again. However, this time I made a new discovery."

That means this temple is alive. The main reason for so many branching paths and corners is that these corridors can change direction imperceptibly. It's terrifying. I even suspect this isn't a simple paranormal event; something in the dark is guiding us forward. Faced with these potentially active mechanisms, I'm helpless.

Perhaps I shouldn't have looked for a way back; I should have come straight to this end and seen if some force was guiding me. If so, I wouldn't be able to escape. I should have known that that damned empire wouldn't give me an easy task, but unfortunately, I couldn't refuse.

"June 17, 10001 in the Gregorian calendar, impossible, this is impossible! Why would witches kill each other? Aren't they all from the same world? Shouldn't they trust each other?"

I'm absolutely not mistaken, they all died in the central main hall, and they were killed by their own people. Something must have happened.

What I'm certain of now is that my initial departure was absolutely the right thing to do. There are some unknown and terrifying beings here, but I haven't encountered them yet. Wait, let's calm down and think about it. Besides the three witches who were stabbed in the back, what about the other four? They might still be alive, searching for signs of my presence in this living temple. Was killing their own comrades not enough for them? Do they want to kill me too?

Yes, that's right. They really did want to kill me. They've disliked me for a long time.

Since we're all time travelers from different worlds, what can we do?

I can't just sit here and wait to die. I have to prepare in advance. I want to survive, I want to become stronger, and I want to make this damned world pay the price!

"June 18, 10001 (Gregorian calendar). No, I'm back here again. I can't find my way back at all. I'll keep going forward and see what's on the other three paths leading to the central main hall."

"On June 19th, 10001 in the new calendar, I never expected to run into those four surviving witches again. They said they were deceived by the Empire and bewitched by the Chairwoman Monica, which led them to kill their accomplices. Now they are trapped here."

They couldn't even trust their own kind from the same world—friends they'd known for years! In the end, they couldn't stand up to this old woman they'd only known for a few months. Did such people deserve any sympathy? I ignored their invitation to find a way out together. I disdained associating with such people. Even if I were to die here, I would stick to my beliefs.

However, the food we brought is almost gone, and if we can't find a way out within three days, we're really doomed.

"June 20th, 10001 (Gregorian Calendar). Today I found a secret passage based on information left by a predecessor. Unprepared, I dared not enter rashly and ended up returning here. This might be my last time here. That passage might really hold information to return; I'm so excited! Waaah—"

Forget it, those four idiots might come looking for me anyway. Considering we're all pitiful oppressed people, I'll reluctantly leave this information that can lead to the secret passage.

Keep going straight ahead, turn left once, turn left again, turn right a third time…

The diary ended abruptly with the message to go to the "secret passage," and there was no follow-up.

After reading the full content, the three looked at each other in disbelief, their shock beyond measure.

Li Lan remained silent for a long time before she managed to calm her intense emotions, her mind filled with doubts.

What's certain now is that the witch who left this diary was definitely a transmigrator from the same world as them, judging from the unintentional use of a certain Araki reference in her writing. However, this reference is a bit eerie; it seems this witch set a flag for herself. We wonder what happened to her after she went to the secret passage on the last day.

In addition, regarding this mission, although Li Lan thought it was not simple from the beginning, he did not expect it to be this complicated.

"A temple that can move on its own?"

In other words, from the moment they entered this hellish place, all the corridors were in motion, blocking their way back.

"The biggest problem is still Monica, whom we mentioned above, isn't it?"

Lana felt a chill run down her spine. Didn't the contents of this document confirm the terrifying nature of the Witch Cult? They could even instigate and turn witches against each other, making them fight each other in this closed area. What else couldn't the Witch Cult do?

“That old woman Monica is absolutely untrustworthy. It seems we need to be more careful in the future,” Li Lan paused for a moment, then said with certainty, “Not only her, but anyone belonging to the Empire should not be trusted!”

After gaining this understanding, Li Lan became even more certain that the four seniors, number 47, were persecuted to death by the Empire. He also became more convinced of the contents of the last words left to him by senior number 47. If he did not make preparations for his escape, he would one day follow in the footsteps of the witches of the past.

And when that day comes, not only will he die, but Lana, Lolina, and all the witches who have distanced themselves from them will also be doomed.

"You all believe the contents of this diary?"

Luo Lina was somewhat surprised to see that Li Lan and Lana had no doubts after reading the text.

"I'm so excited! Does that sentence remind you of some old anime?"

Li Lan tried to relax and not keep a gloomy expression on her face.

"This one? The villainous savior who got killed by the fishmonger Takizawa Laura?"

“That’s right,” Li Lan said confidently, recalling the classic scenes she had seen before. “Since we all come from the same world, we can definitely trust each other. Even if other transmigrators scheme against each other, we are different. We will definitely work together!”

Just as Senior No. 47 and the others expressed their goodwill to them without hesitation, they will uphold this will now and will never waver once they choose to believe.

Suppressing her inner turmoil, Li Lan smiled bitterly to herself, "Whether now or in the future, I will choose to believe in those seniors who conveyed goodwill, and I will also believe in you and Lana. There are many things I cannot tell you now, but please believe me, I will definitely help you escape this cage that is destined to lead only to death."

