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Time flew by, and before long, it was midnight.

At that moment, the magnificent palace was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard. If not for the faint sounds of breathing, one might have mistaken everyone inside for exquisitely crafted wax statues.

Seated upon the lavish throne, Richard remained silent. His expression was as calm as still water, while a trace of confidence flickered through his eyes. That confidence came from the Sword of Eternity stored within his ring, as well as the figures seated below him.

On his left sat the first of them, clad in black-and-red armor that accentuated his towering and imposing physique. It was none other than his Legion Commander, Blei. His strength was second only to Lili.

The second seat on the left was occupied by a man in black robes. Beneath the hood was an aged face as rough as tree bark. This person was a renowned Dark Archmage of the Jade Empire. Richard had paid a considerable price to secure his assistance.

On the first seat to the right sat a man dressed in a white robe embroidered with golden threads, holding a golden staff. Though age had left its marks upon his face, traces of his youthful handsomeness still remained. It was none other than Bishop Gurant of the South.

The second seat on the right was occupied by Passat of the Holy Light. He too wore a white robe woven with golden threads and held an exquisite sword. His appearance was strikingly handsome.

Under normal circumstances, he would not have been qualified to sit here. But who could blame it on anything other than the fact that he belonged to the prestigious Golden Aslan Family?

Four Legend-rank experts, plus Passat, who was already close to the Legend realm. Such a lineup could only be described as luxurious. These were Richard’s highest-level combatants.

As for the mid-tier forces, seven thousand of them had already been stationed throughout the palace grounds. Another eight thousand were deployed throughout the outer city. When it came to mid-tier combat strength, Alicia was completely outmatched.

As for low-level forces, there was no comparison to be made at all. Richard held an overwhelming advantage. At this moment, both atop and beneath the walls of the inner city stood countless soldiers and mages. Breaking through from this direction would be extraordinarily difficult.

Furthermore, all the barriers protecting both the inner city and the imperial palace had already been activated. With these three seemingly impregnable layers of defense in place, the chances of the enemy forcing their way in were extremely low.

If Alicia’s forces tried to break through from the outer city instead, the densely packed ranks of soldiers would teach them a harsh lesson. After all, enough ants could kill an elephant!

Even if they failed to kill them outright, they would still strip away a substantial layer of flesh. The experts within the palace merely needed to wait in comfort and conserve their strength. In Richard’s eyes, his foolish younger sister had absolutely no chance of winning.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Bishop Gurant’s mouth. He had initially thought he might come out at a loss in this transaction, but after seeing the lineup assembled in Jade City, he could hardly contain his delight.

This was practically free profit delivered to his doorstep!

The Dark Archmage remained expressionless, his eyes as calm as still water. Legion Commander Blei clenched his fists tightly, a chilling killing intent flashing through his eyes. Lili and that Black-hearted Princess who had humiliated him and made a fool of him had to die!

Passat, meanwhile, looked utterly bored. To him, this battle was nothing more than a formality. Once the Eldest Princess’ head was taken, he would have plenty of time to make his move on Saintess Irene. The mere thought of thoroughly enjoying himself with that unbearably arrogant saintess filled him with anticipation.

Just then, the heavens and earth suddenly shook. An earth-shattering explosion followed. Then, from outside the palace, a terrified shout rang out. “Enemy attack!”

At that instant, Richard and the others were startled, surprise appearing on their faces. They could clearly sense that the first barrier had been struck by an unimaginably terrifying force and was already on the verge of collapse.

It was obvious. Alicia had begun her siege. The power of that single attack was downright horrifying!

“That’s Cataclysm-Class Magic!” the Dark Archmage cried out in shock.

Hearing this, Richard’s brows twitched, and a sense of foreboding rose within him. ‘Damn it! Alicia actually managed to recruit a Grand Mage!’ That meant the enemy side now possessed one more Legend-rank combatant.

