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

"Why not stay inside? I remember there are quite a few rooms, right?" Wayne chimed in.

“The value stipulated in our contract does not include the right to use this villa. Being able to use this estate is already an illegal project.”

“Inflexible,” Wayne commented. “Use your brain a little. Your thinking is just too rigid. I heard from Boss Yin that you’re a researcher? A researcher’s thinking isn’t good if it’s so rigid. You should loosen up a bit sometimes.”

“Since you know my identity, you should also know about the reforms I implemented in Victoria, right?” Wayne asked.

SilverAsh nodded: "The eight-hour workday, the infected workers' labor law, the mine opening standards, and the current Victorian holiday standards—these are all reforms you introduced."

“It’s all about welfare reforms,” Wayne added. “While countries across the land are implementing a series of laws that oppress workers and exploit infected people, only Victoria’s workers live in an enlightened and relaxed environment. But Victoria’s economy has not weakened as a result; on the contrary, it has become stronger. Technology has developed, factories have increased, and the so-called experts’ predictions of Victoria’s collapse have crumbled on their own in just six months. Do you know why?”

SilverAsh and Nosis exchanged a thoughtful glance. After a moment, they shook their heads and looked at Wayne in unison.

Just when they thought Wayne was about to enthusiastically answer their question, Wayne shrugged and shook his head:

"You think I'm going to tell you? No way. This is Victoria's secret."

"Of course, this principle isn't difficult to understand. With your intelligence, as long as you step outside your current thought framework and analyze it from a more macro perspective, you can easily arrive at the correct conclusion. As for now..."

Wayne stopped in front of a towering wall.

To SilverAsh and the others, it was a wall. But to Wayne, it was the Snow Demons' army.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they stared at Wayne and the others, as if they were enemies from a past life. They held axes and halberds, their blades gleaming with a chilling aura. Clad in armor, they formed a formidable, dark wall, and marched step by step toward Wayne.

Wayne's lips curled into a smile.

"Finally, something real has emerged."

Chapter 104 A brick protruded from the base of the wall.

Holding sharp axes and halberds, they formed a battle formation and advanced in unison. Compared to the previous ridiculous traps and pitfalls, this was at least somewhat indistinguishable.

The demon had laid three layers of traps. The first layer was the effect of illusion. In SilverAsh and the others' eyes, what they were checking was just an immovable high wall. If Wayne hadn't suddenly stopped and his expression had changed, they probably wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with the wall. They would have been surprised that the demon was using an illusory wall to block their way, and then carelessly walked forward, only to be chopped into pieces like New Year's cured meat by the real snow demon with its axe.

But with Wayne present, the possibility of carelessly stepping into a trap and being killed was definitely gone. Therefore, the demon prepared the remaining two nested traps.

Now that Wayne can see through the walls, he now holds the power of choice. As expected, the Snow Demon has been corrupted by the evil spirits, trapped in hallucinations, and may even attack Wayne. So the question is, after confirming the Snow Demon's condition, should Wayne save it? If so, how?

The Snow Demons trapped in the illusions created by the demons are no ordinary dog ​​like Kroos who ate poisonous mushrooms and ended up in the hospital; their danger level rivals that of Lucien, the Shadow Demon controlled by the leader, Dionysus. Most importantly, they cannot be physically brought back to their senses simply by being beaten up.

This is the third layer of the demon's trap. Those trapped in the demon's illusion are unaware that they are in an illusion. The snow demon warriors, who believe they have obtained a sword and are about to defeat the demon king of the invading holy land (in Sherag's context, it should be the holy mountain), will not only fail to wake up after being defeated by Wayne and others, but will also follow their own will and end their own lives as defeated guardians of the holy mountain.

Therefore, if Wayne chooses not to save them and simply leaves after learning of the Snow Spirits' current condition, the demon will continue to corrupt them until they too become followers of the demon's worship, and then the Snow Spirits will hunt down Wayne and his companions. If Wayne chooses to save them, he will have to confront the Snow Spirits, strengthened by the demon's influence, and whether he can win is uncertain. Even if he wins, the Snow Spirits will not be saved; instead, they will choose to end their own lives due to defeat, and Wayne will still be powerless to do anything!

The evil spirit will give you two choices, but no matter what these two choices seem on the surface, once you take off its outer garments, it is dirty and ugly, and has only one purpose, which is to make your life miserable.

Giving you hope is a way to lure you into despair, and giving you despair is a way to keep you in despair. Alfakson I was determined that even though Wayne seemed to know some of the characteristics of demons and even possessed a demonic aura, he would leave him with no choice. Sometimes, defeat when you know everything is more cruel than defeat when you know nothing.

It's a well-thought-out plan.

After learning the true nature of the wall in front of him from Wayne, SilverAsh's expression immediately turned serious.

