Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Although Olivia and her group were in a sorry state, they hadn't suffered many casualties; only a few unfortunate individuals had perished under the rain of hot, falling rocks. This was thanks to the fact that they were still some distance from where the earth dragon had emerged from the ground. Upon seeing Gerberi, Olivia knew she had reached a safe zone.

With the help of Gerberi and her group, the Thunder Fortress soldiers, who had just escaped from hell, finally had a chance to catch their breath. Although it was only for a few minutes, the escape was a hellish experience they would never want to go through in their lives! She nodded her thanks to Gerberi, then entrusted the magic-exhausted Lady Sophie to a subordinate, instructing him to take Lady Sophie back to the carriage. Then, she raised her longsword and shouted at her men who had just escaped death:

"Water, fire, and rock magic users! And all other magic users of Grand Master rank and above, as well as archer knights! Follow me back to support Governor Ryukyu! The rest of you, follow Miss Gerberly's troops! Bypass the lava area ahead and charge at the monster army behind! Make sure to lure them to the location designated by the General!"

"Lady Olivia! We want to go with you too!"

"The Grand Knights, who weren't within Olivia's designated area, spoke up in unison. Despite the unfavorable conditions ahead, they displayed courage and resolve, refusing to accept orders that sent their comrades back to hell while they themselves were sent on an easier mission!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Without resistance to water, fire, and rock elements, you'll be like ants on a hot pan on the terrain ahead! Your effectiveness will be limited!"

Faced with Olivia's rebuke, the knights all showed expressions of resentment. But the eldest knight at the head of the group calmly said:

"With the mages providing us with shields, and considering our battle aura consumption, we can sustain a battle for twenty... no! thirty minutes! We'll definitely withdraw from the battlefield before the shields wear off!"

Although they had only been subordinates for a few months, Olivia understood their character. This elite unit had been assigned to her by Lady Sophie, and included many problematic individuals from Thunder Fortress, some of whom had even reached the rank of senior officer but hadn't yet attained higher positions or status. But at this moment, Olivia seemed to understand why her mother had entrusted these people to her command. She smiled helplessly and turned to say:

"I can't do anything with you... Miss Gerberly! You guys are capable of handling the operation to lure out the monsters, right?"

Who do you think you are?! These words made the border soldiers of Thunder Fortress stand tall, while the Imperial Guards of the capital couldn't help but rub their hands together, their fear subsiding. Just to prove that they were not spoiled brats from the capital, they were willing to rush forward into the thick smoke!

But Gerberly waved her hand, stopping her restless subordinates.

"Mages! Bless the knights of Thunder Fortress! Ensure the magic reserves of Thunder Fortress's mage allies! The rest of you! Retreat five hundred meters and then disperse to the flanks! Rather than fighting here, we have hundreds of miles of border peace of the Empire to protect."

Under Gerberly's orders, the mages of the Royal Guard spared no effort, casting various magical blessings upon the Thunder Fortress knights, sparing no mana and sparing Olivia's mages from depletion of their magical energy. Meanwhile, the knights and mages under Olivia whose cultivation levels were below the required standard also willingly joined Gerberly's troops to carry out their assigned tasks.

"I'll be back soon, so don't back out prematurely, or our bet will be void."

Seeing Gerberi's defiant gaze, Olivia understood that she was being warned to be careful. She smiled slightly, and her figure disappeared into the thick smoke. Gerberi immediately led the remaining people to carry out the order to assault the monster army. Behind the earth dragon beast, there were at least several thousand monsters, most of them weak goblins and beasts, but there were also some powerful ones.

Her orders were to lead the remaining few hundred people into the monster camp, lure them into the encirclement below the ridge, and then have the five thousand garrison troops behind them surround and annihilate them! Although it wasn't an extermination mission, it required maneuvering and pulling, as well as gathering and driving away the monsters on the edge.

After all, some monsters are inherently cowardly and might scatter and flee upon witnessing the battle between the Earth Dragon and Ryusha. If these monster hordes become a rout, the southern border will be in serious trouble. Otus doesn't have walls stretching for miles; ordinary monsters, if numerous enough, are enough to destroy villages and towns along the border. Even if they retreat back to other smaller kingdoms, it could easily cause unnecessary conflict…

Therefore, this mission may not be easy, and it would be best to avoid too many incidents involving the royal guards who followed her and Princess Tipalotura. Gerberi herself will return here after completing this operation to help Ryūsha and realize her true value as a Celestial!

Before leaving, she glanced one last time at the blue glimmer amidst the flames and smoke. This was not the time to dwell on personal grudges or that foolish bet.

