Chapter 133: The Warlord and the Siege

The Warlord leader, unlike the other modified warlords in his ranks, did not lack combat experience. He was a spellcaster who had truly grown through countless brutal battles and desperate fights. He possessed not only powerful magical offensive capabilities but also the tactical acumen to leverage them to their full advantage.

An ambush? Had the warlord not faced enough of those? It was common knowledge that warlords focused on offense at the expense of defense, meaning a simple dagger could potentially end them. Thus, how could a warlord lack countermeasures against assassination?

One of the beads on the warlord leader's necklace lost its luster in an instant. Simultaneously, Sona’s dagger seemed to be seized by an invisible hand. That unseen force gripped tightly, hurling both the dagger and Sona herself high into the air.

Immediately following this, a volley of Fire Bolt spells streaked toward the sky.

*Whoosh...*

With a soft sound, the little Wolf Maiden used a high-speed dash to tackle Sona, narrowly evading the otherwise unavoidable Fire Bolts.

"Beautiful," Vinigo praised.

"In the name of Light, illuminate the righteous deeds that punish evil," little Hani prayed devoutly at the same time. At her fingertips, radiant light converged into an arrow, which shot swiftly toward the warlord leader.

A blast of air erupted beneath the warlord leader's feet, propelling him into mid-air. He raised his hands high, and massive amounts of electricity condensed in his palms. The next moment, thousands of electric sparks whistled out in every direction. At this volume, what was once considered a primary-level spell became a terrifying execution.

"Ilu!" Vinigo shouted.

Ilu remained silent, striding forward. He blocked for Hani, the Great Cat, Shirley, and Sona. His insulated armor and crystal helmet protected him completely from the electric discharge; he even managed to raise a hand and retaliate with two magnetic storm currents aimed at the warlord leader.

The warlord leader let out a grunt of surprise, drifting to the side to dodge Ilu’s attack. However, the true strike arrived at that very moment. The real fatal blow was Vinigo’s ninja sword, *Nameless*.

*Ninjutsu: Haze Sky Dance!*

Five beads on the warlord leader's necklace lost their luster instantly. In a flash, shields of fire, frost, and gale appeared around him. Yet, the fire was devoured by Vinigo’s legendary blade, the frost shattered upon impact, and the gale dissipated. The *Nameless* ninja sword landed firmly on the warlord leader’s shoulder.

Another bead lost its luster, and the surging green light instantly healed the warlord leader. But Vinigo’s attack was far from over; he grabbed the warlord’s robes and dragged him plummeting toward the ground.

*Sparrow Fall: Gust!*

"Get off!" the warlord leader screamed. A ring of fire erupted from his body, pushing Vinigo away with force and setting his bodysuit ablaze.

*Poof...*

Vinigo vanished; all that remained in the flames was a severed wooden log.

*Ninjutsu: Haze Earth Slash!*

The flames continued to burn, but Vinigo, as if unaware, watched his opponent calmly. Without a doubt, since the warlord leader was suspended in mid-air, the *Haze Earth Slash* was merely a diversion and could not strike the target.

Vinigo had other ways to attack—for instance, shuriken.

He flicked his wrist, and three shuriken whistled into the air. However, in the face of the warlord leader’s Atmosphere Shield, any projectile was weakened to a negligible level. Vinigo’s goal, however, was merely to distract.

Hida appeared quietly behind the warlord leader. Her intention was to ambush, but the boiling wave of killing intent had long since betrayed her. The warlord leader immediately retaliated with a bolt of electricity. Hida let out a miserable shriek, nearly plummeting from the sky.

She was enraged.

In her fury, the flames enveloping Hida shifted instantly to a deep, near-black purple. She let out a wild roar, spread her arms, and countless chaotic demonic flames condensed before her, exploding outward with a boom.

Innumerable deep-purple flame energy projectiles whistled downward, sending ripples across the warlord leader’s defenses. In Hida’s rage, the quantity and lethality of these projectiles were several times greater than the *Extermination Heroic Slash Sky*.

What was this? A Super-Extermination Heroic Slash Sky?

Such an attack was not enough to kill a warlord leader outright. But since warlords excelled in offense rather than defense, this rain of *Heroic Slash Sky* clearly pushed the warlord leader to his limits.

The force of the attack pressed the warlord leader lower and lower. Vinigo chuckled, then suddenly lunged upward.

His face was right before the warlord leader’s. Beneath the black mask, only a pair of dragon-like eyes stared ruthlessly into the warlord’s own.

Reach out, embrace, *True Sparrow Fall!*

For a warlord, grappling techniques were clearly the most threatening, as their defensive measures were tailored against projectiles and elemental attacks.

