Chapter 38

Within the forbidden zone between Galrose Fortress and the Great Winter Forest,

'Where the hell did that bastard Depro run off too!!!'

'Damn it!'

'Hurry up and come back you son of @!$!'

After narrowly evading an onslaught from a silver-armored warrior's war hammer, Captain Sakurai of the Shadow Mercenaries cursed inwardly with frustration. Just then, a deep crimson magic array suddenly materialized behind this sixth-level powerhouse!

Suddenly,

A colossal fireball came hurtling towards him, causing Sakurai's eyes to narrow sharply. His scar-ridden furious face grew even more ferocious due to the ambush!

However,

Being a seasoned veteran of countless battles, Sakurai quickly adjusted his posture, evading the bombarding fireball and hurling his spear into the air!

In an instant,

A surge of black light erupted! The spear, enveloped in dark-attribute aura, slashed through the starry sky, piercing the shoulder of a distant spellcaster! It directly disabled the combat prowess of the fifth-level mage.

And with the long-range threat eliminated,

Sakurai visibly regained his composure in battle,

But even so, his expression remained incredibly grave. At this moment, his Shadow Mercenaries, whom he led on this mission to assist in smuggling slaves, had suffered severe damages, and their fighting strength had been reduced to only himself and a few elite members.

Almost all of the other members were slain by the knights before his eyes,

Gazing at dozens of knights dressed in exquisite silver armor and crimson capes, Sakurai's eyes brimmed with resentment, wishing to dismantle each and every one of them! Otherwise, his burning hatred would be difficult to quell!

A well-executed mission,

Almost on the verge of completion! He was about to hand over the slaves to the Divine Punishment Sect! Soon, he would receive 8 million star coins! Yet, he unexpectedly encountered these damn Asumos Church knights at this critical juncture?!

Damn it!

'Aren't those bastards not on good terms with the Snow Night Empire?! Why are they appearing near the fortress!! You bastards!'

Sakurai cursed inwardly with frustration,

While occasionally casting puzzled glances toward the nearby Great Winter Forest,

Several minutes ago, he had dispatched a team to chase after that fleeing girl! She was just a normal person of the third rank, for god's sake?! Why haven't they caught her yet after all this time?!

"Depro! What the hell are you up to?!"

Sakurai grew increasingly anxious,

If those people didn't come back to support him, he might truly be captured by these inexperienced church knights!

However,

Just as he glanced momentarily at the Great Winter Forest, mocking words suddenly resounded in his ears,

"Oh, so you still have time to look elsewhere?"

??!!

What?!

"Who?!!"

In an instant, Sakurai's eyes narrowed sharply. A strong sense of danger surged through his heart as he incredulously turned his head to look at the brown-haired female knight who appeared behind him. And in that moment of resentment as he gazed at the female knight,

A purple-flamed sword, burning with intensity, impaled Sakurai's chest from behind,

Directly piercing through his heart!

"Dammit..."

In a feeble curse, Sakurai, whose blade had tasted blood for decades, ultimately perished in this mission of transporting slaves,

His death marked the complete destruction of the Shadow Mercenaries.

--

"Finally resolved,"

After the purple flames dissipated from her sword, Galena let out a sigh of relief,

It wasn't easy for them to overcome a sixth-level powerhouse besieging them.

Then,

Galena turned slowly and looked towards the other battlefields behind her. With Sakurai's demise, the remaining members of the stubborn Shadow Mercenaries raised their hands in a gesture of surrender.

Undoubtedly, the battle had come to an end,

With a slight smile, Galena looked towards the burly man wielding a giant axe and shouted,

"Kakalo!"

"Hmm? What's the matter, Sister Galena?"

The burly man known as Kakalo quickly leaped up and stood before Galena,

While Galena pointed to the dozens of young boys and girls confined in the carriages nearby,

"Tidy up the battlefield and, by the way, help those poor kids with their injuries."

"Alright, understood. I'll go call the priests."

"Yes, oh, one more thing!"

Just as the burly man was about to leave, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Galena in confusion,

"What's the matter, Sister Galena? Is there something else you need to command?"

Upon hearing this, Galena furrowed her brow thoughtfully and looked towards the nearby snowy plains and the Great Winter Forest not far away. With her keen senses, or perhaps it was a woman's intuition, in the midst of battling these ruthless mercenaries, she always had a strange feeling,

As if something nearby was watching her?

It made Galena extremely uncomfortable, and that inexplicable chilliness kept her on edge until now.

"Kakalo, have you, by any chance, felt any strange gazes around us?"

Hearing her words, the burly man Kakalo looked perplexed and glanced awkwardly at their surroundings,

Then he shook his head, helpless.

"No, I don't feel anything. Everything seems normal, right?"

"Hmm? Really? Then what about the reconnaissance team on alert nearby? Any news? Have they seen any demons or abyssal creatures?"

"They shouldn't have. If they spotted any abyssal creatures, they would have reported it by now."

"Well, I guess so."

Could it be my imagination? Perhaps because I've been too tired lately? Galena pondered in her mind as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

But at that moment, Kakalo's exclamation interrupted Galena's thoughts, causing her to curiously look up. "What's wrong?"

"There's a girl, she seems like an ordinary person? She ran out of the Great Winter Forest?!" Kakalo pointed towards the distant forest, sounding incredulous.

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Galena was also taken aback. She followed Kakalo's hand and looked in the same direction.

And in the next instant, Galena couldn't help but reveal an expression of disbelief. Reflected in her eyes was a girl with disheveled pink hair, wearing tattered clothes, just as Kakalo had described, running out of the Great Winter Forest towards their location.

"Wait, really? Oh my god! What's with that child? How did she come out of the Great Winter Forest alone? No, something's not right! Why would a young girl come to such a dangerous place?" Galena questioned.

"The clothing, isn't it similar to the slaves on the carriage?" Kakalo remarked.

"Slaves? Is she an escaped slave?"

"Seems like it. Didn't Sakurai say that some members of their team went into the forest to capture people? It should be her, right?"

"But why is she the only one running away? What about the people pursuing her?"

"I'm not sure. Let's ask her when she gets here."

"Alright."

As they watched the fragile figure stumbling and running with all her might from a distance, Galena's compassion grew. After a brief exchange, she hurriedly joined Kakalo and several other Asumos knights to go help the poor girl.

However, as Galena and the others were about to make contact with the girl, she noticed something unusual—the expression on the girl's face. It wasn't the look one would have upon seeing a savior; instead, it was filled with endless fear. She anxiously looked behind her from time to time, as if avoiding something terrible.

"No, something's not right!" A sense of foreboding suddenly rushed into Galena's mind.

And at that very moment, as if to confirm Galena's intuition, an overwhelming oppressive force burst out of the forest. Like a violent gust of wind, it instantly assaulted Galena and the other Asumos knights, carrying a chilling silence, a dense aura of murderous intent, and a nauseating smell of blood.

Everyone's faces turned pale, and cold sweat trickled down their foreheads. In the next moment, the earth shook.

"Roarrrrr!"

Amidst the earth-shattering and terrifying roar, several gigantic bipedal monsters, engulfed in raging hellfire, emerged from the Great Winter Forest. With an imposing aura, they roared and charged toward them.

?!! In the instant they saw these Demons, everyone held their breath, experiencing an unprecedented sense of horror.

"Abyss... Abyssal creatures?!"

This is bad, really bad!

"Quick! Retreat now!!!"