It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

"Why aren't you saying a word? Well, whatever. I'm going to give you guys a hard time today. We were killed by the elves' teleportation magic last time, but this time I've prepared enough supplies. With this level of magical power, even they can't easily get rid of us. It doesn't matter if you don't say anything, just screaming is enough!"

Araniah declared, and the massive block rapidly transformed. Liquid flowed, and condensations formed like tiny ice dots on glass, reshaping the entire structure, transforming the massive object from a distance into a mosaic of matter. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive platinum fortress, layered like a land ship.

Chapter 694 Platinum Ship

The bottom layer was a thick barrier that looked incredibly indestructible, forming a barrier on the ground in front of them. Above the bottom layer, the middle layer was lined with spike-like anchors. If one looked closely, one could sense the terrifying concentration of magical energy from them.

Looking up, one could glimpse a main bridge and two secondary bridges. A core, seemingly serving as the primary observation point, stood atop the ship like a giant eye, its gaze gazing at them somewhat unnervingly.

If this structure were constructed of steel, it would undoubtedly be called a terrifying steel behemoth. It would be both menacing and impressive. However, since it was constructed of platinum, it was no ordinary steel behemoth.

It can deform and even move, which is really a headache.

"See? This is the big guy I prepared. I love it so much. Its firepower is more than a hundred times stronger than the last time I bombarded you! The reason I waited here for you was just to toy with you slowly, to watch you struggle and resist before me, and finally be tortured to death by my overwhelming strength!"

Araniah was shouting loudly again, not knowing that there was a saying about saturation of firepower. Her boasting only made Bai Lin think she was a bitch. Bai Lin was silent for a long time, and the laughter on the other side also slowly stopped.

"go to hell!"

Seeing that the other party had no reaction at all, Alaniya finally got a little impatient. Just as she was about to start bombarding, Bai Lin shouted loudly,

"Wait."

"what?"

Araniah was surprisingly obedient and stopped what she was doing. Bai Lin pulled Miyu in front of him and said,

"Your target is this girl, right? You actually care about her life or death, don't you, Araniah? I don't care. Giving her a ride is just a convenient thing to do. Now she's threatening my life. Of course, I won't show any mercy."

"Therefore, Miyu, the wolf girl, is now my hostage. If you want her alive, it's best not to act rashly. Although I am definitely no match for you, it is still easy to kill her right under your noses."

"So, if you want her to live, you'd better agree to my request."

The cold shield pressed against Miyu's neck. She was a little nervous, but not panicked. After all, from Miyu's perspective, Bai Lin was the only person she could completely trust. So, she cooperated and remained silent.

"Tsk, what makes you think I want her back alive? Even if I accidentally kill her, I won't be in any trouble. My main goal is to torture and kill you!"

Araniya did not give in at all and declared loudly to Bai Lin. But Bai Lin curled his lips and replied,

"You're obviously on a mission, and you just want to torture me. Why else would you find me for no reason? If you just want revenge, why don't you go to the Elf Forest and bombard it, finding and killing all the elves one by one? Didn't you claim that this crappy thing you made could deal with elves?"

Bai Lin was right. While Araniah's declaration was consistent with her personality, it was clearly illogical. But honestly, Bai Lin knew this wasn't going to be a problem for an elf. If they wanted to bully the weak, they'd have to find someone like him who could take care of them. But no matter what, Araniah would never admit it.

"whispering sound."

Sitting inside the Platinum Fortress, Araniah was extremely dissatisfied, her expression filled with anger and displeasure, nearly overflowing. This was especially true when she, through her observation ability, met Bai Lin's calm, even somewhat silent eyes, which only made her feel even more unhappy.

Does this guy think he can control me?!

Just as Alaniya was about to declare and launch a massive attack, a younger brother stood up and quickly stood beside Alaniya, saying,

"You absolutely cannot do that, Miss Araniah! You failed your last mission and were sent away. Going back and secretly retrieving these supplies is already an overreach. If you don't bring the target back and consume too much, you will definitely be punished! We can definitely defeat that elf, but if she lets loose and attacks recklessly, the losses will be devastating!"

