Chapter 53: The Complete Victory

“You… you can’t be… Are you still alive?”

The man in the black cloak seemed to have seen a ghost, and the next moment his whole body began to tremble.

What happens when a mage, completely off guard, lets a warrior like a demon get this close to them? The black-cloaked man’s face turned pale instantly. Then, a thick, swirling black mist appeared out of nowhere, spreading wildly, trying to shield his body. It was like a drowning man desperately trying to grab a small raft that was just within reach. For mages, their fragile bodies made them rely on magic to protect themselves most of the time. It was a habit.

A string of complex, obscure syllables spilled quickly from his mouth, but…

Bang!

With just one punch, Sun Fei instantly put an end to the black-cloaked man’s struggles. The low hum of his chanting stopped abruptly, like a crowing rooster being strangled by the neck. Soon after, the thick black mist that was covering him hadn’t even fully spread before it vanished into thin air.

The black-cloaked man’s mouth hung open.

Clear drool and white foam uncontrollably sprayed out of his mouth, which should have been used to chant noble magic spells. Like a violated maiden, his eyes held a look of disbelief, and both his hands tightly covered… his crotch.

“God, the little bird really is the most fragile part of a man’s body!”

Sun Fei chuckled darkly, blowing on his fist. While shamelessly marveling in his heart, he didn’t forget to seize the moment. He jumped up quickly and gave the black-cloaked man’s crotch another hard kick.

With that kick, the black-cloaked man’s entire body stiffened. A hoarse, growling sound, like that of a dying beast, came from his throat. He then collapsed limply onto his back on the ground. The black cloak slipped away, revealing a face as gaunt as a skull. The skin was dry and tightly stretched over his skull. His head was completely bald, without a single hair… As his vital spot suffered one ruthless blow after another, the poor Four-Star Mage’s face kept changing colors, from pale white to dark black, and then to sour green… The dignified Four-Star Mage was in so much pain that tears fell from his eyes. He writhed back and forth on the ground a few times, curling up like a large shrimp, before passing out cold.

“Damn! Trying to copy my act and play dead?”

Taking down a Four-Star Mage so easily made Sun Fei a bit skeptical. To make sure the ‘human-skin skeleton’ wasn’t faking, he walked over and, after a moment’s thought, spat. With a sinister grin, he kicked the other’s crotch once more. A faint cracking sound was heard, as if some eggs had broken.

“He really is knocked out cold.”

Sun Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. His tightly strung nerves relaxed, and the pressure in his heart finally disappeared. He felt much lighter, plopping down on the ground and panting heavily.

He never expected things to go so smoothly, far beyond even his best previous expectations.

In the earlier battle, when Sun Fei spotted powerful archers among the Black Armored Army in the distance, an idea struck him. He came up with a desperate plan to fake his death. Because he had a set of Heavy Knight Armor and could summon the gear of his Level 12 Barbarian anytime—especially the Arctic Fur from the Arctic set, which was cloth armor with extremely high defense—the combination of both sets of armor should allow him to survive under those powerful arrows. Next, if he could just play dead and get mixed into the Black Armored Army camp, then find a chance to launch a surprise attack, there was probably a fifty to sixty percent chance he could take out this terrifying Four-Star Mage.

Originally, Sun Fei was worried about how to get close to the black-cloaked man for a sneak attack after faking his death. Who knew this guy was just born unlucky? He actually delivered himself right to his doorstep, ordering soldiers to carry his ‘corpse’ into the tent. And just moments ago, he was even lecherously trying to get handsy…

“Guess good luck just won’t be stopped… Ah haha, I truly am the Super Luck King!”

Sun Fei gleefully removed the heavily damaged steel armor he was wearing, revealing the Barbarian set underneath. The Black-Armored Soldiers’ Armor-Piercing Heavy Arrows were indeed powerful; they even left many dents and scars on the Arctic Fur. The force of the arrows had penetrated the armor, causing Sun Fei’s body quite a bit of injury.

“Damn it, playing dead is skilled work too!”

Sun Fei took out a Health Potion from his Belt Space and took a small sip. The injuries all over his body visibly healed rapidly, and that bone-deep pain quickly disappeared. Not daring to finish the potion, he put it back with about one-sixth left.

After recovering, Sun Fei began to take a look around the pitch-black tent. The air was filled with a strange, foul odor, as if countless rotting animal corpses were decomposing and fermenting here. Under the eerie glow of the blue flames, everything in the tent flickered in and out of view, appearing incredibly creepy and sinister.

Sun Fei’s gaze finally fell on a few long black ropes.

