Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Just look at the number of women."

“I don’t think so. To be honest, it’s really hard to tell the difference between men and women among you elves here,” Dahl also looked over, but following the spells that illuminated the entire battlefield and the magic that exploded from time to time, he just shook his head. “But the surface troops are usually between 7:30 and 5:50, you shouldn’t have as many as us, right?”

The matriarch of the Evans family sighed softly: "You can't calculate it that way. Ours are all spellcasters, not just warriors who can only wield swords. Look at the proportion of the people in the Pirnain family, don't you understand the difference?"

"That's even more wrong. What I see is that the number of spellcasters on the other side is probably not much more than ours."

“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” The acrid smell of smoke and burning magic filled the air and filled everyone’s nostrils. “This is impossible, especially given that their military strength and intelligence are roughly equal—where have all those spellcasters gone?”

Upon hearing this, Dahl realized the problem: according to intelligence, the enemy's number of warriors should be around 2,500, plus 300 to 500 spellcasters. Although it was not easy to estimate, and there were changes in between, the number of enemies here was already close to 3,000 people - after all, the number of people Dieter brought was about that.

The number of ordinary soldiers has increased, but the number of spellcasters has decreased. There's probably only one possibility—the enemy has hidden this elite force and has other plans.

Surely these dark elves can't just send their own spellcasters to the front lines and fight regular warriors without using arcane magic, can they?

"Mistress Lillindra, so what do you mean?"

“Reduce fire support,” Lilindra’s expression changed slightly. “Have our own people retreat in batches to preserve our strength, while observing the situation. The Pirnane family’s forces can push forward. After all, this is the Dark Elves’ home ground.”

Both Dahl and Dieter cast puzzled glances at him, but after a moment, the old mercenary nodded: "Interesting, hehe, I thought your 'own people' would be those dark elves—then let's do as you say."

"However, if things get tough ahead, we still have to follow my plan. No matter what your intentions are, they cannot be a reason for losing this battle."

Lillendra readily agreed to the condition. She stopped standing there and turned to leave: "You are the commander, Lord Dahl. Everything is up to you."

"And I need to make preparations. I estimate that soon I will have to deal with some people's accusations."

"—By the way, for me, only members of the Evans family can be considered 'one of us,' and if we're going to go any further, only Sylvia. Perhaps a few more will be added in the future?"

“Even standing in the sunlight, she’s still a venomous woman…” Dahl muttered as he watched Lilindra’s figure disappear into the darkness. “Never mind, pass on my orders! The enemy’s movements are unknown, so magical support is suspended! Except for the Pirnaen tribe, who will continue until rotation, everyone else should conserve their strength!”

As the order was relayed, a considerable commotion soon broke out at the rear of the surface battle group. Everyone noticed that the spells that had previously been evenly matched with the opposing force were now landing more near them! What on earth was happening?

"Old Lei, our mage's dead!" Daisy, now holding her own mattress in her arms, quickly alerted Raslaufer and the other companions, "Something's not right, should I come over—"

"All you need to do is maintain your Daylight spell!" Leslaufer didn't turn around. As two more dark elves rushed towards him, Dobler switched his greatsword from slashing to parrying, using his own strength to forcefully deflect the short sword in one of his opponents' hands, causing it to stab the other opponent in the shoulder.

As if they had already anticipated Reslaufer's moves, the two warriors feinted, immediately regained their footing, and simultaneously locked their weapons back onto Reslaufer's neck.

Their weapons shimmered with magical light, and ordinary armor could hardly withstand the cuts from these enchanted weapons. It seemed that this pincer attack was determined to leave a mark on Raslaufer.

Unfortunately, just when they thought they had succeeded, a pink sword light suddenly pierced out from behind Raslaufer, instantly piercing the wrist of the dark elf on the right. On the other side, a pebble that flew from nowhere was even a fraction faster than Mary's rapier. Two screams were heard, and the two men dropped their swords at the same time. The broad two-handed greatsword had become the last shadow in their lives.

