The Magic Empire Reappears

This battle brought considerable shock and astonishment to all the inhabitants of the continent. The central city of the Federation was completely destroyed, and the Divine Paladin Order dispatched by the Temple were also wiped out in this battle. There were even rumors that the great god had been defeated by the Arcane Mage. For a time, panic gripped the people, and everyone felt fear and unease, especially in the Vila Federation. With the central city occupied, the entire Federation had been effectively torn apart, and countless refugees began to flee to the more distant capitals, trying to escape this terrible country that had been destroyed and was now nothing but death.

Faced with this situation, the other four countries in the Five-Nation Alliance reacted differently.

As the Federation's most loyal ally, the Xialuo Kingdom immediately dispatched a large force to the border region, vigilantly monitoring every move there. Meanwhile, Dideyasi remained relatively low-key. Catherine made no substantial reaction to the matter, merely expressing "regret" and "sorrow" over the Federation's destruction, but refraining from mentioning the threat of the Magic Empire. This action further confirmed the deep-seated unease in people's hearts and the credibility of the rumor that the god had been defeated by the Arcane Mage.

Lalia's actions were perhaps the most unexpected. After the Federation's demise, instead of withdrawing their troops, Lalia, under the command of Lalia new Grand Duke, launched an unprecedented offensive against Kudel. Clearly, without the Federation's support, the Five-Nation Alliance was now defunct, and Lalia no longer cared about anything else.

Meanwhile, Kudel was under the greatest pressure among the Five-Nation Alliance. As another country bordering the Vila Federation, it not only had to contend with refugees fleeing the Federation and the potential undead army lurking nearby, but also struggled to cope with the fierce attacks from Lalia. However, things weren't so simple. During this time, the Dark Elf seemed to have grown restless and begun to act. They slipped out of the Black Road under the cover of night, cleansing and massacring surrounding villages and cities, even openly declaring the land their property. This made the already Dark Elf Kudel even more miserable. Moreover, the large influx of refugees fleeing the Federation presented a significant challenge for the Kudel; refusing them entry, after all, they were former allies and ally. Letting them in could very well attract the Magic Empire's army. Currently, the Magic Empire isn't attacking the other four nations, but instead has dispatched its terrifying undead army to slaughter Federation soldiers and civilians day and night within the Federation's borders. Although Kudel was prepared for the possibility of an invasion, from his current perspective, he still hopes the Magic Empire will first eliminate the other four nations before coming after him. Furthermore, due to the destruction of the Vila Federation, Kudel's trade has essentially come to a standstill. Even the City of a Thousand Towers, which previously maintained good relations with them, has suspended trade and the transport of goods, citing "too dangerous" as the reason. If they were to accept refugees now, the nation's resources would naturally be severely strained.

Left with no other option, Kudel ultimately decided to refuse entry to refugees, and any Federation resident attempting to cross the border without authorization would be sentenced to death. After all, they simply did not have the resources to protect these refugees at the moment.

Coincidentally, the Xialuo Kingdom made the same decision. They rejected the entry requests of Federation refugees and began to brutally kill those who tried to cross the border into their country. At the same time, they began to stockpile military supplies in preparation for the inevitable war to come.

Compared to the Five-Nation Alliance, the Five-Nation Alliance countries, while also feeling panicked, were not as terrified. In fact, some even made decisions that were hard for others to imagine.

The roars of the undead echoed through the village, now deserted, littered with corpses and blood. Angela stood atop the burning church, a cold smile on her face, gazing down at the horrific Hell below. After that day, the Federation's resistance had completely collapsed, and Angela began the most exhilarating massacre of her life. Li Lin had given her complete command; as long as she could eliminate the Federation people, she could do whatever she wanted.

"How boring... I'm already tired of games like branding with hot irons and dismemberment by chariots."

As Angela watched the last villager being torn in two by the Ghoul wrestling back and forth amidst their agonizing screams, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"What method should we use to kill these people next... Poison gas is a good option, but it's too boring, hmm?"

Just then, Angela glanced at the distant battlefield, then stared intently at one particular spot.

A woman, a young woman, was holding a white flag high and waving it continuously, facing the Ghoul that were slowly approaching her. Although the young woman was pale and her body was trembling slightly with fear, she did not retreat or collapse to the ground.

What's going on?

Over the past few days, Angela had encountered many humans. Most of them, upon seeing the undead army, would simply cry out and flee. The braver ones would be torn to shreds by the Ghoul's claws, while others would break down under the immense mental pressure, turning insane. Their actions were bizarre and unpredictable, and watching their mad and comical behavior had once been a source of amusement for Angela. She had even captured a few normal people specifically to place among the Ghoul, enjoying their pathetic state after their mental breakdowns. Some would choose to end their own lives, while others would become incoherent. However, this woman didn't seem to have lost her mind; on the contrary, she seemed to have something on her mind.

