Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 434 - 425: Invitation

Sigmund stood atop the stormed battlement, greedily inhaling as the air, thick with the scent of blood and charred remains, delighted him. This stubborn fortress, a thorn in his side for years, was finally about to fall before his eyes.

In recent days, with the formidable regenerative powers of Virelis’s trolls as the vanguard, he launched relentless attacks regardless of cost, eventually dismantling one troublesome Magic Tower after another around High Castle Fortress.

Most of the trolls were killed or injured, but the results were equally gratifying.

When the last tower crumbled into ruins amidst a deafening explosion, the fate of this fortress was sealed. No matter how unbreakable its walls, without the protection of its external magic firepower, its fall was only a matter of time.

Now, it was only Alama, his old rival, leading a ragtag group of soldiers, stubbornly resisting within the complex interior of the fortress.

It won’t even take a day to crush him completely!

From a half-destroyed pavilion on the side, a flash of sword light erupted. Accompanied by the dying wails of a few Demon Race soldiers, a blood-soaked young human officer burst out of the door, eyes bloodshot and sword in hand, charging unwaveringly at the conspicuous Sigmund.

"Die, you bloodsucking beast!"

Faced with this sudden assault, not a ripple stirred in Sigmund’s scarlet eyes.

In ordinary times, encountering such a bold young man might have stirred in him a liking for talent, attempting to capture him and offering generous rewards, hoping to turn him into a fierce warrior under his command.

But at this moment, his heart held only a burning desire to utterly destroy this fortress, and any obstacle in his path would be mercilessly eradicated.

Thwack!

A bloody spear hurled from behind Sigmund, piercing the human officer’s heart.

The figure charging to his death trembled violently, staggered a few steps, then fell from the high battlements with a gaze of unwillingness.

The adjutant, expressionless, withdrew the surging crimson blood power into his black robe, stepped forward, and reported: "My lord, scouts have detected traces of human reinforcements behind High Castle Fortress. Given our current pace of attack, it will be difficult to fully clear the interior before the reinforcements arrive."

"Reinforcements?" Sigmund snorted, unsurprised, "It would be strange if Alama wasn’t counting on reinforcements. If they had come a day or two earlier, it might have been troublesome, but now..."

Have the humans lost the advantage of defending the castle? Surely, his elite Demon Race army wouldn’t fear engaging the human army in a bloody clash inside the castle?

The adjutant hesitated slightly, lowering his voice further: "There’s one more thing... Virelis, my lord, she has once again ’accidentally’ injured one of our supporting squads."

He tried to be as tactful as possible, but the truth was that the frenzied duke had completely lost it, mistaking friendly units coming into her sight as toys for amusement.

Sigmund was silent for a moment, a vein throbbing slightly at his temple: "...Pass the order, all units, avoid her area."

With victory in sight, he really didn’t want any unnecessary complications.

...

The bloody slaughter within High Castle Fortress persisted for an entire day and night, and when the sounds of battle finally ebbed, Sigmund finally met his old adversary Alama.

This knight was soaked in dark red filth, his armor battered and tattered, still holding the head of a Blood Knight.

Clearly, Alama had always been fighting on the front line, unlike Sigmund, who could leisurely command from the rear.

Their eyes met, and Alama casually tossed the head to the ground with a dull thud, then turned alone to walk towards the only remaining intact main hall of the castle.

Before stepping into the hall, he turned back to give Sigmund a deep look.

Sigmund understood; this was his old rival’s invitation.

"Counting on killing the commander to turn the tide of battle..." Sigmund chuckled coldly to himself, "Truly grasping at straws."

He was well aware of his limitations; even though Alama had been fighting for a whole day, his physical strength surely depleted, in his current state, he had no guarantee of victory.

Besides, in a situation where victory was almost assured, why engage in such foolish duels?

Such errors are only made by fools like Xenophon.

He decisively called for Eleanor, who was wreaking havoc, and the almost half-crazed Virelis, to help deal with the formidable foe.

However, as they entered the hall, a stout figure wielding a sword in one hand and a Magic Staff in the other sprang up.

With a swift strike of the Magic Staff, he sent magical threads shooting out, entwining Virelis and flinging her from the hall, then leaping out himself.

Sigmund recognized the stout human’s identity, Duke Lorenzo of Oath City, the force that arrived as reinforcements in the final hour.

He wasn’t worried about Virelis’s safety; the madwoman’s power certainly wasn’t inferior to his own.

His gaze refocused on Alama across the hall: "So this is your entire plan? Have your companion hold off Virelis temporarily, and then face the two of us alone here?"

"Yes." Alama’s voice was calm but resolute. He discarded his old, nicked greatsword, which had accompanied him for many battles, and slowly drew a new weapon from behind, holding it solemnly before him.

Sigmund’s pupils contracted; he didn’t know what was special about this sword, but showing caution was wise in such moments.

He was on the verge of signaling for two squads of Blood Knights to assess the situation.

But Eleanor could hold back no longer, shouting tauntingly: "Taking on both of us? Alama, you overestimate yourself! Last time you were just lucky! This time, let’s see where you can run to?!"

Amid Eleanor’s piercing laughter, a massive wave of blood surged from beneath her cloak.

It was the culmination of a day spent collecting "spoils" within the castle, all in preparation for this moment!

The blood, like a living entity, sprayed everywhere, clinging to every corner of walls, floor, and ceiling.

"Blood Manipulation: Blood Prison!"

With a fierce cry from her, the scarlet magic power instantly enveloped the entire space, sealing it into a deadly cage.

"I’ll use your head to decorate my bathroom! Haha!" Eleanor declared in what resembled a victory proclamation.

Sigmund lowered his hand prepared to summon his forces, remaining silent.

On the one hand, Eleanor had already activated the Blood Prison Technique; it was too late to say anything now.

On the other hand, in this blood-magic-pervaded space, as a member of the Blood Race, he indeed felt the environment enhancing his power.

The dense scent of blood quickened the flow of his magic, while for the humans, the pervasive blood poison would continually erode their bodies. It was indeed a practical battlefield control technique.

Before the battle began, Sigmund sternly warned the roommate sharing his consciousness: "We have an agreement this time! Remember your promise! If you ruin things again at a critical moment, we’ll perish together!"

That was indeed his ultimatum.

"Why, I acted as agreed last time," the voice in his mind sounded somewhat innocent, "Since we’ve settled our deal ahead of time, I naturally won’t disturb you. I’m the most trustworthy!"

Sigmund snorted, expressing his skepticism toward the roommate’s words.

In the end, Lin Jun kindly reminded: "Be careful not to die..."

Sigmund felt a tinge of astonishment, not because he found it strange his companion would care about his life—their shared body ensured mutual survival.

What puzzled him was that he seemed to sense a trace of... anticipation in his roommate’s consciousness?

Yet Alama was already charging with his sword; Sigmund had no time to delve deeper.

In the confined hall, scarlet blood light clashed thunderously with the sharp edge of the sword!