"If I'm not mistaken, you've spent these five days preparing an ambush..." Ye Luo said softly, his expression unreadable.
A flash of light gleamed in Barrit's eyes. He said proudly, "That's right. We deliberately dragged out the negotiations for five days so we could make magic scrolls and conceal our soldiers. Ye Luo, you're a little smarter than other Demon Beasts, but compared to humans, you're still far behind. Your guerrilla tactics were impressive. They even got our dear Lord Robert of Morton to speak up for you time and again. But your foolishness lies in not understanding the dignity of humanity or the strength of humankind! Our dignity means we won't coexist peacefully with you Demon Beasts. And our strength means we'd never stand on equal footing with you!"
"So Robert doesn't know about this?"
"Of course he doesn't. Ye Luo, did you think I didn't know what you'd done to Robert? Let me teach you a lesson: a mage's greatest strength is his mental power. Your mysterious surveillance method may not produce any magical fluctuations, but it couldn't escape my notice. So all our conversations with Robert were deliberately staged for you to see! And to keep you from carrying out those astonishing guerrilla tactics, we had to make sure we wiped you all out. That's why we spent five days making invisibility scrolls. The thousand elite soldiers of the Third Regiment of the Keren Kingdom will make sure you don't get away!" The pride on Barrit's face stung Ye Luo to the core.
Ye Luo lowered his head. "That's right. I'm a fool. To be betrayed once and choose to forgive is magnanimity. To be betrayed twice and choose to forgive is tolerance. But to be betrayed three times and still choose to forgive is foolishness! And yet my foolishness is what let me hold on to my hope in humanity, my kindness toward humans, my belief that I could be one of them. It's what brought me to this point!"
Warwick snorted. "Ye Luo, I'm glad you understand. Pray you aren't reborn as a Demon Beast in your next life!"
"Attack!" Warwick knew Ye Luo was stalling, so he said no more. He sharply swept his right hand and gave the order.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" A thousand soldiers advanced toward the three of them in perfect formation, their footsteps remarkably synchronized. Their heavy armor pounded against the ground with a dull, drumlike thud.
"My Emperor, the main force won't arrive for at least seven minutes. We'll clear a path for you. Break through toward the rear!" Ye Meng clenched his fists, and blades extended from both hands.
Ye Luo closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Then his eyes flew open, and the starry black depths held no more disappointment or pain—only bone-chilling cold. Hum! Black Battle Armor slowly enveloped his body. The short hair on his head grew at a visible rate until it reached his waist, streaming in the wind.
The encirclement tightened. The Iron-Clad Soldiers drew closer. Those in the front rank held their shields firmly against their chests, their blades ready to take their targets' lives and win glory with the enemy's blood!
"Attack!" At last, when the Iron-Clad Soldiers were within three meters of Ye Luo and the others, they charged!
Ye Luo roared. He grabbed Ye Meng with his left hand and Ye You with his right. Ye Yi immediately transformed into a speck of dust and settled on Ye Luo's shoulder. Ye Luo pushed off hard with his right foot, and his whole body shot into the air!
"How is that possible?!" Warwick shouted in disbelief. Flight was a privilege reserved for experts of the seventh rank or above. Ye Luo and the others clearly had no wings, so how could they possibly fly?
"Damn it! Robert deceived us!" Barrit was equally furious. Nearly all their information about Ye Luo had come from Robert, yet he hadn't said a word about Ye Luo being able to fly!
"O proud fire spirits, when the dignity of your flames is challenged, grant me permission to bring down the punishment of the Fire God and reduce these vile enemies to ashes!" Barrit's hair and beard bristled, and red flames seemed to flicker in his eyes. He traced an intricate rune before his chest with his left hand. Red fire elements shimmered in the air with his movements. The chanting and drawing took no more than two seconds. As soon as the fire rune formed, Barrit jerked his left hand, and it shot toward the crystal on his staff. At the same time, a full moon on his robe glowed faintly gold.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!" A fireball shot blazing hot from his staff. A hundred meters from Barrit, it transformed in midair into a ten-meter-long Fire Dragon!
The Fire Dragon's body was as thick as a barrel, and its intense heat warped the air around it. It spun recklessly through the sky, then lunged at Ye Luo with its jaws wide.
"My Emperor, put me down! I'll only slow you down!" Ye Meng yelled, watching the Fire Dragon close in behind them.
But Ye Luo's gaze remained resolute as he flew for all he was worth.
Ye You, in his other hand, shifted form, snatched Ye Meng from Ye Luo, and somehow began flying through the air as well!
Holding Ye Meng by the shoulders, Ye You turned and flew in another direction. Ye Meng cursed nonstop as Ye You carried him along. "What are you supposed to be, a Fire Dragon? Gods, why do you look uglier than a Fire Serpent? I used to think the Fire Serpent was the ugliest creature in the world!" As he taunted the beast, he swung the sharp claws in his hands.
"Roar! Roar!" The Fire Dragon, formed from countless fire elements, was so provoked that it twisted around and abandoned Ye Luo, flying toward Ye Meng instead.
Ye Meng's eyes lit up. He immediately shouted to Ye You, "Run! That damn fire worm's coming after us!"
"Fools. You think you can escape like this? Turn back!" Barrit had been watching the battle closely. The moment the Fire Dragon turned its head, he understood Ye Meng's plan. But when the fire rune in his hand flashed red, the Fire Dragon immediately turned back and pursued Ye Luo, and the distance between them rapidly shrank.
"There's no time! Ye You, throw me!" Ye Meng shouted without hesitation.
"Get the hell away, Ye You! I order you, in my name as Emperor of the Zerg, get away from me!" Ye Luo had been ashamed ever since his mistake had put his brothers in mortal danger. Hearing Ye Meng offer to charge into the Fire Dragon and take the blow for him, he shouted furiously, his eyes bloodshot. But he had clearly underestimated the heroes of the Zerg and their loyalty to the Overmind!
Even at full speed, Ye Luo couldn't keep up. The Overlord's greatest ability was detection, not movement, so the Fire Dragon was rapidly closing the gap. He didn't need to look back to feel the searing heat behind him.
Just as the Fire Dragon opened its enormous jaws, about to swallow him whole, Ye Meng and Ye You both turned into dark blurs and hurled themselves toward him!
Boom! Like lambs walking into a tiger's den!
As if they were being fed to it, Ye Meng and Ye You leaped straight into the Fire Dragon's mouth!
Boom! Boom, boom, boom! A violent surge of power hurled Ye Luo out of the sky. He turned around, grief-stricken, and saw that Ye Meng and Ye You had been engulfed by a massive ball of fire...
Before you continue