My Beautiful Duchess Wife

On the city walls of Steyr stood Shia, Angelina, Fario, Kacci, and Hart. All of them looked towards Kerry's camp, their faces filled with shock.

At this moment, Hart felt a cold sweat trickling down his back. What kind of powerful magic circle could possess such power? He had been somewhat skeptical when Angelina told him, but seeing it with his own eyes brought him back to reality from his fantasy.

At this moment, the entire enemy camp was like the end of the world. Lava was everywhere, and the rolling lava had already claimed the lives of countless soldiers.

The massive magma bursts of energy had ceased, but Fario's heart still sank when he saw several Demon Emperor-level or Great Demon King-level experts leap into the air, briefly searching for a way out. There wasn't a Demon Emperor-level expert, not even a Great Demon King-level one. Yet, the control of these two siblings alone had directly claimed the lives of everyone below the Great Demon King level.

If Lin Peng possessed the strength of a great demon king now, perhaps...

It's unimaginable what would happen if Lin Peng possessed the power of a Demon Emperor. With this magic array, he could have easily taken down an entire city.

At this moment, everyone looked at Darkmoon City and the others with respect. Such a magic array alone was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

And Kerry and his ilk were in an even worse situation at this point.

Those who escaped were almost all powerful experts at the level of Great Demon Kings. Even among these Great Demon Kings, only a portion managed to escape from these volcanoes.

Looking at the few lonely people standing behind him, Kerry felt like crying.

One hundred thousand people... This is a real one hundred thousand people! Looking at the scene behind him, with less than fifty people, Kerry felt a lump in his throat. He suddenly threw his head back, vomited a mouthful of black blood, and collapsed to the ground.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Upon seeing this scene, several officers began to panic.

At this moment, Gree, who had just escaped with his life, also came to his senses from the shock. Looking at the volcano that had stopped erupting lava, his mouth and even his entire face twitched.

"A... a magic circle?" he muttered to himself, his back already completely soaked.

"Retreat! Escape back to Ironblood Fortress! Now!" Finally, Gree, the current supreme commander, roared with all his might. His voice, filled with fear, even startled Lin Peng, who was still underground.

My wrist hurts a lot. It hurts so much I can barely speak, but at the same time, my whole body feels so comfortable I want to jump up.

This dual feeling left Lin Peng both amused and exasperated.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Peng slowly rose from the ground. Beneath his feet was molten lava that had begun to cool but still carried an extremely high temperature.

However, he was not hurt in the slightest.

The people on the city wall seemed to wake up immediately and rushed towards the camp. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Lin Peng looking around.

However, Lin Peng's face was pale at this moment, and like Angelina, there was even a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth.

"Angelina, please don't activate magic circles like that again. Although feeling the earth fire was very comfortable, it almost drained me of all my blood!" Lin Peng said helplessly, looking at Angelina who was also smiling.

He raised his wrist, and the wound still bore a trace of blood. However, the wound had miraculously disappeared.

Shia smiled faintly. At this moment, Lin Peng, who had been watching Shia's expression closely, was taken aback again. In truth, it was really rare to see her smile.

Even a friendly smile is a rare sight. Therefore, for him, a single smile is an extremely powerful and instantaneous attack.

"Alright, Brother Lin Peng, it's unlikely that Ironblood Fortress will launch another large-scale attack anytime soon. Let's go back and rest!"

Fario chuckled, while Hart beside him nodded vigorously. He now truly acknowledged Lin Peng's existence.

Lin Peng, however, deserved Fario's address as "brother."

The soldiers of Steyr looked at the returning group with expressions of delight. Medusa, who hadn't joined in the commotion, seemed to have an inexplicable look in her eyes as she looked at Angelina.

After seeing Lin Peng's glance, he nodded slightly.

Night had now fallen, and the darkness was deepening. The white moon still cast its soft, lingering light, bathing the city in a white glow.

……

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye. Ironblood Fortress remains as majestic as ever, and the soldiers on the walls stare blankly at the scattered groups of soldiers below.

They were all wearing the standard military uniform of the Red Devils' territory—a red undershirt and dark red soft armor. This should be the uniform for officers, but it seems there are too few of them.

Even if we won, is it really necessary to send so many people back to report?

However, Mingde, who had just stepped onto the city wall, did not share the same thoughts as the soldiers. Looking at the somewhat chaotic officers below, Mingde felt a sudden unease, as if he had a bad premonition.

