Chapter 531: Trapped

"Oh?"

Rod looked at the pitch blackness that had suddenly appeared, shrouding heaven and earth.

He glanced around.

It was all endless darkness with no visible edge.

He had naturally heard the half-deer man's roar at the very end; it was the leader of the Black Moon Clan, named Natalie, who had secretly set up a ritual to launch a surprise attack.

Rod had also been fighting with such fervor that he hadn't noticed the surroundings for a moment.

Besides, the opponent was a Dark Elf who was very good at lurking.

"Holding back for so long, I was still a bit too excited."

Rod slowly exhaled a breath, stabilizing his current emotions.

Let's break the ritual first.

He circulated the power of his Deception Domain and activated 【Insight Demon Eye】.

【Details: The premise of deception is seeing through deception. This Demon Eye can see through magical transformations, Superior Darkness, illusions, etc. (A check is made when encountering Domain power; if failed, it cannot see through). There is a chance to see through the target's weak point disguise, inner intentions, and gain insight into complex energies, etc.】

Suddenly, the vision before his eyes underwent a world-shaking change.

This pitch blackness shrouding heaven and earth turned into mist composed of black-and-white mana particles; at a glance, it still seemed endless.

Superior Darkness had been seen through.

But relying on this skill, he could not see through the problem with the ritual.

It wasn't an energy issue, but rather a difference in the scope of function; this involved knowledge of spells and complex applications.

Someone like Rod.

When attending spell classes with the pony girl Little Little Bangde, he would just stare blankly at Lady Kalist's buttocks and chest; it would be a miracle if he learned anything.

Rod was currently still in a hovering state due to the Fly spell.

He instantly dispelled it, immediately causing the wind to howl as he entered a state of free fall.

Then, five minutes later, he still hadn't landed.

During that time, he took out the Sword of Dedication and slashed several times with 【Giant Slash】, and also used his largest bronze dragon war soul to crash into it a few times.

But it was no different from striking thin air.

Great power is great power, but you still have to hit something.

"Hmm."

Rod immediately changed his strategy, stopped his free fall, and began to release the power of his Plague Domain.

Yellow-green mist began to spread out from his body.

Domains are a good thing, especially Plague; the speed at which it corrodes magical energy is incredibly fast.

The appearance of a large amount of Domain power will inevitably increase the caster's burden.

Then we'll just see who can't hold out.

I should be able to get out, it's just that it might waste some time.

But then again...

Even if Rod is trapped here, he still has ways to affect the outside world.

Should I try it?

【Tally: Master, are you okay?】

A message came through the Chain of Long Distance.

The halfling Lily had taken the elf Kalist and the rat girl Number Thirteen back to the rear for treatment.

But Tally remained near the battlefield.

【Rod: The ritual field has almost no harmful effects, but it has trapped me.】

【Tally: Eight seventh-tier and eight sixth-tier mages are maintaining the black ball ritual field here. If Tally launches a surprise attack, she can kill more than four, but that Natalie and that general are also there, so even if Tally succeeds, it won't be easy.】

Sixteen mages above the sixth tier, huh...

Damn, the Dark Elves really have a huge reserve.

One can only say it's no wonder they are warlocks forcibly force-fed by the Archduke of the Inferno.

This squad of mages would unleash even more terrifying power on the battlefield, plus the two eighth-tier guards.

Rod's 【Victory Pod】 was not in his hand, and the means to seal the Inferno channel had not been completed.

He might as well just stay here to tie them down...

Anyway, he has other means...

【Rod: You hide well and don't show your head; otherwise, you can go help on the battlefield. Amy and Oona seem to be stuck there.】

Although they were not on the front line of the battlefield.

But the Chain of Long Distance had real-time communication records of all participating members; he flipped through it slightly and saw that the female orc Amy and the rabbit person Oona were in a bitter battle against a squad of sixteen mages.

Presumably, it was the same configuration as the sixteen people here.

Additionally.

