In mid-air, the Winged Race's Fourth Prince gathered a massive amount of elemental energy, with a strange weapon on his shoulder. The weapon resembled a cylinder, covered with bizarre magic arrays and a large gem at its end, where countless elemental energies rapidly converged. The cylinder's arrays slowly rotated, and intense energy flickered dazzlingly at the dark muzzle. Sensing the terrifying power of the weapon in the Fourth Prince's hands, the Naga girl's expression turned grave.
"The Winged Race's Magic Crystal Cannon, prepare the magic water mirror to refract the beam!" The Naga girl had a method to counter it.
"Everyone, quickly come over here! Our hastily conjured magic water mirror is too small to protect the entire ground. Hurry to the rear of the water mirror!" Dozens of Naga female warriors chanted in unison, creating a huge vortex on the water surface, providing temporary shelter for everyone.
"Mittir, let's go too, don't mind this madman!" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night carried Mittir and left, no longer paying attention to Rody.
"Rising Water Dragon!" Rody flew to the sea surface, and where he passed, a giant water dragon rose, fiercely accompanying him towards the sky. The Fourth Prince turned his cylindrical weapon towards Rody and fired. A beam shot from the weapon, lighting up the entire sky. For a long time, people's eyes couldn't recover from the flash.
The entire sea was boiling, with waves rising tens of meters high. The shockwave spread across the sea like a typhoon, blowing everyone on the beach into disarray. The air was filled with steaming vapor and hot water droplets. The water dragon Rody had created was turned into steam and droplets by the beam fired from the cylindrical weapon.
Yet, Rody, at the forefront of the massive water dragon, remained unharmed. He still held the cup of wine in his hand, not even a drop spilled. Rody glanced at the turbulent sea below, then at the dismayed Fourth Prince, and said lightly, "You should practice your aim!"
"I don't need to!" The Fourth Prince roared angrily, aiming the Magic Crystal Cannon at the people on the ground, sneering.
"You plan to shoot them?" Rody asked, seemingly puzzled, "I'm right in front of you, aren't I?"
"If you don’t want them shot in front of you, then use your body to block their death! Aren't you powerful? Aren't you the hero of humans? Come on, use your body to shield them from death!" The Fourth Prince’s shoulder-mounted Magic Crystal Cannon began to glow again, making his already pallid face from the bright light look even more terrifying.
"What a brilliant idea, how did you come up with it?" Rody clapped his hands, praising enthusiastically.
"Now is not the time to praise the enemy, think of something!" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night was angry.
"I can't do anything!" Rody shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands, indicating he was helpless.
"You're just going to watch it shoot us with the Magic Crystal Cannon? If you don't want to block with your body, then attack the Magic Crystal Cannon, quickly!" The Naga girl Jekaterina, eager to fight herself, but considering the safety of her subordinates and civilians, stayed on the ground, repeatedly strengthening the magic water mirror with water magic. However, she had no confidence in completely deflecting the power of the Magic Crystal Cannon.
"Can I attack it?" Rody asked, pointing at the Fourth Prince.
"Nonsense!" Everyone rolled their eyes.
"The Fourth Prince is about to cry, poor thing, let it fire one more time!" Rody spoke as if persuading everyone to let a child set off one more firework, not wanting the child to cry, giving off that kind of feeling.
"Die, human scum!" The Fourth Prince, driven mad, raised the Magic Crystal Cannon, aiming at Rody in front of him, and the beam shot out.
"Your aim is terrible!" Rody shook his head in disappointment. The massive beam passed right through his body and shot into the distant sky, seemingly piercing something, then the beam disappeared into the sky. The Fourth Prince's eyes bulged in shock. At such a close distance, how did this human male dodge it? No matter the speed, it was impossible to dodge the Magic Crystal Cannon's beam after firing, yet this human man did just that.
"Brother is so awesome!" At this moment, the only one who could cheer was the naive Mittir.
