Chapter 63: The Tide Turns!!!

Hearing Mirel's words, the nobles' eyes once again lit up with the glow of hope.

A flurry of flattering words was showered upon Mirel.

Mirel nodded:

"Stay here for now. In case the Vultures still have people hiding in the shadows and decide to target you after seeing me release you, I won't have the spare energy to look after you."

The nobles obediently nodded.

Just as Mirel turned around to join the battlefield, a voice called out to her:

"Lady Mirel."

Mirel turned her head and looked at Lis, who had spoken:

"Is there anything else?"

Lis hesitated for a moment, her words catching in her throat several times, before she finally managed to speak:

"Well, it's just that I noticed the Vultures seem to have two tier-four combatants. So I'm worried that if our territory wins this battle, they might target you, Lady Mirel..."

"I have a plan."

Mirel spoke with absolute finality, her tone brimming with complete confidence.

It was as if she had already devised a meticulous plan and made thorough preparations.

In truth, she had no plan whatsoever, and she had never given Lis's concern a single thought. But under the current circumstances, since she had said so, the people present had no choice but to believe her.

Bluffing her subordinates with empty words was something she did often, and she was quite practiced at it.

Without looking at Lis any longer, she left the nobles with a hopeful view of her retreating back.

"Good luck, Lady Mirel!!!"

"We are counting entirely on you, Lady Mirel!! Please win this battle at all costs!!"

The cheers of the nobles reached Mirel's ears, and her displeasure finally warmed slightly.

She tapped her toes lightly, turning into a shadow weaving through the wind, and charged toward the battlefield at a terrifying speed.

On the battlefield, the situation was changing in the blink of an eye.

Roche's arrival immediately drew the attention of the two tier-four slimes.

The slime that had previously clashed directly with Roche was currently entangled with the pair of eyes summoned by Old White.

Having originally believed victory was secured, it saw Roche return and its triangular eyes darkened, emitting a rapid "Pop! Pop!" sound from its mouth.

It had crossed blows with Roche before; although it was capable of crushing this human, it knew that this human could effortlessly slaughter their tier-three kin.

Therefore, it sent a message to the tier-four slime hovering above the heads of the tier-three slimes and releasing the [Domain of the眷属 (Dependent Territory)], wishing to consult that tier-four slime's intentions.

Did they want to abandon the territory now and shift to a full city siege instead, to prevent further casualties among their tier-three kin?

The tier-four slime maintaining the [Domain of the Dependent Territory] hesitated upon hearing its companion's message.

The losses this time had already been severe; if the territory battle was abandoned in favor of a mere siege, the gains would be far smaller and completely insufficient to make up for the losses.

It glanced at Sorensen, whose body was growing increasingly transparent and likely wouldn't last much longer.

A decision formed in its heart.

It roared:

"Pop, pop!!!"

It wanted to gamble a little longer, using a few tier-three kin as collateral. If the soul-summoned entity still hadn't dissipated after this human killed a few more tier-three kin, it would join the fray.

And during the brief moments of their communication, Roche had already reached the center of the battlefield.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

Mucus cannons from the tier-three slimes rained down toward him from all directions, blotting out the sky.

However, when these projectiles detonated on Roche's location, dust billowed in all directions and billowing smoke rose from the ground, swallowing Roche's figure within the haze.

Sensing that the smoke seemed unrelated to the explosions, the tier-three slimes turned vigilant.

They pressed close together, their massive, clumsy bodies scanning their surroundings.

Yet they found no trace of Roche whatsoever.

Instead, an angry roar echoed from the distance:

"Pop, pop, pop!!!"

The tier-four slime that had been gaining the upper hand in its fight against Sorensen looked back angrily, only for Roche's sturdy figure to materialize and throw a heavy punch straight at it!

Simultaneously, Sorensen's skeletal claws, covered with gray magic formations on the back of the hand, swung toward it at blistering speed!

"Pop!!"

Seeing their companion about to be caught in a pincer attack, the tier-four slime battling Old White immediately roared.

It was warning its partner to choose to attack Roche. It had long since witnessed Roche's strength, which fell entirely short of theirs, meaning they could simply smash him flying.

A gleam of excited light flashed in its crimson eyes.

This foolish human actually wanted to use such a pincer tactic, oblivious to the fact that this strategy was only suited for opponents of equal strength.

