Chapter 862
Chapter 862
As the Southern Guardian of the Seirun Empire, Duchess Dybas had no need to remain on the city walls. In the evening, she returned to her mountain fortress to rest. With countless fierce generals under her command, including seven commanders of count-level rank, there was no longer any need for her to personally oversee the defenses. Besides, Count Bytin was strong enough to repel any surprise attacks from the Amazonian masters. And she had more important matters to attend to.
After bathing, she changed into a comfortable sleeping gown and entered a black chapel.
“The Amazon warriors were far stronger than we anticipated. Today’s battle was a humiliation.”
The High Priestess of the Fire God Sect said.
“But they will never be able to take this city. Scaling the walls and capturing the city are two entirely different concepts.”
Duchess Dybas was, of course, aware of this. Today, Princess Dora had boldly retreated at the height of the battle. Had the fighting continued, her side would have started to suffer massive casualties. The Amazon warriors were strong, brave, powerful, agile, and sharp. The moment they scaled the walls, everyone had felt a sense of despair. Five thousand warriors had climbed the walls without a single casualty. Each one was strong enough to face ten opponents, but once true melee combat began, could they face twenty, thirty, or even fifty, unless they had three arms?
There was an army of two hundred and fifty thousand inside the city, with over a thousand martial arts masters. The Amazon legion’s performance today had been astonishing and shocking, but they had lost their chance to take the holy city by conventional means. The situation would be different if they were willing to fight with no regard for their own casualties, but Shen Lang had only brought five thousand people, hadn't he? They couldn't afford to lose many.
“Therefore, we must guard against the enemy’s attempts to capture their commander. I will dispatch three hundred masters from the Fire God Sect to protect you at all times.”
At the High Priestess’s words, Duchess Dybas replied.
“I appreciate your efforts.”
Though her own martial skill was exceedingly high, she never refused the goodwill of the Fire God Sect.
“However, I never want to see those female beasts flaunt their martial prowess in my city again. If you have a special method, High Priestess, I would like to employ it.”
“If possible, please bring me several able-bodied slaves.”
A moment later, a dozen slaves arrived in the room. They were all men from untamed, primitive tribes, each one wild and defiant, their bodies covered in marks from their struggles.
“Now, run! If you make it out the door, you are free.”
Upon hearing these words, the dozen wild-looking slaves were startled, then immediately turned and tried to dash out the door. Watching them, the High Priestess took out a box. It was tiny, like a ring box.
“Go.”
She whispered something softly, then waved her long, slender hand. Instantly, dozens of black shadows flew out of the box. They moved at an incredible speed, covering over ten meters per second. They were truly black shadows. Only under the lamplight could one even glimpse their forms; in the darkness of the night outside, they would be utterly invisible.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
The dozens of black shadows instantly pursued the fleeing slaves.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
As they struck the slaves with force, their forms suddenly brightened, flashing with a strange green light like fireflies. In the blink of an eye, the unidentified things burrowed into the slaves’ bodies, but nothing seemed to happen. But two seconds later…
“Aaaaargh!”
Green flames erupted violently from within the slaves.
*Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh.*
The first things to ignite were their eyeballs. Green fire shot out from their eyes before they burst, and then their hearts followed. One utterly wretched scream followed another. The strange green flames erupted from within their bodies, making them impossible to defend against and sending a chill down the spine of anyone who witnessed it. Even Duchess Dybas felt the hair on her body stand on end at such a horrific sight. This method was too terrifying, more shocking than gunpowder. Just two minutes later, the slaves were all reduced to ashes or charred like charcoal.
The High Priestess said.
“These are insects. We call them Hellfire Bugs. They are incredibly small, about a tenth the size of a mosquito. They can slip through any crack, and their flight speed is extremely fast, reaching twelve meters per second, allowing them to chase down anyone. Because the Hellfire Bugs are so small, they are impossible to kill, swat, or block. Once inside a person's body, they immediately transform the blood into a strange fuel, causing the blood within the body to burn with green flames. Even a person with high martial arts skill would be helpless against this attack, burning to death in a gruesome manner.”
Duchess Dybas looked at the High Priestess of the Fire God Sect with a gaze full of deep caution.
“I am aware that many transcendent powers in the Eastern world have mastered the power of ancient civilizations.”
To Duchess Dybas’s words, the High Priestess of the Fire God Sect replied.
“Indeed. This, too, is a product of an ancient civilization.”
“How many Hellfire Bugs did you use to kill those dozen slaves just now?”
“One hundred and twenty.”
