The dark clouds above Southwind City slowly cleared, ever-so-slightly easing the hearts of the terrified citizens and low-ranked adventurers.


    The defenders had won, proven by the sight of the invading terrorists leaving hastily.


    However, in one part of the city, the somber skies mysteriously remained: Dweezel Hawkins'' Fifteenth Stronghold.


    *CLANG!*


    The sound of metal shing against metal resounded in the empty hallways.


    To Commander Greyson''s surprise, the scenario he expected to see the next moment didn''t happen.


    The smaller Hadean Varsa Commander stood there, unmoving like a mountain, nary a hint of fear in his eyes


    Greyson was both impressed and furious.


    He relished the flickers of panic in his opponents'' eyes as his towering figure barreled toward them like a bulldozer.


    Therefore, the absence of fear in the enemymander''s gaze irritated him, making him view the arrogant terrorist as an insufferable bastard.


    The fact that his opponent managed to block his attack head-on without being pushed back only served to fan the mes of anger in his heart.


    Even during his days as an adventurer, Greyson was ustomed to overpowering his opponents, only conceding defeat in terms of strength to the top-tier adventurers and monstrous creatures.


    He would never ept being bested by nobodies.


    "Hoh? Quite the sturdy one, are we? What about this!!"


    As Greyson brandished his two-handed mace again, red energy surged around the weapon, while a scarlet aura radiated from his arms.


    The next moment…


    *CLANG!*


    Another metallic sound rang, assaulting the eardrums of everyone present.


    However, despite the middle-aged Hawkin Commander trying his best, Shye remained unmoved, bringing further shame and anger to Commander Greyson''s heart.


    "Heh, you talk so much for someone so weak." Shye taunted after easily blocking his adversary''s second attack.


    Naturally, Greyson was utterly infuriated, his anger throwing logic and reason out the window.


    He refused to lose to someone smaller than him!


    "YOU BASTARD! YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME? OOH, I AM SO GOING TO DESTROY YOU!!" Themander raged, performing hand seals the next moment.


    Meanwhile, one of Shye''s underlings was distracted, opting instead to watch the battle instead of looking for the item they needed to retrieve.


    The action was normally punishable.@@novelbin@@


    Luckily for that particr underling, no one noticed him cking off. His heart raced as he witnessed theirmander''s full disy of power.


    If it had been him, he would''ve suffered internal injuries just from blocking the first strike, and the second would have been nearly fatal unless he used his trump card.


    Yet, their mysteriousmander blocked the attack effortlessly, as if the hulking enemymander''s muscles were no stronger than marshmallows.


    Despite his agitated heart, the underling snapped himself back to reality.


    They had to locate the Ice Dragon Emperor''s heart. Otherwise, this amazingmander of theirs would cease to exist.


    As adamantite-levelbatants, it took only seconds for Shye''s underlings to search the room, regardless of its size.


    When they couldn''t find the item, it became clear that there was likely a hidden vault or room where the sought-after object was being stored.


    With mounting anxiety, they quickly began touching and moving various peculiar objects in the room, growing more desperate with each passing second. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    They were well-acquainted with hidden rooms and vaults.


    It was only a matter of whether they could locate the item before they had to retreat, as per theirmander''s orders.


    Outside the room, metallic noises echoed one after the other as Shye was locked in a fierce battle against the enemymander, his [Stoic Lv.5] long gone.


    Greyson was indeed strong.


    However, that was it. He could fight Shye in that area and that area alone.


    Naturally, despite his arrogance and hot-headedness, Greyson was no fool.


    He knew that after Shye deflected his third attack—abination of three skills—the Hawkin Commander realized he couldn''t defeat Shye alone.


    He had to set aside his pride and focus on his duties asmander: to eliminate the intruders and protect the stronghold.


    Gnashing his teeth in frustration, Greysonmanded his men to swarm Shye, with a few of them immediately teleporting behind the barrier to make defense nearly impossible.


    Shye had no choice but to slowly retreat as adamantite-level defenders attacked him three or four at a time.


    ''Tch…I thought I could exploit this bastard''s ego for a few more seconds…he isn''t as stupid as he looks…'' He thought inwardly as he tirelessly swung his katanas to defend himself, asionally summoning his ck shield to deflect a few attacks.


    "You guys still haven''t found the item?!" Shye eximed in frustration at his underlings.


    He didn''t actually mean to yell at them; it was just that defending the hallway was proving to be extremely challenging, making each second feel like an eternity.


    The thought that the operation would fail due to that damned Fifteenth Hawkling only added to his exasperation.


    "Commander! We found the hidden room and three items, one of which we believe to be the Ice Dragon Emperor''s heart!"


    Fortunately, the words from one of his men sounded like music to his ears, bringing him a moment of relief.


    "Good! Everyone, retreat with your escape scrolls!"


    On the other hand, Greyson was petrified in utter horror. If the terrorists manage to take such a treasured item away…


    The Hawkin Commander shivered at the thought.


    "WE CAN''T LET THEM TAKE ANYTHING FROM THAT HIDDEN ROOM! EVERYONE, ELIMINATE THESE BASTARDS IMMEDIATELY! ACT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"


    Well, his underlings would definitely be punished as well, but it was Greyson''s life that was truly on the line here.


    As a result, he was the most frantic, using two of his trump cards simultaneously in an attempt to y Shye instantly and prevent the terrorists from escaping, as they were clearly already infusing their escape scrolls with mana.


    He needed to interrupt them at all costs, or it would be game over for him.


    Greyson''s enormous mace—glowing with a mix of ck and scarlet—smashed toward Shye, causing the winds to howl and the air to rip apart from the sheer force of the cataclysmic attack that would heavily injure even the toughest of monstrous creatures.


    "DIE!!" the Hawkin Commander roared as his underlings moved aside, clearing the path for Greyson.


    However, instead of fear, in Shye''s eyes was sheer disdain.


    It was never good to use trump cards simultaneously, as they could be blocked by one single protective item.


    In Shye''s case: an item skill.


    ''Barrier of the Condemned!''


    A ck translucent protective aura suddenly emerged in a spherical shape around Shye, receiving the fierce attack for him.


    The next moment, he threw lots of ck smokescreens on the ground, impairing Greyson''s and his defenders'' vision momentarily.


    "F*CK! WE CAN''T LET THEM ESCAPE!! MAGES, BLOW THE DAMNED SMOKE AWAY!!"


    *FWOOSH!*


    Winds howled, effectively clearing Shye''s smokescreen the next second.


    However, all it did for Greyson and his men was provide a crystal-clear view of how smoothly Shye''s men teleported out of the area, the Ice Dragon Emperor''s heart in their hands.