"Hey kid, hang in there until I get your help..."

But what she didn't know was that someone was thoroughly enjoying the hellish scene that filled the soldiers with dread.

"Wow!!! So this is a Celestial-Rank magical beast!!! This is so exhilarating!!! This is the kind of battle and adventure I've been waiting for!!!"

On the surface of the earth dragon's massive body, Ryuka was flying close at a distance, unleashing her magic power!

With a body larger than a mountain and skin harder than metal, even its weakest point is protected by several meters of thick keratinous skin! This far exceeds what ordinary knights and mages can penetrate! Although the Earth Dragon Beast is not a particularly complex magical beast, its enormous size and armor are enough to be a nightmare for humans!

It's no exaggeration to say that it takes several Celestial-level experts to subdue a Celestial-level magical beast! In fact, if Lady Sophie hadn't exhausted all her magical power in one strike, it wouldn't have been possible to force it out from underground! If they had waited for it to crawl out of the mines or cities before attacking, the losses would have been unimaginable! It was precisely because two Celestial-level experts, Ryusha and Gerberly, were present that Lady Sophie was able to disregard the consequences and use all her strength to unleash a fiery spear that penetrated hundreds of meters underground before detonating! If released on the surface, this would undoubtedly have been a strike capable of leveling a city!

This was also the first time Liu Xia had witnessed the strength of a truly mature Heavenly Rank General! If this attack had struck Sochi City, everyone except himself and a few other high-ranking experts would probably have been annihilated! This was one of the Ten Heavenly Rank Generals of Otus, who had kept the southern kingdoms in peace for decades!

Now, the Earth Dragon Beast had to crawl out of the hellish underground, a place it could no longer belong. Not only that, its skin was burned to a cracked, crimson red! Like a living, crawling volcano! This caused it to roar with a fury that could tear the heavens apart!

But what tormented it most was that this insect-like human was recklessly pouring extremely cold icy magic onto its burning body!

The Frost Prison of Dust released by Liu Xia was an ice magic technique he learned from Melanie! However, it was even more astonishing when released by him, a Heavenly Rank cultivator! The ice mist released on the first occasion alone enveloped most of the Earth Dragon Beast's body! And he continued to circle around the Earth Dragon Beast's massive body like a meteor, constantly releasing magic power to expand the range of this arcane magic!

The extreme cold magic, capable of turning living beings into ice sculptures with a mere touch, struck the Earth Dragon Beast's skin and scales, already burned to their limit! The several-meter-thick scales and keratin instantly became incredibly fragile! Even the mere act of crawling caused the Earth Dragon Beast to feel the pain of its skin tearing apart! Its hard shell began to crack, making a series of snapping sounds! Then, under Ryuu's skillless magical bombardment, it shattered!

"Roar roar roar roar!!!"

Ryuuya continued casting ice magic, sweeping over the Earth Dragon like a bomber! Each strike created a terrifying crater in the beast's body! Meanwhile, Olivia's forces arrived again, relentlessly unleashing ranged magic at the mountain-sized target! The archer knights concentrated their battle aura on massive steel crossbow bolts, each shot like a cannonball! Compared to the Earth Dragon's hundreds-of-meters-tall form, these were merely small punctures, but enough to continuously weaken its life force and stamina, inflicting immense pain upon it!

"Roar roar roar roar roar!!!!"

The enraged earth dragon raised its forelegs, powerful enough to crush a castle, and slammed them down on the ground! The earth shook instantly! But it moved slowly. The moment it stood up, Olivia had already ordered her subordinates to retreat, and the floating mages had erected huge magical shields. However, a small number of knights fighting on the ground were still affected!

The earth cracked open! It opened a gaping maw like an abyss! It swallowed everyone on the ground in an instant! Then, with a tremor, it quickly closed! In a flash, it swallowed the desperate screams of those who had fallen in! They were gone without a trace! Amidst the rumbling and shaking of the earth, the earth continued to open and close in various places, as if consciously devouring everything on its surface!

Taking advantage of this attack, the Earth Dragon Beast shifted its body, its massive tail lashing out at Ryuu! The sheer sound of friction in the air was enough to make a person bleed from all seven orifices! And its enormous tail was impossible to dodge!

Boom!!! Ryuga, who had used his strength to protect his body, was sent flying like a mosquito being swatted away! But before the Earth Dragon Beast could even rejoice, an astonishing force erupted from behind Ryuga! It forcefully stopped his retreat! And forced Ryuga to charge back towards the Earth Dragon Beast's body!

