Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

The black snake clenched its teeth, making a crunching sound.

Time was running out. His plan to lure Alina to Talulah's presence, then backstab her in the face and kill her right there, leaving Talulah helpless and devastated, was on the verge of collapse. With his scheme to possess her a second time on the verge of failure, Black Serpent couldn't care less about anything else.

"Killing you with this body and then throwing you in front of Talulah would be less effective, but it's still better than nothing."

Black Snake slowly stood up, pushing Alina away as if nothing had happened, his face revealing a cold killing intent.

She suddenly released her true form, and countless dark, illusory tentacles shot out from behind "Talulah" like wildly dancing giant snakes, piercing Alina's body from three different locations.

The gray-haired girl's face still held a deep worry for her friend, but the next second she lost all expression. As the light in her eyes faded, the black snake deftly raised its hand to catch the lifeless body, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on its face.

"This is the price for hurting me, Talulah."

She carried Alina's antlers, dragging her body on the ground, trying to return to the guerrilla camp the way she came.

She turned around, and standing before her were Talulah, who looked indignant but not sad; Theresa, who looked down at her; Mudrock, who had lowered her hands and dispelled the light of her Originium Arts; and Alina, who had a hint of fear in her eyes but still stood tall to meet her gaze.

"You've lost, you immortal black serpent."

Theresa used her coldest tone, a rare occurrence, and the true aura of a demon king was revealed. Even though it wasn't directed at the people around her, it still made Sarkaz like Surtr, Mudrock, and Bozokasti take notice.

A haughty, disdainful smile, like that of an empress, appeared on her face:

"Do you think that since I knew all along that my opponent was you, I would have made no preparations?"

"Look at your hands?"

Black Snake instinctively followed Theresa's command and lowered his head to look at the "corpse" in his hand.

A lump of mud was gradually melting, firmly connecting the black snake's hand to the ground.

Mudstone let out a proud sigh.

With so many figurines, it was definitely worth it!

Just because you can transform into Talulah doesn't mean I can't pinch Alina.

You can dress as a woman, and I have dolls too!

Chapter 144 The Emperor's "Sharp Blade"

"Looks like I can't escape today, right?"

Under Theresa's gaze, the black snake seemed relieved, chuckled, and shook its head.

"I never imagined that I, Kosich, who have dominated my entire life, would fall at the hands of you Sarkaz people."

“You didn’t fall to us Sarkaz, you fell to Prince Bruce.”

Theresa clasped her hands in front of her, the ten rings now fully restored. She calmly stepped in front of Talulah, who stood behind her, showing no signs of the near-death she had just endured. If it weren't for the burn marks on her clothes, Black Serpent would have doubted whether everything that had just happened was a dream.

"It's Bruce again, Wayne Bruce. I've never even met him. Why is he targeting me?"

"Do you know Talulah?" Theresa countered. The black snake's voice choked, unable to utter a word.

"You and Talulah are from two different worlds, and you dragged her into your conspiracy just like her. It's only because she has something special about her. Instead of thinking about why Prince Bruce noticed you, think about what's so special about you that made Prince Bruce pay such attention to you."

Theresa raised her hand, and the ring on her left hand burst into red light. The silver-white, silk-like threads that gushed out gathered in Theresa's hand and wove into a longsword burning with blue-green flames.

The Azure Fury, a weapon wielded by the Demon King Quiron, is said by some to be his most prized possession. After its loss, Quiron lost the will to fight the Anti-Demon Alliance and was forced to lead his Sarkaz clan in retreat, ultimately dying in a bloody battle against them on the border of Kazdel. However, others argue that the Azure Fury never existed in the first place. Quiron never possessed a weapon of his own, nor did he have any such treasure. The supposedly invincible Azure Fury was merely a spiritual sword, drawn from the anger of countless Sarkaz who refused to endure oppression and humiliation, using Quiron's powers as a Sarkaz Demon King. The stronger Quiron's anger, the more destructive the sword; conversely, when Quiron grew weary, and when the Sarkaz were no longer angry but instead succumbed to despair and fear, the invincible sword naturally dissipated.

The truth of history lies hidden beneath the vast, misty annals of history, and no one can know the exact answer, but Theresa leans towards the latter version.

As she grasped the cyan longsword, the same raging fury that had burned within her years before, a fury that seemed determined to sever all oppression and humiliation and reclaim the Sarkaz's kingdom. When she pointed the sword at the black serpent not far away, the serpent, lacking even a suitable weapon and with its hands firmly pinned to the ground, instantly felt a suffocating sense of mental collapse.