"That's really interesting."

Angela muttered to herself, then her figure transformed into a red flash and disappeared into the overcast sky.

Watching the Ghoul slowly approach, the girl's legs went completely weak. She leaned against the wall, using its solid surface to keep from collapsing. She continued waving the white flag, though she didn't know its purpose. At this moment, all she could do was pray her wish would come true. The girl was acutely aware of the danger these undead creatures posed. Along the way, they had already lost many men for this reckless plan. These undead couldn't communicate with humans; they couldn't even find a single one they could talk to. But they hadn't given up. After all, this matter concerned the life and death of their nation.

However, this has finally reached its limit.

The girl's hands grew weaker and weaker, and she could no longer wave the white flags. She could only lean against the corner of the wall, watching the undead creatures. She wanted to draw the longsword at her waist, but in the end, she let go of the hilt and closed her eyes in despair, facing the sharp teeth and claws that were almost in front of her.

However, death did not come to her, or rather, it just left.

"What an interesting woman."

A cold, pleasant voice appeared in the girl's ear.

"Faced with my lovely subordinates, you actually have no intention of begging for mercy, nor of resisting?"

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, the girl hurriedly opened her eyes in surprise. At this moment, the Ghoul that had surrounded her had already quietly retreated to the side and knelt down. In front of them, a girl dressed in a gorgeous black dress was standing there. She held a folding fan in her hand, and her bright red eyes gleamed with a faint light that was both evil and beautiful. Against the backdrop of the blood-red earth and the pitch-black sky, her long silver hair looked so beautiful and moving.

This is not an illusion!!

The girl pinched her thigh hard; this wasn't a hallucination she was having before she died!

A force suddenly helped the girl stand up. She stood respectfully in front of the girl, bowed her head solemnly, and stammered as she asked.

"Your Excellency, are you the commander of this undead army?"

"These horrible puppies are my pets."

Angela narrowed her eyes and answered with a soft laugh.

"I, I, I am... I am a special envoy from the Sea-Encircled Country! Your Excellency, I represent His Majesty the King of the Sea-Encircled Country, and have come... come..."

The girl's voice trembled even more from nervousness, not only from the tension itself, but also from the overwhelming aura of death surrounding her, which was almost unbearable. This boundless fear made it impossible for her to organize her thoughts. After stammering for a long time, she finally gritted her teeth, took out a letter from her bosom, and solemnly handed it over.

"Sea-Encircled Country?"

Angela did not take the book from the girl's hand, but instead carefully examined her.

"How interesting, someone actually wants to be associated with undead creatures?"

"Yes... ah... no... you misunderstood, I didn't mean... I..."

As an envoy, the young woman was originally quite eloquent, but now, the invisible pressure emanating from Angela and the death threat posed by the undead made it impossible for her to utter a coherent sentence. She certainly didn't want Angela to think she looked down on the undead, but she couldn't think of anything to say in this situation. Ultimately, the fear and tension of death caused the already exhausted young woman to black out, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Huh? Could he have been scared to death?"

The girl's sudden fall startled Angela. She walked over to the girl, kicked her over, and examined her closely.

"What, still alive... How boring."

As Angela spoke, the Ghoul moved closer again, their greedy eyes fixed on the tender flesh before them, ready to "sharpen their knives and slaughter the pigs and sheep."

"However, since he is an envoy, he cannot be killed so easily."

Looking at the woman, Angela frowned, thought for a moment, and finally made a decision.

"Take it back to the city and hand it over to its owner."

Meanwhile, Li Lin was busy with other matters.

With the fall of the Federation, the emergence of the Magic Empire was practically known throughout the continent. Li Lin's next task was to stabilize his territory and, when the opportunity arose, launch an offensive against the other four nations. He wasn't worried about military strength; the Federation had a large population, and with Angela leading the charge, their millions of undead soldiers would be sufficient to maintain border control. Moreover, the enemy wouldn't easily invade; otherwise, they would only be adding to his forces. After this defeat, the God of Justice had expended considerable power and would likely be unable to attend to the Temple for a long time. Without divine favor, the Temple posed no threat whatsoever.

As for the refugees, Li Lin wasn't worried at all. What difference would it make if they fled? Even if they fled to the other four countries, it would only delay their deaths. If they fled to those smaller countries, they would be even easier to deal with... Besides, no matter what, they couldn't possibly escape this continent.

