"Sis, I feel like throwing up," Lin Xiyue's voice came from the side, laced with undeniable physical revulsion.
"Seriously, the pressure this guy gives off is nothing compared to that Necromancer, Farina, from the College Entrance Exam Dungeon."
"Besides, even though Farina was an enemy, at least she was beautiful—a pleasure to look at."
"This thing... just one extra glance feels like permanent damage to my optic nerves."
"Indeed," Su Wan's voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
She even took a slight step back, as if breathing another mouthful of the air here would defile her very existence.
"His presence is a blasphemy against the very concept of 'beauty.'"
Xia Lian buried her face in Lin Qingyue's back, leaving only a pair of eyes burning with fury, glaring fixedly at the goblin.
She lowered her voice, each word trembling with rage. "How dare he... look at people with those eyes... It's disgusting."
Her sister's words struck Lin Qingyue like a bolt of lightning.
Farina... That's right!
Both are Dungeon Cores, but Farina was a beautiful and stylish undead. This Gyrus is just greasy and arrogant—a complete clown.
A higher-level Dungeon shouldn't have a weaker BOSS.
Unless... elevating him from an ordinary goblin to the point of merging with the world came at some terrible cost? Like exhausting his reserve power? Or perhaps his transformation into the Dungeon Core was an uncontrolled accident? So much so that he couldn't even optimize his own ugly appearance?
Lin Qingyue had a nagging feeling that this capering jester before her was more than he seemed.
His absolute confidence, treating the entire Elf Army as nothing, must be backed by something substantial.
Meanwhile, Queen Elaniel's patience had finally worn thin.
"It seems there's no need for further communication."
Her voice was devoid of warmth, each word carrying a bone-chilling cold.
"All troops—"
Elaniel's command was cut short by Gyrus's even more unrestrained laughter.
"Communication? My dear Queen, of course we need to communicate!"
Gyrus laughed so hard he bent over backward, his greasy face plastered with a self-proclaimed elegance.
He straightened a non-existent wrinkle on his bow tie and puffed out his chest.
"But not through such crude methods of shouting and killing. You see, Your Majesty, your beauty is a masterpiece for the ages."
"And I, Gyrus, am the world's foremost gentleman connoisseur of art!"
"Our union will be the perfect marriage of beauty and taste! You should feel fortunate to have met a partner like me, who truly understands your worth!"
Holy crap, is he trying to PUA her? A gentleman? My dishcloth is more of a gentleman than you!
Lin Qingyue silently roasted him.
These lines are so cliché. Is he going to say, "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention" next?
"Attack!" Elaniel spat out the single word, her icy killing intent becoming tangible.
In the next instant, the front-rank Elven Rangers released their bowstrings in unison!
Vwoom—!
Dozens of arrows infused with Moonlight Power transformed into silver lines of death, tearing through the air with sharp whistles as they shot toward the "throne."
The arrow volley was about to turn the arrogant goblin into a pincushion.
Yet Gyrus didn't even flinch. The greasy smile on his face only grew wider.
Abruptly, an almost imperceptible ripple spread through the space before him.
The dozens of enchanted arrows, powerful enough to pierce steel, struck the ripple. In that instant, their momentum was choked by an invisible force, and they froze mid-air!
The Moonlight Power on the arrow shafts was instantly drained, their glow dimming to nothing!
Then, all the arrowheads drooped limply, clattering to the ground without even touching the hem of Gyrus's tailcoat.
"What?"
Baroque, the commander, paled.
Lin Qingyue's pupils constricted slightly.
It's not physical defense, nor does it feel like a magical shield... This feels more like interference on a fundamental, rule-based level! Or perhaps... a Domain!
"Ah, what a pity."
Gyrus sighed dramatically, wagging his finger in disappointment. His tone was so greasy it felt like it could drip oil.
"I had hoped a noble being such as yourself would know how to respond to a gentleman's courtship with more elegance."
"These crude arrows only tarnish the perfect atmosphere of our first meeting. Within my 'Refined Taste' Domain, anything unbeautiful or brutish is simply not permitted to exist!"
The moment his words faded, a silent black shadow ignored his "Domain," piercing straight through the ripple and hurtling toward his face!
"Huh?"
Gyrus's shifty little eyes flew wide open, his feigned composure instantly shattering.
He let out a bizarre shriek and threw himself backward in an utterly undignified posture. Just barely, his white-gloved hand shot out and clamped down on the arrow shaft—less than a centimeter from the tip of his nose!
The force behind the arrow numbed his wrist and even dislodged a few strands of his meticulously styled, greasy hair.
"Who?! Who dares to ambush the great Captain Gyrus in such a tasteless manner?!"
His roar of failed bravado echoed through the cavern, his oily voice cracking into a comical, shrill shriek.
Xia Lian silently lowered her shortbow, her small face etched with a look of utter disdain that screamed, Is that all you've got?
Just as Gyrus was about to explode with rage, another anomaly occurred!
"Ugh!"
"The elements... they're rejecting me!"
"Damn it! My spell failed!"
A wave of stifled groans and panicked cries erupted from the mage formation at the rear of the Elf Army.
The members of the Royal Mage Corps turned deathly pale, cold sweat soaking their ornate robes.
The light from their staves flickered erratically. The elemental energy, once as docile as an extension of their will, now seethed with brutal rejection, becoming a mortal enemy.
The lead Archmage strained with all his might, trying to conjure a fireball in his palm.
