Chapter 138: The Lewd Reward for Clearing the Level (Part 2)

Although often described as a harsh and remote borderland, Shampoo City was not as poor as many imagined. On the contrary, nestled among layered, verdant mountains and encircled by the mighty Zuli River, it was a place of breathtaking natural beauty.

It was afternoon on the city walls.

A squad of imposing soldiers, gripping long spears, patrolled along the parapets. Across the wide river, the distant grasslands seemed already touched by late autumn’s desolation. The once-lush grass now held a faint yellow tinge, looking from afar like a golden carpet spread across the earth, undulating in the wind. Low hills resembled rolling waves; the scenery was incomparably beautiful.

Suddenly—

Thud… Thud… Thud… Thud!

A faint, distant drumbeat, carrying an eerie rhythm and a sharp, metallic aura of battle, shattered the picturesque tranquility. It drifted out from the depths of the grasslands.

“Halt!”

Michelle Ballack, the captain at the forefront, tensed. With a wave of his hand, the patrol stopped.

Ballack held his breath, straining his ears. As he listened to the elusive drumming, his expression gradually changed. Without a word, he leaped onto a battlement and scanned the horizon where the golden grassland met the sky. First, a dense forest of banners appeared on the horizon, each proudly waving its unique embroidered emblem in the wind. Then, emerging from the edge of the world came a dark, seething mass of figures, thick as ants… An army.

“Who could they be?” Ballack was startled.

The army on the horizon numbered several thousand at least. Their armor gleamed brightly; their cold steel swords and spears reflected blinding glints of sunlight. Clearly, they were fully armed. Arriving at Shampoo City now was likely not with friendly intentions. Still, to avoid mistakes, Ballack ordered scouts sent out.

A fast horse shot from the city gate, raced across the stone bridge, and galloped towards the distant army.

Simultaneously, troops within the city began mobilizing urgently towards the walls.

After about ten minutes, the scout came thundering back. Before even receiving a full report, Ballack, standing atop the wall, saw the bloodstains on the scout and the arrows protruding from his back. This told the whole story—this suddenly appearing army was an enemy force.

“Sound the alarm bells! Report immediately to Commander Brook!” Ballack’s voice, calm yet edged with excitement, reached every soldier’s ear.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The massive copper bell, over two meters tall and hanging at the highest point of Shampoo City’s wall, began tolling.

Tension spread through Shampoo City with the heavy peals. Leisurely strollers in the streets paled, rushing frantically towards their homes. Several riders sped towards the Civil and Military School and the Royal Palace. The city’s atmosphere shifted instantly from relaxed to urgent. However, having survived the previous Black Armored Army siege and been tempered by war’s blood and fire, the citizens of Shampoo City did not descend into panic or chaos. Preparations for battle commenced in an orderly fashion.

Ballack led his squad of forty soldiers out of the city gate and onto the stone bridge.

During the battle against the Black Armored Army, Your Majesty the King had wielded his immense power, violently shattering this ancient stone bridge of unknowable age, leaving a gap of more than ten meters. In the immediate aftermath, the gap had been crossed with ropes and planks. Later, under the King’s personal design and direction, that temporary bridge was dismantled, replaced by a newly forged iron drawbridge.

This drawbridge was formidable both offensively and defensively. Perched atop the stone bridge like a massive beast, its imposing bulk formed Shampoo City’s ideal first line of defence against invaders.

Creak… creak… creak… creak!

Amidst the groaning protest of enormous iron gears, eight chains as thick as a man’s waist lowered the heavy iron drawbridge. Once again, a ten-meter gap yawned in the stone bridge. Below it, the icy, surging waters of the Zuli River churned, emitting an eerie chill and a peculiar sucking force. A frigid wind howled up, chilling the soul.

Any army reaching this chasm would find it impossible to cross without paying a dreadful toll in lives.

“Archers… prepare!”

Ballack drew his sword, licked his lips, making no attempt to hide his excitement. Shampoo City now possessed formidable, hidden military strength. As one of the twenty-three heroes who had fought on the Stone Bridge, and now one of Shampoo City’s Saints, he truly longed for the coming of war.

Let the entire Empire see just how strong Shampoo City was!

More soldiers surged from the city gate in support. Battle-hardened commanders bearing the rank of Saint – Drogba, Ivanovich, and Essien – brought elite troops to reinforce the north bank position near the bridge gap. Meanwhile, upon the gate tower above, Shampoo City’s twin pillars of military and civilian leadership – Right Minister Best and Urban Management Legion Commander Gordon Brook – stood calmly. Having received the reports, they had quickly arrived beneath the watchtower.

It was a response speed that inspired awe.

