[Vol. 1] Chapter 13: Divine Punishment and the Fifth Princess
The Silver-armored general who had struck the carriage froze in place, and Violet could even see the disbelief on his face.
Not only the enemy general, but even the soldiers responsible for guarding the carriage wore expressions of utter confusion, as if they had never anticipated such a situation.
"How is this possible? Where is the princess?!"
The man's astonished roar still hung in the air when a sudden change occurred.
BOOM!
Something within the carriage seemed to satisfy certain conditions due to the intense impact, and it instantly unleashed a colossal explosion!
Including the man who had struck the carriage, over a dozen elite red-ribboned soldiers in close proximity were enveloped in the blast. The man was flung like a missile, soaring several dozen meters before finally coming to a stop after knocking down several of his own soldiers. The rest of them were obliterated in the center of the explosion, leaving no trace of their remains.
In contrast, the guarding soldiers, due to what was likely a strategic decision, had deliberately maintained a safe distance from the carriage and emerged unscathed.
It was a trap.
The situation had become quite clear by this point.
Violet still didn't understand the full backstory of the attack, but someone had undoubtedly detected it in advance and used unique means to induce this turmoil prematurely, and then laid a trap with the clear goal of capturing the rebels in one fell swoop.
"Thank goodness…"
Violet secretly celebrated, thankful that she had noticed some clues and hadn't rushed to "rescue" right away. Otherwise, not only would she have felt embarrassed for not finding anyone, but she might have accidentally triggered the bomb-like device and made a colossal blunder, leading to a desire to flee to Mars under the cover of night.
Well, now that the cards are on the table, it's time for the counterplay, right?
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
As if to confirm Violet's thoughts, with the situation suddenly shifting and both sides plunged into chaos, a series of swift arrows were released in quick succession in a single direction. In an instant, all of the necromancer mages who had summoned the undead were shot dead, with every one of them pierced through the brain, and not a single person had time to react!
With the death of the summoners, the foul cyclone they had conjured in the air gradually dissipated, and the resurrected undead fell like a row of dominoes. The pressure on the defending soldiers instantly decreased.
At the same time, the resounding battle cries of countless soldiers in silver armor echoed, accompanied by a clear but commanding female voice.
"I am Princess Lilya Melchior, the fifth princess of the Human United Kingdom. Brave warriors loyal to the kingdom, heed my command! Charge! Slay the traitors!"
"Charge!!!!"
Countless soldiers clad in silver armor surged like a tidal wave from the slopes on both sides of the road and the rear. The defending soldiers inside immediately responded and launched a countercharge, rallying with loud shouts.
The sudden turn of events threw the red-ribboned troops into disarray. In addition, their commander had been severely incapacitated by the trap. Though they still outnumbered the surrounding enemy forces, they were on the verge of a complete rout, having lost their will to fight. They were either cut down or captured.
In less than half an hour, this force of thousands had been completely annihilated. This included their commander, the man severely injured by the explosion. A few cunning ones attempted to escape, but they were all felled by arrows that seemingly came from nowhere, piercing through their brains.
It was a classic case of winning against the odds.
"Phew, a brilliant setup. This princess named Lilya is quite formidable. I'm starting to take an interest in her."
At least, Violet thought to herself, she wouldn't be able to do the same thing. She couldn't help but admire the turn of events.
"Just a bit of cleverness. Only the weak need to resort to these kinds of conspiracies."
Her dragon, on the other hand, seemed a bit resentful, but Violet didn't argue with her. After all, her pet was right. While strategy was undoubtedly important, in this world filled with beings of non-human strength, having enough raw power could achieve the same things, and perhaps even more easily.
"Alright, the show is over. It's time for us to leave."
"Huh? Aren't you going to go down and say hello?"
Violet chuckled, "Say hello? What should I say? 'Great job, guys, I'm quite satisfied with what I've seen'? They've already finished the fight. If we go down there now, we'd just be late to the party."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead, then. So, we're… Master, be careful!"
