"There is a Holy Chooser Adventure Group protecting the target," the older of the two knights replied in a muffled voice, "so we were delayed a bit. We sent a messenger to report to the lord. Didn't the messenger deliver the message?"

"The snowstorm is too heavy," Dark Fairy Tale answered, "the messenger might have run into trouble on the way."

Both knights nodded simultaneously.

They looked again at Bakins and Xiesta, who were resisting: "Who are these people?"

"Troublemakers."

Dark Fairy Tale replied.

He wiped the snow from his face, feeling a bit embarrassed. Initially, this battle was supposed to be easy, but underestimating the opponent led to them quickly taking out their healer at the start.

This caused a chain reaction in the subsequent combat, almost resulting in failure.

Remembering the confident words they spoke before setting out, his face burned with shame—yet fortunately, the opponent lacked manpower, allowing them to turn the tide—Dark Fairy Tale observed his surroundings and concluded that these two were left to guard the platform, while the others might have ventured deep into the valley.

His words made the little girl held by the knight struggle, but to no avail; such a small person could never match the strength of two fully armored knights.

However, strangely enough, the little girl was surprisingly strong, causing the older knight's hand to jolt abruptly: "Don't move, little one." He reminded in a gruff voice.

"Is she the little girl from the Rose Family?" the other knight asked.

"Golden Star Fire, not a good omen." The older knight grabbed the little girl's face, turned her head to look, shook his head, and replied.

Dark Fairy Tale looked at the two, then walked towards Bakins not far away, saying: "Surrender. You killed one of my men, but let Chen Shu go. So cut off one of your arms, and I'll let you leave—"

Bakins raised the sword in his hand, shook his head, and was about to reply.

But at that moment, the older knight suddenly grabbed Dark Fairy Tale's shoulder. The knight frowned, his hawk-like gaze fixed on Bakins: "I think I recognize you, sailor."

Bakins glanced at him, pondering when he could have crossed paths with this person, but on the surface, he remained indifferent, smiling faintly: "Many people recognize me."

The older knight looked at him, then turned back to Dark Fairy Tale and said: "Please leave these two behind, sir."

"My ID is Dark Fairy Tale."

Dark Fairy Tale replied, nodding.

He was slightly surprised in his heart, as Ragnarok was cooperating with these nobles, they naturally had to prioritize their opinions. And if a new task line appeared, it would be quite beneficial for them.

He just didn't expect to encounter a hidden task line here.

He couldn't help but raise his head again to look at the tall platform, thinking that this Free Adventure Group seemed not as simple as he initially imagined. Dark Fairy Tale glanced in the direction of his team, where the Elementalist was nodding at him.

And not far away, at the moment the Dulun City Guards appeared, the young Alchemist finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These people made him lose face at Tibial Creek. Of course, he had to regain his honor, and the way to resolve disputes among Invokers was simple—defeat the opponent once.

If the grudge ran deeper, killing until Starlight was zero wasn't impossible.

The Uncrowned Crown turned his gaze back from the City Defense Force...

He saw the Elementalist lowering the wand in his hand, raising a glowing Elemental Crystal. The Elementalist could have cast a spell earlier, but delayed because people from the Tulip Fortress suddenly appeared.

But this delay gave the Uncrowned Crown an opportunity, and suddenly he shouted: "Watch out behind you!" As Blood Wings' Elemental Crystal transformed into a stream of light, shooting toward Xiesta not far away.

At that moment, Miss Maid, as if she had eyes on her back, suddenly turned around and raised her hand to block. But the crystal collided with her arm armor and shattered, still forming shards of ice.

Blood Wings couldn't help but sneer at the sight.

He turned back, coldly glancing at the Uncrowned Crown, mouthing:

"You fell into the trap."

The spell's damage was entirely blocked by Miss Maid.

However, the resulting ice shards still froze her from head to toe—although only for an instant—it was enough. The two Sword Bearers in close combat simultaneously took a step back.

Behind them, an Ice Golem was striding through the wind and snow, stepping forward. Yin Shi, with a calm expression, raised the magic wand high, then pointed it downwards, as the metal glove on the left hand drew a silver line in the cold wind.

The Ice Golem let out a deafening roar, raising its right arm, and punched toward Miss Maid.

Time seemed to transform into something visible at that moment.

The Uncrowned Crown instinctively closed his eyes.

He felt a tinge of regret in his heart, unwilling to witness this scene.

In the darkness, the youth only saw the faces of everyone who had fallen during this mission, and Lady Miranda…along with everything they were pursuing, as if only one step away…

He gritted his teeth, unable to restrain a clenched fist, but in the next moment, a murmur reached his ears, a voice—not a girl's voice—the Uncrowned Crown was slightly stunned, and couldn't help but reopen his eyes.

The cold wind swept up snowflakes in the sky.

Like another line extending in a parallel world, in the instant of his shallow breath, the wind and snow halted. And a tall figure, like a colossal statue, emerged from behind the swirling snowflakes.

The colossus raised its right hand, passed through the snow mist, and firmly grasped the huge fist of the Ice Golem.

With just three fingers lifted, it could not advance an inch.

The Ice Golem was taken aback for a moment, looking up—and in Yin Shi's incredulous gaze, there was the enormous construct behind the sleet and snow, at least four meters high, with copper pipes exposed in the biting cold winds, countless gears and mechanisms gleaming brightly.

The moving giant mechanical joints were all concealed under a massive knight's full body armor, it had an enclosed helmet, under the helmet were only two blazing golden flashes.

This giant knight, holding a huge knight lance in its right hand, easily blocked the full force strike of the Ice Golem with its raised left hand.

"What the hell is that...?" The older knight couldn't help but ask.

But only the Dark Fairy Tale recognized this thing, he instinctively looked at the young Alchemist, who stood shivering in the snowstorm. "Variant Fearless!?" He couldn't help but shout at the Alchemist: "Is this the not-so-powerful Combat Artisan you told us about!?"

The young Alchemist was on the verge of tears.

He actually didn't know what level Fang Hong really was, but the opponent looked even younger than him, theoretically, the level shouldn't be too high.

Of course, a Fearless One itself might not be considered a high-level construct.

But the oppressive feeling from the one right now was just too overwhelming.

Moreover, a Variant Fearless is unlike a Sword Bearer—how many of these are there in Eteliria?

"Who's there!?"

At this moment, another knight suddenly turned and shouted.

The Dark Fairy Tale also sharply turned his head back, only to see that several figures seemed to be faintly emerging in the wind and snow.

A tall Lion Paladin, holding a shield, with a massive scepter in hand. A female knight, whose sword reflects a pale flame in the icy land.

"There are more at the back…"

Yin Shi softly reminded him.

He turned back again, only to see behind the drifting snowflakes, a young boy seemed to be standing there, not very tall, in a gray windbreaker from the Artisan Association, the hem flapping in the cold wind.

The boy raised his hand, adjusted his metal glove, then pointed at them.

The knight colossus suddenly raised the lance in its hand, a deep whimper emanating from within the armor.

Like the sound of a whistle.

The soldiers and knights collectively took a step back in fright.

The boy had not yet spoken.

And the female knight already pointed the sword coldly at them, stating as if it was the most natural thing:

"Surrender, you are already surrounded by us."

"Of course, of course, as promised, I will see you safely to a secure place." The boy quickly added.

The Dark Fairy Tale stared dumbfounded at these three lunatics—who's surrounding whom here?

...

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