Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"She's so amazing..."

Players with their souls torn from their bodies were occasionally pulled out from the ruins with difficulty, and even they would occasionally turn to watch the duel that was unfolding.

Gu Lan, who was also a swordsman, watched the unfamiliar NPC using sword techniques and felt such envy that his eyes turned red.

Dai Lian couldn't help but sigh softly, "I didn't expect her to be so powerful."

In their previous two encounters, this young mistress from the Arbitration Place seemed loud and reckless in her actions, giving off an unreliable impression.

It was only at moments like these that one could truly witness the true strength of the young mistress.

Facing an opponent against whom her two colleagues could hardly put up a fight, she was still able to attack vigorously, which was unbelievable.

But that was all.

The drastic output of Spiritual Energy caused Franca's Spiritual Energy to be significantly weakened. Once accustomed to the presence of Spiritual Energy, the fluctuation of its intensity began to correlate with the firmness of one's will.

The lack of satisfactory results in battle and the rapid decline of her Spiritual Energy started to shake Franca's confidence.

No breach in defense!

Completely unbreachable!

The attack was effective.

The fine sword breeze left countless tiny cuts on the body that seemed to lack skin... but that was all.

Even at the moment she stopped her attack, those tiny wounds began to heal themselves as if breathing with life.

In the blink of an eye, the wounds disappeared, and the body was as good as new.

Not fast enough!

The damage inflicted exceeded a certain duration, so much so that the enemy's defense "reacted"?

Either be faster, or deal higher damage to pierce through!

From the feedback received during the attack, Franca roughly guessed the strategy needed to defeat the enemy.

She figured her two colleagues had also thought of this battle tactic, but simply... their abilities were limited.

In a pure contest of attack and defense, this demon specialized in these and also had special countermeasures against Spiritual Energy, making it an almost unsolvable predicament at the moment.

"Hahahaha!" The demon, seemingly just snapped out of a trance, stood in place and burst into loud laughter. The human voice intertwined with the demonic one, creating an eerie chorus of laughter from countless directions.

"Is this all you've got! Is this all you've got!"

Wallis' restless soul had finally succumbed completely to that arrogant ambition at this moment.

"This is the level of an Arbiter's Executor from the Arbitration Place!"

'Too pathetic! Too pathetic!'

Come on! Come on!

Let us turn this world upside down, where everything will serve me!

"Come at me!"

Wallis' mechanical right eye's phantom and the demon's fierce will both roared madly in the direction of Franca.

"Come at me!"

Consequently, even the innocent souls imprisoned within began to feel a sense of "honored involvement."

Under the expansion of the insane will, the demon's stature seemed to grow a few inches taller under the moonlight.

Franca's brow furrowed slightly, ignoring her opponent's insane growth.

'It seems that the civilians' decision wasn't wrong...'

She witnessed that, even after her command, they still sent someone running in the direction from which she had come... which was the direction of the military camp.

In the face of such a powerful demon, more reinforcements were certainly needed.

So before that, it was up to herself to buy them time!

Franca stretched out her hand, and the space in front of her became hazy. A pair of gauntlets materialized swiftly.

Spiritual Energy creation—Big Fighting Gauntlets.

Using a sword was her inherent skill, adept at attack but weak in defense.

Wanting to change tactics and engage in prolonged combat, she naturally needed a strategy more suited to defense and evasion.

As the most talented offspring in her family, she was armed to the teeth by her clan.

She might not use her equipment in normal times, but when necessary, no one could bully her. Enjoy more content from empire

Franca, with the gauntlets on, moved nimbly, and the skills of a master fighter from the gauntlets covered her instincts.

Ten minutes!

In ten minutes, no one could catch her!

She could only hope that the young girl who went to report moved quickly.

Withdrawing her gaze from the dark path behind her, Franca's face bore a warlike expression as she looked towards the demon's true form approaching with large strides.

This body, belonging to the Demon God, was grand and imposing, shaking the ground with every step, and the air grew dim, "Join me! Join me! You, too, will become my finest daughter!"

"Tui!" Franca laughed boldly, "Do you even qualify?"

One minute...

Two minutes...

Nine minutes...

Ten... minutes.

Her bright eyes grew dull, sweat drenched her tousled hair, and even her usually delicate makeup was a mess at this point.

Franca was panting heavily; even though the skill came from an external source, the physical strength needed for her movements was still her own.

She expended far more Spiritual Energy than usual to counter the opponent's bizarre attraction to Spiritual Energy, and the immense drain both physically and mentally had reduced her to an extremely poor state.

And most importantly... the time for the gauntlets was up.

External aid always has its limitations; it can only be used for burst moments, not for sustained combat.

Yue Ying's eyes flitted upwards, scanning the surroundings.

No reinforcements.

The young girl fought alone.

"It seems she's not a bad seed either."

Yue Ying murmured softly, hesitating whether to intervene.

Suddenly, her gaze shifted towards the path they had come from.

A dark figure had appeared at the end of the long street from nowhere.

Extremely distant.

And obstructed by the winding Black Street architecture.