His eyes lit up, and he decided to tie up this unconscious Four-Star Mage. He wouldn’t kill the unlucky guy just yet. In Sun Fei’s eyes, maybe a live Four-Star Mage was far more valuable than a corpse. As long as everything was under his control, the knowledge in a mage’s mind was a treasure to anyone. Shampoo City was a small, remote town. Even Brook and others couldn’t clearly explain many things about the Azeroth Continent. Sun Fei wanted to get more information from this mage’s mouth.

Holding the rope, Sun Fei laughed shamelessly: “Wahahaha, how should I deal with this old thing? Wrist Tie? Tortoise Shell Bind? Peach Bind? Standing Body Tie? Or Spread-Eagle Tie? Hanging Ankle Tie? Or Single Leg Tie?”

Tying up prisoners was definitely highly skilled work. If done poorly, the tied person could easily struggle free. But this wasn’t a problem for ‘Master Sun Fei’, who had frequently watched certain twisted island nation’s BDSM films in his previous life. Sun Fei’s brain remembered at least seventy-two different BDSM tying techniques. Although the Four-Star Mage’s body was far from those fresh, curvaceous island beauties, Sun Fei didn’t mind using this chance to turn the theories he’d never had time to practice into reality.

A few minutes later.

“Huff huff, finally done!” Sun Fei clapped his hands, proudly looking at his handiwork.

The unlucky Four-Star Mage was tied up by Sun Fei like a human meat dumpling. Sun Fei used at least six cow tendon ropes and twelve tying methods. In the end, he even painstakingly applied the most notorious and vicious tying technique, rumored to be the pinnacle of BDSM—the Sealed Bind. When looping the rope around the mage’s mouth, Sun Fei deliberately tied several huge knots, like a ball gag, stuffing them into the mage’s mouth. This ensured that even if the mage woke up, he wouldn’t be able to chant spells.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

Sun Fei was a very cautious guy. To further ensure safety, he shamelessly found a short, thick wooden stick in the tent. Without mercy, he used the stick to assault the Four-Star Mage’s rear, shoving it in and connecting the stick to the ropes. If the mage struggled even slightly, the ropes would tug the stick, subjecting him to inhuman, repeated assaults. That kind of extreme pain would be enough to make even the toughest man pass out again instantly.

After doing all this, Sun Fei was still a bit uneasy.

After all, the power of a Four-Star Mage was truly immense. What if this guy had some way to undo the ropes… Sun Fei thought for a moment, then simply broke the mage’s limb bones directly. Watching the unconscious mage violently struggle and spit out a string of bloody foam, he estimated the mage wouldn’t wake up for a while. Then, with a cold laugh, he began his next plan.

…

The Black Armored Army Barracks.

The soldiers were already busy packing up the camp, preparing to retreat. Ten minutes earlier, a scout had come galloping back with a report: traces of the Zenit Empire’s main army were spotted on the distant plains, likely heading towards Shampoo City. This forced the Silver Masked Man to give up on continuing the attack on Shampoo City—in fact, the Silver Masked Man himself understood that the arrival of the Zenit Empire’s support forces provided a convenient excuse to back down. Once the Stone Bridge was broken, the Black Armored Army’s assault was no longer feasible.

Moreover, almost all the Black-Armored Soldiers were unwilling to face this city again. Everything that had happened earlier had completely shattered the courage of these elite soldiers. Right now, they only wanted to leave this devilish place as quickly as possible and never see that castle across the river again.

The entire camp was bustling and chaotic.

Outside the entrance of the black-cloaked man’s tent stood two tall, sturdy Black-Armored Soldiers. They were guards the Silver Masked Man had given to his teacher. Both stood straight at the door, terrified that even a little laziness might be noticed by the robed mage inside. Before this, fourteen soldiers had already been captured by the black-cloaked mage for live experiments. Those fourteen unlucky souls had clearly suffered unimaginable torments before death; their beast-like wails and screams had given the entire camp’s soldiers nightmares.

The two of them only hoped this attack would end quickly and the army would withdraw, so they wouldn’t have to guard this devilish mage any longer.

Just then—

Whoosh.

The heavy cloth flap of the tent was pulled aside, and someone stepped out.

The two soldiers hurriedly turned and saluted. But when they saw the face of the person coming out, their bodies turned cold, their faces pale, their lips quivering. Their teeth chattered together in a series of clicking sounds; they couldn’t even speak a word.

Thump!

