That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 75 Air Cannon

"My magical ability, 'Wind Weapon,' allows me to manipulate air currents in combat; it can be activated as long as there is air around me. I can use high-speed air currents as blades to cut enemies, or I can use swirling air currents as shields to weaken their attacks..."

In the courtyard behind the lord's castle, Dorothy demonstrated her magical powers to Ronan.

Under her control, a narrow crack was suddenly cut into the target that Madale had made from an iron plate.

Unlike the magical powers of other witches, Scarlett's magical powers do not have any dazzling special effects when they are used. Everything happens invisibly, which seems to be slightly inferior in terms of visual appeal; but Ronan believes that this is actually one of her great advantages.

Because what is unseen is the most terrifying – tangible attacks can be prepared for in advance, but Dorothy's opponents face invisible blades of air currents, and can only guess the direction of the attack based on the sound of the wind in their ears.

The psychological pressure of risking death at any moment greatly restricts their actions, subconsciously putting them in a passive state, while Dorothy can more easily control the situation.

This is also why she has accumulated relatively little pollution and successfully advanced to the first tier of elites. She doesn't need to exert much effort in casting her magic; she can kill her enemies unexpectedly as long as she targets their vital points.

Of course, there are also drawbacks, namely that her airflow must be initiated from herself, and the farther the distance, the greater the consumption.

Especially when there is no wind, Dorothy has no leverage and has to activate it on her own, which not only consumes more energy but also reduces its power.

Therefore, "Wind Warrior" is essentially a melee-type magical ability and is highly dependent on the environment.

Unfortunately, there was almost no wind on the day they broke out to deliver the message, which was very disadvantageous for Dorothy's operation.

More importantly, the rebel forces, having learned of Dorothy's situation beforehand, didn't engage her in close combat at all, instead using a barrage of arrows to wear her down from a distance. Dorothy could only deploy an air shield for defense, allowing the rebel witch to use her plants to launch a sneak attack, leaving Dorothy in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides.

Dorothy also demonstrated formidable combat power commensurate with the Duke's chief witch:

With almost all of the mission's guards wiped out, she single-handedly killed more than fifty rebel knights and finished off another rebel's trusted witch.

The plant witch dared not pursue any further, and just then, the priest Pavar from the capital came to their aid, allowing them to finally shake off the rebels.

"Extremely powerful magical energy."

Ronan raised the corners of his mouth. "However, in my opinion, it's not as suitable only for close combat as you described."

"You mean like how Meadow wields the iron sword?"

Dorothy shook her head slightly: "Of course, Wind Martial Arts can also achieve similar effects. I once killed a high-risk evil beast that would explode after death from 800 meters away on the city wall, but the pollution it brought was also quite exaggerated, almost equivalent to an hour of close combat. It's really not worth it."

"No—Miss Dorothy, have you ever considered that long-range combat doesn't necessarily mean long-range control?"

After Ronan finished speaking, he had Maddie demonstrate: she levitated the iron sword and snapped her fingers, and the iron sword suddenly accelerated, disappearing into the distant night sky with a sharp whooshing sound.

Dorothy's eyes lit up: "I see... As long as you gain enough acceleration at close range, even after the control is lifted, you'll still have enough power!"

Maddie nodded.

This idea was borrowed from the muskets she and Ronan invented, since bullets rely on the rapid burst of gunpowder gas in the barrel to generate power.

Essentially, the principle of a bow and crossbow is the same, except that a firearm is more intuitive than the former.

Dorothy fell into deep thought: "But the iron sword still retains its physical form after it's out of control. If my airflow isn't controlled, won't it just fall apart on the spot?"

"That's generally how it is."

Ronan raised the corners of his mouth, "But now, I'm going to introduce you to something called an air cannon..."

Five minutes later.

"Bang!"

Dorothy aimed her index finger at the iron plate twenty meters away, and then, with a whooshing sound like a fighter jet taking off, a faint white aura shot out, denting the iron plate.

If this were a soldier in iron armor, or some kind of carapace-covered evil beast, it would surely have died by now from its internal organs being crushed.

"Oh my god."

Dorothy was shocked.

This was the first time in her life that she had ever known that her magical powers could be used in this way.

Good heavens... Ronan was actually even more shocked than her, because those so-called air cannons in her previous life were essentially just oversized toys, and didn't have much real combat effectiveness.

He only let Dorothy operate it on a whim, but he didn't expect her to be so skilled.

"That's why I say it's very important to know the correct way to use witches."

Ronan spoke in a calm and composed voice.

"I've learned a lot—just as His Excellency the Duke said, you are a young and promising hero with many ideas!"

Dorothy bowed deeply to Ronan. "I will never forget this favor. I will express my gratitude to you when I have the chance..."

"Don't be so formal, we are all working hard to reclaim the western border."

Ronan waved his hand. "Now tell me about the intelligence you have so far. You should focus on the rebels' tactics and the abilities of their main witches."

……

At the same time, more than 500 men from Wright Territory arrived at the outskirts of Thorn Territory.

This area has been designated by Ronan as a buffer camp, separated from the militia and labor camps, before the core area of ​​Thorn Territory is located behind it.

The camp was equipped with simple fences and semi-subterranean huts, the special structure of which was sufficient to ensure basic heating in the cold winter.

Campfires flickered among the campsites, with large pots resting on them, the aroma of meat wafting from them. Beside each fire stood militiamen in fine armor and cotton-padded coats, their unwavering stance in the cold wind resembling towering iron towers.

The group of refugees, serfs, and bankrupts from the Land of Light stared blankly at all of this.

They never imagined they would reach Thornlands alive, without a single person falling behind. They also never imagined that upon arriving in Thornlands, they would find not endless work, but readily available shelter and food.

"Brothers of Wright's territory, you have come a long way and have had a long journey!"

The militiamen, stirring the large pot with long ladles, enthusiastically shouted, "Our lord has specially prepared hot porridge to welcome everyone. He said that everyone must eat their fill so that they will have the strength to fight the rebels!"

Under the guidance of the militiamen, the more than 500 people were quickly divided into more than a dozen teams, and each person received a bowl of hot porridge with the aroma of meat in front of the fire.

To Zaro's surprise, there were actually quite a few chunks of meat in the bowl. He had never eaten so well in his life.

A bowl of meat porridge was quickly finished.

Zaro stared at the flickering campfire, his eyes seemingly pulsating with lingering satisfaction.

He thought that if he would be sent to the battlefield as cannon fodder tomorrow, it wouldn't be bad to eat his fill today before setting off.