Chapter Seventy-Two: It’s Poisoning Me!

With a thunderous crash, the grand gates of the Night Elf Palace collapsed in flames. Over a hundred Night Elf mages, drenched in sweat, lowered their staffs, while Linley, standing at the forefront, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn, that was tough!”

If he’d known, he would have taken the sewers!

After they dealt with the enemies outside the palace, Linley still needed half an hour to blast open the palace gates, even though there was no resistance. The Night Elf Palace was heavily guarded, housing all the kingdom’s core institutions. Thanks to generations of kings, it had become a noble city independent of Florentine, home to many great nobles and patrolled by powerful guards at every turn.

If one gate took half an hour to breach, what awaited them inside could only be a bloody battle.

“Everyone, stay sharp! Charge!” Linley led the assault, as a barrage of arrows and spells rained down from within the palace. Most were blocked by the shield that shimmered before him.

The Night Elf mages behind him cast protective spells for the vanguard. Linley led a squad of warriors straight ahead, with the general at his side.

“Young man, you’re truly strong!” The general deflected a powerful spell with his shield. After all, the mages’ protective barriers weren’t infallible; some attacks had to be handled personally.

Linley had no shield, but a white aura protected him, and his swordsmanship was fierce and awe-inspiring.

“Boss, has your strength returned?” Several Night Elf warriors, both excited and curious, called out.

Linley knocked aside a guard. “About a third. I just took some medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“What kind of medicine?”

“Good question,” Linley replied as he fought. “It’s the world’s greatest elixir: ‘I Love a Stick’. Anyone who takes it can quickly restore their energy, but there’s a side effect—only bodies as strong as mine can handle it…”

The general eyed him curiously. “What side effect?”

“Once you take it, you’ll be stuck hugging a pillar, unable to come down,” Linley answered. In truth, the side effect was the medicine’s original purpose; energy restoration was only incidental.

Three years ago, Linley had inadvertently discovered a flaw in the elf mages and thought of making some medicines to help the world. Unexpectedly, the medicine worked too well—one elderly test subject actually… Well, best not to mention it.

In the end, Lin Wen had given Linley a thorough scolding, and the business was banned before it began. Now, the medicine was Linley’s private recovery agent. With his unique constitution, all it did was hasten his energy recovery, with no other effects.

Contrary to expectations, breaking into the palace wasn’t as hard as Linley had thought. They pushed through the bombardment and found the palace itself engulfed in chaos.

“For the Queen! Kill them!”

“Her Majesty will prevail! Crush these traitors!”

In the palace’s main avenue, the elite guards were attacking one another—only a small contingent tried to stop Linley’s group.

But their arrival changed the mood. The guards ceased fighting, staring in astonishment at Linley and his companions.

“Don’t mind us! Carry on!” Linley waved a hand, feeling the heat from his earring intensify. There must be treasures here—would he have time to loot them?

The guards wanted to resume fighting. Since the Queen’s return, battle had raged for hours without pause, but now, the situation had shifted.

“H-how do you have so many people?” they stammered. The guards knew the situation outside was chaotic, but what exactly was happening? Engaged in battle within, they hadn’t paid much attention.

Now, though, their legs felt weak—if nothing else, just the numbers…

The palace’s main avenue was wide enough for twenty carriages abreast, yet was now so packed with black-clad intruders that not a drop of water could pass. More poured in from outside, their numbers impossible to guess.

“If you’re not fighting, then we’re attacking!” Linley brandished his sword and ordered the assault. He charged first, Night Elves flooding after him like waves, quickly engulfing the guards.

“Don’t let a single enemy escape! Resist and you’ll be punished, surrender and you’ll be tied up first—we’ll deal with you later!” Linley pressed the advance, his force unstoppable. The guards, terrified by the sheer numbers, could barely mount any counterattack.

“Isn’t the boss only fourteen? How is he this strong?” The Night Elves, watching Linley cut a bloody path ahead, were exhilarated.

“I know! This must be cultivation! The little prince of the Forest Elves is rumored to be a prophet with knowledge of the multiverse—do you know what cultivation is?”

“No idea.”

“No? Then let me explain—wait, someone’s ambushing me! Buy a book and read it yourself!” The Night Elves raced after Linley, barely able to squeeze in a few words between breaths, let alone conversation.

Linley pressed forward at top speed, giving the guards no chance to regroup. A few would-be assassins tried to take him out, but the moment they drew near, the mages’ spells revealed them, and the furious Night Elves beat them to a pulp.

Linley had united the Night Elves, keeping the force together and driving straight toward the heart of the palace—the Hall of Fate—like an arrow.

The general was astonished. The Hall of Fate changed location every hour, yet Linley seemed to know exactly where to go.

Just as he was about to ask, the Night Elves abruptly quickened their pace—a group of nobles and guards ahead were raising their hands in surrender.

“We surrender! We surrender!” they cried, offering no resistance. The general frowned slightly.

These palace guards were known for their loyalty, not easily swayed like those outside. Why would they surrender?

Even more astonishing, more and more surrendered as they advanced—almost as if they’d anticipated the Night Elves’ arrival. Many laid down their weapons ahead of time, obediently lining the corridor.

“With this many, how could we possibly win? Surrender’s the only way! I haven’t betrayed the Queen, though!”

“Nor have I betrayed Her Majesty!”

“The duel to the death has begun! The true king will soon be crowned!”

“In the end, no one can stand against the Twin Moons Wheel.”

Some of the surrendering guards revealed the reason, and the general understood—the true king would soon be chosen, and the guards saw no point in futile resistance.

“Prince, the new king and the Queen must be dueling to the death in the Hall of Fate,” the general said quickly to Linley. “We must hurry, or we’ll be too late!”

Linley’s eyes sharpened. “A duel to the death?”

The moment he heard it, he understood—they were deciding the wielder of the Twin Moons Wheel by mortal combat.

He asked the general, who nodded. “Exactly. It’s the fairest way—the winner will have everyone’s recognition. The guards are all waiting for the outcome.”

What the general didn’t say was that such duels for the Twin Moons Wheel were rare—since the duel itself allowed the use of the artifact, putting the other side at a disadvantage.

“We have to hurry—the new king is powerful and now has your strength. He could kill the Queen at any moment.”

Suddenly, Linley looked to the right. “The new king’s position has changed—he’s to the right now.”

The general was startled. “The Hall of Fate must have shifted. But how do you know where the new king is?”

Linley led his immense force to the right, still undivided. “I have a habit of marking what’s mine.”

The general pondered for a long moment. “What do you mean?”

“I get it!” a quick-witted Night Elf warrior exclaimed. “Boss, did you mark your own power?”

“Smart,” Linley praised him. “My energy’s nature hasn’t changed. As long as it’s flowing in the new king, I can sense its direction. And…”

He suddenly broke off, for the distant aura of his energy was vanishing rapidly.

“Damn, the new king has noticed!”

Linley picked up the pace, the general right beside him. “Noticed what?”

“Nothing much…”

In the Hall of Fate, Bard, slick and shining green, roared in fury.

“Twin Moons Wheel, suck out that damn energy! It’s poisoning me!”