Chapter 121
The assassins Supernatural Being lurking in the shadows were already itching to curse.
He attacked several times, trying to wear down 'Shally's' combat ability. The more damage he kept stacking up, the worse her condition would become... This doesn't make sense!
"This guy's acting strangely, let's kill the others first!"
The archer shouted in a low voice.
They originally planned to join forces to kill 'Shally' first, and the remaining allied forces were just a rabble, and even if their numbers doubled, they would not be able to defeat the Crimson Tiger Guard.
But now they've discovered it's simply impossible.
Why not kill Gruk and the others first, and then turn around and 'fight the boss'?
Just as the two were about to give up the siege, a 'river' suddenly flowed through the blood-red mist, and a boat floated on the river, thus eerily entering the battlefield.
Suddenly, the singing began, and the two of them were momentarily distracted, their eyes losing focus as they became lost in the song.
"Watch out, it's Supernatural Being!"
The archers were the first to react. Upon closer inspection, they saw no river or boat, only an invisible Magic Power spreading across the battlefield. Everyone enveloped by the song was momentarily stunned.
Just then, 'Shally' lit the Sword of Ares.
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick!
Nine gems, Nine Stages of Sacrifice Blood Unrivaled!
Nine Stages of Sacrifice. The eighth stage is a single-target burst damage attack, while the ninth stage is a powerful group attack.
Whoosh!
The power of soul enhancement simultaneously fell upon 'Shally'.
With countless buffs stacked on Shally, as the crimson color rose high, crimson dragons flew out of the greatsword, transforming into terrifying blood shadows that devoured the surroundings!
"We've finally made it."
Seeing the blood-red exploding on the game screen, Ryan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed. Although 'Shally's' health had remained at a healthy level, it was hard to guarantee that the opponent wouldn't have a backup plan.
So the moment 'Vainay' arrived on the battlefield, 'Shally' chose to consume a large healing potion and immediately activate the Invincible Effect of the Ring of Death, unleashing the Nine Stages of Sacrifice.
If 'Vainay' isn't around, 'Shally' doesn't plan to unleash her full power directly. Although the Nine Stages of Sacrifice is strong, it's meaningless if she can't hit her opponent; she can only clear out some 'minions'.
Ryan picked up his black tea and took a sip. The bloody shadow in the scene finally fell after a while. When the blood mist dissipated, the entire battlefield, centered on 'Shally', was a scene of utter devastation.
Bright red blood covered the ground, severed limbs were everywhere, and cries of agony and terror blended together.
Not far away, the assassin lay on the ground, his right leg completely broken, clutching his wound and howling in pain.
The archer was also injured, but he managed to dodge the power of the Blood Dragon Slash, only being hit by the aftershock.
"Carlos!"
He rushed to the assassin's side, pulled out a bottle of potion and was about to give it to him when a huge figure suddenly emerged from the blood-red area, its claws slashing down at the two of them.
Bite!
"An exile? What are they doing here?!"
'Soul Control!'
"Damn it! That guy can affect people's souls!"
"Let's get out of here!"
Da da da da.
'Shally' charged forward, spinning through the air as she fell, passing by the assassin struggling to his feet—splat! Blood splattered everywhere, and his head rolled to the ground like a wheel, his eyes wide open, dying with unseeing disbelief.
"Damn it!!!"
The archer's eyes were bloodshot. He leaped back to create distance between himself and the exile, took off the necklace hanging around his neck—it was an arrow. The next moment, the arrow suddenly grew larger, and he drew his bow and shot it.
Call out!
The arrow shot out with tremendous force, tearing a long gash in the ground.
'Shally' dodged to the side, but the arrows spun around and came after her again.
She dodged again, quickly creating distance, but the arrows followed 'Shally' as if locked onto her presence.
"It's useless!" the archer roared. "This is a relic of the Sun God, a gift from the sky god. Once you're locked onto by it, there's no other possibility but death!"
