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Chapter 556.5: Matthew's Revenge
The sound of crossbow bolts flying forced Qiye to flee outward, his attempt to charge up a counterattack fading away.
To escape the encroaching lightning warriors, he had to run much faster than them, squeezing through the gaps in their encirclement.
But the ambush trap set up jointly by Sera and Gatter wouldn't let him escape so easily.
Each time he tried to slip through, the lightning warriors on the opposite side blocked his path, forcing him to change direction and waste more time and energy.
Along the way, he had to avoid a hail of bolts, be wary of potential ground traps, and watch out for spells that could drop from the sky.
The immense pressure gradually diminished Qiye's formidable aura over time.
As the pressure mounted, Qiye began feeling fatigue. The overwhelming pressure from all sides forced him to keep running relentlessly.
Yet he could still sense that suffocating force steadily shrinking his escape route.
If he stopped, he would be surrounded in an instant.
At that point, these heavily armored foes, who ran faster than most agile warriors, would tear him to pieces.
Qiye didn't want to die, so he kept running with all his might.
He repeatedly activated the green necklace hanging on his chest, hoping it would teleport him away.
But the necklace only emitted faint glimmers, failing to grant the escape he desperately wished for.
Floating in the sky, Cronorman turned his gaze to the northern horizon. Waves of powerful magic flowed endlessly into the surrounding dimensional anchors.
The enemy attempted counterattacks, but after testing several times without breaking through, they gradually pulled back.
Cronorman snorted coldly, his eyes gleaming with undisguised hatred and disdain. He growled viciously:
"Just wait. It won't be long before I repay you in full for what you've done to humanity!"
Under such circumstances, Qiye was inevitably cornered.
Facing the blades hemming him in from all sides, feeling the overwhelming menace and hostility, he dared not slacken or hold back.
Grabbing the long, thin sword at his waist, he swung it continuously without hesitation.
As his blade collided with a scimitar.
Sparks flew, illuminating Qiye's eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
It was an unparalleled, terrifying strength!
A fearsome power exceeding 30 points!
Qiye took a step back, his subsequent actions completely disrupted.
He fixed his gaze on the burly figure of Gatter, seeing the glaring red band on his head. Letting out a roar, he thrust his sword straight ahead.
He had no choice but to attack!
The sword tip trembled slightly, carrying an overwhelming momentum.
Yet Gatter acted as if he hadn't noticed, swinging his long, menacing blade directly at Qiye.
Clang!
In the end, Qiye lacked the courage to trade blow for blow. He swiftly chose to dodge and retreat.
But his room to maneuver was nearly gone, with blades closing in from all directions.
Crack!
Unable to evade in time, Qiye was struck twice.
His dragonhide armor didn't fully protect him, and pain and blood surrounded him.
Letting out a roar, Qiye's battle energy surged outward, expanding rapidly in all directions.
Unfortunately, this time he faced opponents far from ordinary. The battle energy's resounding blast, which would have repelled most foes.
Merely caused the lightning warriors to pause briefly, before they raised their weapons to strike him down.
"Argh…!"
Another slash landed on his back. Qiye felt his strength quickly draining away through his wounds.
Without hesitation, he activated his Blink Boots, disappearing 20 meters away and falling outside the lightning warriors' encirclement.
But before he could celebrate, a massive figure already loomed over him.
He only managed to glance upward and met Yaya's indifferent gaze.
Qiye watched helplessly as everything around him vanished. In a daze, he found himself back where he was previously cornered.
"Temporal magic!"
Qiye realized what was happening and felt a wave of bitterness.
He never imagined that no matter how he racked his brains, he couldn't escape his pursuers.
These enemies were too formidable, with no apparent weaknesses and overwhelming advantages in every other aspect.
Such formidable foes were no weaker than the Cole Elven Kingdom's elite anti-mage troops and even slightly stronger.
After all, their sheer power and speed gave them a significant advantage in any battle.
Realizing this, feeling the sharp pain in his back and the overwhelming threat of death, Qiye couldn't help but look up and shout:
"I surrender! I surrender!"
The deadly blade descending upon him angled away, smacking him to the ground.
Qiye cried out in pain but felt a faint sense of relief in his heart.
He believed he still had some value—his knowledge of the Cole Elven Kingdom, his legendary combat skills, and his hidden treasures could surely save his life.
As long as he survived, he was willing to pay any price!
Unfortunately, Qiye was still thinking in terms of his own perspective, trying to guess the mindset of the Bay Territorians.
Sera grabbed a crossbow bolt and drove it into Qiye's thigh. Amid his cries of pain, she slammed it against his head.
Qiye instantly felt dizzy. Strange toxins spread from his thigh throughout his body.
He couldn't move a muscle.
Completely immobilized, Qiye felt an unspeakable fear.
When he noticed Sera's pointed ears and pale gray skin, a tidal wave of terror surged over him.
"No…!"
...…
"Even if it's not okay, it has to be done!"
"Don't delay any longer. Since we chose to cover the retreat, we'll make sure you're safe before we withdraw!"
Jifan, feeling both amused and exasperated, addressed the dwarf guard captain with a stern expression.
Seeing the captain's deeply moved expression, he couldn't help recalling the Lord's instructions and plans.
In any case, if this plan could be successfully implemented.
It would not only teach the Cole Elven Kingdom a harsh lesson but also yield tangible benefits.
It must be attempted and must succeed!
With all the dwarf soldiers having teleported away.
Jifan turned his gaze to the fully armored Ashes and said without hesitation:
"You don't have much time. You must achieve results within two hours."
