Lin Qingyue's words, "Rex Lapis dislikes overtime," landed like a chilling imperial decree, extinguishing the fiery spirits of all the elves.
What?
The Great God... clocks out on time?
This "safe house," sustained by divine power, was a limited-time service?
Five minutes?!
After a brief, deathly silence, a primal, overwhelming survival instinct—far more potent than anything they'd felt facing the demons—erupted with explosive force!
"All troops, hear my command! Maintain formation and evacuate in an orderly fashion!"
Paladin Baroque was the first to break free from the lingering awe of the Divine Might. His roar instantly pierced through the budding chaos.
"Mage Corps! Construct mass teleportation portals immediately! Now!"
The way he looked at Lin Qingyue had completely changed.
He no longer saw a powerful ally.
He was gazing upon a god walking the earth in mortal form.
The word of a god was law. If He said five minutes, it was five minutes.
Mortals absolutely could not—and absolutely dared not—delay His clock-out time by even a single second!
"As you command, Lord Baroque!"
The elves of the Royal Mage Corps snapped out of their stupor, their faces pale, yet their movements remained precise and disciplined. Without a hint of panic, they began chanting their spells.
Are you kidding me?
When that meteor had crashed down, they'd felt their very souls on the verge of being pulverized.
Now, this divine being was willing to hold up the sky for them—an immense blessing in itself. Who would dare ask a god to work overtime for mortals?
Vwoom—Vwoom—
Several blue portals, shimmering with spatial fluctuations, rapidly materialized behind the troops.
But the lead Great Mage's expression immediately soured. "This is bad!" he shouted. "The spatial stability here is too low! Even with the Great God's reinforcement, each portal can only handle a maximum of three hundred people before collapsing!"
"Wounded and support personnel, evacuate first!"
"Silent Watch Knight Order! Ranger Unit! With me! We'll cover the rear on foot and escort the Lord Divine Envoy!"
Aeldara's cold, steady voice echoed across the battlefield. Her soldiers, without a moment's hesitation, formed a steel-like defensive line, enclosing Lin Qingyue and her three companions at its center.
Aeldara then grabbed the still-trembling Ilanier by the arm, her tone firm and unyielding. "Your Majesty, you must go first!"
"No, I..."
"Your Majesty! Your safety is paramount!" Aeldara's crimson eyes locked onto the queen's, her gaze unwavering. "Evacuate immediately!"
Ilanier looked at her usually deferential Knight Captain, now radiating an unshakeable resolve. She knew any further argument would be futile.
With a deep, final glance at the figure still standing with arms crossed, utterly composed, Ilanier gave a solemn nod. Escorted by Aeldara, she became the first to step through the portal.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian rushed to Lin Qingyue's side, forming an impenetrable protective formation around her.
Lin Qingyue rolled her eyes at their grim, battle-ready expressions.
"What's with the drama? This isn't some tearful farewell."
"You're not leaving? Planning to stay and eat dirt with me?"
"I can't use the portals, but you can!" she explained, exasperated.
"Right now, I'm the 'Contractual Load-bearing Wall' of this Perilous Mountain, holding its entire structure together."
"A portal is essentially a spatial jump. If I go in, it's like yanking out the load-bearing wall, tossing it into a washing machine for a spin cycle, and then spitting it back out. What do you think would happen to the house?"
Without looking back, Lin Qingyue took long strides and dashed toward the cave entrance.
"If you're not going, I am!"
Damn, with those expressions, you're making me look like some tragic hero sacrificing herself for the greater good.
I just think 'buried alive' is an ugly way for allies to die. It clashes with my aesthetic as a chaos-seeker.
Besides, the Queen is waiting for me outside. Do you really think I'd let anything happen to myself?
Lin Xiyue and the others finally snapped out of it.
Right! Sis is just a temporary load-bearing wall, not an immovable statue!
"Coming, coming! Let's run together!" Lin Xiyue immediately hoisted her shield and sprinted after her.
"Right, running together is more exciting," Su Wan said succinctly, a glint of chaos-loving excitement flashing in her eyes.
Xia Lian said nothing, simply staying close behind Lin Qingyue's flank, her actions speaking louder than words.
Lin Qingyue watched her three treasures and massaged her temples, a headache brewing.
"Fine, fine. If I kick the bucket, I'll save you all a seat at the funeral feast."
"Stay close! No one's coming back for you if you fall behind!"
The portal's light flickered continuously as batches of Elves vanished into its glowing gate.
At the other end of the cavern, a race against death had officially begun.
After sending the Queen through the portal, Aeldara immediately rejoined the group. Flanking Lin Qingyue's party with Baroque, she led the remaining elite Knights and Rangers in a desperate sprint.
The cavern's tremors grew increasingly terrifying.
Countless massive boulders rained down from the ceiling, only to be deflected and repelled mid-air by an invisible, heavy Power of Contract. Shattered rock fragments showered around them like rain, yet none managed to harm them.
But each impact sent a jolt of terror through the Elves.
Lin Qingyue maintained her power output while sprinting, her breathing growing slightly ragged and fine beads of sweat forming on her temples.
Sustaining such a massive "Dilapidated Building Reinforcement Contract" against the collapse of an entire mountain—even at just 1% of Rex Lapis's authority—was draining her far more than she had imagined.
Just then, a sharp-eyed Ranger let out a sudden cry of alarm.
Everyone instinctively followed the sound, and their scalps instantly went numb.
On the rock walls of the escape tunnel, countless dark gold, arcane patterns had appeared at some unknown point!
These patterns resembled the veins of a god, deeply embedded within the mountain itself, pulsating steadily and powerfully in sync with Lin Qingyue's heartbeat.
They stretched from the depths of the tunnel all the way to the entrance, forcibly "welding" together this entire collapsing region!
Aeldara and Baroque stared, their eyes filled with utter shock.
They finally understood: Lin Qingyue wasn't just holding up the ceiling with a simple shield.
She was single-handedly injecting an indestructible "divine framework" into the entire collapsing mountain!
"My gods..." Baroque's jaw dropped wide enough to fit a fist. "She... she's reinforcing the whole mountain?!"
"Sis! Did you just install a reinforced concrete structure in this mountain?!" Lin Xiyue shrieked, her voice a mixture of awe and terror.
"Shut up! The rebar is about to give way!" Lin Qingyue roared back, her voice laced with a tension she herself hadn't noticed.
"If you don't run faster, you'll get to experience a Rex Lapis Brand Luxury Coffin firsthand!"
This was the first time since entering the Dungeon that she had felt such immense pressure.
Aeldara and Baroque's hearts pounded upon hearing her words. No longer daring to be distracted, they squeezed out the last ounce of their strength and sprinted with everything they had.
One hundred meters...
Eighty meters...
Fifty meters...
Hold on! Just ten more seconds! Ten seconds is all I need!
Finally, the liberating light of the entrance, carrying the scent of ice and snow, was just ahead!
"Now!"
Lin Xiyue was the first to burst out of the cave.
Xia Lian, Su Wan, Baroque, and Aeldara followed close behind.
At the very last moment before stepping out, Lin Qingyue, who was bringing up the rear, spun around. She faced the tunnel behind her, now on the verge of being completely swallowed by darkness and collapse.
With her remaining strength, she violently compressed the immense Power of Contract that had been holding the mountain's structure together.
It was as if she had slammed a termination button.
"Contract, fulfilled!"
With that, she turned and plunged into the blizzard without a backward glance