Ignoring the surprised looks of the other soldiers, he jumped directly off the city wall.

With a thud, he landed, just as he had imagined—a man who had escaped. Kerry, looking somewhat dejected, was being supported by two of the more capable officers.

The warrior at the intermediate level of Demon Emperor, like Gree, also had somewhat lifeless eyes.

"What's going on? Give me an explanation!" Mingde's gaze towards Kerry was filled with murderous intent. One hundred thousand men, all elite troops. If they couldn't win like this, then… Kerry was no different from Gree, just a piece of trash.

Kerry gave a wry smile and said, "Uncle, can we go into the city to talk about this?"

Mingde looked at the defeated opponents, each one like a rooster that had lost a fight. Moreover, there was even a hint of fear in their eyes. After nodding slightly, he led them directly into the city.

Inside the city lord's mansion, in the enormous council hall, the officers greedily drank bowl after bowl of hot soup that had been served to them. They seemed as if they had just returned from the clutches of the god of the underworld.

Seeing the questioning look in Mingde's eyes, Kerry sighed, without even taking a sip of soup: "We lost, we lost so badly that we didn't even bring back a single soldier!"

Gree directly sided with Kerry: "Yes, Uncle, you absolutely can't imagine, there's such a powerful magic circle. If this gets out, the Demon Realm will be swept up in a trend where magic circle masters are revered. Such a powerful magic circle, my goodness, could it have been created by a grandmaster of magic circles!"

Mingde was even more confused by what was said, but his eyes were sharp. There seemed to be a probing look in his eyes as he looked at the two brothers.

Kerry knew that Mingde wouldn't believe him so easily. After exchanging a glance with Gree, he began to recount everything that had happened since Fario arrived in Steyr.

After speaking for almost half an hour, the officers suddenly seemed to be gripped by fear. Their entire bodies began to tremble. If they weren't all powerful experts at the level of Great Demon Kings, and hadn't been fortunate enough to escape being chased by molten lava...

Perhaps, they are now much like their brothers who have already died. Buried beneath the lava, they are saying goodbye to this world forever.

Demon King level, Great Demon King level, aren't they all a bit arrogant?

However, thinking about this made him tremble all over, which startled even Mingde.

Those thick eyebrows were furrowed tightly together: "Really, it's that amazing!"

Kerry and Gree exchanged another glance, then looked at the trembling officers. Mingde sighed, somewhat puzzled: "Well, in that case, it's not your fault. But when did such a powerful magic array master appear in Punishment City?!"

"No, no, no, Uncle, only a master magic circle could create such a magic circle. Think about it, the current level of magic circles is at most something that can be directly enchanted onto weapons, or some kind of restriction. When will the attack methods of magic circles be so powerful that they are almost comparable to the attacks of a Demon Emperor!"

Gree shook his head violently and began to explain. Of course, his explanation was also quite reasonable. After all, the Demon Realm had truly suffered a generational gap after the great war a thousand years ago, losing many grandmaster-level support or other artifact masters.

Therefore, if someone is a grandmaster, they are definitely an extremely powerful and sought-after commodity.

For example, the Demon Emperor's Heart that Lin Peng took out requires a Grandmaster-level expert to truly refine into a potion. One can imagine the upheaval a Grandmaster would cause in this demon realm.

Perhaps many forces will take this opportunity to search for the whereabouts of this grandmaster.

"Grandmaster?" A glint flashed in Mingde's eyes. It seemed he had already made up his mind to do something.

"Last time, Lin Peng's side probably had a grandmaster-level alchemist as well. Now, in Punishment City, there's actually a grandmaster-level magic array master. It seems this is going to be a turbulent war zone!"

Kerry said with a helpless smile.

Mingde's eyes lit up again: "Do you think Lin Peng can escape this time? Since Fario rushed to your side, he should have suffered a crushing defeat. But... this time, you have truly been completely wiped out!"

All three of them had their eyes light up, and then they burst into laughter...

Chapter Seventy-Five Alliance

Five days later, Lin Peng returned with several demon king-level officers who appeared to be quite powerful. When Mingde asked about the reason for the defeat, unexpectedly, Lin Peng had also encountered an extremely powerful magic circle.

However, according to his description, this magic circle is quite different from the one Kerry and his friends encountered.

Gree looked at the somewhat down-on-his-luck Lin Peng and was about to say something sarcastic when Lin Peng became excited again: "However, this time, I'm much better off than Kerry and the others. I never expected that the magic array master would actually come from our capital!"

