495 - 509

Chapter 495: Unsuccessful Rescue

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

No one stopped Anfey from entering Blackwater City after he walked with Catherine. South of Blackwater City, the houses in a large residential area had been torn down to make it into the station for the elves. Anfey couldn't care less about whether or not those residents wanted to move and where they moved to because those were problems for Mourtta and Hotchbini.

The elf station was tranquil and peaceful. In fact, it was highly guarded. There were four ancient trees at each corner of the station and they were connected with bushes.

Beyond the trees and bushes were the training and rest areas for elves. From the outside, other than the area around the entrance, no sentinel could be seen. However, whenever there anyone wanted to cross the bushes or get close to the ancient trees, the elves noticed. All of the elves noticed, not just a few of them. It was because elves had the ability to connect with nature in a special and mysterious way. As they grew older, their communicative ability with nature grew stronger. Even though their communicative ability with nature was not as strong as Anfey's Nature of Heart, it could not be underestimated.

Slave Hunting was such a profitable profession. Once a slave hunter hunted one elf, they did not need to work for three years. A Slave Hunting team could tell that it was a difficult task to catch an elf in the forest from the frequency which they caught them. The elves who fell into the traps were in unusual conditions. For instance, they could be sick, too upset or too young. Anfey could attack elves before because he had the help of his Nature of Heart. The ancient trees in the four corners were not just regular trees, but special trees that the elves relied on to guard them. They were War Ancient Trees.

Catherine treated Anfey as her friend. She answered every question he had for her. Sometimes she even told him more information before he even asked for it.

There were over twenty elf sentinels at the entrance of the station but none stopped Anfey. They even greeted him with smiles. It might have been either because he walked with Catherine or they sensed the nature feeling from Aney.

The atmosphere in the elves' station was light and happy. The appearance of elves was quite different than humans'. Anfey had the illusion of coming to a Miss Elf show in a modern internet game. The male elves walking by Anfey were handsome while females were pretty. In comparison to humans, elves would have definitely stood out. They were all fit. None of the elves was overweight. They all looked like models.

The elves Anfey passed neither doubted him nor looked at him with doubt. They all greeted him with their smiles. Some even greeted and talked to Catherine. Everything seemed to be good, but Anfey felt some uneasiness.

Elves made the whole station into a green place with grass, trees and ponds. They played in the forest or next to the ponds. They were only soldiers when they had to pick up their weapons to fight, but they were not good warriors. Once they put down their weapons, they became innocent kids again. For the older elves, some seemed to focus on cutting seals, some chanted their own poems while others gathered to listen to other older elves tell them old legends.

Anfey felt nothing was related to war. Elves loved nature and life. When not forced, most elves did not want to hurt others.

Humans usually lived in a world with one foot in chaos and the other foot in order. It was hard to tell which person was nice and which was evil. Elves were all very pure and innocent. They were not as complicated as humans.

After Anfey came to this world and became Saul's student, he had to act in the interests of the whole group. He believed that everyone could have been divided into three categories: friends, enemies and strangers, no matter if it was a he or she, or if they were beautiful or ugly, nice or evil. Anfey heard many stories about elves. He knew the nature of the elves, but he killed them without any hesitation or mercy when it came to the bottom line.

If Anfey knew Bruzuryano before Saul and received his help, he might have prioritized his interests and thought of him and the elves first. They might have even been friends fighting together in this battle.

Anfey was not a cold person. It had nothing to do with whether the person was male or female, beautiful or ugly, nice or evil when it came to making friends. There was a saying that everything was tied up in their common interests. This saying had been overused but it was the truth.

"It is just ahead of us." Catherin turned around and smiled at Anfey.

"Okay." Anfey nodded with smiles. At the same time, he slowed his pace a little.

"Are you tired?" Catherine asked with concern.

"No, I am not tired. I just feel something is going to happen," Anfey said.

"What is going to happen?" Catherine asked.

"Listen," Anfey said.

Catherine focused on listening but did not hear anything. When she was about to ask Anfey again, waves of yelling came from everywhere. The League of Mercenaries started their attack.

The order Anfey gave to the League of Mercenaries was quite simple— take over Blackwater City at any cost!

Not everyone was able to be a leader. First of all, he would have to have the ability to take risks and let things go. Sometimes, he would have to fight with everything he had. There was a saying that the braver one won if two met to fight. Sometimes he had to suffer. Good leaders had to be able to see hope as in the saying, "where there was life, there was hope." Anfey did not mean to take revenge on the elves. The reason he gave the order to take over Blackwater City at any cost was for the sake of his long-term goal.

The time when four supreme mercenary groups dominated the Country of Mercenaries had passed. Anthony and Marino worked for Anfey. Batusimon swore his loyalty to Yolanther. At this moment, the League of Mercenaries and Tiger Tawau's mercenary group competed on equal terms. They both had less than one quarter of the mercenaries in the Country of Mercenaries. Many mercenaries had been waiting and watching.

Many mercenaries might have made misjudgments on the current situation and taken stance with Tiger Tawau's mercenary group after Baery lost his battle and the League of Mercenaries had to flee from Scarlet. Anfey worried that Tiger of Tawau's mercenary group grew very fast as the League of Mercenaries did before. If the League of Mercenaries was able to defeat Tiger of Tawau's mercenary group, everything else would have been easy. No matter if it was Scarlet, druids or elves, they would lose their advantage in the Country of Mercenaries. They would receive resistance from the mercenaries. By then, if Anfey called for those mercenaries, they definitely would join the League of Mercenaries to fight for him.

Therefore, that night, Mourtta and Hotchbini had to die.

After understanding Anfey's intentions, the temporary chief in command, Kumaraghosha made a life threatening plan. Other than Anfey's bodyguards, reserves under Kumaraghosha's leadership started attacking Blackwater City from all directions. Anfey's bodyguards would not have stayed behind for long. Once the reserves had a breakthrough, they would have gone over to help.

"Damn it!" Catherine's face changed when she heard the yelling. She had no time to take care of Anfey. She ran straight forward. "Hey, guys, assemble, hurry up!"

Blackwater City did not prepare for the battle. They thought Anfey would definitely retreat. They did not think his 20,000 mercenaries would have been a match for Scarlet's military. It was impossible. Scarlet had griffin riders. No matter who became the griffin riders' target, they would have no hope to escape.

The whole station was in chaos. Elves ran over hurriedly to the grass and lined up. Anfey observed with his sensing ability, but he did not find the sunset archer he fought a few days ago. There was a saying that "birds of a feather flock together and things of one kind came together." The sunset archer should have been with Manstuly but was not in the station.

Elves lined up according to their positions. Dozens of archers lined up in the front and discussed something nervously. Catherine was one of them. Soon, a male elf was selected as the temporary Chief in Command. He raised his voice and gave out an order.

"Catherine, where are you going?" Anfey asked at the top of his voice.

Catherine turned around quickly and saw Anfey. "Feyan, the battle is going to start. You'd better stay here. Don't go out. It is dangerous outside."

"Don't go!" Anfey walked towards Catherine as he talked. He never had the chance to be friends with elves and learn about their lives. There was no doubt that Anfey thought Catherine was silly, but her innocent and carefree personality had won his heart. He thought he was stupid, but he still wanted try to save these silly elves.

"What?" Catherine looked surprised.

"Catherine, who is he?" the temporary Chief in Command asked when he noticed Anfey.

"This is Mr. Feyan. He is a good friend of Paglia and Yalbevin," Catherine explained to him immediately.

"Mr. Feyan," the temporary Chief in Command seemed very nice, "don't go anywhere else. It's best to stay here for your safety." He did not seem to be a good pick since he blindly trusted Anfey after only an introduction from his peer.

"Catherine, don't you remember the message from Mauso?" Anfey asked slowly. "Mr. Mauso asked me to pass a message on to you that Bruzuryano signed a Peace Agreement with Yolanther. As long as you do not join the battle, the League of Mercenaries will not hurt you."

The elves were all shocked. The temporary Chief in Command looked cold. "Mr. Feyan, are you from the League of Mercenaries?"

"No, I am the messenger of Mr. Mauso," Anfey said.

"Mr. Feyan, this is our business. You do not have to worry about it." The temporary Chief in Command looked nice again. "You do not know the whole story yet. Many elves were killed by the League of Mercenaries. There was a saying from humans that 'blood is for blood.' Our elves have endured much. This time, we will not let them take advantage of us."

"Well." Anfey heaved a slight sigh. The next moment, the pitch-black sky became as bright as daylight. A twisted silver snake shot down from the sky and covered a radius of dozens of meters.

Chapter 496: Conflicts

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Elves weren't great at defense and couldn't do much to protect themselves from the serial lightning.

Anfey was a very cruel person. Even though he felt guilty, he still did not want to waste time talking to the elves after being rejected.

All the archers in the camp were victims of his attack. Because most of the elves were in the same area, it saved Anfey a lot of time. The lightning could easily strike several elves at once, leaving them either dead or paralyzed and unable fight.

As the lightning dimmed, Anfey readied himself for another spell.

Dark red light shone through the ground, followed immediately by the formation of a large lava pool. Usually, lava pools have no effect on elves. However, a lot of the elves were unable to move and unable to get away from the lava.

Most of the elves' faces showed great confusion and fear, which made Anfey feel very guilty about what he was doing. He turned his face away so he wouldn't be distracted.

"No!" a voice distracted Anfey. He turned and saw a male elf running towards him.

Anfey knew the elf. He was one of the best archers there. Seeing his companions and friends dying, he was clearly very distraught and did not think about what he was doing. He was an archer and should keep his distance, but he was running towards his opponent.

Usually, archers weren't the most brave people. Only swordsmen had the guts to run towards their enemies because they were well-protected by their combat power. Archers should be calm and collected in order to assess a situation. Clearly, this elf had forgotten that he should remain calm.

Anfey sighed. He streaked through the air towards the elf, elements forming into a small storm around him.

