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"Hmph, if it weren't for being ambushed earlier, with that strange woman's ice elemental power seeping into my body and forcing me to get rid of it first, even if you add those two women plus a dragon, I wouldn't have cared. Next time we meet, I'll burn them all to ashes. As for you, Arshu, a mere wolfman, even if he has the strength of the Orc King, you shouldn't have returned empty-handed. Moreover, you stopped me from going back to finish off those annoying orcs. It's as if you were scared out of your wits. Have your years of training made you lose your warrior's courage?" Blazing Saint Levis replied angrily. The Flame Saint, wrapped in a wide black cloak, still couldn't hide the overwhelming presence exuding from his mighty body, causing the surrounding patrons to intentionally avoid the corner where they sat. Compared to Blade Saint, who concealed nothing yet revealed no depth, Levis was far inferior in terms of presence and mastery.

"You need to understand, Levis, that our true enemy has always been only Leimen. If we can't kill him this time, everything will be meaningless. So, even though I had a 70% certainty of killing that wolf lord without getting hurt, I couldn't afford the 30% risk. In fact, if it weren't for the miscalculation of Fontainebleau's strength and the dangerous battle aura of the wolfman who wielded the 'Saint Ice Thorn Aura,' even if the Holy Os Kingdom fell, I wouldn't have accompanied you on this. A hundred years ago, we were far inferior to Leimen. A hundred years later today, we have progressed, and Leimen hasn't slowed down either. The combat strength of those young ones is still somewhat lacking. If it weren't for the plans we've made over the past century, we wouldn't have had a chance against that lion. But even so, our chances of success are still not high." Saying this, Blade Saint looked deeply at Flame Saint before continuing, "Outsiders think we are sworn enemies, but that's just a facade to maintain the balance of power among the Saints and keep overly ambitious individuals in check. After so much time, you and I are the only ones left from that era. So, many times, I turn a blind eye to your impulsiveness. Even when you stormed into Saint Spirit Mountain alone last time and caused immense losses, I didn't blame you. But Levis, this time, the losses you've taken to avenge your disciple are too great. The 'Lotus Avatar' is one of our most crucial backup strategies. Losing it has reduced our chances of success by more than 10%. This loss could cost us our lives and ultimately lead to the defeat of all humanity. We can't afford to lose anything else. That's why I stopped you from going after those orcs again. We must leave immediately and regroup with the other Saints. There's no other option."

"Fine, I'll listen to you this time. But after we've dealt with Leimen, I'm going to burn those damn orcs to ashes with my own hands," Flame Saint said after some hesitation, finally choosing to trust his century-old friend's wisdom, before getting up and leaving.

"If we're still alive by then, I'll make sure you get your wish," Blade Saint said softly, his voice barely audible even to himself, "But my friend, even if the plan succeeds, our chances of survival are still so slim..."

As Blade Saint's figure vanished into the twilight, the tavern owner was still boasting about the history of his establishment to the customers. "Ladies and gentlemen, believe me when I say this tavern has been around for over a hundred years. My grandfather once served the famous Flame Saint and Blade Saint. Back then, they weren't Saints yet and were part of a small adventuring party called..."

"Hahahaha, boss, you can't be serious. Everyone knows the Flame Saint and Blade Saint are sworn enemies. You've been reading too many legends," the patrons laughed, gulping down cheap ale.

"Hey, I know what you're saying, but I really did hear it from my grandfather..." The boss defended his tavern's reputation while instructing the staff to bring more ale, unaware that the two individuals he spoke of had just revisited and silently left again.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Beauty's Sword Conquers a City

Military mobilization is always a time-consuming task, but with a great general like Katherine leading, and the orcs being a born fighting race, it only took us three days to return to the Duchy of Langton. The war to pacify the Red River Four Nations Alliance was so one-sided that orc losses were minimal. Apart from the orc warriors left behind, Katherine still had nearly 120,000 troops. Additionally, by absorbing Langton's forces, the orc army was no longer constrained by Fontainebleau's supply capabilities. The alliance quickly mobilized another 70,000 to 80,000 troops from vassal races. Although they weren't elite, they could help defend the already occupied territories, freeing up the elite soldiers for new battles.

Soon, I reassembled a 200,000-strong elite orc army and launched an attack on Qingfulu City in the Holy Os Kingdom.

Before the opening of the Golden Trade Route in Fontainebleau, the Duchy of Langton had never considered going to war with the orcs. Its enemies had always been the Red River Four Nations Alliance to the west and the Holy Os Empire to the south, with the latter being the primary enemy. Thus, Qingfulu City had always been a place of contention between the two countries, with countless souls buried beneath its towering walls.

However, the builders of this war fortress had never imagined that one day it would face an assault by a race other than humans. Many of its designs weren't meant to counter orcs. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the orcs' unique aerial forces, the Eagle Clan. With such weak air defenses, the city could have been taken in just half a day.

Currently, there are as many as 200,000 human troops gathered inside Qingfulu City. Although not all 300,000 have arrived, the ones who did are elite forces from various regions, which isn't a serious problem. However, in equal numbers, orc warriors are several times stronger than human soldiers. Even with the advantage of their castle defenses, humans can't withstand the orc forces. The walls bristle with crossbows and trebuchets, but even more daunting are the Crystal Core Cannons equipped in the eight magic towers. Those are top-tier war weapons that detonate the magic inside the core to inflict damage. Their immense power comes at a great cost, affordable only by a wealthy and powerful nation like the Holy Os Kingdom.