"Hmm......" Lily touched her nose, "whatever." Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 No matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than the Abyss Lord? ”

She thought she was ready for anything, and she wouldn't be surprised or scared even if she encountered the fire demon again.

However, on the ninth day of the Winter Moon, what they had been busy for a long time ushered in was the Praetorian Guard of the Oren Empire.

Dressed in sleek steel armor and armed with unusually strong swords, they were covered with silver-white steel shields carved with golden two-headed griffons, the royal insignia of the Orren Empire. All of their expressions were concealed under the covered steel helmets, and from their neat formation and steady steps, it was certain that it was a high-morale force. A soft white light shrouded the entire guard, bringing a vague sense of holiness and oppression.

The Legion's commander walked slowly forward, standing across from Shirinfell - and Lily and the others. Compared to the well-organized Praetorian Guard soldiers, his armor looked a little shabby, and there was no light on his body. But it seems that the sharp momentum that has gone through thousands of battles makes everyone can't help but focus their eyes on the past.

Lily recognized him at a glance. One of the former members of the brigade, the Imperial General and the undertaker of the Crow Knights, Barak "Wolf Shepherd" Einhardt.

"By order of the Emperor, Rogman Optron III, it is hereby declared." The man spoke calmly and indifferently, without giving Lily a second glance, "The Kingdom of Elders used the forbidden law to deliberately summon demons to descend into the world, causing thousands of people in the empire to die, which is a disaster for the continent. He paused for a moment, his gaze locked on the silver-haired commander, and his voice was low, "The Oron Empire will declare war on the Elders Kingdom from now on. ”

Lily felt a chill creep up her spine—the man's words were serious. The scene of the fall of the Crow Knights is still vivid, and this time...... Whatever the outcome, is it the entire Elna kingdom that he wants to defeat?

"Wait a minute!" She couldn't help but retort, "We...... Erna didn't deliberately summon anything! It's better to say the opposite, we finally just-"

"Needless to say." Barak coldly interrupted her, "For the sake of the people who have fought together, this is the only time I have allowed you to leave. ”

There was no emotion in that voice, and he who had praised her for growing up was completely like two people. Lily suddenly thought about whether his attitude would have been different if she had been on the side of the Empire at this time, fighting alongside Barak.

This is a pointless assumption. They have made it all the way here, forged friendships with many people, overcome hardships and dangers, and even trust them to live and die. Moreover, the Erna people may have made mistakes, but it was not such a war that should be used to make up for them.

"That's your answer...... Is this what you want? You must use everyone's blood to add to your victory! Lily gritted her teeth and glared at the man, "Oh we used to worship you, Alphonse!" ”

She threw away the obsidian greatsword, her eyes fixed on Barak, and she sped forward at full speed, leaving behind the sound of the wind and Amberly's exclamations.

Fifty meters between the two of them was only a dozen steps, or a few seconds, to Lily.

The slightly older man raised his heavy sword and swung it down. The blade flashed with light, and then slashed through the space of tens of meters and slashed at the mercenary's body - Barak knew Lily's potential, so from the beginning, he didn't spare his hand.

Several blue walls of light emerged one after another. Alphonse used his magic amplification to create an invisible barrier between the two. The magic sword collided with the wall of the force field, and the three walls of light shattered one after another, but after all, it weakened most of its power, leaving only a shallow blood mark on the mercenary's right arm.

The attack is not over yet. Barak took a step forward, and his magic instantly filled the sword. Lily was still thirty meters away from him, and she knew it would be difficult for her to dodge the blow, but there was no way she could stop, even if death would come the next moment.

Then, again, she heard a familiar voice.

"-Don't hurt, Lilianor!"

There was no need to look back, she knew what Al had done. The mechanic, who was supposed to be overloaded and temporarily unable to move, still cast a spell that was threatening enough to force the man to change the target of his attack.

The magic blade slashed within a meter of Lily, slicing through space farther away. The sturdy Mithril body could not withstand the blow, and there was a piercing sound of twisting, breaking, and heavy objects falling to the ground from behind him, but Alphons's words were never heard again.

However, he bought enough time for the mercenary. Taking advantage of the gap between the man's sword, Lily arched her body and instantly turned into a giant wolf more than ten meters long. She let out a low roar, her body like a bolt of lightning rushing straight ahead, her claws aimed at the top of the man's head with a thousand powers.

An unbelievably strong hurricane rose from the ground, whistling with sand and scattered dead branches, like a moving wall, forcibly pushing her away from Barak. Lily thrust her claws into the dirt, trying to keep her body steady - and then the storm condensed into a solid white palm that slapped her flank.

The female mercenary was swept several meters away by this blow and rolled over, but she was not injured. She rolled over and got up, ready to pounce again, but a bolt of lightning came straight in front of her with a sharp killing intent, causing her to instinctively arch her body and switch to a defensive stance.

A muscular woman stepped into the air. She was dressed in loose casual clothes, with short black hair, her left hand casually behind her back, her right hand pointing between the wolf's eyebrows, and lightning leaping between her two fingers. She was less than a tenth of the mercenary's size, and Lily couldn't find an opportunity to attack as she watched her size.

"Whisper of the Wind" Jill, with his own will, helps some people to achieve this war." She had a smile on her face, and her light voice spread to everyone's ears with the gentle breeze. She lowered her head and looked Lily in the eye, "I didn't plan to kill you, it's not a good thing to be impulsive." ”

"Thou art ...... The guy who used to be with Annaville? Lily almost squeezed the words out of her throat, "Thou, have you broken your oath?" ”

"Nope." The smile on the black-haired woman's face did not dissipate, "All I want to pursue is power, just like you." Also, thank you very much for Annaville's business. ”

Lily glared at Jill. The woman's attitude was too calm, and she couldn't refute it for a while. At the end of the day, helping the people of Erna is nothing more than her personal decision. Perhaps, as Leo had said, and as she had seen in many worlds, there was no justice in war from the beginning.

The Imperial Praetorian Guard slowly approached with swords and shields. The knights of the Golden Lily, who were still capable of fighting, flipped their mounts and clenched their spears. The two sides confronted each other nervously, both waiting for the next command from the commander.

"Ms. Jill." Yuffie approached the two of them a little and asked calmly - she couldn't understand why the girl could be so calm, "Is this the case in your hometown?" ”

The dark-haired woman tilted her head slightly, her eyes flashing.

"That's right. To have strength to live, that is the truth we have there. She replied, "Because our land is not favored by the gods." ”

"You are not welcome in the forest anyway." Shirinfell finally spoke, and the magic swirled around her, melting into the earth, "Please leave. ”

The sky suddenly became overcast. The sunlight was almost completely obscured by the clouds, and the forest was darkened, except for the glow of the Imperial Guards. A faint roar of thunder rolled through the clouds, and a dazzling lightning bolt struck down just in time for Barak's location.

Lily turned her green eyes and saw the man take a step back, his expression unchanged. At the same time, Shirinfell snorted slightly in pain, along with a lively voice.

"Hey, the little girl who can turn into an ogre, long time no see." The little black man pulled a gray dagger back from the silver-haired woman's back, waved his hand at Lin, and shrugged his shoulders again, "Don't be angry, I know what you want to ask - well, this, all I can say is that I am just a 'small favor' from above?" ”

The dark clouds that covered the sky dissipated, and the sun fell on the forest again, but it did not bring any warmth.