Second?

Shortyty used his connections with the Royalty to obtain a level 5 noble stamp, adding high credibility and urgency to the request for an audience with the Glory of Darkness, securing an appointment in less than a day.

So, the day after the kidnapping of the Old Gnome, Ian, Shortyty, the 10-man security force between the Realm of Origin and Spiritual, and Huaguer, the Lycanthrope of the Fantasy Realm, set off heavily armed in the direction of the Dark Elf embassy.

Each member, with the exception of Huaguer and Shortyty, in addition to their usual weapons, were armed with the best explosives of F11. Ian did not expect a peaceful visit and did not even want one. It would be a great opportunity to demonstrate his products to the ambassador by eliminating some common enemies. Better military marketing impossible.

Ian, in particular, wore a voluminous cloak and, to everyone's surprise, carried a package wrapped in thick cloth on his back, roughly the size of a longsword. Etri questioned him about it, but Ian only smiled and said it was a surprise. His training had yielded more than just traditional cultivation.

Another 11 security guards and two Lycanthropic Earthly Realms were defending the headquarters along with 20 warriors also between the Realm of Origin and Spiritual from the Red Faction, all under Etri's command. Other than that the mansion itself was a small fortress heavily garnished with defensive matrices, mechanisms and a robust structure. It was 99% certain that they were safe, since to bring down such an organization would require a force beyond what was acceptable for the Gnomic Royalty to put up with in their territory.

Interestingly, the desired location for that group, led by Ian, was only minutes away, no more than six blocks, with light traffic, allowing for a peaceful and unhurried walk. They moved slowly and without hiding, clearly visible to anyone.

What Ian wanted was a visible and well-informed enemy. He had suffered at the hands of the hidden techniques of the Elves and didn't want to repeat that experience. This plan had been elaborated between him, Huaguer, and Shortyty.

Huaguer had participated in numerous battles and held the rank of General, while Shortyty, despite having almost no combat power, had perception skills that would make many illustrious trackers and scouts envious. Thus, they knew they were being followed and monitored since leaving the headquarters.

The architecture of the target building could be described as curious and exotic. It had two towers, one at each extremity, east and west. In the center, there was a large courtyard divided into two sections, with walls, guard towers, and many armed soldiers. It was evident that the garrison was more concerned about the neighbors to the side than the outside threat.

The structure itself was made of a sturdy rock that emitted a certain pressure from distance and had details in purple tiles. Macabre statues of Dark Elves also adorned the place. It was more sinister than beautiful. However, there was only one entrance that both sides had to use together. Gnomes could be extremely cunning at times.

"32 soldiers in the courtyard and 15 at the main entrance for each kingdom." Huaguer reported after a brief glance.

Shortyty raised his head, the eyes sparkled and gave off a strange feeling to the people around him. He looked ahead for 5 seconds and returned to normal.

"Another 10 hidden specialists from the Glory of Darkness side and 30 from the Eternal Night." Shortyty spoke coldly with an aura that made Ian stunned. Was this really the nerdy guy who followed him around? Huaguer looked at Shortyty again, now with a greater level of respect. What did the Lycanthropes value the most? Combat ability, including auxiliary skills.

"Shortyty, now you stay behind and follow the plan." Ian said as he patted the small gnome's shoulder and moved forward. Of the 13, 12 advanced, while the straggler stayed behind a covered cart, passively watching the horizon.

"Will your toy work?" Huaguer asked a bit skeptically.

"I had my doubts, not about the equipment, but about the user. Even with the auxiliary matrices, it would still require some skill. Now, seeing this other side of Shortyty, I'm almost certain of success."

The official territory of the Dark Elves began 30 meters from the embassy's actual fence. Shortyty stood precisely at that limit, and the others moved up to 5 meters from the gate and stood there waiting.

"You, identify yourselves!" two guards shouted simultaneously, one on each side of the portal, with a safe distance between them.

"Ian Haller and his delegation, paying a visit to the Ambassador of Glory of Darkness, as per our scheduled joint engagement."

The soldier on the right frowned and murmured something inaudible into a crystal he was holding, a communicator. The one on the left expressed curiosity about his "companion's" suspicious reaction.

"One more thing, Zero, bring your men at once, including the 30 in the shadows. I don't like suspense." Ian proclaimed in a loud, arrogantly commanding tone.

