At this moment, Paimon stood blankly in the open wilderness.
Hu Tao was gone.
No matter how she thought about it, the situation felt hopeless.
Clop—clop.
Hoofbeats echoed in the distance.
Paimon turned her head—and her pupils shrank.
Sunday was approaching.
"Hiiii—!"
Instant panic.
"He's coming for me!"
"I—I need to run!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Paimon spun her tiny horse around and bolted.
"Oh ho~ that mount is something else."
Sunday burst out laughing.
That horse was way too small.
With Paimon riding it, it looked less like a warhorse and more like a puppy-sized toy.
Absolutely ridiculous.
But—
Paimon's army was a chaotic mix.
All of it was scavenged from captured cities—mostly Level 1 and Level 2 units, slow and unupgraded.
She hadn't cared before. After all, those troops were destined for the Skeleton Converter anyway.
Cheap was best.
Now?
That decision came back to bite her.
She barely ran a few steps before Sunday caught up.
Mounted on a tall, imposing warhorse, Sunday looked down at the tiny figure in front of him.
"Paimon, hand over the artifacts," he said calmly.
"Do that, and I'll let you go."
"Like heck I will!"
Paimon glared at him.
Did he think she was stupid?
If she handed them over, he'd cut her down on the spot.
"Then… I'll have to take them myself."
"Y-you—you—you dare bully me?! If Hu Tao comes back, she'll never let you off!"
That almost made Sunday laugh.
As if Hu Tao would spare him even if he didn't bully Paimon.
Sure, it felt like bullying a kid…
…but Paimon was still a player.
Sunday didn't hesitate.
He launched the attack.
The battlefield unfolded.
Sunday raised a hand.
Sixty-plus Halberdiers.
Over fifty Sharpshooters.
More than thirty Royal Griffins.
Ten Crusaders.
White Knights.
He nodded in satisfaction.
This was nearly more than a full week's production from his Castle.
Thank you very much, Topaz.
Otherwise, all of these troops would've become Hu Tao's undead fuel.
Paimon, on the other hand, was shaking.
"How does he have this many high-tier units…?"
Every single one of his troops was upgraded.
Elite versions.
Meanwhile, she—
Cheap, base versions only.
At the time, she thought it was smart.
Now it was a nightmare.
With trembling hands, Paimon began deploying.
Seventy Spearmen appeared.
"Oh? You've got more Level 1 troops than me."
Sunday chuckled, completely unconcerned.
Base Spearmen couldn't compare to upgraded Halberdiers.
Next—
Sixty Grand Elves.
Upgraded, ranged—but still Level 1.
Limited impact.
Then—
Forty Centaurs.
"…Still Level 1?"
Sunday laughed again.
Why was everything she had Level 1?
Cannon fodder.
Then came—
Forty Goblins.
Fifty Sprites.
That was it.
Her entire fortune.
For a moment, Sunday almost felt bad.
But a fight was a fight.
No mercy.
"Sharpshooters—focus fire on the Sprites."
Fast, flying units had to go first.
Then the Grand Elves.
"Griffins, take off. Dive the Grand Elves."
Orders flowed smoothly.
The gap in command skill was obvious.
Thirty-plus Griffins soared into the air and plunged downward.
Paimon panicked.
"F-fight back! Charge them! Everyone—charge!"
She had no tactics.
Just instinct.
If they hit her, she'd hit back.
Her entire army surged forward.
"Heh. Naive."
Sunday wasn't worried at all.
"Crusaders, hold the front. White Knights, maneuver—charge when you see an opening."
Perfect execution.
As the Griffins slammed into the Grand Elves, Sunday already imagined them being shredded—
But then…
Something felt wrong.
"…Huh?"
This wasn't what he expected.
The Griffins weren't crushing the Grand Elves.
They were being held down.
Surrounded.
"What the hell…?"
He stared in disbelief.
Why were those Grand Elves so tanky?!
He checked other fronts.
Same story.
Minimal progress.
"What's going on?!"
Sunday's mind went blank.
Everything was textbook.
Air units pin the elves.
Sharpshooters eliminate Sprites.
Perfect opening.
So why was he being suppressed?
He checked his stats.
Royal Griffin:
Attack 9 (14)
Defense 9 (12)
HP 25
Five attack, three defense bonuses.
No mistake.
Then he checked Paimon's Grand Elves.
Grand Elf:
Attack 4 (11)
Defense 4 (21)
HP 4
"…What kind of stats are THESE?!"
Sunday's soul nearly left his body.
That defense value was absurd.
Quick calculation—
Paimon had roughly +7 Attack and +17 Defense.
He slowly turned to look at Paimon.
How scared are you exactly?!
Why is everything dumped into defense?!
Then it hit him.
Paimon had been following Hu Tao the whole time.
Sharing experience.
Stacking artifacts.
Her level advantage alone was massive.
And her gear?
Probably ridiculous.
His heart sank.
If Paimon's stats are already like this…
Then what kind of monster is Hu Tao?
"Wahahaha! Yes! That's it! Hit him! Hit him harder!"
Paimon was ecstatic.
She didn't know why she was winning.
Only that—
She was winning.
"Wait—Paimon!"
Sunday shouted desperately.
If he didn't stop this now, his reputation would be destroyed forever.
Paimon crossed her arms smugly and looked down at him.
"You may speak. Lord Paimon is listening."
Utterly smug.
Completely smug.
"…Uh," Sunday swallowed.
"…I surrender. Will you accept it?"
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