In a last resort, he could only redirect his high-level Black Fire Cultist guards to the central area to fortify the defenses.

The more than ten Black Fire Cultists in black robes, riding Low-Born Demons and brandishing flails, did appear quite imposing as they charged in a frenzy. However, at this time, the Silver Elf Guards in silver armor had already rushed forward to stand alongside Brand, while the surrounding Lizardmen attempting to encircle them were continuously subjected to remote attacks by the mercenaries.

If the Dark Priest commanding this had been a bit calmer and had ordered the Lizardmen to abandon protecting him and instead assault Brand's remote position on the slope, the scene might have looked more favorable. But unfortunately, the art of command was not the priest's forte. He could only instinctively order the Lizardmen and Black Fire Cultists to gather towards him, partially to avoid being split and partially to better protect himself.

He needed to start preparing his spells.

Unfortunately, Brand reacted faster—

...

The sounds of slaughter in the valley had merged into a continuous roar.

But on the hilltop, as the mountain wind swept across the bare, rocky cliffs, Antitina couldn't help but shiver, feeling as though the valley below was separated from this place by another world. She coughed lightly and tightened the shawl wrapped around herself. The noblewoman stood alone outside the cliff, fearfully glancing around, then frowned in concern at the deep crevice—after hesitating for a while, she softly asked:

"Romantic, is it ready yet?"

"Almost there," the Merchant Lady's matter-of-fact voice came from inside.

Antitina sighed; she had heard this answer several times before, but she knew her complaints would be ignored, so she could only stomp her feet to dispel the cold.

This time, however, Romantic seemed to be truly nearing completion. She walked a bit deeper into the crevice—without relying on any light source, as if darkness was a familiar friend. While ordinary people would instinctively fear such a narrow, shadowy environment, the lady looked full of interest. She pulled out a crystal from her pocket, bent down, and searched under the rubble before placing the crystal inside.

She turned her head, counted on her fingers earnestly, pinpointing about five similar spots, nodded, and then calmly retreated.

As she emerged from the rock fissure, she saw Antitina's frowning, reproachful eyes.

"I regret it, Romantic, let's go back," the quiet girl lowered her head and began coughing.

"Don't worry, it's just an experiment, Brand won't find out," Romantic said smugly, grabbing the noblewoman's hand and leading her forward. "Let's go to the next location."

"Wait, wait..."

"Give me some more of that, Antitina."

"What are you planning!" Antitina quickly clutched her bag protectively. It was unfortunate enough that this person had discovered her secret; she didn't want to go crazy along with the Merchant Lady.

"But are the calculations correct?"

"Of course!" The noblewoman gritted her teeth and replied, "Romantic, you despicable woman, I was an honorary student of the Lantoniyan Royal Geographical Society…"

The Merchant Lady immediately sighed in disappointment.

...

A Wind Bullet, a Fireball Technique.

As the expanding and overheated air dispersed from the battlefield, those more than ten high-level Black Fire Cultists had already turned to ashes. As a charged burst magic item, the Wind Queen's Ring's energy was 20 (Oz), with a damage of 30 points, almost equating to Black Iron Peak, and its impact force approached Silver Lower Rank. The Fireball Technique's energy was 24 (Oz), with a damage of 70 points, equal to Silver Lower Rank, and its coverage reached Silver Middle Level.

It wasn't odd at all for these Silver Lower Level high-level Black Fire Cultists to be instantly killed by a series of combo attacks. Brand's concern was the possibility of encountering those tricky high-order cultists with Thorny Chain Lord on the battlefield, but judging by now, this worry seemed unwarranted. Understandably, a Thorny Chain Lord, as an elite among Lower Demons, wouldn't appear in large numbers in this world.

Unless the Demon Gate was reopened.

After the smoke cleared, Brand's experience points surged by nearly two thousand points, just shy of reaching Level 25. He immediately dropped his sword and ordered the Silver Elf Warriors beside him, "You go attack both flanks, separate the Lizardmen. The middle boss—their leader is mine! Got it?"

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