Aurelian Dynasty Calendar, year 549, Crest Duke Territory, Dragon Coliseum.In the center of the massive coliseum was a dense jungle; this was a field Lord Duke had ordered the druids to set up overnight for today's wager."Fight back! Tear that Lizardman to shreds!""Is Mad Wolf still capable? Why is he only dodging today?""This opponent is no ordinary one; he's from the south, rumored to be an elder of the tribe that repelled an attack from the Second Army! Didn't you see? That old guy is even wearing Magic Crystal Armor today! I think Mad Wolf is in trouble.""No way? I bet everything on Mad Wolf to win!"The coliseum was packed, with shouts, curses, and prayers in various accents all mixed together.Inside the duel arena, separated by multiple protective Magic Formations, a sturdy werewolf was weaving through the jungle.His movements were startlingly fast; his grey-white fur flashed between the branches and leaves, and ordinary spectators could only catch a glimpse of a blurry afterimage occasionally.He was the star of the Dragon Coliseum, the most powerful gladiator in the hands of the Duke of Crest—Mad Wolf. Whenever his figure swept past beneath the stands, it would trigger a wave of fanatical cheers.However, today, his opponent was different from before.That was an elderly Lizardman.His grey-green scales had lost their luster, his back was slightly hunched, and the corners of his eyes were accumulated with the wrinkles of time, yet the magic power within his body was so abundant that it made Mad Wolf shudder.More importantly, he was clad in a set of exquisite Magic Crystal Armor.It was clearly a custom-made masterpiece; the silver metal frame clung to his withered body, and thumb-sized magic crystals embedded at key joints were shimmering with light.Those magic crystals forcibly pushed his spellcasting ability to the limit, at the cost of every spell he cast overdrafting his already limited vitality.From the start of the battle until now, the continuous magical explosions had not ceased.Mad Wolf could only dodge; he couldn't get close at all.This was the most dangerous enemy Mad Wolf had ever encountered, but his master seemed still unsatisfied.In the stands, a lavishly dressed slave owner stood up abruptly, tore off the wide-brimmed hat from his head, and slammed it onto the ground at his feet."You old thing! What are you doing? You've been fighting for so long and haven't hurt that wolf yet! Do you even intend to win? Think of your daughter! If you lose, just wait for her to die in the mines!"The old Lizardman's movements stiffened slightly, and in the next instant, even more violent magic power surged out from his withered body.Spells poured down like a rainstorm, entire patches of forest were razed to the ground by the explosions, and Mad Wolf finally sustained some minor injuries.Unfortunately, just as the slave owner revealed a smile, the situation changed again.The Lizardman's elderly body, already forcibly pushed to its limit state by the Magic Crystal Armor, had that fragile balance broken by the sudden outburst.After a brief upper hand, his body was convulsing in pain due to the chaotic magic power within.At this very moment, wolf claws appeared before him.The claw blades sliced into the Lizardman's chest, and that elderly body flew backward, slamming into a charred tree stump, never to rise again."Mad Wolf! Mad Wolf! Mad Wolf!"The entire arena boiled over. Countless hands were raised to the sky, and countless mouths shouted the same name. The grey-white werewolf stood in the center of the ruins, howling at the sky, welcoming yet another victory of his own.However, in the stands, the great slave owner did not cheer.He stared at the old Lizardman lying by the tree stump, the fat on his face twisted with anger; the lost wager was enough to make his heart ache for half a year."Damn trash! Damn it!"Then, he raised his head, only to meet the gaze cast from the highest point, the Dragon-Head Stand—Lord Duke, Valentine Crest.The Duke's somewhat smug voice drifted down from above: "My friend, it's just a few manors; surely you aren't a sore loser?"Accompanying the Duke's words, a terrifying sense of oppression erupted from his personal bodyguard beside him.The great slave owner stepped back half a pace, repeatedly claiming he dared not.Only when the pressure on him dissipated did he dare to look up quietly.North of Dragonspine Mountain, no one was unaware of that personal bodyguard's title: one of the ten great experts of the Aurelian Dynasty, Dragonbreaker Dolphin....When the tavern's oak door was pushed open, Mad Wolf ducked his head to pass through the doorframe, his shoulder fur brushing against the lintel.Gladiators were different from ordinary slaves; they had a certain degree of freedom within the city.Star gladiators like Mad Wolf even had some privileges that ordinary citizens would envy.Of course, all of this was to allow them to slaughter each other more bloodily in the duel arena."To our undefeated champion!"In the corner, two Horned Demons who were also slave gladiators raised their