After shaking for a few seconds, one of the Black-Armored Soldiers simply rolled his eyes back and fainted from fear. The other performed slightly better but still trembled all over as if shaking off fleas. His mind went blank, pointing a finger as if he’d seen an undead. He even felt a bit envious of his companion who had passed out—to not know anything suddenly was better, at least not having to face this demon god with a clear mind.

“Brother, can you show me the way? Which one is your leader’s tent?” Sun Fei, afraid he might scare this guy to death too, put on what he thought was a bright and friendly smile. Patting the soldier’s shoulder, he asked in his kindest voice.

The soldier trembled all over, unable to utter a word. He could only barely lift a hand and point into the distance towards a large black tent about fifty meters away. Then, with a thud, he finally got his wish, foaming at the mouth as he passed out.

Pah!

Sun Fei looked towards the distant tent and spat fiercely. Surrounded by enemies in the camp, he didn’t bother hiding or sneaking. He strode over confidently. With the Four-Star Mage dealt with, no one here was a match for him anymore.

A few dozen seconds later, someone in the camp finally noticed Sun Fei barging through.

But no one made a sound.

Clang! Clang!

Throughout the entire camp, almost every soldier who saw Sun Fei acted as if they’d seen the most terrifying magical beast. Their faces instantly turned snow-white; their bodies shivered with cold. They couldn’t even hold their weapons, dropping them to the ground. As if under a freezing spell, they trembled on the spot, collectively doing the ‘flea dance’ as they watched Sun Fei walk towards the large tent at the center of the camp.

The atmosphere became eerily quiet.

…

On the ramparts of Shampoo City.

“God…”

“This can’t be…”

“His Majesty Alexander…”

The moment they saw the Armor-Piercing Heavy Arrows cover the broken bridge in the distance, many people instantly burst into tears, weeping as if all the strength had been drained from their bodies. Lampard said nothing, leaping directly off the city wall with a whoosh. Angela turned pale, letting out a soft groan before fainting and collapsing into the arms of the blonde little Lori Gemma…

The sun in the sky suddenly lost its brilliance.

Everyone felt darkness fall before their eyes. It was as if something had collapsed in that moment. The soldiers of the Royal Guard and the commoners didn’t even have the strength to stand; their weapons fell to the ground. They rushed down the city wall like madmen, heading towards the city gate. Everyone wanted to charge onto the broken bridge. Even if they died, they had to get across and retrieve their king. No one believed that King Alexander, blessed by the God of War, could just die like that. He must still be alive. He must!

Among the crowd, only a few stood quietly in place, their expressions varied, eyes flickering.

The herald Bazel under the watchtower by the city gate could hardly contain his excitement. This was great; that guy was finally dead. To be honest, the strength Alexander had shown in the previous battles had given him an unprecedented sense of shock and threat. He hadn’t expected that the ever-crazed young king could be so powerful. Could it be that Alexander’s foolish appearance before was just an act? Just thinking in that direction made Bazel break out in a cold sweat. The more he watched the battle on the bridge, the more terrified he became… Now it was good. Using the enemy’s hand, he had finally eliminated Alexander. Moreover, with the Stone Bridge broken, the Black Armored Army could no longer threaten Shampoo City. It was like killing two birds with one stone. His next plans could be perfectly realized now.

Beside Bazel, the fat pig Gerger wore a smile.

Alexander, you idiot, you’re finally dead, haha. An idiot is still an idiot; what does it matter if you returned to normal? Still rushing forward foolishly like a stupid pig, even fighting for those lowly commoners? And in the end, weren’t you pierced by countless arrows?

Gerger glanced back at Angela, who had fainted in Gemma’s arms, licked his lips. A lewd, venomous look surged wildly in his eyes. If Brook hadn’t been closely guarding Angela, perhaps Gerger would have already been itching to do something…

…

Inside the large black tent.

The Silver Masked Man sat weakly in the central stone chair. Looking at the remaining nine Black Knights, he said quietly: “Prepare to retreat. Kill all seriously injured soldiers who can’t follow—silence them. We can’t let the Zenit Empire trace our origins. Clean up the battlefield thoroughly; absolutely cannot leave any trace… I swear, one day, I, Mateja Kežman, will lead the Eindhoven iron cavalry to crush this little city!”

By the end, the Silver Masked Man was practically gnashing his teeth.

But just then, something no one expected happened—

A sharp force whistled from afar, ripping the entire large black tent in two with a whoosh. The tent collapsed to both sides. Bright light poured down from above. Everything inside the large tent was exposed.

“You probably won’t have the chance to go back.”

A cold voice came from the distance. The Silver Masked Man’s pupils contracted sharply. He was horrified to discover that the figure that made him tremble, the one who should have been dead, was actually walking slowly, step by step, towards him. A bloody, murderous aura rushed over him, making it hard for him to breathe for a moment.