The elf saw Anfey's face but he did not recognize him immediately. It was only after he saw the elemental storm around him that he remembered who Anfey was.

The elf tried to change his path and nocked an arrow. He was one of the best archers among the elves and had the ability to attack under any circumstances. However, both Anfey and he were very fast, and by the time he wanted to change his course, it was too late.

Anfey summoned his axe as the elf released a beam of green light. Anfey and the elf crashed into each other, both disappearing in a cloud of debris. A moment later, Anfey's figure reappeared, standing tall, but the elf was already limp on the ground.

The elves that were standing nearby were spared, but had lost all will to fight after seeing the death of their commanders and their squad leader. Elves did not like fighting in the first place. Without someone to command them, all they wanted to do was leave.

The northwestern corner of Blackwater City was also under attack. Countless fireballs, lightning, and wind blades were hurled at someone standing on the city wall. The figure did not move to avoid being hit. Instead, he simply raised his arms and deflected the attack. "Suzanna!" he bellowed. "Are you so cowardly that you won't even face me?"

"Save it," Anthony called in return. "I never thought you would stoop so low! Where is your fairness when you attacked Suzanna?"

"Anthony!" Manstuly called back. "You're the one to talk! You're just Anfey's lapdog! A dog, I say!"

"Better a lapdog than a dead one like you," Anthony replied calmly.

Manstuly was very rude, and his words would have angered another more narrow-minded person. However, Anthony did not let the words bother him. He was fighting with Suzanna not only because he was trying to break into the city, but also because he was trying to protect Suzanna. He knew that the only person Manstuly hated enough among them was Suzanna. Even if Suzanna agreed to fight against Manstuly, Anthony would try to stop or help her.

Anthony's history with Suzanna and Anfey not had been a good one. His wife tried to kill Alice, and Mourtta tried to plant a seed of doubt in Anthony's heart by sending Otto with a secret. However, Antony had already betrayed Ellisen Empire. He was a mercenary, but he did not like betrayal. He would not betray Yolanthe again. Anfey's reaction to Nishieva's plan made Anthony trust him. Anfey must have known Nishieva was part of the plan to kill Alice, but he didn't do anything. This was why Anthony decided that Anfey was a good man to work with.

Entos's figure flashed into existence behind Manstuly and slashed at him with a dagger. Manstuly ducked easily and Entos disappeared from the city walls again.

"What are we waiting for?" Entos asked as he reappeared, waving his dagger.

Christian smiled, then turned and gave an order to the mages. He only had about a hundred mages with him, but the combined power of a hundred mages was still a significant threat. The mages raised their hands and chanted together. A large bolt of lightning crackled into existence and struck Manstuly.

Lightning spells were very dangerous, even Anfey could not get away from a lightning spell. Manstuly had gone berserk, but he was still a little bit slower than lightning.

Anthony waved his sword and he burst into light with combat power. He dashed towards the city. Suzanna followed right behind, bursting into light as well.

Entos disappeared, then reappeared behind Manstuly, stabbing at him with his dagger. Even someone like Manstuly was not immune to the paralyzing effects of lightning spells. Entos was just a mage, but he was still able to stab Manstuly and injure him.

Before Manstuly could react, Anthony and Suzanna were upon him, light from their combat power blinding.

Christian watched from afar, ready to attack. He sighed, remembering the first time he met Manstuly. He knew that things had came to this because of Manstuly's ambition, but he still felt bad.

Chapter 497: Farewell

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Anfey walked through the elves' camp slowly. Due to the death of their commander and the destruction of the camp, the elves had lost their will to fight. All they were trying to do was the escape. Since the elves did not want to fight anymore, Anfey did not try to kill them. He knew that the elves no longer posed a threat. Whenever an elf blocked his way, he pushed him out of the way.

Anfey closed his eyes and expanded his mind, inspecting the situation in Blackwater City.

Suzanna and Anthony were fighting with Manstuly. Their strength was on par with Manstuly's, and they had the help of hundreds of mages. However, Manstuly was able to defend himself and attack despite being injured.

Anfey could tell that Manstuly's life force was draining quickly. He did not know what Manstuly did, but he clearly gained more power at the expense of his own life force.

He was using one of the rarest forbidden spells. The spell, referred to as "Madness," was rarely used in combat because the price the spell caster had to pay in order to use it. However, Manstuly knew that it was impossible for him to take on two top level powers and hundreds of mages at once. No one, including Anfey, was able to achieve something like that. He needed to boost his strength because that was the only way he had a chance.

Anfey frowned. Manstuly focused his attention on Suzanna, who was at a disadvantage because of his use of Madness. Luckily, Anthony was there fighting alongside Suzanna, and Manstuly's life force was draining. He wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

The League was winning in other parts of the battle as well— the only exception being the eastern front, which was led by Shinbella.

Both Mourtta and Hotchbini were fighting on the eastern front. Because their closeness, the two were able to coordinate the battle better than common mercenaries. This was how they were able to defend the city against Shinbella for so long. Anfey opened his eyes and rose into the air, heading towards the eastern side of the city.

The eastern front was the bloodiest front of the entire battle. Mourtta stood on the city wall, watching the League's mercenaries retreat. He was wounded and most of his men were dead. He stared at the enemies, unsure of how long he could last.

Hotchbini was sitting nearby, cradling the body of her child. She turned to Mourtta and whispered, "Do you hate me?"

"What?" Mourtta asked, caught off guard by her question.

"This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for me," Hotchbini said with a sigh. "Do you hate me?"

Mourtta smiled and shook his head. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her cheek. "You haven't changed," he said softly.

"What?" Hotchbini asked with a frown.

"You might have insisted, but I made the choice. I made a conscious decision, knowing full well how risky it would be. We aren't people who will settle for mediocrity." Mourtta sighed and glanced at the enemy army. "So we lost. That is part of life. I just hope that the gods will not separate us after we die." Mourtta did not spare a glance for their dead son but stared lovingly only at his wife.

Hotchbini did not cry when her trusted guards died in front of her. She did not cry when her son died, either. However, Mourtta's words brought tears to her eyes. She might have lost everything, but she would have the man she loves until the very end.

"You're right," Hotchbini said, her voice shaking. "We made a choice. We did. But our children are innocent. Take them and go."

"Why?" Mourtta asked, shaking his head. "The mercenaries looked up to me. They trusted me. I cannot throw that away. I cannot run. I am but a man. I am old now, but you still have many years to live. Take the children with you. As long as you are alive, the elves will help them."

"Me?" Hotchbini said with a laugh. "No. The elves lost many lives because of me. I cannot go back to them like this." She was ashamed by the consequences her actions brought about. Even if the elves were willing to take her in, she would not stay. She was the one that pushed Mourtta to oppose Anfey. She could not bear the thought of leaving him.

"Don't be childish," Mourtta said softly. His words were interrupted by a sudden wave of shouts and stomping. He turned and saw the mercenaries charging towards the city again, led by Shinbella. He turned back to Hotchbini and said, "Please, listen to me. We cannot let our children die with us. Think for them!"

Mourtta turned just in time to see an arrow fly past him and plant itself in Hotchbini's chest. She gasped in pain and raised her hand towards him. A second later, her hand fell back to her side and she stilled.

"No!" Mourtta cried out in pain. He flung himself to her side, holding her in his arms. The mercenaries around them watched with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Mourtta held her tight to him and became quiet. Anfey watched in silence. He sensed Mourtta's pain and pitied him. He wanted to give Mourtta a moment to say goodbye.

Mourtta raised his head and sighed. "It's for the best," he said, his voice quivering. "All these years… I should have treated you better." He leaned in a left a soft kiss on her forehead. "Wait for me," he whispered. Then he turned and glanced towards the battlefield. He saw Anfey standing not far behind the mercenaries with a longbow in his hand. He sighed and jumped off of the city wall, dashing towards Anfey.

Sensing Mourtta's anger, Anfey raised his bow and aimed an arrow at him. As the arrow flew towards him, Mourtta did not summon his combat power. Instead, he closed his eyes and recalled the time he spent with Hotchbini over the years.

When the arrow pierced his body and he fell to the ground, Mourtta was smiling, finally free to join the woman he loved.

Chapter 498: Mistakes

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After the effects of the forbidden spell faded, Suzanna was able to kill Manstuly easily. After the battle, the League was able to take over Blackwater City very easily.

Even though the League had lost a large number of mercenaries, it was still the first proper battle. The mercenaries did not stop fighting after that and went into the city to look for more fights.

Mourtta controlled the city very well and did not allow anyone who wasn't a fighter to stay. Because of this, it was very easy to find mercenaries in the streets of Blackwater City.

The battle lasted until early morning. The mercenaries finally grew tired and could not find any more opponents. By morning, most of the mercenaries in the city were killed by Anfey's mercenaries, and the only people left in the city were women, children, and the elderly.

"What should we do with the elves?" Ye asked.

"What do you mean?" Anfey asked with a frown. "You want them dead?"

"We can't kill them," Christian said hurriedly. "They surrendered. Murdering prisoners of war will damage our reputation."

"We must leave by noon," Ye argued. "Bringing them along will only slow us down."

"It's better if we keep them and sell them," Anthony said. "We need the money."

"Don't you remember? You owe Bruzuryano a favor," Alice suddenly said. "If you let those elves live and give them to Bruzuryano, you can at least repay some of that favor."

Christian smiled when he heard Alice. He knew that Anfey listened to Alice, and Alice had a solid reason not to kill the elves. Anfey had admitted that he would never have been as powerful as he was without Bruzuryano's direct help. He didn't like owing someone else a favor, and he would surely accept Alice's plan.

"Alright," Anfey said with a quick nod. "Take those elves with us, then."

"What if they slow us down?"

"You have mercenaries working for you. Figure out a way," Anfey said.

