Jessica was also a skilled spear wielder, but facing Hekaste's silver spear, she only wished she had two more hands.
The young general before her clearly wasn't using his superior strength against her, but rather attacking solely with his profound spear techniques.
If she hadn't sparred with him, she truly wouldn't have known such exquisite spear techniques existed in the world. They were as if solid yet ethereal, ethereal yet solid. Several times, Jessica felt his spear heading straight for her chest, only for it to strike her arm when it got close.
Had Jessica not been born in the harsh wilderness, been battle-hardened, and possessed extreme adaptability, she would have lost her life long ago.
After clashing with Hekaste in a rapid exchange for nearly thirty rounds, Jessica's vision blurred. Moments later, her spear stance slightly faltered, and she felt the tip of his spear sweep directly towards her neck. A chilling breeze then brushed past her neck, sending a jolt of cold fear through her.
Above the clouds, Xiao Xun patted his ferocious beast with a faint smile as he watched Ge Lie. However, Ge Lie's gaze was fixed on the fierce black bear. He nodded and muttered, "Sir, your mount has character."
Xiao Xun's smile instantly widened. "How does this beast compare to an elephant?"
Mentioning elephants made Ge Lie inevitably recall Karur, and his heart filled with immense hatred.
"Sir, my mount was stolen by the Grand Archmage Utsk, please don't mention it!"
He spoke with a face full of disappointment.
Having already guessed part of it when Siri mentioned it, Xiao Xun nodded and smiled nonchalantly. "Oh? Ge Lie, why so dejected? I'll give you this mount, how about it?"
Upon hearing this, Ge Lie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sir, do you truly mean it?"
"Of course! Come, I'll transfer the contract to you!"
Ge Lie immediately took another careful look at the black bear. He found the bear incredibly majestic and valiant, and the more he looked, the more he liked it. Even the fierce scar on its face seemed full of character, and he kept stroking the bear.
The black bear had been tamed by Xiao Xun and dared not resist, but its eyes still held a glint of hatred.
Seeing that time was getting late, Xiao Xun instructed, "You heard what I said to your brother earlier. The situation is complex now, so stay here in Westdea. Absolutely do not stir up trouble elsewhere, understand?"
Ge Lie kept patting the black bear's broad back, distractedly replying, "Don't worry, sir! Don't worry, sir!"
Unsure if Ge Lie had truly listened, Xiao Xun, eager to attend to military matters, bid farewell to Ge Lie and returned to the main camp.
Watching Xiao Xun's figure shrink into a black dot, Ge Lie finally patted the black bear's broad back and said, "Old friend, from now on, you'll follow me, and I won't treat you unfairly!"
With that, he leaped into the air, landed steadily on the bear's back, turned it in the right direction, and shouted loudly, "Go!"
Although the black bear didn't recognize Ge Lie, it did recognize Siri. After all, Siri's title as a director of the Magic Cube Association was quite renowned throughout the land.
Despite the bear's wild nature not having completely faded, it knew the consequences. It dared not delay. With a grab of its claws, it sprinted like lightning towards Westdea.
Where the cold wind dissipated, a crisp "ding" sound was heard, followed by the clinking of bells. Jessica felt the pressure on her neck lighten. Looking down, she saw that the tip of the other person's spear was hooked around her neck's silver bell, pulling it away from her. She couldn't help but look up at Hekaste with hatred.
Hekaste wore an arrogant smile and said,
"The silver bell will serve as one spear strike! Young lady, depart quickly!"
Although Jessica was naturally combative, she also understood the wisdom of not fighting a losing battle. She was no match for him, and his reinforcements were about to arrive. If she were to be caught in their charge, she feared she would perish in their cavalry's assault.
However, she was extremely annoyed at having her silver bell chain taken. She shot Hekaste a hateful glare and turned her horse to leave.
After riding a few steps, she saw Karur's kerchief still lying on the ground. She flicked her long spear, and the kerchief lightly landed in her palm. She glanced back at Hekaste, but he had long since disappeared. She muttered under her breath, "We'll see!"
Seeing that the main force of the Saint Tyroman army was fast approaching, Jessica dared not linger. She turned her horse and galloped towards Ge Gongshu's camp. At this point, the only person she could think of was the usually steady Ge Gongshu.
During the time Ge Lie was away, Westdea had already been razed by the Saint Tyroman army.
Autris led his army into Kasa City. Without its leader, Kasa City was like a scattered pile of sand, collapsing instantly. The Saint Tyroman flag soon replaced the city's banner.
After several hours of fighting, the resistance forces in Kasa City had been largely swept away.
At this moment, thousands of rebel prisoners were gathered in Kasa City's largest plaza, receiving admonishments from high-ranking Saint Tyroman generals.
The plaza was surrounded by fully armed Saint Tyroman soldiers, their spears and swords forming a forest, their imposing demeanor a great deterrent to these rebel prisoners. The once arrogant and burly men now had faces filled with numb indifference, as if they had completely given up resistance.
As the highest-ranking Saint Tyroman general in Ge Lie's absence, Autris was well aware of the current situation. Conquering a city was not difficult; the challenge lay in conquering the hearts of these rebels.
Autris had risen to his position through military merit, so he knew how to deal with rebels. He chose the most direct and effective method – conquest by force.
Autris's speech seemed successful. In the presence of the victors, these defeated soldiers deeply realized the magnitude of their mistake.
As he reached the climax of his speech, a commotion suddenly erupted in the plaza. It began with small clusters of hushed conversations, and then the chaotic noise drowned out Autris's voice.
Standing on the viewing platform, Autris felt that the Northwest Army soldiers seemed to be pointing at him and talking about something.
This greatly angered Autris. Just as he was about to order the Saint Tyroman soldiers maintaining order to teach these rebels a lesson, his deputy approached and whispered in his ear, "General, it seems something is falling from the sky towards us."
He then gestured towards the horizon behind Autris.
Following his deputy's gesture, Autris turned and saw that there was indeed something flying towards them in the sky. Although the distance was too great to see more than a dark mass, Autris somehow clearly sensed that this mass was heading directly towards his position.
Just then, a clear voice rang out from the crowd of Kasans in the plaza. An old, gaunt man, stripped to the waist, emerged from the crowd and suddenly prostrated himself, crying, "Ah! Citizens of Kasa! The gods have come to save their people! The gods are here to save us!"
He then prostrated himself fully, his piety making one believe that the sight before them was indeed the gods he spoke of.
Autris immediately turned back and pointed at the old man, shouting, "How dare you incite the populace! Drag him out and behead him!"
The Saint Tyroman soldiers maintaining order immediately rushed into the crowd, dragged the gaunt old man out, and forced him to kneel in a conspicuous spot, awaiting the general's command for execution.
The prisoners gasped in fright, falling into silence. However, this silence lasted for less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before the crowd erupted into noise again, becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
The excited crowd, as if seeing true gods, looked up at the sky with devout reverence.