The candlelight inside the tent flickered violently, shaken by a sudden pressure of wind.
Scarlet firelight cast distorted shadows on the four walls, tearing the stagnation in the air into pieces.
The Human Vice General’s voice hung in midair like a dagger quenched in ice, stabbing ruthlessly into everyone’s hearts.
“Hand over the Hero you imprisoned all those years ago. Turn over this Three-Race Hybrid you are protecting to us for disposal. If you refuse either, the Human Army will fight to the bitter end!”
As his words fell, the room plunged into a dead silence.
Longjiu’s Dragon Might surged instantly.
Golden Dragon Flame danced at her fingertips, and her gaze was cold enough to crack steel.
She instinctively pulled Bai Li into a tight embrace, her grip so strong it seemed she wanted to rub him into her very flesh and blood.
Destructive killing intent swirled within her golden vertical pupils.
Baining’s eyes turned cold, and her fingertips had already quietly gripped her Dark Blade.
Her aura dropped to the freezing point.
Outside the tent, the presence of dozens of Vampire Hidden Guards instantly locked onto the scene.
Ziya trembled all over, yet she immediately protected Bai Li even more tightly.
Her small body stood firmly in front of him.
Her eyes were red, and her voice was shaky with tears but exceptionally firm.
“I won’t… I won’t let you touch Father!”
Hearing the word ‘Father,’ the Human Vice General remained motionless on the surface, but his heart shuddered.
He didn’t dare show any abnormality, only engraving those words deep into his soul.
He maintained his tough stance as a human envoy without revealing any panic.
Meanwhile, Bai Li froze in place as his mind exploded.
‘Imprisoned… the Hero?’
He slowly turned his head to look at Longjiu, whose expression had drastically changed and could no longer hide her panic.
All the concealment, abnormalities, avoidance, and unease finally had an answer at this moment.
Longjiu’s heart pounded under his gaze.
Her usually domineering and forceful tone crumbled instantly as she frantically grabbed his wrist.
“Bai Li, let me explain. It’s not like what they said—”
“Not like that?”
Bai Li’s voice was soft, yet it carried a trace of cold bitterness.
“Then what is it? From the very beginning, your reaction to the word ‘Hero’ was unusual…”
Seeing the rift within the Demon Race, the Vice General was overjoyed.
Striking while the iron was hot, he pointed at Bai Li and shouted sternly, “You monster of unknown origin, a Three-Race Hybrid! The Dragon Race is violent, the Vampires are sinister, and the Succubus is bewitching. Having three streams of evil blood gathered in one body makes you a natural source of chaos! The Goddess gave an Oracle long ago: the appearance of such an existence would surely bring a Calamity upon the world! Taking you away today is not harming you; it is ridding the entire Continent of a scourge!”
He became more impassioned as he spoke, adopting a righteous air.
“You are nothing more than a deformed Monster forcibly pieced together. Do you really think you’re worthy of the three Lords slaughtering for your sake? I advise you to be sensible. Come back with us to undergo Goddess Purification, and stop dragging them into the disaster of racial extermination!”
These words completely ignited Longjiu’s fury.
She took a step forward, her Dragon Might sweeping through the area like a tsunami, forcing the human soldiers back with pale faces.
“Who do you think you are to point and curse at him? His lineage is recognized by the Dragon Race, the Vampires, and the Succubus as the highest and most noble. Is it your place, a Vice General who can’t even stand on the main stage, to judge him? The Goddess’s Oracle? It’s nothing more than a trick used by that villain Sok to deceive people! I’m telling you, even if he were the source of calamity—which he isn’t—I, Longjiu, would hold up the entire sky for him! If you dare utter another filthy word, I’ll tear out your tongue right now and throw it to the Dragon Feral Beasts!”
The Vice General was suffocated by the Dragon Might, yet he still tried to turn to Baining, attempting to provoke her with logic.
