I Saw the Overlord Egg

The first thing Elsa and Sally did upon emerging from the Zane Dungeon was to look up at the sky.

Night had fallen over the sky, but it wasn't pitch black; a faint glow lingered within it, meaning it was nearing dawn.

Sally mentally calculated the time and said, "So we've only been in the dungeon for a few hours?"

It's amazing! It feels like I've been battling in the Painting World for a very, very long time.

"No, you've been in the dungeon for a whole day."

Lu Lu Wo's voice came from the side. She walked over, yawning, and said, "I'm the only one still waiting for you guys. So, how was your experience in the Painting World?"

She and Elsa exchanged a glance, and after confirming that the other's gaze remained firm, she nodded in satisfaction.

She had initially worried that the child was easily swayed and might become indecisive again after her adventure in the Painting World with her former companions. However, now she could tell from her eyes that the child was no longer the fussy person she used to be, so there was no need to worry anymore.

But why does her gaze seem even more resolute? More resolute than before she went in?

What Lu Lu Wo couldn't possibly know was that anyone who had entered the Sword Wind Legend Painting World would likely develop a similar stress response to mercenary groups and wouldn't want to join one again. To alleviate this stress response, besides letting time wear it off, one could also hope that Gong Qiying would create a [Painting World "Black Beast"].

However, after seeing that black beast, it's probably time for the Elf Race to react.

Lu Lu Wo began to take an interest in the Painting World that the two had entered, which was, after all, a completely new Painting World.

"I think you'd better not go in, never go in your life," Elsa warned sincerely.

Even Sally, who disliked adventurers, deeply agreed with this statement and restrained himself from nodding in agreement.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that Lu Lu Wo in front of him wasn't so annoying anymore, although he was still resentful that she had "corrupted" Elsa.

So he extended an invitation.

"At present, we don't know the maximum number of people who can enter this Painting World. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future, Miss Lu Lu Wo."

He gave an innocent and sincere smile, as if he were genuinely discussing cooperation.

"Okay, okay." Lu Lu Wo nodded cheerfully, but there was something hidden in her eyes.

The two people, each with their own ulterior motives, smiled at each other at the same time.

Elsa couldn't bear to watch the scene any longer, so she walked away with a stern face. Sally noticed and quickly followed after her.

"Hmm, it seems I don't need to follow him anymore. I feel the child should be fine now."

Lu Lu Wo stroked her smooth chin, watching their figures gradually disappear into the distance, and muttered to herself.

"Forget it, let's go and see what happens."

Soon after, Elsa and Sally arrived at the Light Eagle Legion's base.

It wasn't until he saw the White Eagle flag fluttering high in the sky above the Light Eagle Legion's base that Sally snapped out of her daze and realized they had arrived.

He thought he would persuade Elsa to stay along the way, and he even thought of what lines he would say before entering the Painting World.

However, after he came out, he sealed those words deep in his mind and suddenly lost the desire to persuade Elsa. He didn't know why he suddenly lost that desire or what was wrong with him.

On the contrary, he couldn't stop thinking about the Sword Wind Legend the whole way.

Did you think he was contemplating the bloody and violent scenes or the complex relationships between the protagonists? No, he was thinking about the monsters and the Overlord Egg that led Griffith to become the Dark Wings.

What exactly are those red spheres with human faces? They look incredibly bizarre and demonic, definitely not normal things. They seem to be the product of evil experiments by alchemists, or inhuman artifacts obtained by cultists from evil gods.

The word "sacrifice" is not a good word in most cases. It is often associated with evil gods and the like. The most famous evil god incident in recent years is the bloody cult sacrifice ritual that was reported in the Warrior Country a few years ago, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.

Offering sacrifices to evil gods in exchange for power is a consensus among almost every cultist; it's an ingrained belief. Sally believed that the so-called Eclipse was a massive sacrificial ritual. Griffith gained immense power by sacrificing the Band of the Hawk, becoming an even stronger being.

Judging from the other party's behavior alone, there is no solution. What kind of evil god would be so generous as to give cult members such powerful strength?

So Sally felt that things might not be so simple, and judging from Griffith's behavior, he was not just a lucky person blessed by the evil god. He seemed to be a higher level of being than mortals.

What should we call this life form?

Although figuring out the proper titles wouldn't help with the campaign, Sally's thirst for knowledge was far greater than most people's, so she cared a lot about it.

But there were a whole host of other things that concerned him even more, the most obvious of which was—

"I always feel like I've seen something like the Overlord Egg somewhere before," he muttered to himself, frowning, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it before, or maybe it was just his imagination.

"Captain Sally! And Captain Gers? You're back?"