Hidden in the dark, only Yue Ying with her exceptional vision could see through the night's darkness and notice the newcomer who had just entered her range of observation.

"Another person coming?"

Was it the reinforcements found by that human girl?

But why only one?

Yue Ying's thoughts flashed by, only to see the figure standing still in the original spot, drawing the bowstring...

...

Five minutes earlier.

"Gong Yan?"

As Bai E hurriedly sprinted, he saw the figure rushing toward him slow down, and he asked in confusion after recognizing the person.

Was she there too? Does that mean the players have returned?

With Gilder?

Upon seeing Bai E, a joyful smile blossomed on Gong Yan's face, "My lord!"

My lord actually came too!

As long as my lord is here, nothing is a problem.

Although she hadn't seen my lord take action many times, this game NPC seemed to exude endless reliability and mystique.

It felt like as long as he was around, no hardship or danger could threaten anyone.

This substantial feeling of security was something she had never experienced before from anyone... even in reality.

Bai E controlled his breathing to prevent his voice from trembling after the intense run, and calmly asked, "What happened over there?"

"Demons," Gong Yan replied succinctly and quickly presented the facts, "We encountered a demon. The Arbitration Place's enforcer is currently helping us buy time... Oh, and that lady from the Arbitration Place we met before, she's here too."

Because of the ratfolk issue, if it got exposed, who knows what might happen between my lord and the Arbitration Place. Gong Yan, remembering this, did not panic due to the sudden event and cautiously reminded.

Bai E nodded.

She's in the army too, yet she reacted faster than myself?

"What are you planning to do?"

"An enforcer told us to go seek help from the barracks."

Bai E's brows furrowed slightly.

That serious?

An Arbitration Place enforcer who specializes in hunting demons can't resolve the situation and needs urgent reinforcement?

Just how strong is the opponent...

The weight in Bai E's heart grew heavy. He thought of letting Gong Yan continue seeking help while he would go first to check the situation, "Then you..."

Before he could speak out, he heard Gong Yan wiping the sweat from her forehead, murmuring to herself as if relieved...

"Now that my lord is here, they should be out of danger..."

"..."

That much trust in me, huh...

It seems that my previous performance in front of them was quite satisfactory?

But what should I do to make you continue to look for reinforcements?

"..."

After a slight silence, Bai E quickly stepped forward, asking as he walked, "What was the situation when you left?"

Gong Yan, following behind, jogged as she replied, "Two enforcers are seriously injured, the four of them are basically no match and can't help, and it's only that lady who is buying us time alone. Oh right... that demon has imprisoned many souls of the Black Street residents inside itself.

There are many bodies of residents who have lost their souls buried beneath the ruins, and Kuang Xin and the others are rescuing them."

"What's distinct about the opponent?"

"High defensive power, vast strength, quick in straight-line acceleration, and... it has a special ability to absorb Spiritual Energy."

A bruiser immune to magic?

Bai E rapidly sketched an image of the opponent in his mind.

Gong Yan provided the insights they gained through their attacks, carefully offering information to my lord, "Based on the feedback from those two enforcers and our attacks, we believe that we need a high-energy, instantaneous impact to break through the opponent's defensive power. But as for the actual method to injure the opponent... we still aren't clear."

So far, all their attacks couldn't break the defense, and no one knew whether breaking it would indeed allow them to kill the demon.

"Got it."

Clearly, the players didn't know of Gilder's existence. There was no mention of Gilder or the ratfolk from the beginning to the end of the conversation.

As Bai E briskly walked, his gaze swept through the cluttered corners of the buildings, for the signaling Gilder must be nearby.

"My lord~ My lord~"

Suddenly, a call came out from a concealed corner.

The ratfolk's stealth abilities made them truly hard to notice unless they made a sound themselves.

'Someone else?' Gong Yan, following behind Bai E, was slightly stunned.

Could it be that my lord had already arranged for people in advance?

Indeed! I hadn't even reached the barracks, yet my lord had already rushed over.

My lord's network of informants indeed seemed to be everywhere...

Bai E quickly walked towards the corner, "The clothes, give them to me."

In this situation, taking action was essential.

Only, that young lady was also there, and currently, I was even training under her command, so a face-to-face encounter might result in some unpredictable circumstances. It was necessary to disguise myself appropriately.

Moreover, there was no need for me to show my face in this battle.

According to Gong Yan, this opponent had high offense, high defense, and magic resistance; lethal force was the only way to achieve a breakthrough.

Currently, archery was my strongest offensive method; there was no need to get up close and personal for a brawl.

It would be both dangerous and ungraceful.

With players present, nothing could be done that would risk lives and lose face.

Luckily, I now possess a full ten points of Spiritual Energy, plus a full reserve of action power and the ability to restore that reserve once with No. 3 supplement. I have explosive power in spades.

Not to mention, I still have one "Lucky Strike" opportunity that should be enough to break through the defense.

After changing clothes, Bai E stepped lightly to the middle of the long street, standing tall and straight, facing towards that darkness...

He drew his longbow...