“Baining, Vampire Queen! You have always been calm and steady, commanding the Vampire Hidden Guards with the big picture in mind! Do you really wish to gamble the fate of your entire race and turn against the sacred power of the Continent for such a mysterious and evil hybrid? He simply isn’t worth—”
Baining looked up coldly, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
Her tone was calm, but every word was a blow to the heart.
“Whether it is worth it is for us Vampires to decide, not for humans to define. He is the person we will protect even if we must give everything we have. For ten years, you have held up the banner of the Goddess while performing kidnappings, blackmail, and framing. Compared to us, you are the ones truly stained with selfishness and bloody evil. Say one more word, and the Hidden Guards outside will shut your mouth forever, leaving you no chance to sow discord.”
The Vice General’s face paled.
He immediately looked at Ziya, who stood before Bai Li, hoping to break through the line by targeting the young Succubus.
“He will bring disaster! He’s a monster! Being near him will only invite death. You shouldn’t protect him; you should stay as far away as possible!”
Ziya suddenly raised her small face, which was covered in tears. Pale purple Illusion Mist billowed violently around her.
Her small body shook intensely, but she still straightened her back.
Her soft, cute voice carried an unprecedented determination as she spoke word by word, leaving the Vice General speechless with rage.
“Father isn’t a monster! Father gently strokes Ziya’s head, hugs me when I’m scared, and lets me rest because he’s afraid I’ll get tired! You’re the bad ones! You only use the Goddess to scare people, you only bully others, and you only curse! Ziya’s Illusionary Realm can trap anyone. If anyone dares touch Father, Ziya will never forgive you!”
Hearing ‘Father’ again, the Vice General’s heart tightened once more.
He remained expressionless, but he burned the title even deeper into his mind, preparing to report it to Marshal Sok as soon as he returned.
Humiliated by three different yet equally protective monsters, the Vice General was driven to rage.
He raised his voice, bringing out the humans’ final trump card.
“Insolence! You monsters swallowed by darkness don’t understand the greatness of the Goddess at all! The Hero is the savior appointed by the Goddess, and the Holy Sword is the blade of purification granted by her. The reason we dare step into this camp and confront you isn’t due to military strength or schemes—it’s the protection of the Goddess!”
He pointed outside the tent with a fanatical and pious expression.
“The Goddess has already sent down an Oracle. When a Three-Race Hybrid appears, the world will fall into chaos! By hiding the Hero and protecting this anomaly, you have already incurred divine wrath! So what if we don’t know the Hero’s exact location? So what if we are bluffing? All of humanity believes in the Goddess and is willing to die for her! No matter how strong the Demon Race is, can you fight against the hearts of the world? Can you fight against the sacred Oracle?”
Longjiu sneered with total disdain.
“The hearts of the world? You mean the ignorant masses brainwashed by Sok and the rest of you with a phantom Goddess! An Oracle? Has anyone seen the Goddess? Has anyone heard her true voice? It’s nothing more than a fig leaf to cover your ambitions! The Dragon Race has dominated the Continent for 10,000 years; when have we ever feared so-called divine wrath!”
At that moment, Bai Li gently pushed Longjiu’s arm aside and stepped forward.
His pink and gold heterochromatic eyes were calm and deep, possessing a clarity that made people look away.
He looked at the Human Vice General and spoke in a light tone, yet he hit the nail on the head, piercing through all human pretenses.
“From beginning to end, you have been gambling. You have no idea where the Hero is. You have no evidence, no clues, and you aren’t even sure if he’s alive or dead. Your so-called peace negotiations, talks, and accusations are all a front. You’re gambling that we’ll show a weakness out of a guilty conscience, gambling that the name of the Goddess will crush us.”
He slightly lifted his gaze, his eyes as sharp as knives.
“Unfortunately, you gambled wrong. We do know about the Hero, but it’s certainly not the ‘imprisonment’ you claim. The truth is hidden within a human conspiracy and has nothing to do with the Demon Race. As for me, I am not a bargaining chip for your blackmail, nor am I some source of disaster. You hold high the name of the Goddess, but your actions are merely those of a group hiding behind faith, afraid to face the truth…”