Chapter 263: The Goblin’s Demise
Sylph’s face was a mask of shock and disbelief. Eileen and Airi had abandoned her.
Had she been detected?
Had they left her to face the Demon Beasts alone, afraid of sharing Ronald’s fate?
But how had she been detected?
The twins’ invisibility magic was powerful. There had been no problems before.
Could it be that Airi, who had cast the spell, had done it deliberately?
A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.
But she didn’t have time for grief or anger.
With Eileen and Airi gone, she was exposed, countless ferocious gazes locking onto her, making her scalp tingle.
The Demon Beasts swarmed, surrounding her, the encirclement tightening.
Even with her strength, she couldn’t face so many.
Lomond’s recent rise in power had attracted a large number of followers, all eager to prove their loyalty, and they wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Awooo…
A Dire Wolf lunged, its crimson eyes gleaming, its sharp fangs bared.
Can’t fight them all. Must escape!
Sylph made a swift decision.
There were only a few thousand Demon Beasts here now, perhaps ten thousand at most.
She could kill them easily, but more were arriving every second.
And eventually, the elites, even Lomond himself, would appear.
She couldn’t face them.
She wouldn’t allow herself to suffer Ronald’s fate.
A woman captured by Demon Beasts… it would be a fate worse than death.
She gritted her teeth, kicked off the ground, and soared into the sky, riding the wind, fleeing towards human territory.
A horde of Demon Beasts pursued her, some taking to the air, their wings beating furiously.
Meanwhile, in his palace, Lomond waited smugly for the Hero Squad to walk into his trap.
But they didn’t come.
He paced impatiently, his frustration growing.
Then, he heard a commotion outside, and his frown deepened. He couldn’t sit still any longer and left the palace.
He saw chaos in his territory.
“Damn it, what’s going on here?!” He grabbed the Goblin Chieftain, who was about to lead his troops into battle.
The Goblin Chieftain paled, trembling before Lomond’s fiery gaze.
“Your Highness,” he stammered, “members of the… Hero Squad… have appeared…”
“Where are they?” Lomond’s eyes lit up, scanning his surroundings, but he saw no humans.
“It’s… it’s a woman, the Ghost Archer, Sylph.”
“She… she appeared in the dungeon, killed over four hundred prisoners and dozens of Pig-headed Men guards, and then escaped,” the Goblin Chieftain said quickly, his eyes darting around. He knew that this news would enrage the prince.
He had to find an excuse to save his own life.
As expected, Lomond’s gaze turned ferocious.
He stared at the Goblin Chieftain, his eyes burning, making the small, green creature tremble with fear.
“Goblin,” he growled, “you told me…”
“That those humans are cunning, that they would see through the dungeon trap and think Ronald is being held in my palace…”
“It seems their actions are completely opposite to what you predicted.”
His low growl made the Goblin Chieftain’s scalp tingle, and a desperate, hoarse plea escaped his lips, “Your Highness, please, give me another chance! I will capture that damned human and bring her before you!”
Lomond glanced at the pleading Goblin Chieftain, his eyes cold and merciless.
He needed intelligent subordinates, but not this arrogant, self-proclaimed strategist.
He casually tossed him aside.
With a shrill scream, the Goblin Chieftain’s body slammed into the ground, exploding into a bloody mess.
He died instantly, without even a chance to twitch.
The other goblins trembled, their green skin turning pale.
Lomond glanced at them and chose the strongest among them. “You,” he said, “from today onwards, you are the new Goblin Chieftain…”
“Relay my orders. Gather all the Demon Beasts in the territory… no, half of them, and hunt down that Ghost Archer.”
The chosen Goblin was overjoyed. He had thought he would be punished, but instead, he had been promoted from a mere guard to the Chieftain.
He didn’t even mourn for his predecessor’s death, rushing off excitedly to relay the prince’s orders.
As for Lomond, he stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Horus had instructed him to capture any other members of the Hero Squad and hand them over.
But if it was the blonde elf, Sylph, the Ghost Archer, he was to pretend to pursue her, then let her go.
Although he was reluctant to give up such an easy achievement, Lomond knew that maintaining a long-term cooperation with Horus was more beneficial. There would be plenty of opportunities to capture Hero Squad members later.
He should inform Horus about this. It could be used as a bargaining chip in future trades.
So, under Lomond’s personal command, a massive horde of Demon Beasts, flying and ground-based, swarmed through his territory, pursuing Sylph like a dark cloud.
Sylph was fast, leaping through the trees, covering dozens of meters with each bound.
But there were also flying Demon Beasts, incredibly swift, always close behind, maintaining a constant pressure.
She couldn’t shake them off.
Looking at the dark mass behind her, the countless glowing eyes, hearing their ferocious roars, sensing their bloodlust…
She even saw Lomond, his massive form like a moving mountain, surrounded by elite Demon Beasts, at least three of them level 80 or higher.
Even Sylph, with her strength, couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear. That was a power she couldn’t possibly contend with.
And compared to humans, Demon Beasts had greater stamina. When her Mana and Battle Qi were depleted, her speed would inevitably decrease, and then, the horde would descend upon her.
A quick death would be a mercy.
If she was captured alive, like Ronald…
The thought of his fate made Sylph’s face pale, her beautiful eyes filled with terror.
If she was subjected to such filth, even if she survived, she would be unworthy of Qin Chu…
This thought startled her.
Why?
Why, facing death, was she thinking about Qin Chu?
It shouldn’t be like this.
She loved Jie Luo.
Perhaps her love for him wasn’t as intense as Athena’s, Ekaterina’s, or Loseweisse’s, but it wasn’t that much weaker either.
Although recently, because of her own predicament, she had thought of him less often, it didn’t mean she would think of Qin Chu at a time like this, right?
Qin Chu, that bastard who had taken advantage of her under the guise of treatment…
She only desired his body, not his heart…
That’s what she had believed, but now, her feelings were a tangled mess.
At this moment, she actually longed to be with him again, even just once.
Her emotional turmoil affected her speed, her movements slowing, and the Demon Beasts gained on her, some even within striking distance, launching fireballs, poison arrows, and wind blades.
Although their individual attacks weren’t very strong, their sheer number was terrifying.
Sylph suppressed her inner turmoil and dodged the incoming attacks, her speed increasing once more.
Seeing her accelerate, Lomond breathed a sigh of relief. Good heavens, they almost caught her, he thought. This slow pursuit was agonizing…
Sylph wanted to call for help, but she didn’t know who to turn to.
The former Hero Squad members couldn’t help her.
She knew how selfish they were. Would Loseweisse and Ekaterina really risk their lives to save her?
Ekaterina might.
But Loseweisse definitely wouldn’t.
She thought of Qin Chu. She had a feeling that if she asked for his help, he would come immediately.
He would.
Just like he had risked his life, entering her body, her soul, to cleanse the Evil God’s threads.
But looking at the horde of Demon Beasts behind her, remembering Ronald’s fate, even if Qin Chu was strong, he couldn’t possibly defeat so many.
His title as the Hero wouldn’t protect him. His fate might be even worse than Ronald’s.
And even if she did contact him, could he arrive in time?
It was impossible.
Forget it, she thought, making her decision, if I can’t escape, I’ll just kill myself…
She smiled wryly. She was a selfish woman, wasn’t she?