glasses, smiling and signaling to him.Mad Wolf nodded at them and was just about to walk over when a hand rested on his arm."Mister Champion..." The human noblewoman's voice was cloyingly sweet, her plump body almost pressing against his furry flank, "Do you have time to have a drink with me tonight?"Mad Wolf lowered his head and glanced at her.That face caked with powder, that pair of eyes burning with some kind of desire, and that smooth, hairless skin that he found completely lacking in beauty.No fur, ugly.But he still politely made an excuse: "I sustained some injuries in today's battle; let's do it another day."The smile on the noblewoman's face stiffened for a moment; she stomped her foot and walked away, swaying her hips, leaving behind a snide "Just a slave."Mad Wolf didn't even lift an eyelid.At this moment, the boss behind the bar set down his glass and gestured toward the corner booth: "Mad Wolf, someone wants to talk to you.""Not interested today.""I think..." The boss's fingers, which were wiping the rim of the glass, paused, and he looked up at him, "You'd better go see them."There was no sign of joking in those eyes.Mad Wolf paused for a moment, then lowered his head and ducked into that low wooden door.The booth was very dark, but werewolves were not affected by the darkness.However, as soon as he entered, Mad Wolf couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. He smelled the stench of expired blood, and he knew only one creature liked this smell."Vampire."The middle-aged Vampire leaned against the back of the chair, seemingly oblivious to the hostility in his tone, and raised a hand, making a gesture for him to sit, his movements as composed as if he were entertaining a guest in his own home."Mad Wolf, I am here to recruit you.""Recruit?" Mad Wolf did not sit, just stared down at him, "Who do you think you are, to have the ability to poach me? Besides, for this kind of thing, you should go find Lord Duke, not me.""Of course I'm looking for you." The Vampire picked up his glass and took a small sip, "What? Have you been a dog for so long that you've forgotten how to make decisions?"Mad Wolf's pupils constricted into dangerous, thin lines.He leaned down, bracing his two claws on the table, and leaned in toward the Vampire: "Are you looking for death?""Heh, a dog can't bite me to death."The Vampire didn't even blink, "If you don't want to be a dog your whole life," he set down his glass, stood up, and paused as he brushed past Mad Wolf, "Tomorrow in the coliseum, when you see the figure of my Lord, make your choice."Mad Wolf turned around, mocking: "Your Lord? Aren't you just someone else's dog too?"The Vampire's steps stopped."No, we are not the same." His voice was very soft, yet it conveyed faith and determination, "My Lord is worth me offering up this eternal life! What about you? Are you willing to give your life for that pig-like Duke?"The curtain fell, cutting off that figure....The next day, the arena was once again packed with spectators; this celebration of the Duke's birthday would last for a whole week.The carefully arranged jungle was gone; overnight, all the trees had been razed, and in their place was a plain, unremarkable flat ground.Unobstructed, it was the best way for the audience to see clearly how every drop of blood was splattered.Mad Wolf stood in the center of the field, and standing opposite him were two familiar faces.They were the Horned Demons who had been raising their glasses to him in the tavern last night; the smiles from last night were gone from their faces, and now only beast-like gazes remained.It was a common occurrence in the coliseum: friends last night, mortal enemies today.Gladiators had long since learned to accept this, learned to forget all friendships the moment they stepped onto the field.If it were in the past, Mad Wolf would probably have ended the battle quickly to make the opponent's suffering shorter, counting it as a meager mercy for these gladiators who had drunk with him.But today, Mad Wolf subconsciously chose to grapple and delay; the words of that Vampire from last night kept swirling in his mind.On the Dragon-Head Stand, the Duke, Valentine, leaned back in that velvet-cushioned seat, his brow furrowed."What is Mad Wolf doing?" His voice carried clear impatience, "A warm-up match, dragging on for so long?"At this moment, the Dragonbreaker beside him suddenly tilted his head, as if listening to something."What is it?" the Duke asked."Outside the coliseum, there are sounds of fighting..."Suddenly, an attendant holding a Yellow Grimoire with both hands ran in quickly: "Lord Duke! It's bad, a rebellion has broken out in the city!"As he spoke, the attendant stepped forward, seemingly wanting to hand the book in his hands to the Duke.Dolphin, however, remained vigilant: "Wait!"He reached out and placed his hand on the other person's forearm—The touch was wrong!He instinctively pulled hard, and that sleeve was actually torn right off!Along with it, a large glob of jelly-like mucus was also pulled down."Who are you...?""Not a