Pale Emblem

Chapter 201 The Beginning

Two weeks ago, the Chimera flew northeast with two bipedal dragons.

The Wolf Witch and her minions captured a Chimera in the northeast.

The private army of Echo Town was attacked by a powerful figure in the northeast, which triggered internal strife.

Tonight, a thick fog is spreading from the northeast. The orcs, guided by the Great Mother's divination, decide to use the fog as cover for a surprise attack on the city.

These are definitely not coincidences.

Anyone with normal intelligence could imagine that something big was happening somewhere in the northeast, and that it might affect the Godore fortress complex.

However, Victor had no time to hesitate; the Riftrock and Frostblade clans were about to attack the city. If all went well, they could lead the mixed-race survivors to safety in a few hours.

On the contrary, if he were to go and investigate the situation in the northeast at this critical juncture, it would take far more than just a few hours.

By then, the battle of Echo Town will have ended, and regardless of who wins or loses, the fate of the mixed-race survivors will be unimaginable.

Now the arrow is on the bowstring, and there's no turning back!

Victor had no choice but to carry out the original plan. He looked at the beautiful and charming Christine.

Christine understood immediately and smiled sweetly, "Master, please rest assured, I am well prepared and have an 80% chance of helping you control the East Gate."

Victor nodded, glanced around at his followers, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, please proceed according to plan!"

The plan to rescue the survivors had reached a critical stage, and everyone was fully aware of their respective tasks. They responded to Victor's command in unison and quickly sprang into action.

Vice President Berg took his leave first, as he was going to gather his trusted servants and mute barbarians, and then go to the Adventurers' Inn to pick up a bewitched messenger.

Victor and the rest of the men began changing clothes and checking their weapons and equipment.

He changed into a blue-gray professional suit, with a fine iron short sword strapped to each side of his thighs, four quivers of arrows and a heavy bow hanging on his back. He pulled up his hood and windproof mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes, making him look every bit the capable archer.

The archer's equipment is well-suited to Victor with the blue eyes. His Wind Arrow can kill large battle boars within 300 meters; if he uses Azure Blade with his bow, even heavily armored shield guards cannot withstand the power of a single arrow.

It's no exaggeration to say that Victor with the Ice Blue Eyes is far more powerful than those with the Emerald Eyes and Amber Eyes.

There is a hundred-man battle group stationed at the east gate of Echo Town. Although they are not as elite private soldiers as those of famous families, they are still a regular army composed of professionals and awakened individuals.

Christine wasn't entirely confident she could control all the soldiers guarding the East Gate. A fierce battle was inevitable for Victor and his men. If General Clark discovered the East Gate had fallen in time, Victor and his followers would face an even more intense battle!
Victor wasn't too worried. His seven alchemical progenitors, including the venomous Herman, the transparent Todlin, the dancing Deli, the burning Delina, the foul-smelling Livedell, the giant Mokley, and the howling Vincent, had once ambushed an elite private army of over a hundred men and won a great victory.

The seven alchemical demon descendants have all grown stronger. Even though they haven't advanced to the fifth rank yet, their elemental attributes and spell-like abilities have significantly improved compared to their first battle.

Moreover, Victor himself, Gladiator Kent, and two Level 6 Rangers will also be participating in the battle this time.

The key lies with Christine; she controls the garrison soldiers at the East Gate, who are the main force in the battle.

With the cover of these guards, Victor and his superhumans can unleash their full combat power; with the support of the superhumans, the guards also have a greater chance of survival.

After everyone changed into their weapons and equipment, led by Christine, they left the large rental house, then circled the deserted back alleys, heading towards the east gate of Echo Town.

When the team arrived at the designated location, they found that Vice President Berg was already waiting there.

In addition to a group of strong, mute slave soldiers, Berg also had a half-elf male in his thirties by his side.

He was of medium height and handsome, dressed in a blue coat and white trousers, like a servant, with a badge on his chest representing the prestigious Silver Horn family.

