When Aurelian Dragon and his companions left "Dark Fragrance Pavilion," it was already midnight. The wealthy gentlemen who had stayed overnight had already found their preferred ladies, and those who had gone home had long since left. There were hardly any pedestrians left on the road.
The stars and moon were nowhere to be seen, and the earth was shrouded in darkness. The magnificent carriage turned a corner and came to a long, silent, and dark street. The lanterns that had been placed every three steps along the street were all unlit. Fortunately, they had carried lamps with them, so they didn't have to proceed in complete darkness.
The leading guard from the Left Chancellor's Office lit the lamps, muttering, "That's strange. When I came here yesterday, everything was fine. Now, why are there not a single lamp?"
The guard next to him chimed in, "Is there any need to ask? It must have been stolen by those lowly commoners and sold for money. After all, there are so many penniless poor people in the capital these days."
A guard on horseback, carrying a lantern, caught up and hissed, "Old Yu, are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting here?"
By this time, the group had all entered the long street, the crisp sound of horses' hooves breaking the silence of the night. Since Aurelian Dragon was now traveling in Girimans' carriage, the guards beside it were all from the Left Prime Minister's mansion. Cynthia and the other female Flying Guards followed behind, protecting the carriage Aurelian Dragon had originally traveled in. Aurelian Dragon's carriage also had a significant history; it was Phoenix Vane's vehicle, the one he used when he was in Esnia.
As the lights were lit, their location became illuminated. A night breeze blew, causing the shadows on the ground to sway and lengthen.
Cynthia, riding in the middle of the column, suddenly felt uneasy, her mind inexplicably unsettled—something she never remembered as a good sign. She jerked her horse forward, her entire body radiating alertness. At that moment, the female guards behind her seemed to sense the same aura, their expressions hardening as they reached for their weapons—a sign that they had spotted the enemy.
At the same time, Obsidia Shade, who was sitting with Aurelian Dragon, suddenly touched Princess Selene Qian beside her, her eyes flashing with a deep, cold light. The man who had been with Obsidia Shade for a long time immediately understood the meaning of her expression, and was startled, calming himself down to carefully observe the situation around him.
Having witnessed everything, Gilmans asked in surprise, "Is something wrong?" Princess Selene Qian gave him a disgusted look, inwardly cursing, "Pretentious old man, can't you see for yourself?"
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind the long street. Everyone turned to look back, and Cynthia and the others were on high alert.
The riders arrived with incredible speed, and suddenly a large number of figures appeared in the darkness. They formed three parallel lines and advanced like a moving wall. Cynthia and her companions could see clearly that there were twenty-seven knights in total, completely clad in black armor, all wearing black masks, and the crossbows they held gleamed menacingly in the lamplight.
Before the few guards from the Left Prime Minister's Office who had fallen behind could understand what was happening, a crossbow bolt went off, and a barrage of crossbow bolts rained down on them. With screams of agony, they, despite their excellent martial arts skills, fell to the ground like hedgehogs.
The crossbow bolts aimed at Cynthia and her companions were shot down one by one, and the female guards behind them had already turned around and were ready for battle. It was clear at this moment that there were indeed skilled individuals among the guards of the Left Prime Minister's mansion. In the blink of an eye, a defensive barrier had appeared around everyone, blocking the second wave of crossbow attacks from the black-armored knights.
Seeing that their crossbows were ineffective, the black-armored knights discarded their bows and crossbows, drew their swords, kicked their warhorses, and charged forward like whirlwinds. The defensive barrier, which had already consumed a considerable amount of energy, shattered after just one powerful strike, demonstrating the formidable strength of these black-armored knights.
A great commotion erupted as the guards of the Left Chancellor's residence turned their horses around, drew their swords, and cursed as they charged forward. Cynthia and her female guards seized the opportunity to move forward and approach the carriage where Aurelian Dragon and his companions were riding.
