"Hmm?!" Dragon Momo raised her sword in defense, but when she saw the "thing" flying towards her, she immediately changed her posture and reached out to catch the object.
"Bexia?!" Dragon Momo called out to the Bexia in her hand, but there was no response. She immediately looked towards the dark forest, in the direction where Bexia was thrown.
"Magic: Curse of Weakness!"
Suddenly, a cold voice came from the forest. Dragon Momo, holding onto Bexia, suddenly realized the danger, but it was too late. A purplish-black magic array suddenly lit up from the unconscious Bexia, instantly enveloping Dragon Momo.
"Who?!" Dragon Momo's body was immediately wrapped in the purplish-black magic array. She weakly lunged forward, and Bexia fell from her arms. She struggled to prop herself up and looked towards the figure that appeared in the darkness, her pupils contracted involuntarily.
"It's you, Post!" Dragon Momo, looking at the middle-aged man in front of her who bore some resemblance to the current king of Asman Kingdom, spoke out his name. The man was one of the three dukes of Asman Kingdom and had powerful magical talent. He was known as Post-Tutan, with a high chance of inheriting the title of "King of Magic," and was revered by the Elemental Guild as one of the "Four Wise Mages."
"Is the Asman Kingdom planning to wage war against the Anzu Kingdom?" Dragon Momo seemed to suddenly understand the reason behind all of this. Their target was her, and the consequences of this were no different from starting a war.
"War? You think too highly of yourself, Goddess Momo!" Post walked up to Dragon Momo, and the black magic staff hit her neck heavily. Just before she lost consciousness, she heard words that shocked her.
"Some people in your Anzu Kingdom want you dead, but they didn't expect your life to be so valuable that it could be exchanged for a blueprint of a magic cannon..."
"What a useless waste, but at least the objective has been achieved!" Suddenly, two figures appeared behind Post. One held Dragon Momo, and the other held Bexia. They were dressed exactly like the half-masked man who had just been killed, and a black aura floated around them.
"Huh?! My foolish niece is here too!" Post said as he slowly disappeared into the darkness, leaving the two half-masked men standing in place.
Moments later, noisy sounds came from the foot of the mountain, and the flames gradually lit up the shrine. The kingdom's army had finally arrived at this location, led by Ophelia. When she saw the two figures disappearing into the distance, her pupils contracted involuntarily.
"That's Dragon Momo, and... Bexia!"
"Quick, chase them!" Ophelia immediately gave the order. From a national perspective, if something happened to Dragon Momo, the envoy of the Anzu Kingdom, it could very likely lead to war. Even if it didn't result in war, the consequences would still be unfavorable for the Asman Kingdom.
From her own perspective, both Dragon Momo and Bexia were very close friends. How could she watch them fall into danger?
"Your Highness, this won't work. The mountainous area is not suitable for horses to run!"
"Then follow me, the rest of you maintain the speed and continue forward!" Ophelia made a quick decision. The two figures were not slow, and if they were pursued by a large force, the speed difference would be too great. So, she chose a group of elite soldiers to chase them, which was the best choice at the moment.
"Let's go!" Ophelia took the lead. The military officers present were all capable individuals, at least having middle-level magical power, and there were even several close to the upper level. Only Ophelia, as a princess, had the lowest magical power level, but thanks to her excellent royal education, her speed was no less than that of others.
Under Ophelia's lead, more than a dozen kingdom officials chased after the two half-masked figures in front. The distance between them fluctuated, each time they were about to catch up, the figures would suddenly burst out with incredible speed and increase the distance again. It seemed as if they were deliberately leading them on.
The mountainous area was vast, connecting to a corner of the continent's largest mountain range, the "Seven Golden Mountains." The Seven Golden Mountains were a paradise for magical beasts on the continent, with various types of magical beasts living inside and even a maze for celestial beings. Without professional guidance, the consequences of rushing in would be death.
The founder of the Astan Kingdom once set up a protective magic barrier here to block the monsters from the Seven Golden Mountains, but the protection range is not large, only about a quarter of the mountain range.
Although passing this quarter area does not necessarily mean facing powerful monsters from the Seven Golden Mountains, it greatly increases the chances of encountering monsters. Moreover, the kingdom has limited knowledge of the three-quarters of the area, and with the dense forests, it is easy to evade pursuit.
"Oh no, they are going through the barrier!" A military officer looked at the magic barrier rippling like water waves, and two masked people, one in front and one behind, slipped out.
"Damn it! Princess, should we continue chasing them?" This barrier is to prevent monsters from entering from outside, but there are no restrictions on going out. However, once they are out, it is unlikely to come back unless they have a special item from the Astan Royal Family, allowing unhindered passage.
"Chase!" Ophelia hesitated for no second and pursued. After passing through the barrier, the air became humid with the smell of blood, rotten leaves, and decay.
"They stopped!?" But Ophelia suddenly became alert. Since just now, she had suspected whether the other party deliberately lured them here, and now it seemed to be true.
Glancing at the unfamiliar terrain, this is a rare open area in the forest. The two masked individuals stood about thirty or forty meters in front of them. One of them handed the Dragon Saliva in his hand to the other masked person, and then took out a pitch black scroll.
"Everyone, be careful!" Ophelia loudly reminded the officers, while quickly drawing her own sword.
The pitch black scroll was torn open by the masked person, and a black shadow suddenly emerged from it, devouring him like a monster. The masked person began to scream ear-piercingly. When the black shadow completely enveloped him, Ophelia and the others couldn't help but inhale sharply as they looked at the transformed masked person.
