“You all…who exactly are you?”
The Great Priest opened his mouth, his voice dry as he asked.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that my [Mistress] wants you to order your people to stop all resistance and obediently submit to inspection!”
Whoosh!
The Shadow Assassin’s blade pressed forward a bit more, letting scarlet blood soak into the black feathers covering its body.
“I…Xiarubali…I understand. I will have my people cease their resistance. I hope…you also won’t continue attacking…”
With a blade at his throat, the Great Priest now had no reason to resist.
The Cave-Dweller Chieftain was already dead, and stubborn defiance would only make things worse.
Not just for him, but for the entire Tribal Village.
“Everyone, warriors of the Dark Tunnel Tribe…stop resisting, lay down your weapons…”
Buzz!
The Great Priest’s words resonated through the whole Tribal Village via the vibrations of the crystals, making the already exhausted Cave-Dwellers completely abandon any hope of victory.
One by one, they all dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, signifying their surrender to these Undead beings.
“Phew…”
Seeing this, Amisa also let out a long breath.
That was the last of the tasks the Lady had assigned to her—all completed.
She had come here with three goals.
First, to kill the Cave-Dweller Chieftain.
As the Lady had said, if she wanted to enslave these monsters as the victors, there was no need for such a capable leader to remain.
Second, to ambush and defeat the Cave Dweller Shaman.
That was actually quite easy…
Such caster-type transcendents stood no chance once she closed in.
And third…to make the Great Priest order the Dark Tunnel Tribe to surrender and give up resistance…
She thought that would be the hardest part, but unexpectedly, with just a little threat, the Great Priest gave in immediately…
Though it seemed a bit weak, the saying goes, “A wise man submits to circumstances”—not a bad principle.
Well…
Amisa did want to deliberately mess up a little, so the Lady would punish her…
But for something this important…she had better make sure to finish it properly first.
With the Great Priest’s defeat and the Cave-Dwellers’ surrender, this one-sided battle was officially over.
Those humans who had been captured were also released amidst the chaos.
However, the shackles on their hands had yet to be removed…
That gave the abandoned members of the group a chance to vent!
The nobles who had been left behind during the bandit attack rushed forward, punching and kicking both familiar and unfamiliar faces alike!
“You dogs! How dare you abandon us and run! I eat lemons! Eat lemons!!”
“Eh, eh! Don’t—don’t hit my face! Wait, what does ‘eat lemons’ even mean?”
“No idea! Miss Dingzhen said it’s Tibetan! Anyway, it sounds fierce, so just yell it! Eat lemons!”
“Fine, but why are you pulling my pants down (2°4°)?!”
“Hmph hmph hmmm ahhhhh——!!!”
Compared to the noisy entrance of the Tribal Village, at the center of the Dark Tunnel Tribe…
Countless Undead had occupied the area, wandering about seemingly aimlessly—in fact…well, they really were just wandering aimlessly.
The female Cave-Dwellers and Cave-Dweller children, who had little fighting power, could only squat on the ground, shivering in fear.
At this moment, the Great Priest had been thrown onto the Crystal Plaza.
A grand sacrificial ceremony was supposed to be held here, to celebrate his awakening and to thank the [Crystal Giant Tree] for its protection.
But now…
It had become the Great Priest’s own “public execution.”
Clang…
The sound of armor colliding gradually rang out—it was the black monster that had broken through the crystal barrier…and right now, Ireya was sitting on its shoulder, her slender legs swinging, her crimson eyes looking down at the Great Priest with disdain.
“Follower of the dead…We shouldn’t be enemies…”
With just a glance, the Great Priest realized that this was the “Mistress” the Shadow Assassin had mentioned…
The terrifying one who commanded the Undead army…
Why did she have to trouble such a small Dark Tunnel Tribe?
“Eh-sho~”
Ireya paid no attention to what the Great Priest was saying.
She simply stood up and jumped straight down from Insmouth’s shoulder.
Step.
She landed steadily right in front of the half-reclining Great Priest, then…
Whoosh!
She suddenly kicked out!
Puh!!
The kick landed squarely on the priest’s face, knocking out the teeth that Amisa had already loosened!
They clattered to the ground!
But…the Great Priest didn’t go flying.
Instead, the maid Miss beside him grabbed him with one hand and pressed him back down.
“Ugh…huh??”
The Great Priest didn’t understand…
Why was he being beaten…
Hadn’t he already…surrendered…
“Did I give you permission to speak? How dare you talk before me…”
Ireya looked down at the Great Priest, pulling out a thick, hard, green iron rod from who-knows-where.
Illusion.
Thud!
Thud!
Squeak squeak squeak…
“Ah! Ow! Ah——!!”
What’s with that attitude?
Huh?
Stop pretending to be some old senior!
You!
(Thud) Better (Thud) act like (Thud) a defeated dog!!
Standing to the side, Amisa unconsciously swallowed, imagining herself in the Great Priest’s place.
Her breathing…gradually became a little heavier.
“Whew~”
Having unleashed a set of stick techniques, Ireya instantly felt refreshed.
She had used so much magic to confuse her opponents—if she didn’t give the priest a good beating, it would feel like a waste.
That’s right…
The reason Ireya kept resurrecting zombies was to create the impression, “I can endlessly revive zombies, and only grow stronger the more you fight me.”
The purpose was exactly this outcome—the opponent’s transcendents lost their will to fight, were easily taken down by Amisa, and the Dark Tunnel Tribe surrendered without a fight.
Of course, she could have just let Amisa rush in and finish off the Great Priest instantly.
But if she did that, the Cave-Dwellers would be terrified, but they would never revere her as much as they did now.
If Ireya wanted to subdue these slaves, she had to display a power they could never hope to resist.
“Ugh…ugh…cough cough cough…”
At this point, the Great Priest was twitching all over from the beating, his eyes glazed over…
Who am I?
Where am I?
Who’s hitting me?
These three questions circled endlessly in his mind.
“Alright~ Now, I’ll ask, you answer. Don’t say anything extra, understand?”
Ireya slowly crouched down, and with a bang! slammed the green iron rod next to the Great Priest’s head…sending stone chips flying.
“Ah…okay…I…I’ll talk.”
The Great Priest, coming back to his senses, felt pain all over his body…
Though aggrieved, he truly…didn’t want to die.
“Who is the higher being you worship?”
Huh?
Haven’t I said it many times before…
Are you beating me for this?
Suppressing his urge to curse, the Great Priest replied in a muffled voice, “It’s…the Crystal Giant Tree.”
“The Crystal Giant Tree…Give me some specific information.”
“I…I don’t know. I’m just a believer of the Crystal Giant Tree, and it seems that after receiving its attention, I gained my current powers…All the Great Priests throughout history have been like this…”
As he spoke, the Great Priest glanced fearfully at Ireya.
“We…only know the Crystal Giant Tree is very powerful, a higher being, so… we worship It.”