As for the remaining two out of five, the Ten Dawns did not bother attacking because there were already others on the job. Elizabeth's eyes widened in pleasant surprise because she saw Benedict, Shirley, and Freon! They were a bit beat up and wounded, but nothing too extreme. Freon conjured a bird made of fire and sent it hurtling towards the two assassins. It glowed brilliantly in the darkness like a phoenix! The scorching heat and light was enough to temporarily dispel the brisk autumn air. Compared to his previous lackluster spells, this thoroughly revealed how close he was to Peak Gaseous Fog! Tendrils of flames whipped around the two assassins like snakes, constricting their prey. His opponents charged through the flames and escaped with burns. Upon seeing their allies die one after another, their fighting spirit dissipated. They aimed to flee!
Their senses were constantly on edge, so they instantly knew when someone snuck up on them. One of them turned around to face the new attacker with a sneer. Although Benedict masked his presence well, it was nothing in the face of a Perception Realm. The assassin raised their dagger to intercept Benedict's downward slash. Thankfully, Benedict's attack moved at a snail's speed in the eyes of his opponent. It looked completely underwhelming and boorish. Could it even kill? The assassin's sense of danger also disappeared. However, their expression promptly changed. Right before the two sides collided, Benedict channeled Martial Energy into his arms, amplifying his power by several magnitudes. The speed of his strike also shot up to extreme levels. If his attack before could be compared to a child playing around, then the current attack was like the impact of a large boulder!
With a strength that defied logic, the instant they collided, the assassin felt a humongous weight slam down on the dagger. Their arms and knees buckled under the immense pressure as the ground cracked underneath. The impact released a shockwave into the surroundings and blasted air away from the epicenter. It felt like a meteor was descending! The assassin strained their body to the limit just to withstand Benedict's attack, but their limbs were crying out in pain. There was no chance to move, much less retaliate. The assassin had the urge to curse aloud. How did these strong foes keep popping out from the Alzar Kingdom? It was like they were as common as weeds! And yet the assassin persevered and maintained the status quo. Benedict's sword could not move any further!
On the other side, Shirley swung her halberd horizontally, bringing a huge gush of wind along with it. Despite her slim figure that embodied the ideal for young women, her strength defied all reasoning. She could swing that heavy halberd like a toy with enough force to kill! Unfortunately, her opponent easily dodged the attack and moved to counterattack, entering Shirley's range of motion. Her opponent was inwardly scornful. Shirley was the definition of all brawn, but no brain. She could swing her halberd around with speed and power, her opponent had to admit that, except there was no technique or skill behind it. It was no different from a child. The assassin just entered striking range when they grew dumbfounded. The halberd came in at an impossible angle, as if Shirley predicted her opponent's movements ahead of time.
Shirley's Mock Perception came in full force here, allowing her ample reaction time to cover up for her poor technique. The assassin managed to dodge the attack again, but they were sweating. Only a few of the assassins assigned to this job made it to the Perception Realm standard, such as the assassins that the Royal Guards were tangled with right now. After all, how rare were Perception Realms? The five assassins sent to attack Elizabeth from behind were obviously weaker, around the level of a Half-Perception Realm. And between Half-Perception Realm or Shirley's Mock Perception, who would win? Shirley continued a relentless assault with her halberd. Downward hack, diagonal slash, horizontal cut, thrusting attack… Neither side held the advantage, as they continued exchanging blows.
Benedict and Shirley battled for a few seconds until they abruptly distanced themselves. Before their opponents could react, a rain of fireballs descended on them from Freon. The timing was truly impeccable! However, despite the flashy show of magical prowess, the assassins effortlessly evaded or blocked the fireballs, cutting them out of the air. The projectiles exploded and covered the battlefield in a thick veil of smoke, which did nothing other than annoy the two assassins. They cut through the smoke when two magic arrows came flying over and pierced them right in the heads. Both of them were instantly killed! The one responsible was surprisingly not Ten Dawn Rosemary, but Elizabeth wielding her Whiteangel Bow. Their excellent unspoken cooperation allowed them to control the tempo from beginning to end. Although their opponents were Half-Perception Realms, the battle was decided in the blink of an eye!
Once all the opponents were taken care of, everyone gathered around Elizabeth. She wanted to ask about her friends' conditions, but there were more pressing matters at hand. From a glance, soldiers were beginning to regroup around her as they recovered from the Featherwind Sect's attack. Everyone had a mixture of varying conditions ranging from light to severe. A few luckier fellows got away with scratches or bruises. They only had a bit of grime dirtying their armor, but nothing more. The unluckier soldiers were bleeding heavily and struggled to walk. They probably suffered numerous internal injuries and their combat ability was almost negligible. As for the rest… they were too weak and injured to move, much less regroup with Elizabeth. Some of them were maimed, and others were crushed under a mountain of rubble. To be honest, considering the Featherwind Sect's attack bisected the town with unparalleled might, this outcome was surprising.
"Does anyone know where General Dennis or the other commanders are?" Elizabeth asked urgently. They needed someone to take control. The longer this went on, the more uncertain the situation would become. After no one spoke up though, Elizabeth grimaced. She shouted, "I will temporarily take command. Here are my orders: Prioritize assisting soldiers that can be rescued. If the rescue operation takes longer than ten seconds, move on. Ten Dawns!"
"At your command, Your Highness!" the four saluted.
"Do we know if the large-scale beguilement array still active? Is escape possible?"
Ten Dawn Iris and Yvonne took a moment to activate their Magic Perceptions. Out of the four, these two had the strongest perceptions, but they quickly shook their heads. "It appears the spell is still active. We will attempt to breakthrough it right now."
"You and Ten Dawn Rosemary will be responsible for that. Work together with some of the Arcanists to figure a way out immediately. Ten Dawn Krogan and Iris, you two will be responsible for counterattacking the Featherwind Sect. I don't want another one of their 'attacks' to come again," Elizabeth spewed out orders as fast as she could think. She turned to some soldiers and said, "I want a detailed report of our casualties. Provide me with an accurate number for our current battle strength immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"In addition, if anyone finds General Dennis or the other commanders, prioritize their rescue, if they can be rescued. If their death is certain, confirm it and report back to me!" A few of the soldiers saluted and rushed off. She pointed at a few groups of people. "You, you, and you. Your groups will be on reconnaissance duty. Establish a mid-sized surveillance range and inform me if you see any hostile moments from the Imperial Council. Do not engage and prioritize your safety. Go!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
She took a deep breath and shouted, "As for everyone else, reform the defensive line and reorganize the ranks. Prepare for the Imperial Council's attack!"
Like clockwork, the soldiers jumped into action and quickly re-established structure. Certainly, the Steel Eagle Brigade was one of the Alzar Kingdom's famed trump card brigades, so their discipline, experience, and ability were a notch above the rest. They were probably the best of the best, the strongest forces underneath Perception Realm! However, it was mainly because of Elizabeth's calm and logical decision-making that everyone could reorganize so quickly. It could be seen exactly how much she grew, since she managed to assume that heavy role without a problem. But not everything could be handled so easily.
An officer saluted and asked, "Your Highness, what should we do with the Li Family?"
Elizabeth's expression changed. "Do we know the statuses of Imperian Qiang or the Imperial Princesses?"