"Never mind!" Sylvie sighed inwardly, her figure moving, already blocking Will's path, engaging in battle with the charging Mixed-blood Species warriors.
Chris stood to the side, not immediately joining the fight, observing her surroundings.
Xiao Guo stood timidly beside her.
Karl walked up to the Saintess: "Are you not going to intervene?"
Chris gently shook her head: "No need. These Mixed-blood Species are not the main force; they are just wandering the streets, seeking revenge on this city."
With Sylvie and Will joining, the situation immediately reversed. Attacked from front and back, over a dozen Mixed-blood Species were already beheaded.
"How interesting," Karl said with a playful tone, probing as if unintentionally: "According to you, the Brotherhood is an organization that provides sanctuary to the Mixed-blood Species."
"Even if they usually suffer oppression and injustice, now, attacking an imperial city and slaughtering civilians, this counts as a complete break with the Empire, right? Do they really want to go to war with the Empire?"
After Karl finished speaking, he looked at Chris, hoping to get more useful information from the Saintess.
His goal was very clear: to retrieve the mother body.
But until now, everything he had encountered was very abstract, and this uncertainty and unknown had already made him uneasy.
"The slaughter here has been going on for at least three days. Logically, with such a riot, other lords should have come to suppress it by now, but it seems as if this place has been forgotten by the outside world."
Chris listened to Karl's words, her expression equally grim and puzzled.
Karl immediately knew that the Saintess, it seemed, didn't know much either.
Sylvie's figure weaved through the battlefield, her movements agile. She, along with Will and the Knights Templar, overwhelmed the enemy with their strength, quickly harvesting the lives of the Mixed-blood Species.
The battle was one-sided.
In just a moment, the bodies of the Mixed-blood Species lay strewn across the ground.
The middle-aged captain took off his helmet, revealing a weathered face, and looked at Will with surprise in his eyes. Then he knelt: "Your Royal Highness!"
Will eagerly interrupted the captain, asking: "How is my sister!"
"Commander Aisha is organizing defenses at the City Lord's Mansion." A clear, pleasant voice sounded beside them.
"Who?!" Will was startled, turning his head to see a young girl squatting not far away, wearing a white spaghetti-strap dress.
Her hands were slender and fair, and her bare feet trod on the battlefield, yet seemed not to gather a speck of dust.
The girl reached out, gently closing the eyes of the Mixed-blood Species who had just been killed: "However, the President is over there, and Commander Aisha won't last through the night."
"Who are you!?" Will's nerves instantly tensed as he faced the suddenly appearing girl, raising his staff warily.
A soldier standing in the front row of the Knights Templar suddenly shouted: "Xiao Fengling! You're Xiao Fengling!"
The girl's expression suddenly turned cold at that moment, but in an instant, a sweet smile reappeared on her face.
Then she politely held up her long skirt with both hands and curtsied: "You may call me Merlin; that is my true name."
The next second, a cold glint flashed in the air.
The soldier who had just called out "Xiao Fengling" suddenly clutched his neck, blood spurting from between his fingers.
He stared with wide eyes, seemingly wanting to say something, but then fell to the ground with a "thud," blood pooling around him.
Chapter 19: Abstraction
It all happened so fast that the people around hadn't even had time to react. Will gripped his staff, staring in disbelief at the fallen soldier and at Merlin, who still maintained her sweet smile.
The smell of blood in the air seemed to grow thicker.
The surrounding soldiers were also stunned by the sudden turn of events, all taking a step back.
Merlin, still maintaining her sweet smile, slowly scanned the faces of the Knights Templar, finally pausing her gaze on Sylvie:
"As expected of a brave dragon-slayer, you are calmer than I imagined."
Sylvie clutched her greatsword, her expression complex.
In these past few days, she had witnessed too many of Karl's incredible abilities.
While she was wary of Merlin's appearance, she wasn't overly surprised.
Sylvie took a deep breath, adjusted her stance, and lowered the tip of her sword slightly, pointing it at Merlin: "It seems I'll have to defeat you."
Merlin, however, gently shook her head, her unchanging sweet smile still on her face: "I'm sorry, though it's rude to say so, my target is not you."
Her words were calm and confident, as if everything was under her control.
With that, Merlin slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on Karl: "Who are you, sir, and why are you here?"
"No time to get entangled with her here." Will frowned, anger rising as he, a prince, was repeatedly ignored.
He was more worried about his sister.
Will quickly raised his staff, preparing for a quick fight.
Merlin tilted her head slightly, glanced at Will, and a disdainful curve appeared at the corner of her lips: "Oh, it seems the so-called prince doesn't even understand the etiquette required for conversation."
At that instant, a "thump" of flesh being pierced sounded in the air.
Will's abdomen was suddenly pierced as if by a sharp sword, blood splattering.
Sylvie reacted quickly, her figure flashing to Will's side. At the same time, Chris also cast a healing spell.
A soft light instantly covered Will's wound.
Merlin, however, ignored their actions, not even glancing at them.
She slowly turned her head, her gaze locked on Karl. "Big guy, you don't seem to want to talk much."
"Then I sincerely invite you to play a game."
A hint of sickness flashed in Merlin's eyes: "As long as you survive for one minute, you win. How about it? The rules are simple, right!"
"Alas," Karl sighed softly, raising a finger.
"Time Stop."
The entire world was put on pause.
Karl looked around and suddenly noticed a dog-eared boy holding a dagger about ten meters away from him.
The boy's body was almost completely wrapped in ribbons, only revealing his figure after Time Stop. His expression was blank, frozen in that instant.