Slime, oh."That featureless face turned toward him, and at the same time, a long-prepared Fire Snake spell shot out!The scorching flames instantly engulfed the entire Dragon Head viewing platform. The magic items on Lord Duke saved his life. Facing the fire snake head-on, Dofen felt his eyebrows and the hair on his forehead curling up.But he did not retreat. He instantly drew the giant axe from his back and cleaved through the oncoming flames!In that instant, Dofen's emotions were invisibly stirred."Fool!" he roared, raising his giant axe during the spellcasting interval. "A spellcaster actually dares to launch a surprise attack at close range?"Then he saw it.The Yellow Grimoire had opened at some point, and the golden lace on its pages was gathering the radiance of magic.In the middle of the page, several large characters appeared: [You are the fool]The next moment, countless wind blades spewed out from the pages!They were as dense as a rainstorm, leaving almost no room to dodge. The wind blades pierced through Dofen's body and continued onward, cutting deep gashes into the railings, seats, and even the entire wall behind him.The Dragon Breaker knelt on the ground, feeling a belated sense of confusion.Why did he take it for granted that this attacker had no other tricks up his sleeve? He was clearly not the type to be careless and underestimate an enemy...Unfortunately, he would not have the chance to figure it out.A brand-new page with golden lace edges slowly grew from the spine of the Yellow Grimoire.[Hahahaha! The soul of an expert, Delicious!][Hmm... Lord Demon King, I'm not interested in this fat pig.]The fat Lord Duke nearby had been scared out of his wits by this sudden turn of events.He desperately shifted his corpulent body toward the corner, squeezing out pleas for mercy from his throat: "Who... who are you? Spare me! I am Lord Duke! I am the true ruler of the dynasty! I can give you whatever you want! Wealth, territory, titles! Killing me will plunge you into endless pursuit, there's no benefit to it!""Without strength, lacking wisdom, possessing only cruelty and Greed—it is precisely because the dynasty is controlled by things like you..." The Demon King's voice was filled with disdain as he stepped closer. "I only need one thing from you."When that round head was tossed from the Dragon Head viewing platform, tracing an arc in the air before crashing heavily onto the sandy ground of the arena, the arena went silent for a moment.Immediately after, terrified screams erupted all around. The audience scrambled to surge toward the two narrow exits, with trampling, shoving, cursing, and crying all mixed into a chaotic mess.Mad Wolf stared at the head that had rolled to his feet, then he looked up at the surrounding stands.The protective Magic Formation that should have been raised during the duel had, for some reason, disappeared.He remembered the words of the Vampire."Hehe... haha... hahahahaha—!"An excited wolf howl rang out in the center of the arena!"Awoooo——!"In the distance, a chorus of wolf howls erupted in response from the gladiator cells.Immediately following that came the sounds of weapons clashing in slaughter, the crisp snapping of iron chains, and the dying screams of guards.And Mad Wolf finally moved.His figure was agile; with a few leaps, he sprang onto the spectator stands. The moment his four paws hit the ground, a dull thud came from underfoot—the sound of some unlucky soul's ribcage being crushed.He stood on the sloped steps, sniffing the air filled with the scent of blood, listening to the screams of the humans around him, his fur trembling all over."Mad... Mad Wolf..."A trembling female voice came from nearby.The noblewoman from last night was slumped in her seat. She tried hard to squeeze out a charming smile, but it only made her face, painted with thick cosmetics, look even more twisted and ugly."I have always been your fan... We even spent several wonderful nights together, do you remember?"Mad Wolf lowered his head and looked at her.That hairless face, those eyes brimming with tears, that posture desperately trying to please him.He nodded."I remember. Among the hairless ugly women, you are the most disgusting one."Sharp claws slashed across.Tearing her into pieces, fresh blood splattered onto Mad Wolf's face, warm and sweet with the scent of raw meat.And this was only the beginning of this bloody carnival.Mad Wolf looked up, gazing at the figure still standing at the highest point of the viewing platform.That guy just stood there quietly beside the corpse of Lord Duke, his featureless face seemingly looking down at the entire arena, which had fallen into carnival and chaos.Mad Wolf suddenly felt that the "Mad" in his nickname should perhaps be given to that guy.He actually dared to kill Lord Duke in public; it was practically declaring war on the powerful Aurelian Dynasty!The Second Army outside the city would surely charge in soon, and the distant First Army would also avenge Lord Duke. How would he deal with that?These questions appeared for only a moment before being cast