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

Chapter 770 Mage Troops

"Don't get too cocky!"

Verveti's face flushed slightly. He had to admit that even though he had found the most suitable replacement, he still paled in comparison to the original: "Without Reslaufer, do you think you would have survived to this day? I've already found out that he left you not long ago with a troop of light cavalry!"

“Even without His Excellency the Kingmaker, dealing with you would still be a piece of cake,” Felix spurred his horse forward, his gaze falling on Verveti and the “princess” behind him. “I remember General Philia has a granddaughter who is indeed very beautiful. I suppose you are the one? It’s just a pity that you are not good enough.”

"As for you, Verveti, you lowly loser, the very man behind the aid you sought last time has already died at the hands of the Kingmaker. What right do you have to stop our advance?"

Verveti gave a cold snort: "Don't be so sure of yourself, 'Sir'! This time I've brought more than just helpers—look around you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bugle calls for the advance rang out from all directions, and countless flags and men surged in from the horizon, seemingly intending to surround his allied forces. In front of these suddenly appearing soldiers, Angelita saw a familiar face: Marquis Marek.

"I see," the princess scoffed coldly. "No wonder it's been so quiet all this way; they were waiting for us here. But do you think this will stop me?"

The fake princess, who had become almost insignificant under the majesty of the real imperial princess, stiffened her neck, her pretty face turning almost red and purple with suppressed anger. Now, she finally found an outlet for her frustration and shouted, "Not only that, we also have the power of justice and citizens, which we can rely on!"

“Well said,” Angelita drew her long sword, the emerald tip pointing directly at the fake, causing the fake to immediately shrink back. “For those words alone, you’ll be the first to die.”

"Form ranks—to meet the enemy!"

As Angelita finished speaking, accompanied by the surging and exploding of magic, countless spells were unleashed in all directions, blotting out the sky and sweeping across half the battlefield. Arrows and daggers appeared out of nowhere, engulfing half the battlefield, while flames, plasma, frost, and poison clouds took over the other half. On the opposite side of the allied forces, those soldiers who charged ahead didn't even get close to the shield wall before collapsing to the ground, their bodies utterly destroyed. Compared to Inasas, who had never experienced the flow of magic, these soldiers, organized by various nobles, were laughably fragile.

However, Verveti seemed to still have victory in his grasp. Seeing that the allied forces' magical momentum had subsided, he immediately relayed orders to the rear. Before long, a squad of fully armed soldiers was pushed to the front of the battle.

The force consisted of about eight hundred men, arranged in four ranks advancing in sequence. Although most of the soldiers were heavily armored, they were unarmed, which puzzled the commander for a moment. But the next moment, the captain of the first rank seized the opportunity when the allied forces were casting their spells and suddenly gave an order. His two hundred men immediately took out their standardized leather bags, retrieved the spell materials, and began chanting incantations. Before long, two hundred fireballs rose into the sky like a second sun!

These spellcasters were not hindered by their own weight at all. After casting their spells, they did not hesitate for a second and immediately retreated to the last row of the troops to rest. Meanwhile, the other three rows of soldiers moved forward in turn: one row cast spells, one row began chanting, and one row prepared materials.

Two hundred fireballs! Another two hundred fireballs!

These mages were indeed remarkable, but they were far from reaching the level of the Empire's "masters" or the arcane experts of Inathas. However, their teamwork was as solid and perfect as that of real soldiers, without any gaps or oversights. Under such saturation attacks, even spellcasters of higher levels would find it difficult to find an opening to counterattack, let alone suppress such firepower!

"Defense! Defense!" Edward's young voice was torn apart by the magical whirlwind. "They can only sustain three or four rounds of this attack at most. As long as we hold on, victory is ours!"

Three to four... wheels?

That's two or three thousand fireballs! And that doesn't mean the enemy has used up all their firepower; they still have other forces they can use!

Many of the spellcasters in the allied forces possessed greater individual strength, but as long as the difference was not overwhelming, their defenses remained as fragile as paper under such relentless bombardment!

"I can use a spell-nullifying barrier to protect us, but there are just too many of us!" Daisy shouted as she rushed to Angreta's side. "What do we do now?"

If the enemy had fewer people, she could have tried to counter their attacks with spells, but there were two hundred fireballs in a single row. How could she possibly withstand such a density?!

"Don't block them—and tell Swampthroat!" Angelita shouted back sharply. "Are we really going to withstand three thousand fireballs? Take them down! Make them silent!"

