Flower Territory After the Battle

"Black Armor Knights, charge!"

Yaduo De ordered the approaching knights.

Lin Lei looked at the Black Armor Knights who had suddenly appeared beside Alice and realized with a start that she and her companions had set a trap beneath the tunnel, which he had inadvertently destroyed.

"Blizzard."

"Summon Water Elemental."

Alice did not back down; she swapped out her greatsword, raised her staff, and shouted.

She... is actually a mage.

Lin Lei was somewhat stunned, his movements slowing down by a fraction.

"Watch out."

Henry, standing nearby, hurriedly blocked a sneak attack from a Blood Demon behind Lin Lei, but the disparity in strength sent him flying back, severely wounded.

Henry's voice helped the distracted Lin Lei regain his focus. Seeing Henry sent flying, he launched an attack as fierce as a lion.

The situation on the battlefield gradually improved with the help of the knights led by Yaduo De. The soldiers who had been struggling were properly relocated to the rear, and demons fell one by one onto the inner courtyard floor.

"Trying to run?"

After killing the Evil Walker before him, Lin Lei scanned the entire battlefield and spotted the culprits, Lady Moran and the Yishe brothers, slowly sneaking away.

With a dash, Lin Lei reached the side of Red Hare and, with its help, charged toward them.

Although Lin Lei's strength was less than a tenth of its peak due to the prolonged battle, Lady Moran and the Yishe brothers were even more exhausted, their bodies covered in wounds from the ritual and the strikes of Holy Light.

Enemy defeated, time to strip them of their armor.

Lin Lei shouted internally. The prospect of finishing them off filled him with excitement.

As his long blade fell, the heads of the Yishe brothers, who were running at the back, were severed from their bodies. The remaining blood flowed along the shriveled muscles onto the ground, making the already bloody scene even more cruel.

Lin Lei did not delay and continued to pursue Lady Moran.

At this moment, Lady Moran looked like a panicked antelope, floating as she fled outside the Lord's Mansion.

"Hum."

With the ring of a blade, Lady Moran, in her Banshee form, turned into mist and dissipated into the air, leaving not a single trace behind.

With this, the members of the Shadow Council, who had once stirred up trouble, were all dealt with in Flower Territory.

The battle involving the Black Armor Knights was also drawing to a close. Even with the help of mages and priests, Lin Lei's subordinates had suffered heavy casualties; the team of nearly a hundred people was now reduced to only a handful of survivors.

"Miss Alice, what shall we do next?"

After checking the casualties of his men, Lin Lei went to report to Alice, who was currently accompanied by Yaduo De.

"Hmm..."

Alice pondered for a moment before speaking to Lin Lei.

"Although the situation at the Lord's Mansion is resolved, many other places have been attacked. I need you to take men and bring the situation under control. If you encounter anyone taking advantage of the chaos, don't notify me—just cut them down."

"At your service."

Lin Lei replied respectfully, glancing at the Water Elemental beside them before turning away.

This massive elemental creature made entirely of seawater had displayed immense offensive and defensive power during the fight, causing Lin Lei, who had never seen an elemental creature before, to take a second look.

After Lin Lei left, Alice said to Yaduo De with gratitude.

"Sir Knight, I am deeply grateful that you arrived so quickly to help us eliminate these abominable dark creatures."

"May the Holy Light protect you. There is no need to thank me, beautiful Miss Alice. Eliminating evil is what every knight should do, and besides, we are not far from your territory; it is our duty."

Yaduo De said warmly.

"Miss Alice, who was that Champion who came here earlier? I feel as though I have seen him somewhere before."

"His name is Lin Lei. Thunder Roar. He was originally just an ordinary hunter and is now a centurion under my command. He has never left Flower Territory, so Sir Yaduo De must have mistaken him for someone else."

"Perhaps."

Yaduo De's tone shifted.

"The appearance of a warlock summoning the Burning Legion is a matter of great importance. I must return to The Holy See to inform the Pope, so I must depart now."

Yaduo De saluted with his sword. Under Alice's gaze, he organized the knights and set off with a vast black torrent toward Lordaeron, where their Holy See was located.

The first place Lin Lei went after leaving the Lord's Mansion was the Ai Mansion, his wife's home.

Upon reaching the entrance, he saw that the original ironwood gate had been smashed open, leaving two massive holes. Several corpses lay on the steps, most wearing the clothes of servants, with a few in patterned garments.

Although he had expected it, Lin Lei still found it hard to accept that the home of a military and political heavyweight could be attacked. One had to know that the servants at Old Master Aixing's home were all former soldiers, with even the lowest-ranked among them possessing Bronze-level strength.

Without overthinking, Lin Lei hurriedly walked inside alone. Corpses were scattered everywhere along the path. A scene that would have terrified an ordinary person only made Lin Lei worry more about the safety of Aierlan and her family.