The orange-red flame struggled and sputtered before finally extinguishing with a pathetic poof, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke.
"Your Majesty! The elemental energy in the air has been disrupted!" the Archmage rasped, his voice hoarse with the terror of losing control.
"A powerful and corrupting mental field has severed our connection to the elements! Spellcasting difficulty... has increased by at least tenfold!"
Tenfold!
The number struck each elf's heart like a sledgehammer.
It meant that the Elven Race's most prized asset, the Royal Mage Corps—a strategic force capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas—was now almost completely neutralized!
They had been forcibly demoted to the level of magic apprentices, struggling to cast even the most basic cantrips!
"A mental field?"
Hearing those words, Lin Qingyue instantly connected all the clues in her mind.
So that's it! This guy poured all his attribute points into "Spirit"! He's using his mental power to directly interfere with reality, crippling all spellcasters at a fundamental level!
She immediately turned to her teammates, her words tumbling out in a rush.
"Xiyue, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Lin Xiyue replied, shaking her head with a blank expression. "Aside from wanting to smash his face in with my shield, nothing else."
"Su Wan?"
Su Wan shook her head decisively. "My magic power is flowing smoothly, without any obstruction."
Thin ice crystals had already formed on the fingertips of her hands, which hung at her sides. An intensely cold magic power, nearly invisible to the naked eye, was rapidly gathering and compressing in her palms, causing the surrounding air temperature to drop several degrees.
She was charging up a ultimate spell—one powerful enough to freeze that ugly creature and his shabby throne into a single ice sculpture.
Xia Lian also nodded vigorously, confirming she was perfectly fine.
Lin Qingyue's heart pounded, not with fear, but with the irrepressible excitement of pure, unadulterated fun!
Oh ho? So this is our officially certified privilege, huh?
Special treatment for "Otherworlders"! Our souls don't belong to this world, so his anti-magic rules don't apply to us!
The BOSS activated an anti-magic cheat, but it's useless against us! Now this is going to be fun!
"Hahahahaha! Do you see? My dear work of art! Oh, no—my future queen!"
Gyrus forcibly suppressed his rage from the sneak attack, striking a smug pose with his arms outstretched. He pathologically savored the pained expressions of the Elven Mages.
His maniacal laughter was grating and twisted.
"Your mages, who can only toy with the elements, could never comprehend the sublimity and elegance of my mental world!"
"Beneath the brilliance of my mind, their magic is like fireflies in a mud pit—laughable and pathetic!"
His gaze once again clung to Ilanier, filled with undisguised greed and desire.
"Give up. Come to my side. Only I, Gyrus, can offer you a kingdom of refined taste worthy of your beauty! As for these uncultured dowry gifts..."
He then glanced contemptuously at Lin Qingyue and her three companions standing before Ilanier.
"Hmph, they can clean the venue for our grand wedding! After all, someone has to take out the trash, hehehe..."
Lin Qingyue tightened her grip on the pink staff—which was, in essence, a long spear.
Heh! You've really set off my temper! Today, I'm going to use you to add some new flavors to the Ten Great Tortures of Another World!
Ilanier's face was an icy mask, but her wine-red eyes remained as deep and placid as an ancient well.
She didn't even bother to spare the goblin a single glance.
The next moment—
An intangible yet substantial aura erupted from within her!
Visible silver radiance flowed from every inch of her skin, every strand of her hair.
This was not magic, nor was it a divine spell. It was the manifestation of a will so pure it had reached its absolute zenith!
Wherever the silver light passed, the foul air was cleansed, the distorted shadows were corrected, and even the ugly patterns on the rock walls subtly shifted into harmonious, elegant forms.
This was a domain belonging solely to "Beauty" and "Order," forcefully overlaying the entire filthy cavern!
Holy shit! The Queen's Domain... fights with aesthetics?!
Lin Qingyue stared, utterly dumbfounded.
What is this? Order Purification?! Aesthetic Rule Kill?! My art style is just better than yours?!
Enveloped by the silver domain, the ashen-faced Royal Mages suddenly felt the shackles gripping their souls loosen.
Under the pure silver radiance, the Filth Field sizzled as it was purified, melting away like snow!
"Your Majesty!" the old mage cried out in joyous surprise. "The mental interference is weakening! No, it's being purified by Your Majesty's domain! We can now... unleash at least fifty percent of our power!"
Fifty percent!
For these top-tier mages, that was more than enough to turn the tide of battle!
Meanwhile, the Elf Knights and Rangers, who had been less affected, bathed in the silver light and felt their minds clear, their fighting spirit surging to its peak!
"Oh?"
On the throne, Gyrus's smile finally vanished.
He studied Ilanier within the silver radiance with keen interest, his beady green eyes overflowing with greed.
"Truly worthy of the queen I've chosen. To think you were hiding such power. This pure domain of will... I like it very much!"
"Excellent! Once the wedding is over, you—along with your domain—will all be mine! My collection is missing just one peerless treasure like you!"
With a sharp wave of his hand, he let out a piercing, beast-like roar.
"My warriors! Come forth!"
"Let our Queen witness the mighty army of her future husband!"
As his roar echoed, the massive, deathly still shadows behind him finally stirred to life!
A heavy, grating sound of bone scraping against bone filled the air, setting teeth on edge.
The shadows writhed and rose, their forms stretching and elongating as their true shapes were revealed.