Meanwhile, another shadowy figure darted through the battlefield amidst swords and limbs, the assassin, shrouded in darkness, bypassing the squad's front line of defense, attempting to attack the young girl who had used music to prop up the malevolent orb of light. He was the fourth most expensive assassin in Qiu Li City, and this strike was determined to succeed.

But just as a cloud of silvery-white smoke was about to rise from beneath his feet and move behind his opponent, a long, emerald-green sword blocked his path. At the same time, a sharp shriek suddenly exploded in his mind, abruptly interrupting his spellcasting.

In haste, the assassin decided to deal with the younger opponent in front of him first. He smiled cruelly behind his mask, already picturing Angelita lying dead on the spot in his mind. But the girl suddenly put away her longsword and replaced it with an unusual weapon.

"Hello," the girl smiled at him, but pulled the trigger without hesitation, the muzzle flashing as she aimed the gun at his head, which only revealed his eyes.

"Goodbye."

Chapter 528 In Rose's Name

The shooting distance was just right, with absolutely no risk of missing. Even though the dark elf assassin's equipment had magical effects, he was still caught off guard by the powerful impact after his spellcasting was forcibly interrupted, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

In that brief moment of chaos, the girl had already thrown away her pistol without hesitation. Under the illumination of the Daylight Spell, the long poem of her will shone like jade, and she easily slit the attacker's throat.

"Oh, we're still working together quite well, aren't we?"

Zhengling's voice rang in Daisy's mind after a long time: "Look at that idiot, how could he know that our team actually has six people instead of five, right?"

"By the way, welcome back, Daisy! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Zhengling acted quite warmly, like a long-lost friend, but Daisy's inner response was somewhat cold and indifferent:

"No, Zhengling, I should be the one welcoming you back—but have you actually returned?"

That was a demon, not an unfree soul imprisoned in a smart device; she didn't need to wait until Daisy used the violin before she could speak to her.

Daisy didn't say anything more; she waited... until she heard a sigh filled with complex emotions.

But Zhengling did not sever her emotional connection with her.

“Leslaufer, I’m afraid we can’t go any further,” Bella cried out after tripping an enemy with her long stick. “We can’t see any of our own people around us!”

“There are at least four more here,” Dople replied casually, showing no intention of slowing down. “Let Dahl think about the rest!”

As the corpses of dark elves continued to pave the path before him, a figure in robes appeared before Raslaufer, looking utterly bewildered. Raslaufer recognized the sigil worn on the man's chest; it was the emblem of House Mara.

“Good luck!” The mage tried to resist, but Raslaufer had already caught up and kicked him to the ground. With a flick of his blade, two severed hands flew away from their master like birds leaving their nest. “So you’re from the Mara family? You were so arrogant back then! Now tell me, where is your mistress?!”

The mage stared at Raslauver in horror, unsure of what the man was talking about, as he held a position at the sorcerer's academy in Cholera. However, his reaction was particularly strong when Raslauver mentioned "the Matriarch."

He averted his gaze in horror, looking elsewhere, as if there was someone even more terrifying than Raslaufer, who had severed his hands.

"What are you looking at?" Leslaufer snorted, severing the mage's head. "Could there be more over there...?"

He turned his face following the direction those eyes had last looked, and then Doble saw that face that was dark purple—who else could it be but Madam Blar?

"...Are you looking for me?" The mistress seemed to be in a very bad mood. On the one hand, her son, who had magical talent, died in front of her. On the other hand, this mercenary looked exactly like that damned "Zaknavan"!

Raslaufer raised his sword again and stood before Madam Brar, his companions arrayed behind him, just like her three daughters:

"Long time no see, hmm?"

"It really was you!" If Brar's anger could be channeled into power, she would undoubtedly be the most powerful being in Chou Li City, and even the entire underworld. "Zachnavan, you're the one behind all this!"