Aurelian Dragon appeared in front of the carriage and shouted, "Don't panic! Watch out for the enemy ahead!" Cynthia and the others rushed forward, protecting the carriage completely.
With solemn expressions, Obsidia Shade and a curious Princess Selene Qian stood behind the Aurelian Dragon. Princess Selene Qian's two twin sisters also peeked out from the carriage behind. Princess Selene Qian waved to them, and Xiaochun and Xiaoqiu jumped to her side in understanding.
Upon hearing Aurelian Dragon's words, the guards who were about to retreat immediately reined in their mounts and looked ahead, only to be startled. Sometime earlier, several burly men in tight-fitting clothes had appeared not far ahead of them, silently watching them.
The black-armored knights and the guards of the Left Chancellor's mansion were already locked in battle. The neighing of warhorses, the clanging of weapons, and the shouts of the guards transformed the once quiet night into a bustling scene. The black-armored knights, however, silently charged forward.
The burly men in their tight-fitting clothes also launched an attack on the carriage. Although there were only nineteen of them, their attack power far exceeded that of the black-armored knights behind them. In a single exchange, several guards from the Left Chancellor's residence were blasted off their horses, and even their warhorses were knocked down. The leader was a tall, slender swordsman whose longsword emitted a terrifyingly sharp light and was invincible. With each strike and parry, the powerful guards could not gain the slightest advantage and instead became victims of his sword.
What surprised Aurelian Dragon even more was that the magical attacks launched by the sorcerers among the Left Prime Minister's guards had little effect on these strong men, at most only scratching their skin.
Gilmans's voice came from behind, "So you're a barbaric warrior from the Heavenly River Kingdom. No wonder you're so powerful!"
"Savage Warriors?" Aurelian Dragon paused, momentarily stunned. He seemed to have heard the name before, but couldn't recall their origins. It seemed he needed to call upon the goddess warriors; otherwise, things would get tense on both sides, which would be troublesome. The guards behind were already struggling to hold off the enemy, while those in front were retreating steadily, and were about to reach the carriage.
Aurelian Dragon then said to Gilmans, "Have those in front move back to block those black-armored knights. Leave the front to us."
Gilmans glanced at the female guards beside Aurelian Dragon and, seeing the astonishing aura they exuded, knew they were formidable experts. He then ordered his guards to turn around and deal with the enemy behind them.
As the savage warriors in front saw the enemy retreating and were about to charge forward, they suddenly saw an extremely bright white light burst forth in front of them. Then, a deafening thunderclap rang out, illuminating the entire long street as if it were daytime, and even awakening the whole of Esnia.
"Thunderbolt from the heavens!"
Both the barbarian warriors and the guards of the Left Prime Minister's mansion paused for a moment. Those with discerning eyes knew the terrifying power of such electric magic. Although the barbarian warriors retreated quickly, one of them, who was at the forefront of the attack, was still sent flying by the blow and landed as a charred corpse.
Aurelian Dragon glanced back at Princess Selene Qian, who was eager to try again, and said with a wry smile, "Could you turn the volume down a bit? My ears are about to go deaf!"
Princess Selene Qian tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said dejectedly, "That doesn't seem possible." At that moment, the goddess warrior stepped forward and stood in front of the barbarian warriors who were charging forward again, and fought with them.
Gilmans was also shocked by Princess Selene Qian's attack. The Aurelian Dragon actually had such a mage by her side; judging from that magical attack, she was definitely at the level of a Grand Master mage. But considering her delicate appearance, it was truly unbelievable.
How many powerful figures are hidden around Aurelian Dragon, and what is his true strength?
Gilmans couldn't help but feel a little scared. Would it be a blessing or a curse to raise such a man to compete with Prince Elnario? However, what reassured him somewhat was that it seemed that the Aurelian Dragon was more on his side, and the Aurelian Dragon had such obvious weaknesses that he should still be able to control the situation.