"Are you sure you want to try? What if you fight first…"
Ashes shook his head firmly and said without hesitation:
"Enough people have died already. There's no need to continue. There's a better way."
"They are indeed stubborn, but after these days of battle, they've realized something."
"If they want to pass through here, they must pay a significant price—perhaps even never succeed."
For the fractured gray dwarf kingdom, Ashes felt deep sorrow. At the same time, he held onto the belief that "saving one is saving many."
Ashes knew well that these stubborn compatriots might reject his goodwill.
They might even consider him a traitor and ruthlessly drive him out.
Nevertheless, Ashes chose to try.
After all, doing nothing and watching them get hurt or die would…
Lead Ashes to a lifetime of darkness and regret.
He wasn't afraid of death—he was afraid of losing hope.
This was a lesson he learned from the Bay Territory.
At first, he resented these lessons.
But as he delved deeper, observing the rise and fall of history and the replacement of races.
He understood a critical truth:
"In this fast-moving era, if one cannot keep progressing, they will be ruthlessly discarded by the times and swept into the dustbin of history."
"Gnolls, kobolds, murlocs, and even gnomes and goblins have all met this fate."
...…
Just as Ashes was preparing to go down alone…
Jifan, having received a message, quickly grabbed his arm and said, catching him off guard:
"Wait. The Lord has approved your plan and decided to provide some assistance and resources."
At first, Ashes didn't believe it.
But seeing Jifan's confident expression, he quickly came to a realization.
The Lord wouldn't lie—it would be pointless.
But the Lord must also have other plans and motives!
What those motives might be…
Ashes didn't know, nor did he want to speculate.
The outcome was all that mattered!
If they couldn't help more gray dwarves survive and thrive like the Bay Territorians, but instead continued to struggle in the underground world.
Then all other schemes would be meaningless.
As long as the Lord made a promise, Ashes would choose to follow.
Nervously, Chris had just stepped out of the teleportation circle when Ashes grabbed him.
With a helpless expression, Ashes furrowed his brows and asked gruffly:
"Why are you here? Don't tell me you want to come with me? That's a death wish!"
Grinning, Chris shook his head and proudly showed off his storage belt, replying matter-of-factly:
"Don't worry. The Lord has already decided to support you."
"My task isn't hard, and the reward is generous. This is definitely a worthwhile attempt."
"After all, I contributed to the plan too. Don't think about hogging all the credit."
Seeing Chris's playful grin, Ashes sighed and reluctantly warned:
"When we get there, keep your mouth shut. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
Chris raised an eyebrow, shrugged nonchalantly, and urged:
"Then let's go quickly!"
Reluctantly, Ashes led Chris down the rope basket. Under the curious gaze of countless gray dwarves, they descended to the bottom of the city wall.
They crossed the recently cleared battlefield, avoiding the blood-stained ground as much as possible, and headed toward the gray dwarf camp in the distance.
The gray dwarf sentry who had been watching them raised a crossbow and shot at their feet, asking sternly:
"What are you here for?"
Familiar with his kin's temper, Ashes got straight to the point:
"We represent the defenders and wish to negotiate a deal with the gray dwarves for 20 tons of food!"
"A deal?"
"Food?"
Ashes's loud declaration immediately sparked murmurs among the gray dwarf soldiers.
Food, above all else, was something the resource-deprived gray dwarves couldn't refuse.
Although it was unusual for their enemies to offer food, hunger would compel them to accept, no matter how strange it seemed.
They had been starving for three days!
The approaching patrol captain quickly came to verify the claim.
Once they received some food samples, they immediately ushered Ashes and Chris into the camp.
To Ashes's surprise, the gray dwarf who greeted them wasn't a centurion or quartermaster as he had imagined.
Instead, it was the gray dwarf second prince, Kreiser, wearing a small crown.
A former student of his!
The gray dwarf second prince looked at Ashes, who had removed his helmet, with a mix of disbelief and surprise in his eyes.
Then his face darkened, and he addressed Ashes unceremoniously:
"It's you! I once called you teacher, but I never thought you'd become a human's lapdog."
Hearing the disappointment and anger in Kreiser's tone, Ashes forced himself to suppress his inner pain and calmly replied:
"Words are unnecessary. I'm simply representing the Bay Territory in a trade of food with the gray dwarves."
"Food? How much food? What do you want in return? Or are you trying to ingratiate yourself with your master?"
Kreiser's cutting words stabbed into Ashes's heart like daggers.
But Ashes remained silent and gestured to Chris.
Chris stepped forward, noticed the encroaching dwarf guards, and opened his hands, revealing golden wheat.
Unlike Ashes, Chris spoke plainly and directly to Kreiser:
"We've prepared 20 tons of food, enough for your vanguard force for a day."
"If you're not afraid we've poisoned it, we can conduct a mutually beneficial trade."
"Of course, you can refuse. I just hope you'll still be able to hold your weapons then."
The surrounding gray dwarf soldiers, their eyes flashing with ferocity, awaited Kreiser's command to attack.
An elderly dwarf with gray-white beard stepped forward.
He cast a disapproving glance at Ashes, who kept his head down, then took the wheat from Chris and chewed a few grains.
"Hmm, not bad. Freshly harvested this year…"
Hearing this, Kreiser suppressed his anger and asked Chris:
"We do need food, and that's far from enough. What do you want in return?"
"Slaves. Gray dwarf slaves."
As soon as Chris spoke, the surrounding gray dwarves closed in, seemingly ready to reduce him to minced meat.
His true nature revealed; his mouth got him into trouble again!