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

"So sometimes, don't be too superstitious about magic. If you want to start a fight at this time, you can try it and see if my whip can strangle you first."

One priest told another priest, "Don't be superstitious about magic." Siforn was so angry at the absurdity before her that she laughed. She decided not to get entangled with this madman anymore and floated straight into the air, rushing towards the sky above the battlefield.

"Madam of the Larembass family! Your power has waned, and Rose's favor has left you along with victory! It's not too late to admit defeat now!"

"Are you planning to use your false god to fight against the power of the Queen Goddess?"

Matriarch Larnbas also hovered above the battlefield, with the dome above her head, as if the battle beneath her feet had nothing to do with them: "Pirnain family, I heard that you have betrayed Rose. You should not have gotten involved in this mess."

Siforn held a scepter made of some unknown wood, and with a wave of her hand, illusory thorns sprouted and attacked Larembass. However, Larembass was not afraid at all. A strong spiritual light spread around her, forming a barrier that completely thwarted Siforn's offensive.

“You have no chance of winning, Siforn,” Matriarch Larenbas felt the surging power within her diminish once more, but outwardly remained calm and composed. “The spells you have prepared are utterly incapable of defeating me. It’s not too late to leave with your people now.”

"Do you think I'm a newborn baby?" Sifne sneered, and the dome above her head seemed to come alive, instantly forming countless spikes. As they were blocked by the spiritual light again, a violent explosion occurred. "Let's see how long the Queen of Gods is willing to protect you!"

"At least until...your death."

Two powerful spellcasters clashed in the sky, the aftershocks of their magic pressing down so heavily that the soldiers below could barely lift their heads. The less perceptive didn't even realize the impending doom until the thorns and spikes were upon them. Only the elite could handle such pressure with ease, while the even stronger could even harness it, turning it into a part of their own power.

Raslaufer let out a muffled groan, his sword trembled slightly, and he staggered back several steps, his chest armor caved in, where a huge rock was embedded, blood seeping from the crevice.

"I must thank your helper, mortal!" The Soul Judge laughed wildly as he pounced on him. "Be a good boy and offer your flesh and blood to Lord Volgas!"

The Hellfire Blade trembled and shrieked, Leslaufer's knuckles turning white from the strain. However, this injury brought him no pain or despair; the Soul Reaper's power had no effect on him whatsoever. He raised his head, staring intently at Volgas's movements. As the Soul Reaper's massive claws swept towards him with a stench, Dobler's eyes suddenly lit up. The next instant, green hellfire ignited all the fat beneath that bloated body!

"You think you can kill me?!" Raslaufer roared, pulling the sharp rock from his chest and hurling it back at the demon. The Soul Judge instinctively reached out to block, simultaneously trying to extinguish the green flames with its own fire. However, the power from hell seemed to be enraged by this; the eerie blue flames couldn't ignite and were extinguished by another flame. Even more fatally, the wound in its throat suddenly burst open, and infernal fire poured forth from it as well!

Wolgas winced and fell backward, but Raslaufer seized the moment, leaping into the air and delivering a powerful kick to its jaw with his blood-stained boot. The wildly flailing claws carved five furrows into the rock face, and the warrior rolled behind a stalagmite, his breastplate crumbling away, the inner lining torn to shreds, revealing bone fragments and dark red skin—flesh and blood far removed from human flesh.

"That is..." The demon's mouth gaped open as it finally extinguished the burning flames on its body. The remaining flames, mixed with foul blood, sprayed from its wounds as it spoke. "Who are you? Or rather, what are you?!"

A cry of alarm suddenly erupted from the warriors amidst the chaos of battle. Looking up, they saw the nodule at the top of Siforn's Scepter shatter, and eight spider-leg-like shadows emerged from beneath Matriarch Ral'enbath's black robes, piercing Matriarch Pirnane's body and slamming her violently into the stalactite cluster below. Lilindra's chanting, though reaching its peak at this moment, still yielded no response.

