Retreat would be an option.
The castle of the siblings was not beyond relinquishment if the situation demanded it.
Having organized the supplies, Bayou set off towards the dark forest, contemplating a route that would allow her to circumvent its periphery and continue her expansion eastward.
She had no intentions of venturing deep into the forest until she achieved a promotion to the royal tier.
Unaware of her castle's exact location on the fringes of the dark forest, she proceeded northward along the edge.
The vastness of the dark forest was truly astonishing.
Bayou soared northward for an hour, feeling no sense of nearing an end.
Along the way, she encountered peculiar races, including a breed of dog with wings and six legs.
In her previous encounters, she might have lingered to observe, but now as a royal, such creatures held no allure for her.
Furthermore, Vou discerned the requisite conditions for the emergence of the tears of the races, the presence of at least one royal entity among the creatures.
Consequently, ordinary beings such as wild boores and wild chickens, along with those limited to the commander tier, would not yield tears regardless of conquest.
This understanding rendered them insignificant in her eyes.
Suddenly, Bayou halted in her tracks, confronted by mysterious dark figure that had appeared before her, a raven.
Joy illuminated by face.
She had not anticipated a raven to bestow points upon her in this desolate place.
Without hesitation, she activated her ring and brandished her scythe, lunging towards the raven.
The bewildered raven, equally stunned, drew forth a smaller scythe in response.
Clang! The blades collided, producing brilliant sparks in the dim light.
The bells soul attack proved ineffective against the raven.
Yet Bayou leveraged her physical advantage to send it sprawling.
The raven gazed in confusion at its own hands and abdomen, noticing its weapon shattered and a significant wound stretching from its chest to its belly.
Strangely, no blood flowed.
Instead, the injury began to heal slowly.
However, Bayou would not afford the luxury of recovery, delivering a decisive blow that felled the creature.
Congratulations, Lord, for successfully slaying the LV1 Royal Raven.
You have earned one point.
The raven's form dissipated into a plume of black smoke.
Slaying the raven yielded no experience points, nor did it leave behind a corpse.
Bayou had already understood this beforehand, as she would only receive points as a system reward.
Failing to secure the top position would mean a significant loss.
A level one royal raven granted one point, while a level three royal raven bestowed three points, indicating that their levels directly correlated with the number of points awarded.
An easy calculation indeed.
Alas, it was merely a level one royal raven, which left Bayou feeling somewhat disheartened after her initial excitement.
Just as Bayou was about to depart, an overwhelming sense of danger suddenly engulfed her.
In an instant, she summoned a dark barrier to envelop her.
Boom! A colossal explosion reverberated through the forest, sending birds and beasts fleeing in terror.
The sheer force of the blast knocked Bayu to the ground.
And as she regained her senses, she discovered that her surroundings had transformed into molten lava with great trees ablaze in flames.
This strike had consumed a third of her magical energy.
Considering she had the sides enhancement, it meant a direct depletion of 300 points from her total of 1,000.
Not only was Bayou astonished, but even the raven behind her gaze at its firearm with confusion, for it was the first time it had witnessed its barrier remain unbroken.
Another one appeared.
This time, Bayou's expression shifted to one of gravity.
Based on the previous attack, this raven was exceptionally formidable.
Was this a case of double joy or misfortune striking in tandem? Several harpoons fell from the raven's cloak, animated as if imbued with life, and they surged toward Bayou.
With determination, Bayou swung her sythe, sending them flying.
Yet the tremendous force propelled her backward.
Unyielding, she unleashed a crescent of black energy aimed at her foe, only to have it effortlessly parried.
Suddenly, a colossal magic circle materialized above her, exuding an aura of terror and brutality.
It could wield magic.
By you had always assumed the raven was merely a weapon wielding adversary.
From above, a dreadful flame creature emerged.
Engulfed in red and blue flames, surrounded by arcs of purple electricity.
The creature lunged downward, warping the very air with its searing heat.
By eyes glowed with a peculiar light as a thick ice wall rose around her, ultimately forming an impenetrable ice mountain, sealing her within with a thunderous roar.
The clash of magic unleashed explosive elemental forces, leveling the landscape within a 100 meters, reducing trees to ashes, scorching the earth, and melting rocks, creating an apocalyptic scene.
Meanwhile, in the distant dark forest, thousands of undead perished instantly from the shared damage.
As the seal shattered, the ice mountain fractured, and Bou barely had time to summon the dark barrier before being attacked.
Faced with such a formidable onslaught, she hesitated to use the dark barrier again.
The previous strike had already drained her of a third of her mana, and she feared that continued reliance on the barrier would deplete her magical energy entirely, leaving her in dire straits.
Bayou was engulfed in fear, her hand clutching the sythe, trembling uncontrollably, yearning to take flight, yet discovering her inability to do so.
Suddenly, with a resounding crash, the figure of the raven materialized before her, wielding a short sword engulfed in flames and effortlessly sent by you sprawling backwards.
Besides, slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground as she crashed heavily onto the earth.
How could I feel such terror to the point of being unable to steady my weapon? Is it due to its overwhelming power? Or perhaps the humiliation of being dominated? The realm, it was its realm.
A sudden realization struck by you.
She was under the influence of its domain.
Thoughts raced through her mind.
Yet the raven offered no respit, not even a moment for her to rise.
Deprived of her scythe, her combat prowess diminished significantly.
Lying on the ground, Bayou instinctively teleported away from the raven's impending strike.
She sees her scythe once more, casting a weary glance towards the raven.
Ah, the mage's robe.
Mogus had mentioned that he had applied special modifications to her robe capable of concealing her unique essence, rendering her indistinguishable from the local human populace.
If that were the case, perhaps in the eyes of the raven, she would appear as just another native, and it would cease its pursuit.
Without delay, Bay retrieved the robe from her ring and dawned it.
The raven regarded her with a look of bewilderment.
Although it no longer sensed her peculiar aura, it was not blind to the underlying reasons.
The raven retorted, "Do you think me a fool?" Chapter 291.
The defense of the city.
The raven paused for merely a quarter of a second before launching yet another assault on Bayou.
Damn it.
This is ineffective.
Bayou swiftly utilized her teleportation to create distance.
Realizing that she had no choice but to employ that particular technique, the realm of death was unleashed.
Although Bayou's domain was weaker than that of the raven and would be suppressed, she could momentarily escape its influence through extreme compression.
Bayou minimized her domain to encompass only herself.
And indeed, the profound sense of fear within her dissipated.
Without hesitation, Bayou produced a teleportation stone and infused it with her magical energy, unexpectedly becoming the first to utilize this invention.
In a flash, Bayou vanished from sight, leaving the bewildered raven in confusion.
It attempted to sense Bayou's presence.
Yet was utterly incapable of doing so, nor could it discern her whereabouts.
Resigned, the raven abandoned the pursuit of Bayou to seek its next target.
Meanwhile, Bayou reappeared at top the teleportation altar.
Decisively entering the portal to journey towards the Emerald Hills.
The city of the undead felt perilous, and she feared that the raven might pursue her.
Departing from Marshall State, was undoubtedly the most prudent course of action.
This peculiar creature, the raven, held no interest in anything beyond souls.
It prayed upon lords, but did not ravage castles.
Of course, exceptions existed when battles within the castles ensued.
Otherwise, few lords would survive.