Ye nodded. "Another thing. There are 37 merchant groups in the city. Lady Alice told me to protect those merchants, but my men discovered that all those groups are more or less connected to Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. Should we still protect them?"

"I need you to protect them because I can think ahead," Alice said. "We are mercenaries, not robbers. What do you want me to do without merchants? Are you willing to give up your men to farm?"

"Who knows what will happen in the future?" Anfey said, shaking his head. "How many groups are hiding people from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group?"

"We found one," Ye said. "I suspect a few others, but I don't have a reason to search them."

"You don't have a reason?" Anfey asked, amused.

Ye blinked, then nodded. "I see," he said.

"No merchants will want to deal with us," Alice said, shaking her head.

"We will find some that will," Anfey said. He turned to Alice and asked, "Have you ever fought in a battle?"

"Me?"

"Yes. When Shansa Empire was fighting Maho Empire. Have you ever been to the battlefield?"

"No."

"I have," Anfey said. "I've been to Blackania City after the war, and I've seen Violet City after the war, as well. Do you know what I saw there?"

"What did you see?"

"I saw carnage. Destruction. Death. People have nothing. Even people's lives cease to be their own. After everything you've been through, you should know better than any of us how cruel, how evil humans can be. If you have a chance, you can go around and see that in a place like this, no one has any rights."

Anfey created the League and he knew it well. He knew that even though there were rules, none of the rules were strictly reinforced. The League was still too young and needed time to settle down. Back in Stormenburg, where strict laws were in place, some mercenaries still caused chaos by fighting each other and assaulting women. Here in Blackwater City, that was almost inevitable.

Alice frowned. Unlike Suzanna, who was a fighter, Alice was a manipulator and had almost never killed anyone. After she killed her attacker in White Mountain City, she was plagued by nightmares. Of course she knew what it must look like outside, and she did not want to see it.

"Truthfully speaking, even Christian must know it's impractical to protect all the merchants."

"What?" Christian asked, frowning. "What does that have to do with me?"

Anfey turned to Ye and asked, "What happened after you sent the mercenaries to protect the merchants?"

"A lot of the mercenaries wanted to get into the merchant groups' establishments," Ye said. "There were some small fights between the mercenaries and my men, but nothing serious."

"That's why I told him to protect the merchants! Was I wrong?"

"Of course not," Anfey said. "Don't let anyone get near those buildings. We need to protect those buildings because they contain valuable resources we can use."

Alice opened her mouth to argue, but Christian hurriedly cut her off. "He's right," Christian said. "Don't worry about the merchants anymore."

"When are we leaving?" Anthony asked. "I don't want to delay too much."

"Noon," Anfey said. "Give them some time to rest. Ye, take care of those merchants. You can have the carts when we leave."

Ye nodded.

"Alice," Anfey called, smirking. "Why don't you go take a walk with Ye?"

Alice frowned. She knew that Anfey thought she was weak and scared of the violence. She was very proud and did not like it when people looked down on her. "Sure," she said, holding her head high.

"Wait, really?" Anfey asked, surprised by her answer.

Chapter 499: Compensation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The League set out from Blackwater City a little past noon. Even though the mercenaries were exhausted from the battle the day before, they were excited about the victory.

On the bank of Blackwater River, Anfey hosted a solemn funeral. Over a thousand mercenaries and four thousand members of the Shield of Light Legion were killed during the battle at Blackwater City.

Manstuly was proud and powerful and his men were the same. Even though the wolf druids were scattered throughout and around the city, all the druids put up a fight. All the druids kept fighting until they were no longer able to.

Tiger Tawau's mercenaries were not as fearless as the druids. A lot of newly recruited mercenaries surrendered after Mourtta and Hotchbini were killed, but almost all the older mercenaries kept on fighting long after their leaders were dead.

The mercenaries and druids were fearless because they knew that if they lost, they still would have died. It was more honorable to die on the battlefield with a sword in hand than to die as captives and prisoners. This made them more resolute and determined.

There were two kinds of funerals in the world. Traditionally, people preferred to be buried. After the first war against the dead, however, a lot of people began burning their dead to prevent the necromancers from using the dead bodies in future wars. The Church of Light also encouraged its followers to burn the dead bodies for this reason. The mercenaries did not like the Church, but they agreed on the matter of burning bodies. Mercenaries were used to death and it was easier for them to burn the bodies than to dig graves.

Anfey had his men line up all the dead bodies along the banks of the river, then ordered the mages to burn the bodies. The bank of the river burned more brightly than the noon sun. After almost an hour and a half, the fire died down slowly. When the temperature cooled, the mercenaries began cleaning the riverbank, scattering the ashes into the water of Blackwater River. It was impractical for the mercenaries to bring the ashes with them because Scarlet was still chasing after them. It was better to scatter the ashes than to spend time and sort through it. That would have been too much work and the mercenaries would have been taking the risk that Scarlet's men might have discovered them.

Anfey also knew that he had no time to waste. The mage Scarlet had with her, Douminge, had peaked Anfey's interest. He had asked Suzanna what it felt like being struck by the lightning guard spell. According to Suzanna, the lightning itself wasn't scary, it was the numbing effects the spell had that were deadly. As soon as she was struck by the spell, she had lost all mobility. Anfey was able to defend himself against magic better than Suzanna, but not by much. Before he could find a way to defend himself and his men against Douminge's lightning spell, he had to avoid Scarlet and her army. He did not want to lead the mercenaries into a battle only for them to lose their ability to fight.

"We have to go now," Christian came over to Anfey and said.

"I know," Anfey said with a frown. He glanced at the river and said, "Christian, take the mercenaries and go."

"What?" Christian asked, confused.

"I told Baery that I killed Scarlet," Anfey said with a deep frown. "I was too confident. What happened today was my fault."

"Didn't we talk about this already? You did kill her. She came back to life," Christian said hurriedly.

"But I cannot accept that," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I have to do something to fix this."

"You're not planning on assassinating her again, are you?" Christian said, his eyes wide. "Your last attempt must have raised the security measures around her. This is no different from committing suicide."

"I'm not stupid," Anfey said with a smile.

"Then what are you…"

"Edward the Eighth has sent out his Guardian Knights and six squadrons of griffin knights. He wants to occupy the Transverse Mountains and cut off Baery's escape route," Anfey said. "We have to recognize just how brilliant Scarlet is. She has already foreseen this and planned ahead. She predicted exactly what would happen next. I'm certain the Guardian Knights will arrive first."

"You want to take out the Guardian Knights and the griffin knights?" Christian asked with wide eyes.

"Not take them out," Anfey said, shaking his head. "I know my limits. I just want to slow them down."

"How?"

"I don't have a plan yet," Anfey said with a shrug.

Christian sighed. He knew that Baery would not blame Anfey, but the nobles back in Sacred City might. Anfey had to do something to right the wrong in order to protect his reputation.

Christian knew Anfey very well and he knew that he could not stop him.

"You're not taking Suzanna with you?"

"No," Anfey said, shaking his head. He wanted to protect Suzanna and keep her away from harm, even though she was a top level power like himself. He didn't want to drag her into more trouble.

"You're going alone, then?"

"Don't say anything to her," Anfey whispered. "Knowing her, she would want to follow me. Make up an excuse and take her with you."

Chapter 500: Ambush

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Anfey lied on the grassy ground and stared at the sky. The weather was turning warm and grass was turning green again. Small flowers dotted the ground. Spring was in the air.

A few dark specks appeared in the sky. Anfey narrowed his eyes when he detected the griffins. There were less than a dozen griffins, each mounted by a rider. The lance of a griffin knight was longer than a regular knight's, and each had a short crossbow.

Shansa Empire was known for producing the most powerful crossbows. This was because equipping the griffin knights with crossbows made the knights much more effective. After Shansa Empire realized how well crossbows worked in battle, the entire division was reformed and several different variations of griffin knights emerged, including the mage griffin knights.

Mage griffin knights were much more effective than normal griffin knights, however, because of the complicated process of taming a griffin, there were very few mage griffin knights. If Shansa Empire found a way to increase the number of their mage griffin knights and combine it with their Dark Moon Magic Legion, Shansa Empire could very well take over the entire world, and no one could do anything about it.

Griffin knights were not as good as normal knights at defending themselves. Even though the griffins themselves were very strong and could stand against most magical attacks, the knights needed to wear as little armor as possible so they wouldn't tire out the griffins during long flights.

Griffins had very sharp eyesight and spotted Anfey from far away. The griffins lowered themselves and circled over Anfey.

One of the griffin knights finished all the alcohol in his small flask and threw the empty flask at Anfey. The flask was silver and worth a fortune. The knights around him laughed.

The griffin knights were high in the air, and the chances of the flask reaching Anfey were very slim. However, this griffin knight seemed to have particularly good aim. Anfey had to roll out of the way at the last minute to avoid being hit by the flask. The griffin knights watched with amusement.

Anfey dusted himself off and straightened his body, then he turned and fired an arrow into the air, though the arrow did not reach the griffins. Clearly, he was angered by the griffin knight's action.

Seeing this, the griffin knight grew very angry because he did not intend to harm anyone, yet Anfey still tried to fire an arrow at him. He was the heir to a noble house and could not tolerate any actions against him.

He gripped the reins of his griffin and dove towards the ground. A few other griffin knights shouted and followed him. Sensing his rider's emotions, the griffin bared its sharp claws and screeched.

Anfey stood very still and watched calmly as the griffins flew towards him.

The shadow grew larger and larger until the griffin landed a few paces away from Anfey. The knight pulled on the reins and stopped the griffin's motion. "What in hell was that?" the griffin knight called out.

Anfey glanced at the sky and frowned. He knew that there were thirteen griffins, but only five landed in front of him. Clearly, the other seven had no interest in what was happening on the ground.

"That was against the law!" the rider said loudly. He jumped off of the griffin and marched over to Anfey. The other four knights stayed on their griffins and did not move to join him.