"The capital?"

Kerry, Mingde, and Gree were all taken aback. This Lin Peng's luck was extraordinary, truly remarkable.

Why does it always seem like there's an element of luck involved?

"Well, I wonder what else Staff Officer Lin Peng knows. For example, the origins of that magic array master, or something like that!" This time, Kerry used a more favorable tone.

The sudden change in attitude made Lin Peng chuckle to himself. He had come up with this plan on the way here. But this time, he was determined to trick them.

Lin Peng's stammering, seemingly hesitant to speak, immediately aroused Mingde's suspicion. After all, the appearance of such a powerful magic array master under these circumstances was not a good thing.

It's equivalent to nuclear weapons today, a constant deterrent. Even more dangerous than a Demon Emperor-level powerhouse. What if such a thing happened in that territory, or even directly in the capital of that country?

I don't even dare to imagine what it will become.

Mingde patted Lin Peng on the shoulder and laughed, "Just say what's on your mind. This time, we admit defeat. We lost, so be it. Once you return to Fireshield City and get reinforcements, it might be time to deal with Punishment City directly!"

Lin Peng had been waiting for these words. After chuckling, he became serious: "I am a demon who can control Yin Fire, which is why I was able to detect this by hiding underground! But I almost lost my life in the process!"

Gree and the others nodded slightly, as if they already knew.

"That magic circle master seems to be a dark goblin. He's skinny and short, looking like a meatball. Heh heh, but I heard everything Fario and he talked!"

Lin Peng stopped abruptly at this point. Mingde and the other two almost had the urge to rush forward and strangle him. After coughing, Lin Peng seemed to mimic him: "Fario sounded very cautious, saying this at the time: 'Kaka, you said you were here to help us under orders from that person in the capital. So, you didn't need us to provide materials. Besides, the Grand Elder in Fireshield City must have given you a lot of materials, right? Do you really think Kerry's 100,000 people really need that many materials? You know… this time, we're taking a huge risk. If those lords find out about you, they'll be the first to turn their attention to us!'"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of Mingde and the other two were filled with murderous intent. After recounting some more details, Lin Peng, beaming with a sense of victory, left.

After the meeting, the three of them gathered together.

Mingde stared at Gree and said calmly, "You should be quite good at this. How much of what Lin Peng said just now do you think is true?"

Kerry smirked and chuckled.

Gree, after a moment's hesitation, said with a smile, "To be honest, I don't believe any of those details. But I do trust the Grand Elder of Huoyao City and the others! Hehe... Brother, haven't you always felt that Father has been unfair to you? Well, let me tell you now, it's because you've been too close to the Grand Elder and the others!"

Kerry, who had been grinning slyly, suddenly changed his expression.

"The Grand Elder and the others, generally speaking, aren't truly members of the Fire Demon Clan. Especially that Grand Elder, he's from the Dark Elf Clan. Although his wife is from our Fire Demon Clan, she's still an outsider. There are already quite a few conflicts between us and our main clan. Even if you try to build good relationships with them, it won't do you any good for your future. Unless you stay in the capital forever!"

Mingde gave a strange smile and then nodded slightly. This must be why Jerry has always disliked Kerry. No matter how strong you are, or how cunning you are.

However, your actions have actually made Jerry lose face. Instead of talking to him, you've gotten involved with those outsiders.

Kerry broke out in a cold sweat. So, the plan he and Lin Peng had originally devised must have caused considerable damage to Gree in Huoyao City.

If the Grand Elder were to suddenly gain even more power and make things difficult for Jerry, wouldn't I be in even worse shape?

"Hmm, so that means it's highly likely?" Mingde looked at Gree, his bright eyes making Gree feel a little guilty.

After thinking for a while, Gree frowned and said, "This time, let's take Lin Peng back with us, and then test that Grand Elder. At least, even if Punishment City occupies two cities, it won't be able to cause trouble for long. But if Fire Radiance City is suppressed by the Grand Elder in one fell swoop, then we will have truly lost a battle!"

Mingde nodded slightly. Although he was capable in warfare, he wasn't really that good at scheming and plotting.

After a brief discussion, the three parted ways and went back to their respective rooms.

Of course, at this moment, Kerry could only be described as a walking corpse. Kerry, who had always thought he was doing a good job, now realized that he had left such a bad impression on his father, Jerry.

Heh, colluding with the Fire Demon Clan of the Outer Clan, so you're not qualified to take over the territory?