Go! Go smash this human to pieces!!!

It couldn't even spare attention for the pair of eyes summoned by Old White before it, focusing entirely on its peer.

Heeding the warning, the trapped tier-four slime hesitated no longer. Its black form transformed into a streak of lightning as it fiercely charged at Roche.

Boom!!!

Roche's fist collided with the black slime.

Yet, the outcome envisioned by the tier-four slime fighting Old White failed to materialize.

Roche was not directly crushed by his opponent; instead, they appeared evenly matched, and if anything—since this tier-four slime had not unleashed its primal power—Roche's physical strength held the upper hand by a margin of two or three parts.

The tier-four slime whose fist met Roche's felt a tremendous shock wave strike its body, instantly followed by searing pain.

And it wasn't over.

Because its momentum had stalled, Sorensen's giant claw swept across its body from behind with the howling fury of a gale.

"Roar!!!"

Taking the blow completely unprepared, several extremely deep claw marks tore across the slime's black body, and foul-smelling sludge oozed from the wounds.

It wailed in agony, desperate to create distance, and twisted its body to flee toward the right flank.

It knew speed was its advantage, and the human before it couldn't catch up.

Yet as it fled to the side, it caught sight of a female human seemingly emerging from the shadows, appearing right in front of it with a speed matching its own.

"Roar, roar!!!"

The injured tier-four slime grew furious.

Why was there always someone blocking its path?!

It charged straight ahead!

The next second, it saw shadows envelop the female human's feet, and her speed suddenly surged to an extreme degree!

The speed boost lasted merely a split second, but it was enough to cause its charge to miss completely.

Then, a purple dagger slashed downward fiercely!!!

Swish!!!

Foul black slime splashed into the air, adding yet another wound to the tier-four slime's body.

Just as it winced in pain, Roche and Sorensen arrived once more.

Watching Roche's fist and Sorensen's skeletal claw hurtling toward it, a look of horrified humanization crossed its face, its original jagged slit of a mouth opening and closing frantically:

"Pop, pop! Pop, pop! Pop, pop, pop!!!"

The moment its voice faded,

Everyone across the entire battlefield felt a sensory shift, as if something that had persistently existed within their field of vision had suddenly vanished.

Soon, everyone realized what it was.

The red light!

The red light emitted by the [Domain of the Dependent Territory]!

The crimson radiance that had previously enveloped the entire town, dyeing the sky blood-red, had now vanished without a trace.

This signified that, from the perspective of the territory battle, the conflict had officially ended in failure!!!

Cheers erupted across the battlefield!

From the members of the knighthood to the Vulture members and the bound nobles, everyone was cheering wildly, roaring with excitement.

However, after a brief moment of elation, Ecklaus ordered the knighthood soldiers to halt their celebrations. His gaze turned solemn as he looked across the battlefield,

Knowing that while the territory battle was over, the war itself was not yet finished.

The third phase, which had yet to arrive, would evolve into a full-scale city siege.

So, could they win next?

Meanwhile, the tier-four slime that had ceased maintaining the [Domain of the Dependent Territory] lunged furiously toward Roche.

Roche, who had been preparing to strike the injured tier-four slime, was forced to turn around, his fist colliding heavily with the oncoming tier-four beast!

Boom!

The shockwave from the impact burst outward, forcing Roche and the tier-four slime to retreat simultaneously. Once again, Roche managed to eke out a slight advantage from the exchange.

Seizing the opening left by Roche's departure, the injured slime scrambled agilely toward its companions.

Yet a dark purple flash sliced through the air once more, adding yet another wound to its body.

Amidst its shrieks, it finally reached the side of its fellow creatures.

The tier-four slime that had been battling Old White also broke away from combat, falling back to stand alongside the other two.

Initially, they roared angrily, intending to vent their wrath upon the humans before them! To put these humans in their proper place!

Yet their roars quickly died down.

Once their anger receded, they sensed something deeply wrong.

How was it that mere territory battles within a mere town had produced an opposing force whose combat power currently surpassed their own?!!

The corner of Roche's mouth curled up beneath his cloak as he beckoned forward:

"Don't let a single one escape!!!"

Behind him, Old White, clad in intricate Vulture robes, flared with intense light; Mirel flashed forward at high speed, her dark purple daggers flashing; and Sorensen, now nearly transparent, roared with fury!