This particular knight was still young and inexperienced. An older knight would have never actually landed and talked to Anfey.

"Which nation's law?" Anfey asked. He wanted to stall so the other seven griffin knights would join the five, but clearly that wasn't possible.

"You know exactly which one," the griffin knight hissed. "I challenge you!" he said, drawing his sword. He could tell that Anfey was wearing a mage's robe and did not take him seriously. Archers and mages were no match for a knight in close range combat.

"A duel?" Anfey asked. "With just you or all of you?"

"My lord, hurry," one of the knights called. "We don't have much time to delay."

The knight nodded and turned to Anfey, lunging at him with his sword.

Anfey reached out and grabbed the sword, wrenching it out of the knight's hand. The knight was surprised by the mage's strength and froze. Anfey took advantage of the man's surprise and smacked the man in the face with the hilt of the sword. Then he grabbed the sword and slammed it into his neck.

The knight stumbled back a few steps then crumbled to the ground. Anfey turned to the remaining four knights and waved his hand. He was very calm, as if he had not just murdered someone.

The four remaining knights watched with a mixture of shock, horror, and surprise. They were still well-trained soldiers, however, and reacted very quickly. They first released a signal for aid, then grouped into pairs and flew towards Anfey.

Anfey waved his hand and summoned two firebirds. The firebirds crashed into the griffins, turning the first two griffins into balls of flame. Griffins were immune to most magical attacks, but they were not strong enough to stand against a close range attack.

The other two griffin knights hesitated when they saw their companions being attacked, and Anfey quickly used that to his advantage. He jumped towards the griffin to his left and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying in the opposite direction, taking its rider with it. The remaining griffin knight wanted to fly away, but before he could get too far, Anfey caught up to him and brought the stolen sword down on him and his griffin.

Chapter 501: Determined

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Roaring Dead Legion had already set up its camp next to the Blackwater River. The Legion had just crossed the river and needed rest. Scarlet's army was getting closer and the Legion's escape became increasingly difficult. Without proper rest, the Legion couldn't have held on for much longer. The Blackwater River did not pose a problem to the Roaring Dead Legion and would not have been a problem to Scarlet. A simple spell would have helped the entire army cross with ease.

Baery was in his tent with most of his commanders. He was wearing a simple robe, his armor discarded. He had bandages wrapped around his chest bloodstains on them. He joined the battle himself in order to fend off Scarlet's knights and the griffin knights.

Baery and Saul were top-level powers, but they were severely outnumbered by Scarlet's men. Even though they had reached their destination, Baery had lost more than half of his best soldiers. Even he was injured during the fight.

"General, we have to go faster," Shawn said quietly. "If we don't, Scarlet's men will block us."

"How?" Baery said with a cough. "Maybe we can reach the Transverse Mountains before the Guardian Knights, but what then? All they need to do is charge and we are as good as dead."

"But we won't even reach the mountains at this rate."

"Scarlet's plan is meticulous," Saul said. "She is smarter than we had expected. Right now, we're like starving children and she has left us a poisoned apple. If we eat the apple, we will die. If we don't, we will still die."

The tent fell silent. Saul was absolutely right and all the commanders knew that. If the army kept going at the same speed, it would have been surrounded by enemies. If the army sped up, the soldiers would have been exhausted and lost their ability to fight. No matter what Baery decided to do, it would have worked out in Scarlet's favor.

"I have an idea," Dalmatian said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"We can have Shield of Light Legion engage Scarlet's army," Dalmatian said slowly. "We just need them to slow her down a little. We need three days at most. This way, we can continue our plan. With you, my lord, and Lord Saul and Jacob, we can take on the Guardian Knights without a problem."

"You're asking me to sacrifice the Shield of Light Legion?" Baery asked.

Dalmatian looked down but did not say anything. The commanders whispered among themselves.

"Shield of Light Legion is composed of the Maho Empire's warriors," Baery said. "I will not sacrifice them, just like I will not sacrifice any of you."

Dalmatian sighed but did not say anything.

"General, the League's representative's here," one of the guards called.

"Let him in," Baery said. He straightened himself a little and winced in pain.

The flap of the tent opened and Long appeared. He bowed to Saul and turned to Baery.

"Forget about all that," Baery said hurriedly. "You are—" His words were drowned in a fit of coughs.

"I'm Long, sir," he said. "Are you… are you injured, sir?"

"It's minor," Baery said with a wave of his hands. "Don't worry about it. I heard about Anfey's attack on Blackwater City. How did it go?"

"We were successful," Long said. "Manstuly, Hotchbini, and Mourtta are all dead. The city is ours."

Baery smiled and nodded. "Impressive," he said.

"Lord Anfey told me to tell you, sir," Long said, "that he is on his way to stop the Guardian Knights."

"By himself?" Saul asked, concerned.

Long nodded.

"Nonsense," Saul said, shaking his head. "He's walking to his death."

"Lord Anfey said he will use his volcanic eruption scroll if it comes to it."

"Where did he get that?" Baery asked, surprised.

"From Michael, my lord," Long said. Saul sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"I think I know what he's doing," Saul said.

"What?"

"He must think it's his fault that Scarlet is alive and that we are walking into her trap," Saul said.

"But do you think he can take on the Guardian Knights and the griffin knights alone? Can he really use that scroll?" Baery asked, concerned.

"I know him," Saul said, closing his eyes. "He will achieve what he sets out to do. Don't worry about him."

The commanders glanced at each other and smiled. They had all heard of Anfey and his reputation. Saul's words had reassured them of his abilities.

"Are you not worried about him?" Baery asked. He knew very well how much Saul valued his students.

Saul opened his mouth but did not say anything. He turned to the commanders and said, "leave us for now. I have to speak with Baery."

The commanders nodded and left the tent, leaving Baery and Saul alone.

"What are you trying to do?" Saul lowered his voice and asked.

"What?"

"You cannot fool me," Saul said. "This is not how you would react to something like this." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Is this the order of His Majesty?"

Baery took a deep breath and shook his head, then he sat up and jumped off of the chair. He paced around and lowered his voice. "I had a letter from His Majesty," he said. Saul frowned as he listened to Baery recount Yolanther's plan.

"If you already know what will happen, then why…"

"I don't want to sacrifice my soldiers, either," Baery said. "But think about it. How long will it take you to set up a magic array like that?"

"Fifteen days, at least."

"Which means that Douminge has been working on this since the day after Scarlet was assassinated," Baery said. "Who would have thought that Scarlet could predict where the battlefield would be that early? I really did underestimate her."

"So you really did lose?"

"Of course," Baery said. "It's not something I can't admit. We all must lose at some point. Scarlet knew the land, but she won't have that advantage any longer."

Chapter 502: One Man's Fight

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Anfey dashed along the road next to the mountain. He looked very dirty and his robes were bloodied and worn. Only his boots were still good as new. The boots were made from the skin of a manticore and were virtually indestructible.

He had already spent three days fighting with the griffin knights and the guardian knights. He didn't have time to stop and sleep or eat for three days. There were very few people in the world who could have managed what he was doing.

Luckily for him, the Heart of Nature aided him in his endeavor. Because of the Heart of Nature, he was able to be more in sync with nature and use nature's energy to support himself. Despite having the support of nature's energy, he was still not in the best shape. He was tired, but he was still awake enough to keep his mind working.

The griffin knights were tougher than he had expected, which was why he hadn't fought all of them head on. He resorted to ambushing them once in a while, then running before he could be surrounded. Another tactic he employed was keeping his distance and firing arrows or using magic. The griffins knights were very frustrated with him but couldn't do anything because they could not find him.

Even though there were a lot of guardian knights and griffin knights and the few Anfey killed would not make a difference in the long run, it was still causing fear and frustration among the knights. Seeing their friends and companions dying was wearing down on the knights' nerves. They were exasperated and were desperately trying to find Anfey.

Behind Anfey, a dozen dark specks appeared in the sky. In the middle of the formation flew Nahada, one of the commanders. Nahada had had a tough three days. At first, when he heard that Anfey was attacking the knights, he was very excited. Griffins were used to flying for a long time without losing speed. No human could compete with the griffins when it comes to stamina and speed. Even a swordsman could not keep using his combat power for too long.

He spent a whole day chasing Anfey to no avail. At the end of the day, his griffin only ate a small dinner and fell asleep, clearly exhausted. During the night, Anfey ambushed their campsite. Nahada's men saw and reported everything to him. This planted a seed of doubt in Nahada's heart.

On the second day, his attitude clearly changed. He stopped encouraging his soldiers and remained mostly quiet.

On the third day, he was very angry. One of his cousins died to protect him, and he was very angry. He clenched his teeth and was clearly trying to keep his temper in check.

Anfey jumped off of a boulder and turned left sharply.

"He's going back!" Nahada's deputy called. "Send the signal!"

The speed of a magic signal was much faster than Anfey, but the guardian knights ahead did not stop. They kept pressing on with their journey and did not even look up. The guardian knights were all well-trained soldiers, but they had seen too many warnings in the past three days, and they had become numb to the warnings.

Anfey rounded the hill and appeared. His speed increased, avoiding all the arrows from the griffin knights. He chased after the guardian knights, a storm of elements appearing around him.

"Allow me!" one of the guardian knights called when he spotted Anfey.

Several hundred knights left the main team. The knights turned around and rode towards Anfey. The knights had been avoiding direct conflict with Anfey for the past few days, but one of the leaders of the knights, Menkin, could not take this taunting any longer. He was one of the best knights in the world, but Anfey's reputation preceded him. He didn't believe in all the rumors, but he still couldn't risk his own knights in a hopeless fight. Now he was only retaliating because of how frustrated he was being treated like prey.

Anfey was clearly faster than the griffins. A little over a minute later, he had already reached the guardian knights. He did not know anything about the guardian knights, but he could see Menkin's combat power and knew he was a golden knight. As he approached the knights, Anfey waved his hands and summoned four firebirds.