"Left platform!" Erwin's roar caused twelve cloaked crossbowmen to pull their triggers simultaneously. Their arrows shattered the porcelain bottles thrown by the Evans family members mid-air, exploding in blinding flashes amidst the ranks of the five families. Several dark elves, blinded by the sudden attack, were instantly killed by Grip and his warriors, their blood splattering onto the obsidian shield.

"No one will ever treat me like a slave again!" Grip Stone Shield closed his eyes tightly, swinging his heavy shield with the force of a battering ram, causing all those around him, friend and foe alike, to retreat. "No one will!"

Chapter 531 The Dagger from Behind

Both sides had their victories and defeats on different battlefields, while on the other side, the battle with the Mara family members seemed to have no end in sight.

Angelita and Vanzerin clashed again, their weapons emitting only two soft clangs. The prolonged and perilous struggle relentlessly devoured their dwindling strength. The second daughter of the Mara family was struck in one eye by Daisy's magic, and tears of blood streamed down her cheek, creating a gash.

Matriarch Brar's mace hovered three inches from Bella's brow, but her wrist was entangled in the wildly growing lichen, making it impossible for her to advance even an inch further. The druid's red hair flew wildly behind her head, but her strength had also reached its limit, and she could only watch helplessly as the injured second daughter, enduring the scorching heat of the Daylight spell, slowly approached her.

However, Mary and the eldest daughter seemed to be evenly matched.

“Your companion is about to die,” the eldest daughter said, pressing against the Blade of the Sea Song, letting the tidal wave of auditory hallucinations wash over her ears—she had gradually grown accustomed to it—“yet you seem completely unconcerned?”

The voice did not come from her lips or tongue, but rang directly in Mary's mind, which made Mary pause slightly.

"Compared to your mother and sisters, I feel quite alright." She narrowed her eyes, and although she spoke, the meaning behind her words was also conveyed.

"Then why don't we each take a step back?" Another unexpected question. "Your swordsmanship is quite good; it's difficult for me to gain the upper hand against you."

“You might as well admit defeat—if you do, I should be able to stop.” Mary’s eyes suddenly flashed, and she narrowly dodged the attack. “Is this your ‘sincerity’?”

"No, my sincerity is that I have a better proposal..."

In the chaos of the battlefield, even the most attentive person could only hear Mary talking to herself and could not detect the actions of the eldest daughter of the Mara family. However, Mary's swordsmanship suddenly became chaotic, and after a few moves, she was forced back to the cave next to her by her opponent, and it looked like she was about to fall off the cliff.

"Well done!" Madam Brar was overjoyed upon noticing the change. "Come and help!"

Mary seemed to seize the opportunity, quickly thrusting out her sword to regain her footing. Meanwhile, her opponent took advantage of the situation to break free from her entanglement and charged straight towards Bella, seemingly intending to eliminate Bella before Mary could.

"Mary, do something!" the bard cried out anxiously, casting a spell to try to stop the priest from getting any closer. But she couldn't afford to be distracted any longer; otherwise, if the Daylight spell failed, not only would the situation here be completely out of control, but the soldiers around them would also suffer.

“She can’t do anything, you fool!” Although Madam Brar couldn’t break free from the lichen’s restraints, she still let out a hearty laugh. “Do it! My dear daughter, you will be the family’s honor—uh, uh…?”

Something cold and devoid of any affection was plunged into Madam Blar's throat from behind. Hot blood surged back up from her throat, carrying with it her bewildered questions. But with her hands bound in lichen, she could neither fight back nor cover her neck, which was beginning to leak air.

She couldn't even see who had attacked her.

But the others saw it clearly. However, it was Raslaufer's companions who were stunned by this unexpected attack, while Madam Brar's other two daughters remained calm as if they had known it would happen all along.

The only surprise might be that their older sister chose this time.

“You’ve finally taken this step,” the second daughter of Madam Blar stopped and looked with her remaining eye at her sister’s mother, who was held together by a dagger. “But I’m afraid it’s not a good time.”

