Chapter 196: An Honor

Chapter 196: An Honor

"Participate in a ceremony? What do you mean?"

Tajana's face was filled with shock as she grabbed her friend's arm and asked urgently, "You're one of the clan's elite dark elf warriors. How could they choose you as a ritual offering?"

Venia shook her head. "This ceremony is different from the usual ones. The messenger of the Empress will descend and save Spider City."

"Only the most devout dark elves can participate in this ceremony. We will become part of the divine messenger, kill that wizard, and then return to the divine realm with the messenger!"

Seeing her friend's fanatical eyes, Tajana's face turned pale with incomprehension.

Why could they be so fervently devoted to an entity that disappeared over a thousand years ago?

It was as if they had lost their minds!

"Venia, you'll die!" Tajana couldn't stand by and watch her friend sacrifice herself.

"It's fine, Tajana." Venia smiled genuinely, "Death is not to be feared. If I return to the divine realm, I will be reborn under the Empress's power and gain eternal life."

Seeing that Tajana was about to protest, Venia waved her off.

"Stop, Tajana! We are the most loyal subjects of the Empress. It is an honor to follow her commands!"

With that, Venia turned and walked toward the central temple.

Tajana stood rooted to the spot, her expression filled with confusion and bewilderment.

At the same time, dark elf warriors from all over Spider City were rushing to the central temple.

Dark purple flames burned and flickered between the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling, illuminating the outline of the temple below.

The massive temple loomed like a monstrous creature in the darkness, its maw wide open, waiting for its prey to come willingly.

Bank City.

As the closest city-state to Spider City, it was also the front line facing the dark elves.

To slow the Star Alliance's advance, the dark elves had not only taken all the slaves but also demolished the city walls and most of the buildings before they left.

The Star Alliance was forced to halt their progress to repair the city.

But this suited Xeman just fine.

He never wanted to attack Spider City too quickly. This pause gave him the opportunity to spend one or two months repairing the walls and buildings.

After meditating, Xeman headed straight to his study.

While he needed to command the war, he didn't neglect his training and studies.

This was the foundation of a wizard's apprentice.

Participating in the war was to earn more contribution points to exchange for resources to enhance his power, which was the ultimate goal.

Xeman wouldn't lose sight of what was truly important.

Entering the study, he found Athir engrossed in reading battle reports, so focused that she didn't notice his approach.

Only when Xeman walked in did she look up and smile.

"You came just in time. There are a few documents for you to sign."

Xeman was the commander of this army, and Athir was his deputy. Many documents required Xeman's signature to be approved.

Xeman took them and quickly signed his name, then asked, "What about the two golems?"

"A new batch of mana stones just arrived, and they went to 'recharge.'"

Recharging meant inserting mana stones into their bodies.

Athir later learned that while the golems were powerful, their energy consumption was terrifying.

A single battle could consume about ten intermediate mana stones, worth nearly ten thousand gold coins (the Star Alliance supplied mana stones at 'market price')!

They were practically money pits!

"Which golem should we use in the next battle?" Athir asked.

Xeman thought for a moment and said, "Golem 1 just finished off a spider elf a few days ago and hasn't fully recovered yet. Let's use Golem 2 next."

To avoid terrifying the dark elves and completely demoralizing them, Xeman had been careful to avoid having both golems appear on the battlefield at the same time.

He only sent one out to deal with the spider elves each time.

Since both golems could change their appearance, as long as they maintained the same form, the dark elves couldn't tell the difference.

"Oh, and by the way, the teacher has new orders." Athir handed over a scroll of parchment.

Xeman took it and read it, his expression becoming peculiar.

Athir, who had already seen the contents, asked, puzzled, "What is the teacher planning? It's one thing to tell us not to push Spider City too hard, but now he wants us to surround them without attacking."

Xeman was equally confused but said, "The teacher must have a plan. We'll follow his instructions. This will give us more time to train."

"That's true," Athir agreed with a nod.

Earning contribution points while training was a rare opportunity.

"I heard that Core and Ethan are making good progress, winning several major battles."

”

"After all, there are two medium-sized golem legions over there, and that so-called Falling Star Alliance is definitely no match for them."

"The war in the Northwest might end even sooner than ours."

The two were chatting casually when suddenly, a soldier hurriedly approached the study door and bowed to both of them.

"My lord, the scouts report that the army from Spider Demon City is approaching our direction."

Xie Man froze, turning to meet Arthur's gaze, and saw the same look of surprise reflected in his eyes.