The firebirds were very fast. This was Anfey's way of testing the knights' speed and the strength of their combat power. Only the best and the fastest could get out of the firebirds' way in time.

The firebirds flew through the knights, turning a few into balls of fire. Anfey stopped where he was and turned around sharply, doubling back. He had three wounds on him because he had underestimated his opponents. He knew that he could have very well died on the first day if he hadn't spent time practicing teleportation.

Anfey knew that he was powerful, but still not powerful enough to face so many guardian knights and griffin knights at the same time. He had been trying to delay the knights without actually engaging them.

Menkin didn't care about the dying knights. His eyes were red and he increased his speed. He was much faster than his men.

By the time Anfey was ready to use magic, Menkin was already very close. He whispered a spell, and by the time he used another spell, Menkin had drawn even closer.

Nahada's eyes widened. If he could stall Anfey for even just a moment, Menkin would catch up to him. He turned and waved his arms, then gripped the reins of his griffin and dove towards the ground. The other griffin knights fell into formation behind him and began their descent.

Anfey's speed picked up again. The griffin knights' arrows all missed their mark and hit the ground. Anfey jumped towards the first griffin knight without a moment of hesitation.

Nahada's eyes widened. He saw Anfey drawing the magic sword again and remembered the serial lightning it could summon. He had lost more than a dozen knights to that sword and he couldn't risk it again.

"Split up!" he called to the other knights. The griffins all began to flap their wings, trying to get back into the sky. The knights around him lost their formation. Some griffins were flying upwards, some were flying to the sides, trying to keep the distance between themselves and the other knights.

Surprisingly, nothing happened. Anfey passed by under the knights without using the sword. He did not want to engage the knights because he wanted to fight the leader of the griffin knights, not just the regular ones.

Chapter 503: Aid

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Zhaji Mountain was about two hundred miles away from the Transverse Mountains. The Transverse Mountains were the largest mountain chain in the world, and had a lot of smaller mountains, like Zhaji Mountain, surrounding it. Zhaji Mountain was special, in that in order to reach the valley of the Transverse Mountains, one must go through Zhaji Mountain first. A single path ran through the Zhaji Mountains, and the path was surrounded by cliffs.

Anfey stood in the middle of the path, waiting for the arrival of the Guardian Knights. This was the place he picked to fight the incoming knights. The mountains limited the ability of the griffin knights, and he would not have to worry about them.

Anfey knew that this was his last chance to stall the Guardian Knights. The Zhaji Mountains' geography meant that he did not have to defend himself from enemies from all sides, only the enemies in front of him.

Anfey closed his eyes and searched through the valley. He could sense the Guardian Knights' scouts approaching the Zhaji Mountains. He frowned when he saw someone floating toward the Zhaji Mountains. Anfey did not know what Jacob was doing there, but he was glad to see a familiar face.

The scouts of the Guardian Knights approached very carefully. They would stop every few minutes to check that no one was waiting to ambush them. Compared to the knights, Jacob was much faster.

A few minutes later, Jacob appeared above the Zhaji Mountains. Seeing Anfey standing on the path, Jacob flew toward him, landing next to him.

"Lord Jacob," Anfey said with a smile. "What are you doing here?" Jacob was Saul's friend, and had helped him several times. Anfey had a lot of respect for the alchemist.

"So this is the place you picked," Jacob said, glancing around. "Saul was worried about you. He can't leave the army alone, so he asked me to come and check on you."

"Where are they now?"

"Not sure," Jacob said with a shrug.

"Not sure?" Anfey repeated, confused.

"I left them a long time ago," Jacob said. "Maybe they're already at Zagreen City? Like I've said. I don't really know."

"You left? Then how…" Anfey frowned and asked. If Jacob left early, then they should have met earlier as well.

"You want to fight them here, don't you?" Jacob ignored Anfey's question. "You don't have to waste so much energy. Come with me."

Anfey was a very cautious person, and knew when he should choose to trust someone. After a few seconds, he nodded. Jacob rose into the air and led him southward. To the south of was a large stretch of grassy plain. That was, in fact, the very reason why Anfey had chosen to ambush the knights here in the Zhaji Mountains.

After half an hour, Jacob stopped and landed next to Anfey. "Sensing anything?"

Anfey expanded his mind, searching through the area carefully. After a few minutes, he finally realized that a small piece of land, a few hundred feet away, was a bit strange. "You have a magic array here, my lord?" Anfey asked, surprised.

"You sensed it?" Jacob asked with a smile.

"I can't sense any magic surges," Anfey explained. "But it looks like someone had walked around there."

"Good," Jacob said. He turned toward the magic array with a frown and said, "Hopefully, they won't notice."

"There really is one?" Anfey asked. He was comforted by this knowledge.

Jacob nodded, still slightly concerned. "I can help you," Anfey offered. He used the power of the Heart of Nature, and the quickened the growth of grass around the magic array. Quickly, all traces of the magic array disappeared.

"What magic array is it, my lord?"

"You'll see," Jacob said with a smug look on his face.

"So, my work for the past few days was meaningless," Anfey said, shaking his head. Judging from Jacob's look, he must have set up a very powerful magic array. One powerful magic array can achieve so much more than what Anfey can achieve in a day.

"It's not," Jacob said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have time for that, if had it not been for you. You did not work in vain."

"You know what I was doing, my lord?"

"Of course I do."

"How?"

"I have friends," Jacob said with a wink.

"Friends?"

"Mauso," Jacob whispered. "He's got good eyes. He saw what you were doing and told me about it."

Anfey widened his eyes. He never thought someone was watching him when he was fighting those Shansa soldiers. The idea of being watched made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Don't bother looking," Jacob said, when he saw Anfey glancing around. "Mauso already left. He has his own business to take care of."

Jacob paused, then found a few scrolls from his dimensional ring and handed them to Anfey.

"Serial lightning?"

Jacob nodded. "After the Totem of the Fire God is activated, we still need to drive them back into the Zhaji Mountains."

Anfey nodded. He had read about the Totem of the Fire God before. He glanced at Jacob and asked, "Can that spell be used without an magic array?"

"It can be," Jacob said. "But it's hard because, you know, I'm not a mage. You want to learn how to set up magic array, don't you?"

Anfey nodded. He was not surprised that Jacob figured out what he wanted to ask.

"You can ask Hagan too. I've already taught him everything I know," Jacob said. "Of course, Saul is a better teacher than I am. His dimensional chaos magic array is one of the most powerful things I've ever seen."

"I've seen Christian do that," Anfey said. "It seems hard to get the timing right."

"Saul is a wise man," Jacob said. "He has made numerous changes to the magic array. You'll find out if you ask him." Jacob turned his gaze to the distance. "Get ready. They're coming."

Chapter 504: Luck

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The guardian knights finally entered the Zhaji Mountains. This day was a very strange day to them, because no one had set off any alarms the entire day. This was simultaneously a relief, yet at the same time, caused stress among the knights.

Above the tight ranks of the guardian knights were the griffin knights. The griffin knights were much better scouts than normal soldiers, but too many griffin knights had been lost in the past few days. This forced the griffin knights to change their tactics and their formation. They stopped joining in on battles and were only responsible for setting off alarms. Unless Anfey chased after them, they would not go after him.

The griffin knights had a much better view of the sky than the knights on the ground. After the guardian knights entered the Zhaji Mountains, one of the griffin knights spotted two dark specks in the sky. Griffins were intelligent magic beasts, but they are were intelligent enough to communicate with humans. However, the griffins could recall Anfey. They recognized one of the dark specks and screeched to warn their riders.

"That's Anfey!" one of the griffin knights called, setting off the alarm.

The two squads of griffin knights quickly changed their formation. They circled around, then turned to fly toward the opposite direction.

"Great," Jacob said, shaking his head. "Now they're spooked."

Jacob was powerful enough to set up another magic array to conceal Anfey and himself, but he needed the Totem of Fire God to be as powerful as possible, and they needed to be discovered by the knights for that. Jacob was counting on the knights banding together in the face of a threat. Now they were too scattered.

The Totem of Fire God was a very special kind of forbidden spell. It was very powerful and almost nothing could protect a man from its effects. For anyone who was not a top level power, getting hit by a Totem of Fire God spell meant certain death. Even a top level power would be injured.

"Should I go and get them closer?"

"The Totem of Fire God won't know the difference between friend and foe," Jacob said. "Let's wait."

The scouts did not want to approach Anfey and Jacob, but they had an order. They approached him slowly and carefully.

"This is the only way," Jacob said, seeing that some of the scouts and a few griffin knights were within range of the spell.

Jacob waved his hand, and suddenly, a fiery cloud appeared in the sky. The cloud formed into a fiery cyclone, swirling in the air. The cyclone burst into blinding light and divided into four smaller cyclones. At first, all four cyclones stayed close together, then the cyclones began spinning very fast before then pulling apart slowly. Meanwhile, the cyclones' spinning speed was increasing as well.

The cyclones became so fast that their edges became blurred. The light became so blinding that it was impossible to look directly at the cyclones, and the lights made the four cyclones look like they were one, despite their distance from each other. Everything the cyclones touched--trees, armors, riders--was all turned into ash within a few seconds.

The cyclones were so hot, even the air around them became scorching in temperature. The grassy ground were turned into a burnt crisp, the forest around it was set on fire. The Totem of Fire God spell's direct range of attack was very small, but its collateral damage was much larger than one would expect. Many of the scouts were on fire before they could even properly react.

In the distance, the knights summoned their combat power to protect themselves. However, their horses were not so lucky. After losing their horses, the knights did not hesitate in turning around and running away.

The Totem of the Fire God was a forbidden spell, and they knew Anfey couldn't use forbidden spells. This meant that Anfey had brought someone who could use forbidden spells. It was impossible for common knights to fight against an archmage.