Lana and Lorina didn't notice Li Lan's disappointment and asked one after the other, "According to what they said, we can't find the way back. Shall we go to the 'secret passage' now? If we're lucky, we might still be able to complete the mission."

After all, the mission of Li Lan and the other two was to retrieve the identity documents of the witches who had died throughout history.

"Okay, let's go take a look!"

Li Lan had a premonition that the so-called secret passage was definitely not a way out, and that things were definitely not that simple.

………………

After noting down the information in the diary left by the witch senior, Li Lan and the other two continued on their way in silence.

At this moment, the surrounding environment was still dark and filled with the stench of dust. Every step made a crisp sound of footsteps echo in the space, the sound lingering.

"You need to turn right at this intersection... um, the twenty-first intersection, turn right..."

The three of them walked for an unknown distance, feeling as if they were in a complex maze. If it weren't for the information engraved on the wall earlier, they probably would have wandered around for who knows how long.

Suddenly, a strong stench of decay began to permeate the surroundings, causing all three to cover their noses. An ominous premonition grew stronger than ever before.

Li Lan could guess roughly what this stench meant even if she didn't think about it.

However, the three of them wisely refrained from mentioning their guesses, keeping their thoughts to themselves and walking forward slowly and cautiously.

Finally, after rounding the last corner, Li Lan and the other two turned into a dead end.

On the surface, it looked like a dead end, but it wasn't. When Li Lan got closer, she discovered that there was a small gap in the wall, which was probably a half-open stone door. And through this small gap, the stench of decay was even stronger.

"..."

Li Lan hesitated for a few seconds, suppressing her fear, and finally cast the priest's exclusive skill on herself, "Courage!"

Li Lan pulled her arm sharply as she raised it, her muscles bulging slightly from the exertion.

A strange, clattering sound rang out, and Li Lan had to use almost all her strength to pull out a space large enough for one person to pass through.

But then they found themselves in a deep, dark corridor. Inside, there was a faint light and a suffocating, overpowering odor.

"Shall we go in?"

Li Lan asked, glancing again at the magic book floating to the side. The abstract map of "exploration" on it did not show any danger.

“We have to see,” Lana said, trying to appear calm, though she already had a hunch about what was going on, but she had no choice but to confront it. “If we complete the mission and leave safely, we might find some clues inside.”

"Well."

Li Lan took a step forward.

Lolina, whose face was almost deathly pale, covered her nose. Seeing Li Lan and Lana's remarkably calm demeanor, she began to hide her inner fear and quickly followed them.

However, just as they walked down the corridor and entered this new space, an unprecedented shock instantly left their minds blank! What a terrifying sight this was!

"This is not a temple, but a witch's tomb!"

Even with her "courage," Li Lan was instantly terrified by the shocking scene before her.

Chapter 54 Perhaps it was all fate's arrangement

Before Li Lan and her two companions lay a vast space, about half the size of a football field, with a hazy gray ceiling, like an endless fog. To the left and right were straight, dark gray walls, while the floor was a smooth, dusty surface, the same dark gray tile structure they had seen from the outside.

What shocked Li Lan and the other two the most was not the eerie atmosphere and the scene, but the large number of corpses spreading out in their field of vision!

Yes, those are a lot of corpses, the corpses of witches!

Beneath the familiar gray-white bodysuits and black cloaks lay bodies that were already highly decomposed, some reduced to black or yellowish-white skeletons. Even now, it's impossible to guess the cause of death of these witches or how they were abandoned in this place.

"strangeness……"

Lolina is of the Raven Feather race and works as a necromancer. She is extremely sensitive to the so-called "soul" and "undead mutation".

"What's wrong? Did you find anything?"

Li Lan, who had stopped in his tracks, asked curiously. To be honest, everything here made him feel quite uncomfortable, even fearful.

"Their souls have all disappeared. Based on my professional knowledge, whether they are dead humans or monsters, as long as they were once living beings, there will be a remnant of their souls. This remnant of the soul is eternal and can be controlled by necromancers, which can then cause the dead to undergo immortal mutations, transforming them into skeletons, zombies, or liches."

In other words, this kind of soul remnant is what is called "obsession". Generally, dead things will appear in the form of low-level skeletons. As the obsession increases, it will upgrade into a zombie. If the obsession becomes strong enough, it will become a "lich" with a certain level of intelligence.

However, there was a strange situation surrounding these horrific corpses scattered all over the ground.

They had all lost their remaining souls and were unable to respond to Lolina's "deadly call".

"There are two reasons why a soul might be lost: one is that it is extracted by an unknown entity, and the other is that the deceased had no attachments at the time of death."

"Could there be a third possibility?" Li Lan thought for a moment and replied, "If our souls return to our original world after we die, could this cause such a situation?"

The witch was originally a time traveler, so the common sense of this place might not apply to her.

"That's possible, but the current situation makes me feel much more at ease."

Because there are no remaining souls, it means that all the corpses present here have fallen into a deep sleep and will never "turn into zombies" to attack anyone.