Indeed, when Bai Lin was surrounded and annihilated last time, Bai Lin was very restrained because of Miyu. But if Bai Lin didn't even care about Miyu's life or death, that would definitely be another matter. Alaniya was also very clear about this. But she still gritted her teeth, turned around and replied loudly,

"You've followed me for so long, and you can't even understand this? Look at that elf. Her tone has already set us up. Are you planning to follow the enemy's plan? Do you really believe that little thing is unimportant to her? Then why didn't she just throw it away last time? She's just a coward!"

Araniah, after all, was a wise woman. She had declared her goal to Bai Lin last time. If he had surrendered then, Araniah would still have wanted to kill him, but if he had escaped, she wouldn't have pursued him so deliberately. Clearly, this wolf cub meant a lot to him.

"It's not that I don't understand. I'm simply proposing a safer approach for your consideration. If her request is unreasonable, we can flatly refuse. Besides, she's not the only one who could set a trap, so we can use her tactics against her. We have the advantage and possess near-overwhelming combat power, so I'm proposing this approach. After all, we have a good chance of winning, so there's no need to gamble on whether she actually cares about the target..."

"I don't need to be cautious! For someone like me, following my heart is the right thing to do! Shut up right now, or I'll fire you out like a cannonball. Don't come back until you've completed your mission."

Arani interrupted without hesitation, clearly attaching great importance to the power of command. As soon as she said this, everyone fell silent, not daring to speak again. Just then, a buzzing sound was heard, and a woman's presence appeared on the monitor in front of Arani.

"Hey, Alanis, my lovely sister, why are you so sad? Are things not going well?"

Chapter 695: 374 Cannons

The woman's voice was young and sweet. Judging from the images, she looked similar to Alanis, though clearly older. After all, Alanis herself looked like a bronzed figure, so this was understandable.

Compared to the other party's enthusiastic tone, Araniah was not polite at all. She tutted and replied,

"What are you doing, Marenia? I'm working right now. You'd better really have something to ask me."

"Oh my, so you must have something to talk to you about, so you're here to tell us. We're all afraid of you, so how could we dare to disturb you for no reason?"

"Then stop talking nonsense and get to the point!"

The other party seemed to be very accustomed to Araniah's personality and did not show any sign of annoyance. Instead, he continued to reply in a very normal, even somewhat cheerful tone.

"Okay, to put it simply, His Majesty personally gave the order. The target must be brought back alive, and to that end, he's specifically authorized to give you access to a batch of supplies. It's just that he doesn't seem to know that you've already used resources beyond that quota."

"Huh? What the hell is wrong with that old man, making such a request at this time? Are you kidding me?"

Alaniya was greatly surprised and seemed a little annoyed. She asked directly to the woman on the screen as if to vent her anger. And Marenia chuckled twice and waved her hand in reply.

"You know I wouldn't do that. Basically, I just wanted to inform you that the seriousness of this matter has increased a little bit..."

Having said that, Marennia put away the smile on her face, looked at Alaniya calmly, and said,

"You'd better get it done."

Araniah's pupils contracted for a moment, and then she quickly returned to her previous violent state. She punched the screen, shut down the communication, and shouted,

"I know, you're so long-winded!"

After receiving this communication, Araniah's brows seemed to furrow even deeper. She answered the external communication and asked Bai Lin,

"Tell me, Elf, what do you want? But honestly, it doesn't matter what you choose. It's just a meaningless struggle anyway..."

"I demand you come out of that iron cave and trade with me face to face. I'll run away once you've got me. If you come out and chase me in person, I might still have a chance of winning. I have no idea how to deal with something so outrageous."

Bai Lin interrupted the other person directly and stated his request, which made Alaniya very annoyed. Just as she was about to say something, the younger brother behind her said,

"Ms. Araniah, I think there's something fishy going on here. She's an elf. Even if we have counter-detection methods, how could she be so clever as to conclude there's only one pilot at such a large scale? She wants you out, so she must have other plans!"

"Do you think I'm a brain, huh? Do you really need to remind me of such a small matter? Are you the leader or am I the leader?"

Alaniya gave the other person a cold look, her temper clearly on the verge of exploding. The younger brother also lowered his head, not daring to say anything more. Alaniya sighed and replied,

"She definitely has other motives. We designed it so that even without me, you can still use its functions normally. Even if she can't see this, she should have assumed it. So her goal is to get me out alone."