The scouts were the lucky ones. They were closer to Anfey, and so were out of the range of the forbidden spell. However, they couldn't do anything because they did not want to provoke the archmage and Anfey. Their horses did not care for their riders' fears and were desperate to get away.

"Well," Jacob said. "My work here is done." He found two scrolls from his dimensional ring and handed them to Anfey. "Use these well."

"Teleportation?" Anfey's eyes widened. The scrolls were very useful, even though he could teleport with his own magic. "Do you have any more?"

"Don't be so greedy," Jacob said. "This is all I have."

"When will Hagan learn how to make serial lightning scrolls and teleportation scrolls?"

"He's young, and so are you," Jacob said. "Be patient."

Anfey frowned and scratched his head. Unlike Ernest, Jacob almost never gave a clear answer.

"How long do I have to wait?" Anfey asked. "Ten years?"

"It's better to use your own power than to use someone else's," Jacob said.

"You mean…"

"If you provide me the crystal, I can provide you with the scrolls," Jacob said.

"Yes!" Anfey said with a wide smile. "I have more crystals than I can use."

"I know," Jacob said. "I know how many crystals your League is hiding. That's why I asked."

"I just got a whole lot of crystals from Shansa Empire," Anfey said. "We'll talk more after." He jumped up and dashed toward the scouts. The scouts tried to get away from him, but he didn't start his massacre immediately. The scouts didn't know who was using the forbidden spell and did not want to rush into action.

Jacob watched from afar with a small smile. He had always been jealous of Saul for finding someone as talented as Anfey, but now he realized that he was wrong. Without Saul and Ernest, Anfey would have never trusted anyone. Without Saul's students, Anfey would have never learned what friendship or family meant. Without Yolanthe and Burzuryano, he would have never achieved what he had achieved. It wasn't Saul who was the lucky one. Anfey was the lucky one.

Chapter 505: Crimes

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Despite rigorous planning, the possibility for the unexpected to occur was always possible. Scarlet had met with the Guardian Knights, but the Roaring Dead Legion had reached the Transverse Mountains faster than she expected.

The atmosphere in the tent was deeply oppressive. The leader of the Guardian Knights, Menkin, was standing quietly in front of Scarlet, unsure of how to explain his mistake.

After a few minutes, Scarlet sighed and shook her head. The abilities of a ruler could sometimes determine the success of his subjects. Scarlet knew that she did not lose to Baery or Anfey. It was her king who had lost.

Yolanther had top level powers and so did Edward the Eighth. However, Yolanther knew how to utilize the powerful people who served him much better than Edward the Eighth did. The only top level power Edward the Eighth sent to the Country of Mercenaries was Douminge, while Yolanther had sent almost all the top level powers under his control.

Douminge once served as the royal family's mentor and was a good friend to the oldest prince and princess. Last year, Edward the Eighth wanted to marry the oldest princess off to the Country of Mercenaries but Douminge argued with him about it, after which Douminge quit being the mentor. After learning that the princess disappeared, Douminge swore that he would never serve Edward the Eighth again. Edward the Eighth learned that making the princess marry a mercenary was a bad idea. His actions had alienated Douminge.

Scarlet knew why Edward the Eighth was so stern on the matter, but that did not stop her from recruiting Douminge. Douminge liked her plans for the Shansa Empire and was willing to go with her to the Country of Mercenaries.

Douminge was the only top level power Scarlet was in control of. Even though the three dark knights she had were powerful, they were man made creatures created through alchemy and necromancy. It would not be hard to trick and destroy them.

Scarlet knew that the different between Edward the Eighth and Yolanther was that Yolanther knew how to utilize his resources. Because Edward the Eighth was not as skilled, she knew she would not receive help from his royal mages. Scarlet had control of the nation's army, if she had the support the top level powers, it would be easy for her to overthrow Edward the Eighth. Even though Scarlet had no such plan, Edward the Eighth's insecurities still made him worry.

The Guardian Knights suffered a defeat at Anfey's hand because of Edward the Eighth. If he had sent his two top level mages, it would not have happened.

"This is my fault, general," Menkin said with a sigh. "Please, you must punish me."

"It's not your fault," Scarlet said, shaking her head. Menkin had made the right choice in retreating. If he died, the Guardian Knights would be without their leader.

"But at least we drove out the Maho army," another commander said. "If we can control the magic crystals, we can wait it out."

Scarlet shook her head. "This is not all of Yolanther's power," she said. She wanted to destroy the Roaring Dead Legion because she knew how dangerous it was. If she could manage to destroy the legion, it would take out a large part of the Maho Empire's military power. If Yolanther turned his entire army on her, she would not be able to win the war.

"Then we should…"

"Go after them."

"Go after them?"

"Baery has almost never lost," Scarlet said. "If our informants are right, the defeat he suffered earlier by our hands made him question his abilities. We cannot allow him to recover. We have to take him out."

The commanders glanced at each other in silence.

Not only was Scarlet frustrated with Edward the Eighth's actions, she had a personal vendetta against Baery. If it wasn't for him, her mother would still be alive. She turned to her commanders, eyes wide with rage. "Deliver this order to your men…"

—

Anfey and Jacob finally returned to the League. Anfey hurried to find Christian and asked, "What happened? Why did you retreat with the Roaring Dead Legion? What are you doing here? Where's Alice?"

After the two successfully slowed the Guardian Knights, Anfey and Jacob originally planned to retreat into the Transverse Mountains. However, the two ran into a few druids and learned that the League went around Scarlet's army and was heading north.

Anfey was shocked by this. He had planned for the League to leave because those remaining in the Country of Mercenaries would have only made things difficult for the League.

"I'm here," Alice called. "Don't look at me. I didn't choose this."

Anfey frowned and turned to Christian. They were the only people who had enough authority to change his plan.

"I received the order from my father," Christian said. He retrieved a letter from his dimensional ring and handed it Anfey. He read through the letter and his eyes widened in shock.

"He gave us such an important job?"

"He gave it to us," a voice said. Anfey turned around and Saul appeared with two dozen mages. The mages behind Saul were wearing expensive robes and were armed from head to toe. Anfey stared in shock as he recognized the royal mages.

Chapter 506: Advantage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Baery led the Roaring Death Legion and the Shield of Light Legion away from the battle and Scarlet took her army into the Transverse Mountains. The two were observing each other carefully.

Scarlet was a very smart and calculating woman. She sent out all the griffin knights as scouts and had them patrol the area nonstop. No matter what Baery tried to do, the griffin knights were alert. Scarlet knew the mercenaries were up to something, but her most important task right now was the finish off Baery.

The League relaxed after learning that Scarlet had entered the Transverse Mountains with her army. The mercenaries returned to Zagreen City to wait for further orders.

In the past, Anfey never really understood how powerful Saul was. When he lived with Saul, he did not see Saul engage in any of the activities the other nobles engaged in, like having a large number of guards.

This time, he quickly learned what it really meant to have Saul's position. All the mages Saul brought with him were at least senior magisters, some were very close to becoming top level powers themselves. Without strength, no one could endure the strict training and fulfill the requirement to become a court mage. For a mage, becoming a royal mage was the highest honor. By becoming a court mage, a mage could even further improve his or her skills because working for the king could provide resources unaccessible otherwise.

Like the way Entos was known among the mercenaries, all the court mages were well-known figures before they started working for Yolanther.

The League's mages all looked up to the court mages. They wanted to speak with the court mages, but did not want to offend anyone.

Despite how strong they were, the court mages were all very respectful towards Saul. This was just another way to show how well-loved and powerful Saul was.

It was no wonder the mage's union rejected Phillip's request for aid after Saul's students fled Scared City. Phillip was powerful among the soldiers and the sword masters, but not the mages. No sensible mage would work against Saul. Dalmatian and Shawn's betrayal showed that even Phillip's closest students were abandoning him. He was losing power and could no longer stand against Saul.

Students were taught to respect and listen to their teacher, but they were also taught to have a mind of their own. Blindly following orders was foolish and was cautioned against. Anfey was in the wrong when he killed Zeda, but Zeda was not innocent either. It was Zeda who first forced his way into Saul's residence and tried to harm Saul's daughter, Niya.

Unlike Phillip, Saul would never show off anything in front of his students. Whenever he dined with his students, he would always act like their friends, not their mentor.

After the meal, the servants removed the empty dishes and left the room to allow them to talk more.

"Christian," Saul said. "How are you lately? How are your studies?" Saul treated all of his students equally, but he paid more attention to the ones that were further ahead.

Christian shook his head. "I'm used to them," he said. "I try to meditate whenever I can and I've learned a lot from actually using magic in real life."

Saul nodded. "Good," he said. "You are all very talented and should work harder. Look at Anfey. He started late, but he's now the best out of all of you."

"You can't compare us with him, Master Saul," Blavi complained. "He's different."

The other students laughed and agreed with him. In the past, the constant threat had made all the young mages too tense and too anxious for jokes. Now that Saul was here, the young mages had found a reason to relax.

Anfey's advances in magic had happened so fast that there were only a few other people like him in the entire history of the world. Asking common mages to follow his example was asking way too much.

"I don't think it's just his talent," Christian said. "We can't have his talent, but we can learn his level-headedness. He never lets his emotions get in the way of his thinking. Remember how we reacted to those two sisters? Remember how he reacted?"

The young mages all fell quiet. It wasn't just Christian. Everyone remembered the two sisters.

"What about the sisters?" Saul asked.

Christian quickly recounted the event to Saul. After listening to the tale, Saul smiled and glanced at Christian.

Most people did not know who Yolanther would have picked as his successor and that included Saul. However, Saul knew what kind of people Yolanther would have wanted to be in charge.

When Yolanther first took the throne, he tried to take power away from the nobilities and give power to the commoners. However, the noble class had been in power for too long and it was almost impossible to weaken it significantly. Yolanther always tried the best he could to maintain a balance between the power of the nobles and the power of the people.

