I really didn't want to burn it.

The two Demon God Pillars have been plagued by misfortune ever since they entered this singularity.

Barbatos originally planned that he and Raum would respectively inhabit high-ranking positions in the Qin and Xiongnu states.

By provoking them, we can lead these two currently strongest nations in the world toward their own destruction.

A very evil plan, but it went wrong from the very beginning.

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Problems arose simply because of this.

Raum was relatively fortunate, as he relied on the lower-ranking nobles of the Xiongnu.

Barbatos was truly pitiful; he didn't rely on any nobles of the Qin Dynasty, but was a slave of the Xiongnu.

This man named Olga was originally a merchant from Western Europe who came to the East to do business, but by a twist of fate he was captured by the Huns and became a slave.

Because of these two awkward identities, Barbatos and Raum spent a lot of time just integrating the Xiongnu.

After they finally conquered the grasslands with their monster army, and used the allure of the Central Plains as bait, they incited the entire Xiongnu army to march south.

Then, they crashed headlong into the iron wall called the Great Qin.

Then there is no more then.

The professional army of Qin directly told Barbatos that the quality of soldiers was never the key factor in determining victory or defeat.

Even with his formidable army of monsters, Barbatos was still unable to conquer Cloud City.

Those two magic cannons during the day were Barbatos and Raum's last trump card.

With their main body's strength suppressed and unable to transform into the Demon God Pillar to fight, those two cannons were Barbatos and his companions' last hope.

Now, all hope has been lost, and they are faced with profound despair.

Most importantly, Barbatos and Raum found themselves losing control of their army.

Even the monster army led by kobolds was very dissatisfied with Barbatos and his companion, let alone the original Huns.

To be fair, the most important reason why the Xiongnu were willing to invade the south was Barbatos' promise to "conquer the Qin Dynasty and live a life of luxury".

Now that things have turned out this way, even the Xiongnu, with their low IQs, are angry.

This is like someone spending a fortune to enter a Michelin 3-star restaurant, only to be served a bowl of swill with not even two fresh vegetable leaves.

It would be strange if this diner didn't go crazy.

I traveled a long way to eat here, and this is what you give me?!

How could you do this to us?

Damn your mother, give me my money back!

"The kobolds and goblins are manageable, but we're having trouble controlling the Huns."

Raum said to Barbatos with a worried expression.

Lao Mu is now like a boss whose employees are demanding back pay; he's practically in a bind.

"Tsk. Humans really don't know when to back down."

Barbatos said through gritted teeth.

“We can’t let this drag on any longer,” Raum said. “Everyone saw the golden walls during the day, and rumors have spread in the army that the Qin state is protected by gods.”

Barbatos's face was as black as a 500-year-old worm, and it smelled terrible.

Whether or not there was divine protection, Barbatos did not know, but he was certain that the mysterious power on the Qin side was stronger than his own.

Barbatos was puzzled: why was there such a big difference in the recovery of power even though they were both in the same singularity?

Raum whispered in Barbatos' ear, "I'm saying, if this continues, the army might mutiny."

"Are they planning to surrender to the Qin state?"

Barbatos realized he'd made a fool of himself as soon as he said it.

Nomadic peoples of the grasslands have always believed in whoever provides the best food; as long as they can survive, being enslaved by others is not a problem.

There was no other way; the nomadic peoples of the grasslands simply couldn't survive in such a harsh environment without this.

The Green Grassland looks beautiful, but living there would be torture.

If the Qin Dynasty could allow the Xiongnu to surrender, even if only as slaves, I believe these Xiongnu people would flock to it.

The reason is simple: Barbatos and Raum are now the weaker party.

"These ungrateful wretches! I can't transform into a Demon God Pillar right now! Otherwise, I'll show you what invincibility and cruelty truly mean!"

"And that damned Qin Kingdom! And that damned Qin State's Grand Tutor! You better pray you don't fall into my hands, or I'll [beep—!][beep—!] and then [beep—!]"

Raum rolled his eyes, ignoring Barbatos's various insults.

After his verbal sparring, Barbatos finally calmed down and began to think about what to do next.

The Qin Kingdom is truly too powerful. Barbatos has no intention of causing any more trouble for the Qin Kingdom until he can transform into a Demon God Pillar.

No way, can't beat it.

So the problem arose: Barbatos didn't know what his next move should be.

As required by his own treacherous boss, Goetia, he needed to destroy the human civilization of the singularity.

However, as long as the Qin state, which Barbatos and Raum perceived as a monster, existed, they were unable to complete their mission.

The awkward part is that Barbatos and his group haven't reached the point of desperation yet.

There was no hope for the Xiongnu, but Barbatos and Raum were still doing well.

They were unwilling to admit defeat now and slink back to the Temple of Time.

However, if they remained in this singularity, they would be unable to make any progress.

Therefore, even though Barbatos and his men didn't know the story of Cao Cao's "chicken rib" (a metaphor for something that is difficult to translate directly but can be translated as such), their feelings at that moment were no different from Cao Cao's.