"If she can hold me hostage, she'll have a lot more leverage in negotiations."

Obviously, it was the first time for the younger brothers around to see Alaniya making such a smart analysis. Their eyes were no longer as calm as before. But Alaniya continued to speak.

"I don't know why she's so calm and confident. She must have prepared something. Otherwise, after witnessing my strength, she wouldn't have such thoughts. But it doesn't matter. We have far more preparations than she realizes."

"Didn't she ask me to go in person? Then I will go in person."

Amidst the stunned gazes of the younger brothers, Aranija declared to Bai Lin,

"Okay, you wait down there. If you run away early, I'll start blasting you!"

With that, Araniah shouted loudly, leaped from the bridge, and crashed to the ground. The orange light of her eye mask flashed with a fierce oppressive force. Holding the axe, she jumped out of the behemoth, but it made people feel a deeper danger. She slowly walked towards Bai Lin and said,

"Although I don't know what you're planning, it's best not to act rashly. However, it's not impossible to act rashly, but it will only make your life disappear faster."

Aranija regained her usual ferocious demeanor and spoke arrogantly to Bai Lin. Meanwhile, Bai Lin's face, hidden beneath his cold iron helmet, showed almost no emotion, only a hint of solemnity.

She placed Miyuki on the ground beside her and slowly rubbed her fist against the shield in her other hand, as if polishing it. The cold metal clashing sound, like her expression, made the surrounding atmosphere even colder. Bai Lin himself didn't even look at Araniah, but slowly replied,

"I have nothing else to do today except really want to beat someone up. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity."

After hearing this, Alaniya became more certain of her previous thoughts. She suppressed her joy and replied wildly,

"Really? You don't really think you can beat me, do you? Let me see what you've prepared to be so confident."

"Preparation? My strength is my preparation."

With that, Bai Lin instantly appeared, swung his hand forward, and thrust his shield straight into the opponent's face. Araniah, however, showed no sign of weakness. She swiftly swung her axe forward, knocking Bai Lin back. Thus began the battle between the two!

"Now, provide cover fire for Miss Araniah! All guns fired!"

Even at maximum strength, with Araniah's skill level, she could easily escape and take her target with her. This was what the men inside the cabin were thinking. Then, the rows of spikes on the middle layer of the platinum barrier suddenly blazed with light, erupting with chains and roaring towards Bai Lin.

All 374 guns fired at the same time. This absolutely devastating blow made the sky, which was already setting in the sunset, feel even darker.

Chapter 696 Just Blocked

The flames were like the falling sun, rushing forward to destroy all living things on the ground.

Bai Lin was also deeply impressed by the last time's artillery fire that destroyed a mountain. Each one here was much more powerful than the last time. If it was hit by so many of them so densely packed together, there would definitely be nothing left.

Bai Lin, who was fighting with Alaniya, glanced at the cannonball. Alaniya's axe attacked instantly. She stuck to Bai Lin's face and said,

"Why do you have the time to look elsewhere? Why do you care about those things? Isn't it nice to bathe in artillery fire occasionally?"

Clearly, Bai Lin, armed only with a shield, was struggling against Araniah. Overwhelmed, he had little power to fight back, and could only fend off her attacks. But there was no trace of panic in Bai Lin's eyes, and the clanging of metal against metal was steady and rhythmic. Each time, he was able to deflect the attack and retreat a few steps.

Seeing the incoming artillery fire, Bai Lin remained calm, using his shield to deflect the attack once again. Then, with a swift movement of his other hand, he unsheathed the tip of the Dragon Spear. Then, a massive impact instantly cracked the surrounding ground, and roaring dragon flames shot up into the sky. The Dragon Spear merely completed a simple movement in Bai Lin's hand before being slammed into the ground.

A clean, effective strike was also one of Bai Lin's favorite moves. If he couldn't win, he'd flip the table; it was perfect for buying time. Strength comes from the ground; as long as the ground was destroyed, making it difficult to stand, it would definitely render most martial arts ineffective. Furthermore, such a massive display of force and scale would naturally catch the opponent off guard.