"Hmm, it seems you came prepared. I didn't think you would notice." A melodious voice came from nowhere, and shortly after, dark shadows appeared, forming a line blocking the entrance from the outside. The truth was that Ian didn't even know if Zero was there or if she belonged to the Eternal Night. He only had a suspicion, and to confirm it, he made this bluff. In the worst-case scenario, it would create a strange atmosphere, without much loss.

"As beautiful as before. My wife would be jealous if she knew I was constantly followed by such a beauty." Zero frowned, not at the flirtation, but because his target had noticed his presence. If she knew that Ian was just bluffing and playing with words... She would spit a mouthful of blood.

"Are you going to participate in the assault? Even with your cultivation that would make any deficient envious?" Zero said playfully, regaining her characteristic domineering and seductive pose.

"I'm not as useless as I appear, my dear." Ian slowly began to take out some spherical objects from his clothes, with the subordinates imitating him.

Zero knew what those "balls" were and their destructive potential. As such, she could not help but be a little alarmed. However, soon calm down, because Zero had bought and tested them before, was aware of how they worked, as well as their flaws.

"Eternal Night, these are my guests. Do you dare to stop them?!" Roared an older Dark Elf, accompanied by several others Elfs, from the western tower. The gatekeeper had informed him of the disturbance.

"Ah, if it isn't Ambassador Fahar. These people have unfinished conflicts with us. You wouldn't want to meddle in our affairs, would you?"

"Humph, all I know is that they could be potential collaborators of my Glory of Darkness." Although his words didn't indicate surrender, his impetus was no longer the same. He was at a numerical disadvantage, and truth be told, the Eternal Night had long surpassed his country militarily. Unification had not yet occurred because the losses would be devastating, even for the victors.

"Ambassador Fahar, leave them to us. I only ask, if it's not too much trouble, that you prevent the others from interfering." Ian said boldly. Fahar raised his eyebrows in surprise. Indeed, allowing the two sides to confront each other wouldn't cause any diplomatic disturbance, and restraining the warriors inside had always been a mutually accepted function between the two countries. But the open question was: Could that smaller group with lower cultivation prosper?

Zero finally lost the composure. A mere, not even Consolidated Realm, and his lower subordinates made her team a easy prey? The average cultivation of the group of Dark Elves was approximately the same, but were we talking about raw level here? Was an Elven combat expert really comparable to one of the same level from the Gnomes? Except for the Lycanthrope, the maiden didn't pay attention to anyone else.

"You have 10 specialists garbage and just one decent warrior in the Fantasy Realm. On my side we have me, a Fantasy specialist, and one in the Celestial Realm! Plus 28 others superior to the rest of yours. Why don't you just surrender?"

"How about we make a deal?" Ian astutely asked.

"What kind of deal?" The chances were in her favor, and if possible, she would prefer not to fight on Gnomish soil. Besides, Zero had always intended to capture that annoying little creature alive, given its usefulness to the Kingdom.

"Let's fight, if your group wins, regardless of the losses on my side, I will voluntarily join the Eternal Night. Otherwise, you will be my second wife!"

UOOH! If previously the ambassador maintained a dignified expression, now his jaw dropped to his belly button. This non-Elf had balls. The people on the side of the Eternal Night instantly became furious, especially the Celestial specialist kneeling right in front of Zero, whom Ian recognized as the damn guy who had tried to decapitate him countless times during the abduction. Zero herself was momentarily speechless. She, who always had everything under control, didn't foresee this turn of events.

"You're courting death!" Shouted the Celestial Realm Elf, emanating a murderous intent.

#Murderous intent was a type of bodily pressure enhanced by negative emotions, cultivation, and the number of souls taken.

"Ahahahaha!" That sweet laughter broke the tense atmosphere among everyone. Who was laughing? Zero! Not only did she laugh, but she was also struggling hard to stop. The great leader of the Numbered, the shadow agents of the Eternal Night, the hidden arm of the Bloodthirsty Queen, displaying such a show.

"I accept, for the sake of comedy. Let Senior Fahar and the others present bear witness." Said Zero after composing himself.

"Do you swear by your Aura?"

"Yes."

Swearing by the Aura was one of the procedures. Of course, that alone wasn't enough. Both of them performed hand signs and seals, channeling energy for the intended purpose. There were written aura contracts and spoken ones. The advantage of the former over the latter was the possibility of multiple clauses and reliability since everything was duly described on paper, usually leaving no room for parallel interpretations.

"Forward!" Ian roared, waving his hand and throwing the explosives up in the air together with the others.