Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Zhao Manyan stepped forward when the others were backing away. The soldiers fleeing for their lives were impressed by his courage.

When Zhao Manyan made it to the front, the Underworld Monarch Frog's deadly tongue was already flying toward him. The angle it was coming from and the power it contained were clearly going to sweep a dozen people into its stomach!

The soldiers on the front line were mostly elites, consisting of talented Intermediate and Advanced Mages. They did not suffer many casualties when fighting against the Yoked, but whenever the Underworld Monarch Frog made its move, their only outcome was to be eaten like the lowliest insects!

"Baxia Seal, Skytemper Rocks, Eyes of the Rock Demon, Titan Body!" Zhao Manyan yelled at the top of his lungs and spread his hands like wings, blocking for the soldiers.

His eyes emitted a blue-brown light. His body was engulfed in the brilliant glow of the Earth Element!

The Baxia Seal circled around him. The brilliant light of the Earth Element outlining Zhao Manyan pushed forward. The outline would expand a few times for every meter it covered. When it reached twenty meters away, its outline had turned into a giant!

Its body was made of blue-brown rocks, its shape exactly the same as Zhao Manyan, its arms spread wide. Just as everyone thought the Underworld Monarch Frog was going to eat them all, the giant rock statue defended them all!

The Underworld Monarch Frog's tongue landed on the giant rock statue. Even though it managed to break the statue into pieces, and even though Zhao Manyan spit out a mouthful of blood from the feedback he received, he did not allow any damage to be inflicted on the soldiers...

Zhao Manyan staggered a few steps back, but he was wearing a reckless grin.

Ruler-level!

So what if it was an attack from a Ruler-level creature, he still managed to resist it!

The captain with the Earth Element standing beside Zhao Manyan stared at his smiling face like he was looking at a monster...

An Advanced Mage who could resist the full strength of a Ruler-level creature? Was he even human!?

Most Super Mages did not prioritize improving their defenses, so they were very vulnerable when facing Ruler-level creatures. However, this young man had actually resisted a Ruler-level creature's attack. The giant statue slowly collapsing to the ground was like Zhao Manyan himself. The captain was beyond impressed!

Bin Wei, who had failed to stop the Underworld Monarch Frog busy, gasped in disbelief. She initially thought the troop on the front line was going to suffer incredible losses. She did not expect the pompous young man to possess such remarkable strength. He had really stopped the Underworld Monarch Frog's attack!

The Titan Body's defense was so outstanding that even a Ruler-level creature could not break through it easily...

They all thought the defensive Runes of the Yoked were incredibly powerful, but it turned out that the person with the greatest defense was in the Northguard Fortress. It explained why the troop had managed to get so far this time!

The Underworld Monarch Frog's strength was solely in its powerful attacks, its undodgeable rolling tongue, and the Yoked that were its slaves. When Zhao Manyan used the Titan Body to stop its attack, it basically destroyed the Underworld Monarch Frog's plan to wipe out the troop of Battlemages. The Battlemages quickly withdrew to a safe distance with the time that Zhao Manyan had bought them.

They had killed a dozen Runic Yoked in a short period of time, and taken down hundreds of the Yoked, too. The number of the Yoked were dropping rapidly. The Underworld Monarch Frog bellowed furiously, yet its movements were restrained by Bin Wei's outstanding Plant Magic!

"I found another one!" The morale of the troop rose tremendously after Zhao Manyan defended the soldiers with the Titan Body.

Morale played an important role in a battle. The Underworld Monarch Frog was like an unstoppable devil to the soldiers. There were deaths whenever it attacked, but if someone managed to step forward and stop the Underworld Monarch Frog's attacks, it was like giving the soldiers a powerful stim pack. Even though Zhao Manyan was only able to stop the attack once, it was still completely different than trembling in fear and waiting for their deaths previously!

"Don't you dare run away! Lightning Swordbird, get him!" An expert of the Summoning Element locked his gaze on a Runic Yoked that was fleeing toward the Underworld Monarch Frog.

A bird covered with feathers flickering with lightning and wings resembling huge fans of swords dove from the sky. Its Summoner stood up on the back of the Lightning Swordbird and fired Giant Shadow Spikes down. They picked out the Runic Yoked from among the Yoked and nailed it to the spot.

The Lightning Swordbird swept past the Yoked and grabbed the Runic Yoked with its claws.

The Yoked tried to grab onto the Runic Yoked to prevent it from being abducted, but the Lightning Swordbird immediately unleashed lightning swords, stabbing down at them.

The Lightning Element had a strong penetrating nature, the unique trait of the Lightning Element. Even the Yoked's incredible defenses were not so effective against the Lightning Element!

The lightning swords knocked a bunch of the Yoked to the ground. The Runic Yoked was unable to escape the claws, and was lifted into the sky!

The Lightning Swordbird tossed the Runic Yoked towards the army of Battlemages. The soldiers synchronized their spells and tore the Runic Yoked to pieces before it could even hit the ground!

"It's Ye Hong! He finally showed up!" someone exclaimed.