Although she lacks Lady Sophie's magical prowess, Ryuka is quite confident in her reserves and the power she can unleash! As the saying goes, brute force can overcome all magic; even without flashy moves, Ryuka can unleash astonishing combat power!

"That's... the youngest Celestial Rank cultivator in the Empire—no! The entire continent!!!"

The soldiers of Thunder Fortress stared in disbelief at everything! Although their bodies were insignificant compared to the Earth Dragon Beast, Ryuka demonstrated true power through her pure fighting style! If the Earth Dragon Beast's tail whip had struck a dense formation, it could have instantly wiped out hundreds or even thousands of people! But for Ryuka, even if she were knocked away, she could instantly use even greater force to push herself back into the air!

This is not human! Even if one can unleash such a powerful energy wave, their body might not be able to withstand two opposing forces! But Ryūka proved his strength to the people on the ground in a simple and unpretentious way! Having just been knocked away, he immediately pierced the earth dragon beast's body like an arrow! He smashed a huge crater into its hard surface!!!

"Roar roar roar roar!!!!%……&#￥%！￥!!!!!"

A strange, obscure sound wave roared from the earth dragon's mouth, causing everyone present, including Olivia, to feel a deep-seated fear rising from their hearts and bloodlines! Meanwhile, in Ryusha's consciousness, Ruklati couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise:

"Ancient Long language! Haven't heard it in a long time. This guy really does have some intelligence~"

Ryūka, who had leaped out of the Earth Dragon's wound and run against gravity to its back, couldn't help but cover her ears at the roar and bared her teeth as she asked Ruklati:

"Is it talking? What is it saying?"

Ruklati rested her chin on her finger, thought for a moment, and said:

"Hmm...this guy's Gu Long language isn't very standard. The intonation is quite strange, but it's probably a greeting to your mother and female family members~"

Chapter 29 Earth Dragon Beast Extermination Battle Part 2: The Spectator in the Shadows

At this critical moment of life and death, Ruklati's words made Ryusha both angry and amused, and she couldn't help but shout:

"Jukrati! Are you serious?!"

As Ryuka cursed, she relentlessly attacked and destroyed the Earth Dragon Beast's back, but the Earth Dragon Beast was not to be outdone. Although its body was bulky and enormous, it was, after all, a Heavenly-Rank magical beast, possessing innate abilities to use earth and rock magic. The thick layers of rock clinging to its body and boulders smashed up from the ground flew into the sky, continuously striking the tiny Ryuka!

This attack method even included its own back within range, but beyond that, it posed little further obstacle to the agile and resilient Ryuuka. The rest was up to time to decide whether the Celestial-Rank magical beast itself was more resilient and powerful, or whether this human's magical reserves outweighed its own. To a behemoth like the Earth Dragon Beast, it was difficult to distinguish Ryuuka, as a boy, from other humans; they were all too insignificant. But precisely because of this, the Earth Dragon Beast was convinced that this human couldn't last long.

"Don't be angry~ Hmm, I just recalled some ancient dragon language, and it roughly means something like: 'You've occupied this land for too long, it's time to return to your glorious past. You lowly insects, get off me, Lord Ultras.' or something like that~"

Whether Ruklati's words were true or false was unknown. If they were true, then this earth dragon not only possessed considerable intelligence but also came with 'some purpose'. This made Ryuka wonder, if it was acting on the instructions of Carmela or the Chosen One, what exactly were those madmen planning?

Boom!!! Ryūka struck again, creating a huge crack in the Earth Dragon Beast's back, causing it to roar to the sky. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ryūka asked Ruklati:

"Could you translate my words into Gu Long language?"

"I'll do my best."

If this earth dragon beast possesses this level of intelligence, could its actions be stopped through dialogue? Thinking this, Ryusha had Rukla translate the ancient dragon language, and then, gathering her spiritual power, amplified her voice and roared at the earth dragon beast beneath her:

"(Ancient Dragon's words) Altras, you were instigated by an organization called the Chosen Ones, weren't you?! I don't know what you're planning, but you've been deceived! We have enough power to repel you! If you stop now, we can still talk!"

The enormous roar, carrying an ancient and weathered aura, caused the earth dragon beneath them to widen its eyes instantly and freeze in place. And it wasn't just Olivia and her group below; even Gerberi and her group, who had already bypassed this nearly kilometer-wide infernal zone and were closing in on the demonic army behind them, as well as the Thunder Fortress army headquarters far behind, could hear it…

-----------------

In fact, long after Madam Sophie threw her flaming spear, everyone at the mine saw a flash of red light on the horizon, followed by a faint tremor beneath their feet...