"..." Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at Rody in the sky.
"Let me demonstrate how to fire this thing. Although I'm not very good at it, I believe I'm much better than you!" Rody reached out his hand, and suddenly the Magic Crystal Cannon was in his grasp. A half-clone emerged from his back, carrying the Magic Crystal Cannon, and began to gather elements. He actually knew how to use the Magic Crystal Cannon.
The Fourth Prince shivered in fear, trying to dodge the aim. Suddenly, he found that Rody had multiplied into two, then four, each clone carrying an identical Magic Crystal Cannon. It was unclear which was real and which was fake. The four Magic Crystal Cannons aimed in different directions, leaving the Fourth Prince feeling cold all over, trapped within their firing range.
Rody's real body appeared, holding a small flag in one hand and a silver whistle in his mouth. "Human Cannon, first level ready; Human Cannon, second level ready; Human Cannon, fire..." With each command from Rody, the four Magic Crystal Cannons adjusted their angles once, and finally, all four fired beams, hitting the Fourth Prince and the four-winged birdmen guards, who screamed in pain.
"Brother is so majestic! So majestic!" Mittir clapped her hands excitedly.
"What an outdated command, so unpleasant to hear!" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night and the Naga girl covered their faces, unwilling to watch.
Although the four Magic Crystal Cannons fired simultaneously, their power was significantly reduced. The Fourth Prince, bombarded by the beams, understood that it wasn't the power of the Magic Crystal Cannon that hit him, but the illusion magic beams fired by the human. Despite this, the realism of the illusions terrified him.
By the time he stabilized himself in the sky and defended with his sword, Rody had already tied up his subordinates swiftly. Only the one-eyed captain struggled a bit, but the other birdmen guards couldn't even resist in front of Rody. The one-eyed captain with six wings, having dodged the Magic Crystal Cannon's firing, was no match for Rody, who smashed him with a holy hammer before he could swing his giant sword, causing him to spit blood and roll his eyes. He only struggled a bit when Rody stepped on his head, pushing it into the sand.
"Nicholas, make sure everyone is thoroughly interrogated. Extract every piece of treasure from these birdmen, squeeze them dry!" Rody hadn't finished speaking when everyone noticed the Dark Knights and Demon Generals reappear. It turned out the guards hadn't left at all; it was only an illusion.
"Yes, my master," Nicholas answered respectfully.
"Prince, the game is over. I've taken the Magic Crystal Cannon and figured out how to use it. But I still have some questions about how it's made, so please explain to my butler. Don't worry, as long as you confess clearly, I will definitely let you go back to continue being a prince!" Before Rody finished speaking, the Fourth Prince soared up, trying to escape through the hole in the sky made by the Magic Crystal Cannon.
"It's escaping, why aren't you chasing?" The Naga girl Jekaterina shouted anxiously.
"It's okay, it's like a fly against a windowpane, bright future but no way out," Rody smiled slightly. The Fourth Prince crashed into the hole in the sky, hitting it head-on. It looked like a hole, but the Prince ended up dusty and bruised without passing through, a very strange sight.
"What's going on?" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night was confused.
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"Ah, it's quite simple!" Rody patiently explained, "I stored the beam from the Magic Crystal Cannon in my storage space and created a fake beam. The hole in the sky is an illusion I created with an atmospheric force field; it doesn't really exist. So, everyone need not worry about our dear Prince escaping! The spatial fortress created by him and the four generals is quite sturdy, it won't be undone for at least two hours. Everyone can take a bath, change clothes, eat something, and then leisurely watch the Prince desperately search for an exit!"
"..." Everyone sweated profusely after hearing Rody's words, thinking it's best not to fight with him, lest they be played to death without knowing how.
"Dimensional Slash, Sword of Space and Time!" The Fourth Prince in the sky, furious to the point of vomiting blood, did not give up on escaping. He summoned the greatest fighting spirit of his life and slashed towards the void.