Everyone awaited the arrival of this mysterious, suddenly-appearing enemy force.

…

Shampoo City’s Underground Grotto Labyrinth.

Inside the simple stone chamber, an alluring scene unfolded.

Sun Fei almost closed his eyes as he peeled the final piece of soft leather armor away from Ileena’s form. Though his trembling fingers hadn’t yet touched the fair skin smooth as warm mutton fat, a wave of fragrant warmth washed over him. Sun Fei felt dazed, as if the Valkyrie’s beauty before him had scorched his soul.

There was no time for hesitation. Ileena’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. Sun Fei shook his head, leaned down, and tightly embraced the beautiful Mercenary. A strange sensation jolted through him at the touch of luxuriously soft, fragrant skin. An overwhelming feeling, unlike anything he’d ever known, shot through him, leaving him momentarily paralyzed, his mind blank.

The unconscious Valkyrie seemed to sense something; the tension eased slightly in her furrowed brow.

Suppressing the stirring thoughts within, Sun Fei took a deep breath. He quickly reviewed the information he’d gathered in the World of Diablo. Looking quietly at Ileena’s goddess-like face, he sighed inwardly. He suddenly saw the image of another maiden, pure as unblemished jade, flash before his mind’s eye, but…

Gently parting the Valkyrie’s long, fair legs, Sun Fei finally entered her gently.

There was no time to savor the moment’s bliss. A tearing, destructive force surged violently into his body from their joining point. Though Sun Fei had anticipated this, the soul-rending agony, as if his bones were being crushed and his spirit torn, forced a low, involuntary cry from his lips. A faint haze of bloody mist seeped from his pores, swirling into the air.

Sun Fei finally understood the pain Ileena had been enduring.

It was unimaginable. How had this delicate girl endured such torment? She hadn’t even cried out while unconscious… Her sheer resilience shook Sun Fei profoundly.

He held the girl in his arms tightly, like the world’s most precious treasure.

Sun Fei channeled his Barbarian’s physical Might, striving with all his strength to shoulder the soul-shattering agony. He could feel the interplay of four distinct forces—lightning, fire, ice, and poison—flowing from Ileena’s body into his. Under the ceaseless conflict of these battling energies, an excruciating pain, as though every cell in his body was being pulverized, continued to generate relentlessly.

Under this torment, surpassing the agony of a Hulk Potion’s aftermath tenfold, every single second stretched longer than an entire century.

Time stretched infinitely. Sun Fei eventually felt the fierce agony within him begin to fade.

Strangely, the incompatible powers of Ice, Lightning, Fire, and Poison fighting inside him also started to calm. It was like warriors who settle their differences after a brawl. The four forces stopped clashing. They seemed to have made peace. Instead, after swirling through Sun Fei’s body for a while, they began a slow retreat along the same path they came—where their bodies were joined. Like a colossal whale drinking water, all four energies flowed smoothly back into Ileena’s body, vanishing completely.

The next moment, Sun Fei felt the body he held twitch slightly.

This small movement startled him, bringing sharp clarity. He instantly realized how awkward their situation was, especially since he was still deep inside her… Just as he thought about pulling away or saying something,

Smooth arms suddenly wrapped tightly around him.

He looked down.

Saw the beautiful lashes of the Mercenary girl flutter softly.

She was clearly awake.

She understood everything that had happened.

A single, crystal-clear tear slid slowly from the corner of her breathtakingly beautiful eye.

Yet, from start to finish, the delicate arms embracing Sun Fei didn’t loosen even slightly. They clung tightly to his neck, making it slightly hard for him to breathe, as though letting go would cause the embrace to dissolve into nothing but fleeting smoke.

“Hold me tight,” Ileena whispered faintly in Sun Fei’s ear.

Like a fiercely burning flame, Ileena clutched Sun Fei.

Her passionate body pressed against his with desperate urgency. Sun Fei felt like he was melting into a warm blaze. The fair form in his arms trembled lightly. This wasn’t the invincible Magic Archer from the Eastern Peak Summit, whose chilling ice arrows eclipsed the sun. This was a girl both brave and timid, burdened by a small hidden sense of unworthiness.

Sun Fei finally understood. He realized he had been overlooking something before.

His heart felt warm, moistened, and suddenly became tender. A feeling melted his resolve, turning it into fragments that merged indistinguishably with the form he held.

Enticing moans and gasps gradually rose, filling the stone chamber.

Ileena’s swan-like neck arched gracefully high. With a delicate wave of her hand, an expanse of sky-blue water curtain enveloped them both. Celestial sapphire light illuminated the gloomy stone room with heavenly beauty.

It was the color of dreams.