Anxiety flickered in the eyes of the leading swordsman among the barbarian warriors. Princess Selene Qian's earth-shattering attack not only told him that the enemy before him possessed strength far exceeding his expectations, but it had also awakened the entire city guard of Esnia. It was obvious that a large number of armored cavalry would swarm in shortly, and they would have little time left.
He raised his longsword, twirling it in the air in a dazzling display, and shouted, "Fighter Transformation!"
The barbarian warriors on the field roared, their eyes flashing with madness. With the sound of tearing clothes, sharp bone spurs protruded from the elbows and knees of each barbarian warrior, causing the unsuspecting female guards to be hit several times. Several goddess warriors had several bloody marks added to their bodies.
"Show your shields!"
Seeing this, Cynthia shouted, "Everyone be careful! Their attacks are very similar to those of the berserkers!"
The goddess warriors on the field all raised the small silver shields on their backs to their hands. After a few "clangs" and "clangs", the originally small silver shields actually expanded into a three-foot-square shield. Together with the flying lightning spear in their right hands, they kept the barbarian warriors who had fallen into a frenzy at least three feet away.
They knew the power of the Berserkers. As the second-ranked race among the three demon races, their strength was comparable to that of the Goddess Warriors. Their greatest weapon was the sharp bone spikes that suddenly appeared during battle. These spikes, which could be launched from any part of their bodies, made them impossible for their enemies to defend against. Moreover, when they entered a berserk state, a single Berserker could wipe out an entire army. Of course, their weaknesses were also obvious. After one berserk state, a Berserker's life would come to an end. Only a few high-level Berserkers could endure several berserk states.
The savage warriors now facing the Goddess Warrior are clearly variants of the Berserker Warriors. They also possess exceptionally strong bodies and can extend and retract bone spikes during combat, but their abilities are not as terrifying as those of the Berserker Warriors, and their bone spikes can only be launched from their elbows and knees.
But this was only the perception of these goddess warriors; after all, they were powerful gods. To others, these barbarian warriors were terrifying. Imagine, in battle, an opponent's attack that seemed impossible to reach you, suddenly unleashing bone spikes that turned an inaccessible blow into a fatal one. Facing such an adversary, no one dared to be careless; at least half their energy had to be reserved for defending against the bone spikes that could appear at any moment. However, if you didn't possess sufficient strength, you couldn't even harm a barbarian warrior's skin, especially when they went berserk. Their skin would transform into a natural barrier stronger than ordinary armor.
Gilmans knew all too well how terrifying these barbaric warriors of the Heavenly River Kingdom were, so when he saw that the fifteen goddess warriors could hold these barbaric warriors firmly outside the circle, making it impossible for them to move an inch, he couldn't help but be very surprised. He wondered where Aurelian Dragon had recruited these beautiful women; they were both beautiful and practical.
He couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Aurelian Dragon, who was whispering to Obsidia Shade, thinking to himself, "I really don't know what's so lucky about this guy that he has such good fortune, even the women around him are so amazing!"
The two Golden Phoenix Guards who were originally mixed in with the goddess warriors had retreated to the front of Aurelian Dragon, stood with their swords drawn, and watched the battle in front of them intently.
Princess Selene Qian, experiencing such a battle for the first time, was extremely excited. Following Aurelian Dragon's instructions, she cast some simple and practical offensive spells to support the goddess warriors. Although these were relatively simple spells, their power was considerable coming from the hands of a great strategist like her. The barbarian warriors, who had initially thought they could completely resist magic, suffered greatly. They were either burned by Princess Selene Qian's electric shocks or burned by her fireballs. This greatly alarmed the leading swordsman, who realized that his forces alone were insufficient to complete the mission.
Before he could think further, Princess Selene Qian, under the instructions of the Aurelian Dragon, launched a magical attack specifically against him.
With a flick of his finger, three sparks flew out in a triangular shape, transforming into three terrifying fire snakes by the time they reached him.
"Dance of the Fire Serpents!"
As Princess Selene Qian waved her small hand, three fire snakes, seemingly alive, surrounded the leading swordsman, tumbling up and down and circling left and right.
