Although it was just a snake not long ago, the intelligence of the Elemental Spirit and the teachings of the Border Maid Supervisor allowed the Gleaming Scale Serpent to fully comprehend the content of the meeting at this moment.

'It's a steady move. But with the aggressive style of the Black Gate, can we really wait until that time?'

A hint of worry appeared in his emerald-blue snake eyes, but he had no intention to speak rashly.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly, and he stood up, drawing the attention of the Fourteenth Princess.

"What's wrong, has the Hero returned?"

Even though she knew that even if the Hero came, it couldn't immediately improve the current situation, the Fourteenth Princess still felt her tense heart slightly relax.

"No, it's Your Majesty calling me—"

Before he finished speaking, a sharp and piercing cat's cry rang out.

Like an ordinary little black cat, the Night Tiger that had been following the convoy suddenly leaped onto the shoulder of the Gleaming Scale Serpent.

Its fur stood on end, tail raised high, meowing anxiously.

Hearing its cries, the Gleaming Scale Serpent's expression turned serious.

Night Tiger is the Familiar of the Border Count's family, and the black cat had formed a contract with the Noble Lady when it was young.

Even though the Gleaming Scale Serpent hadn't attained enlightenment when it knew the little girl, it still remembered deeply that she was the Hero's close friend.

"Apologies, Princess, we must leave first. Please take care." spoke the Gleaming Scale Serpent solemnly.

"The Hero she..." The Fourteenth Princess paused slightly, then seemed to understand something. She didn't say much, just solemnly nodded.

"Alright, I understand, let her watch out for her safety."

The Gleaming Scale Serpent didn't say much more. He picked up the Hero's small backpack, with the black cat on his shoulder, and amid the sudden snowstorm, his silhouette vanished into the night beyond the window.

Moments later, the Fourteenth Princess took a deep breath and stood up.

"The Kingdom's Knights have already set out! We can't dawdle—everyone, prepare immediately to carry out our mission!"

Her voice was resolute, her fists clenched, and her pink eyes swept firmly over everyone present.

"—For our motherland!"

→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←

Ancient Royal City, now.

On the shattered streets, corpses piled into mountains; the miasma mingled with the stench of decay and blood.

In this apocalyptic dire situation, a young man with black hair and emerald eyes walked through as if strolling leisurely.

Across the street, a Winged Person with mottled wings, carrying a blood-stained long spear, walked by slowly, their fierce eyes scanning around but acting as if the young man in the distance didn't exist.

Compared to other professions, Mages need to learn more knowledge, and spellcasting requires meticulous preparation and chanting.

In real combat, especially during encounters, these characteristics often become the Mage's disadvantage.

And the young man had personally tasted defeat arising from this.

But when fully prepared, a Mage is one of the most versatile beings in the world.

The Wind of Stealth, Soundless Field, Particle Cloaking... numerous spells woven together into a composite barrier under the Thousand Forms Array, completely erasing the young man's presence.

Neither visual, auditory, nor magical perception could detect his figure, allowing him to walk unimpeded in this dire situation atop the clouds.

Seeing the nearby Winged Person, the Hero's brother stopped, his emerald green eyes glinting faintly.

He quietly observed the departing Winged Person, his gaze calm and sharp.

"A standard long spear of the military..." his eyes settled on the weapon in the Winged Person's hand, he murmured softly.

"It seems a considerable portion of the capital's defense force has been wiped out."

Recalling the various pieces of information observed along the way, he pondered slightly, feeling a slight sense of crisis rising in his heart.

"Using a method of transfer in batches and areas to massively weaken the overall strength of the army. Such a clever technique, the person who executed this transfer magic... is very strong."

If it were merely a brute force dumping of magic power, even his own sister could achieve that.

But that Great Magic that replaced the capital to this distant Western Realm, under the premise of its vast scale, had remarkable precision.

The army can only exert its strongest power when fully organized. And the one who initiated the replacement magic used a surgical-like fine technique to cut and replace various critical facilities, including military camps, in batches to weaken this power.

This wasn't just repeatedly casting magic multiple times, but like executing the Thousand Wind Slash magic, adjusting the angles and sequences of a thousand Wind Blades with precision akin to a swordsmanship master with exact slashes.

Could I achieve such a thing... or even, could our father do it to such a degree?

"Moreover, no matter how depraved, the Winged People are still descendants of Angels."

The Hero's brother frowned, his gaze following the gradually disappearing Winged Person.

"Although few in number, their level is far superior to that of an average professional..."

If it were a facility like the Mage Tower, it could have some resistance to transfer, but even the capital couldn't be extravagant enough to keep an Anti-Magic Array covering the entire military district on at all times.

And once small groups of troops were transferred over, they'd immediately face the slaughter of the large Winged Person force, barely given any chance to fight back.

This way, the Winged People were simply carrying out a slaughter in assembly line fashion, no wonder the surroundings were in such a sorry state.

"This is troublesome now."

The figure of the Winged Person vanished at the end of the sight, and in the sky, a flash of disparate lightning streaked through the dark clouds, illuminating the street for a moment.

The brother squinted slightly, adjusted his direction, and continued to stride deeper into the depths.

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