As intelligent as he was, he naturally understood the mastermind's intentions: to incite Wayne and his group to fight the Snow Golems. SilverAsh knew the strength of his troops; when fully arrayed, their fighting power was comparable to a regular Victorian local army. While not on par with the Royal Army, their professionalism was still above average in Terra.

Defeating them would be no easy task. Especially considering they only had five people, four combat-capable individuals. Nosis's magic was completely ineffective against the Snow Goblins. To cope with the ever-present blizzards of Kjerag, the Snow Goblins had undergone rigorous cold-resistance training. Nosis's rudimentary ice magic was easily countered by even Wayne, a self-taught ice magic user who had stolen some techniques from Frostnova. Let alone a large group of warriors. Even if SilverAsh dared to gamble and use his family's True Silver Slash, the idea of ​​four against hundreds was wishful thinking.

At least in SilverAsh's mind, such behavior was wishful thinking.

"Do you want me to go for it?"

Surtr planted his twisted greatsword, almost taller than himself, into the ground. A raging inferno immediately engulfed the sword, spreading across the earth and coalescing behind Surtr into a headless, lava giant three times his height. This was the form of the divine fragment residing within Surtr's divine weapon, [Leivadin]. The swirling flames dispelled the winter chill, and although they almost completely enveloped Surtr, miraculously, they didn't harm an inch of the Sarkaz girl's delicate skin. At that moment, SilverAsh realized how the red-haired Sarkaz girl could still be wearing only a thin shirt and shorts in the January wind. An embodiment of lava and fire, what fear could she have of mere snow and wind?

"Don't use foul language in front of Prince Wayne, Surtur!"

Mudstone offered a somewhat helpless reminder, but judging from her weak voice, she had clearly repeated this countless times. Surtr, with her unwavering perseverance, had successfully rendered all those reminders futile. With a sigh of resignation, Mudstone turned her back, took the iron hammer from her back, and slammed it heavily onto the ground. The surrounding flat earth instantly rippled like a calm lake, waves of earth emanating from the hammerhead, producing muffled sounds like morning bells and evening drums, as if calling out to the earth.

Mudstone turned to Wayne and asked for instructions:

"Do you wish to fight, Your Highness Wayne? This land belongs to you, and I need your permission to use the Blood of the Filthy Soil."

"I think we need to have a fight right now, do something we've never done before, something really extreme—scold them awake!" Surtr eagerly chimed in. "It's been so long since I've combined with Mudrock to transform. If we go together, we're guaranteed to wreak havoc!"

SilverAsh's lips twitched. He wanted to say, "There's no need for the indiscriminate killing. Can't you spare some? They're our own brothers after all." But the words stuck in his throat. Whether the Snow Demons, controlled by the demons, could return to their original state was completely unknown. If Wayne decided that this powerful threat must be eliminated immediately, SilverAsh would have no choice but to make a decisive choice.

But seriously, are Surtr and Mudrock, the two guards, really planning to confront his Snow Demon mercenary group head-on? Two people like that might not be enough...?

Hmm, the Snow Demons are still quite strong. Maybe Surtr and Mudrock can't beat them, or can't completely defeat them, and actually wake them up from their illusions?

SilverAsh thought to himself.

But Wayne stopped the eager Surtr, taking a step forward alone and sticking to the very front of the group.

The demons' plan was sound. Anyone else, even Theresa, who was also unaffected by illusions, would be helpless against these mountain snow demon warriors.

But Wayne was never someone who could be judged by common sense. Any self-righteous notions of common sense or rules could only be met with a "no" in Wayne's presence!

Under the questioning gazes of the demon and the crowd, Wayne said:

"Surtr, Mudrock, and SilverAsh and his Tenzin (bird). Get ready, I'll give you a shout. If that doesn't work, we're back! If it does, we're in!"

"What are you shouting for?" SilverAsh asked in surprise after being called out, but before he could finish speaking, he was drowned out by a louder command from Wayne.

With his blond hair and golden eyes, Wayne cleared his throat and said loudly:

"[Attention! At ease!]"

Immediately afterward, under the shocked gaze of the demon, the stunned gaze of SilverAsh, and the disappointed gaze of Surtr who had failed to make a move, the wall in front of them suddenly straightened up, and then several bricks protruded from the right corner of the wall.

Well, now they're really stuck in a corner.

P.S.: Bad news, I failed calculus. 56 points, and the teacher didn't bail me out.

Good news! I did very well on everything except Calculus. There's still hope! There's still hope!

Chapter 105 Grown Crooked, Grown Crooked

"Looks like it worked!" Wayne clapped his hands with some surprise. If the last brief control over the demon could be explained as an outburst in a desperate situation, then this time, Wayne's forceful struggle for control against the demon and his eventual victory truly demonstrated that Wayne's strength was greater than the demon's.