"Your Excellency Skadi! This will likely require some sacrifices. Is there a choice?"

Having just charged back from the crowd on horseback, Shikoti slapped the blood from the tip of her halberd onto the ground: "I'll lead the men over myself, but you'd better hurry. No matter how many men I bring, I'm afraid it won't be enough for them to bombard us!"

Bella rushed over and cast a shield on each of Skadi's people before they went into battle. Then she cast an additional shield on Skadi: "The first layer is protective energy, and the second layer is an anti-death barrier. If the first layer of protection is broken, turn back immediately. With the anti-death barrier, I can make sure you come back no matter what!"

"Wow, aren't you going to give me one too?!" Daisy exclaimed dramatically, but when Bella was about to actually add an extra layer of protection for her, she hurriedly waved her hand, "No need, no need, you should save your spell slot, you'll need it in this situation!"

"Shatterstone, where's Shatterstone? Come with me, we're going to pull off a big heist!"

The blue dragonborn, summoned by the bard, was confused but obediently approached Daisy. The next second, the bard grabbed her wrist and, without saying a word, dragged Flashstone into a portal. The destination of this portal was none other than the area in front of those spellcaster soldiers!

"Now's the time—eat our silence spell!"

Shining Gravel then understood what Daisy was trying to do and quickly cast a spell to create a barrier that enveloped all the spellcasters within a radius of several meters. The spells that were about to be cast were thus forced to stop. However, the number of spellcasters was so large, and they were divided into four ranks, that even if she maintained her focus without being interrupted, and even if Daisy trapped as many targets as possible within the barrier erected by the Blue Dragonborn, the effect she could have was very limited.

But that wasn't what Daisy wanted, or rather, more than that. Seeing that the glittering stone that maintained the Book of Silence had become the focus of most people's attention, the poet chuckled and muttered to herself. Profane whispers flowed from her music and song, turning into black oil that flowed across the ground, eventually forming a vortex of fire that could only accommodate one person at a time.

What is this? Did this girl make a mistake while casting a spell?

“Only a fool would fight you head-on,” Daisy chuckled, enveloping herself and Flashstone in a spell-nullifying barrier before the soldiers could react. Beneath the vortex, a dark, hazy figure was gradually taking shape, transforming into a beautiful woman with horns on her head. “I’ll just call for reinforcements—go talk to Nine Hells about what you have to say!”

Chapter 771 Raslaufer's Allies

"Others at most pray to the sect leader for power, but who do you see dragging the sect leader out to fight every day?"

Zhengling watched speechlessly as the lava solidified on the surface of the body, giving Daisy a somewhat resentful glare. But having been monitoring the poet's situation, she knew that now was not the time to settle scores with this guy.

"A devil! It's a devil!" someone among the mages exclaimed, followed by commands such as "Don't panic" and "Adjust your spellcasting elements."

Zheng Ling fully understood what all of this meant, but she didn't care.

"Perhaps you don't know which side you should stand on..." Her harp floated in the air in front of her, and as her fingers slowly plucked the strings, the devil's voice, with its silent melody, penetrated into the hearts of every spellcaster, and a sweet and enchanting fragrance seemed to rise up as well, enveloping everyone.

Such a spellcaster force could crush ordinary soldiers and a few weak individual mages with almost no power, but their problems were also very obvious: none of the individuals were strong enough, and the spells they prepared were far from comprehensive compared to a mage like Paul, and were simply not enough to deal with all special situations—such as a demon that suddenly appeared.

Moreover, Zhengling is no ordinary devil; she is the devil beside the Grand Duke. In fact, even when she was still a mortal, these mages might not have been able to resist her charm.

"You know in your hearts who you should follow..." The devil's face wore a seductive smile as she used music and magic to lead the mages into a trap step by step. However, beneath this trap lay not fangs and claws in the usual sense, but a bright path.

“The Mad King is not worth following. Princess Angrita is your only ruler. Go follow her, just for my sake.”

A pink aura gradually enveloped the eyes of every mage, even their officers. Seeing the situation was dire, Velveti hastily ordered his soldiers to attack Zhengling, attempting to interrupt her lengthy prelude. However, the dragonborn sorcerers, led by Jinmian, had already rallied around her. Their spells stirred different elements—fire, ice, earth—and various walls of energy rose and rumbled around Zhengling, making it incredibly difficult for ordinary soldiers to even approach, let alone attack her. As for the countless arrows whizzing through the air, they couldn't get even a fraction closer to the demon.