Then, thick smoke rose from the horizon. The power of the massive explosion, accompanied by the earth dragon beast bursting from the ground, was enough to make people several kilometers away feel the tremors of the mountains beneath their feet. Everyone paled at the sight! They trembled as they watched the scene in the distance, which resembled an apocalyptic volcanic eruption!

"Don't panic! Pass on my orders! All troops, prepare to engage the enemy! Infantry, advance to the defensive line at the foot of the mountain! Knights, prepare for a high-angle charge! Mages! Prepare for long-range indirect fire according to my instructions!"

Tallin carried out Lady Sophie's orders methodically. In their plan, letting the Earth Dragon enter the mining area would be tantamount to defeat. The terrain here was neither conducive to the deployment of a large army, nor to the battle between Ryukyu and the others against the Earth Dragon, which was skilled in rock magic and burrowing. Therefore, the initial plan was to intercept the Earth Dragon in the plains, force it out of the ground with Lady Sophie's full-force attack, and create a sufficiently infernal environment underground to prevent the Earth Dragon from burrowing back to the surface.

Meanwhile, Liuxia and Gerberli were to confine the Earth Dragon Beasts to the surface of this area and lure the leaderless monster army down the mountain, allowing the Thunder Fortress army to use the terrain to annihilate these monsters that had gathered from the south!

During this time, Lady Sophie will return to her carriage to recover her strength and magic using her magical artifacts before returning to the battlefield. Once the demon army has been annihilated, and the Earth Dragon's strength and magic have decreased to a point where it can no longer overcome Ryusha and his companions to inflict devastating damage on the main army, the legion on the ridge will then advance. With knights providing cover and mages providing fire support, they will help the three Celestial-rank warriors eliminate this Celestial-rank demon!

Shortly after Tallin completed his deployment, a rumbling sound echoed across the plains below! Several hundred men, mainly Royal Guards and including Olivia's subordinates, were rushing towards them! Behind them stretched an endless, densely packed army of monsters!

These were not the scrawny goblins of the countryside, clad only in loincloths and wielding tattered weapons smeared with excrement. Many of them were robust, tall goblins clad in filthy leather armor, with bloodied human heads hanging from their chests—poor souls from some village on the southern border. Besides them, there were wild giant lizards, demonized beasts, and even some fanatical heretics who looked no different from monsters… Some rode enormous land-dwelling magical beasts, while others charged wildly, their tattered banners emblazoned with the symbols of Otras, their thunderous war drums beating as they charged towards the mining area!

The royal guards, pursued by the monsters, appeared extremely disheveled, dodging the rain of arrows and the monsters' magic while constantly retaliating. Even so, they maintained their distance, neither widening the gap nor being overtaken, thus luring the sea of ​​monsters towards the foot of the mountain.

"Goddess... Goddess! Is this the apocalypse you spoke of? Monsters can actually form armies! And they're charging towards humanity!"

Many soldiers and officers in Thunder Fortress uttered cries of fear. They weren't afraid of the monsters themselves; they had fought every type of monster below in their daily lives. But the sheer size of the formation was beyond their comprehension! These lowly monsters, who should be mindless and vile beings, were now fighting like humans in a legion! This was truly beyond their understanding!

"Don't be afraid! Are you even considered soldiers of Thunder Fortress? As soldiers of the Southern Front of Otus, you should be praying for the radiance of the Sacred Tree!"

Tallin turned and glanced at the officer, rebuking him without hesitation. Even if Tallin wasn't necessarily devout in his faith in the Royal Tree of Otus, he also didn't believe that the Papacy's worship of the goddess had permeated every aspect of Otusan society. Especially now, such pessimistic religious apocalyptic rhetoric was unacceptable.

"The General and the two Celestial-Rank lords of the delegation will hold off the Celestial-Rank magical beasts on the plains. Our mission is simply to annihilate these monsters! Even in a military operation, humans are still humans! There is no reason to fear these creatures!"

Tallin's words echoed throughout the camp from the mountain ridge, his voice now carrying a distinct magical aura. This infuriated Thomas, who was with the reinforcements from Linze Fortress! He had already given Earl Gavin the deployment map of Thunder Fortress on the ridge, but he still couldn't locate Lady Sophie and Liuxia's positions. He never expected the battle against the Heavenly-Rank magical beasts to be arranged like this!

Gavin's expression was equally grave. This had practically divided the campaign into inner and outer battlefields, and the area he was in was only facing these ordinary monsters! Forget about adapting to changing circumstances, no matter how much he tried, he probably wouldn't even see a Heavenly Rank monster!