And those ribbons, after Time Stop, actually began to writhe, quickly covering the boy's body.
Karl couldn't help but narrow his eyes, looking at Merlin not far away.
Countless ribbons extended from beneath her dress, waving in the air like tentacles, quickly wrapping around Merlin's body, protecting her.
Karl frowned. Time Stop had no effect on the formless daughter herself.
These creations of the evil god were not bound by the time laws of this world.
Karl quickly thought, to purify the formless daughter, he would need the Dragon Whip.
He glanced at the dog-eared boy; he had stir-fried a Unicorn, but he wasn't so perverse as to not spare males.
Since he knew that Time Stop had no effect on the formless daughter, he dared not linger. A mother body was hidden in a corner of the city.
Karl stepped behind the dog-eared boy.
He raised his palm, muscles tensed, and swung a mighty slap towards the boy's face. Just as his fist was about to touch the boy's face...
"Time Stop ends."
Time began to flow, and the previously static scene instantly became lively.
The dog-eared boy disappeared from Karl's sight in that instant, but his palm accurately landed on the boy's face.
"Slap!" A crisp slapping sound rang out.
Merlin still maintained her smile. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind blow past her, followed by a deafening roar.
"Boom!" The house behind her was smashed with a huge force, leaving a large hole. Bricks and stones flew, and dust billowed.
Merlin's smile gradually stiffened on her face. She turned her head to look.
"Brother!!!"
Sylvie's expression was complex. Why did Merlin have to provoke Karl?
Merlin, lying in the ruins, shrieked: "Kill them!"
As her words fell, dozens of Mixed-blood Species appeared in the surrounding streets.
Unlike those previously eliminated, these individuals wore excellent equipment and wielded sharp weapons, clearly experienced Adventurers.
"Let's break through. Head to the City Lord's Mansion and rendezvous with Commander Aisha."
Seeing that Karl had no intention of attacking again, Sylvie decisively made her decision.
She supported the injured Will, while also signaling the soldiers to take Xiao Guo. The group quickly broke through towards the City Lord's Mansion.
Although these well-equipped Mixed-blood Species were numerous, they didn't really pursue them relentlessly. After a symbolic brief skirmish, they allowed Sylvie's group to leave.
Among the ruins and rubble, Merlin helped up the injured dog-eared boy.
The dog-eared boy painfully used his hand to reset his dislocated jaw, his head buzzing: "I'm sorry, I missed."
Merlin quickly shook her head, her long hair gently swaying in the wind: "No, don't apologize. It's my fault. I didn't expect him to be so strong."
The dog-eared boy clutched his head, trying to alleviate the pain, and said firmly: "I'll go track them!"
"No need, the President only wanted us to test him." Merlin took a deep breath: "Let's go tell the President, and she Will decide the fate of these hateful bugs. You must protect yourself, okay?"
"Okay." The dog-eared boy nodded.
Merlin stood up, scanning the well-equipped Mixed-blood Species around her.
A frantic smile reappeared on her face: "Let's go, my brethren, to take our revenge to the fullest, and then welcome our era."
The procession marched majestically through the city streets, rapidly advancing towards the City Lord's Mansion.
With Sylvie, the brave hero, in the lead, the group encountered no significant resistance during their journey.
Karl, close behind Sylvie, suddenly asked the members of the Knights Templar: "Your companion seems to know that girl."
Several soldiers exchanged glances, their expressions awkward.
Impressed by Karl's astonishing strength, they had their concerns but dared not refuse to answer.
One of the soldiers cautiously said:
"She used to be the top courtesan at the Pleasure establishment in the city, so most of us know her. And, she's actually male, a Mixed-blood Species of Elf and human."
These words left Karl silent, only able to sigh at how elaborate things were. He also lost interest in purifying her with the Dragon Whip.
Chapter 20: The Imperial Princess
Karl felt a chill. Thinking of Merlin's pretty, girlish appearance, yet being a male pretending to be female, he decided it was better to kill her. Purification seemed too troublesome.
"The City Lord's Mansion is ahead." The Knights Templar captain pointed forward, his expression grave: "Those Mixed-blood Species bastards are besieging the city."
Karl looked. The lord's mansion city was built against the mountain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. From a distance, it was already clear that it had become a battlefield.
The sky was filled with various magic spells and arrows hitting the magic barrier.
The Mixed-blood Species, relying on their strong regenerative abilities, needed no siege engines. They constantly assaulted the city walls like waves, healing in a very short time even when injured, and then rejoining the battle.
On the city walls, teams of Knights Templar and Adventurers resisted with difficulty.
If not for those well-trained Knights Templar, it would have been taken down long ago.
Behind the Mixed-blood Species stood a mature woman with black curly hair. Her hands were clasped, as if praying for the warriors.
Suddenly, a Cat-eared Girl rushed over, her expression panicked.
She panted, saying: "President Loyi! Merlin and her brother were defeated by that unknown tall man! The Adventurer group is on their way."
Loyi opened her eyes: "Were they injured?"
The Cat-eared Girl was startled, then quickly shook her head, "They've recovered."
Loyi looked up, her gaze piercing through the barrier, fixed on the high wall. Above the city wall, the Knights Templar were still fighting bravely, but their stamina was gradually failing, and many positions already showed weaknesses.
"Retreat."
"Retreat?!" The Cat-eared Girl exclaimed. The Mixed-blood Species currently held an absolute advantage on the battlefield. If they continued, they could take the City Lord's Mansion in no time.
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