Chapter 576 Chapter549-The Whereabouts of Duke Arsena
While two crucial battles were unfolding around Duke Arsena's palace, members of the Order Faction continued their fight against demons from the Dark Faction on several walls of Storm City.
On the northern wall of Storm City, Emma was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
In earlier skirmishes, she had successfully collaborated with the Order Faction's guards to repel the demonic onslaught.
Despite her efforts, the demons seemed to be relentless.
Although Emma, as a fire magus, wielded spells that caused area damage, the sheer number of demons was overwhelming.
"You seem to be in quite a poor state now! As an adventurer, your willingness to assist us has been more than enough. I believe it's time for you to take a well-deserved rest. After regaining your optimal condition, you can then continue the fight. Even though the demons continue their assault on the walls, it appears there are no longer any high-level demons among them."
Drill Sergeant Betack addressed Emma directly, his perspective on her having significantly shifted from before.
He no longer saw her as the irresponsible adventurer he had initially thought.
Despite appearing weak at times, Emma had given her all in battle.
Shaking her head, Emma felt she could still continue fighting, believing that persisting in battle was the only way to assist John and ensure Storm City's safety.
"I don't think I'm in too bad shape; I believe I can keep fighting. Besides, continuing to fight is the only way to secure the safety of Storm City."
Emma's response left Drill Sergeant Betack at a loss for words, and his respect for her grew.
With nothing more to say, Betack chose to depart.
He descended from the city wall and headed to the training field of Storm City's guards, where he needed to prepare additional spell scrolls.
The recent battle had depleted their supply significantly.
Without a fresh supply of spell scrolls, they would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage in the upcoming battles.
As Betack gathered more scrolls, he also came across some troubling news.
Members of the Order Faction had not seen Duke Arsena for quite some time, leading some of Storm City's guards to speculate that the Duke might have fled.
"I think the Duke must have fled by now. If not, why wouldn't he come out and fight alongside us?!" one of the Order Faction guards questioned his companion, his face etched with disappointment, feeling abandoned by Duke Arsena.
The other guard didn't respond immediately, unsure of the situation himself.
After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "I don't think the Duke would flee so easily, given that Storm City is his domain. If he were to abandon Storm City so readily, how could he expect to retain such a vast estate?"
The conversation between the two guards seemed to irk Drill Sergeant Betack, who approached them and said, "The Duke would never abandon his domain to flee alone. Although I am currently unaware of his whereabouts, I am certain he is battling the Dark Faction. What we need to do is to muster all our strength to counter the Dark Faction's onslaught. We must fight to the very end, regardless of whether success is within our grasp or not; we cannot afford to give up hope so easily."
Drill Sergeant Betack's words cast a somber mood among the other guards.
While they understood the logic in his words, they couldn't help but wonder why they should continue to fight if there was no hope of victory.
Despite their doubts, none voiced their concerns.
After receiving their scrolls, they proceeded to the city walls to continue the fight.
Once the guards had departed, Drill Sergeant Betack sighed to himself.
Unlike what others might think, he didn't have blind faith in Duke Arsena.
However, he still believed that the Duke wouldn't make such a foolish mistake as to abandon his responsibilities.
"Duke, where are you now? Why aren't you fighting alongside us? You haven't really given up on Storm City, have you?"
Drill Sergeant Betack mused aloud, looking up at the sky.
After voicing his thoughts, he hurriedly moved on to his next tasks, aware of the preciousness of time.
The moment Betack left the training field of Storm City's guards, the figure of the Darklord appeared at the spot where Betack had just been.
The Darklord, with a smile on his face, observed the condition of the training field, seemingly content with the situation.
"Everything is under control. Both the Dark Faction and the Order Faction are destined to fail. No matter what you do, you cannot stop our plans from succeeding," the Darklord muttered to himself.
Following these words, the voice of Duke Arsena emanated from the Darklord's pocket: "Why have you sided with the Mystery faction? There's no benefit in it for you! If you release me and offer your assistance, I am willing to forgive and forget. Moreover, if the Dark Faction successfully conquers Storm City, the plans of your Mystery faction will also ultimately fail."
Confronted with Duke Arsena's words, the Darklord's smile broadened, seeing them as nothing more than nonsense.
"Why would you assume the Dark Faction has the capability to fully control Storm City? Are you perhaps underestimating the combat power of your allies?
I think you're mistaken about John. His strength is much greater than you imagine. He will surely defeat the two Devils. However, in doing so, John will also suffer a significant blow to his own power. Then, when both sides are weakened, I will step in and eliminate you all."
The Darklord laid out his plan openly, confident in sharing it with Duke Arsena because he believed the Duke had no means to hinder him.
Duke Arsena had been confined within the Sacred Relic, the Mirror of Mystery, provided by the Mystery Saint faction.
It was nearly impossible for anyone trapped in this mirror to escape easily.
Within the Mirror of Mystery, all individuals face mirror images of themselves as enemies.
If one mirror image is defeated, more will appear, making escape a formidable challenge.
Furthermore, the Darklord saw additional value in Duke Arsena.
The Duke was privy to other magical formations within Storm City beyond those in the Great Library.
These formations, located in various parts of the city, were as potent as those within the library itself.
The Darklord's plans could be jeopardized if these formations remained active.
Thus, he made a proposition to Duke Arsena: "Of course, I could spare you.
All you need to do is reveal the locations of the other powerful formations within Storm City.
I don't require your assistance to dismantle them.
Just inform me of their whereabouts, and I'll take care of the rest.
This shouldn't be a difficult choice for you.
After all, you likely can't utilize some of these formations anyway, since they were not established by your Northern Myst Empire but were left behind by the mysterious ancient civilization that once inhabited Storm City."
The mention of the ancient civilization made Duke Arsena more hesitant.
He was well aware that the Darklord's claims were true.
The Duke knew how to activate several other formations but was clueless about how to use those left by the ancient civilization, not even understanding their purpose.
However, Duke Arsena was determined not to disclose any information he knew to the enemy, especially not to a faction like the Mystery faction, which posed the greatest threat to the Northern Myst Empire.
While the threat from the Dark Faction to the Northern Myst Empire was overt and apparent, the threat from the Mystery faction was more insidious and hidden.
The Dark Faction could at most deliver a significant blow to the Northern Myst Empire, but the Mystery Saint faction had the power to completely obliterate it.
After all, the saint had already successfully eliminated several Legend Magi of the Northern Myst Empire.
Achieving such significant progress even before revival, the saint could potentially destroy the Northern Myst Empire entirely after being fully resurrected.
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