“You…” The Silver Masked Man’s face showed disbelief: “You’re not dead?”

“Of course I’m not dead, hehe. So you will die!”

Sun Fei approached step by step, his eyes sharp as knives. This was his first time seeing the Silver Masked Man, but from the noble clothing the other wore and how carefully the Black Knights protected him in the middle, he could guess that this guy with the silver mask was the leader of the Black Armored Army—also the one who led the attack and killed hundreds of Shampoo City’s people, the chief culprit. Because of this, Sun Fei absolutely would not let such a blood-soaked guy get away.

Sun Fei didn’t feel much energy fluctuation from this Silver Masked Man—around the Two-Star Level. Such strength posed no threat to Sun Fei. He was confident he could kill the Silver Masked Man instantly.

No soldiers around dared to approach. The Silver Masked Man and the eight Black Knights under him seemed so isolated.

“Attack! Kill him for me!”

The Silver Masked Man waved his hand, gnashing his teeth. The eight Black Knights charged at Sun Fei without the slightest hesitation. Even though they knew their strength meant they were just rushing to their deaths, the long-ingrained authority of the Silver Masked Man made them not dare to delay.

“Die—!”

Sun Fei’s eyes turned cold. He suddenly accelerated.

His body left afterimages in the air. As he got close to the Black Knights, with a thought, a flash of white light appeared. The Barbarian’s magical equipment, the Storm Piercer Short Sword and the Soul Emblem Small Round Shield, appeared in his hands. Then, with a 180-degree super spin, the golden short sword in his hand became a ray of golden light.

Ssss! Ssss! Ssss!

Eight soft sounds. The bodies of the eight Black Knights stiffened instantly where they stood. Sun Fei’s feet didn’t pause for a moment; his figure turned into a furious whirlwind, violently sweeping towards the Silver Masked Man. His eyes were cold as knives; raging fire burned in his heart.

“Haha, here he comes! Let me kill you with my own hands!”

The Silver Masked Man mustered his courage. Blue magical energy flickered around him, condensing into a basketball-sized ice ball covered in sharp edges. With a fierce shout, he shot the ice ball towards Sun Fei’s figure. At the same time, visible icicles spun and howled around him, completely protecting his body.

In an instant, both offense and defense were ready.

The Silver Masked Man was actually a Two-Star Level ice mage, and it seemed he had plenty of combat experience too. In the blink of an eye, he made the most correct choice.

Crack!

The ice ball indeed hit that hateful figure.

The Silver Masked Man’s face showed ecstatic delight. As long as this ice ball froze that frenzied figure and hindered him even a little, he would then have numerous magic items to cast continuously, easily finishing off this opponent who made him gnash his teeth in hatred.

But—

The furious whirlwind charging forward didn’t slow down at all. Unbelievably fast, it reached the Silver Masked Man in an instant. The golden short sword came at him like the summons of the God of Death.

“Ahhhhhhhh…”

In that critical moment, the Silver Masked Man roared madly.

He channeled all his magical power desperately. Countless icicles swirled violently, forming a crystalline shield trying to block that fatal golden short sword. But what made the Silver Masked Man’s soul almost flee in terror was that the golden short sword only paused slightly before, carrying the scent of death, pierced through the icicle shield like lightning.

Sss—!

The golden light was cold and merciless, piercing through the Silver Masked Man’s throat with one stab.

In the next moment, the last glimmer of life faded from the eyes beneath the Silver Masked Man’s mask. Until death, he couldn’t believe it—he, who stood so high, destined to write his legend on the Azeroth Continent and inherit the empire’s hegemony… actually died here?

“Pah… still wearing a mask? Making you show off for me.”

Sun Fei grabbed the hilt of the golden short sword, spat disdainfully, and ignored the ice debris stuck on him. Kicking the Silver Masked Man’s corpse away, he pulled out the short sword. He scanned the surrounding Black-Armored Soldiers, who were all standing frozen in shock. At the same time, the eight Black Knights who had been standing stiffly nearby collapsed to the ground—they had already been killed by the golden short sword in Sun Fei’s hand.

“Hurry up and get lost!” Sun Fei roared angrily.

The thousand or so Black-Armored Soldiers felt as if granted amnesty, screaming in terror as they turned and fled madly, wishing their parents had given them two more legs…

Just then, loud military horn sounds suddenly came from the distant plains. A huge, dark mass of cavalry, shaking the earth with their thundering advance, came galloping towards Shampoo City.