"Don’t worry, everyone, it won't succeed!" Rody comforted them as he saw worry on their faces. "Look, its feet are already bound by my 'God Binding Chains.' Even if it could escape from the spatial fortress, I can easily pull it back! Come on, let's all have something to eat. Let the Fourth Prince do whatever it wants. We always need some entertainment during a meal, right?"
"What?" The Fourth Prince saw a strange silver chain around his ankle, which he couldn't sever no matter how he swung his sword.
"Hey, it's committing suicide, the Fourth Prince is going to kill itself!" The Sea Monster Squad Captain shouted to Rody, who was distributing food to everyone.
"Don’t worry, under the God Binding Chains, it's impossible to commit suicide!" Rody's words made everyone feel sorry for the Fourth Prince.
"You, you are a devil!" The Naga girl, seeing that the Fourth Prince in the sky couldn't even kill itself, began to cry bitterly, shaking her head at Rody, "You are a thousand, no, ten thousand times more terrifying than the humans of legend! Don't talk to me, seeing you gives me a headache... Huh? What's this fruit? It's quite tasty!"
"Sorry, I'm mute, I can't answer," Rody laughed heartily, provoking both women to swing their fists at him.
"Wahhh... I want to kill myself, I want to kill myself! Wahhh..." The Fourth Prince, seeing people on the ground ignoring him and only surrounding Rody eating fruit from the Abyss and drinking human wine, cried even louder in grief and bitterness. But even suicide was impossible under the chains, leaving it powerless.
...
"Who exactly are you?" Naga girl Jekaterina asked.
"I guess you must be a prince, a powerful human hero!" The Sea Monster Squad Captain saluted with endless admiration, "Thank you for saving our Sea Race and friends of the Sea Race. Please allow us to pay our respects to you!"
"You're welcome!" Though Rody said so, he unabashedly accepted the salutes.
"How can you be so powerful at such a young age among humans? Are you a sword saint or mage saint who has regained youth?" Jekaterina questioned again.
"Although I'm not a sword saint or mage saint, I am not young," Rody replied, leading everyone to believe he was an aged human powerhouse.
"Respected human elder..." Everyone quickly paid their respects.
"Everyone, please, no need to be so formal. Just bow casually," Rody, getting carried away, accepted their salutes again.
"According to the Naga's age, I'm eighteen today, but in human terms, I'm already one hundred and eighty years old. I won't pay respects," Jekaterina felt Rody couldn't be older than one hundred and eighty, though he was stronger than her. She didn't want to perform the elder's salute, feeling she could still be on equal footing with him.
"By your calculation, I'm over three thousand years old in human terms!" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night accidentally revealed her age.
"Heavens, are you an old monster?" Before Rody could finish, the High Priestess of the Moonlit Night sent him flying.
Everyone hurriedly paid respects to the High Priestess, knowing that the Sea Race also had long-lived individuals, but compared to the Elf Race, especially the royal members with tens of thousands of years of lifespan, they paled in comparison. The High Priestess, being relatively young among the Elf elders, didn't involve herself much in worldly matters. She hadn't been the High Priestess for long and didn't know much. In elf terms, three thousand years was equivalent to only about sixteen or seventeen years old in human growth, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily swayed by Rody.
"Three thousand years is only sixteen or seventeen years old? Your lifespan is enviable!" Jekaterina was amazed, knowing the Elf lifespan was hard to estimate, but hadn't expected it to be so lengthy. Hearing this, Rody immediately started shouting, "Quick, call me brother! You're only sixteen or seventeen years old and dare to say it out loud? Let me tell you, it won't be long before I reach my twentieth birthday..."
"What?" Everyone was stunned upon hearing this revelation. They had originally thought he was a regressed elder, but he hadn't even grown up yet! This human pretending to be old was just a sprout who hadn't lived for even twenty years. Everyone was astonished and nearly fainted upon hearing this. A human who had only lived for twenty years, daring to accept salutes as an elder, had quite the thick skin!
