Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1460 The World's Most Dangerous Enemy?

"I told you long ago, don't underestimate her."

Pereira's voice drifted over, seemingly ethereal. She had somehow moved behind Hino, standing quietly atop a pure white saline dune, looking down upon this descendant of the pioneers. Ignoring, even conquering, the knight of nature's majesty, she whispered, "You are facing the most dangerous enemy on this planet. Though she is restrained by her own sense of justice and morality, she remains an untamed monster. Do not fight with the thought of victory; fight to survive, or else..."

"He's going to die."

Although his tone was calm, it sent a chill down one's spine.

Upon hearing this assessment, Xinuo couldn't help but chuckle. She wasn't angry at being labeled a monster, nor did she see her sense of justice and morality as the so-called reins. On the contrary, they were precisely the source of her power. Even if she wasn't a young queen, a leader of victory, or even a descendant of the Gostaff family, as long as she upheld justice and remained morally upright, she still possessed immense power, enough for her to fight with all her beliefs and defeat any seemingly invincible enemy.

At the same time, she also noticed a subtle meaning in Pereike's words: "you".

So, it's not just one person?
Looking around, the young knight noticed several figures slowly approaching her from different directions, forming a subtle encirclement. Besides the barbarian demigod who had appeared first, there was a middle-aged man clad in heavy lion-head armor, carrying a broadsword, his thick, golden hair as wild as a lion's mane, exuding an imposing aura; and a woman whose body was completely concealed by a black cloak, only her curves revealing her as a woman, her face wrapped in bandages, like a black-haired witch deliberately avoiding the sunlight. Both of them bore the insignia of the Lionheart Legion: a lion with its head raised, roaring towards the sky—undoubtedly, they were demigods belonging to the Lionheart Legion.

The remaining two demigods are even more unique, as they are not human. However, this is not entirely surprising, given that the Yalas United Empire is a hybrid nation composed of multiple races. It originated after the cataclysmic upheaval, when the Yahe Empire, the most severely damaged, was forced to accept and unite with other races to survive the subsequent catastrophes and invasions from other nations. The "United" in the nation's name subtly reflects this. Although primarily composed of the legitimate descendants of the Yahe Empire, humans still hold a dominant position within the Yalas Empire, but the power of other races should not be underestimated.

One of the demigods was Kapels, also known as the Leshen. If memory serves, Ling and his companions had encountered them unexpectedly in the Sosen Mountains. This race is sometimes called the Mist Elves because they possess the ability to manipulate cold air. They often use the cold air stored within their bodies to create frost and mist, obscuring their vision. Once they advance to demigod status, they become extremely difficult to deal with. The other demigod was the Thunder Giant. Although their name contains the word "giant," they are actually not related to the giant race at all. Instead, they are an elemental life form composed entirely of lightning. Their mystical relatives are water sprites and fire elementals, but they are more violent and aggressive.

The two aberrant demigods wore no insignia, perhaps for convenience, but Xinuo had already guessed that they were likely demigods belonging to the Dragon Fang Legion. Within the Empire, legions composed entirely of aberrants were few and far between, and the Dragon Fang Legion was among the elite. It was said that the designation originated from a giant dragon that joined the Imperial army.

Of the five demigods, if we estimate their strength according to the classification of superhumans, the Thunder Giant is about Sequence 2. As elemental beings, their growth period is quite long, but once they reach adulthood, they will directly possess demigod-level combat power. Kapels is Sequence 3, and the remaining three human demigods are all Sequence 4. However, this does not mean that their strength is weak; it is just that they are limited by their own power system.

Those who possess extraordinary abilities are always accompanied by corruption; the higher the sequence, the more severe the corruption. Therefore, many choose to remain at a sequence they can withstand, refusing to advance further, like Carson Borg, the Greyhill Eagle. However, judging their combat abilities solely by their sequence level would be a grave mistake. For instance, the relic "Primal Arbitration Law" used by that barbarian demigod—if the one affected hadn't been Shino, but someone else, even a Sequence 2 god would have struggled to escape unscathed.
“That’s quite a show of force,” Hino said softly. “I didn’t expect you to join forces with the Empire, Pereike.”