Outside the palace, everyone stared dumbfounded at the first barrier, which was trembling violently and on the verge of shattering. Just moments ago, they had clearly seen a white pillar of light descend from the heavens, slam into the barrier, and vanish in an instant.

None of them had expected its power to be so terrifying. It had nearly punched straight through the barrier that the Jade Empire took such pride in!

A shiver ran through the crowd. Every single person present felt it. They had thought this would be a one-sided battle with no suspense whatsoever, yet the enemy’s very first move had delivered a crushing show of force.

If another one came… The mere thought made their teeth chatter uncontrollably.

Amid the crowd, a black-robed mage quietly slipped away. Beneath the hood was a beautiful face and a cascade of silky silver hair.

* **The Outer City.**

Regardless of age or gender, everyone was trembling uncontrollably. The pillar of light had struck the very center of the barrier, much closer to them. The terrifying aura alone had nearly crushed them under its overwhelming pressure.

Having witnessed the barrier on the verge of shattering with their own eyes, everyone’s hearts hung by a thread as cold sweat streamed down their backs. Had that terrifying attack broken through the barrier and descended upon them, there would have been only one outcome for everyone present. Total annihilation!

Now that the barrier had stabilized and returned to its original state, every single person felt as though they had narrowly escaped death.

“Holy crap! As expected of a Legendary-rank quest! It’s this terrifying right from the start!” One player finally snapped out of his daze and shouted.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Whoever said the First Princess’ side would be easy to deal with, I’ll beat him to death!”
“If that attack comes again, we’re all going to die here!”
“That scared the hell out of me!”
“There… there won’t be a second shot, right?” someone asked, his entire body trembling.

Before this, whether players or natives, nobody had thought highly of the First Princess’ chances. After all, the military strength gathered within Jade City was simply too terrifying. Even if the First Princess launched an assault, it would only be like a moth flying into a flame or an egg striking a rock. However…

“What kind of b̲u̲l̲l̲s̲h̲i̲t̲ quest is this!? The difficulty is way too high!” Taurus’ eyelids twitched violently as his scalp went numb. If that attack had shattered the barrier earlier, the Death of Love Guild positioned at the center would have been wiped out without a trace.

A heavy feeling settled over every player’s heart. Could it be that they were actually the moths rushing into the flames, the eggs smashing against the rocks?

At this moment, the entire city of Jade City was shrouded in unease and fear. Everyone dreaded the possibility of that terrifying attack descending once more.

***

High above the night sky, a pitch-black city hung suspended in the air.

“Fifty million… I just burned through fifty million!” Standing outside the City of Chaos, Yae-hime looked at the massive virtual screen before her and spoke with a pained expression.

At this moment, a gigantic magic formation atop the City of Chaos was slowly dissipating.

“That was only one-tenth of its power?” Alicia’s eyes twitched as she exclaimed in shock. That had been the strongest barrier of the Jade Empire, yet a single strike had nearly caused it to collapse. And that attack had only used a mere tenth of its power. How was she supposed to believe that?

“What’s so surprising about that? Once Master’s City of Chaos is fully restored to its peak condition, destroying this entire continent with a single shot wouldn’t be anything extraordinary.” Little Blue looked at Alicia as though she were some clueless country bumpkin.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone except Yae-hime was shaken to the core. Yunuen and Little Fairy felt their scalps go numb. Truth be told, they had not been very confident about this operation. After all, the enemy they were facing was an empire! But after witnessing that cannon shot, their confidence instantly soared through the roof.

“Fifty million gone… Fifty million just to hear one loud bang…” Meanwhile, Yae-hime was still mourning her losses. Even a shot that wasn’t fired at full power consumed materials worth fifty million.

Although she earned money quickly, even she couldn’t afford to keep burning through wealth like this.

“Master, the second shot is ready for launch!” At that moment, Little Blue’s cheerful voice rang out. The words nearly made Yae-hime cough up blood.