Lei Lin raised an eyebrow. The reconnaissance technique he had developed based on Electromagnetic Induction was convenient and extremely discreet. He had already used it when he activated the Thunder God Set a moment ago.
He knew the situation in the town very well. Apart from the few of them, there wasn't a single living person.
The man in black was purely messing with him. Right now, Lei Lin wanted nothing more than to fire an Electromagnetic Cannon and teach the man across from him how to behave!
But in the end, he held back and spoke with one last shred of hope: "No, I can't guarantee what the first townsfolk to find a helpless princess and an old butler would do."
"Either use a contract to restrain them, or else..."
Before Lei Lin could finish his threat, Princess Lantan suddenly threw herself into his arms and said, "No. As a warrior, how could I possibly desert you?"
"Mr. Lei Lin, I'm willing to be captured with you!"
Then she shouted at the man in black, "If you're going to take someone, take me too! I won't leave Mr. Lei Lin!"
Lei Lin was completely dumbfounded. Looking at Lantan's shy expression, he felt an inexplicable urge to unleash a flood of complaints.
He had always thought those cringeworthy, lovestruck plots in short dramas, novels, and TV shows were complete nonsense. How could such illogical things possibly happen in real life?
But now he suddenly felt that "based on actual events" might not be a lie after all.
A princess he had only just met at a social gathering was now saying she wanted to live and die with him. Had a zombie eaten her brains? How had the royal family raised a princess like her?!
The old butler beside them was stunned by Princess Lantan's actions. He had watched Lei Lin grow up and knew him well.
Lei Lin had insisted that he and Princess Lantan leave, so the butler knew Lei Lin must have some sort of plan. After Lei Lin stopped him from unleashing his battle qi and fighting to the death at the start, he had obediently played along.
The only thing on his mind was how to spread the news of Lei Lin's capture as quickly as possible once they got away.
But seeing a princess he had only just met act so devotedly toward Lei Lin made him feel a little ashamed. It seemed his loyalty had been outdone by a woman.
The man in black across from them didn't care about all this romantic nonsense. He clapped his hands as if applauding, then looked at Lantan with an approving expression. "How touching. But I have no interest in wasting any more time playing these little love games with you."
"Actually, we never planned to take anyone else with us, so..."
The man in black turned to Lei Lin with a grin and continued, "Lei Lin, I can see you know how to play along."
"From now on, we'll all be serving the great Dark Lord. This little girl is a princess of the Fenlai Kingdom, and that makes her part of the Holy Alliance. She's our enemy."
"No need to break her arms and legs. That's too cruel. Why don't you put her out of her misery yourself?"
They wanted him to offer up a token of loyalty. If Lei Lin really killed Lantan, then even if the people from the Radiant Church rescued him later, there would be an unbridgeable rift between him and the Fenlai Kingdom's royal family.
No matter how good Clyde was at swallowing his pride, he would undoubtedly hold a grudge.
Lei Lin sighed inwardly. He might not think much of Clyde and knew the man was nothing more than a dog of the Radiant Church, but he couldn't bring himself to kill an innocent little princess like Lantan.
Seeing the helpless look on Lei Lin's face, the man in black grew rather impatient. "Lei Lin, we've already wasted a lot of time since we met. I imagine you're eager to bathe in the light of the great Dark Lord."
"So, sorry for the trouble... hurry up, okay?"
Lei Lin looked at the man in black, then at Lantan. The man's words had made her uneasy, but she was still looking at Lei Lin with complete trust.
He sighed. "Honestly, what a hassle..."
Rumble—
With a sharp, piercing whine, the Judgment Straight Blade, which had been gathering power for some time, shot violently toward the leader of the men in black.
The attack was earth-shattering.
Its power was comparable to that of a Ninth-Level warrior, and even the leader of the men in black was taken aback. Deep, dense dark battle qi instantly surged out of him, forming a rapidly spinning black hole in front of him.
But Lei Lin's attack was simply too fast. The black hole the man had formed had barely taken shape before the Judgment Straight Blade slammed into it.
However, after breaking through the black hole, the Judgment Straight Blade was already at the end of its strength. It only managed to lightly wound the man in black!
"I'll hold them off! You two, run!"
The old butler had been ready to flee at a moment's notice, and he trusted Lei Lin without question. Though he was deeply worried, he obeyed without hesitation and ran.
But Princess Lantan showed no intention of fleeing. She was still curled up in Lei Lin's arms, as if Lei Lin's charged-up attack had stunned her too.
Lei Lin had no time to play at romance with a woman. Their chance to escape would vanish in an instant. If Lantan kept dithering like some young lady or princess in a TV drama, he wouldn't try to save her again.
"Quit dawdling and run!"
Only then did Lantan shift her attention from Lei Lin's Electromagnetic Cannon attack to his face.
After shouting those words at Lantan, Lei Lin immediately unleashed all his battle qi and cast spells as he charged at the three men in black, buying time for the old butler and Lantan.
But he knew he was no match for them. He wasn't even sure how much time he could buy. If Lantan and the old butler hadn't escaped before he felt he could hold out no longer, then there would be nothing he could do.
After all, his own safety came first. At worst, he could avenge the old butler and the others once he reached the Saint Realm.
But then Lei Lin sensed that something was wrong!
He turned around and saw Lantan, smiling brightly, not only hadn't run—she was charging alongside him, right behind him.
The instant he turned, their faces were almost touching!
"Mr. Lei Lin really is history's greatest genius. Your courage and your strength are both... beyond expectations."
Lei Lin's mind was almost completely blank. At this point, even an idiot would have realized something was wrong.
He had been set up!!!
"This Lantan definitely isn't some naive, lovestruck princess. It was all an act."
"Her strength..."
"Definitely wasn't limited to the sixth level, either!"
Lantan instantly transformed into a streak of light and raced ahead of Lei Lin, attacking the three experts from the Dark Church. With a wave of her hand, she sent a sword gleam stabbing toward the leader in black.
The man in black had only suffered a minor injury when he hurriedly defended against Lei Lin's charged-up attack. Yet now he could barely keep up with Lantan's assault.
The other two men in black attacked as well. From their aura, they were Ninth-Level experts too!
Before you continue