Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The sky is filled with swirling snow, an endless winter.

The serpent monster slithers across the ice field, its enormous figure as majestic as a mountain. A fierce blizzard whirls around it, freezing everything in its path and then shattering it into countless tiny particles.

Near the serpent, the temperature has already dropped to over a hundred degrees below zero. Without specialized magical treasures to ward off the cold, most Transcendents would collapse on their way to it, let alone attempt to attack it.

The Amur Witch's Group is powerless against it.

Currently, in the Witch's Group, only three have been promoted. However, in terms of real combat strength, the other two are no match for Anna, the Queen Witch.

Anna personally approached the serpent for reconnaissance and concluded that it was unbeatable.

Because there's no way to get close.

Extreme cold, like high gravity, can block most attacks. Material means become extraordinarily fragile in such low temperatures, shattering instantly in the wind and snow, so how could they pose a threat to the serpent?

Of course, the Northern Border differs fundamentally from the Lu Country. Not only is it sparse in population, but since the original social order collapsed, economic production has been nearly destroyed. Along the serpent's path, both Spirit Communicators and ordinary people have chosen to flee directly, so there haven't been too severe losses.

So why fight it? As long as the serpent doesn't head to Amur City, let it wander wherever it likes. When the method of the Orochi spread, Demons roamed everywhere in the Northern Border, but it didn't cause much damage.

Many Amur Witches hold this view, making Anna slightly hesitant, but Sullivan had a different opinion:

"If the serpent monster doesn't attack humans proactively, it itself isn't particularly scary. The scary part lies in its ability to permanently damage the surrounding environment. In the extreme cold where it travels, not even bacteria or viruses can survive, let alone trees or moss. Even if it doesn't come to Amur City, circling around for a few months would halt agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing completely."

Rakshasa Spiritists don't practice Fasting. Werewolves and Werewolf Witches need to consume a lot of flesh, and although it's not much of an issue for Warlocks and Witches, the countless ordinary people definitely couldn't survive.

Anna, influenced by the Lu Country, didn't believe that ordinary people were useless to Spirit Communicators. Without mentioning anything else, she needed to call Yan Yu every so often. If all the ordinary people who understood communication technology died, who would maintain the base stations? Rely on trained owls to help deliver messages?

So, the serpent still must be dealt with.

Sullivan offered two strategies: "block" and "lure."

The serpent monster roams freely, utterly ignoring any threats. The Demons summoned by Anna were frozen before they even got close, and the serpent simply ignored them, wandering off in its own leisurely way.

But Sullivan soon discovered that the serpent seemed to have a peculiar preference for populous places. Even if people had already fled, it would still make a point to pass through the center of towns.

"Towns, compared to the wild, provide abundant food and lack natural enemies for rodents and insects," Sullivan analyzed, "Even if humans disperse early, rodents and insects won't leave the towns. The buildings themselves offer some resistance to cold, and once they can't hold out anymore, forced to leave these structures, they lose the ability to migrate."

"So, I believe it's not the towns themselves that attract the serpent, but the life forms worthy of being preyed upon."

"Life forms?" Anna quickly contemplated, "So that means."

"To lure is to bind livestock to posts, enticing the serpent along this route. To block is to cut down trees and drive away wild animals in other directions around the serpent, leaving its blizzard nothing to consume. In this way, its movement can be directed."

Anna neither agreed nor disagreed, but asked:

"Where to lure it?"

"Let it go westward," Sullivan replied with a sly smile.

A clever strategy to divert disaster west! By the time the serpent reaches Western Siberia, both the Rash and Europe will likely become agitated.

Of course, upon careful consideration, the options are indeed limited.

The serpent can't be allowed to wander rampantly around here; it must be diverted elsewhere. Lu Country is out of the question, the Queen Witch's old acquaintance is there! But if it's lured to Central Asia, once it leaves the Northern Border territory, and if it turns towards the Lu Country border, the Amur Witch's Group would be powerless.

So, it can only be led all the way west, directly towards Eastern Europe, thus posing no threat to the witches or danger to Lu Country. Sullivan's proposal is the only viable solution.

Anna is not the type to procrastinate. Even when facing the Lu Country's top Divine General, she dared to make a move to try to keep him, so why worry about causing trouble for Europe? Thus, she immediately decided:

"Alright, lure it westward!"

Sullivan withdrew contentedly, calculating in his mind.

Back when he accompanied Emperor Peter on his eastward campaign, he switched sides after being captured, essentially betraying the Rash Empire.

Although the cultures are different, a surrendered general facing his former master often feels some guilt; it's part of human nature. Should he be able to bring down his former master, it would justify his defection back then, which is also part of human nature.

Supporting the Queen Witch, replacing the Rash Empire—that is Sullivan's lifelong dream!

The Northern Border's strategy to divert disaster west works because, located in the frigid zone, its ecosystem is naturally fragile, whereas the Southern Border is just the opposite.