"What do we do now?" Raum asked worriedly. "Should we abandon the Huns and run away, lie low for now, and wait for another opportunity? Or should we just give up on this singularity? There are so many singularities anyway, losing this one won't be a big problem."

"Um……"

Barbatos was somewhat in favor of the proposal, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

If he, a mighty Demon Pillar, just ran away from a group of ordinary people who don't know any magic, how will he communicate with his colleagues in the future?

Moreover, Goetia wasn't a good-tempered boss. If he died in battle and was resurrected in the Temple of Time, then at least he could be considered a hero.

But he's still alive, and he's already running back? Doesn't this Demon King have any dignity?!

This is precisely what Barbatos is currently anxious about—he is fine, but he just can't find a chance to turn things around.

“We’ll be in big trouble when we get back,” Barbatos said slowly. “He’ll make us wish we were dead.”

“No!” Raum grabbed Barbatos’s arm and said, “We’ll tell him that we were attacked by Grand Heroic Spirits, and that our defeat was only natural!”

"Grand Heroic Spirits?"

Barbatos took a breath; he knew, of course, what a Grand Servant meant.

"Barbatos, if we encounter a Grand Servant, then our defeat is only to be expected!"

Raum emphasized this truth.

Barbatos nodded vigorously in agreement.

Indeed, it is normal, reasonable, and even glorious to be defeated by a Grand Servant!

Because the existence of Grand Servants is to deal with Beasts like their scumbag boss.

It's perfectly reasonable and understandable that a nobody like myself can't defeat a Grand Servant.

"Which Grand Servant do you think we'll encounter is better?"

Barbatos seemed to be asking Raum a question, or perhaps talking to himself.

"Assasn?...No, no, how could I possibly survive seeing him? Arch?...It's not Greek. Sab or Rid?...Isn't that too far-fetched?"

"Why don't we just choose Cast?"

"Raum, are you an idiot?! Grand Cast is our former boss, how could he possibly be here?"

Raum shook his head repeatedly: "I didn't say anything."

Barbatos and Raum exchanged a glance, and after seeing the terror in each other's eyes, they both turned around at the same time.

A man dressed in a black imperial robe stood by the large tent curtain.

"I think I've heard something interesting. Could you tell me more about it?"

Ying Zheng looked at Barbatos and Raum with a half-smile.

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P.S.: The chapter title is a reference to a famous post-match interview of the Chinese national football team.

I won't go into the details of the cause and effect; those who have read it should understand.

If you haven't seen it, you can find it on Bilibili.

Searching for "refund" will bring up the results. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Chapter 18 Huns: Long live the Holy Maiden!

"The Heroic Spirits of Chaldea?"

Barbatos and Raum looked wary.

"Well, let's just say so."

Ying Zheng answered casually.

"Your stealth skills are quite impressive, being able to get here so quietly."

Barbatos spoke as he slowly stood up.

He and Raum slowly approached Ying Zheng from the left and right, attempting to block his movement routes.

Ying Zheng recalled a phrase his friend often said: "Successful stealth is achieved by eliminating all the witnesses."

“That’s right, I have great confidence in my stealth abilities.”

After confirming that he had killed everyone who saw him, Ying Zheng readily admitted it.

“However, you have now been exposed.” Barbatos smiled sinisterly. “This is the midst of an army; you have walked right into a trap.”

This singularity suppressed their mystical power to an almost abnormal degree; even Barbatos and Raum of the Demon Pillars did not have the idea of ​​overwhelming the entire army.

As for the Servants summoned by Chaldea, they're nothing more than super soldiers at best.

Ying Zheng showed no sign of panic; he tilted his head and curled one corner of his mouth into a smile.

"Is that so... You think you can still muster an army now?"

"Of course I..."

Before Barbatos could finish speaking, shouts of battle erupted outside the tent, followed by firelight shining through the curtains into the tent.

Without needing to confirm, just hearing the soldiers shouting and yelling outside, Barbatos and Raum knew that the Qin army had launched a night attack.

"You Chaldea have joined forces with Qin?!" Raum roared in disbelief. "How is that possible? That she-fox clearly told us..."

"Oh ho, it seems you have quite a few secrets..." Ying Zheng laughed even more heartily, "If you tell me everything, I'm willing to give you a quick death."

Upon hearing this, Barbatos burst out laughing: "You think you're like me, a Heroic Spirit of Chaldea?"

Raum stepped forward as well: "We are not puppets of you restraining forces, we are beings of a higher level!"

"Your biggest mistake was facing both of us alone!" Barbatos laughed loudly. "You probably think you're a hero spirit from the Celestial Empire, and that you're incredibly powerful because of your legendary status, right? Let me show you what it means to be outmatched!"

Ying Zheng opened his arms as if to embrace Barbatos and Raum.

"Since you've all said so, I'm really looking forward to your performance. I hope you won't disappoint me."

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"Kill!"