The captain of the Summoner Troop, riding a Fiery Wolf, lifted his gaze, his face respectful. It was obvious that airborne Ye Hong was more reputable than him among the Summoners.

"Who's that guy? He's very strong!" Zhao Manyan was relieved after seeing an expert had shown up.

"The prodigal son of the Northguard Fortress. He normally just stays at the Northguard Fortress for a month every year, and spends the rest of the time traveling between places. It's surprising that he has come back. It turns out that he still cares a lot about the Northguard Fortress," the captain with the Earth Element, Feng Changyu, told him.

"He has been looking for the opportunity to reach the Super Level. He believes there won't be any chance if he keeps staying at the Northguard Fortress. He used to be Chang Yi's superior. He was in charge of the Fourth Troop, the strongest troop we ever had," an old soldier added.

The man riding the Lightning Swordbird was very strong. He was roaming freely through the air, while the Lightning Swordbird was searching for the Runic Yoked with its sharp eyes. He had taken the pressure of around three hundred Yoked from the shoulders of the soldiers on the front line.

Many soldiers in the troop knew who Ye Hong was. The troop's morale had skyrocketed when Zhao Manyan stopped the Underworld Monarch Frog's attack, but the soldiers completely united and fought with an even stronger spirit when Ye Hong showed up. Suddenly, even the Yoked strengthened by the defensive Runes were not as scary!

"Three troops to the west! Seventh Troop, hold your position; Tenth Troop, fire Brilliant Light at will; Wind Mages of the Second Troop, stay at the back and assist the others with their retreat!" Ye Hong ordered from the sky.

Bin Wei was the commander of the army, but she was unable to give orders since she was busy fighting the Underworld Monarch Frog. As a result, the troops were simply following their instincts when fighting against the Yoked. The army became a lot more disciplined after receiving orders from Ye Hong.

Zhao Manyan was a little confused. Why did the man ask the Wind Mages of the Second Troop to assist with the retreat? Wasn't it the perfect time to push forward and take out more Runic Yoked while they still had the chance? However, Ye Hong had ordered everyone to withdraw instead!

The soldiers obviously believed in him. The captains withdrew their troops immediately upon receiving the order. As the army was retreating, the Underworld Monarch Frog suddenly charged ahead and swallowed a huge area into its stomach. If the army had stayed and fought the Yoked, at least three companies would have been wiped out!

A company consisted of a hundred soldiers. How long would it take the Northguard Fortress to train three hundred soldiers?

When Zhao Manyan saw the reason behind the orders, he was impressed by Commander Ye Hong, who had just joined the battle not long ago. He had to be an experienced commander who had fought countless battles!

The Underworld Monarch Frog had long gathered its strength for an attack, but it ended up in failure. Most of the Runic Yoked were now dead, too. The number of the Yoked decreased rapidly. Only around three hundred were left!

"Now is our chance!" Ye Hong declared.

They had to kill the Yoked before dealing with the Underworld Monarch Frog. The Underworld Monarch Frog's main fighting force was the Yoked. If they eliminated all the Yoked, it was the same as severing its limbs.

The soldiers of the Northguard Fortress united. They were clearly in control of the battle. They proceeded to slaughter the remaining Yoked!

------

The three hundred Yoked were slain in no time. Only the Underworld Monarch Frog and the Battlemages surrounding it remained on the battlefield, the remains of the Yoked scattered around.

"I never thought I'd have the chance to kill a Ruler-level creature one day!" Captain Feng Changyu blurted out excitedly.

Zhao Manyan was as excited as the soldiers were. Although he had fought a similar battle in Egypt before, this situation was just as grim. Mo Fan was around then to eliminate the Dark Swordmaster with the help of Little Flame Belle in her Adult Phase. Since Mo Fan was not around, Zhao Manyan had become a key person in the battle. He was being admired by the soldiers, just like Bin Wei and Ye Hong.

In the past, Zhao Manyan always thought soldiers were idiots whose lives were always at risk. He never wanted to be a soldier because of that, but after they managed to defend the Northguard Fortress and defeat the army of the Yoked led by a Ruler-level creature, he realized how passionate, exciting, and glorious it was to win a battle!

---

"It turns out that you're more suitable to take my role after all." General Bin Wei was a little worn out. She barely survived in the fight against the Underworld Monarch Frog. She was finally able to catch her breath when she saw Ye Hong coming to back her up on his Lightning Swordbird.

"My old comrades have given you quite some trouble. I apologize for that, but I believe no one is ever going to doubt you after today. You achieved the Super Level earlier than me, and you know the secret of the Great Wall. How could someone like me, who only knows how to kill, achieve anything?" Commander Ye Hong replied.

"Then I shall let you command the army to take down the Underworld Monarch Frog," General Bin Wei informed him.

"My pleasure!" Commander Ye Hong acknowledged confidently.

Even though the man had yet to achieve the Super Level, this previous Commander of the Northguard Fortress clearly had the courage and capabilities of a Super Mage. General Bin Wei believed he would break through the barrier that had stopped him for almost ten years soon. He would surely achieve the Super Level and soar into the sky!