Brar finally learned of her killer through her increasingly hazy hearing, but it was all too late. The world was slipping away from her, and without Rose's favor, she could never reach the place the priests of the doctrine desired.

“We’ve put up with you for too long, Madam,” the eldest daughter said coldly, withdrawing her dagger and looking at her exhausted third sister, who had made a truce with Angelita, and her second sister, whom she had raised herself. “If you have any complaints about me, now’s the time. The Mara family needs a new Madam to lead it.”

“That person will surely be you, sister,” the second daughter said, covering her eyes. “Just like Mother said, you will be the honor of the family—won’t you?”

"What... what on earth is going on?" Bella released the spell binding the dead, staring blankly at the sudden change. Angreta and Daisy, equally surprised, immediately turned to Mary. "Mary! What did you do?"

“I didn’t do anything!” Mary strode over. “I just trusted a dark elf who suddenly started talking in my head!”

“I have influenced you,” the eldest daughter of the Mara family, or rather the new Matriarch of Mara, tossed a broken stone from her pocket. “This was not originally intended for you, but recent events have made me realize that my previous plans seem to have failed because of you.”

Daisy translated these to her companions, and Angelita immediately pressed, "It failed? What on earth are you planning?!"

“Of course, it was to kill our volatile and unkind mistress,” Vanzelin said, panting, looking at Angelita. “It’s a pity I couldn’t kill you in front of Lord Zaknavan.”

“…But I think I can continue!” After hearing Daisy’s translation, Angelita’s eyes widened, and she raised the long poem of perseverance again. “Today, only one person can leave here alive!”

"Alright, stop fooling around! Let me finish what I have to say!" Vanzelin's elder sister punched her younger sister to the ground. "Listen! I'm not like my mother. I don't want to join this foolish war. It's more beneficial for the Mara family to lose here than for the Mara family to win! But there's a problem that needs to be solved. The method I prepared beforehand to kill Brar has been laid here, and the method I originally used to communicate with that thing was used for the last time on this girl!"

"So—" The group exchanged glances, a sense of foreboding washing over them. The person Vanzelin's elder sister had plotted to kill was Madam Brar, whose power hadn't yet waned, and possibly even Madam Brar herself, who wasn't even away from the family but was stationed at the family's headquarters in Chou Li City! Then…

"...What exactly did you get your hands on?" Her younger sister opened her bloodshot eyes. She only knew that her older sister had a plan and had always used it as a bargaining chip to balance the relationship between her adoptive mother and her biological mother, but she didn't really know the specific methods. "When will it get out of control?!"

The ground began to shake, and on the other side, Madam Siforn, who had been slammed into the stalactite cluster by Madam Larembass, suddenly shot into the air. But it was not of her own will, because her scream had already pierced through the entire battlefield, and the thick, long black shadow that had lifted her up and shattered the entire stalactite cluster was more than a meter or even a meter and a half wide!

“It’s the purple worm,” Matriarch Mara, who had only been in office for two minutes, swallowed hard. “Out of control time… now.”

Chapter 532 Aura of Fear

The moment the purple worm burst from the earth, the entire cave battlefield seemed to collapse as if the heavens had fallen. The enormous worm-like creature had neither limbs nor a clearly defined head; the only recognizable feature was its ring-shaped mouthparts, the tip of which was deeply embedded with five layers of sharp teeth and covered with barbs. As it suddenly opened, Matron Siforn's scream was swallowed into the abyss along with the shattered stalactites. The ground shattered as it twisted and contorted, and soldiers were thrown to the ground before they could even react—humans, dark elves, and subterranean gnomes alike were all killed.

“Purple worm… a stone!” Glip fell to the ground, clutching his helmet as he tried to keep it from falling off as he tilted his head back. Suddenly, he understood everything and shouted, “So that’s what it is! No wonder those crow people were forced to change their migration route!”

