Thinking of this, Osside couldn't help but smirk, knowing he had already hired the Aisen family's Ratmen assassin.

However, looking at the situation before him, the Skaven Warlord was no longer smiling.

Spat, that scoundrel, did worse than me! I merely sent him to die! But this bastard Spat didn't even show up!

This Grey Prophet, so cunning, so cunning!

Osside swore to make that Grey Prophet pay for this.

Watching as the massive human stronghold resisted before him, Osside was troubled again. The order from the Skaven Demon Rat Thirteen-man Council was to entirely conquer Hemgart, making the human empire realize the might of the Demon Rat Empire, while plundering enough human children. The Skaven Ratmen planned to use dimensional stones, genetic engineering, and alchemy to pollute human genes, attempting to create new horrifying species.

Clearly, the rest of Hemgart had already fallen, leaving only this human stronghold still holding on. Should I fight or not?

To fight, given the current resistance from the human defenders, fighting would lead to heavy losses, which Osside wouldn't accept, as the losses are his troops, and the benefits are few.

Or not fight? Defying the Thirteen-man Council's orders, going back would surely bring punishment, Osside knew. His subordinates were always eyeing his Warlord position, wanting it for themselves, while his peers constantly plotted to kill him. In meetings, they smiled, calling each other friends and family, but once they turned away, assassinations, kidnappings, threats, extortion, bribery, poisoning—every Skaven Warlord couldn't wait to kill all his peers to become the strongest.

Cannot let these bastards find an excuse to target me!

The Osside Abyss shook his head, no, not now. He called his lieutenant, a crafty Storm Rat.

"Found a way yet? Digging, climbing?" the Skaven Warlord asked his lieutenant.

"Digging, humans patrol, all hairless things, small squads, diedie! Climbing, human stronghold frozen, breakbreak! Nono!" the lieutenant shook his head repeatedly.

Translated, it means the Ratmen squad trying to invade through tunnels was heavily attacked and annihilated. The Ratmen trying to climb cliffs and go around were blocked by ice walls, unable to break through.

The Skaven Warlord held a long halberd, signaling the army to continue its assault.

A large group of Slave Rats and Clan Rats resumed their assault on the human position, only to be defeated wave after wave. Soldiers carried many munitions from the castle's arsenal to the church, and for now, there seemed no sign of the human army running out of bullets.

Osside thought this was eerie, having shouted for the whole time here, yet the Grey Prophet Spat within Hemgart and his army hadn't responded.

Could this bastard Spat be planning to let me suffer heavy losses and then "do" me in?

The Osside Abyss thus thought.

The Skaven Warlord was anxious, his army lacked siege weapons and had no magic users, this fighting was dull combat.

Surely there is a human Mage casting spells, using magic to stop the Ratmen's advance.

Forget it, since Spat is useless, I'll make other arrangements. Osside shrewdly glanced at a shadow before him, where a short Ratman in yellow-black tight clothing, a headband, and mask emerged: "Once, who?"

"Find the human caster, dispose of them!" Osside told the short Ratman.

"Yesyes!" The short Ratman emitted a puff of green smoke, then vanished from sight.

The Ratman army continued its assault.

...

Atop the Justice Church, beneath the golden dome.

The siege on the church had lasted for most of the day, now it was the early hours.

Teresa leaned on her magic staff in the middle of the dome platform, eyes closed, sensing the Ratmen's movements around the church.

The Justice Church was large, offering many spots for Ratmen to sneak in, so Teresa had to focus intently, feeling many Ratmen trying to rush into the church through windows, the back paths, and basement entrance.

The female sorcerer repeatedly cast ice walls to block the Ratmen's threats outside, quickly depleting her magic power. Fortunately, unlike Veronica who was forced to cast many large spells, Teresa's Mana reserves were still sufficient.

The front door had been erupting in fierce battle, the female sorcerer knew she couldn't let down her guard.

Initially, Surya had arranged a few soldiers to protect Teresa as she cast spells, but the icy aura emanating from within Teresa drove the soldiers away, and she disliked being disturbed while casting. So now she stood alone in the middle of the platform, with the frontline situation tight, soldiers exhausted, those who were supposed to protect her were dispatched to guard the church door.

Precisely because of this, the female sorcerer did not notice a dark shadow atop the golden dome moving quickly and silently.

"Shh shh shh~" The small Ratman used hooks and locks to climb the church walls and windows, moving like a phantom, and when necessary, it could act as dull as a brick.

It took hours to climb up, avoiding the alert arrays set by the female sorcerer, eluding the patrol led by Demon Hunter Abel, sneaking atop the church dome, hiding behind a mural, carefully waiting for its chance.

Now, the chance came, the mana reserves of the female spellcaster were insufficient, the frost energy surrounding her grew sparse, the small Ratman pulled out three green dimensional stone daggers from its pocket, equipping them one by one, one in each hand, with the third dagger coiled by its rat tail.

"Where light meets dark, that is where shadows lie, yesyes!" The small Ratman saw the rising sun outside, sunlight broke the darkness, yet cast shadows inside the church.

The assassination began!

The small Ratman suddenly burst into action, darting from the shadow like a swift rabbit towards the female sorcerer maintaining the ice wall!

"Who goes there!" As Teresa sensed something approaching, the Ratman assassin was only tens of meters away!

"Ice Arrow!" Teresa immediately paused her spell, raising her hand to unleash a rotating frost energy mass directly at the Ratman, the Ice Arrow sweeping through the cold platform's interior, leaving frost everywhere.

The Ratman assassin remained silent, astonishingly flipping several somersaults in the air, dodging Teresa's attack while advancing on the female sorcerer.

Ice Armor! Teresa immediately summoned an Ice Shield, then continued casting, enveloping herself with an Ice Cloak.

The Ratman assassin retrieved a handful of darts, throwing them continuously, these poisoned darts were blocked by Teresa's Ice Shield. As the sorcerer prepared to call for aid, the Ratman assassin immediately pinched out a Dharma Seal.

"Shun!"

"Slash~" Almost instantly, the Ratman assassin slid a long distance through the air, flashing behind Teresa, three daggers aiming straight for the sorcerer's heart.

The sharp dimensional stone daggers pierced Teresa's Ice Cloak, scattering ice shards.

Two daggers halted in their tracks under the protection of the Ice Barrier and Ice Cloak, but the tail-bound dagger pressed forward.

Oh no! Teresa instinctively reached for the fire cannon to shoot, only to realize her right arm was still in a sling. In the final moment of crisis, the sorcerer let go of her magic staff, throwing herself to one side.

By forcibly losing balance, she managed to turn, grasping the rune fire cannon—Blue Love—with her only usable left hand.

The sorcerer felt the assassin's dagger had already penetrated her chest, drinking her blood. Urged by the pain, she fiercely pulled the trigger.

"Bang!" The musket's sound and the blade slicing into flesh happened almost simultaneously.