“Then you’ve really wronged me,” Doble said, charging straight at the other man, even though he had witnessed just how powerful the Mistress could be in Chrysler City. “Let’s get to know each other again, Leslaufer!”

"Be careful, if you hurt me, don't blame the Soul-Eating Spider for tearing your skull open!"

Soul-Eating Spiders? Yes, if it weren't for the Soul-Eating Spiders, she should have killed that bastard long ago! And just a short while ago, the first to express Rose's dissatisfaction on behalf of the shattered gem were also several Soul-Eating Spiders that had just been summoned and pounced on her and Matriarch Larembas!

"Abliss! (A metaphor for other races associating them with entrails or excrement) I'm going to kill you today! Get him!"

At Madam Brar's command, she and her three daughters, like three female leopards, subtly formed a pincer movement, closing in on Raslaufer. But Doppler was not alone either. He casually tilted his head, and to the strains of Daisy's song, Mary used the Blade of the Sea Song to block the eldest daughter of the Mara family, Bella's fiery palm blocked the two women, and Angrita stood in front of Vanzerin, blocking all of Brar's support.

"Rose, bless me!" Raslaufer's fearless charge pierced Brar's heart. How many years had it been since she had been treated so disrespectfully? The pain quickly turned into rage. She raised her hand, and black flames instantly enveloped the mace in her hand. "Help me defeat my enemy!"

Her response was a cold laugh from Raslaufer, whose greatsword immediately slashed towards Brar's head. The matriarch parried with her hammer, and then roared as she swung her weapon at Raslaufer's waist: "Die!"

She channeled her remaining magic power; perhaps using it against Lillendra would have been a better option, but now, she only wanted this Raslaufer or "Zachnavan" before her to die here! To plunge him into the abyss of magical energy! To be consumed by Lolth's rage! To let him—

What happened to the divine power she infused into the weapon?!

As she slammed her hammer down on Raslaufer, who parried with his greatsword, a victorious smile almost appeared on Brar's lips! Her weapon was blessed by Rose; its black holy flames would instantly extinguish the life force of her enemies, and even a mortal of this size would be no exception!

However, with the thunderous sound of weapons clashing, the holy flames on her weapon suddenly vanished without a trace—but Brah's power was clearly not completely gone!

At the same time, the matriarch realized something further: her holy flame did not disappear because of the opponent's blocking, but had already dissipated before that!

"You intend to use the Spider Queen's power against those she protects?"

The despicable bard's laughter mingled with her music, pricking at Blair's nerves like an executioner's needle: "How about we tell you an even funnier joke? Who do you think is her enemy now!"

Leslaufer easily forced his opponent back. His long years as a matriarch had rendered the dark elf's martial arts no match for his. While still stunned, Matriarch Brar, finally realizing what had happened, let out a startling roar:

"Rose! Traitor! I curse you!!" A blinding crimson light flashed in her eyes, but it no longer came from Rose's gift; it stemmed purely from her own... rage.

"I want you to die!"

Suddenly, Brar raised his hand and threw out two single-stranded magic items, which remained effective even after their owner lost their blessing. As the Matriarch launched another attack on Leslaufer, a blasphemous power filled with hatred and despair unfurled from the shadows beside her, and a colossal giant, over three meters tall, leaped out with an agility completely contrary to its size.

It resembled a stitched-together monster of ape and boar, its bloated body sprouting not bat wings, but a pair of unusually tiny feathers. The monster's massive hand tore through the shadows, destroying the staff that had summoned it into the world. It sniffed the emotional sustenance in the air, eventually finding its unfulfilling favorite—all the humanoid creatures around it.

"Humans! Elves!" A fierce, eerie blue flame erupted from its massive claws, accompanied by a chilling howl, as it lunged at Dobul. "Fresh meat!"