Judging from the width of this giant worm, its length is at least twenty or thirty meters. Even the most solid cave could not withstand the passage and turmoil of such a large creature!

"Forget about the Arakkoa!" Black Lewin brandished his scimitar, fiercely fighting back the dark elf assassins who were trying to take the opportunity to behead Grip. "Let's go! This place is no longer fit for us!"

The colossal beast suddenly arched its body, its powerful form collapsing like a city wall, crushing everything around it. As it emerged from the ground, it was clearly terrified by the presence of numerous creatures nearby. Perhaps believing it was being hunted, its body, already protruding from the ground, immediately began to curl into a ring. The protrusions on its outer carapace, compressed, sprang up, transforming into clusters of poisonous thorns, pointing at every possible enemy in the vicinity.

Led by a commander, the dark elves managed to regroup and attempt an attack on the terrifying worm. However, within moments, two warriors were unable to dodge and were instantly pierced through the chest by the sharp spikes on its carapace, dragged along the rock wall where their internal organs were scraped out. Three or five more stood together, their heads clanging uselessly as the purple worm's mandibles fell and sword blades slashed at them; two of them were swallowed whole on the spot!

The remaining people, though temporarily spared, were essentially dead—the worms' mouthparts tore their flesh apart, and the most potent toxins in the entire underground world instantly destroyed their muscle tissue and nerves. In comparison, their companions, who were swallowed whole, were somewhat luckier.

"Scatter! It will attack based on the vibrations!" Bella's warning was drowned out by the roar. The purple worm suddenly turned and burrowed into the ground, stirring up terrifying waves of earth. They could only retreat quickly to the edge of the battlefield, just like the others. That creature was simply beyond their ability to fight.

Even in this perilous situation, the battle between Raslaufer and the Soul Reaper continued unabated, seemingly unaffected by any changes in their surroundings. The demon's right arm hung limply at its side, but supported by its two wings, it still tried to tear Raslaufer apart with its other claw and its gaping maw, half-toothed. Faced with such a tenacious opponent, Dopler seemed to transform into a devil, a demon, or something even worse. He gripped both ends of his battle sword with both hands, roaring as he charged at the Soul Reaper's wounded jaws, shoving the entire blade horizontally into its mouth!

"Down!" What flowed from the already shattered arm armor was not blood, but a semi-solidified mixture as hot as magma. But neither side in the battle had time to pay attention to these details. Volgas desperately tried to maintain his balance, his remaining left claw turning into a giant hammer, pounding down on Reslauver like a drum, but he couldn't stop himself from being thrown to the ground by Reslauver.

"No—" How could it not know the consequences of this fall? But even a demon cannot change many things according to its own will.

However, for a Soul-Breaking Demon, the will of others can influence it.

"Bang!" The right arm that had been broken by Leslaufer suddenly regenerated and slammed into the ground. Not only did it stabilize its own body, but the sudden force also pushed Leslaufer in another direction.

"You cannot defeat me, mortal!" At this moment, the Soul Judge was completely immersed in dark despair. The panic of the thousands of people around him was swallowed up by him and turned into his own nourishment. "Although your flesh is delicious enough, look around you! That panic and despair are my true food!"

"You can't defeat me—unless you can kill everyone around here!"

Reslaufer was sent flying by a punch, black blood slowly flowing down his seven orifices, almost completely obscuring his senses. But the Soul-Slayer Demon was not about to give up. It followed up like a foul-smelling whirlwind, smashing another punch down on Dobul's head.

"You can be proud now—I'll skip the step of pouring wine with your skull!"

The demon could feel even more fear surging into its chest! On this battlefield, its power was virtually limitless—until everyone else perished!

It could have evolved into a much more powerful demon long ago. If not for that, why would it maintain its current form?!

However, just as it was about to bring down this being that had nearly defeated it with its mortal body, the surrounding light dimmed instantly, but a soothing and bright melody suddenly appeared on the battlefield, spreading outwards.

