Chapter 113: The Invincible Besieger
The word “invincible” immediately piqued Abyss’s interest.
Leona knew Abyss particularly liked challenging enemies. The previous “senior martial siblings” were too unremarkable, lacking any reliable signature skills – in short, they weren’t worthy opponents.
Seeing Abyss’s eyes light up, Leona asked, “Do you have more specific intelligence?”
Seeing “Abyss’s” interest, Brindevor nodded and said, “Since Master Belator is inclined, I will elaborate on the intelligence regarding that Iron Lily general, brought back from the battlefield by our non-combatant warriors.”
The Druid Sages also listened intently. Druids were just one school of mages; in terms of combat prowess, Elemental School mages were superior. If high-ranking elven mages could be countered to such an extent, forcing the noble Grey Elves to specifically seek aid from Abyss, who had experience fighting Outer Gods, it indicated the enemy’s strength had reached an unmanageable level.
“The information we currently possess is: this person calls himself Hom, a southern human male, 1.76 meters tall, very strong. A few days ago, he strolled leisurely to the foot of Coral City, a coastal city in the east. Initially, people didn’t know his identity until he used magic to raise a blockade line and announced to the guards on the city gate tower that the city was besieged by him alone. Only then did everyone realize he was from the Iron Lilies.”
Brindevor pulled out a rolled-up paper from a long bamboo tube at her waist and unfolded it for Abyss and the others to see: it depicted a strong man wearing medium armor made of thin metal plates, with a necklace of teeth resembling tribal ornaments around his neck. He carried no weapons, which looked somewhat strange. The elven artist’s skill was excellent, rendering the man’s face clearly and capturing his aura: despite being a very muscular man, both his posture and expression seemed somewhat feminine, yet with an added artificiality that wasn’t very likable.
“This is Hom’s appearance. When he first declared the siege of Coral City, people didn’t take him seriously, thinking he was a madman. But then, when a squad of guards went out to expel him and were suddenly trapped in a translucent arena that appeared out of thin air, and he killed them all with clones, people began to realize he wasn’t joking,” Brindevor’s expression turned grave. “After that, he killed many more people. The victims killed by him were all turned into crystals within his arena, which he then collected. Dozens of guards and Golden Rose soldiers have already fallen victim.”
“What was the strength of the sacrificed high-ranking mages?” Leona asked.
“A total of two high-ranking mages went out to fight him. They both lived in the city and, upon hearing the guards were killed by Iron Lily members, angrily intervened with their apprentices. One was a ninth-tier Elemental School mage, the other an eighth-tier Illusion School mage. They initially planned to coordinate with their apprentices, but after being enveloped in the summoned arena, they could only fight individually, unable to support each other – although they could see each other, they couldn’t interact or influence one another, like phantoms.”
“Then this is undoubtedly the work of an Outer God,” Leona nodded. “It seems we indeed need to use methods for dealing with Outer Gods.”
“We still don’t know the upper limit of Hom’s clones. The most he summoned at once was over forty, scaring off a merchant caravan that was about to enter the city. But he didn’t pursue them, so the caravan survived. According to our scouts’ observations, this person’s clones are generated specifically to counter the opponent’s weaknesses, and their strength increases based on the opponent’s strength. We haven’t found a way to counter him, which is why we say he’s invincible,” Brindevor said with an apologetic look. “We currently don’t have more information about his abilities, so this is all we can provide. If Master Belator feels further observation is needed, we can continue observing and strive to bring back more intelligence. However, we cannot be certain if he is waiting for reinforcements. The city’s food supplies can last for about another month.”
Leona immediately replied: “Then let’s not delay further. Rescuing the citizens in the city and punishing the wicked is our undeniable duty…”
“Wait, Leona. We are certainly going, but not to engage him immediately. We will go observe him ourselves first,” Abyss interrupted Leona’s statement in the mind link. “This guy might not be that simple. Rushing in might lead us into his trap. Plus, we need to wait for our bodies to swap back so I can use my full strength.”
“…Therefore, I’ve decided to go with you to Coral City, observe this person first, understand his abilities and true purpose, and then figure out a way to eliminate him,” Leona abruptly changed her tune.
“In that case, we must trouble Master Belator to personally go. The Elven Kingdoms will provide the best possible conditions to assist the Master in eliminating the villain. If Hom can be successfully eliminated, we are also willing to pay a reasonable reward,” Brindevor stood up from the tree stump and bowed deeply to Leona.
It seemed the Grey Elves had considered Abyss’s human nature. Elves preferred honor as a reward for helping others, while humans tended to prefer material compensation.
“I will wait here. When Master Belator is ready, we shall depart together for the vicinity of Coral City. The surrounding villages are currently safe; we can stay there temporarily,” Brindevor added to Leona.
…
“Then it’s settled. Flora and Leona will accompany me as combatants. Rebecca will temporarily stay at the Druid gathering as logistical support and can open the alchemy lab at any time for teleportation to handle any emergencies,” Abyss returned to the treehouse with the girls. They had already discussed their roles on the way back.
“Understood, leave the logistics to me. The villagers of Keshel are recovering from a serious illness and also need my medical assistance,” Rebecca nodded in agreement, then asked, “Then, what about Agnes? Will she stay here or go with you?”
Agnes, holding Flora’s hand and following behind her, heard Rebecca mention her name. She peeked out from behind Flora, flicking her fluffy cat ears atop her head, looking curiously at Rebecca.
Flora turned to look at Agnes, hesitating, “…Perhaps it’s better not to let a child witness violent scenes?”
“Flora, why are you really treating her like a child?” Leona didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “She’s actually the oldest among us, right?”
“Ah… that seems to be the case… I’m sorry…”
“I want Agnes to come with us,” Abyss said at this moment. “Experiencing various things might help her recover her memory faster.”
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