The rage that seemed to be directed at a soul by millions of Sarkaz, as if they wanted to tear it apart and devour it, was an oppression that words could not describe.

If we were to describe it in Wayne's words, simply put, it was so menacing that even an evil spirit of the Black Serpent's caliber wouldn't dare to approach it.

"Today is your last day, Duke Kosiché."

"Theresia said coldly. A non-existent bead of cold sweat dripped from the black snake's forehead. She grinned, and seeing Theresia's serious expression, she not only wasn't afraid, but actually laughed.

"You cannot kill me, Demon King."

"I've been waiting for this moment. Unleashing your power as a demon lord on the borders of Ursus is the greatest provocation against the Ursus Empire, and you will draw the Empire's blade!"

She sneered, forcefully ripping off the arm that was firmly anchored to the ground by the mud. Dragging her body, which was dissipating into the air, she looked at Theresa, who seemed to have sensed something and frowned, and proudly proclaimed like a victorious rooster:

"The Demon King's scent will attract the Emperor's hounds, and the darkness of Sarkaz will be completely dispelled by the Empire's light today. The Inner Guard will slaughter you, Talulah, and the guerrillas without exception on this snowy plain."

She pointed to herself:

"As for me, I will not die. Wherever there are people, I will be there; wherever there is strife, I will be there. As long as Ursus acknowledges me and needs me, I will never disappear. I will be waiting at the ends of the earth to witness your miserable deaths—"

Before the black snake could finish speaking, its collapsing spirit could no longer sustain the strain on its temporary body, turning into scattered snowflakes and dust.

Having witnessed the Black Serpent's demise, Talulah breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't particularly concerned about the Black Serpent's repeated references to "the Empire's minions." The Black Serpent had threatened her as many times as snowflakes on the tundra, but had it ever succeeded?

This person is all talk and no action.

This time, just as she was about to step forward to thank Theresa, Surtr stopped her. The usually carefree, even somewhat arrogant Sarkaz girl now wore a serious expression, her gaze shifting constantly, as if wary of something around her. However, Talulah scanned her surroundings and found nothing but endless white snow.

"What are you looking at...."

"boom!"

Theresa swiftly swung her sword, blocking a blade aimed at her chest. Then, with a swift turn, she flicked her blade upwards, narrowly deflecting another attack aimed at Surtr's back. The entire exchange was filled with the sound of clashing swords; no one could discern the attacker's location or identity. Talulah's heart tightened, staring in disbelief at the scene. Only then did Theresa finally speak:

"Watch the snow."

Snow?

Talulah looked around. Snow was everywhere. Snow was almost everywhere on the tundra. How was she supposed to be careful?

Wait, this snow?

She reached out and took advantage of a falling snowflake. The snowflake was as black as ink, carrying an ominous and filthy aura. It seemed that there was a murderous intent coming from the snowflake. Talulah's pupils shrank, and she suddenly flicked her hand. The next second, a jet of black energy shot straight into the sky from where the snowflake had fallen.

That's not snow!

Talulah suddenly remembered some secrets about the Ursus Empire that she had learned from the Black Serpent when she was still in the Dukedom of Kosichea.

When the black snow covers the earth, the blades of Ursus will emerge from the snow, and every inch of land they tread will be the territory of the great empire!

The distant sky gradually darkened, and within minutes, a blanket of black snow had covered a corner of the tundra. Filthy, ominous, polluted—conventional adjectives were insufficient to describe the initial feelings upon seeing that black land. A series of dizzying and nauseating whispers echoed in everyone's ears. Ordinary people like Alina were already crouching on the ground, clutching their heads in unbearable discomfort. Even Mudrock, aside from Surtr who was protected by fragments of divine light, frowned in annoyance, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

Only Theresa maintained her even breathing, holding the blue flame in her hand, facing the pitch-black snowfield and the eerie figure that had appeared on the snowfield at some unknown time.

"Hush-huh-"

Chapter 145 All that is illuminated by the sun and moon is Victoria's territory.

Talulah helped Alina, who was squatting on the ground, while looking at the dark figure in the distance.

A tangled network of pipes covered his head, making his sturdy helmet look somewhat like an octopus. He was dressed in heavy military police attire, with thick leather gloves on his hands. He looked like a gravedigger who had just emerged from a cemetery, ancient and heavy, cold and eerie.

Two red lights suddenly shone from his helmet, shining through the gill-like opening onto the snow in front of him. The dark snow was instantly illuminated by an even more ominous crimson light, which was more terrifying than any horror story told by a poet.