The mercenary's greeting pulled Sally out of his thoughts. He suddenly glanced nervously at Elsa, knowing what he was nervous about. He was afraid that she would make a big deal out of leaving the group, which would end up in an awkward situation for both sides.

To his surprise, Elsa gave the mercenary who greeted her a faint smile and nodded, saying, "Yeah, I came back to get something."

At this moment, Sally finally noticed and acknowledged the changes in the girl. If it had been before, she probably would have just stated her purpose directly.

Elsa, you've really grown!

The two walked towards where Elsa had originally lived, while the mercenary who had greeted them stood there blankly for a moment before speaking:

"Captain Gers smiled at me?"

A true departure doesn't need to be grand; one can simply come and go quietly, just like always.

Elsa responded to the mercenaries who came to greet her as before, only with a little more smile. She also took a look at the Assault Team. To her dismay, some of the people she knew had already left, and she wondered if she would ever have the chance to see them again.

Before her smile could charm more people, he finally arrived at the house he used to live in to pack his things.

Actually, there wasn't much to take with her. She didn't lack any supplies or items. If she wanted to take anything, it would only be some things with sentimental value, such as the first novel she read in Bede City. In the end, she only packed a small package, which was enough to hang on her shoulder.

Finally, I thought about whether there was anything I had left behind or anyone I hadn't seen. After thinking about it over and over, it seemed like there was only one thing left.

"Shall we go see the commander?" Sally asked.

Elsa paused for a moment, hesitating over this one particular action.

Normally, if you want to leave the Light Eagle Legion, you need to return the badge that represents your mercenary status to Iliphis. This is what people do even when they have a major falling out with someone in the guild and want to leave. Elsa originally planned to do the same and confront Iliphis directly.

However, she hesitated now, and the reason for her hesitation was...

The sense of déjà vu that Iliphis brought about, similar to that of Griffith, felt very subtle to her.

Especially in the Painting World, she has always been thinking about how to get rid of Griffith, and she still has this hurdle in her mind. If she were to meet Iliphis now, she is afraid she would not be able to control herself and would take action.

And so it ended there. Her last meeting with Iliphis was during the battle against the Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom, when he pushed her out to take the blow for him.

"Please pass on the badge to me; I won't go."

Sally opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

It takes time for a person's mindset to change. Right now, he is still on the side of the Light Eagle Legion. He may come to his senses in the future and leave, but for now, his mindset has not changed.

Just as Elsa pushed open the door to leave, a commotion arose outside.

He turned his gaze over and immediately asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"

A large group of mercenaries had gathered outside the door, making the atmosphere noisy and chaotic.

Sally's heart tightened. Could it be that the mercenaries had learned of Elsa's departure and had come to see her off on their own initiative?

However, the mercenaries here all looked like they were infatuated with Elsa. Both men and women surrounded her and looked at her with expectant eyes. Although she didn't understand what was going on, she still returned a polite smile.

The moment she smiled, the mercenaries erupted in cheers, screaming like boiling water from a kettle.

Sally's eyelids twitched, and her face was covered in black lines.

So these people just got infatuated with Elsa after seeing her smile?

"Alright, alright, no missions today, huh? Anyone who dares to stay here is going to be sent on patrol to the outskirts!"

After finally getting rid of the mercenaries, Sally laughed and cursed, "You unruly bunch."

Elsa smiled and started walking towards the road ahead.

The two walked one after the other, and it seemed that Sally intended to take her outside the camp area.

Fallen Leaves drifted down in front of me, and the weeds I stepped on rustled under my feet. Small flying insects occasionally darted past, like tiny shooting stars.

As Sally watched Elsa's retreating figure, she suddenly felt an urge to say, "I'll go with you," but...

Elsa stopped in her tracks.

The group of people opposite also stopped walking.

Sally nearly bumped into the girl. He tilted his head to look at the girl opposite him, and his expression immediately turned horrified.

"Commander!"

The one who appeared on the road Elsa left was none Iliphis!

Not Iliphis, but also the captains who accompanied him to the Royal Palace, and even the Royal Palace guards.

The sky was gradually turning from dark to light, presumably indicating that Iliphis and his party had just returned from handling business at the Royal Palace.

Oh no, of all places, we ran into this! Sally looked like she was in trouble.

Iliphis and the others weren't blind. When they saw Elsa's luggage and the fact that the White Eagle emblem had been removed from her chest, they understood everything.

"Gers, are you leaving? Leaving this Light Eagle Legion that feels like home?" the assault team leader asked, frowning.

"Why? Now is the time for us to show our skills," the archer captain urged. "If you stay in the company, becoming a noble in the future won't be a problem, Gers."