The melody possessed a magical quality, undeniably capable of bewitching hearts. However, its effect was not to seduce or instill fear. On the contrary, everyone who heard the music calmed down. Even the soldiers who had just been terrified by the rampaging purple insects and lost control of their blazes became as calm as bloodless and tearless constructs. Led by their commanders, who were also affected by the sound, they began to quickly retreat to the outer perimeter.

But this was not the most important thing for the Soul-Slaying Demon. What was important was that it could feel its newly swelling power rapidly draining into nothingness!

"No, no, no, no!" The demon turned around in terror and lunged toward the source of the voice—that damned woman! She would rather give up the Daylight spell than let him get away with it!

She must die first!

Even in complete darkness, Volgas's murderous intent was as bright and dazzling as the sun on the earth. However, Daisy's magic naturally affected her as well. Even though she felt the bloody wind rushing towards her, she did not retreat even a step.

This retreat would restore dozens, even hundreds, of sources of power to the demon. She had to stay here, even if…

Even if.

The demon, which was lunging at the bard, was suddenly struck hard on the back of the head by a heavy hammer. It turned its head and saw that Raslaufer, who was hunched over as if he had just stood up, was holding the deformed greatsword that he had already swung up behind his head.

One by one, the numb souls floating around Dubul slowly dissipated into transparency, but with each one that disappeared, the light in Dubul's eyes would grow brighter, until... the huge land shark's form also became almost half transparent.

"Come."

The muscles at the corners of his mouth were completely torn apart, making it look like a smile stretched to his ears, but Volgas couldn't feel any joy at all. As a Soulbreaker, he was only exceptionally sensitive to the emotion of fear.

But this time, the source of fear... is itself.

Chapter 533 The Shadow of the Spider Queen

Before Leslaufer could speak again, Dopler had already transformed into a blur and charged towards the demon. The counterweight of the greatsword, along with the rotation of his shoulder, created a whistling wind and slammed into Volgas's outstretched hand with a loud bang.

Both the Soul Judge and Dubul took two steps back. Volgas shook his head frantically, unable to accept this outcome: "No, you can't beat me, it's impossible! Whatever you are, you're just a mortal now!"

Leslaufer spat out a mouthful of blood, but the smile on his face did not disappear with the dripping blood: "Then let's find out."

The flames of hell blazed anew from the Soul-Slayer! Intuition roared through the demon's mind, and as Raslaufer drew ever closer, it realized more clearly than ever before that it might truly die here!

"This is absolutely impossible!" The demon roared in terror, and began to fight back fiercely against Leslaufer. However, such a battle was a test of courage. The side that could not fight with all its might would eventually lose its advantage, even if it won.

Moreover, as a seasoned demon, it was indeed capable of leaving after being summoned by the abyssal web of magic.

"enough!"

Suddenly, the Soul Reaper and Raslaufer leaped up simultaneously, clashing violently in mid-air. Raslaufer rolled on the ground before getting back to his feet, but his massive, bloated body didn't rise; instead, he grabbed the corpse of Madam Brar, who was standing right next to where he had landed.

"You damned maggot! Since you summoned me here, you should send me back!" The Dark Elf Matriarch's corpse exploded instantly in the demon's hands, turning into a cloud of foul-smelling blood mist. At the same time, a shrill scream from the soul swept across the battlefield. The shadow that had summoned the demon gathered again beneath Volgas's feet. Before Leslaufer could rush forward to intercept it, the demon's body had already burrowed into it at a speed completely disproportionate to its size. However, just before it disappeared, it suddenly swung down in a circle on the ground, causing the surrounding rocks to tremble three times.

"This is for you mortals! Enjoy it!"

The earth trembled once more after the demons fled.

"Damn it, it aroused that purple worm!" Matriarch Mara instinctively raised her hand, opening a transparent portal connecting her and Leslaufer's location. "Zaknavan, come here quickly!"