A scorching blast of air hit him, making the swordsman feel parched. He felt as if he were trapped in a furnace, the air around him blazing hot.
A fiery serpent lunged forward and coiled around his longsword. The scorching heat from the sword forced him to infuse it with internal energy, while two other fiery serpents coiled around him from the left and right.
He knew that if he were to be entangled by those two fiery serpents, he wouldn't be able to escape in a short time. Tonight's mission would be a complete failure; the fact that so many skilled fighters were hidden among the targets indicated a deficiency in his intelligence. The tremors beneath his feet clearly told him that the city guard of Esnia had deployed a powerful force of armored cavalry. If he hesitated even a moment longer, he might never be able to escape.
Without hesitation, he channeled his pure inner energy and spat it onto the fire snake that was coiling around the longsword in his hand. The powerful inner energy immediately suppressed the fire snake, which was about to grow larger, and it retreated from the longsword, returning to a thin flame.
The two fiery serpents had already stained the clothes of the leading swordsman. Princess Selene Qian saw this and was overjoyed. She turned to Aurelian Dragon and said, "I've trapped that guy. How are you going to reward me?"
Before Aurelian Dragon could answer, Obsidia Shade chimed in, "Not yet! Watch his performance!"
Princess Selene Qian looked quickly and saw that in the firelight, the swordsman's eyes suddenly shone brightly, the divine light even surpassing the glow emitted by the fire serpents. Then, his clothes suddenly burst open outwards, actually repelling the two fire serpents, which were clearly no longer able to harm his body.
"What's going on?" Princess Selene Qian muttered to herself, and without slacking off, she gave the guy another electric shock.
"Take off your robes and give way!"
Obsidia Shade watched with considerable surprise as the leading swordsman vanished from Princess Selene Qian's attack range, leaving only his robes seemingly supported by an invisible force, having withstood the dazzling lightning. Obsidia Shade's understanding of the various martial arts styles on the continent was now that of an expert, thanks to Phoenix Vane's frequent discussions with them about different areas of knowledge in their spare time.
"Bang!"
The lightning emitted by Princess Selene Qian could not be blocked by clothes that had lost their owner. Upon contact, the true energy contained in the clothes instantly vanished, and the fire snakes surrounding the clothes immediately shone brightly, devouring the clothes completely without leaving a trace.
The swordsman appeared behind the barbarian warriors, instantly seeing Cynthia's lightning javelin unleash a blinding flash of electricity before vanishing from the body of one of the barbarian warriors, causing him to tremble and stagger back several steps, his momentum greatly diminished. Looking at the other barbarian warriors, they were all overwhelmed by the woman before them, unable to unleash their full power. Their bone spikes were all caught by the thin, gleaming silver shield, having no effect whatsoever.
This is also due to their extremely bad luck. They couldn't find any other opponents, but they happened to run into goddess warriors who had fought against demons countless times. The goddess warriors knew these terrifying bone spikes inside and out. In addition, the strength of the barbarian warriors was not as good as that of the real demon berserkers, so they dealt with them with ease.
With a sharp whistle, the barbarian warrior and the black-armored knights behind him retreated rapidly. The rearguard threw out dozens of smoke bombs, and a thick fog rose into the air. In the chaos, they took their wounded and injured comrades with them and quickly disappeared without a trace.
"Damn it!"
Princess Selene Qian, full of energy, stomped her little feet angrily. At the same time, she cast a wind spell, and in an instant, a strong wind arose, blowing away all the mist above the long street.
Moments later, the entire street was filled with fully armed city guards. After learning that the Left Chancellor and the newly appointed Eastern Governor had been attacked, a large number of armored cavalry surrounded the entire block. Not only did Shi Yixin bring the generals of the Eastern Governor's Office, but the other three admirals also came.
