Witch Redemption

Britney couldn't look Della in the eye. She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "It's true. After Julie followed you closer to that strange coffin, she..."

She recounted everything that had happened, but Britney did not reveal that she had killed another witch in the process, nor did she express her suspicions and conjectures about Major General Abbott; her mind remained in a state of confusion.

Their most trusted friends turned on their own people and killed them, while three other witches who had once been their enemies saved them in their most difficult moment.

“At that time, I attacked Julie and the others, forced them to retreat, and then took you and fled in a random direction.”

Britney had forgotten how long she had been on the run; she only knew that she instinctively rushed forward, away from this place of trouble.

She was also lucky; her professional "berserker" skills allowed her to hold out until Li Lan's rescue. If it had been just a few minutes later, she would have certainly died as well.

"Britney, if... I mean if, if we really have been deceived, what do you think we should do?"

The pressure of survival and responsibility that had been building up since she transmigrated became the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing Della to completely collapse at this moment.

The thought that Major General Abbott, whom she had always greatly admired, might have assigned different tasks to the seven witches, and that one of those tasks might be to make them kill each other, caused Della unbearable pain.

"I……"

Britney looked away. The eight people who had traveled to this world at the same time—how close they had once been!

For the first time, their collective recklessness led to a time-travel experience, and they also found a common source of inspiration, which made them forget the horrors of this world and gave them the will to continue living and protecting the empire in the future.

But why? Why did it turn out this way?

Whose fault is this?

Just as the two emotionally distraught witches were sobbing uncontrollably, Li Lan and her two companions, who were resting in the dimly lit corridor, were discussing their next battle plan. Meanwhile, the werewolf monster Skul, who had followed them, cautiously approached the central main hall.

"Strange, there's no trace of that damned pseudo-demon god here. Where is he hiding?"

Chapter 60 Operation Plan

When Della and Britney returned, both had red eyes, and Li Lan could tell at a glance what had happened to them.

After all, these two guys have suffered unimaginable betrayal, so it's normal for their emotions to collapse in a short period of time.

However, Li Lan wasn't particularly interested in why these witches were fighting amongst themselves. After seeing them calm down, she went straight to the point and said, "I hope to cooperate with you."

As for the other five witches whose whereabouts are unknown, we will ignore them unless we encounter them again.

"Hmm, what do you need us to do?"

In Della's mind, Li Lan and the other two were "traitors," and in the novels she had read in the past, they were chaotic and evil villains. So from the beginning, she felt that these three would not help them for no reason, and must have some ulterior motive.

Now that they've encountered this misfortune, they've resigned themselves to their fate. Perhaps it's better to continue living than to die an unexplained death at the hands of their accomplices.

Of course, Li Lan had no idea how rich Della's imagination was. He continued, "The mission that Major General Abbot gave us has been completed. We are now looking for a way to leave."

"How to leave?" Della asked, somewhat surprised. "Major General Abbott said that we could go back along the same route..."

“It’s not that simple,” Li Lan knew that these witches unconditionally trusted the Witch Cult. It seemed that the treatment was so good that they didn’t even know they were being sold out. “In the underground area of ​​the Sunset Temple, all the roads lead to the central hall, which is the place where Archangel Angel is sealed.”

Li Lan briefly explained that the entire underground "maze" was now completely locked, and to leave, they would have to awaken the super BOSS of the sealed area. She then added, "If it were just the three of us, we probably wouldn't be a match for this sealed monster whose strength is unknown. So we need your help. What do you think?"

Li Lan didn't want to use the so-called "life-saving grace" to force the two of them. In any case, considering that witches were all pitiful, saving them was just a small favor. If they refused to cooperate, Li Lan would consider finding the other five people. If that didn't work, then the three of them could try cooperating on their own.

Della pondered for a while. After what had happened and being rescued by Li Lan and the others, she was no longer as aggressive as before.

"Sure, but what about my other five accomplices..."

Deep down, even though those five had betrayed her, Della believed they might have had some unspeakable reasons. But if she were to encounter them again, how would Della face them?

"Those five witches are dead, so there's no need to think about looking for them."

Skul, a werewolf monster standing at a corner not far away, observing the interior of the central main hall, suddenly spoke. Its gaze remained fixed on the central hall, as if it were on guard against something.

