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Chapter 512: Strike Without Mercy!
September 10.
Morning.
Underground World.
Dry and windless.
The scorching lava river bubbled continuously, expelling clusters of gas.
The pungent smell of sulfur spread incessantly throughout the area.
A drow elf transport team swiftly crossed the lava river.
Drow elf guards warily scanned their surroundings, ensuring no threats were present before continuing with the team and disappearing from sight.
A few disgruntled guards watched their comrades leave, returning bitterly to their outpost.
Unlike others who were out hunting prey and amassing wealth, they were stuck here, wasting away in boredom.
"Who would bother attacking us?"
Nearly every drow elf sentry shared this sentiment.
This cleared passage was so desolate that there was hardly any prey for entertainment.
However, surprises often come when least expected.
More than ten towering figures silently leapt from the shadows and swiftly slit their throats.
Strong, slender hands clamped their mouths shut as blades plunged into their skulls from behind.
Six drow elf sentries were slaughtered like livestock before they could even unfurl their warning scrolls.
Their attackers were highly familiar with their behavior, allowing no chance for retaliation.
Glancing at the corpses around her, Sera stepped out of the shadows and casually shook the poison-coated dagger in her hand.
Behind her, twelve surviving drow elf modified warriors quietly cleaned up the bodies and traces of their attack.
Sera wasn't worried about them fleeing; these drow elf modified warriors had all pledged their loyalty.
Simply put, under Sera's influence, they had betrayed their faith in the evil goddess Lolth and sworn allegiance to the Goddess of Magic.
In the world of the drow elves:
Assassinate your siblings?
No problem!
As long as you leave no evidence, your success will be acknowledged by all.
Assassinate a rival?
Great job!
As long as you aren't caught, even the bloodiest murders are swept under the rug.
Assassinate a matron mother?
Impressive!
A drow elf who doesn't aspire to become a matron mother will sooner or later be eliminated by one.
However, even in the utterly unrestrained drow elf city-states,
some lines should never be crossed.
Never provoke Lolth!
Her wrath guarantees an eternity of terror and despair.
So, just as Lolth advocated betrayal, these drow elf warriors harbored no guilt for their defection.
Especially after learning that, through Matthew's "introduction," they had offered sufficient "soul fragments" to receive the Goddess of Magic's "mark."
Their souls, after death, would escape Lolth's grasp and rest in the Goddess of Magic's divine realm.
With this fear eliminated, they acted with complete ease.
Even after just ten days of freedom, they thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed life in Bay Territory.
Sera turned her head to look in the direction of the departing transport team and coldly ordered:
"Form teams of four. Upon spotting enemies, don't rush to attack—notify your teammates first."
"Remember, we are not fighting alone."
"Perhaps we can even save more drow elves!"
After delivering her orders, Sera vanished into the darkness, her advanced shadow cloak—prepared by Matthew—blending seamlessly into the shadows.
Alongside Sera's drow elf squad, high-ranking adventurer strike teams worked systematically to eliminate every drow elf outpost along the way.
Their methods were highly efficient: first disabling communications, followed by deploying silencing barriers, and finally overwhelming their targets.
Groups of six or seven drow elf sentries were often ambushed by over forty high-ranking adventurers.
The sentries didn't even have time to summon their slaves before being completely "cleaned up."
Each drow elf killed earned a reward of 100 gold coins.
Naturally, their strikes were as ruthless as possible.
Actions at the four passageways commenced simultaneously across different zones.
Within just 20 minutes, the missions were completed.
"This 40,000 gold was well spent. The drow elf camp remains completely unaware, proving they haven't detected us."
Arnold smacked his lips excitedly, staring at the quiet drow elf encampment nearby with eager anticipation.
"With the surrounding passageways secured, we can now signal the bait to act."
Three minutes later.
A group of about 200 adventurers, carrying substantial supplies, cautiously navigated the outskirts of the underground space.
To ensure safe passage, they used a precious group invisibility scroll.
The scroll's spell granted them 10 minutes of group invisibility, allowing them to evade the drow elf camp's surveillance and slip into a nearby dark pathway.
However, they underestimated the "keen eyes" of the drow elves.
A hidden outpost along the pathway spotted their movements and immediately alerted the camp.
Soon, a slave force nearly 3,000 strong poured out from one side of the camp, charging directly at the adventurer group.
Realizing the bait had worked, the adventurers feigned resistance, luring the drow forces further away.
Suddenly, ten modified warriors emerged from the adventurer ranks.
Before the stunned drow sentries could react, the modified warriors tore through the line of 200 gnoll slaves and reached their positions.
These drow elves, with an average challenge level below 9, didn't even get the chance to escape before being captured by the swift modified warriors.
Meanwhile, the advancing slave army encountered a storm of heavy crossbow bolts.
Thwack!
Crack!
"Aah…"
"Charge!"
"It's an ambush…"
"..."
The drow commander leading the slave forces, undeterred by the losses, ordered a reckless advance.
After all, it was only her slaves that were dying.
But then, two battalions totaling over 5,000 soldiers emerged, flanking the slaves from both sides and cutting off their retreat.
Fully arrayed in formation and ready for a frontal assault, the Bay Territory army aimed to crush the enemy in one decisive strike.
Realizing she had fallen into a trap, the drow commander ordered the slaves to turn around and counterattack.
Whether such conflicting commands would sow chaos among the slaves no longer mattered.
As the fully armed Bay Territory troops—led by ten modified warriors clad in magical armor—engaged the gnoll slaves head-on,
their ferocity sent shockwaves through the enemy lines.
Despite their fierce appearance, the gnolls were inherently cowardly.
After a few volleys of crossbow bolts, their frontlines descended into chaos.
The advancing Bay Territory troops tore a massive gap into their formation.
Finally, the demoralized gnoll soldiers fled in all directions.
The drow commander, unable to react in time, was struck down by a volley of crossbow bolts, turning her into a pincushion.
The drow elf camp, which had been preparing reinforcements, suddenly fell eerily silent.
The Bay Territory's First Division marched forward in perfect formation, their synchronized steps reverberating through the battlefield.
Clack!
Clack!
Clack…