That being said, that was limited to martial arts. At Araniah's level, everyone was so fierce, so it was normal for the field to be torn apart from time to time. She was slightly startled as she fell into mid-air, but she quickly recovered, brushing her hand against the axe blade, causing it to glow faintly, before striking fiercely.

The whistling orange flames flew towards Bai Lin as Elania's whole body pulled them. It looked similar to an aerial cannon. The rocks it touched on the way melted like ice and snow. It was obvious that it had very powerful power.

At this moment, Bai Lin had just destroyed the site and hadn't even had time to retrieve her weapon, so she was practically unarmed. Logically, she should have used her ability to move faster on unstable terrain to quickly retrieve her dragon spear and defend against the attack.

But she didn't do that. Maintaining her usual composure, she tapped the tip of one foot against a rock, exerting force with this extremely unstable fulcrum, yet gracefully flipped sideways in the air, carving a perfect curve. Meanwhile, her free hands tumbled again, fiddling with something beneath her cloak.

The next moment, a brilliant ice-blue cane exploded in the air. It was one of the rewards Angelina had left for Bai Lin. While the extremely low temperature was indeed pure enough, it was clearly unrealistic to use it to slow down the barrage.

However, Bai Lin was certainly not foolish enough to expect this thing to stop the volley. A large number of inky black dots flew out from Bai Lin's body, instantly carrying the magic power released by the shattered cane into their bodies, and then pierced into the air.

The gleaming blade that emerged from Bai Lin's sleeves revealed the true form of the black dot. It was a very simple flying knife. To describe Bai Lin's flying knives as "scattering flowers from the sky" might not be quite accurate, as they converged like a storm, scattered but covering the sky like a black cloud.

After that, Bai Lin raised her thumb again, and something resembling a coin embedded with a gem popped out. It quickly flew to Miyu's side, harmlessly creating a singularity that engulfed her body. Bai Lin's flip finally stopped at that moment; all of this was just a movement during a somersault.

Bai Lin, standing straight, leaped onto stable ground. She drew her training sword, her entire body trembling as she flew out like an arrow, striking Elania. Meanwhile, the artillery shells, which had reduced the area for hundreds of kilometers to ash, exploded one after another in the air. Embers collided, and in an instant, a thousand-degree scorching wind whistled past Bai Lin's ears.

This volley, so costly, had become nothing more than a backdrop for the two men's battle. Why had Bai Lin been pursued so miserably last time, yet handled it so easily this time? The answer was actually quite simple.

Last time, Bai Lin was essentially awakened by the explosion while asleep. That beyond-visual-range, extraordinary attack left her with little time to react. This time, she had foreseen the attack's nature, and with the experience she'd gained from the previous attack, she'd devised a better countermeasure. Furthermore, this time's attack was slightly different from the last.

First, use the throwing knife to obtain the power of extreme cold, so that it can withstand the existing temperature outside and prevent the throwing knife from melting before it can play its role. In this way, it can collide with the magic core of the entity and cause it to explode prematurely.

Bai Lin couldn't say he hadn't thought of this method last time, but it was pointless. By the time the shells reached Bai Lin, they had already transformed from solid platinum clots into pure destructive energy. A mere throwing knife wouldn't be enough to channel this energy, and Bai Lin didn't have the tools to handle it. He didn't even think about counterattacking, so he just fled.

But this time, in addition to using magic, the opponent actually used the spikes as cores to launch a cluster bomb-like attack. The combined attack of energy and physical forms sounds powerful, but for Bai Lin, dealing with such a physical flying object is much easier than dealing with an energy form. Even out of sight, Bai Lin can unconsciously catch arrows with her bare hands. Within her sight, a knife throw wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

After the entity exploded, the sea of ​​fire instantly saturated the firepower in the area, swallowing up other energy as well. This was purely because Bai Lin had barely revealed any strength in his previous fight, resulting in information errors.

In addition, even if the shells were to explode prematurely through manipulation, the aftermath would be something Miyu could not withstand. For this reason, Bai Lin also made special preparations to deal with it.

Chapter 697 The Beginning of Tactics

Simply put, with neither side displaying their full strength, Bai Lin gained more favorable intelligence, while the other side did not. This was the reason for the completely different situation.

