In the Tepaya Basin, the fierce battle continued.

 

The strength of the undead was something one couldn’t understand without firsthand experience. While Lilya had learned that their weakness was in the brain, how many people in a battle would not protect their own vital point?

 

In most cases, Lilya’s sword and wind blades could only cut the arms and thighs of the undead. Unless their limbs were severed or they were cut in half, these undead would quickly regenerate.

 

With just over three hundred members of the cult, they were stubbornly holding off Lilya’s elite force of over a thousand. Even though they were at a disadvantage, they showed no sign of retreating.

 

Clearly, they were intentionally delaying Lilya’s forces, waiting for reinforcements.

 

Reinforcements from the beastmen.

 

They couldn’t continue like this.

 

As she pondered, the blue-haired princess gracefully dodged a swing from an undead wielding a large sword. However, the enemy quickly changed their attack, turning it into a horizontal strike towards Lilya.

 

Lilya’s toes touched the ground, creating a gust of wind, and she leaped into the air like a light bird.

 

While she avoided the immediate danger, this was actually the wrong response because the body couldn’t be controlled freely in the air, especially in the midst of a melee.

 

“Hey, you’re asking for death!”

 

Experienced fighters among the enemies seized on this, immediately predicting the timing of Lilya’s descent and struck first with a third swing!

 

Meanwhile, several shadows shot out from his sleeves, striking towards Lilya’s eyes and throat, like floating water lilies in the air. The method was sinister, and it was clear that this was an experienced assassin.

 

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

 

The princess’s long sword trembled as it easily deflected the high-speed throwing darts that she couldn’t see clearly before. But these were just distractions and smoke bombs, the real threat was at her feet!

 

“Whirlwind!”

 

Lilya remained calm in the face of danger, shouting as she lightly stepped on the boundless void. A powerful gust of wind surged, and what surprised the cultist was that he actually paused briefly in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the swing of the big blade that came his way?

 

A close-quarters combat… mage?

 

The thought flashed through the mind of the cultist like lightning.

 

But in a battle of experts, victory or defeat hung by a thread. When the tiger-headed greatsword, with an unstoppable momentum, embarrassingly passed under Lilya’s feet, it had already sealed the death of this cultist.

 

Swish.

 

The sword, surrounded by swirling air currents, easily beheaded the cultist, who still had an astonished expression on his face, sending forth a burst of thick, blackish blood. However, an invisible barrier kept all the blood away from Lilya.

 

In just a few exchanges, she had slain this undead creature. This was something Lilya couldn’t have imagined just a couple of days ago.

 

The acquisition of several new skills after leveling up comprehensively addressed the weaknesses in the princess’s combat experience and lack of skills.

 

Contrary to what Violet predicted, she didn’t become a pure long-range mage. Instead, she developed a profession that combined agile and powerful airflow magic, similar to a magic swordsman.

 

She made this choice because of her current environment, which didn’t allow her to stay in the rear and be protected at all times. Moreover, there seemed to be a latent warrior’s spirit within the girl, as evidenced in her first encounter with the beastmen a couple of days ago.

 

“Whirlwind,” “Airflow Barrier,” and “Attached Blade” were simple yet practical skills. They consumed little mana, were cast quickly, and she didn’t have to worry about depleting her magical power too quickly. When used correctly, they provided formidable combat abilities, on par with the strength of the earth or even the sky.

 

Repeated battles had already proven this point. After continuously slaying over a dozen enemies, Lilya had developed a simple set of combat insights: don’t exchange injuries with the enemy.

 

Look for opportunities in defense, and once she struck, she had to inflict severe damage on the opponent, at least breaking their limbs. Otherwise, she would be dragged into a long and grueling battle.

 

Dealing with the undead didn’t necessarily require destroying their brains, as Violet had suggested. Severing limbs, cutting the waist, or any attack that caused significant damage to the body could effectively weaken the enemy’s combat capabilities, at least for lower-level undead.

 

While it was troublesome, Lilya had enough confidence to gradually wear them down without causing significant losses to her side.

