Several hundred troops, air-dropped via transport magic circles, surrounded the royal palace, and the palace guards were swiftly subdued. This blitzkrieg had clearly been planned for a long time. Of course, the enemies had not anticipated the presence of Bai and his companions. Now, a fierce battle between the hero and the prince to win the heart of the beautiful lady was inevitable.
After leaving the wedding hall, the crowd arrived at the palace's rear garden. The spacious lawn was perfectly suited for a duel. Qiuduo and Joe kept a close watch on the enemy's movements. Although this was done under the guise of stealing the bride, there was bound to be some other conspiracy brewing; otherwise, they wouldn't have mobilized other countries to aid them. "These are all elite mages, and their strength is by no means inferior to Emily's. What's more, there are so many of them. You should know that an outstanding mage is worth a hundred warriors, yet they've brought such a massive force today. It seems they are determined to win," Qiuduo analyzed, eyeing the army opposite them.
"I see. It looks like they want to use this to force Tielaisheng to compromise and make concessions, thereby establishing their own status as a powerful nation," Sissi also walked over and remarked.
"With all of us heroes gathered here, making trouble won't be that easy!" Joe had a confident look, not putting the enemies in his eyes at all.
"Do you guys need us to step in?" I walked up with a smile and asked.
"Bai, you are a guest. How could we trouble you to exert yourself? Dealing with them is more than enough for us heroes," Qiuduo politely declined.
On the lawn, the two men drew their swords against each other, the tension thick enough to ignite at any moment. "Take this!" Zongwen took the initiative and charged forward, his exquisite swordsmanship forcing Kaia to dodge repeatedly.
"I actually underestimated him. I thought he was just a sheltered prince raised in a greenhouse," Joe said, surprised by the fight between the two.
"If you only have this level of skill, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Kaia stabilized his footing and, with a backhanded sweep of his sword, knocked Zongwen's sword flying.
"Way to go~!" Sissi cheered. Undeterred, Zongwen snatched his sword back up and launched another attack. His moves were far more vicious than before, seemingly aimed at forcing his opponent into a dead end. Just as Kaia was about to launch a counterattack, he was suddenly struck by a concealed weapon. His body went limp, allowing Zongwen to successfully slash his arm.
"Ugh..." Crimson blood ran down his arm, staining the holy sword.
"Kaia~!" Emily rushed over in pure panic.
"You lose!" Zongwen pointed the tip of his sword at Kaia's throat.
"You cheated!" As an assassin, Sissi saw right through their trick.
"The loser must accept the outcome! Men, take Lady Emily away!" The enemy soldiers were about to step forward to seize her, but Joe and Sissi rushed up and beat them back.
"Did you really think such underhanded tactics could be concealed from us?" Sissi pulled the poisonous needle out of Kaia's back, glaring at the opposition. "What is this?!" she bellowed.
"Heh, what proof do you have that we threw it? Perhaps it was your own people who accidentally injured one of your own," the leading commander said, acting like a dead pig that didn't fear boiling water.
"You!!" Joe was also so furious that he was speechless.
"The victory has been decided! If you still do not hand her over, do not blame us for being impolite!" With that, the commander waved his right arm, and the mages all cast spells simultaneously. A massive area-of-effect tactical spell descended from the sky. A chartreuse toxic mist enveloped the entire palace, and people instantly grew limp and weak. Kaia and the others did not even have time to use healing magic before collapsing to the ground. The enemy soldiers quickly stepped forward to carry Emily away.
"Emily~" Kaia called out weakly. As a Demon King, Badi naturally wouldn't be affected by a mere toxic mist; at this moment, he was preparing to make his move.
"Why should Uncle have to act against such lowlifes? You kids have been eating since yesterday, so it's time to get some exercise. Dimei, go teach those bad guys who ruined the wedding a lesson. Pay attention to controlling your power and don't hurt the innocent," I said with a smile.
"Master is playing favorites! We want to beat up the bad guys too~" the other little girls chimed in.
"Alright, you can all go together. Just mind your manners," I agreed helplessly.
"Is it really alright to let those children go on such an adventure?" Badi asked, rather astonished by the decision.
"Do not underestimate them, Uncle," I replied with a laugh.
"Hubby, this decision of yours is a bit improper. What if the situation gets out of hand?" Suōshā leaned in to advise me.
"Let's watch first," I looked at them with trust.
A Little Too Much Enthusiasm
"Hee hee~ Hee hee hee hee!"
Accompanied by the eerie, mocking laughter of the little girls, the entire sky suddenly plunged into pitch-black darkness. The palace was engulfed in a howling gale, and the toxic mist was instantly blown away. The enemy troops stood frozen in absolute terror, unable to move. A colossal black claw descended from the heavens, looking large enough to cover the entire planet, and it was about to breach the atmosphere.
"Stop right there!" Seeing that things were going south, I roared at the top of my lungs. A palm strike of this magnitude would shatter not just Planet Dodado, but even the Great Ao Universe. "I told you all not to overexert your power! Suppress your energy immediately until it won't harm any innocent bystanders!" I scolded them.
"Yes~ Master~"
The massive palm print dissolved into points of light and vanished, and the obstructed sunlight returned. As several streaks of black wind whipped through the enemy ranks, the hundreds of troops were instantly shredded into mincemeat before they could even let out a single wail. This scene left all the guests present, including the heroes, utterly horrified.
"What... what on earth are they...?" Joe muttered in sheer terror.
"So boring~ Master~ resurrect them again~ I still want to play~" the little girls begged, completely splattered with blood.
"Do whatever you want, just don't make too big of a scene," I authorized helplessly.
"Hee hee hee~ We love Master~" The little girls instantly resurrected the entire enemy force, only to instantly slaughter them again, resurrect them, and slaughter them once more. They repeated this cycle over and over, leaving the guests dumbfounded. Some were even so terrified that they threw up.
"Enough, can you make them stop...?" Emily pleaded with me.
"All of you, stop!" I barked at them. Looking at the piles of shredded meat on the ground, the little girls reluctantly stopped, unsatisfied.
"Sorry to make a scene, everyone. Let's head back inside and continue the wedding," I scratched my head apologetically. But when the crowd looked at us, they steered clear as if we were monsters.
"See? You let things get way out of hand," Suōshā sighed, shaking her head.
"Hubby, you indulge them too much. We must educate them properly when we get back," even Enis was slightly angry.
"All of you, get back here!" Zi Mi called them back, and the little girls could only step forward obediently to get scolded.
"I'll have someone clean this up in a bit. Shall we go back and continue watching the wedding?" I offered sheepishly. Kaia and the others stared at us with faces full of astonishment.
"Sigh... they are even more terrifying than this old man," Badi muttered helplessly.