"A bet?"
"That's right."
Wu Liang stood three steps away from her, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes.
"The bet is whether you can take my strongest blow without retreating a single step."
"If you withstand it, I will immediately release Lina and Irene, as well as your captured assassins, returning every single one of them to you."
"And I guarantee that the Black Rock Tribe will not set foot in the Mist Forest for ten years."
"And if I don't withstand it?"
Sylvia asked coldly.
"If you lose..."
The corners of Wu Liang's mouth curled into an aggressive smile.
"Your Moon Language Kingdom will become a vassal to my Black Rock Tribe, grant me full trade rights, and cede three hundred miles of land on the outskirts of the Mist Forest to serve as my pasture."
"You're dreaming!"
Sylvia refused without a second thought.
These conditions were simply a national humiliation!
"What? Afraid to bet?"
Wu Liang used a provocation tactic.
"Aren't you a demigod-level powerhouse? Aren't you a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Elven race? Don't tell me you're afraid to take a single hit from a mere human like me?"
Sylvia's face turned pale and then flushed with anger.
She had absolute confidence in her own strength.
Her defensive magic, [Moon Gods Protection], had once withstood a dragon's breath head-on without her sustaining a single scratch. No matter how strong a mere human was, how strong could he possibly be?
Moreover, the temptation of the stakes was too great.
By taking just one hit, she could save everyone without shedding blood and secure ten years of peace.
No matter how she looked at it, it was a bargain.
"Fine! I'll bet with you!"
Driven by absolute confidence and pride, Sylvia agreed on the spot.
"Very well."
The smile on Wu Liang's face grew even wider.
He clapped his hands.
Sylvia thought he was going to attack personally and immediately condensed her mana, going on full alert.
However, Wu Liang merely stepped back a few paces and shouted toward the rear.
"Akomann, bring up my baby!"
From behind the Black Rock Tribe's lines came the heavy sound of rolling wheels.
Akomann, leading a dozen strong soldiers, worked together to push a massive and hideous steel creation slowly to the front.
It was a cannon.
A Heavy Howitzer with an ultra-long barrel, a terrifyingly large caliber, and a design full of violent aesthetics!
When Sylvia saw that dark muzzle, thicker than her own head, slowly turn and aim straight at her from a hundred meters away, an extremely ominous premonition suddenly surged in her heart.
"Are you ready, Your Majesty?"
Wu Liang's voice rang out again, filled with mockery. "This strike of mine is very strong."
Sylvia's expression changed.
She felt an unprecedented, pure, and destructive threat emanating from that steel monster!
But things had reached this point; she had no way back.
"Come!"
She let out a sharp cry and slammed the Scepter of Nature in her hand into the ground!
"Moon Gods Protection: Absolute Barrier!"
A moon-white light shield, ten times stronger than the defensive magic she had used in the sky earlier, instantly condensed in front of her. It was as thick as a physical object, with sacred runes flowing across its surface.
This was her strongest defensive magic! She did not believe any physical attack could break it!
"Fire!"
Wu Liang ordered with a cold sneer.
BOOM—!!!!!
A deafening roar split the heavens and the earth!
The ground shook violently!
The 155mm Heavy Howitzer spat out destructive flames!
A high-speed spinning shell, carrying terrifying kinetic energy capable of tearing the air apart, crossed the hundred-meter distance in an instant before Sylvia's constricted pupils and slammed hard against that [Absolute Barrier]!
There was no magical explosion, only the purest, most primitive, and most barbaric... kinetic impact!
CRACK—!
It held for less than a tenth of a second.
That indestructible magic shield, claimed to be able to withstand dragon breath, was like glass hit by a sledgehammer. It was instantly covered in web-like cracks before shattering with a loud "BANG!"
The remaining massive kinetic energy slammed hard into Sylvia's body.
Pfft!
Sylvia felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. She rolled wretchedly on the ground a dozen times, crashing into the innocent long table before finally stopping.
The entire battlefield was deathly silent.
Everyone was stunned senseless by this world-shaking shot.
Wu Liang slowly walked over to the howitzer, which was still emitting scorching heat. He reached out a finger to touch the dark muzzle, then brought it to his lips and gently blew away the non-existent smoke.
He looked at the Elf Queen in the distance, who was struggling to get up with blood on her lips and a face as pale as paper, and asked with a smile:
"Your Majesty, you lost the bet."
"Do you want to... try another shot?"
Sylvia struggled to climb up from the ground. She felt as if her internal organs had shifted, her mana was running wild, and her throat tasted sweet—she had clearly suffered significant internal injuries.
She looked up and stared fixedly at the man standing by the giant cannon, her eyes filled with humiliation, anger, and a trace of... fear that she was unwilling to admit.
She lost.
She lost utterly and completely.
The defensive magic she was most proud of was as fragile as a sheet of paper before that steel monster.
She didn't even doubt that if the opponent fired another shot, she might actually die here.
The pride of the Elven race made it impossible for her to say the words "break the agreement."
"I... lost."
Sylvia squeezed those two words out from between her teeth, each one seemingly exhausting all her strength.
"However, becoming a vassal... is absolutely impossible!"
She forced herself to stand tall, trying to maintain her final shred of dignity.
"I can pay reparations and open trade, but for the noble Elves to become vassals to you humans—don't even think about it!"
"Is that so?"
Wu Liang's face showed no sign of emotion as he took long strides, walking toward Sylvia step by step.
A powerful sense of pressure washed over her as he approached.
Sylvia instinctively wanted to retreat, but her legs felt as heavy as lead. Her body still hadn't recovered from the impact of that shot.
Wu Liang walked up to her and stopped.
He was a full head taller than Sylvia, looking down at her with eyes full of aggression.
Then, he made a move that caused all the Elves' eyes to nearly burst from their sockets.
He reached out and, using his index finger and thumb, gently and with a hint of frivolity, tilted up the Elf Queen's smooth, jade-like chin.
This action was exactly the same as what he had done to Lina in the painting!
"You!"
Sylvia felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation rush to her head, and she instinctively moved to swing the scepter in her hand.
But Wu Liang was faster.
His other hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing her slender wrist.
"Your Majesty, it's a good habit to accept your loss gracefully."
Wu Liang's voice was very soft, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance.
"If you go back on your word now, I don't mind letting my artillerymen have a good 'exchange' with your clansmen."