Boom!
Hegemon sprang up from the green meadow of the eighteenth loop. Before Lily could speak, he lunged at her, grabbing her shoulders, his eyes wide with madness: "Lily, the old plan is ruined! They're using Mana teleportation to activate brainwashing from underground! This time we have to attack the mountain cave before nightfall!"
Lily was stunned by his agitation but immediately nodded. Throughout that day, instead of persuading the villagers, Hegemon and Lily secretly manufactured a large quantity of magical smoke bombs from the accumulated Slime Mana Cores. The plan was to collapse the cave entrance, burying the cult members before they could act.
At dusk, the two approached the secret mountain cave entrance. Hegemon moved silently, placing blocks of magical explosives at weak points in the cliff face. However, he had underestimated the Western Cult's magical intelligence network. Just as Hegemon was about to detonate the spell, the forbidden symbols on the cliff suddenly glowed red.
"Welcome, little rat of Noble Mansion," the leader's voice rang out from behind.
They had fallen into a reverse ambush. This time, the cultists had brought along high-ranking magic guards from the kingdom's inner capital. An unequal battle ensued. Lily used all her strength to unleash mental shockwaves to protect Hegemon, but she was bound by energy chains by a dark mage, thrown against the cliff, and knocked unconscious.
"Lily!" Hegemon shouted. He rushed forward like a moth to a flame, accepting the blades piercing his shoulders and legs to reach her.
"Your plan is good, but a mortal will always be a mortal," the leader said coldly, stepping on Hegemon's knife-wielding hand. Before him, he ordered the spell to be activated sooner than planned. A deafening explosion erupted from the village in the distant valley. Smoke and flames rose into the sky. Once again, the plan had completely failed. The cold-blooded leader swung his sword, severing Hegemon's throat, ending a cycle of utter helplessness.