Chapter 529 The Soul Judgement Demon

A fist the size of a human head, wreathed in flames of the same size, came crashing down on Raslaufer without any finesse. Dopler, undeterred by the challenge, immediately blocked it with his greatsword, colliding head-on with the monster.

Despite the other party's bizarre appearance, based on Reslaufer's recent experience, his new enemy should be one of the demons, but he had not encountered it before when he was in Ironforge.

"Ok?"

As their fists clashed, the monster immediately sensed something was wrong. Its strength was extraordinary, yet this mortal opposite it didn't even retreat half a step? This didn't make sense!

Fortunately, even a demon like it had encountered similar situations. Its massive, boar-like maw grinned maliciously. Seeing that Raslaufer had blocked its attack route, it didn't retreat; instead, it simply opened its claws and grabbed the blade of the greatsword!

"Mortal, your flesh and blood must be incredibly delicious!"

Without a word, as Raslaufer's weapon was forcibly restrained, the demon no longer bothered to conceal itself. It immediately bent down, opened its blood-red maw, and bit down at Raslaufer's head!

With such a pincer attack, if one doesn't let go of their weapon, they'll simply close their eyes and wait to die. But once they release their weapon, what chance does a warrior without a weapon have to survive?

Unless it can become an entity like itself—its body is its best weapon!

The blade screeched as it scraped against the demon's hand. Beneath Raslaufer's armor, his entire right arm was a blazing red, like a demon's, the muscles bulging with veins from the strain. He stared at the putrid fangs so close at hand, then suddenly released his left hand, drew the Hellfire Blade, and plunged it into the folds of the demon's throat!

"How about eating this?" Despite exerting force with both hands simultaneously, both the greatsword and the battle blade remained extremely stable. The hell iron sliced ​​deep bloody gashes into the demon's mouth, and the power from purgatory caused the surrounding flesh to burst into flames!

The demon let out a muffled roar, and the eerie blue flames no longer only flowed from its hands, but covered its entire body, flowing and coiling along its wounds. It had to release its sword and stagger backward, but its wounds were quickly stitched up and healed.

"The stench of the Nine Hells!" The demon clutched its neck, staring in disbelief at the battle blade that had suddenly appeared in Raslaufer's hand. It hadn't noticed it at all. "You're an 'agent'?"

No, the demon itself denied this conclusion. It wasn't that it hadn't participated in bloody battles, nor had it been unfamiliar with mortals spreading the devil's will; those beings were not difficult to identify. However, if this man hadn't just used his gift from hell, it would have been completely unable to detect anything amiss!

The demon's bloated and deliberately hunched body slowly straightened up, its tiny wings flapping gently behind it, revealing its true size and power: "I am the Soul Judge Volgas, the most valiant warrior under the Skinners! State your name, mortal, and it will be worthy to roll down my throat as I devour your flesh!"

“You don’t need to know,” Leslaufer glanced at the greatsword in his right hand, only to find that its main body had been melted, leaving four twisted, thick finger marks as the metal cooled. “You can’t even go back to your lair.”

"With your broken sword?!" The Soul Judge laughed wildly. "I have a hundred of them in my lair! And the skulls of their masters!"

"You shall stay with them forever, you nameless wretch!"

The entire underground seemed to tremble because of the sudden takeoff of the Soul-Slaying Demon. Its wings fluttered behind it. The demon's movements were less like "flying" and more like a powerful leap. It roared down with its enormous weight, and the surrounding space seemed to distort. Countless souls surrounded it, howling and trying to drag any creature that had managed to survive into their embrace.

"What is that thing?!" "Whatever it is, run!" "I've never seen a monster like that in my life!"

As the demon leaped, its presence was visible across most of the battlefield. Yet, accompanied by the despairing aura surrounding it, not a single person dared to muster the courage to attack. Even the boldest warriors only dared to channel their fear into power, unleashing it upon their mortal opponents. Even Raslaufer's companions and the three daughters of the Mara family involuntarily retreated to the outer perimeter, leaving the center of the battlefield to Volgas and Raslaufer.