Although the fact that the Imperial Army and the Axis forces simultaneously chose to advance on the Feather Mine after the fall of the Mikkelsen Corridor was enough to show that the two had reached some kind of cooperation in private, it could also be explained as a tacit understanding, since outsiders had no evidence; but now, the fact that an Imperial demigod has appeared openly in the Axis army is much harder to explain.

“Because, if we don’t do this, we can’t limit your power, Miss Hino.” Pereke sighed softly, her tone somewhat desolate for some reason: “Ignoring the signs of danger and focusing on the biggest threat in our hearts is a choice anyone would make. Obviously, in the eyes of the Empire, the threat of the Holy War Army far exceeds that of the Axis powers, nothing more.”

If Cheryl knew that the Holy War Army was being compared to the Axis Powers by the witch, she would surely lament her own unworthiness. However, from the Empire's perspective, it's not hard to understand. After all, the Holy War Army was a threat to the Empire, while the Axis Powers were a threat to the entire Holy Alliance. Faced with the choice between individual interests and the overall situation, people always tend to choose the former. Moreover, throughout history, rulers with an excessively strong desire for power have always firmly believed in the saying: "To repel external enemies, one must first secure internal stability," and the old emperor of the Empire was no exception.

As if to confirm Perecker's statement, the blond man stepped forward and declared loudly, "The rebels are ambitious and have occupied the Feather Mine for nearly half a century, intending to divide the Empire's territory—this is now a fact. His Majesty has been lenient, giving them ample time to realize their mistakes, yet they remain unrepentant. Even when allied nations are fighting valiantly, they disregard the overall situation and disrupt the peace. Their recklessness has reached such a point that only by swiftly eliminating all destabilizing factors can the Empire's dignity be upheld."

He spoke with righteous indignation, but Xinuo found it extremely ironic. The invaders that the allied nations were fighting against were right behind you, so why didn't you dare mention this one thing? The smile on her face had vanished, leaving only a calm and sharp expression, like a sword sheathed, waiting for the moment to be drawn.

“Traitors?” She repeated the word, her voice carrying clearly through the desolate salt sea. “So, in your eyes, those who resist injustice, defend their homes, and refuse to become fuel for the empire’s ambitions are all traitors?”

The middle-aged man in golden lion armor, his deep blue eyes unwavering, held only the cold ruthlessness characteristic of a soldier: "The will of the Empire is order; to defy order is to rebel. The Feather Mine has been part of the Empire's territory since ancient times; how can we allow traitors to seize it?"

"Since ancient times?" Hino chuckled, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm. "Territory seized from the natives with cannon fire and bloodshed? The old emperor's leniency? Does it refer to the 'leniency' he bestowed through exile, conscription, and secret executions? To be honest, I'm not surprised by this rhetoric at all. After all, the histories of the two continents have always been similar, and mortals always repeat the same mistakes."

Otherwise, why would the White Knight Hibernian have left his hometown to follow Joan of Arc in launching an uprising against injustice and tyranny?

Hino firmly believed he was fulfilling the same duty as his ancestors, a mission inherent to the descendants of the Gostaff family. The man frowned slightly: "Descendant of the White Knights, are you determined to support those rebels? I've heard that a famous philosopher from your continent once said that no justice is more important than the interests of the nation. If that's the case, why do you, whose surname is Justice, insist on aiding a group of despicable and lowly rebels? His Majesty has also heard of the illustrious reputation of the Gostaff family and greatly admires the pioneers and the White Knights' cause. If you withdraw today and cease your interference, His Majesty will not hesitate to bestow upon you the title of Duke when the rebellion is quelled; otherwise, we have no choice but to offend you. You have a bright future ahead of you; wouldn't it be a pity to perish in this salt sea for a group of rebels?"

Coercion and bribery.