"How could this be..."

Della and Britney's expressions changed simultaneously. Could it be that they had misunderstood something? Julie and the others hadn't killed them on the orders of the Witch Cult, but rather they might have been possessed or had their minds affected by some unknown entity there?

Skul was an Icefield Wolf with an exceptional sense of smell, so it could naturally detect all sorts of scents in the hall. There, there was a strong smell of blood, the acrid smell of a witch's corpse being burned to ashes, the rotten and musty smell of Archangel Angel, and the perfume of that damned false demon god who had previously severely injured it.

"Those five witches were all killed instantly by a sneak attack, and after their deaths they were burned to ashes." As for the pseudo-demon god, the hunter of chaos, Lerakin, Skul did not find any other trace of her, nor did he know if she was still lurking in the vicinity.

While keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, Skul thought to himself, "I am no match for that pseudo-demon god now. With only 10% of my strength left, I probably can't even deal with this sealed descendant of the god. I think I shouldn't fight for these witches, lest I expose my condition."

Skul's injuries were severe; there were no visible wounds on the outside, but he was still suffering internally.

It should be noted that each of the seventy-two pillar gods, each of the pseudo-demons, possesses its own unique abilities. Among them, Lerakin, ranked fourteenth, is a renowned archer whose magical arrows possess curse, corrosive, and anti-magic effects that are unstoppable by ordinary people.

"Anyway, let these witches handle everything from now on. I might have to be prepared to shirk responsibility."

Skul, who was secretly planning his own scheme, gradually changed his mind. "The best way to make excuses is probably to explain the existence of this pseudo-demon god to these witches, even if these weaklings are not worthy of knowing the name of the Seventy-Two Pillar Gods."

After thinking for a moment, Skul spoke up.

………… ……

"The Seventy-Two Pillars? The fourteenth in the sequence, Leragin?"

After hearing Skul's words, Li Lan, Lana, and Lolina were all stunned. Clearly, they felt very familiar with such titles, just like when they heard about the Goddess of Dawn and the Archangel Angel.

“That’s right. Her goal is to kill all the witches who enter this underground area. The previous five were just the beginning. Next, she will probably target you. Although I would like to join you in dealing with Archangel Angel, we must be wary of this pillar god.”

Skul spoke in a sincere, middle-aged voice, as if it were the truth.

“I understand. Then the matter of dealing with her will be left to Mr. Scour.”

Li Lan suspected that this guy might be backing down at the last minute and trying to shirk responsibility, but after thinking about it, even if this guy really wanted to shirk responsibility, there was nothing they could do, so it was better not to pay too much attention to him.

Can you really trust someone who comes from a monster background?

Li Lan wasn't that stupid. The only reason she had this guy with them at this stage was because they were no match for him. If they went too far, the three of them would probably be killed here.

Lana and Lorina actually felt the danger of Skul much more deeply than Li Lan did, and were extremely wary of him. As for Della and Britney, who joined later, although they also found him particularly terrifying, they were unaware of his identity as an abyssal monster in the short term.

“Karen, don’t you think we’ve heard this somewhere before?” Lana asked.

He is currently gathered with Li Lan and Luo Lina, and the three of them are discussing in hushed tones.

"It should still be that game."

Li Lan was referring to the Legend of the Goddess, "But it's not in the main storyline... not the main storyline, um, a side story? Do you guys remember? This should be a side story in the Solomon series!"

"The Seventy-Two Pillars of Solomon?"

After Li Lan's reminder, Lana and Luo Lina suddenly remembered what had happened.

As a game from Earth, the gods in the main storyline of "Goddess Legend" are basically made up out of thin air, but this side quest is different.

This operation plan is simply the king of eunuchs that everyone hates. There were three waves of side stories, all of which were based on ancient myths. The first wave was the Solomon's 72 gods series, the second wave was the Norse mythology series, and the third wave was Japanese ghost and god legends.

The reason the game's operation and planning are called the "kings of abandoning projects" is mainly because the three waves of side events were all just gimmicks, claiming to be based on real history and mythology, but then only a few of the seventy-two Solomon's gods had their storylines released—it was all abandoned. Norse mythology included Odin, Loki, Fenrir, Jormungandr, etc., and then it was abandoned. Japanese folklore and legends included characters like Shuten-dōji, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Kaguya-hime—also abandoned.