“Now,” Zheng Ling’s gaze swept around, finally settling on Vilviti and the fake princess. Following her gaze, the mages, who were being manipulated like puppets, also turned their attention to them. “Take them down.”

"Are you all insane?!" Verviti stared in horror at the mage troops who had been turned against him. It all seemed to have happened so easily. He roared at the nobles in the imperial army, "Is this what you said? Didn't you say these mages were absolutely loyal and possessed artifacts that protected the soul?!"

So what does all of this mean now?

“That’s a devil! A real devil, not Tifflin or Cambion!” Marek retorted without hesitation. “Set up a defense immediately, unless you’re prepared to be roasted alive by thousands of fireballs!”

"Now! Attack!" Angelita and the others were not about to let go of such a golden opportunity. Although they didn't know exactly how much Zhengling could control those mages, they had to attack immediately!

At the command, large numbers of spearmen advanced the battle line in waves, under the cover of shield bearers. Archers and Ampiri within the ranks provided suppression with projectiles from varying distances. Verviti, a seasoned general with extensive experience, was adept at this, as long as the mages couldn't be used by Zhengling to attack their own people – a situation he excelled at. He immediately began setting up defensive lines, and soldiers from the Imperial Army joined in.

For a time, shields clashed against shields, spears and swords tangled together. Although the Inasas coalition was exceptionally brave and outnumbered, their inferior equipment and looser organization prevented them from breaking through the enemy's lines for the time being.

And at this time of year, it is precisely the stage for Dubler to showcase his talents.

"For the sake of the king!"

Erwin's roar echoed from behind the front lines. Gripping his short spear, he leaped over the backs and shoulders of the shield bearers in front of him and boldly jumped into the opposite position. Under his leadership, mercenaries wielding two-handed greatswords roared and plunged into the stalemate between the two sides, using their weapons to cut through the interlocking weapons, smash shields, snap spears, and even cut flesh and blood bodies in two.

Even without Raslaufer, Doppler would still be an expensive elite soldier, not to mention that they make up such a high proportion of the Allied forces at this moment!

"Look, everyone open your eyes wide and look carefully! This is my son! The son of the lion Dahl!"

The elderly battle commander shouted with great passion, as if the young man charging into battle was another version of himself. Overwhelmed with emotion, he snatched the drumsticks from the drummer beside him and personally beat the drum to cheer on his adopted son. Behind him, however, there were figures hidden in the shadows of the crowd, silently traversing the chaotic battlefield, even passing through the Doples, and diagonally entering the flank of the battlefield from another direction.

"Who are they? Stop them!" Verveti spotted the stalkers and immediately began to divide his forces to intercept them. Although facing Dobul head-on was a great pressure, being breached from the flank was far more deadly, and there was no room for error.

Those slender figures didn't seem particularly brave, especially given their fighting style. However, just as the first wave of soldiers was ordered to intercept them, the leading "assassin" suddenly lifted his cloak, revealing a pair of heterochromatic eyes that reflected a venomous glint in the sunlight. In the next instant, a flash of cold light appeared, and the leading soldier's throat was slit. He didn't even have time to struggle before a knife pierced his heart, and he collapsed to the ground.

A tall leather boot stepped on the back of the corpse. The slender hand grasped the handle of the snake-headed whip. With a swing, the snake head accurately and elegantly bit the ankle of another enemy officer, pulling him to the ground with a single blow. The purple eyes coldly watched his life disappear under the hail of blades. The patriarch of the Evans family sneered and pointed his index finger lightly at Verviti in the distance.

"For Lolth, slaughter all these surface dwellers!" A faint purplish-black aura emanated from the dark elves, and their eyes seemed to be veiled in blood. "Those will be offerings to the Queen!"

Chapter 772 Just One Person

Angrita fought her way through the melee alongside Skadi, protected by the Iron Guard and Mary. This force, constantly advancing towards the enemy's central position, was no less dangerous than the Dobler or the Dark Elves. Her longsword, the emerald green blade of the Guardian Sword, was wreathed in green flames. The ring she had obtained from the tomb had always been with her, allowing her to cast two slashing spells unknown in this world.

Another rider was cut down by her sword amidst the mismatch, but Angelita's eyes did not even flinch, remaining locked on that target—not Verveti.