It seems these imperial demigods are still somewhat wary of Xinuo, opting instead for negotiation. After all, the young knight destroyed a powerful relic with a single shot, a feat that speaks for itself. Furthermore, the Plague Witch Perec bluntly stated that "she is the most dangerous enemy on this planet." While the exact extent of her danger remains unknown—whether she can be compared to the legendary God of Calamity Abraham, the Platinum Dragon King Bahamut, or the father of modern magic, Solomon—it is enough to raise their guard and put them on high alert.

pity.

Pereike, who was not far away, sighed again, with a sense of helplessness: Since he knew that Hino was the heir of the Gostaff family, a descendant of the pioneers and the white knights, he still wanted to tempt her with fame and fortune. Wasn't such behavior very foolish?

For the female knight, it was probably more of an insult.

Hino slowly raised her head, her face devoid of any smile. Her cold gaze silently swept over every face surrounding her—the ferocity of the barbarian demigod, the chilling aura of the Lionheart General, the silence of the Black-haired Witch, the icy light in the eyes of the Deer-Headed Spirit, and the crackling, leaping lightning snakes around the Thunder Giant.

"I don't know which philosopher said such nonsense, nor do I know from what standpoint you define the Holy War Army as a group of despicable and lowly rebels. Of course, I also don't know who gave you the illusion that as long as there are enough people, you can stop me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Brandy, who had been impatient for a long time, let out a long neigh, raised her front hooves and then slammed them down, trampling the salty earth and splashing up a cluster of grayish-white crystals. The next moment, the figure of the girl knight had disappeared, instantly breaking away from the encirclement of the five demigods, and crossing a distance of hundreds of kilometers to appear behind Pereike, thrusting out the spear in her hand without hesitation.

General Lionheart's pupils contracted sharply. Even with his keen eyesight, he couldn't discern the opponent's movement—or rather, it wasn't movement at all, but rather a traversal of space itself. Before the young knight's spear pierced the Plague Witch's heart, he only had time to shout, "Katerina!"

The dark witch snapped her fingers lightly, and in the next instant, countless small, ethereal blue cubes, existing between reality and illusion, appeared out of thin air, like a sentient maw opening in the void. In the nick of time, they swallowed the unstoppable figure, vanishing instantly as if they had fallen into another world. Perec also used this opportunity to escape, giving the demigods of the Empire a meaningful look before gracefully retreating to a more distant place.

Everyone understood her meaning: Don't forget our cooperation, keep the White Knight's descendant occupied, and don't let her leave the Intersea. In return, she will completely destroy the Holy War Army with the power of that terrifying construct mech.

For this cooperation, the Empire even deployed five demigods and brought several relics with sealing abilities. Although the "Primal Arbitration Law" has been destroyed, it was mostly due to Kong Su's carelessness. Katerina has successfully taken control of the other side, and all that remains is to proceed with caution...

"Something's not right, Leonhart!?"

The silent black witch suddenly let out a piercing scream, her bandaged face contorted with terror: "The object in the box is not responding... Illusion generation failed, the cage is collapsing..."

"What!?"

Leonhart, who had just felt relieved, looked up in disbelief, only to find the void tearing apart. The eerie blue cubes that formed the cage were gushing out of the wound like blood, instantly shattering into countless fragments upon contact with the outside world, as if eager to escape an indescribable constraint. From the crack, a figure riding a snow-white steed slowly emerged, casually wielding a spear. The blade struck the wound in the void, instantly unleashing an even more violent tremor. The black witch, who controlled the objects within the box, let out a shrill wail, her head shriveling like a crushed tomato, and dark blood spurted from beneath her bandages, splashing onto the barren, salty earth with a boiling hiss.

She wasn't dead yet, but the backlash from the destruction of the relic had severely injured her. Katerina wasn't the barbarian Konso; she possessed unpredictable physical abilities. The witches of the Insa Church were skilled at manipulating various bizarre relic artifacts, but clearly, such techniques were ineffective against the young knight before them.

Even the contents of the box were destroyed... Leonhardt stared at the knight who had returned from another dimension, a chill running down his spine.

Give me some cats