"When did the alien races and Dark Beasts' forces swell to this extent?"
Xiling bit her lip, a twinge of self-blame and regret welling up inside her.
After the era of Leilin, the alien races of the Dark Pole Region had been reduced to nothing more than slaves, existing only to be exploited by human Wizards. Who would have thought that in just over a hundred years, they had risen to power once more?
If Leilin hadn't appeared today — even setting aside the surprise attack — the sheer weight of their army pressing in would have been enough to annihilate the human Wizards.
After all, up to this point, humanity had only produced a single third-rank Wizard: Bank.
"Thank goodness! He's still here!" Xiling gazed at Leilin's back, unconcealed pride and admiration shining in her eyes.
"I didn't expect to run into an old acquaintance. Alesha! Not only have you advanced to third rank, you've also become the Dark Elf Empress. Congratulations!"
Leilin looked at the beautiful Dark Elf ruler and let out a light chuckle.
But that chuckle, falling upon the Empress's ears, struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her frozen in place.
The humiliation this voice's master had inflicted upon the Dark Elves — vast as mountains and oceans — surged back into Alesha's mind. She could never forget.
Yes, the Dark Elves' new Empress was none other than Leilin's old acquaintance — the Dark Elf Matriarch Alesha. It had been she who personally surrendered to Leilin outside the city of Boti, presenting him with a high-level Meditation Method and a magical artifact crown.
"You're Leilin! Leilin Farell!" The Empress across from him fixed her gaze upon Leilin, her voice grinding through clenched teeth. Before, her attention had been entirely consumed by Xiling — when Leilin restrained himself, he looked no different from an ordinary person, causing even the other third-rank monarchs to overlook him.
But now, the moment Leilin spoke, a commanding confidence radiated from his bearing, setting him apart like a crane among chickens — unmistakably extraordinary.
"It's him! Humanity's Sacred Light Guardian!"
"I've seen his portrait — I'd never mistake him, not even in death!" The alien races erupted into uproar. Leilin's lessons to them had been far too deeply carved.
"Cruel butcher! Humanity's slaughterer! Leilin Farell! The blood of my father and my kin must be paid for with your own!"
A burly Dwarf Emperor leapt forward, brandishing a hammer that seemed forged from living lightning.
"Oh! I remember now — you're that survivor from the Dwarf royal court, aren't you? The little fellow who cowered in the corner of the palace, not daring to move..."
Leilin tapped his forehead, a sense of fond familiarity washing over him.
But that expression, along with his earlier words, sent the Dwarf into a thunderous rage.
Leilin paid him no mind. He turned to examine the enormous humanoid machine piloted by Gnomes. "Ah! A Colossus! You Gnomes have built another one? It seems the craftsmanship has improved — you've solved the problem of continuous recharging!"
"Lord Leilin's knowledge truly inspires awe in us. If you hadn't taken our most precious Gnomes' Tome back then, I believe we could have sat down for a pleasant conversation..."
The one piloting the terrifying Colossus was a decrepit old Gnome, his hands covered in an array of cuts and burn scars.
"Oh! And three Dark Beast Emperors!" Leilin glanced at the three mountain-sized Dark Beasts nearby. "How wonderful!"
"Wonderful? Has he gone mad?"
"Even the former Sacred Light Guardian — to take on all of us single-handedly at just third rank? That's far too arrogant..." The alien races buzzed with clamor.
But those like Alesha, who had truly witnessed Leilin's terror, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
Even after advancing to the third rank, the fear of Leilin buried deep in her memory resurfaced the moment she laid eyes on him.
Moreover, that air of absolute composure, and the unfathomable aura radiating from his body...
Alesha's expression shifted several times. Finally, before the wide eyes of countless Wizards and aliens alike, she dropped to her knees before Leilin. "Alesha greets the Sacred Light Guardian! Please, Lord, forgive my people's transgressions this time!"
"High Matriarch! How can we let them off so easily?"
"Hasn't the humiliation humanity inflicted on us been enough? How can you grovel like this?" Before Alesha's allies could speak, her subordinate Matriarchs erupted in protest.
"Silence! I am the Dark Elves' High Matriarch — I will bear the consequences of this matter alone!" Alesha turned and issued a cold command.
"Haha... Good! Alesha! I appreciate that you know which way the wind blows!"
Leilin clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
Sensing that the situation had turned dire, a black elephant as large as a mountain — great membrane wings sprouting from its back — and a two-headed leopard among the Dark Beast Emperors roared and lunged toward Leilin.