Originally prepared to fight the purple worm below to the death, and even to be swallowed by it, Raslaufer rushed toward the magical portal. The rocks beneath his feet shattered behind him, accompanied by an indescribable whistling sound. Just a second before the purple worm broke through the ground again, Raslaufer stepped over the portal, tumbling and falling to his feet beside Angrita and the three Mara sisters.

"Mistress, your power!" Van Zelin breathed a sigh of relief, then noticed her elder sister's unusual behavior. "Your power has been restored!"

"I..." Matriarch Mara was also taken aback. She calmed herself down again, and this time, she summoned a ball of fire in her hand—her power had indeed been restored, and even increased!

"The Queen has approved your sacrifice!" The second daughter, who might become the judge or high priest of the Mara family for centuries to come, looked over with the same delight, her single eye flashing red. "This is probably one of the few good things the previous matriarch did!"

"Isn't this champagne a bit too early?!" Just as the three of them were almost celebrating, Daisy's voice brought them back to reality, "Look at what's in front of us! A huge, live purple worm!"

At this moment, the spell called "Tranquility" had expired. Not to mention the other soldiers and warriors, even the bard who cast the spell could no longer suppress the fear in his heart: "I don't even know if this thing is susceptible to the damage of the Mind Spear!"

Even if her strongest spell were to work, it would probably be of little use. Such a colossal monster, no matter how weak its mind, could probably withstand more psionic shocks than Daisy's total magic power!

“Don’t worry,” Angelita put her hand on Daisy’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Look! It’s charging toward that matriarch of the Larembass family!”

As Angelita said, the Purple Worm was finally summoned because of the Soul-Slayer's revenge. However, with Raslaufer being rescued by Matron Mara's Anywhere Door, there were almost no targets left to devour around its location. The one closest to it and most likely to possess demonic power was undoubtedly Matron Larambas in the air!

The enormous purple worm churned and tore through the rock layers, its segmented body carrying rubble as it soared into the sky. This subterranean behemoth opened its ring-shaped mouth, its layers of sharp teeth spinning like a meat grinder, emitting a deafening buzzing sound.

Matriarch Larembass hovered above the battlefield, her black robes fluttering in the air currents. An unprecedented rage flashed across her pale, shadowy face—the betrayal within the Mara family had completely spiraled out of control. And now, this inexplicably appearing purple worm had turned its head towards her, abandoning everyone else and charging solely towards her!

"You brainless maggot!" the Matriarch cursed, a dark purple poisonous light gathering beneath her magnificent priestess robes, though its color was much dimmer than when she fought Matriarch Siforn. The magically formed spikes, like spider legs, struck the purple worm's mouthparts, but only emitted blinding sparks upon contact with its carapace. This time, however, even the purple worm's thick armor could not completely resist the power of Lolth's blessing!

Larembass retreated rapidly, shadows crisscrossing before her to delay the purple worm's attack. The shadows, corroded by the deadly poison, sizzled and dissipated into wisps of black smoke. Her pale fingers moved swiftly, coordinating with her prayers to drain her remaining strength. The dome-shaped rock formations collapsed, tons of boulders nearly burying the entire battlefield as they crashed down on the purple worm's head. However, the behemoth nimbly coiled its body, the rocks shattering against its carapace.

The purple worm, writhing in pain, let out a painful cry, but then stretched out again and continued to devour Madam Larembas. The distance between them rapidly closed, and Madam Larembas only had time to summon another dark tentacle from one of her staffs, but it was completely unable to change her fate of being devoured.

"Do not--"

A terrified scream vanished along with the dissipating tentacles, disappearing into the purple worm's belly. Mother Mara sensed the danger, but her power was only marginally different from Mother Larembass's at this moment, and she was powerless to stop the purple worm's rampage. However, at that very moment, behind the regrouped surface alliance, a terrifying burst of magic suddenly erupted from a cave, and an increasingly fluid and clear chanting completely engulfed everyone—

That was Lillindra's ritual!