“And how many do you plan to use to kill Shen Lang and the Amazon legion?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
“That is a very large number.”
“Of course. It has already cost an astronomical fortune.”
“I will remember that I am in your debt.”
“The Amazon tribe has betrayed the Western world, so they deserve to be purged, to be burned to ashes. Perhaps that is the best end for them.”
“There is no one as wise as you!”
“Then I shall take my leave. I must apologize, but I may not be able to bring you the head of that Easterner. It is highly likely that he will be burned to ashes.”
“Perhaps that is his fate. Besides, I have no desire to see his exceedingly frivolous face again.”
“Then I will see you shortly.”
“See you shortly.”
The High Priestess, along with dozens of her female acolytes, left the mountain fortress and secretly infiltrated Jade Gold City. They planned to carry out an unprecedented massacre against the Amazon legion.
***
Duchess Dybas returned to her study, read a book, and then played the organ. But for some reason, she felt a little unwell. Perhaps the ashes of those lowly slaves who had just burned to death had fallen on her delicate, noble skin.
Duchess Dybas decided to take another bath. The thought that the ashes of those slaves—who should be called gloomy beasts rather than humans—might have landed on her body made her feel nauseous.
***
The wind direction often changes; everything is in the hands of fate ordained by the heavens. This was especially true for Jade Gold City, located by the sea. This time, however, Princess Dora’s luck was good. The wind direction remained stable and was smoother than it had ever been. The hot air balloon rose two thousand meters into the air and then drifted toward Jade Gold City. Seeing the direction the flag on the basket was fluttering, Princess Dora smiled.
“It seems our lord isn’t always unlucky.”
General Quenin said.
“Aside from his poor character, our lord is good at everything. Especially his cooking skills, which are a work of art.”
“You’re wrong about that. He’s never cooked a day in his life; he just orders other people to cook.”
“I miss Her Majesty the Queen. The Fanyan Ceremony must have started, right? We’ve been deemed traitors in the Western world, so I wonder if it will proceed as scheduled. I was originally going to participate this year, but it’s a shame. Without the Fanyan Ceremony, how will our Amazon tribe continue its legacy? Are there any outstanding men under our lord’s command?”
“There are. But they’re too old. If we were to hold the Fanyan Ceremony, I couldn’t choose from among the lord’s men. Not a single one of them catches my eye.”
Only the Amazon tribe could chatter about matters of men and women in such a dry, unromantic way.
And so, the dozen or so hot air balloons drew closer to Jade Gold City, flying in from the southeast.
***
A few people inside Jade Gold City saw the flames from the twenty-odd hot air balloons, but they were flying so high that it was no different from looking at the stars. They only thought it was a little strange that these stars were moving so quickly.
Tonight, luck was on their side, and the wind direction remained stable. In less than half an hour, the dozen hot air balloons had flown over Duchess Dybas’s fortress. The Duchess’s fortress was very, very large. It covered an area of over fifteen hundred acres, but from an altitude of two thousand meters, it looked like nothing more than a small square of land.
“Descend!”
“Descend!”
The dozen or so hot air balloons began their descent. They needed to descend to a thousand meters before jumping to land in the correct location. Just then, a slave on the mountain fortress looked up at the sky. He saw a dozen stars suddenly approaching, growing larger and larger.
“Oh! Shooting stars! Quick, make a wish. I wish for my freedom.”
“Freedom? What’s so good about that? I wish I could become a female slave who always stays with a certain nobleman. I’d bear his children and then live a life of wealth.”
“A wealthy female slave? What a joke!”
As the dozen hot air balloons descended to a thousand meters, Princess Dora gave the order.
“Jump!”
The dozen balloons began to signal each other with their flames, creating space between them.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.*
Under Princess Dora’s lead, one hundred and fifty of the Amazons' top masters leaped from the hot air balloons. They didn't all jump at once but in several teams. Otherwise, there would have been a risk of colliding in mid-air.
Finally, the most exhilarating moment for the Amazon warriors had arrived. The moment of flight.
The one hundred and fifty warriors all spread their limbs, spinning in the air as they slowly descended. It was so thrilling. Before, it had only been a drill, but this time, they were truly piercing through the enemy’s layered defenses from the air to enter their core territory. One way or another, they were making new history.
*Whizz, whizz, whizz, whizz.*
The one hundred and fifty warriors maneuvered with precision as they flew through the air. Even with adjustments, landing in the duchess’s courtyard would be extremely difficult; just landing accurately within the fifteen-hundred-acre estate would be a great success.