*BOOM!* Flame light scattered, and the warlord leader fell silent—he was dead.

"Alright, Hida, calm down," Vinigo called out to his still-enraged familiar.

Hida seemed not to hear. She turned toward the remaining Ultimate Knight, shrieked, and dove down, kicking toward his head with purple-red flames.

"Heavenly Demon Sky Blade Kick? The little one learns fast..." Vinigo chuckled.

But the little one seemed too proud. Ultimate Knights were not warlords; their reactions were far faster. The injured Ultimate Knight raised a hand and swatted Hida away like a fly.

"Enough, Hida, come back." Vinigo recalled the slightly calmed fairy and caught her in his hand.

"Leave the rest to me. Go take a rest." Vinigo waved his hand, cutting off the fairy’s request for more combat. "Don't worry, you’ll have plenty of chances to show off. First, disperse that wave of killing intent."

Disperse? Once the fairy dispelled the wave of killing intent, she calmed down immediately. She babbled in a language no one else understood, boastfully bragging to Vinigo about her impressive combat record.

Vinigo hummed in agreement, though his attention was not on the fairy. He looked up at the Ultimate Knights and their squires not far away.

These thugs who held the name of knights in name only...

"Ilu, operate at full capacity and finish them," Vinigo commanded. He waved his hand and took a step back, deactivating his own "Fantasy Construction."

Next, it was time for Ilu’s solo performance.

With powerful magnetic storm currents, defenses as sturdy as a tank, and raw strength rivaling that of an Ultimate Knight, Ilu stood firm against the frenzied assault of the remaining Ultimate Knight and his squires, one by one electrocuting them into charred husks, hurling them away, or crushing them underfoot.

He continued in silence, ruthlessly eliminating his enemies one by one, much like a farmer silently harvesting his wheat.

==Scavenging Time==

From the warlord leader, Vinigo found his objective.

The Hourglass of Time, an artifact said to be capable of manipulating time, though now it had lost its efficacy.

Vinigo examined it, confirming it had no other use—except for extracting divine power from it.

"This is fine, Sir Newton shouldn't mind gifting it to me." Vinigo tossed the new toy in his hand and placed it into the Trading Hole.

The warlords were quite wealthy, enough for Vinigo and his party to upgrade all their equipment. However, what interested Vinigo most was the *Spacetime Beacon* magic scroll.

It likely led to Blackmoor Castle, a warlord fortress, or a place like the Super Goat-Bleating Sect. When the conditions were right, it could serve as a surprise force to execute a successful raid.

There were other things that piqued Vinigo's interest. The Ultimate Knights carried some injection vials that were clearly Nua’s masterpieces; Vinigo guessed these were potent stimulants to enhance physical performance in a short time. However, this was something Vinigo himself couldn't use—his physical condition would only improve marginally under the effects of such stimulants.

"Berserk Angel? Good name." Vinigo chuckled and tossed the stimulants to the Wolf Maiden, Sophie, and Ilu. He continued to rummage through the loot.

"Eh? Akana, this necklace, does it look like a wolf tooth?" Vinigo suddenly discovered something interesting and tossed it to the little Wolf Maiden. "Try wearing it?"

"A feeling of blood connection." The little Wolf Maiden complied, immediately tilting her head with a strange expression. "Is it my tooth? But I haven't lost any teeth yet?"

"Dragon-blooded Werewolf," Vinigo nodded. "Nua’s experimental records mentioned it. It seems this is a leftover canine from a dragon-blooded werewolf. It appears to have powerful magical patterns engraved on it; even an ordinary person wearing it would gain great strength, and you... you seem to have a more special effect."

"Yeah, I feel my body becoming lighter," the Wolf Maiden nodded. "I think... I can turn into a wolf?"

The next second, the little Wolf Maiden vanished on the spot, replaced by a giant, snarling wolf. Magically, the Wolf Maiden’s clothes, her spider claws, and even her backpack did not fall off, but seemed to assimilate into the giant wolf’s body.

"Test your speed, power. Can you understand me? Can you speak?" Vinigo asked curiously.

"A strange feeling. Even without human vocal cords, I can speak human language. It's so fun." The little Wolf Maiden, or rather, the giant wolf, let out a soft giggle. She began to try accelerating, dashing, changing directions, and even used a high-speed maneuver to charge into the air and return.

"So amazing, everything has become stronger. I feel like I could defeat a dragon," the Wolf Maiden boasted, reverting to her original form.

"Too bad, I can only transform once a day, and I can't stay that way for too long." The Wolf Maiden was still unsatisfied. "Vinigo, if my bloodline awakens, will I also be able to turn into a giant wolf?"

A loli and a giant wolf? Where did this subtle sense of familiarity come from?