The dog person Sharon, relying on the Plague Domain, had occupied a corner of the battlefield; not only the enemy army, but even friendly forces dared not approach.

The ghoul Pan Ni, as a necromancer with huge troop numbers, was a key target for the Dark Elves.

But under the protection of the half-werewolf druid Ojia and the star person Haley, and with the super-strong firepower of Oona, Amy, and Vivian in front attracting attention, she had not suffered actual damage so far.

The mind flayer Hart had also successfully entered the city under the infiltration of the dog person's five-person group; currently, he is hiding in a corner, starting to control the Dark Elves to destroy internal defensive works and attack rear-line mages.

【Tally: I won't go; I want to stay by Master's side. Should I call the little dwarf over to help?】

【Rod: No need; just stay close to those two eighth-tiers and report anytime.】

【Tally: Okay~~】

"At the end of the day, they are Spiritual Warriors. Their combat power is formidable, yet they struggle to cope with the variability of spells."

Natalie Blackmoon gazed at the massive sphere of black mana hovering in midair.

The 【Black Prison Cage】, crafted jointly by her and sixteen mages through combined casting, possessed no damaging properties whatsoever.

It was specialized specifically to target powerful Spiritual Warriors like this ranger.

"Where are the dragons, Natalie? I haven't seen those two dragons."

Aurelio leaned against a half-broken rock to sit. His handsome face was already a mess of flesh and blood, yet his pain and weakness remained visible.

He gasped for air and pushed away the half-centaur who had been attempting to heal him.

He gripped the 【Demon Hunter】 rapier tightly in his hand.

A flash of Spiritual light flickered, and the broken tip of the rapier restored itself by half.

This was a treasure possessing the ability of memory metal.

"I cannot contact them; they were supposed to deal with that White Dragon which stole the treasury's treasures."

Natalie's expression turned extremely ugly, gloomy as if water were about to drip from it.

Aurelio paused for a moment, stunned.

Then, helplessly, he let out a bitter laugh:

"Natalie, oh Natalie, where is your brain? When you were engaging in internal strife and forcing me out of power, you weren't this stupid. Did you get your brain broken by bedding that Red Dragon?"

"Shi Ying Town chooses this very moment to launch an attack? Don't tell me it's all a coincidence; this is something they planned long ago. I told you early on that they were a threat, yet back then you secretly reduced the troops for my New Year's surprise attack plan."

"Hmph."

Natalie glared at him ferociously.

Her usual charm was entirely gone, replaced by nothing but helplessness and anxious anger.

"So what? Even if their military strength is formidable, they will eventually tire and get injured. A war of attrition favors us."

"The 【Blood Life Pool】 is not an inexhaustible treasure, Natalie. Moreover, consider the current state of my lord Asmodeus and that drop of divine blood."

The woman, who had become the leader of Blackmoon relying on her charm abilities, changed color instantly.

The matter of Grand Duke Asmodeus attempting to get rid of that drop of divine blood should have been known only to her.

"You... you know?!"

"Is it hard to guess? One of my friends has been acting strangely since his resurrection. Only after I personally went to check the Blood Life Pool did I discover that the energy within not only failed to replenish but was actually decreasing."

Aurelio sneered:

"The Demon Dukes of the Inferno are greedy for souls; my warlocks are merely spare rations. If you had assisted me in leveling Shi Ying Town at the beginning of the year and sacrificed the souls of all the commoners, there would have been some room for maneuvering. But now... heh heh."

As he spoke,

he sat cross-legged, his surrounding Spiritual energy surging violently.

Then, he emitted streams of Spiritual energy as solid as substance, wrapping them around the 【Demon Hunter】 rapier.

Natalie's face was already gloomy when she suddenly sensed that the Spiritual energy he was emitting was extraordinary.

It seemed as though he was drawing out his entire Spiritual essence to inject it into the rapier.

Unable to help herself, she asked in surprise and suspicion:

"What are you doing?"

(End of this chapter)