"Then let death descend."
Amidst the crimson light, the figure of 'Vainay' appeared. She raised the Staff of Withering, and the shadow of death fell upon 'Shally'. Suddenly, Shally's body became ethereal, and the arrow pierced through her body without turning back, finally landing amidst the distant Crimson Tiger Guard with a tremendous roar.
The power of this attack was not much weaker than that of the Blood Dragon Slash, and it caused even more damage to the Crimson Tiger Guard. After all, when the Blood Dragon Slash was released, the Crimson Tiger Guard were far away from 'Shally', but the arrow landed right where a group of Iron Guards were clustered together.
"How could this be..." The archer was stunned.
'Shally's' figure became like a ghost, and this state lasted for about three seconds before she returned to normal. Then, 'Shally' charged towards the archer with her Blood-colored Greatsword in hand.
[Freezing: Pulls the target into a death space for three seconds. During this state, the target is immune to spell and physical damage, and their speed is reduced by 90%.]
This is a skill that 'Vainay' learned after her second job change.
Although it may seem similar to an invincibility skill, the spell can lock onto other players, protect teammates, and even interrupt enemy spellcasting. However, if the level and attribute difference is too large, the interruption effect may fail.
"That was close. If 'Shally' had been hit by that thing, she might have really died."
Ryan also put aside his carelessness. He wasn't the only one with relics. Although the methods for obtaining relics were not as easy for Supernatural Being in this world, high-level Supernatural Being would always have one or two treasures.
We almost capsized in the gutter.
However, his opponent was already at his last gasp, and after his arrows were dodged, he had lost his chance to turn the tide.
With the support of the Soul Singer 'Vainay', the archers lost their speed advantage and were at a disadvantage in the battle against 'Shally'.
Meanwhile, the army led by 'Vainay' attacked from the flank and surrounded the Crimson Tiger Guard.
"Their combat strength is lacking."
If the Supernatural Being held the advantage, then the battles between armies presented a completely different picture.
The Crimson Tiger Guard truly lived up to their reputation as being able to go toe-to-toe with the Iron Blood Army. Their soldiers were far superior in quality to Ryan's city defense forces. Despite being the ones who launched the encirclement, they ended up in a ridiculous situation, unable to hold out at all and even being pushed back in the process.
However, as time went on, the effects in the War Domain became more and more obvious, and the stimulating effect of the will to fight greatly made up for the gap between the two armies.
After nearly three hours of chaotic fighting, the battle situation finally turned from the Crimson Tiger Guard's advantage to their defeat. In the end, the Crimson Tiger Guard officers sounded the retreat and led the remaining troops out of the Alta Grassland after suffering more than 6,000 casualties.
However, 'Shally's' side also suffered a Pyrrhic victory, with casualties estimated to exceed five thousand, even though their side had the advantage in Supernatural Being.
Ryan shook his head inwardly. Without the Blood Knight 'Shally', this battle would have been a 100% loss.
"If we keep fighting like this, even if we manage to take over the Southern Territory, it won't matter. We'll have exhausted our army; we'll only have nominally occupied the territory."
The army's production rate was far from enough. Ryan realized that he couldn't take over the Southern Territory on his own. He decided to wait another two months, develop the country, stockpile grain, and then declare himself king.
Should we summon the Grand Duke to share the spoils?
No, that won't work either. The Grand Duke is busy fighting the Western Barbarians right now, and if she makes a move, the remaining Crimson Tiger Guard will come too.
If both sides join the battle, he will have no way to gain the upper hand.
After much deliberation, Ryan decided to first deploy a portion of the puppet army; five hundred would suffice.
Haino gave him more than 1,100 puppets in total, of which more than 900 were of the third or Fourth Tier, nearly 200 were of the fifth rank, and only two were of the Sixth Tier.
Since these are consumables, Ryan was reluctant to use them all, as they might not be enough in case they needed to attack the Imperial Capital later.
