"What else?" Ashes asked in surprise.
"Every aspect... That's why we have a longer lifespan, a healthier body, a stronger self-healing ability, and a higher plasticity than mortals," Phyllis said slowly, "and our temperament is also one of them."
"Temperament... what do you mean?"
"If we desire to use magic power to achieve a certain goal, magic power will guide us in that direction, such as wanting to avenge our dead companions, wanting to kill the demons at all costs, and so on. A witch's heart will also become more and more indifferent, or in other words, ruthless." Phyllis looked at the flickering fire and said, "For a fighter, this can indeed make him stronger, but it will gradually turn us into another kind of thing..."
"What kind of thing?"
"Inhuman."
Ashes could not help but feel nervous.
She thought of herself in the past, who was always looking for opportunities to kill the church members and did not care about anything else. That was indeed the time when she was the most powerful. The surging killing intent in her heart gave her almost infinite power, but apart from that, she had nothing. If she had not happened to meet Princess Tilly, she was afraid that there was no difference between her and a beast.
"Of course, that's not the case for everyone. It's just a trend — the pressure of war has caused most of the living to have no time to care about anything else. Even mortals without mana would be driven mad by the hopeless, drawn-out war. Compared to them, at least we've turned madness into strength, and that's already pretty good." Phyllis continued, "Therefore, a series of changes in the Union at that time may be difficult for you to understand, but at that time, it was a matter of course. Without an extremely strong determination, the Three Chiefs could not have become Transcendents. "
"I see..." Ashes reached out to stir the fire. "If the Battle of Divine Will continues, what will the witches eventually become?"
"No one knows the answer. Maybe even their appearance will change," Phyllis said, pretending to be relaxed. "After all, outstanding beauty is judged by people's perception. If they are not even human in the end, maybe they will become strange, such as demons."
The fire swayed, and silence temporarily enveloped the stone cave.
After a while, the God's Punishment Witch spoke again, "May I ask why you decided to fight the demons?"
Perhaps sensing Ashes's hesitation, she took the initiative to say, "Our goal is very simple. We want to defeat the demons, win the Battle of Divine Will, and restore the glory of Taquila. If it weren't for this belief, the surviving witches wouldn't have survived until today."
"Do you want to rebuild Taquila?"
"Of course, it's the place we've dedicated our lives to. However, it would be more of a symbol than a Holy City under the rule of the Union. If His Majesty can defeat the demons, it will prove that his path is more correct than that of the Three Chiefs. Since the cooperation between witches and mortals can bring about a broader future, we have no reason not to support it. "
Ashes was silent for a moment before she replied, "I just want to protect someone and help her realize her wish. Since she wants to drive the demons out of the Land of Dawn, I will do it on her behalf. "
"Really..." Phyllis shook her head. "With all due respect, this is not a good belief."
"Why?"
"Because the goal is too broad." Phyllis spread out her hands and said, "It's easy to lose yourself, especially at the critical moment of a battle of life and death. It's hard to define a person's wish, and more importantly... do you really know what she wants? "
"Of course I..." Ashes suddenly paused in the middle of her sentence.
Would Tilly want her to fight the demons on the front line? The answer was obviously no. This was just her own decision. Although it was necessary for Tilly to go to the danger herself in the previous operation with the phantom instrument, she did not need to participate in this sniper battle. However, she still joined the team at Roland's invitation.
There was no doubt that this was the reason why Sleeping Spell won prestige and meritorious deeds. The more important Sleeping Spell was in Neverwinter, the higher the status of Tilly would naturally be.
But was that all?
She could not help but look at the witches who had already fallen asleep with tired but calm faces. Her eyes first looked at Sylvie, Maggie, and the others on Sleeping Island, and then slowly moved on to all her companions.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ashes suddenly asked.
In any case, she and Phyllis had only occasionally exchanged swordsmanship and improved their fighting skills. They were far from being familiar with each other, so it was a little strange for Phyllis to ask this question. She also had a feeling that Phyllis would not tell everyone about the influence of magic power on one's temperament and the demands of the Taquila survivors.
"Because you're an Extraordinary," Phyllis said in a serious tone. "You're born to be a genius among the witches with unimaginable potential. In the era of the Union, every combat-type Extraordinary was the focus of training. Once they broke through their limits and became Extraordinary, they would have the power to kill Senior Demons head-on. At the same time, they would also become the new leader of the Union.
After saying this, she stood up and bowed to Ashes. "Maybe I'm not qualified to guide an Extraordinary on how to go further, but for any Chief Witch, a practical goal and a firm will are indispensable. According to the records of the Union, all the Transcendents were promoted in battles, and those who couldn't overcome this hurdle all died in the hands of the demons. "She paused for a moment." I hope you can be the former. "
In the last sentence, the God's Punishment Witches used honorifics.
"You don't have to do this..." Ashes frowned.
"Just think of it as nostalgia. I haven't seen a Transcendent for more than 400 years." Phyllis smiled. "Don't worry. I won't use this ancient etiquette in front of everyone. Then I'll go to bed first. See you in two hours. "
"Ah, good night."
When there was no other sound in the cave, Ashes raised her head and stared at the small piece of night sky above her head. She did not move her eyes away for a long time.
*****
After ending the call with the frontline, Roland marked a new route on the map.
On the 22nd day since the official implementation of the "Summit Mission", the plan was still very successful. The sniper team had observed an obvious increase in the number of patrolling Devilbeasts, and the range of the patrolling Devilbeasts had gradually moved away from the First Army's predetermined route. Apparently, the Taquila ruins were more important to the demons, and the vast airspace south of the outpost was gradually becoming a blind spot.
Of course, none of the patrols around the outpost had been withdrawn. According to common sense, any enemy that took the initiative to attack the outpost could not escape the fate of being discovered in advance.
However, the First Army was not a team of common sense.
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