Before giving up the affiliated city-states, the Spider City was trying to avoid the brunt of the Star Alliance's forces and concentrate their troops to defend Spider City. But now, they've abandoned their defensive advantage and taken the initiative to attack. What are these Dark Elves up to?

"They're not here to surrender, are they?" Arthur joked.

"If that were the case, it would be a feigned surrender," Sherman said, showing no trust towards the dark elves, who were renowned for their cunning. "Besides, they didn't come with their army to surrender directly."

After a brief exchange of jokes, the two didn't waste any time and hurried towards the city gate.

As they arrived at the top of the wall, they witnessed the Dark Elf army assembling their formations in the distance.

"This number, the entire Arachnid City must have been emptied!" Arthur's face grew more solemn.

Xie Man frowned as well.

Judging by this stance, is Darkrai treating the upcoming battle as its final stand?

But what left him perplexed was the source of the Dark Elves' audacity.

And it also puts the attacking side at a disadvantage.

This action was undoubtedly very unusual.

However, as he glanced at the Secret Partner who had appeared by his side at some unknown time, a hint of relief washed over Xie Man's heart.

No matter what the Dark Elves are up to, with two secret puppets in hand, there's no need to worry too much.

The Dark Elf army soon launched their assault.

The slave troops still led the charge, and it wasn't until they were nearly depleted that the Tauren forces and lizard cavalry launched their fierce assault.

Boom!

The city gates opened, and the golem army marched forward in perfect formation, forming a colossal wall before the entrance. They stood firm, halting the enemy's surging charge.

In the blink of an eye, both sides engaged in a chaotic battle, and the air above the battlefield echoed with deafening battle cries.

Xie Man stared intently at the rear of the battlefield.

The Dark Elves' audacity in launching an offensive against Bank City is certainly not solely based on these troops; they must have other hidden strengths up their sleeves.

Is there an influx of Spinarak, or is it something else?

Xie Man will soon be free from her doubts.

A dark shadow soared up from the Dark Elf encampment, pausing briefly in the air before darting towards them like lightning and hovering above the battlefield.

The glow of the moonstone soon illuminated the figure of the visitor.

"Juhua Spirit? No, that's not it," said Arthur, his pupils narrowing. "What kind of creature is this?"

The creature hovering above the battlefield resembled a giant spider, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that her lower half, the spider's body, was even larger and darker than any Arachne they had seen before. From a distance, it seemed as if a black hole was floating in the air, with eight long, spindly legs swaying in the void, their sharp edges glinting with a chilling light.

While above the spider's body, there was a slender and enchanting Dark Elf female form.

The naked body, devoid of any clothing or armor, was adorned with strange crimson patterns on its jet-black skin, intricately woven to form hideous blood-red spiders. Under the glow of the moonstone, the eerie beauty of these markings was accentuated, creating an otherworldly allure.

Xie Man stared at the half-spider creature with a mix of awe and uncertainty. Her eyes widened as she took in the creature's unusual form, a blend of arachnid and human features. The creature's eight eyes seemed to glint with an otherworldly intelligence, and its spindly legs twitched with an unsettling energy.

For some reason, the monster gave him an incredibly intense sense of threat, far more so than the arachnid elf!

While Sherman and Arthur were still in awe, the half-spider monster let out a piercing shriek and charged towards the city walls like a cannonball.

Midway through their journey, two elite Iron Golems noticed the Half-Spider Monster. A flash of light emanated from their chests, and they unleashed a simultaneous assault of Shattering Sonic Waves and Arcane Missiles.

However, the Half-Spider Monster didn't even spare a glance, its massive spider body crashing through the Distorted Sound Waves and Spell Missiles like a brute force. Then, with a cross-swing of its eight limbs, eight crescent-shaped blades of light descended from above, slicing the two Elite Steel Golems into pieces!

A golden golem activated its levitation spell and soared into the sky, blocking the path of the half-spider creature. It unleashed a devastating blow with its iron fists, empowered by magic, but the creature swiftly severed its arms with a swift swing of its dual curved blades.

The cold light flashed, and the huge Jingjin (Spirit Gold) Demon Statue was instantly divided into several pieces.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, leaving Sherman no time to react.

Paying no heed to the loss of the golem, he quickly ordered the remaining golems to keep their distance from the half-spider creatures.

This monster's power is clearly no less than that of a Spinarak, and ordinary Golems are no match for it.