Upon seeing Christine, he immediately bent his knees and half-squatted, bending his waist to the limit, and jogged to Christine in a contorted posture, squeezing out a creepy fawning smile on his face, even trying to pounce on her and lick her feet.

"Get out of the way, stand up and talk." Christine extended a flawless, snow-white leg from beneath her long cloak and kicked the bewitched half-elf to the ground.

The servant rolled on the ground and miraculously returned to normal. He got up, dusted himself off, and then bowed to Christine, saying, "My great master, Berd awaits your command."

Half-elves enslaved by lust often exhibit symptoms of mental instability; Berd is an example of this.

He looked miserable, like a walking corpse, having lost himself.

However, from Christine's perspective, Berd was her prey, a result of a fair contest.

In fact, the behavior of vampires is very strange. They adhere to the principle that the weak should submit to the strong, rather than the law of the jungle that is common in nature.

When a vampire needs to feed, she first seduces her prey, then absorbs its blood and soul fire.

If you were an ordinary person with a strong will but a weak body, and you encountered a thirsty and powerful vampire, she could easily tear your body apart and drink your blood, but instead she chose to seduce you. When her seduction failed, you gained a vampire slave who would obey your every command.

This completely violates the natural law of the jungle. But vampires, or rather all demons, are unnatural beings. In the eyes of normal people, they are paranoid, bizarre, and considered evil.

Victor could understand the self-interested logic behind the vampire banshee's bizarre behavior.

Banshees are a form of succubus. They judge strength based solely on the quality of one's will and the intensity of one's soul fire, without regard to the strength of one's physical body.

A powerful soul enslaves a weak soul, while a weak soul depends on a powerful soul.

Christine became attached to Victor because she had lost to him in a "fair contest." From then on, their souls were closely connected.

Any damage Victor suffers on a spiritual level will be transferred in half to Christine, who will then transfer that portion of the spiritual damage to her servants.

On the other hand, Christine is attached to Victor, so she will not suffer any backlash when using her charm abilities, unless the prey's soulfire intensity exceeds the sum of Christine's and Victor's mental attributes.

In that case, Christine's soul connection with Victor would be severed, and she would attach herself to a new master and receive the same protection. This is how succubi survive: by attaching themselves to the strong, they form a symbiotic relationship and thus grow stronger.

This is why Christine dared to cast a mass berserk charm on a half-elf warband tonight. With Victor backing her up, she wasn't afraid of any backlash.

In reality, the godlike Victor used the alchemical tower to reshape the banshee's soul and will, correcting her obsessive behavior. She still enjoys seducing her prey and will decisively use violence when necessary.

Of course, no one knows any of this.

Christine asked, "Do you know what Berg told you?"

“I understand! I will gather all the soldiers of the East Gate Garrison in Clark’s name and order them to obey the great master’s orders,” Berd said solemnly.

“Very good… Berg, you and Berd lead the way,” Christine instructed.

"Yes!"

Berg first ordered his 34 mute barbarians to hide in a nearby empty house and await summons. Then he and Berd led everyone toward the stairs to the east gate.

The east gate of Echo Town faces a desolate mountain ridge, so it has been kept closed year-round, resulting in lax defenses. Even when Clark's chapter took over the defense of the east gate, it was not given much importance.

At the entrance to the city gate stairs, three soldiers on night duty, carrying spears and wearing cloaks, were dozing off at the foot of the city wall.

The two alert war dogs noticed someone approaching and were about to bark when they caught the scent of Christine. They immediately wagged their tails and ran to greet her, as if Christine were their master.

During this period, Christine, with the assistance of Vice President Berg, would find various excuses to visit the garrison at the East Gate every day.

She was using her natural allure to erode the will of the garrison soldiers and officers, and even the war dogs kept by the garrison regiment were bewitched by her.

Berg stepped forward and woke the slacking guards. Pild followed, and as a messenger, he sternly reprimanded them and demanded an immediate audience with Commander Bill of the East Gate Garrison.