"If you insist on continuing to impersonate me, then at least show me the same courage!" The girl spoke coldly in the blood-soaked wind. Veruna was surrounded by a golden, shimmering shield, which not only blocked the weaker attacks but also made her look like a Valkyrie descended to earth.

"Come! Face me and draw your sword!"

Warriors guarding the fake princess tried to stop Angelita, but she didn't even need to lift a finger. Mary, who was beside her, had already vanished from her horse. The Blade of the Sea Song pierced one of them precisely in the shoulder, drawing a spray of blood along the gap in the armor.

“The masters’ affairs should be left to them to resolve,” a near-perfect circle reflected in Margaret’s eyes, while the three veteran warriors opposite her quickly realized that no matter how much they wanted to leave, they would have to suffer the girl’s fatal sword. “And your opponent is me.”

"Three against one? That's suicide!" A warrior brandished his pickaxe, feigning an attack on Mary's head, but actually intending to use the momentum of the block to sever her Achilles tendon—a weapon usually used only by dwarfs and not common in the human world. He was very confident that this girl, whom he had just met, would be crippled or even killed with a single blow.

However, Mary suddenly pulled her toes back a precise distance, a few strands of hair being severed by the sharp pickaxe and falling into the air. The next moment, the warrior felt a sudden weight on his left hand, while his right hand remained...

Where is his right hand?!

“Indeed, it’s courting death,” the blade vibrated in the air with a clear, ringing sound. Mary gracefully held the sword horizontally, while turning her left hand behind her back. “Then I’ll just use one hand, so I won’t be accused of bullying you.”

The fake princess watched the scene unfold with trembling eyes. She looked at Verveti pleadingly, hoping for some help, but he walked away without hesitation, surrounded by his guards, without even turning his head—the situation was clearly dire, and he had to make long-term plans for the days to come.

"...Your maid is enough to kill us all," the imposter forced a smile that was more like a grimace. His pitiful appearance was enough to sway many hearts, but unfortunately, it had no effect today. "You killed my grandfather, you killed my father, and now you're trying to kill me...?"

“If you’re still an Inasasian, then stop with this nonsense,” Angelita scoffed. “Come and fight me fair and square, so that at least one of your family’s warriors will have died on the battlefield.”

"You just want to humiliate me, but... then bring it on!" The fake princess gave a bitter laugh, drawing the sword she had never drawn since she acquired it, and pointed it at Angelita with trembling hands. "Come on! Charge at me! Crush me! Isn't that what you wanted?"

Angelita stared at her for a moment, then waved to the guards around her to be on alert. She then dismounted and walked towards the other woman step by step: "You know what? My so-called princess status is not as important or noble as you imagine."

The fake sneered: "It's just your own opinion."

“Indeed, after all, you know that my father was eager to ally with you,” Angelita paused for a moment, “I’m sorry to involve you, but it’s okay, at least you don’t have to suffer any worse consequences—make your move.”

The fake princess's expression shifted. She wasn't sure what the Matt family's emperor was planning, only assuming that Angreta was referring to her own situation. But none of that mattered now.

She shouted and charged at Angelita with her sword, completely lacking any flair. The girl dodged to the side and struck her opponent in the back with her sword. With just one blow, the "princess," who couldn't even hold her sword properly, fell to the ground, her weapon falling to the side.

“Perhaps you really are more like a princess than I am,” Angelita raised an eyebrow, completely unprepared for the other party to be so easily defeated, “or perhaps, it’s just that Verveti is no match for Uncle Leslaufer.”

Before she even arrived in East Inassus, Raslaufer had already taught her how to protect herself using the most basic means. However, this fake princess, who had theoretically been with Velveti for several years, couldn't even hold a sword—the mercenary leader only used her as a bargaining chip and a figurehead.

But will she have to pay the price for this?

Ignoring the mud on her clothes, the fake woman staggered to her feet. She glanced at the sword lying to the side, but instead of picking it up, she walked straight toward Angelita.

"Put away your act, Your Highness," she said, spreading her arms as if she wanted to fight Angelita hand-to-hand. "You think dismounting and fighting me is an act of mercy? Bah! Why don't you just throw away your sword and fight me again? Come on! Kill me, kill me!"

“Felix is ​​a traitor, the lord who killed my grandfather is a traitor, and you are all the same! You are all the same! You can’t even talk about the most basic loyalty, so what kind of so-called ‘mercy’ is there to talk about? Losing is losing, do as you please. Didn’t you want to kill me? I’ve already offered my neck—”

"Thud!" The fake princess froze, trembling as she lowered her head. A coral-like sword tip pierced through her from behind, exiting through her chest. Mary, having already dealt with the three guards, arrived at that moment.

