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"You’re here?" The Dark Magic Apprentice slowly made his way up to the rooftop.

The Eagle King gave a silent nod.

Enrico went on, "I have a question."

"Ask."

"Today’s battle—why didn’t you participate?"

"What’s your take on it?"

"If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still have a sliver of hope. But now that you’re here tonight, it confirms my worst fear," Enrico sighed and continued, "Actually, ever since I obtained the Black Crystal Bone Dragon, I felt something was off. Although your presence in many subsequent battles confused me, once I calmed down, I noticed the problem. Your actions appeared to oppose me, but in truth, you were just slowing my progress. Every real opportunity to eliminate me was deliberately missed by you. This became even clearer after the female Light Sword Saint showed up. With her power, if she had joined forces with the orc army, I would’ve had no chance to resist. Therefore, the only conclusion I can draw is this—I am being used by you."

Qigefei raised an eyebrow and asked, "Since you think so, why are you still willing to be used by us?"

"So what? You’re just using me to stir up internal conflict. Whether it's your lord or the Orc King who ultimately wins, it doesn’t matter to me, a human. In fact, it’s an opportunity to expand the rebel army’s influence. I see no reason to pass up such a chance. The only problem is that as a pawn, I’ll eventually be cast aside. The real headache is figuring out how to maximize my benefits in this deadlock."

"Oh, so you're planning to turn the tables on us?" Qigefei's eyes finally lit up with interest.

"Isn’t that to be expected? After battling for so long, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. Do you think I’m the type to just wait for death?" Enrico’s voice grew slightly agitated. "To be honest, if my guess is correct, this Black Crystal Bone Dragon is the transformed Crystal Dragon you once seized from the Holy Temple, right? You gave it to me not to boost my victories, but to keep me alive as a rebel symbol. I rebelled in the Orc King’s territory, so eliminating me is naturally his responsibility. If he fails, it proves his incompetence. Right now, he can’t spare enough experts to crush me because he’s busy dealing with the Holy Temple. As long as I’m alive, the Orc King can’t say he’s crushed the rebellion, which weakens his authority and strengthens your werewolf lord’s position. However, you won’t let me expand indefinitely. To protect the orcs’ interests, you must strike a balance between humiliating the Orc King and eliminating the human resistance. And grasping this balance is my only chance to counterattack."

"How so?" This time, Qigefei was genuinely intrigued.

"Time and strength. I’m sure your decision to move against me will hinge on these two things. Either I’ve existed long enough, or my influence has reached the limit of your tolerance. The threshold for time depends on the changes in the war situation across the continent, which I have no control over. But I can control how quickly I build my strength. In this situation, I have only one choice—to conceal my strength." Enrico paused and glanced at the vast wilderness outside the city before continuing, "If I’d gone all out, I could’ve taken ten times the territory I have now and freed millions of my people. But if I’d done that, that werewolf lord would’ve taken me out ages ago. So I’ve kept to the northwest, hiding most of my strength. Now it seems my choice wasn’t wrong. I’ve successfully bought the longest possible time for development, and you have no idea how much power I’ve actually amassed. These hidden forces are my key to survival and future victory."

Hearing this, Qigefei couldn’t help but nod. "It seems we’ve underestimated you. Both my lord and I thought you were just a small figure who rose by luck, which is why we chose you as a pawn to contain the Orc King. But now it seems this pawn is ready to leap off the board and become a player. However, whether you’re as powerful as you claim remains to be seen. At the very least, I’m curious why you’ve been rambling about all these secrets from the start. Are you trying to buy time for something?"

"Haha, you’re not wrong. I am indeed a small figure who rose by luck. But thanks to you, when pushed to the brink of danger, even a fool can unleash astonishing wisdom. So I’ve grown too. As for what I’ve prepared for you, why don’t you test it out?" As Enrico spoke, a Dark Dragon Spear suddenly materialized in his hand, which he hurled at Qigefei.

The young Eagle King shifted slightly, dodging the incoming spear of magic, but was immediately enveloped by a vast cloud of black mist—the "Dark Banner." However, he quickly broke free and soared into the night sky, asking with some confusion, "You know the Black Crystal Bone Dragon and the ring are ours, yet you still dare to use them against me?"

Enrico, hidden in the black mist, laughed. "If you have a way to counter me, go ahead and use it."

"Fine!" Qigefei said coldly, crushing a crystal rune in his hand—a magical device specially crafted by the King of the Undead to reclaim control of the Crystal Bone Dragon.

But in that instant, Qigefei suddenly felt an immense and terrifying surge of dark magic rushing toward him from the void. Shocked, he unleashed all his combat energy and swiftly moved, covering hundreds of meters in an instant.

His reaction proved correct, as a massive explosion erupted from where he had stood moments ago. The force was equivalent to several tenth-level spells detonating simultaneously, enough to turn any Sword King into ashes. Even though Qigefei moved quickly, he couldn’t completely avoid the explosion. Now hovering in the air, half of his body was covered in wounds of varying sizes, and his clothes were soaked in blood.