Slaughter

At the same time that Irene's side detected the approaching threat,

the Subjugation Army, comprised of over thirty thousand humans and marching under the banner of a righteous war, also noticed the black city walls looming in and out of sight amidst the swirling desert sands at the edge of their vision.

“We're finally here!”

In midair, Grand Knight Renn, riding atop his wyvern, locked his gaze onto the black city at the horizon. Licking his newly healed front teeth, he roared,

“Hear my command! Charge! Crush the enemies before us!”

With that, he took the lead, pulling his reins to spur his wyvern forward. Yet, barely five yards into his charge, he heard a sudden, mocking sneer.

“Heh... What a fool.”

No sooner had the words been spoken than the charging wyvern slammed hard into an invisible wall. Caught completely off guard, Renn nearly tumbled off the beast's back.

“Roar!”

The dazed wyvern shook its head, letting out an annoyed roar.

Veins bulged on Renn's forehead. Furious, he unsheathed the broadsword from his back and pointed it directly at Robo, who was hovering in the air with the aid of magic. “What is the meaning of this?!” Renn barked.

Robo held a staff inlaid with gemstones and gold thread. At its tip, a lingering magical glow had yet to fade.

Unquestionably, it was his spell that had blocked the wyvern's charge.

Facing Renn's interrogation, Robo was in no hurry to explain. Instead, he calmly issued an order for the army to halt and stand by.

As a clever man, he knew all too well how foolish it was to charge blindly into battle.

Though he desperately wanted his half-brother to die in this war, he couldn't let him die so uselessly.

He would wring every drop of utility out of Renn, secure an absolute victory, and then arrange for his brother to perish in an “accident.”

For a Gold Rank Archmage, this was hardly a difficult task.

“Hey! I'm talking to you!”

Seeing Robo ignore him and even rescind his command, Renn grew even more infuriated. A blue flame of battle qi flared up along the blade of his broadsword.

Sensing its rider's mood, the wyvern beneath him fell into a combat stance, staring at the slender figure floating in the air with a menacing gaze.

Yet, even in this tense, explosive atmosphere, Robo remained completely unbothered. He cast a nonchalant, sidelong glance at the rider and his mount.

“Father said that I am in full command of this campaign.”

He tapped his staff gently against his palm, a fake smile gradually spreading across his face as he teased, “Do you intend to disobey Father's orders?”

“My dear brother?”

“You!”

Choking on his words, Renn's eyes widened. Staring at his younger brother's smug expression, his throat bobbed. He tightened his grip on his broadsword, the battle qi flames on it flaring wildly.

A second later, however, he sheathed his broadsword with utter resentment. Pulling the reins, he forced his equally reluctant wyvern to retreat to the rear of the ranks with a disgruntled roar.

Though reckless, Renn was no fool.

As the eldest son of Duke Edliman, he knew the vital importance of this campaign.

If anything went wrong because of his unauthorized actions, he would undoubtedly be the scapegoat.

If his father, in a fit of rage, passed the title of Duke to a lowborn bastard like Robo, he would have nowhere to cry.

To Robo, this scene was undoubtedly another victory.

Making his foolish brother suffer brought him a twisted, almost pathological pleasure.

The corners of Robo's mouth curled up. Though the battle had yet to begin, he felt as if he could already taste the sweet nectar of victory.

In this high-spirited mood, he cast Eagle Eye on himself, narrowing his eyes as he peered toward the black city walls at the horizon.

Under the spell's enhancement, his eyes seemed to burn with magical fire. He clearly saw the tiny figure sitting on the city wall, lazily swinging her legs.

Though he had never met her in person, Robo felt an inexplicable certainty that this was his target—

The mixologist who had suddenly appeared in the God-Forsaken Land and stolen business from the Duchy of Reny.

She didn't flee, but is actually standing her ground here? Robo thought.

While he maintained a contemptuous expression on the outside, he grew more cautious inwardly.

He had previously considered the possibility that the enemy might have gotten wind of their approach and fled.

After all, facing a declaration of war from an entire duchy made fleeing seem like the smartest option.

If she had run, he could have reclaimed the market in the Dwarven Empire without shedding a drop of blood, and used the opportunity to monopolize the slave trade running through the God-Forsaken Land.

But looking at the situation now, she had not only stayed but seemed to be waiting for them on purpose.

“What gave you the courage to face me?”

Robo murmured softly, “You foolish creature.”

Meanwhile, miles away, Irene, sitting on the city wall, also noticed the prying gaze. Her own eyes, similarly enhanced by Eagle Eye, shifted slightly, meeting his gaze directly.

“Whoosh...”

As the wind blew the sand around them, their gazes locked, and both narrowed their eyes almost simultaneously.

An invisible clash of auras erupted across the endless yellow sands.

This was undoubtedly a silent battle of wills.

But then, the little dragon girl suddenly flashed a sweet smile, slowly raised her right hand, extended her middle finger, and mouthed some words.

She seemed to say something, but they were too far apart for any sound to carry.

Robo's brow furrowed. As composed as he usually was, an inexplicable, nameless rage flared up in his chest.

He hadn't seen such utter contempt directed at him in years.

But he would never forget how he had been treated exactly like this back when he was still weak.

Those people had looked down on him in just the same way.

This momentary distraction caused his levitation spell to falter slightly, making him stumble in midair.

But the learned Archmage quickly suppressed his inner turmoil. Shaking his head to dispel the unwanted emotion, he deactivated Eagle Eye and stopped looking directly at her.

Like a cowardly marmot.

“Infantry, advance and scout. Mage corps, follow at a distance. Unleash a spell bombardment once you are within range. Everyone else, stand by.”

Robo issued his orders swiftly and decisively, then cast an Aura of Sanity on himself.

Under the magic's influence, a cool sensation washed over his brain. His gaze turned cold and calculating once more, though his voice became as raspy as a crow's:

“Once I capture you, I will make sure you suffer every agony and torture imaginable. I swear it!”

A cacophony of footsteps resumed as the army marched forward, advancing steadily toward their clear target.

At the rear, the members of the mage corps began channeling their mana, ready to unleash a devastating barrage to reduce the black city walls to rubble.

Meanwhile, the light drizzle began to intensify.

Just as the army drew closer and the mage corps was about to enter casting range, a torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens, blurring their vision.

Amidst the misty rain, a sudden battle cry erupted from the infantry ranks.

“?”

Robo's brow furrowed. He had only ordered the infantry to scout and test the waters; he had not given the order to charge.

Yet, in the next second, more battle cries rang out.

Hands suddenly burst from the rain-soaked earth like undead clawing their way out of the ground.

They grabbed the startled human soldiers swiftly and decisively, dragging them to the ground before dark figures leaped out and slit their throats.

Amidst the rolling thunder, the rainwater turned crimson. Powerful, agile figures leapt out from beneath the earth, roaring and lunging at the nearest enemies.

In the most primal, savage manner, the slaughter began.

“For Her Grace! For everything we protect! Charge!!”