In the moonlit Illusion Realm Dense Forest, the Witch Demon Leader's unrestrained eerie laughter was heard. Reece's lion face was exposed with veins, and he shouted angrily, "As long as I, the leader, still have breath, you shall not succeed!"

Having said that, Reece's aura surged as he swung the dazzling Giant Axe, charging towards the Witch Demon Leader for an attack.

"Tch, mere brute courage, after all."

Looking at Reece's furious beast face rapidly approaching, the Witch Demon Leader's withered face was full of disdain, not paying any heed. He turned and leisurely walked away with his group of witch demons, into the depths of the forest.

Just as Reece was about to close in on the Witch Demon Leader, a giant Illusion Mirror abruptly appeared, reflecting Reece's killing intent-filled lion face.

Following that, the "Reece" in the Illusion Mirror also wielded an identical Tier 6 Giant Axe, suddenly bursting out, clashing fiercely with Reece.

For a time, the two were evenly matched, making it impossible for Reece to advance further, expressing his anger with wild roars.

"Rainforest leader, go ahead and battle your mirror image well."

Listening to Reece's lion roar, the Witch Demon Leader laughed coldly, disdainfully saying, "It doesn't consume energy. Greet your end in fury."

Saying so, the Witch Demon Leader's hoarse laughter echoed through the night sky, soon disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

…

"Lord, you've been busy all day. Aren't you going to rest?"

On the balcony of the Queen's bedroom in the Lion Castle, Ariel Watson draped the Emperor's robe over Leo Ray, looking worried.

"I'm not tired yet."

Leo Ray smiled lightly, though a faint sense of unease lingered in his heart.

After bidding farewell to our Administrator and returning to the Human Domain, Leo Ray first arranged for Sarah Shawn, Bianca White, and other strong individuals to take containers to the Loren Royal City Ruins to bring back Old Roy and the other three Apocalyptic Knights, then settled them in the Lion King Temple, before returning to Lion Castle.

Even though everything was properly arranged, the crisis was not yet resolved, especially given the cunning nature of the witch demon. Perhaps this was the source of his unease.

"No, I must return to inspect our border fortresses once more."

Leo Ray collected himself, decisively opening Mind Talk, instructing Ice Stone City to stand by outside the Royal Capital.

"I'll be back soon. You should rest early."

Leo Ray smiled, patting Ariel Watson's head, then left the court, heading straight towards Ice Stone City outside the castle.

Before long, Leo Ray appeared at one of our fortresses on the border with the Desert Alliance, named Desolate Fortress. It was located at the giant's boundary, jointly defended by giants and treant generals, and the closest of our fortresses to the Desert Alliance.

Under the moonlight, the fortress built on the desert's edge was surrounded by howling winds and an expanse of sand and dust stretched ahead.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon sighting Leo Ray, Haner Tree and Shuert immediately approached, saluting respectfully.

"No need for formalities. Is there any disturbance here?"

Leo Ray nodded slightly, inquiring.

"Your Majesty, everything is normal."

Haner Tree maintained a respectful posture, responding, "Including the treant comrades, there are 3 Tier 4 legions and 15 Tier 3 legions stationed here, all of them elite forces."

"Tonight is extremely critical. The witch demon may play some tricks again; we mustn't be careless for a moment."

Leo Ray nodded at Haner Tree, seriously saying, "Today's operations were indeed smooth. Eliminating the opponent is within reach, but the smoother things go, the less we can relax; otherwise, it might end in failure. Ensure the generals remain vigilant."

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

Haner Tree's rugged blue face was filled with reverence and solemnity as he saluted again.

At the Shadow Market, seeing Leo Ray managing the two alliance leaders in succession, this newly appointed Troll Clan Chief's awe and respect for Leo Ray reached an extreme.

Upon hearing, Leo Ray nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to leave for the next fortress, Haner Tree suddenly covered one ear, evidently receiving some Magic Communication.

Next, his expression suddenly became grave, urgently reporting to Leo Ray, "Your Majesty, while scouting in front of the fortress, Cassie discovered a severely injured Desert Alliance powerhouse. It seems to be the masked man accompanying the Desert Leader at the Shadow Market!"

"Tell Cassie to bring him back quickly."

Responding to the report, Leo Ray's expression turned solemn.

Given the previous situation, it's not difficult to see that the masked man was highly valued by Sina, an extremely important member of the Desert Alliance. If something happened to him, Sina might also be in grave danger, which was wholly unexpected.

"What exactly happened?"

With confusion in his heart, Leo Ray stepped forward, instructing Haner Tree and Shuert, "Let's meet them at the fortress gate."

Upon hearing Leo Ray's words and sensing the gravity of the situation, the duo quickly nodded in agreement, closely following Leo Ray.

It didn't take long, as the fortress gate opened, Cassie arrived swiftly, carrying a small figure.

Under the moonlight, through the blood-stained black attire and shattered peculiar mask, it was evident that the figure Cassie was holding was the masked man, who had fallen into a coma.

"Your Majesty, this person's injuries are extremely severe. Not only are there remnants of petrification marks on their body, but also signs of magic explosion and giant snake bites. I've already provided emergency treatment, but the effect was minimal."

Aware of the gravity of the situation, Cassie intended to kneel but was stopped by Leo Ray.

"Let me handle it."

Without any hesitation, Leo Ray removed the broken mask, placing a Tier 6 Healing Magic Potion into their mouth, also activating a Tier 6 Healing Scroll.

Leo Ray understood the significance of this person. Only by quickly awakening them could the events be clarified. Compared to that, the rare magic medicine and scrolls were trivial.

Under the dual healing effects, accompanied by the gentle golden holy light, almost in the blink of an eye, the masked person's weak breathing stabilized, and their bodily wounds visibly began healing.

During this process, having removed the mask, Leo Ray noticed something.

This individual was a young female with wild, khaki battle markings on her face and a pair of fluffy, khaki erect ears atop her head, slightly smaller than the Bianca White from the Snow Wolf Clan.

"So it's a strong member of the Desert Catman Clan."

Based on previously acquired information, Leo Ray quickly identified her clan.

Within the Desert Alliance, they were a notably influential force.

Just as Leo Ray thought of this, the person already opened her eyes. After a moment of confusion, upon recognizing Leo Ray, she endured severe pain, struggling to stand before kneeling at Leo Ray's feet, "Your Majesty of the Humans, please save our leader, save the entire Desert Alliance!"

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