"Maybe I should become a puppeteer."
Puppet masters have nothing to do with alchemy, but they can still create puppets, and the puppets they create are even better than those made by alchemists.
Alchemy involves inscribing runes and arrays to achieve its effects, while puppeteers can directly control them through their class characteristics. The two can also be combined. However, puppeteers are a hidden class and extremely difficult to obtain. They belong to the Spirit of Chaos class and cannot be found in the entire Augustus Empire.
Ryan tossed the storage bag containing the puppet into 'Shally's' backpack, letting her use it as she saw fit.
Another day passed, and the train arrived at its destination, 'Mayer City'.
Mayer City is located southeast of Magana's Childe City, about a half-day train journey from both. After getting off the train, Ryan spent another three hours traveling before finally arriving outside the Inner World of the Chaos Realm.
He ordered his accompanying soldiers to stay at a distance, and when they arrived at the rift in the Inner World, they met 'Lin Qi' who was waiting there.
"Hi, Ms. Lin Qi, good afternoon."
Ryan raised his hand and greeted him with a smile.
Lin Qi hummed in agreement.
Still so indifferent, but I feel like my first wife's charm level has increased again. Ryan checked her stats and, wow, it's already 19 points. Sure enough, it's increased again.
Damn it, how can a Nun have such a high charm rating?
Have you eaten?
He hummed in agreement.
Ryan shrugged.
I'll let you and 'Shally' pick at it together later, and I'll see if you can still keep that indifferent face.
But we have more important business to attend to now.
This rift in the Inner World is very remote, and it shows signs of shrinking. Once the rift completely merges, it will be difficult to find this place again, which is the main reason why Ryan was in such a hurry to come.
Because the time and space of the Chaos Space are different from the outside world, sometimes you can enter through a rift in the Inner World and come out from the other side, and you might be able to cross half an empire.
However, no one has been able to accurately grasp the situation in the Inner World, so basically, you come out the same way you go in.
Once lost inside, one will be corrupted into a demon by the will of the Chaos Space.
The two entered the crevice, with 'Lin Qi' leading the way.
The sky was gray and the earth was barren like a desert.
Because there were no demons present, the journey was smooth, and Ryan arrived outside the gray vortex in about half an hour.
He checked his backpack and found two bottles of 'Sobering Potion' inside.
After confirming that everything was alright, Ryan took Lin Qi's hand, and the two stepped into the vortex together.
'Lin Qi' is definitely going to be able to come out. She is under Janus's protection, and it will be safer for her to be there.
"When it really matters, I still have to rely on my first wife... Lin Qi, you are my one and only love."
"..."
"..."
The chaotic currents swept past him, and Ryan felt a sudden lightness in his feet, as if he were stepping into thin air. After what seemed like an eternity, his vision gradually cleared.
You have discovered an old battlefield.
[The shattered space holds ancient memories, where time seems to stand still. The chaotic disorder nearly makes you lose your way. Just as you're about to call out Janus's name, you suddenly feel old memories surging towards your companions.]
A new message popped up on 'Lin Qi's' character interface.
Companion? Me?
It's definitely different now.
Ryan looked around. Just like when 'Lin Qi' came in last time, everything was gray and he couldn't see anything. But he found that after entering this space, his Magic Power began to operate automatically.
He seemed to sense something, and opened his hand to take out the Cross Sword that he had always kept inside his body.
The sword floated in the air, emitting a faint light in the gray space.
After a while, it moved and drifted forward.
Ryan stroked his chin, leading 'Lin Qi' behind the Cross Sword.
The Ancient Authority are becoming increasingly evident.
'Janus, leave it here, leave it here...'
'But time and space have sealed its tracks; who can take it away?'
'One day, I will bestow upon the one who walks the path of time and space the power of God.'
Fragmented images reappeared.
You heard the echo of time and space.
You have gained a wisp of Janus's power.
"Hmm? The Chosen One?"