In other words, the so-called side quests were all incomplete and unfinished, so they didn't generate much buzz and players didn't pay much attention to them afterward.

It is said that because of this situation, when the subsequent operation planners intended to launch the fourth wave of the Classic of Mountains and Seas series, they were directly cursed by players to the point of exploding, and in the end, nothing came of it.

Li Lan couldn't remember much about the side story of the seventy-two Solomon gods, but she vaguely remembered some of the main demon gods that appeared. They were all villainous bosses and not difficult to defeat.

"This is a headache. There are archangels in front and seventy-two pillars of gods behind. It's better to go out and hunt those monsters than to deal with this thing."

At least those monsters can provide a lot of magic book experience, and right now, what Li Lan lacks most is level.

"Let's ignore the pillar god for now. Our priority is to find out how to get out of here. We don't have much food with us, enough to last us for another two days at most."

Lana made a slightly more rational judgment.

"Uh, I thought you guys would be a little excited," Lorina clearly remembered the appearances of the various pillar god bosses in the "Legend of the Goddess". Among them, the fourteenth in the sequence, Lerakin, was really beautiful, with a curvaceous figure. "The villains who appeared in the seventy-two pillar god side quests were all beauties, and were the dream lovers of many people."

"Forehead……"

Li Lan and Lana were both a little embarrassed, thinking to themselves, "They're all just paying lip service to love something but are actually afraid of it. In this world, you can die if you're not careful. Would any normal person be thinking about 'wife' while their hormones are running high?"

Moreover, their current bodies, well, they simply don't have that kind of desire at all, which is a bit awkward.

………… ……

It was unclear what Li Lan and her two friends were discussing. Della and Britney stood to the side, their expressions heavy and their spirits low.

They never imagined that such a trip would result in the deaths of so many of their accomplices.

First, there was that terrifying night that took away Grace, codename 020. Now, many more accidents have occurred, and even Julie, codename 014, and the others have all died without a trace.

They now desperately hope this is just a dream, a dream they're about to wake up from.

Just as Della and her companion were deep in thought, Li Lan and her two companions, who had already finished their discussion, approached them.

"Let me introduce myself again. My code name is 001, and I am a professional priest."

"Code name 002, professional gunslinger."

"Code name 099, professional necromancer."

Li Lan and the other two introduced themselves one by one. Since they were about to work together to deal with the sealed monster that might awaken, knowing each other's professions in advance would make their cooperation smoother.

“Code name 013 Della Bertie, professional sharpshooter.” Della didn’t hide much.

Seeing Della's response, Britney hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Code name 015, Britney Waugh, professional berserker."

"Berserker? Great Crimson God?"

Li Lan's eyes lit up slightly. No wonder this guy was so tough; he could hold on for so long even with a greatsword stuck in his chest.

“Great Red God, what is that?” Britney looked somewhat bewildered.

"No, it's nothing." They were from completely different worlds, so this kind of conversation was like a cross-server chat, which Li Lan knew very well. "Then let's talk about the assignments. Code 013 will be in charge of remote jamming, Code 002 and Code 015 will be in charge of frontal engagement, and Code 099 and I will be in charge of related support. How does that sound?"

Li Lan and the other two had worked together before, needless to say, but mainly it was with the two newly joined witches.

“I have no objection,” Della said.

“Me too.” Although Britney still harbored hostility towards the three witches, she couldn’t say anything now that she was indebted to them for saving her life, and following Della’s opinion was enough.

"Alright, how are you all recovering?"

Li Lan asked the question she was most concerned about: since the next step was to deal with this archangel, it was essential to ensure that everyone was in perfect condition.

"It may take a day."

To be honest, Della could clearly feel that since waking up again, her body had become extremely weak, and she always felt as if she had lost something. She wasn't sure if she could fully recover by tomorrow.

An angel's broken wings and lost halo are harbingers of her fall, and could very well become her greatest calamity.

However, she was unaware that Li Lan and the other two, who knew little about this world, were in the same boat.

"Me too, it will take me an extra day to recover."