Gilmans said to Aurelian Dragon with a solemn expression, "Thanks to the Aurelians, we were able to avoid this assassination attempt. Otherwise, I would have been in real trouble. Just dealing with those black-armored knights, more than half of my guards were killed or wounded. However, they didn't fare any better. According to my men, more than a dozen black-armored knights were also killed or wounded."
Aurelian Dragon first feigned modesty, then solemnly said, "It's truly strange. How did these people know your whereabouts, sir? If it's just a coincidence, it's unbelievable! You must be more careful in the future, sir!"
Gilmans snorted and said, "Of course someone tipped me off, otherwise my whereabouts would never have been known. I usually go out with many guards, but this time I came to see Aurelian on short notice, so I didn't bring many men. How could they get the information so accurately and be able to ambush me here in time? There is no other possibility than that there is a traitor among my people."
At this point, a chilling glint flashed in Gilmans' eyes, and he whispered to Aurelian Dragon, "If we can't find out who the spy is, I'll kill all the suspects among these people."
"What?" Aurelian Dragon was shocked. Was this guy even human? He was willing to kill his own men over such a trivial matter. Did he even consider his men human?
Julius, the steward of the Left Chancellor's residence, walked up to Gilimans and whispered a few words in his ear. Gilimans' eyes flashed with murderous intent. He said to Aurelian, "Aurelian, excuse me for a moment," and then walked to the back with the bald man.
Aurelian Dragon felt a little strange. What had this bald butler discovered that made Gilemans so angry? He had just taken a look at Julelian and knew that this guy's strength was indeed amazing. Nearly half of the black-armored knights who were killed were his handiwork. The ghost-headed greatsword in his hand really had unpredictable power. No wonder he could become the outer butler of the Left Prime Minister's mansion.
Surrounded by numerous city guards, Shi Yixin approached Aurelian Dragon and said to him, "My lord, the other three admirals have arrived!"
This was the first time Aurelian Dragon had met the Northern Governor, Jarard, a short man with a horse-like face. Jarard approached Aurelian Dragon, escorted by two expressionless swordsmen, and his first words were, "Lord Ye, shall we thoroughly search this entire area?"
Jarard's voice was completely at odds with his size; it was rough and booming, revealing his superb inner strength. His second sentence further revealed the man's personality to Aurelian Dragon.
"Any suspicious individuals discovered will be beheaded!"
"A cold-blooded man." Aurelian Dragon immediately had this idea. If he knew that Jarard was known as the "Butcher" in Esnia, he probably wouldn't be surprised.
Seeing Shi Yixin giving him a series of meaningful glances, Aurelian Dragon nodded and stopped Jarard in his tracks.
"Your Excellency, the matter here is directed at me, so it is best for me to handle it."
Jeff and Marco Bwe, who had just arrived from their comfortable life, also didn't want to see this butcher wreaking havoc before their eyes, and both agreed with Aurelian Dragon's words.
Jarard said sullenly, "Very well, since Lord Ye wants to handle this himself, then this humble servant has no choice but to obey. But sir, please do not let those lowly people go unpunished; these fellows are all cowardly parasites who bully the weak and fear the strong."
Just as Aurelian Dragon was about to answer, several palace guards galloped up. It turned out that Princess Selene Qian's shout had also woken the emperor, who immediately sent people to find out what had happened.
Knowing that going to see His Majesty the Emperor at this time would not be a good thing, all eyes were on one man.
Aurelian Dragon couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. She quickly gave a few instructions, entrusted all matters to Shi Yixin, and then headed to Wuyou Palace.
When they left, they intended to capture the culprit, Princess Selene Qian, as well, but the clever girl had already disappeared and hidden somewhere.
"That slutty princess, that brat, she ran pretty fast!" The helpless man could only curse inwardly. But thinking about what she had done, she hadn't done much wrong, and honestly, she should be a very charming woman. As for being slutty? Heh heh, if a woman wasn't slutty in front of him, wouldn't that mean she had no charm?
And so, Aurelian Dragon sat on his horse, his expressions shifting between a smile and a gritted-teeth manner, leaving those around him puzzled yet amused.