Chapter 437: Retreat and Discovery

Luo De slapped his shoulder hard, sending up a cloud of dust.

He raised his left hand, and the black-gold warhammer, bearing the 【Ownership】 skill, snapped the jammed bricks with a crack and flew straight into his grasp.

Luo De slung the warhammer over his shoulder and walked forward again, unhurried.

He looked at the two-and-a-half-meter-tall half-elf giant slowly kneeling on the ground, his face twisted in pain.

He spread his hands.

"I had my fun. How about you?"

In this battle, Luo De still didn't use any cards beyond his stated limits.

Things like 【Dragon's Breath】, 【Rage】, 【Julia's Blood Burst】, 【Celestial Ancient Tree's Blessing】, 【Wrathful Hatefire】, 【Pruning Shears】, 【Despair Mycelium】, 【Annihilation】, and so on.

Pure physical combat made him feel the joy of battle more acutely.

His body and mind felt smooth.

At the same time, during the continuous fighting, his spiritual accumulation had risen noticeably.

If nothing unexpected happened, Luo De would soon enter the mid-stage of the seventh rank.

With the boost from dozens of Spirit Seeds, his advancement speed was truly terrifying.

But then again.

In this battle, he relied purely on the strength of 【Dragon Scale Technique】 and his Defense Domain, grinding his way to victory with 【Extreme Cold into Pearl】, the Plague Domain, and the Corrosion Domain.

Without them, and without using his hidden cards, he'd likely have been punched straight through the skull.

"Cough!"

Virgil spat out a large gout of blood—greenish sludge mixed with chunks of internal organs—terribly gruesome.

He tore the black sword free with a sharp sound and threw it away.

He stood back up, staring at Luo De, his gaze still fierce and arrogant.

His aura surged again, his spiritual pressure stronger than before.

His muscles swelled, squeezing shut all his previous wounds, making him look as if he hadn't been hurt at all.

Luo De was slightly surprised now.

To recover like this after such damage—no watered-down spiritual warrior could match it.

At that moment.

Dozens of arrows shot in from the side, hissing through the air.

Luo De didn't move his feet; he simply shifted his body slightly, and every arrow skimmed past his clothes without touching him.

He glanced over casually.

There, outside the half-collapsed reception hall, several squads of armored guard soldiers were arriving one after another, stepping onto the lawn and surrounding him.

He probed with his senses and indeed detected three or four seventh-rank warriors.

That wasn't important.

The problem was the sheer number of third- and fourth-rank soldiers—Luo De's sword sweep would kill them in droves.

He had no desire to make life hard for these men just trying to feed their families, nor did he want to slaughter them.

He'd already probed their strength enough.

Luo De looked at the half-elf Virgil, pointed to his own eyes, then to him.

Meaning: I've been watching you.

He didn't care if Virgil understood—he meant it.

He notified Tally while stepping backward.

He retreated to the shadow beside the half-demolished wall.

Then he leapt back a step, and like diving into water, he vanished into the floor's shadow.

The militia reacted quickly; almost the instant he left, someone shouted:

"Summon the mage!"

Several robed mages instantly recognized it as a shadow spell and cast several Flash Spells.

But sadly, aside from blinding everyone, they achieved nothing.

They exchanged glances and concluded: "He's gone."

Only then did the private soldiers and militia flood into the building.

They stared at the horrifying battle scars inside the house, stunned.

But they quickly snapped to attention.

The former rushed to check on their leader, the half-elf Virgil; the latter hurried to organize rescue efforts and search for the new lord, Bugo Torres.

Virgil spat out another massive gout of blood.

He merely wiped his mouth coldly, pointed toward the corner of the reception hall, ignored his subordinates, and turned away.

Meanwhile, the militia found Bugo Torres unconscious amid the collapsed debris in the corner.

"Master, you were beaten so badly."

Tally smiled.

She manipulated shadows to slip past the surrounding soldiers, heading out of the ancient castle.

Luo De took a deep breath, then suddenly choked.

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

He grinned: "No wonder he's eighth rank—so much stronger."

Tally's smile froze; she rushed to his side, yanking out a handful of healing potions and shoving them to his lips.

"It's fine—just some internal shock. Already healed."

It was true.

With the Plague Domain, the Grass Domain, and Yuna's shared 【Regeneration】, Luo De's wounds healed rapidly.

After spitting out the stagnant blood, he was fine.

But Tally checked him briefly and relaxed.

Then she immediately grew mischievous.

She cast a transformation spell, becoming a mature, worried-looking woman.

Her upper body wore a fitted light-blue turtleneck sweater and a cropped cardigan; her chest was so ample it strained the cardigan open, making her waist look unnaturally slender.

Her lower half was clad in a light-colored fitted skirt, her long, straight legs wrapped in sheer black fishnet stockings glowing with warm white light, strikingly eye-catching.

"You stubborn brat, huh? Oh—my husband would be lucky if he had half your mouth!"

"What new persona is this?"

Tally didn't care.

Her long blue hair was loosely coiled at the back, radiating full wife-energy—and she even looked a little like Wenna Puir.

She went on, sighing mournfully: "My husband works at Axe Beach. Outside, we're a happy newlywed couple. But at home, in bed, he rushes through everything, never caring for my feelings—I'm never satisfied."

"Heh, so what's your meaning, madam?"

"Little Luo De, I'm lonely, I'm bored, I'm cold. Hug your auntie—just neighborly kindness, okay?"

Saying this,

Tally began to sob, pitifully heartrending.

Luo De laughed and pulled her into his arms.

The succubus had deliberately made her body plumper to fit the wife persona.

Pressed against his chest, soft and full of flesh.

But the slender parts—especially the waist—were kept perfectly proportioned.

Luo De placed his palm on it—the width of his open hand—and whether he moved up or down, the curves became startlingly voluptuous.

As they spoke,

The shadow they stood in crossed beyond the castle's boundary and entered the Axe Beach residential area.

Tally, still nuzzling in his arms, suddenly stopped moving with a soft "Huh?"

She pointed to one side:

"Wenna Puir is over there."

"Oh?"

Luo De activated 【Insight Demon Eye】 and looked.

Sure enough, he saw Puir's eldest daughter disguised as a militia soldier.

She looked tense, peering nervously from within the marching ranks—highly suspicious.

But given the war horn had sounded, most young militiamen looked just like her.

Luo De smirked coldly: "Naughty little thing, sneaking out again? Tally, bring her back."

"You brat, I raised you—this is how you treat your auntie?"

"Hurry up."

Luo De slapped her plump rear sharply.

Tally squealed, shot him a mock-angry glare, then obediently shifted the shadow over.

But before she could reach her,

A thin, bearded old man with gray hair suddenly stared at Wenna Puir and barked: "You're not militia! Who are you?!"

(End of Chapter)