 

Without going to look at the headless corpse that had already fallen, the young girl didn’t immediately turn her attention to the new enemies. She was the commander, and she had to maintain a cool head and adapt to the situation.

 

Time was running out.

 

Lilya could sense an impending crisis, and the air was gradually filled with the pungent scent characteristic of wild beasts. The beastman reinforcements were likely to arrive sooner than expected.

 

“Where is the Shadow Guard?”

 

“Here!”

 

Several shadows simultaneously appeared at the princess’s side. Even though their weapons were more or less stained with dark blood, it didn’t affect the concentration and composure of these elite shadow guards.

 

“Issue a general order: do not engage with the enemy, destroy the magic formations and supplies, seize any materials for teleportation, and if unable to seize them, destroy them on the spot. After completing the mission, quickly disengage from combat and retreat outside the basin to regroup with the reinforcements!”

 

“Yes!”

 

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the shadow guards didn’t waste a moment and immediately followed the orders, disappearing.

 

The efficiency of these elite attendants of the princess was extremely high.

 

Soon, the situation where four or five silver-armored soldiers surrounded a single undead creature changed. They left only half of their forces to engage the enemy, while the rest quickly rushed into the wooden houses and the main hall to cause destruction and set fires everywhere.

 

Originally, Lilya had intended to enter the grand hall where the ‘Eternal Throne’ stayed to collect any evidence of collusion between her brother and the [Eternal Throne] or the Beastmen. But now, it was clear that there was no longer the luxury of time for that.

 

Evidence could be found later, and the princess couldn’t trade lives for political leverage in these disputes. Otherwise, she would be no different from those princes.

 

As for the possibility of other regents in the hall… to be honest, it was very small. The 【Eternal Throne】 couldn’t operate solely within the boundaries of a single country in the Human United Kingdom or the Beastman Kingdom. Deploying four regent-level forces here should have been their limit.

 

Even in the capital city, Courage City, there were only three permanent legendary adventurers, one of whom had been abducted by Lilya.

 

The worst-case scenario hadn’t come to pass. Soon, the central hall was also engulfed in fierce flames. The undead were anxious to retreat, but they were tightly engaged by the troops left behind, and the battle dynamics had completely reversed.

 

“Your Highness! Most of the buildings are burning, and valuable supplies have been secured. Please give your next orders!”

 

Perhaps because the shadow guards were all engaged in various battles, only Emily, the shadow guards’ leader, arrived in time to report this time. She looked like she had also been through several major battles, despite being a martial artist with earth-level strength. She had a few scars on her body, but fortunately, they weren’t too serious.

 

Observing the battle around her and seeing soldiers and shadow guards emerging from the burning houses in the distance, Lilya felt a bit relieved. While it was a pity that they couldn’t completely wipe out this Eternal Throne’s stronghold, it was time to retreat.

 

“Very well, order the entire army to retreat while fighting, leave the basin in an orderly manner, retrieve your own mounts, and if the enemy relentlessly pursues, let the cavalry of the reinforcements… Who?!”

 

“Your Highness, be careful behind you!”

 

The furious shout of the princess and Emily’s exclamation sounded almost simultaneously. The latter immediately leaped into the air and threw the dagger from her hand, while the princess reacted with astonishing speed, turning her body and slashing a sword towards the sky!

 

Don’t think the same trick will work twice!

 

Ever since the previous attack by that terrifying assassin, Lilya had been on high alert, expending her magic, using airflow magic to detect changes in her surroundings, and guarding against possible assassination attempts.

 

With Violet and Flora, the two legendary experts, not by her side, she had to be extremely cautious, which allowed her to detect this attack in advance and respond to it.

 

Clang! Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

 

The nearly purple-grade new sword clashed with the suddenly appearing razor-sharp claw in the air, creating a piercing friction sound and sparks.

 

While Lilya’s sword managed to block the enemy’s certain strike, she was also shaken, her hand numb from the impact, and she retreated several steps before being quickly supported by Emily.

 

What a formidable assassin!

 

Since being tempered by the 【Casket of Ascension】, this was the first time Lilya had fallen into a disadvantage in a direct strength clash.

 

This person was also a legendary-level individual!

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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