After all, Bai Lin was completely overwhelmed the last time she encountered Araniah. Holding Miyu, she couldn't move her hands, and was completely overwhelmed by the opponent's continuous attacks. With Araniah's temperament, she naturally wouldn't take her too seriously. This was also the main reason why she was gradually losing ground.

Bai Lin's blade was angled at a tricky angle, allowing him to thrust forward with each strike, sidestepping the opponent's attacks. Although the nodachi's length was still inferior to the great axe, Bai Lin's skill made up for it. The threat posed by Bai Lin's continuous onslaught was enough to pull Araniah to the same level as him, even giving him the upper hand.

She swung her blade sideways, stepped forward, and slashed diagonally, her hand swiveling and slashing. The wind from her blade carved furrows into the ground before her. Then, naturally, Bai Lin seized the opportunity to snatch up the nearby dragon spear, returning her shield to her grasp. After a downward, diagonal slash, she leaped back several meters, once again creating distance. She raised her blade and slowly, with a slash of her own, drew it back behind her.

Alaniya looked a bit dusty and dirty. Although she didn't seem to have suffered any actual damage, the fact that she could fight Bai Lin like this under the support of artillery fire was far below her psychological expectations. Alaniya, panting, couldn't help but say to Bai Lin in a daze,

"You guys seem to have some skills."

"I told you, today, I really want to hit someone."

Bai Lin spoke a conversation that was neither answer nor question. Then, like a hurricane, she vanished in an instant, violently dashing across the land, heading in the direction of Miyu's original position. Then, the wolf girl reappeared with the singularity, and Bai Lin pounced on her, hugging her body before rolling and dodging forward.

Behind Bai Lin, a chasm, massive enough to be called a rift, instantly exploded. Crimson destructive lasers shot out from the fortress's eye, tearing through the earth and piercing the sky, forcing Bai Lin to dodge. And this was only the beginning; the crimson disaster continued to erode the entire real world in the form of a gradually spreading energy.

"Ms. Alani, do you need our support for the attack?"

The questioning voice suddenly rang in Alani's ears. The arrival of this attack seemed to give her enough time to sort out her thoughts, and also made the younger brothers anxious about whether they should go out to help their boss. But Alani grinned, stretched out a hand to Bai Lin, who was still dodging the main gun laser, and said,

"No need, just watch it."

Bai Lin had come prepared, hence his request for Araniah to come out. And having agreed, hadn't Araniah also prepared some means? Upon leaving the fortress, she had attached a platinum thread so thin it was practically invisible to the naked eye. This allowed her to draw upon a portion of the platinum barrier's vast magical power, even from a thousand miles away.

Although she couldn't remotely control the Platinum Barrier and use its originally set spells due to distance, holding this ocean-like magical power in her hands was more than enough to destroy a mere elf.

A tsunami echoed with the roar of a storm. A large section of the platinum barrier's foundation wall instantly transformed into a swirling liquid vortex, rapidly rushing towards Bai Lin. Clearly, this was intended to deliver a final blow to Bai Lin, who had been pursued to a stalemate. However, this straw that broke the camel's back was likely a bit too big.

But even after the attack roared out, Bai Lin remained unfazed. She leaped forward, perfectly dodging the main gun's laser barrage, and then gently tossed Xiao Miyuki away, throwing him a distance while preserving his shield. Bai Lin stood still, watching the platinum tsunami vortex that was now charging towards her, leaving her no time to dodge. She remained calm and composed.

It was as if this was what she expected.

Magic is a very mysterious thing. Bai Lin once compared it to a very troublesome mathematical set. After possessing divinity, she could understand the numbers and some symbols in it, but because she had never studied it and had no talent at all, she could not understand the actual content of magic at all.

But, there are spells like breathing fire, spells like firing cannons—simple things like that, after seeing them a thousand times, even the dumbest person would be able to fully understand them. It's like there's a square root between these numbers. Even if Bai Lin only knows elementary school addition and subtraction, he can still tell that another number with a square root has a similar form.

In this world, magic is primarily wielded through the use of magical power. While most magicians confine their magical power to their bodies, they can also draw upon the magical power of the atmosphere to cast spells. But what happens when all magicians wish to use their magical power?