Currently, the focus of the Magic Empire has shifted from military to domestic affairs. Although the Federation city was destroyed, the wealth in the national treasury has greatly enriched the Ringwraith City's coffers, replenishing its already somewhat insufficient funds. The Federation's central city is located at the very heart of the Five-Nation Alliance's transportation hub, allowing Li Lin to launch invasions and attacks in all directions from its center. He can also launch surprise attacks on the Five-Nation Alliance at lightning speed. While this also means the Five-Nation Alliance can launch attacks on Ringwraith City in return, it's likely that after this battle, the other four nations will no longer have such thoughts.

"We do not currently need to build cities and fortresses on the ground."

Standing before Li Lin, Nia was delivering her report in a gentle and methodical manner.

"Although we received a considerable amount of supplies this time, we don't have enough manpower to maintain control on the ground. I personally don't recommend repairing the city at this time. Relying on the satellite surveillance system of the 'Virgin Goddess Jewelry,' we should be able to easily control and monitor the entire area from the air and effectively eliminate the enemy."

"But, Sister Nia..."

Yi Aier raised an objection.

"Our missile reserves are running low, and we've used up most of our magical metal. There simply isn't enough magical metal left in these supplies. It will take a considerable amount of time to reforge these materials into magical metal that can be used to etch magic arrays."

"Father... Anna... can... patrol..."

Anna reached out her small hand and gently tugged at Li Lin's sleeve, her face flushed, and coughed softly as she made the suggestion.

"If Anna goes alone, the pressure will be too great."

Kalin stretched and leisurely opened the bottle cap.

"How about sending those elves and the dark-skinned ones along? They have nothing better to do than grow crops in my Garden of Verdure all day."

"If that's the case, then I have a suggestion."

At this point, Suoxiate suddenly clapped his hands.

"Didn't Anna used to have an assassination squad called 'Eye of Death'? Although the previous Eye of Death were all wiped out in the last war between the Magic Empire, I think we can start afresh and rebuild this army."

Because the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys needed to govern their own floating cities, each Ring Spirit Envoy possessed a unique magical force directly under their command. Antanaxisi, one of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, once led an assassination squad called "Eye of Death." They possessed highly sophisticated skills, concealment spells, and various deadly magical artifacts, responsible for eliminating threats to the Empire's interests in the shadows. During the last war between the Magic Empire, Li Lin, having detected the presence of the Manipulators, diverted the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, but their force remained in Ringwraith City, ultimately perishing with the fall of the Magic Empire.

That's a good idea.

Hearing Suoxiate's words, Li Lin pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. Nia's "Spell Studies Order," Kalin's "Eagle of Souls," Yi Aier's "Dragon King's Sigh's Sigh," Suoxiate's "Loyal Phantom," and Anna's "Eye of Death" were all formidable fighting forces. Their members were elite mages selected from among the best. Given the current severe shortage of "human soldiers," rebuilding these historically glorious units was crucial. They would not only become subordinates of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys but also a protective force for the Magic Empire. After all, the empire couldn't rely solely on Angela's undead army for its survival forever.

"Suoxiate is right. We can't rely solely on undead creatures to maintain the security and stability of the entire nation... I think it's necessary to rebuild your Royal Guard. Nia, go check the academy's records and select those skilled in stealth magic and combat, prioritizing their use by Anna. You can also each select the personnel you want. Although rebuilding and training will take considerable time, I believe a large amount of magical weapons and equipment should be enough to improve them several levels. Also, regarding the situation in the City of a Thousand Towers... As things stand, we need more manpower. Nia, you can inform those three mages that I agree to their planned and phased immigration... However, strict screening is required. For the first batch of immigrants, we only want hybrids; we won't allow any purely human individuals into our city."

"No problem, Li Lin."

After hearing what Li Lin said, Nia nodded.

"During this period, the Five-Nation Alliance is unlikely to make any major moves."

Looking at everyone, Li Lin spoke slowly.

"What we need to do now is seize every opportunity to establish a firm foothold. After all, our goal is to reclaim our own territory, not to conquer the entire continent. Angela will continue to clean up and eliminate the remaining forces within the Federation during this period. I believe that with the little one's enthusiasm, there won't be any who escape, but we should always be prepared for the worst. And..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Suoxiate opened it, and Angela walked into the room. Everyone was surprised to see her. After all, Angela had been on a killing spree for the past few days, seemingly "forgetting home," and was rarely seen. Now that she had returned on her own initiative, it meant that she was definitely not just coming back for a visit.

"Angela? What happened?"

"It's nothing serious, Master."

When Li Lin asked her a question, Angela just pursed her lips in boredom.

"However, I have brought back a strange diplomatic envoy for you; she claims to be from Sea-Encircled Country."