"You're only twenty years old?" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night grabbed Rody's collar and grunted.
"Not yet, my twentieth birthday is coming up. Prepare your birthday gift for me; I'll let you know when it's time!" Rody said cheerfully.
"That's not right, how did you become so powerful in just twenty years? Human growth is fast, but not to this extent! Humans typically start maturing at thirteen or fourteen, even if you're special, starting at ten, it's only been ten years. How could you possibly become a powerful Mage King?" The Naga girl Jekaterina questioned Rody, suspecting he was an old man pretending to be young.
"I don't know. Three years ago, I was a one-star novice magic apprentice. A year ago, I was a master magician. Now, I am a Grand Mage King. Hehe, it can't be helped; smart people progress quickly. Aren’t you envious?" Rody laughed heartily, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
In just three years, he had transformed from a novice magic apprentice to a Grand Mage King, a speed faster than a magic firework.
How is that possible? Even if human growth is fast and talents are exceptional, and even with strong teachers, reaching the level of an outstanding golden-robed Grand Mage King isn't something one just achieves. It requires accumulation of knowledge, awakening of the soul, fusion of various energies, and communication with elements. Among the Elves, if someone could reach the level of Grand Mage King within three thousand years, they would be considered the most outstanding elf.
The Naga race had had a hundred Grand Mage Kings in history, but none reached that level within five hundred years, not even historical heroes.
A Grand Mage King is more powerful and harder to reach than a Great Sword Emperor. An equally talented person, practicing for the same amount of time, might become a Sword Saint but not necessarily a Grand Mage King.
"That's not right, a distinguished golden-robed Grand Mage King has a moonlight halo. Why don't you have one?" The Naga girl quickly reacted, questioning, "You didn't seem like a Grand Mage King just now; you were more like a close-combat warrior. Hey, are you lying?"
"You caught me..." Rody squatted on the ground, drawing circles sadly, "Actually, I'm still a novice magic apprentice!"
"Exactly, you liar!" The Naga girl was pleased to have exposed his deception. But then she thought again, how could he have easily defeated the Fourth Prince, who had the strength of a Sword Emperor, if he wasn't a Grand Mage King? But if he was a Grand Mage King, why didn't he have a moonlight halo? What was really going on?
"Could it be that you advanced so quickly you didn't have time to pray to the gods for the title of distinguished golden-robed Grand Mage King?" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night realized part of the truth.
"That's right, poor me, still a one-star novice magic apprentice!" Rody was on the verge of tears.
"So, you really advanced from a magic apprentice to the level of Grand Mage King in just three years?" Not only the Naga girl Jekaterina but everyone who heard this gasped in shock, including the Fourth Prince eavesdropping in the sky.
"Actually, it's been a little over three years," Rody calculated, realizing it had been almost four years.
"I'm fainting!" The Naga girl felt dizzy upon hearing this.
She considered herself a genius. In just one hundred and eighty years, she had reached the realm of Sword Emperor, and the realm of Law King was only slightly lacking in maturity. Given another fifty years, she was confident that she could become both Law King and Sword Emperor, and then start challenging for the titles of Grand Law King and Grand Sword Emperor. She believed that with her diligent practice, she would surpass her predecessors within five hundred years and become the first Naga to achieve the status of Grand Law King in just five hundred years.
Unexpectedly, a human man achieved in three years what she aimed to achieve in five hundred years.
This was quite a blow to her.
"Hey, you're not just a Grand Law King, right? I think your martial prowess is much stronger than your magical power. So, even if you're not a Sword Saint, you should at least be a Grand Sword Emperor, no, you should be a Junior Sword Saint!" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night was very pleased to see the Naga girl disheartened by Rody's excellence, feeling a surge of pride and deliberately revealing more about Rody's capabilities.
"Junior Sword Saint..." Everyone was stunned, and the four princes in the sky were so desperate that they collapsed to the ground, unwilling to get up for a long time.