Xiao Guang nodded nonchalantly, about to turn around when her expression suddenly changed. In a flash, she raised her hand and appeared in front of Violet, several meters away, gripping an arrow that gleamed with a cold light in her palm.
"….!"
"You bastards! Insolent and ignorant lower beings, daring to offend the majesty of my master. I shall annihilate all of you! Roar!!!!"
Before Violet could react, her dragon had erupted in anger, crushing the arrow in her hand into fine powder. Terrifying energy surged and condensed into a brilliant white light within her mouth. She opened her mouth.
In an instant, a massive dragon incantation spell, larger than her dragon herself, unfurled, centered around her mouth that was barely half a hand's width across but expanded to encompass an area far greater. It unleashed pure destructive power that tore and distorted the very air.
This was merely a Dragon Breath skill that pure-blooded dragons typically used, but when cast from the mouth of a lv100 Sacred Crystal Dragon, it was an entirely different concept.
"Hey, wait! Don't be in such a hurry to speak!"
BOOM!
A blinding white dragon breath erupted from the Dragon's mouth, even in her human form. With the magical circle's enhancement, it expanded to a width of several hundred meters.
Fortunately, Violet intervened just in time, and at the last moment, her dragon adjusted her aim to shoot into the sky. However, the searing aurora still pierced through the entire sky, splitting the clouds into two. The beam extended for several hundred kilometers without disappearing, leaving nothing alive in its path, not a single bird in sight.
On that day, all living creatures in the Human United Kingdom and the surrounding nations witnessed this scene that resembled a divine punishment, throwing them into fear and unease.
"Roar! Master! Why did you stop me?! Those wretched humans dared to attack you, even if it was just a playful gesture, the malice behind it was equivalent! I cannot tolerate such a thing happening!"
"Alright, alright, don't be so upset, be good~"
Gently, Violet embraced Xiao Guang, soothing her pet who had been completely ruffled. She played with the sensitive tip of her large tail, knowing that, apart from herself, there was probably no one else who could suppress the wrath of the Sacred Crystal Dragon so effectively.
"purr, purr…"
"Ugh… I understand, Master. I'm sorry for acting without your permission."
Xiao Guang's face turned slightly red as she lowered her head in a sheepish manner. Despite the fact that she was considerably more mature than Violet in terms of both appearance and physique, at this moment, she looked like a guilty young girl, cowering in her big sister's embrace and unable to meet her eyes.
"It's okay, you were just trying to protect me. Let's go and meet them. Besides, I'm quite interested in this princess," Violet said.
After releasing the reluctant Dragon and having her return to the pet space for now, Violet lightly tapped her wings and descended in the direction from which the arrows had come.
There, she found a conspicuously guarded, beautiful young girl surrounded by numerous silver-armored soldiers, presumably the princess.
"Who are you?!"
"Protect Her Highness!!"
As soon as Violet touched the ground, dozens of spears were pointed at her from all directions, which looked quite intimidating.
However, due to the radiant effect of the Priestess's [Divine Feather] skill that had not yet been retracted, and the fact that the soldiers were generally only around level 10-15, they appeared somewhat unsure. Only the princess herself and a woman behind her managed to remain composed.
"Are you the princess of the Human United Kingdom?"
"Are you… an Aarakocra? No, Aarakocra's wings can't be this beautiful, and they don't radiate such pure light. Are you an angel?"
A clear and melodious voice, brimming with grace and dignity, flowed from the lips of the girl dressed in luxurious robes. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with long, clear blue hair, a tiara atop her head, smooth and flawless skin, and a face that could only be described as stunning. She exuded an air of nobility and elegance, and her beauty was truly captivating.
She was Lilya Melchior, the fifth princess of the Human United Kingdom, and it was highly likely that she had personally formulated the battle plan. Violet could tell from the look in her eyes that this was a very decisive young lady.