Having been caught red-handed, the three guards had no choice but to submit and obediently lead them up to the third floor of the city gate.

The town gate was actually a small fortress, with the top of the city wall at the top, the gate and drawbridge at the bottom, and the command room, storage room, soldiers' quarters, and most importantly, the winch control room in the middle.

At this time, Commander Bill was already asleep, but one of his lieutenants, a Level 4 Shield Guardian named Beto, was still on duty.

General Clark's messenger arrived late at night, accompanied by "Slug" Berg and the beautiful Joanna (Christine's alias), as well as several other unfamiliar professionals.

Although the deputy commander Beto was puzzled, he dared not delay because of the messenger's stern words, and quickly went to call Bill.

A moment later, Bill arrived at the command room. The seasoned commander brought with him fifteen fully armed professional guards, as well as his other deputy, Jorge, a level four swordsman.

Bill, a level 4 archer, together with Beto, a shield guard, and Jorge, a swordsman, form a standard triangular tactical squad. With the help of professional guards, they are capable of handling most emergencies.

"Young Master Novis of the prestigious Golden Oak family has been killed by Grand Master Dicott!"

Pild's opening remarks were so startling that Commander Bill was speechless.

"Even the prominent young men who went out have been killed!"

"Randolph also participated in Grand Master Dickot's rebellion, which is the most fatal thing."

Pild stared intently at the commander's face, as if trying to see through his secrets.

"What?!" Bill, with his graying hair, instinctively defended himself, "I absolutely did not participate... I knew nothing about it."

Randolph was the commander of General Clark's personal guard, and he had a personal relationship with Bill. Bill also joined the prestigious Silverpole Horn family through Randolph's introduction.

A few days ago, Randolph, on Clark's orders, led 70 elite private soldiers out of Echo Town to track down the Chimera, and has not returned since.

But who would have thought that even Clark's trusted follower Randolph would betray him and kill a group of noble scions, including young master Novus?
Both vice commanders, Beto and Jorge, quietly retreated, trying to create distance between themselves and Biel.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Bill's forehead. He immediately questioned, "No! With such a serious rebellion, why would the master send a messenger to question me?"

If General Clark suspects that Commander Bill is an accomplice of Randolph, he should summon him separately before arresting him to prevent inciting a mutiny within the garrison.

It can be said that the shrewd Bill instantly grasped Pild's weakness, and his sudden late-night visit, accompanied by Vice President Berg, was already highly suspicious.

The two deputy commanders and the professional guards all moved closer to Bill, each with their hands on their weapons, and the atmosphere in the room became noticeably tense.

“It is true, dear Lord Bill.” Christine stepped forward, her red lips parted slightly, her voice as soft as honey. “However, General Clark has no suspicion of Lord Bill, but we have received reliable information that there are several spies among your soldiers.”

Christine's voice possessed an invisible magic. Commander Bill stared intently into her beautiful, captivating eyes, then, as if suddenly realizing something, asked in surprise, "Joanna, so you've been serving the General all along... You're the Priestess of the Earth Temple?"

Christine's bright eyes sparkled, and she smiled without saying a word. All the professionals present were captivated by her charm, automatically filling in the blanks in their minds to make the situation seem plausible.

“Commander Bill, gather all your soldiers to the top of the city gate so that our Vice President Berg can personally identify the spies.” Pild took out a silver token from his satchel, signifying that General Clark’s authoritative order was officially in effect.

Bill and his deputies checked the silver tokens and, finding them secure, immediately put them away, saying, "We will obey your orders! Beto, Jorge, you two go and gather the soldiers, remember to keep a low profile."

"Yes!"

The two vice commanders said in unison, with Berto walking past Berg and saying disdainfully, "So, you're the spy all along!"

“Don’t get involved in this matter, and don’t ask any questions. It won’t do you any good,” Christine gently pushed him.

Beto felt his bones go limp and thanked Christine repeatedly, only to be scolded by Commander Bill.

“Beautiful Miss Joanna, shall we go up to the roof now?” Bill asked with a fawning smile.