"You became a Grand Law King and a Junior Sword Saint in just three years?" The Naga girl, Jacqueline, almost grabbed Rody to ask him for his exclusive secrets.
"Seems like it!" Rody deliberately furrowed his brows, recalling the past.
"Sisters, surround him and beat him up. I hate such outstanding guys the most. Turn him into a pig's head!" The Naga girl grabbed Rody's arm and bit it fiercely. The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night saw this and thought it was too much. Why should this Naga be biting people? She grabbed Rody's other arm and bit down hard, determined not to be outdone.
"Hey, if you're jealous, just say it. Why bite people!" Rody screamed in pain.
Finally, the farce ended, and the women's resentment dissipated.
Elsewhere, Nicholas and the Demon General had already started interrogating the four Wing Generals and various guards, who were now considered prisoners. The Wing Generals dared not refuse to answer, so the Demon General recorded their responses while questioning. Only the four princes sat on the beach, dispirited and silent, allowing Nicholas to question them without responding.
Nicholas was very patient. He repeatedly asked only one question: "What is your name?"
The sea monster captain nearby was so annoyed by the repeated questioning that he hurriedly left. He couldn't stand this kind of intangible torture. He would rather be beaten than endure this repetitive questioning, which would surely lead to a mental breakdown. The monsters enthusiastically applauded for Rody, and a fishman merchant secretly gave two shells to Mitty, who was in a good mood and happily accepted them without any complaints.
"You're so young, are you really the Grand Marshal of the Human Justice Alliance?" The Naga girl, Jacqueline, was no longer too surprised by now, as Rody had left her in shock after shock. This news couldn't stir much in her numb heart.
"You're so young, how can you also be the great leader of the Naga Sea Tribe?" Rody asked back.
"I'm different from you. My sister is Her Majesty the Empress. Also, I'm one of the three great leaders. Unlike your human Grand Marshals, you humans seem to only have one leader, right? I remember humans are particularly poor in discipline, requiring absolute unity in command. There can only be one Grand Marshal, otherwise, there will be internal chaos. You can't tell me that's not the case, can you?" The Naga girl, Jacqueline, knew quite a lot.
"That's right, you're absolutely correct," Rody nodded and said, "Princess Jacquelintra, has your sister married yet?"
"No, she hasn't. Why do you ask?" Jacquelintra was puzzled.
"How do you think I am? Can I be your brother-in-law?" Rody's first question made Jacquelintra blush, but his second question infuriated her, and she punched him fiercely in the face with all six fists.
"My sister is the Naga Empress. On the first day of her coronation, she vowed to marry the sea and remain unmarried for life. Stay away from me!" Jacquelintra was very angry, but the main reason for her anger was not that Rody had offended her sister, but that he had offended her. The audacity of him wanting to become her brother-in-law was intolerable!
"This makes me much more relieved!" Rody patted his chest and said, "It's best she remains unmarried for life!"
"What, what exactly do you want to do?" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night was also driven crazy. Was this philanderer eyeing the Naga Empress? He had never even seen the Naga Empress. Could he be aiming for a political marriage? Was this his purpose in coming to the land of the Seven Tribes? Despite his immense power, why would he seek a political marriage? If he were to marry the Naga Empress, then could she still follow him?
"I want to form an alliance with her, but I was very worried she would propose a political marriage. So, I asked in advance to make sure. Now, I am relieved," Rody answered very gentlemanly.
"Do you believe that, Jacquelintra? Do you believe that?" The High Priestess of the Moonlit Night felt that even a fool wouldn't believe such words.
"Only an idiot would believe that!" The Naga girl snorted. "This guy is definitely a big philanderer, I'm not wrong!"
"Why is it that when I finally speak the truth, no one believes me..." Rody sighed deeply, which provoked the High Priestess of the Moonlit Night and the Naga girl to punch him wildly.