In that case, let alone one's own ambitions, it's just about what the Bauhinia Kingdom entrusted to them...

He glanced back at Monica and Greg in the crowd; both of them looked at him with serious, worried expressions.

"Once the battle with the demon army begins, I'll create opportunities for you to escape, but whether you can get around to the Heavenly Rank magical beasts is up to you..."

Monica and the others nodded; there seemed to be no better solution. How on earth had Mrs. Sophie and Ryūsha orchestrated this plan?! It had rendered all their preparations futile!

It was as if...we had been exposed to the sunlight all along...

Meanwhile, on a distant ridge on the side of the battlefield, several figures dressed in cloaks were watching all of this from afar.

"Not only did they not conscript ordinary soldiers on a large scale from Thunder Fortress, but they also only used half of their regular military force. The defenses of the entire region were flawless. As expected of the Crimson Sage of Otus, her talent as a general is outstanding, even more so than her personal strength..."

"No, the key is the imperial delegation brought by Princess Otus. Suddenly, there are two more Heavenly Rank members. That's what gives that old woman her confidence. I didn't expect that besides Ryusha who has been with them all along, that little princess also sent her Heavenly Rank female knight to the south long ago. Lahar, how come you didn't notice all this time?"

"In that case, we can't achieve any of our strategic objectives. What should we do? Should we abandon everything we've set up in the Bauhinia Kingdom? What was originally intended to be a two-pronged approach—tearing apart Otus's southern defenses and stopping their delegation—now seems to be jeopardized on both fronts. What should we do? Should we ask the High Priest for instructions?"

Several cloaked figures discussed calmly, as if the failure of their plan was nothing to regret. Suddenly, a petite figure among them spoke:

"Not a female knight, but a witch."

"Ok?"

Several people turned their gazes to her, and from beneath the cloak, a clear but calm girl's voice slowly spoke:

"The princess's bodyguards are close-combat witches. This was all taken into account."

Her words didn't surprise the others; the fact that the Otto royal family kept witches was no secret to them. But...

"Didn't that old emperor lose the ability to control witches a long time ago? So...it's his daughter? But why? The abilities of the Kranar lineage should only be passed down among men...Could it be?"

One of them looked at the girl who had just spoken, his tone tinged with displeasure:

"Did Carmela already know about this? Why didn't you tell us?!"

At this moment, the others seemed to finally understand what the two were saying, and they all turned their attention to the battlefield ahead.

"Wow! So, not only is the power that was lost from Carmela there, but Otus's power is also here!"

"To encounter two fragments of the 'Power of Order' at once, this is truly... Lilith! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"Because there's no need... That's not an opponent you can handle. Put away your greedy thoughts. Our goals are much greater, aren't they?"

The girl called Lilith chuckled, ignoring the restless others, and pulled out a dark, murky crystal ball from under her cloak.

Inside the crystal ball, something seemed to be constantly churning; simply staring at it was enough to hear a disturbing whisper. This caused the other cloaked figures to take a half-step back…

"'The Horn of the Cruel Witch'...it's truly complete, you..."

“That’s right. Otherwise, why do you think Lady Carmela would send me here? Just to watch you fail?”

Lilith raised her head from under the cloak, revealing a snow-white chin and half of her cherry-pink lips beneath the hood.

The others showed varying degrees of anger at her sarcastic words, except for the cloaked figure who had initially discussed Gerberi's identity with her, who coldly said:

"Even if you are a member Carmela developed within the Holy See, you shouldn't speak to us like that. After all, you are just a part of the Holy See. Aren't your current actions a bit too arbitrary?"

"His Highness knows about this matter, but he has kept it a secret from you few."

Lilith's chuckle only fueled their discontent. Just then, from afar came the booming ancient dragon language of Ryusha.

"Ancient Dragon Language! How is this possible! Are there actually people in Ottos who can use this language?!"

"The Crimson Flame Sage? No, no... Damn it, if it's Ultras... So that's how it is!"

One person immediately turned their gaze to the crystal ball in Lilith's hand.

"So, that's why Carmela asked you to bring this?"

Lilith smiled and said, "Who knows? Maybe it's killing two birds with one stone."

After saying that, she channeled a wisp of power into the crystal ball, causing cracks to appear on its surface and the churning black energy inside to become even more chaotic!

"Bell, our great ancestor, now that you have awakened, please lend us your power..."

Bang! The crystal shattered, and the black aura rushed towards the direction of the earth dragon beast!

Chapter 30 The Return of the Bell Witch

The black mist was so fast that it reached the Earth Dragon Beast in an instant. As it passed by Liuxia, a dangerous yet familiar feeling returned...