Yolanther did not want a successor who would erase all of his hard work. He was less likely to choose a successor who was too entangled with the nobilities.

Saul knew Yolanther's sons well. Wester was a sly man who had tried to garner as much power as possible without his father noticing. When Yolanther faked his death, Wester tried to befriend as many nobles as possible. Despite having good connections in Sacred City, he was the least likely candidate for the throne.

Grandon was once the most likely candidate. However, he had been showing off too much lately and that made Yolanther very uncomfortable.

That left Christian, who had been out of the fight for the throne since the beginning. Christian did not like the nobles and was an experienced leader. However, Christian did not want to sit on the throne. Saul knew Christian would be a good king, but he couldn't do anything. Yolanther wouldn't allow anyone to interfere with his decision-making. If Saul suggested he pick Christian, it would only lessen the possibility of Christian being picked.

Saul sighed and turned to Anfey. He needed to take his mind off of the topic of Yolanther's successor. "Tell me something," he said. "I want to know more about how you are able to attract elements."

Chapter 507: Worries

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Saul's chants echoed throughout the night. Magic surges rippled around him.

Scarlet had left twenty thousand foot soldiers, and three thousand cavalry, before heading into the Transverse Mountains. The location was geographically important, as she had to plan for every outcome. Unfortunately, she did not take the appearance of Maho Empire's royal mages into account. A bloodbath was bound to happen this night.

Saul's chanting stopped. A ball of fog appeared in front of him, floating toward the army camp not far ahead. Saul had used a forbidden spell called the dimensional storm, which was one of the most powerful spellsThe fog floated toward the hill and was stopped when it reached them. The League's mages watched with a mixture of excitement and reverence.

The fog moved on from the hill. To the fear and shock of the onlookers, the top of the hill had disappeared, as if gnawed away by a monster. The fog kept floating down toward the camp. Everything the fog touched disappeared. There was no blood and no screaming, only a huge, empty void.

Anfey nodded to Christian, who quickly released a magic signal. The League's mercenaries quickly split into three groups, led by Anfey, Suzanna, and Anthony, then headed toward the camp.

The royal mages rose into the air, followed by the League's mages. The sight of so many mages in the air was very impressive. If Baery was here, he would have wondered why Scarlet had left soldiers outside the Transverse Mountains. However, neither Anfey nor Saul were as proficient as Baery when it came to military strategies. This showed how confident Saul and Anfey were.

The dimensional storm had cleared a path for the mercenaries. However, because of the slow speed of the fog, the soldiers in the camp were able to get out of its way before it could reach them.

The commanders in the camp did not panic at the sight of the fog, and hence, were able to organize a defense force with clarity and efficiency. The foot soldiers in front lined up in tight ranks. Behind the soldiers were archers and knights. Behind them were the mages.

Anfey was the first to reach the camp. As soon as he set foot in the camp, the Shansa soldiers began their counterattack. Arrows rained down on Anfey, ands well as on the mercenaries behind him. Some of the archers were aiming at the mages as well.

Anfey expanded his mind to cover the entire battlefield. Many arrows flew true, striking the mages in the air and causing them to fall to the ground. The griffin knights rose into the air as well. There were many more mages, but the griffin knights were still able to attack the mages with efficiency with their crossbows.

To Anfey's right, Anthony was dashing toward the Shansa soldiers. To Anfey's surprise, Anthony stopped after the first round of arrows. An arrow pierced his combat power, planting itself in his shoulder, while another pierced his ankle. Normally, this would never happen. The mercenaries behind him were clearly shocked by this as well. They watched Anthony's stumbling figure with wide eyes.

Saul and Jacob were shocked as well. However, it did not take long for them to figure out what had happened.

"Golman!"

"Deicide arrow!"

Jacob was one of the best alchemists in the world, but he knew that there was one person who was much more powerful than he was. Golman had been studying alchemy for centuries. Jacob knew how talented Golman was, and even if Jacob was naturally more talented, his ability would still always lag behind that of Golman.

Deicide arrows were powerful, anti-magic arrows. These arrows were even more powerful than the ones Jacob had crafted. Because of how powerful these deicide arrows were, when the supreme powers disappeared, the way to craft deicide arrows also disappeared. Jacob would have never expected Golman to find the way to make them.

Saul and Jacob were not military strategists, but they knew what Golman's presence meant. The arrows had caused the death of several dozen mages in the blink of an eye. This meant that the Shansa army had a considerable amount of these arrows, and that Golman had been planning this for a long time. Golman had always been detached from mortal conflicts, but now he had given these deicide arrows to Scarlet's army. What was he planning? Would he join the fight himself? Saul and Jacob watched the battle anxiously, questions swirling in their minds.

Anfey could not think as much as Saul and Jacob could. He needed to help the wounded. The arrows had already gotten to Anthony. If he didn't do anything, Suzanna and Christian might be the next targets. Anfey searched through the battlefield and found two dozen archers who appeared to be different. Unlike the other archers, who were blindly releasing arrows, these archers were searching for targets.

A signal exploded in the sky, recalling the mages. Saul understood that the mages did not stand a chance against the griffin knights, and he wanted to minimize the loss. The royal mages could still fight, but the griffin knights had already gotten two of them. Saul did not want to lose any more.

Anthony, Anfey, and Suzanna were all targets. However, Anfey was confident enough in his ability to block any arrows coming his way. Suzanna was confident in her combat power. She was also wearing the Azure Armor, which effectively protected her against all incoming arrows. Deicide arrows may be powerful, but it could not pierce an armor like the Azure Armor. Anthony was also confident in his combat power, but he did not have any good armor like Suzanna. Because of this, he had to slow down in order to duck the arrows.

Chapter 508: Aid

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Anfey jumped up and dashed towards the enemy ranks. He was not much faster than the incoming arrows, but before any of the arrows could hit him, he disappeared. The mercenaries behind him had to quickly raise their shields to defend themselves against the arrows.

Anfey reappeared much closer to the enemy soldiers. He kept pressing on through the hail of arrows without hesitation. Loose elements formed into a small storm around Anfey as he approached the Shansa men. The soldiers stood their ground and did not move. Nothing about the attack made them panic.

Anfey did not slow down to deal with the common soldiers. He suddenly disappeared again from where he was and teleported into the ranks of mages. He summoned his ax and swept it around his body, hitting several soldiers at the same time.

Before the soldiers could reform their ranks and attack, Anfey teleported again and reappeared among the archers. He retrieved his magic sword and held it aloft.

Dozens of lightning bolts appeared in the sky and rained down to the ground. The surrounding soldiers had to shield their eyes.

Almost half of all the archers were affected by the lightning. However, the archers Anfey wanted to eliminate seemed to be unaffected and were ready to strike.

Anfey hesitated for a second, then quickly reacted. He could feel that something was different about the archers. He summoned a magic scroll and tossed it at the archers. Another storm of lightning rained down from the sky. This time, none of the archers were spared.

Anfey waved his ax and swept away the flying arrows, then lunged towards the soldiers again. He did not want to clash with an actual army head-on because he knew that the soldiers had advantages the mercenaries did not. The mercenaries hadn't been working together for a long time and Scarlet's soldiers were all well-trained.

However, this was Saul's idea, and Anfey had to support him.

The mercenaries clashed with the soldiers. The mercenaries had been training very hard, but it was hard to make them cooperate. The mercenaries' movements lacked coordination and they clearly did not work well together. On the other hand, the Shansa soldiers were able to maintain their lines and follow orders quickly and in unison.

Common mercenaries tended to be stronger than common soldiers, but discipline gave the soldiers an edge over the mercenaries.

Normally, an army was led by a senior-level swordmaster or knight. As long as their commander was still alive, the soldiers knew what to do because a powerful figure was providing them with direction and assurance. Anfey was searching for the commander of this army because he knew from experience that an army wouldn't last long without a commander. However, he could not detect anyone that could be the army's commander. This was unusual and meant that the commander must be hiding somewhere that could block his power.

A horn was blown in the Shansa army's camp. On a hill not far from the battlefield, a row of fences was lowered and half a dozen machines appeared.

The machines looked like large crossbows and each had a large arrow in it. The arrows were metal and larger than any Anfey had ever seen. Anfey's eyes widened when he felt the powerful magic surges coming off of them. He quickly found a teleportation scroll and flew towards the hill.

Before Anfey could reach the hill, however, a ball of light flew towards the hill and crashed into the magic barrier around it. The barrier shattered, and a figure with a longsword appeared. The swordmaster crashed with the light, sending both of them flying in opposite directions. The swordmaster landed and stumbled backward but the light landed on the ground lightly.

Anfey could tell the man guarding the hill was at least a senior swordmaster. There were only a few people who could defeat a senior swordmaster this easily.

The light dispersed to reveal a large eagle. The eagle raised its large wings and flapped, creating strong gusts of wind that swept across the hill. Even the machine crossbows could not stand against winds this strong and swayed in the wind. The swordmaster and dozens of soldiers and mages were blown away.

The eagle raised its head and screeched. A few moments later, more eagles appeared through a cloud. The eagles lunged towards the griffins. Despite having a smaller number, the eagles were larger in size and faster in speed.

As the eagles surrounded the griffin knights, another group arrived to help. Miorich appeared from the Transverse Mountains. His combat power was brighter than any of the knights behind him and looked like a ball of flame on the ground.

The Shansa army was stationed there to keep an eye on the mercenaries and the League. The only defense the soldiers had set up against the Transverse Mountains was a long row of fences. Miorich raised his lance and crashed through the fence easily. The knights streamed onto the battlefield with the banner of the Maho Empire raised above them.

The swordmaster that was guarding the hill watched the arrival of the Maho knights with despair. The enemy outnumbered the Shansa soldiers and there was no point in fighting.

The swordmaster climbed off of the ground and ran into a tent. The tent was heavily guarded with a several dozen soldiers. The soldiers watched the swordmaster enter the tent without stopping him.

