Chapter 368: Arrogance Darian stood from his obsidian throne with a purpose, his mind made up. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for since the mysterious shopkeeper’s arrival had ignited his spirit. "Deploy all available troops to the border immediately," Darian commanded through multiple communication crystals simultaneously, reaching every military commander throughout his kingdom. "I want every grandmaster, every elite battalion, and every unit moving toward the neutral zone within minutes." The recipients of his orders might have questioned such dramatic redeployment under normal circumstances, but the absolute authority in his voice made questioning impossible. The dark elf military machine immediately began mobilizing with efficiency born from decades of maintaining constant alertness. "The six orc grandmasters as well?" one commander asked, referencing their recent powerful troops. "Of course! This is the moment we’ve been preparing for. Total commitment, no reserves held back." Darian confirmed. He terminated the communications and began his own preparation for personal deployment. If he was ordering total military commitment, his own presence on the battlefield would be necessary both for coordination and to ensure his subordinates understood the critical importance of this operation. Furthermore, he needed to make sure everything went smoothly. Otherwise, this would be the end of his reign if the light eleves were able to dethrone the shopkeeper from the mysterious artifact. Within minutes, the dark elf kingdom’s entire military force began converging on the border with precision. Grandmasters teleported or flew at maximum speed. Elite battalions moved through pre-established rapid deployment routes. The six massive orc warriors began their thunderous march toward the designated coordinates. The careful balance that had existed between the kingdoms was about to shatter completely, and Darian intended to ensure that when the chaos settled, his forces would be the ones standing victorious over the shopkeeper’s corpse and claiming the prize that would secure dark elf dominance for generations to come. The neutral zone where Noah’s shop stood peacefully was about to become the site of the most catastrophic battle the region had witnessed in centuries, with three major factions converging simultaneously on a single target. And Noah remained unconscious through it all, completely unaware that his vulnerable state had just triggered events that would reshape the landscape of this entire region.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Arriving within a few hundred meters of the shop, Lola and the three light elf grandmasters confronted each other in mid-air. The fresh opponents had positioned themselves in a triangular formation designed to create overlapping fields of fire that would be nearly impossible to evade. Lola didn’t stop or slow her desperate flight. She simply continued forward with grim determination, gambling everything on breaking through their blockade through sheer momentum and power. The light elves, having already prepared their assault during the seconds they’d waited, unleashed their attacks simultaneously. The wind specialist conjured a devastating tornado infused with cutting blades of compressed air. The earth specialist created a barrage of stone rocks that shot forward like artillery shells. The third grandmaster, who specialized in water manipulation, generated columns of super-pressured liquid that could pierce through steel. The three elemental attacks converged toward Lola and Noah with overwhelming destructive potential, their combined power representing enough force to kill most grandmaster practitioners outright. The ethereal cat immediately intercepted, launching herself from Lola’s shoulder with desperate courage. Her body generated a barrier of ethereal flames that absorbed some of the incoming damage, buying precious seconds for her master’s escape. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Lola simultaneously helped deplete the attacks’ momentum by conjuring a massive fireball and hurling it directly toward the converging elemental forces. The sphere of flames met the combined assault head-on, creating an explosion that lit up the entire area. The fireball clashed with the overwhelming elemental force the elves had sent, managing to stop their advance for several critical seconds. The opposing energies warred against each other in a terrifying display, fire attempting to disperse wind, evaporate water, and melt stone through sheer intensity. But ultimately, the three coordinated attacks from fresh grandmasters operating at full power won the exchange. The defensive fireball was overwhelmed and dispersed, allowing the elemental assault to continue forward with only slightly diminished strength. The ethereal cat then committed everything to her final defensive action. She channeled her awakened skill to its maximum capacity, generating a massive wave of moonlight elemental energy that intercepted the remaining attacks. The silvery luminescence clashed against wind, earth, and water with desperate force. Rather than attempting to completely stop the assault, the cat used the moment of contact to charge directly at the three elves themselves. If she could engage them in close combat and force them into defensive stances, they couldn’t maintain their ranged bombardment. Lola recognized the opportunity the cat’s sacrifice was creating. Her fire wings blazed with reignited intensity as she darted toward the shop with every ounce of speed her body could generate. Within moments she would cross the threshold into Noah’s sanctuary, where whatever mysterious protections the system provided would finally shield them from pursuit. The shop’s entrance was tantalizingly close—just fifty meters, then thirty, then twenty— But her fate wasn’t meant to allow her inside so easily. Multiple powerful dark elf presences suddenly materialized directly in her path. The ambush was perfectly timed to intercept her at the exact moment when she thought safety was assured. King Darian himself stood at the center of the dark elf formation, a contemptuous smirk spreading across his sharp facial features as he took in the sight before him. His eyes tracked over Lola’s exhausted, injured form before settling on the unconscious Noah cradled in her arms. "Oh? Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Darian’s voice dripped with condescending amusement that made it clear he viewed this as entertaining rather than threatening. "An injured succubus clutching an unconscious human like some maiden fleeing with her wounded lover? How... touching." His smirk widened as he continued. "Did you perhaps suck him dry with your demonic appetites? I’ve heard such rumors about how dangerous succubi are in bed. It seems this particular human wasn’t strong enough to satisfy your needs. What a disappointing specimen."