The Herb King



Irithel stared at the army of Underworlders with narrowed eyes. These creatures were large humanoid species with demonic features. The average size of the Underworlders was about 4 meters tall with huge builds. Their limbs were so thick and muscular with protruding snake-like veins. They had varying skin colors, but most of them were purple-skinned and red-skinned. As for their appearance, they looked incredibly terrifying with their saw-like teeth and malevolent eyes.

"There are two Level 5 warriors among them. One is in the mid stage and the other one is only in the early stage. However, the average strength of those normal Underworlders is actually Level 2! The Proud Tiger Tribe might struggle against it. It looks like the Shadow Guards must be the vanguard force in this battle." Irithel muttered in a solemn tone. She had underestimated the might of the Underworlders. These guys were only a small army, but they were already so strong. She couldn't imagine how strong a large army of Underworlders was. 

Suddenly, she felt a violent force rushing toward her. Sensing this, she hurriedly urged her Gryphon to fly higher. 

Swoosh!

It was actually a huge spear! The Underworlders must have seen her! 

Irithel looked down and saw the early stage Level 5 Underworlder grabbing another spear. It then stretched its arm as it aimed for Irithel's Gryphon. "Seeking death!" She muttered angrily as she took out a Divine-Rated longbow. It was the Divine weapon of their Aracan Kingdom, the Earth Elegy. 

Irithel gathered the world essence in her Hegel and sent a huge stream of energy into her longbow. Soon, an energy arrow was slowly condensing as Irithel pulled the bow string. 

Swoosh!

The energy arrow crushed the hurtling spear and rushed towards the early stage Level 5 Underworlder with great momentum! 

The mid stage Level 5 Underworlder who was just watching earlier decided to intervene when it saw the powerful energy arrow. It grabbed a huge dark shield and lifted it. 

Bang!

The resulting force rebounded, sending the normal Underworlders flying. 

Meanwhile, the mid stage Level 5 Underworlder remained unharmed behind his shield.

Seeing this, Irithel could not help but frown. "What kind of bloody shield is that? It can actually block my energy arrows. It should be a Divine-Rated artifact. Who would have thought that these guys actually possess Divine weapons? I must report this to Aethelwolf!" This information was crucial since this would mean that the Underworlders had already developed their own technology. It might not be as advanced as the technology on the surface, but it was still dangerous. 

With this thought in her mind, she urged her Gryphon to return to the camp. She then grabbed a Communication Rune from her storage ring and called Aethelwolf. 

"What is it? Why did you call me?" Aethelwolf's calm voice echoed over the device.

Irithel didn't waste any time and told him about her discovery. When Aethelwolf heard this, he became silent for a moment.

"Are you certain of this?" Aethelwolf asked in a serious tone. 

"I won't joke around about this matter. They have a shield that is capable of blocking my energy arrows. I don't think ordinary weapons can block my arrows so that means that shield is at least as powerful as a Divine weapon." Irithel muttered. Suddenly a horrifying thought appeared in her mind. 'What if all Level 5 Underworlders possessed a Divine weapon?' Just the thought of it made her scalp tingle. 

"You are transporting the Proud Tiger Tribe, right? How many Underworlders did you see?" 

"Yes. There should be more than ten thousand of them."

"Tell the Engravers to work faster. And you must not forget to destroy the Transportation Rune after using it. We don't want those Underworlders teleporting into our territory. Just buy some time until everyone has safely transported to our territory." Aethelwolf couldn't call Ramiel's army since the guy was responsible for ensuring the safety of the Barden Territory. Suddenly, he thought about Albert, and his eyes lit up. "I'll call Albert and tell him to come and support you." He immediately disconnected the call and called Albert. 

Albert was the leader of the Barden Territory's intelligence force. Fighting wasn't usually his job, but since everyone's hands are tied, Albert was the only person available to help Irithel's team. 

Irithel heaved a sigh of relief when she heard his words. She had already met Albert and he was one of Aethelwolf's strongest subordinates. In the entire Barden Territory, his power was only beneath Ramiel and Aethelwolf. That guy was even stronger than Einar and Zachary! 

After returning to the Proud Tiger Tribe's camp, Irithel quickly gathered 80% of the warriors and commanded them to march. The remaining 20% of the warriors were left to protect the Engravers. 

"Let's go!" 

***

In a huge mansion in the Barden Territory, a stern-looking middle-aged man was reading a document when he suddenly felt something vibrating in his storage ring. 

Hm? 

Albert furrowed his eyebrows as he grabbed his Communication Rune. When he saw who the caller was, he quickly answered. "King Aethelwolf!" 

"Albert, I need you to gather five thousand Espers to head to the Northern Region. I will send you the exact location after the call. Listen closely, you must bring the elite warriors of your intelligence force." 

When he heard the urgency in Aethelwolf's voice, Albert's expression turned serious. "Yes, King Aethelwolf!" He believed that something must have happened to the team sent to build the Transportation Runes. 

"Bring some of our cannons. You guys will be fighting against an Underworlder army so you have to be careful! Go!" Aethelwolf disconnected the call. 

Albert abruptly stood up and went out of his office. He didn't even bother to change into a new set of clothes. As he walked out, he made a call to the squad leaders of the intelligence force and informed them to meet him in front of his mansion. 

Not long later, an army of five thousand Espers was assembled in front of his mansion. Albert nodded his head in satisfaction as he looked at the time. "Let's go to the Northern Region!" He then jumped on top of his mount. It was a majestic Winged Golden Unicorn, a Level 4 magical beast. 

The five thousand Espers jumped on top of their Winged Unicorns after hearing his command. 

Soon, the Unicorns flapped their wings and flew into the sky.