Although this power is limited to the mental realm, compared to the many achievements of defeating demons in the physical realm, this is undoubtedly a feat unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated. Wayne, satisfied with the successful experiment, nodded and immediately called to Surtr and the others:

"Don't just stand there, go and rescue them!"

"Save what?" Surtr blinked. In their eyes, all they saw was a wall. Even though they knew the wall was made up of manipulated snow demon warriors, they had no way to attack it.

How can you rescue someone if you don't even know where their legs are or how they're standing? You can't just let the mudstone wrap around them like a big ball of mud and stuff them inside; they'd suffocate.

Wayne hadn't expected this. Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, a jet-black mist surged from inside and outside the passage towards Wayne and the others. Unlike normal water vapor, the black mist had a distinctly viscous texture. Being in it felt like being trapped in a swamp. The feeling of pressure and repulsion gradually seeped into their internal organs from their skin, and even their blood seemed to stop flowing.

The black mist spread rapidly and was utterly unstoppable. It quickly severed everyone's vision, breaking through any physical defense or resistance. Even Mudrock, blessed by the earth, was instantly overwhelmed by this bizarre and sudden attack. Surtr wielded her longsword, the scorching flames briefly dispelling the gathering mist around her, but the power of the divine fragments was ultimately limited. The blazing flames held firm for less than five minutes within the thick black mist before flickering and extinguishing. SilverAsh and Nosis stood back to back. The moment the black mist appeared, SilverAsh raised his cane and used Originium Arts to unleash his family's True Silver Slash, attempting to dispel the approaching black mist with the powerful sword wind. However, any physical counterattack was ineffective against the black mist. The icy, bone-chilling sword wind swept through the mist with the Originium Arts, passing straight through it. Before SilverAsh and Nosis could react further, the black mist had already engulfed them.

Only Wayne, standing at the very front of the group and the first to encounter the black mist, seemed to be deterred from approaching by it, as if the mist itself feared him. His golden eyes shone with an ethereal light, persistently illuminating the ground beside him. He stared straight ahead, where something seemed to be brewing within the writhing darkness. The neatly arranged mountain snow demon soldiers seemed to fear something, and the increasingly viscous and nauseating black mist, which appeared ready to liquefy at any moment, seemed to envelop something.

Wayne knew the identity of the "monster." After his repeated provocations, the demon finally revealed its true form from the shadows.

It was a man's body, or perhaps even that would be a euphemism, for the body could no longer be called a body; it was merely a mass of flesh and blood. The shattered skeleton could no longer withstand the immense power of the bizarre creature residing within, and the forced release of magic had rendered the body like a dried-up corpse. But the demon that caused all this—Elfaxen I—was oblivious to it all. It continued to use this broken and twisted shell, feeding on the already collapsed soul within, devouring and manipulating it like a queen ant being fed by a swarm of ants.

It emerged from the black mist with a comical, self-righteous air, bearing a scepter crafted from pure Originium and one of its own finger bones (its leg had been broken in Yan Kingdom; after escaping, it treated the items it collected as relics of the church, so this finger bone was actually a toe). Atop its head was a jet-black triple crown, modeled after the Lateran Pope's crown and inlaid with countless Originium stones. Looking down at Wayne, it even spoke in human language:

"This is the kingdom of God that you have trespassed into. You must have already suffered under His rule, you human who escaped death from the hands of my own people."

There are so many flaws in this statement that Wayne didn't even know where to begin.

But Wayne remained alert and focused, keeping himself clear-headed, and earnestly asked Alfakson I, who could actually speak human language, "Are you a demon?"

"Vulgar! My name is Elfaxen I, the greatest Caesar of Rembiton, the ruler of the scorching winds and hot lands, and sooner or later I will become the king of Victoria, the sorcerer king of Letania, the godfather of Syracuse, the emperor of Gaul, the king of kings of Sargon, the president of Colombia, the protector of Bolívar, and finally, I will fight back against the Great Yan and become the true god of the dragon."

Wayne's lips twitched. He thought to himself, "If I had known, I would have been better off not asking. Your answer has even more flaws than the last one."

Putting everything else aside, Colombia has been a country for half a year. That judicial machine called the "President" has long since collapsed and crashed after the dissolution of the judges and Congress that controlled him. Are you planning to mechanically ascend and seize his position? And Gaul, the Gallic rooster has been around for over fifty years. Although the body of the last emperor, Corsica I, has still not been found, you wouldn't actually want to cosplay as a demon and have him return like lightning, would you?

Colombia is fragmented by warlords, so there's no such thing as a protector of the country. Syracuse is full of powerful families, and the newest potential unifier of Syracuse is nicknamed the Lady of Sicily, not the Godfather. The Witch King of Letania was thrown from the top of a tower, and the country is now ruled by twin sisters, a kind of shock therapy approach. Sargon's leaders are the Pasha and the Sultan, the strongest of the Pashas, ​​not the King of Kings.