But as the demon fell and the dust and stones kicked up by the battle between the two monsters, it seemed that everyone had forgotten that there was actually another person in this area.

Brar Mara.

The battle between Volgas and Raslaufer was no longer something she could participate in. If it weren't for her relatively agile movements, she would have been killed five times in just twenty or thirty rounds of fighting between the Soul Judge and Dobulle—three of which were because of that bloated demon that was over three meters tall!

Seeing that she couldn't launch a pincer attack, Brar immediately focused on the three battles around her and charged toward her second daughter.

"You want to gang up on us, is that it?!"

Bella caught a glimpse of the mistress's movement and quickly parried with her flaming blade. Although Brar was less skilled than Leslaufer, he was still a cut above the druid. Bella cried out in pain as she staggered backward, her arm already struck. The mace hadn't hit her directly, but the spikes had pierced her skin, tearing it open and drawing blood.

“But don’t think I’m afraid of you!” As the second daughter caught up with her mother, Bella’s emerald eyes seemed to be veiled with mist. She whistled, and after only two or three exchanges, the surrounding ground suddenly cracked open with countless tiny fissures. A large number of insects living underground gathered at her feet, forming a chaotic mass, and under Bella’s command, they bit at her two opponents.

"I have more than you can imagine!"

"Druid!" This sudden change made the mother and daughter of the Mara family grit their teeth in hatred—if they were still favored by Lolth, how dare they show such petty tricks in front of them? Defeating these little bugs would be a piece of cake! But now, they actually had to avoid her sharp edge!

"Larambas!" Madam Blar roared furiously, "How long are you going to hide?!"

Before her echo had faded, a soft sigh spread along the surrounding stone walls. No one knew where it came from, but the moment it appeared, Lilindra and the matriarch of the Pirnane family, who were arguing, stopped simultaneously and looked warily at the battlefield.

“I think we should stop arguing for now,” Lillendra said, her face turning extremely grim. “Her power is far greater than what that Brar has left.”

“I can’t agree more,” Siforn replied coldly, pointing in a direction. A storm of magical locusts, far exceeding the number summoned by Bella, swept across the battlefield. “If she doesn’t die, we all will.”

Chapter 530 Each Has Their Own Rivals

The influence of powerful spellcasters on the course of the war was now clearly revealed.

Siforn's swarm of plague insects alone was enough to quickly break down the enemy spells that had previously been subtly suppressing the spellcasters of Pirnaen, allowing the spells from the surface alliance to once again dominate the skies above the frontline warriors.

However, as another, even more somber and massive purplish-black cloud slowly covered the battlefield from another direction, Siforn's swarm of insects vanished without a trace amidst the cheers of the soldiers from Chou Li City, as if they had encountered their natural enemy.

"Lilindra! What are you doing—" Siforn was not particularly surprised by the setback of her own spell. Even though the opponent's power was obviously weakened, the blessing from Rose was not comparable to the protection of Sinvalles. But why didn't her ally join her in attacking?

She turned around, somewhat dazed: "You're setting up a ritual? Are you kidding me, Lilindra? Are you serious? Casting a spell using a ritual?!"

Even the simplest ceremony takes several minutes, and by then it will be too late for anything!

However, those purplish-red eyes looked at her calmly, filled with an unspeakable sense of restraint and helplessness:

"Otherwise what, Matriarch Siforn? Do you think that the only price my family and I can pay to survive on the surface is to change the color of our eyes?"

The divine magic used by the Dark Elves originated from Lolth, and Lolth's power was even greater underground, therefore—

"That's why you need my help!" The matriarch of the Pirnane family glared at her fiercely. "Perhaps I should tie you up right now and go and beg for peace with them!"

“Then you are welcome to try, Siforn,” Lilindra said, unfazed by the threat. “Do you know what I saw on the surface? A warrior killed Lolth’s handmaid right before my eyes.”