"It's...strange," the dying man's lips twitched, revealing a strange smile, as if in disbelief, or perhaps relief, "It doesn't hurt at all..."

“She’s very steady,” Angelita nodded to Mary. “Is there anything you want to say?”

"You're expecting me... to repent? Don't be silly," the fake princess's eyes began to glaze over, but then sharpened again in an instant. "It's too late, William... Xinmu City, you're all alone..."

"Your Highness, the enemy has begun to retreat!" Erwin, covered in blood, knelt before Angelita and reported, "Should we continue the pursuit?"

“There’s no need for that,” Angelita sighed as she looked at the fake woman slowly collapsing to the ground, then bent down to close her eyes. “You are indeed alone, but unfortunately, I am not.”

"To clean up the mess, we must continue eastward and catch up with Uncle Raslaw."

Chapter 773 The Madman

At this moment, although the Imperial Army's front line tried its best to hold on, it still could not escape the fate of being slaughtered. As news came from the rear that the commander had fled and the "princess" had been killed, neither the knights nor the ordinary soldiers at the front could maintain the status quo any longer. At this time, even though Zheng Ling had released her control over those mages, they found themselves surrounded. No matter how great their abilities were, the spellcasters could not escape unscathed and could only choose to surrender obediently.

“You will pay for this, Daisy,” the devil turned his gaze, fixing it precisely on the poet who was trying her best to minimize her presence in the crowd. “I am your overlord, and you cannot order me around like this. According to the contract, I will punish you.”

"This...this is a necessary measure," Daisy broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. She tried desperately to recall, but unfortunately, the contract was signed under special circumstances, and she couldn't remember what it said. "So you have to..."

“Let me think about it, hmm,” just as Daisy thought she would have to pay a heavy price, Zheng Ling suddenly revealed a teasing smile, “Since many of the pieces you use for your spells were taught by me, then I’ll punish you by not being able to learn any new ones for a month—and you have to master the old ones.”

Daisy opened her mouth, about to plead for mercy, but found that the punishment was much lighter than she had imagined.

“Don’t mistake this for leniency; I’m a devil,” Zheng Ling held up a finger, her figure gradually disappearing into the crowd, leaving only her voice echoing in the spiritual connection, “If you lose room for progress on the path of music, you will become dependent on my power, and at that time, you, your soul will completely belong to me…”

Is that so?

You've already said it yourself, so what is it?

“Daisy!” Angelita’s gentle call pulled Daisy back from her momentary daze. “No time for nonsense. Make contact; we need to know where Uncle Leslaufer is!”

"Understood." Daisy nodded quickly and used her role as a sorcerer to contact the little devil Barbasabalon. The latter set off immediately after receiving the message and soon disappeared into thin air, arriving at Leslaufer's location.

Everywhere you looked, there was a nauseating stench of blood. Rows of corpses lay scattered on the ground, and most of the remains bore the mark of a black hand.

"Oh, my great master, you too have been attacked?!" the little devil exclaimed dramatically. "And by followers of Bane! May that tyrant have mercy on their souls—"

“I can only pity a very small number,” Raslaufer said, half of his face stained dark red, but not a drop of blood came from his own. He reached out and easily summoned souls, almost as many as the corpses on the ground, to follow him. “It seems that most of them are not as devout as I thought.”

Strangely enough, after killing Otto, although Raslaufer did not inherit any of his power or memories, his control over the soul gradually changed from passive to active. He even had a feeling that, if he wanted, he could directly manipulate the souls of these poor bastards and arouse their most intense emotions, such as... fear.

But why?

“Whether you accept it or not, some facts cannot be changed: you once had greater power,” Barbasabalon flapped his wings, his tone obsequious yet still revealing his disgust for the power of the abyss. “As for what to do with their souls, well, perhaps you could mint them into coins? Soul coins, money is always useful.”

Leslaufer thought of Grand Duke Mammon, who ruled over greed and wealth in hell, and finally shook his head: "Let's talk about these things later. What are you doing here all of a sudden? I don't remember summoning you."

The little devil shrugged helplessly: "You don't, but Miss Daisy and Her Highness the Princess want to confirm your location—by the way, they were just ambushed too. Isn't that strange?"

They were attacked too? Leslaufer looked at the corpses scattered on the ground.