The ancient spirits that have long lurked in the land of Ursus, the imperial blade that only appears in legends and ancient texts, and the walking symbol of Ursus—the Ursus Inner Guard—stood before Talulah, their murderous gazes, barely concealed by their black masks, firmly locked onto the people present.

Is there only one?

Talulah swallowed hard and muttered to herself.

There were quite a few of them. Theresa and Surtur were both top experts. When they fought the Black Serpent, although Talulah couldn't affect the Black Serpent, she could still witness firsthand the pure light that filled the entire tent, leaving no darkness to hide, and the Flame Demon's Wrath that devoured the Black Serpent's flames and almost roasted her as well.

Add to that the clay doll that could sculpt Alina's likeness in such a short time, and even perfectly disguise herself as Alina, the mud rock lady whose strength is unknown, and herself.

If the opponent only had one inside defender, they might not necessarily lose. Legends are legends, but aren't all those fighting alongside her now legends themselves?

Talulah felt a slight surge of confidence, but what Theresa said next shattered her illusions:

"There's more than one. Within this range of [countries], there are at least double-digit numbers of enemies."

Two-digit number?

More than ten inner guards!?

Talulah felt a chill run down her spine; her newly ignited confidence was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

"You really think highly of me. Ten inner guards? Considering how Ursus inner guards are selected, you've probably sent out half of them, haven't you?"

Theresa frowned, but tried to remain calm as she questioned him.

She anticipated that venturing into Ursus territory and setting foot on the Ursus snowfields would be an extremely risky decision. She was also prepared to face the Imperial Guards. But she truly did not expect that the moment she made her move, before she even had a chance to unleash the Demon King's power, she would be surrounded by at least ten Imperial Guards in the blink of an eye.

The pitch-black snowfall signified the arrival of the Imperial Guards, while the extent of the black snow represented their strength. A single Imperial Guard could not possibly have completely sealed off all eight directions surrounding Theresa, leaving not an inch untouched! To achieve this level of blockade, one guard per direction, there must have been at least eight Imperial Guards present. Adding the one now appearing before them, that makes nine. Given the Imperial Guards' principle of killing without hesitation, there must be at least two more secretly blocking their escape routes, making it eleven. At least eleven Imperial Guards—considering the unique way the Ursus Imperial Guards were formed, the Imperial Guards had deployed at least half their forces to deal with this Demon King.

What could Theresa say? Aside from a simple, “You really think highly of me,” she had nothing else to say.

"Hush-huh-"

Perhaps hearing Theresa's question, the guards in the distance emitted a chilling, panting sound. The hoarse voice didn't sound like a human's; it was more like the strange tone of an unspeakable beast forcibly imitating a human.

"Your Majesty's lands are not to be invaded by foreign races, and the lands of Ursus are even less to be touched by demons. To murder an Ursus duke on Ursus's soil, are you prepared for how you will die, you alien?"

Theresa forced a smile, her gaze fixed on the guards in the distance, while her head tilted slightly back to look at Surtr, and she whispered an order:

“I’ll open an opening in a bit. You and Mudrock, take Talulah and Alina, and run. Go back to the guerrilla camp and find Bozokasti. He can protect you.”

"What?" Surtr was slightly taken aback, then understood Theresa's meaning. His eyebrows furrowed, and he immediately refused, "Impossible! His Highness Wayne sent me to protect you. How could I possibly retreat on my own?"

She pulled the Levadin sword from the snow, changed her grip from one hand to two, and angrily rebuked:

"They're just a dozen or so Imperial Guards? They're neither human nor ghost, I'll kill as many as they come, what's there to be afraid of!"

Theresa stared at her in astonishment, her expression shifting several times before finally settling into a helpless smile.

"Throughout history, you're the only one who's dared to describe the Ursus inner guard like that. Good, you have Levadin, a fragment of a god on par with demons, but even stronger. You can help me. Then you and I will break their encirclement. Mudrock, you'll lead Talulah and the others to safety!"

Theresa said seriously:

"No excuses, this is an order! One of the main reasons Mr. Bruce came to Ursus is Talulah, we can't afford to let anything happen to her!"

Mudstone gritted his teeth and nodded, struggling, "Yes, sir!"

She was already affected by the inner guards, and the incoherent ramblings in her mind had seriously affected her combat ability. Not good at dealing with mental attacks and without the protection of divine fragments, she would only be a burden here. Taking Talulah and the others away was the best choice.

Her top priority should be to quickly return to the military camp, meet with Wendigo, and have Wendigo lead the team back to provide support.

"Then, get ready."

Theresa gritted her teeth. Ten inner guards—it wasn't something she couldn't gamble on.