Inside the tent was a large table. On the table was a small crystal box. The swordmaster opened the box with shaking hands, revealing a metal disc. Hundreds of symbols were carved into the disc and a bright red magic crystal was set into the middle of the disc. The swordmaster closed his eyes and reached for it.

"Wait a second," a voice said. The swordmaster opened his eyes and saw that someone had stabbed his wrist. The swordmaster groaned in pain and tried to hit the disc with his head. Before he could reach the disc, Anfey caught his shoulder and threw him to the ground. The swordmaster's body jerked a few times and fell limp.

Anfey glanced at the crystal box and the disc inside. He did not know what it was or what it could do, but he could tell that it was dangerous from the way the swordmaster had acted around it.

Chapter 509: Waiting

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The outcome of wars largely depended on the resources that the participating parties had available to them. Looking back at previous battles, Shansa Empire and Ellisen Empire had to act on their common interests to stop Maho Empire from overpowering them. This showed that the resources Maho Empire possessed far outranked those which the other two empires possessed.

In this battle, Yolanthe employed almost all the resources he had to fight against Scarlet. Except for the legion in the north border line, who still stayed to prevent Ellisen Empire from attempting to cross the border. Death Roaring Legion, Sacred City Palace Guards, Blackania City Border Guards, Shield of Light Legion and palace mages all came to the Cross Valley. Even bear druids and eagle druids came to help. For Ellisen Empire, even though Edward VIII tried his best, Ellisen Empire was much weaker than Maho Empire, in terms of military power.

Strategies employed in wars mainly relied upon military power and, secondarily, upon special strategies. Even though Scarlet did not fall into any traps, her military could not fight back against Maho Empire's aggression, especially when Yolanthe had special forces employed in this battle. Yolanthe immediately figured that there was something fishy going on, and asked Miorich to lead Sacred City Palace Guards in traveling north on the same night, allocating all the craftsmen to Moramatch Town in order to rebuild the underground city with dwarves and gnomes. Those craftsmen also transported a large amount of supplies to the Cross Valley as they went.

Blackania City was a military town. A large number of craftsmen and apprentices, about 8,000 in total, had been working day and night for more than ten days. When Miorich came to Moramatch Town, the underground city looked completely different.

Of course, there was no man who was perfect, nor any perfect plan. Yolanthe had heard about the underground city. He meant to ask Miorich to hide in the underground city, along with Sacred City Palace guards, so that he could escape griffin riders' reconnaissance, which would allow them to attack Scarlet in surprise. However, no one thought that the underground city could accommodate so many knights, especially when they all had horses. Horses took up more space than people. In addition, the supplies were also stocked in the underground city. Every part of the underground city was opened in order to accommodate them. The areas around the underground river were even remade into a few plains. Even so, the underground city still could only accommodate 13,000 knights, at most. Most Sacred City Palace Guards stayed in Blackania City.

Luckily, the League of Mercenaries was considered to be the resource of Maho Empire. In the original plan, Yolanthe did not want to have mercenaries from the League of Mercenaries involved. One reason for this was that Anfey and the League of Mercenaries had done so much, and made such great contributions, to Maho Empire already, so Yolanthe did not know how else he could reward Anfey. Even if Anfey did nothing at this moment, he had to give Anfey a new title that would be two steps higher than his current rank, at least. This speedy promotion shocked Yolanthe, who believed it was not good for any young man to get promoted in such rapid timing, because it could destroy him with inflated arrogance. However, fate had placed Anfey and the League of Mercenaries in this exact critical moment. They needed to take control of the exit of the Cross Valley, cut off the path which Scarlet wanted to retreat through, and chase after the Shansa Empire military.

There was a story about druids joining Yolanthe. The bear ear druid king, Bruzuryano, was a good friend of Saul, and as he knew about Yolanthe, he was firmly on Maho Empire's side. Wolf druid king Manstuly had been wanting to recover the glory of the druids. He was invited by Bruzuryano to see Yolanthe in Sacred City, but he came with sinister motives. Eagle druids king Mauso had been holding a neutral stand. He did not want to be involved in this conflict, and did not agree with Bruzuryano. At the same time, he had a clear vision for the druids. He thought the glory of elves would not be recovered, and he was against Manstuly's paranoia.

Manstuly asked the eagle druids to chase and kill Suzanna collectively. Mauso did not like Manstuly's idea. As an "observer", Mauso's intelligence was as good as his visions. He immediately saw Manstuly's real intentions, knowing that Manstuly only wanted to drag him down into the water. Back then, the reasons Manstuly had for this desire was that Anfey had been hostile toward druids—even having publicly attacked their temple and killed over ten druids there. He told Mauso that Anfey was cruel and perverted, and that he had raped beautiful elves. Manstuly even sent victims of Anfey to the eagle druids' station, hoping that would make Mauso angry.

The positive consequence of this was that Anfey saved many human slaves, and even a few elves, when he tried to save Alice. Later, Anfey sent those elves to Tiger Tawau mercenary group, asking them to seek help from Hotchbini. Those elves became Anfey's "victims". These victims described Anfey's vicious acts with a sad tone, telling stories of how Anfey had used hot iron on victims' bodies, pulling their teeth and hair out, even raping elves and sharing them with his mercenaries. Those victims showed their wounds and explained how Anfey inflicted each upon them. Mauso found that more than a few victims looked uneasy. He found an opportunity to speak with them in private. After talking to them, these victims cried out loud at first, and then told the truth to Mauso, revealing that Anfey did not actually rape them. Rather, it was Manstuly's druids who had raped them. All of these assaults were arranged by Manstuly and elf pharaohs. They were forced to lie about their virginity, as a virgin would not be Anfey's victim. At the end, they even sworn with their lives that Anfey was a good man.

Mauso did not believe in Manstuly anyway. After he heard the truth, he doubted Manstuly even more. He went to see Bruzuryano, who was furious after he heard what had happened. He scolded Manstuly for his dishonesty and transgressions. He told Mauso that Anfey had connected with Heart of Nature, becoming the new messenger for the god.

This was why Mauso agreed to help Manstuly, but secretly protected Suzanna. When he noticed Suzanna was at the verge of breaking through, he fought with Suzanna day and night to help Suzanna become a new top power.

Usually, Mauso would retreat to his tranquil life at this point, because he disliked conflict and fighting. After Suzanna survived, a few elf pharaohs came to the eagle druids' station and blamed Mauso for going against his promise, then they asked him to take all the responsibilities for their lost. Mauso became enraged. When elf empire was at its peak, druids were just vassals of elves. In fact, druids were humans who believed in the Goddess of Nature. The number of elves was not great back then. They needed humans to manage the world. Druids were the best bet. After elf empire withered, druids and elves transformed into friends from vassals. How could those few elf pharaohs have dared to curse and scold Mauso in the eagle druids' station, treating druids as their servants?

Mauso had grown very sophisticated. He never lost his temper in front of others, because he believed that actions spoke louder than words. After he agreed to the elves' requests and sent away the elf pharaohs, Mauso turned around to see Bruzuryano. They both immediately agreed to help with the battle, as the battle was about to break out.

With Mauso's help, the griffin riders were constrained. Griffin riders relied on their flexibility and flying abilities to for surveillance. Eagle druids were better in both these areas. In fact, with Mauso's help, Anfey's league became much stronger. Scarlet had sent griffin riders out to scout Cross Valley, in order to prevent Maho Empire's attacks, which gave eagle druids a perfect stage to show off their skills. Eagle druids went out together and attacked griffin riders in squads or squadrons, killing messengers and attacking small groups of soldiers. When they met a large group of soldiers, they were able to report the exact number in that group. After the valley exit was taken over, Scarlet lost communication with Edward VIII.

The soldiers who guarded the exit of the valley knew that Scarlet would try her best to fight back at any cost, especially if Scarlet discovered that her communication path was cut off. On the other hand, Baery would chase after Scarlet at any cost. This was a game of big fish eating small fish, while small fish ate shrimp. After the big fish ate the small fish, the shrimp would protect itself well with all it had.

Capable people usually took on more responsibilities. Saul was the busiest. He ran around to set up magic arrays as fast as he could. In the skirmishes, no mages had time to set up gigantic magic arrays, but in the positional warfare, magic arrays were necessary, especially when Saul could still join the battle after the magic array began. It was like having extra help from a top power.

Jacob was busy as well. He was not only the assistant to Saul, but also did research on deicide arrows and bed crossbow-like weapons. Scarlet calculated very well. She even had a plan B to enact if the whole station was taken over. There was a gigantic Blasting magic array. Once the magic array was triggered, the whole station would be submerged in lava. Very few people knew about this array. If soldiers found out about it, it would hurt Scarlet's reputation. No one wanted to be deserted. Once the magic array started, lava could not only cover the whole station, but also kill all of them. Unfortunately, the only general who knew about the magic array had become Anfey's target, so Scarlet's plan failed miserably.

Jacob had dissembled the magic array and spent most of his time on the magic weapons which Golman created. He knew how amazing people were in the ancient times via reading. But when the real objects were in front of him, it became a different story.

When Anfey discovered that the magic array Saul set up was the same Magic Array of Space Chaos that Jacob loved, Anfey became interested in it. He wanted to take the chance to learn more about the Magic Array of Space Chaos. Anfey gave up this quest for learning after hanging out with Saul for just one day. In fact, Anfey's short-term memory was very good, but short-term memory had a drawback, which was that Anfey could only remember the things he had experienced before. For example, no matter how messy the room was, newspapers, cigarette wrappers, cigarette butts, slippers, tea cups and other stuff was scattered everywhere on the floor. If Anfey took one look at them, he could tell the exact location of each object if asked about where that specific object was. It was like he had a camera in his head and took a picture of the scene. However, those objects were manmade, and Anfey had seen them or something similar to them. Magic notes were different, and very complicated. They were like a new language to Anfey, so obviously, it was not a good time for language learning at this very moment.