As the golems retreated, the half-spider creatures paid no heed to these minions and charged relentlessly towards the city walls, their eyes fixated on the secret puppet girl from the start.

Without needing to be told, the secret maiden had already lifted her gray robe and leaped from the wall to meet the half-spider creature.

In an instant, surging flames and violent lightning surged out, smashing into the half-spider monster.

The secret maiden's spellcasting power was no match for the elite steel golem, and this time the half-spider monster did not resist. Instead, it nimbly dodged and ghost-like approached the secret maiden, wielding its curved blade and its spider limbs to slash at her.

The secret maiden showed no fear, brandishing her enchanted longsword to strike fiercely.

In an instant, they were locked in a fierce aerial battle, the fight visibly heating up.

The secret maiden wielded her sword in one hand and cast spells with the other, combining physical techniques and magic with stunning momentum.

Though the half-spider monster couldn't cast spells, it excelled in numerous weapons, and the blood-red patterns on its body seemed to provide some defensive effect.

Each time a spell struck the half-spider monster, the blood-red patterns would glow and nullify the spell, leaving it unharmed.

For a moment, they were deadlocked in a stalemate.

Unable to gain the upper hand, the half-spider monster seemed to grow infuriated, letting out a sharp shriek. Violet flames suddenly ignited on its body, and its aura surged.

The spider body's eight limbs were enveloped in a layer of violet flames, slashing out a dense web of shadowy blades toward the secret maiden.

Each strike caused the secret maiden's body to ripple slightly.

Xie Man and Adriel couldn't help but be startled by what they saw.

Only they knew that the secret maiden's defensive capabilities had suddenly plummeted.

Just moments ago, she could withstand the half-spider monster's attacks, so how could these violet flames be so terrifying?_

Xie Man's brows furrowed as he stared at the violet flames on the half-spider monster.

For some reason, the aura emanating from those violet flames gave them a heavy sense of oppression.

"It's not elemental energy, nor is it mental power. I've never seen such a nature of energy before!"

Xie Man's mind was filled with shock and doubt.

As the half-spider monster unleashed the violet flames, the secret maiden was soon on the defensive!

Adriel's eyes widened in shock.

After all, the secret maiden was comparable to a formal mage, yet this half-spider monster could overpower her?

At the same time,

in the dark elf camp, the twelve clan mothers stared intensely at the battlefield, closely watching the half-spider monster's performance.

When they saw the half-spider monster completely overpower its opponent, firmly taking the upper hand, everyone heaved a sigh of relief, their faces showing a joyous expression of lifted burdens.

"Truly a divine messenger, that mage was no match at all!" Felir, the clan mother's eyes gleamed with fervent light.

"Such a great sacrifice was not in vain."

Orolie, halfway through her sentence, suddenly snapped back, shaking her head to dispel the disrespectful thoughts.

How could this be a sacrifice?

This was the honor of the dark elf warriors!

Fortunately, the other clan mothers were too elated to notice her words.

Lestra, the clan mother, smiled, "With that mage dead, the Star Alliance will be in chaos for a while. We can seize this opportunity to counterattack!"

"Exactly!" Felir, the clan mother, nodded emphatically, "Once that mage is dead, the Star Alliance will be nothing to fear!"

The others were also filled with renewed vigor.

With a divine messenger, the Demon Spider City would surely unify the Southeastern Domain, and the entire underground world!

A figure streaked like a meteor, smashing into the ground, obliterating more than ten dark elf warriors and golems into rubble, instantly creating a massive crater.

The secret maiden lay battered in the center of the crater, her body covered in wounds, her left arm severed at the shoulder.

The half-spider monster hovered in the air, its cold gaze fixed on the secret maiden, eyes filled with cold detachment.

"Victory!" Felir, the clan mother, smiled triumphantly.

The dark elf camp erupted in cheers, with occasional verses of praise mixed in.

The dark elf clan mothers didn't scold their warriors, their faces also showing expressions of joy.

The battle was decided!

In the battlefield air, the half-spider monster raised its curved blade, its spider body lifting its sharp limbs.

In the next instant, it plummeted down, like a falling star, aiming to end the secret maiden.

To everyone's surprise, the attack was blocked.

A tall, slender figure stood in front of the half-spider monster, both hands wielding a sword to parry the falling curved blade and limbs.

From a distance, Felir, the clan mother, glanced at the maiden lying in the deep crater, then at the other maiden blocking the divine messenger, her face showing a mixture of shock and confusion.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end