to the back of his mind.Who cares!At this moment, Mad Wolf was completely immersed in the slaughter, venting his past humiliation to his heart's content....A bat landed on the Dragon Head viewing platform, folded its wings, and transformed into the appearance of a middle-aged Vampire."My Lord, everything is going smoothly." He knelt on one knee, his voice suppressing excitement. "Important military facilities throughout the city have been destroyed, and the slaves and gladiators have all been released. I expect the plans in other surrounding cities will also proceed smoothly. By the time the Second Army, which has already departed for the east, receives the news and returns, we will have long since taken these gladiators into the North. The base at Stone Fortress will gain even more strength.""You have done well.""It is all thanks to your brilliant strategy, My Lord." The Vampire looked up, his eyes filled with admiration. "I simply cannot imagine how you obtained so much important intelligence?"[What are you prying into?]The Vampire suddenly realized his mistake and lowered his head again toward the Demon King: "Apologies, this subordinate did not mean that."[Hmph! Don't ask about what you shouldn't. The only one who can share all of Master's secrets is my loyal Ah Huang!]The Demon King ignored the bickering between the two, scanned the distant arena and Mad Wolf, who were mired in chaos, and felt that the overall situation here was settled."The rest is up to you; I still need to go obtain new intelligence." As he spoke, the Demon King casually shoved the Yellow Grimoire, which was still showing off, into the Vampire's arms.[Master?][Can't you take me this time? Take me with you for once!]However, a temporary Magic Formation had already been constructed beneath the Demon King, and with a flicker, he disappeared from the spot.[Lord Demon King!]The Vampire glanced at the Yellow Grimoire in his hand: "Heh, 'only you can share all of Master's secrets', huh..."[...]...In the boundless imperial garden, a gorgeously dressed young girl huddled her body, looking around nervously for a long while.After confirming that the attendants were only guarding outside the garden, she trotted quickly to the side of a bush and nervously moved aside a large piece of fallen tree bark.Not until she saw the pale blue Slime beneath it did she let out a heavy sigh of relief."You scared me to death, little guy.""Where did you sneak off to yesterday? You had me thinking you were discovered by the gardeners!""This place is very dangerous for you, don't run around next time!""Right, I brought you something to eat."As she spoke, the girl took the cake she had been hiding from her bosom and gently stuffed it into the Slime's body."I was supposed to give this to you yesterday, but you ran off. The weather is so hot, I don't know if it has gone bad after a day... but I remember Slimes are scavengers, so it should be fine, right?""After all, little thing, do you have a sense of taste?"The girl just talked to herself like this to the Slime, talking about everything from the cake to her troubles over the past few days."Valentine brought it up again at the Crystal Council about having his son marry me. It's the one I told you about, that little fatty who looks exactly like Valentine. Fortunately, the other dukes collectively opposed it, but I feel like he hasn't given up yet.""I don't want to get married. After I get married, I might really never have a chance to express my opinion again.""Dukes Haviland and Wood proposed today to send troops to pressure the Dwarves, demanding more war golem craftsmen. They had already set off before they 'applied' to me, as if I could possibly disagree.""Every time I think of the story my cat-person maid told me, I feel so sad.""Sigh... Orcs, Dwarves, Lizardmen, Elves, Horned Demons, Humans... Why can't everyone just live together instead of fighting each other?""If I were in charge of the big picture...""I'll be an adult next year, and then I can officially take over as Queen. Everyone will listen to me, and I will make the dukes stop waging war! Hmm... the same goes for Slimes. As the only friend willing to listen to me say these things, I will protect you!"The girl didn't expect the Slime to answer, just chattering on about all sorts of things."Her Highness Seraphina?" A maid's call came from the distance. Only then did the girl realize she had been talking for too long, so long that the cake inside the Slime had been almost completely decomposed.She hurriedly moved the tree bark back, and instructed: "Little guy, don't run around again. Being discovered by the gardeners is very dangerous. When I become Empress, I'll take you to play everywhere!""Her Highness Seraphina?""Coming, coming!""Your Highness, where have you been hiding? Duke Wood has been looking for you!""I accidentally fell asleep leaning against a tree! I'm coming right now."Their figures disappeared into the distance....The Slime completely digested the last bit of cake and slowly stretched into a human shape."The cake... is a bit sour."