None of these titles are accurate. This demon looks ambitious, but his knowledge level seems even lower than Surtr's. And he calls himself the True God of Terra, with the ultimate goal of counterattacking the Great Yan? Why? What grudge does the Great Yan hold against you?

Most importantly, you are a demon, an enemy of civilization, and the nemesis of humanity.

Why do you speak like a human, inhabit a human body and resurrect yourself, wear human clothes, and covet human power?

To take what you want to destroy as your life's... no, your demonic life's goal, have you really not gone astray?

"How dare you! Why are you staring at me like that? Are you so stunned by my magnificent appearance that you can't even speak?!"

“Oh right, right.” Wayne rolled his eyes and ordered, “Release my friend from your degraded version of [Kingdom].

Alfakson raised an eyebrow, hardened his heart, and opened his mouth to rebuke:

"Insolence! How dare you command me? Do you think that just because you have a little skill, I will obey you? Human?"

As he spoke, Alfakson waved his scepter, throwing Surtr and the others out of the black mist.

"How come..." Alfakson belatedly glanced at his unruly arm and the freed Surtr and the others, his expression changing. He forced a composed explanation, arrogantly saying:

"Hmph, I really do know how!"

Chapter 106 The model kit guy smashed it but was still showing off.

That's it, it's completely gone astray.

Wayne shook his head silently in his heart. Although it was wrong of him, looking at the demon's rather dim-witted appearance, he genuinely felt sorry for the child.

“I’m telling you, the kingdom isn’t like this. I’ve seen the real kingdom. The black mist released by that demon is as thin as gauze, silent and spreading rapidly, covering a large area in the blink of an eye. The people inside aren’t sticky like this. Their sense of time doesn’t change; they’re just dragged into another space with a different time flow, which is why they appear to move slowly from the outside.”

Wayne described the "kingdom" of the demon he had seen in the northern border of Victoria, and compared to the kingdom of this demon who called himself "Elfaxen I," it was like heaven and earth. Elfaxen I's "kingdom" expanded at a speed that could only be described as average, but it was far from the speed at which the northern demon's kingdom had expanded to this extent in the blink of an eye. The form of the black mist symbolizing the kingdom was also completely different; one was as ugly as filthy mud, while the other was silent and even had a somewhat distorted, hazy beauty—one was heaven and earth in comparison. As for the effects, they were worlds apart.

While its corrosive power is also strong, Alfakson I's "Kingdom" can only slow down people's movement speed through the heavy and viscous nature of the black mist itself. Essentially, it merely changes the characteristics of "mist," turning it into an "air swamp." However, the Northern Demon's "Kingdom" truly erodes space, creating a self-governing domain that directly severs and disrupts people's perceived time from the outside world. Ultimately, it achieves a "subjective time slowing" effect similar to the artifact "Chains of Time," and even surpasses it. It can put all enemies within the Kingdom on "pause" in the movie of time.

The destructive capabilities of the [Kingdom], along with the [Fear Collapse] technique of the Northern Demons and Ursus Guards, rely on the complex application of this spatial ability. It directly annihilates the chaotic space corrupted by the demons, thus destroying any enemies trapped within, leaving not even a trace. Such magic completely ignores any defense, because even the strongest defenses only protect against enemy attacks. If the space you stand in is annihilated, then defense is utterly meaningless.

This is the Ark world; the incredible four-dimensional defense of a sword sheath simply doesn't exist here!

If it weren't for the heaven-defying, dimensional-reducing attack from Vayne, comparable to a sword sheath, the Fear Collapse would have had no chance of being broken. Even Vayne wouldn't dare to withstand a single Fear Collapse—the strength of the soul cannot change the weakness of the body. If he loses his physical body as a vessel, no matter how strong Vayne's soul is, it's like a nuclear warhead without a launcher; the Consciousness Empire cannot interfere with the material world.

And this Elfakson I, with his "Kingdom," successfully made Vayne doubt the true value of this terrifying skill. If this can be considered a "Kingdom," then isn't this spell a bit too cheap?

So much so that when Surtr and the others were caught off guard and imprisoned in the kingdom, Wayne himself did not dare to act rashly or rush to rescue them. He had to be on high alert. What was the point of being so serious?

After thinking for a long time, Wayne still couldn't find a more tactful way to put it. Since the other party was also a demon, there was no need to consider etiquette, so he bluntly said with contempt:

"Your 'Kingdom' isn't quite right. Are you sure you call this a 'Kingdom'? Could you have used the wrong term? Maybe it's actually a 'Village,' or something more in line with Rembitox's terminology like a 'Settlement'?"

Alfakson I had never been so humiliated. Although its body was long since devoid of blood, and it was impossible for it to be red-faced, just from its stomping and teeth-grinding, Wayne could tell that his words had probably been quite damaging.