Elsa glanced at them, suddenly feeling that the scene before her was somewhat familiar. She shook her head and, ignoring the crowd, said:

"No, I have my own mission to fulfill."

The captains began to offer their advice again, Iliphis remained silent as he looked at her, his blue eyes reflecting an unreadable emotion.

Neither emotional appeals nor rational persuasion could stop Elsa from leaving, and it was at this moment that...

"Bass--"

The sound of swords being drawn came from behind, and the captains gasped in surprise.

"Gers, do you still remember the rules for mercenaries?"

Iliphis, holding his Sabre, stared coldly at Elsa and said:

"If you want to leave without permission, then let's talk with swords."

Elsa stopped, her back to Iliphis. The shadows cast by the two greatswords were so wide that they almost completely obscured him.

The captains took this opportunity to try to persuade her, believing that Elsa was wavering.

Little did she know, her expression was quite strange at that moment, as if she was about to lose control.

This scene looks so familiar, like I've seen it in the Painting World, but what happens next might be a little different.

She turned around, planted the Sword Remains Greatsword in the ground, gripped it with both hands, and met Iliphis's cold gaze with a calm look in her eyes.

"You..." Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, the archer captain shook his head, said "You're courting death," and retreated with the others, leaving the battlefield behind.

The commotion attracted other mercenaries, and more and more people gathered around.

"Elsa!"

Sally called out and was pulled away by the people with a worried expression; she seemed to have wanted to say something to the other person.

A gust of wind blew by, and Elsa and Iliphis stood facing each other, with night gradually breaking into dawn between them.

Iliphis remained silent. Those who knew him well knew that this was when he was truly furious. He could not tolerate his subordinates slipping out of his control. He remembered everything about Elsa and those who had left the Light Eagle Legion in recent days.

Elsa was the highest-ranking among those who had committed "rebellion," and he could not let her go as he had temporarily let the others go.

Elsa is very strong, but Iliphis is also an outstanding individual.

Besides, Iliphis believed he was the strongest, while Elsa was merely a young girl with brute strength who hadn't yet learned how to use it. She might become very strong in the future, but for now—

He is stronger Iliphis!

In all their previous matches, he had won!

As a Fallen Leaves swept past his eyes, Iliphis moved. With lightning speed, he flashed in front of Elsa and thrust a piercing attack at her.

A spark flashed, and a clear, crisp sound echoed across the open space.

As night completely receded, the vibrant light of dawn descended upon the earth, eliciting gasps of amazement from the onlookers.

The broken blade was stuck in the snow, but Iliphis's weapon that was broken!

Iliphis's body froze on the spot, his weapon broken in two.

Elsa's greatsword rested on his shoulder; one more step and she could cut him in two!

But she held back!

Those present gasped in astonishment once more, for they discovered that Iliphis's knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

No one knows what Iliphis was thinking at that moment.

At this moment, Elsa did exactly the same thing to him as she had done to the Black Swordsman she had encountered in the Catacombs of Carthus —the same posture, the same restraint.

For a fleeting moment, Iliphis mistook the girl opposite him for the Warrior clad in black armor. The combination of the two people who had caused him immense setbacks dealt him a devastating blow.

When did Gers become so strong?

Even as Elsa turned and walked away, her figure receding into the distance, the question lingered in Iliphis's mind.

He was serious just now, it shouldn't be like this. He's been training hard lately, and his strength has improved compared to before.

On this day, Elsa officially left the Light Eagle Legion and embarked on the path of defeating the Demon King and saving the world—in reality, she hadn't even started yet.

What Sally wanted to tell Elsa was actually to warn her to hold back and not actually hurt Iliphis.

Her departure caused a commotion in the Light Eagle Legion, but fortunately, the disturbance was quickly quelled because the mercenaries had stopped buying Happiny.

It seems that he has developed a resistance from being hit too many times during this period. This time, apart from being taciturn and playing, Iliphis did not show any other reaction. However, the captains helped him back to his resting place that day.

"Commander, please get some rest."

Sally was the last to leave. He looked at Iliphis, who seemed to be deep in thought, opened his mouth, but ultimately could not say anything.

It seems he's not qualified to comfort the other person; it would only feel strange for him to speak rashly.

But just then, he seemed to see something red flash by in the inside pocket of the other person's clothes.

Huh?

Suddenly, the image of the Overlord Egg flashed before Sally's eyes.

No, no, no, you must be joking. That's just something from the Painting World. It's been so long, how could it possibly actually appear in the real world?

Maybe it's a ruby brought from the Royal Palace. Why am I so nervous?

Although he told himself this in his heart, he felt like someone was tickling him, and he couldn't help but keep looking at Iliphis.

I saw it; it's red and round, but I'm not sure what kind of mold is on it.

What did you see?