"Someone is here."

Lin Lei probed inward, the faint sound of combat drifting toward him, growing clearer with every step he took.

"Aierlan, are you all right..."

Reaching the site of the battle, the first thing that caught Lin Lei's eyes was the massive corpse of an ogre lying in the center, a gaping hole in its chest through which he could even see its internal organs.

Seeing Aierlan and the others still fighting, Lin Lei charged straight in, clearing out the remaining small fry on the field.

"Aierlan, are you hurt?"

"Grandfather is dead. He perished with the ogre chieftain in the battle just now."

Aierlan, who had been fighting, dropped her weapon and collapsed into Lin Lei's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lin Lei fell silent at her words; no wonder he hadn't seen the old man when he arrived. Had the old man still been alive, with his Gold-tier strength, these remaining stragglers would never have been able to run rampant.

Lin Lei gently pulled away from Aierlan and walked toward a prominent human corpse on the ground, a blood-stained spear still clutched tightly in his hand.

Turning the body over, he saw Viscount Aixing's eyes were still open, a look of lingering resentment etched into his gaze.

Lin Lei remembered dining with him just yesterday, yet today they were separated by the veil of death, making his heart feel all the heavier.

Closing the man's eyes, Lin Lei spoke to Allen behind him.

"Allen, stay here and look after your home."

"Understood."

Allen replied, suppressing his grief. He, who hadn't even changed his expression while fighting demons, now had eyes rimmed with red, crystalline tears swirling within them, yet he held them back, refusing to let them fall.

"The rest of you, come with me."

Lin Lei spoke in a hoarse voice; there were still many places in the Flower Territory that required his control, and this was his responsibility.

On the way, Lin Lei encountered Chiliarch Ola, whose body was covered in wounds. Of the four centurions who had been with him, only two remained, and Hu Baifu, whom Lin Lei knew best, was nowhere to be found.

After exchanging information, Lin Lei and the chiliarch hurried off to their respective sectors to restore order.

It was not until nightfall that the Flower Territory finally returned to its former calm.

"Quick, hurry..."

A lord's carriage, escorted by numerous knights, finally returned to the Flower Territory before nightfall.

"What... what happened here?"

Gazing at the bodies that hadn't yet been cleared from the streets and the shocking trails of blood, the captain of Edward's guard could hardly believe his eyes.

"Everyone, stay alert. There may still be enemies."

The journey had been smooth and steady, yet here in their own territory, they had reached the most dangerous leg of the trip.

"Lady Alice, Lord Edward is injured and in urgent need of treatment."

Fortunately, they ran into Alice and her group, who were out patrolling, and the captain of the personal guard hurriedly reported the situation to her.

"What! Where is my father now?"

Led by the guard captain, Alice rushed into the carriage to check on Edward, who was still unconscious. After the long, arduous journey, his lips had turned pale and his complexion was ashen; his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

"Hydrotherapy."

Alice immediately cast a spell, utilizing a healing art from water-element magic.

Guided by her, a stream of water condensed out of thin air and merged into Edward's body.

Under the healing effects of the hydrotherapy, his dire condition gradually stabilized; his ashen face regained a hint of color, and his pained expression eased.

Alice retracted her spell, exhausted; casting such magic was still quite difficult for her at her current level.

"Thankfully, his condition has improved. With a few doses of medicine, he should be able to wake up."

Alice let out a sigh of relief and ordered her subordinates to take the lord to his room for proper care.

"How could my father be injured? With his Platinum-tier strength, there are few in the kingdom who can harm him. How could a small hunt leave him in such a wretched state?"

Alice kept the guard captain behind to ask exactly what had happened.

After the guard captain told her the situation word for word, Alice let out a cry of indignation.

"Those damned evil creatures—ugly, despicable, shameless, vile..."

At this moment, she looked nothing like a noble lady of the manor, cursing incessantly at the beings who had attacked their territory.

The Flower Territory had once been ranked in the top ten within the kingdom, but after this attack, the dead were dead, the wounded were wounded, and a power vacuum had emerged in the middle and lower ranks. It would take twenty or thirty years of recuperation to return to its former state.

"Sigh..."

After a while, Alice finally stopped her tirade and let out a soft sigh.

"The Storm Kingdom in the south has also seen traces of orcs. They carry the same aura of destruction as the two orcs from before.

They possess physiques far superior to humans and ride sturdy mounts, yet King Ryan of the Storm Kingdom has not realized the threat they pose. Their entire kingdom is in grave danger."

The Storm Kingdom lay to the south of Alice's kingdom, with almost nothing separating them. Once the Storm Kingdom fell, they would be the first to bear the brunt of the invasion.

Alice's words were filled with foresight. If Lin Lei were here to hear her, he would surely be astonished, for her predictions would slowly, bit by bit, come to pass in the days to come.