[At that time, the Demon King and his followers had surrounded the Capital Guangyao City, which is now the Empire’s Muling Castle]

[That clueless princess was actually thinking of using marriage to the Demon King to quell the war, so ridiculous]

Leaning next to Jida, Norris nodded thoughtfully, speaking with some sympathy, "This princess is indeed too naive. The Demon King is about to win the whole war; how could he possibly stop? But, being part of a royal family, which those wicked nobles have sidelined, she probably can’t find any other way to save the country."

[No, no, that’s not what I’m referring to]

"Then what is it?"

[Did you forget? The Demon King is a Slime Man, similar to a Slime. How could he marry?]

[Hahahahaha, it’s like asking the boss to...]

Puki——

Marshal Puki extended a tentacle, gently taking the Yellow-covered Book from Norris’s hand.

That guy’s been having it too easy, even putting on weight.

For Huang Pi’s health, Lin Jun had to help it slim down.

Norris wisely ignored the countless pleas for help from his senior before the book was closed, looking skyward like a newly landed Puki.

Marshal Puki came over not solely because the "bad word radar" was triggered, but also for serious matters.

Sitting on the mobile throne, Marshal Puki fished forward with a tentacle, pulling Ming out.

"He just passed my test. It’s time for him to see the real battlefield. You two team up and go together."

Ming was clearly excited, "Senior, please take care of me!"

"Ah... oh!" Norris hesitated for a moment, then responded and scratched his scales.

He had a good impression of Ming; they had acted together in the Tide Sanctuary before. Although the kid’s recklessness sometimes worries others, it’s probably due to his constitution, which is immune to blades and bullets. Even if he charges fiercely, he won’t die.

After Marshal Puki left, Norris curiously asked, "What was this ’test’ that the boss mentioned?"

Ming answered truthfully, "The boss personally controlled a puppet to fight me, asking me to hold on for ten minutes."

Norris nodded, turning to the Fungal Network to find Louisa and began discussing which melee team they should be assigned to.

Ming waited obediently by the side.

He didn’t tell Norris that the Palace Level Lizardman puppet controlled by the boss couldn’t hold out for ten minutes.

It’s not that Ming already had Palace Level strength, but the boss was somehow ill-suited to humanoid combat, and the puppet itself was acting strangely, constantly struggling and resisting. As a result, he took the opportunity to forcefully change the ten-minute goal into a different outcome.

...

Although the boss left the battlefield assignment and disappeared without further instructions, Louisa still took good care of the two.

She chose a region with a lower intensity of combat, first sending two waves of Puki to exhaust the enemy, before mixing Ming and Norris into the ranks of the next attack.

The atmosphere at Fungus Castle regarding this battle was relatively relaxed, mainly focused on delay tactics and training soldiers.

The party at Duke Eugene’s side had complaints about the slow progress. Despite sending reinforcements, they advanced just a little and then started stagnating.

Eugene even began to suspect whether General Leonard was going easy on them due to his tribal background.

In truth, Leonard, the one commanding on the frontline, was beginning to doubt reality.

How many Puki had they killed?

Tens of thousands? Or perhaps hundreds of thousands?

No matter how many were killed, the number under the enemy never seemed to decrease.

These Puki couldn’t possibly just emerge from sunbathing like an endless stream?

Moreover, Leonard was perplexed. With so many Puki, why not at first overwhelm them, burying them with sheer numbers?

Counting reinforcements, and those from the Demon Race, Leonard had fewer than ten thousand troops.

If those tens of thousands of Puki really swarmed together, even if their combat effectiveness was mediocre, their loathsome ability to self-destruct would be enough to shred his lines.

Daily, just dispatching a couple of waves, each a few thousand strong, queueing up to die, allowing him to break them one by one.

Could it be that the tribes from the Northern Territory were still acting without unified command?

Leonard wasn’t keen to see his opponents as idiots, but aside from that, he couldn’t find a more logical reason.

Fighting these Puki had one convenient aspect: food.

Dead Puki, as long as they weren’t of the poisonous type, could be cooked directly — greatly alleviating logistical pressure, provided one could ignore the occasional "Oh oh oh" sound.

But no matter how, being kept here indefinitely was no solution.

Should he continue asking the Duke for reinforcements, or withdraw temporarily to reevaluate plans?

No decision had been made by Leonard.

Just then, a soldier came running hurriedly from afar, "General, the right-wing defense line is failing!"

"Oh?!"

Leonard didn’t panic; instead, his eyes sparkled.

His troops had deployed defenses responding to the enemy’s existing strength; a failing line indicated an enemy shift.

Change meant risk, and also opportunity.

What he longed for now, were opportunities!

Upon learning that the instability was due to a fierce attack by a tribal Demon Race rather than tactical change, Leonard felt slightly disappointed.

Still, he personally led the reserves to check the situation.

Upon arrival, Leonard couldn’t help but frown.

Not due to severe casualties — in fact, the right-wing’s casualties were less than he expected — yet the entire formation was chaotic.

The warriors on the outside were resisting the tidal wave of Puki, while mages and archers inside couldn’t provide sufficient support in the front, messily pursuing something amidst the crowd.

While squinting, attempting to identify the chaotic figure stirring up trouble in the ranks, a sense of crisis suddenly rose from his back.

Without even looking up or having time to think, his left hand instinctively tore away the deep blue pendant worn close to the chest, gripping it tightly in his palm!

Buzz——!

An almost solid azure Magic Shield instantly expanded before him, its glow heavy as though a whole slab of ice had been raised from the depths of the sea.

Almost simultaneously with the shield’s erection, a stealthy Resonance Cannon arched over the battlefield, landing just ahead.

Boom!

At the moment of impact, a visually tangible blast wave of chaotic magic power erupted at the intersection of shield and light pillar, spreading ring-like all around!

Screams and exclamations sounded almost simultaneously.

The blast swept through; Leonard’s few trusted aides nearby didn’t have time to react, being hurled from their war beast mounts, crashing embarrassingly into the chaotic throng.

The war beasts ran wildly, trampling several unlucky ones to death.

Only Leonard remained firmly seated upon his war beast.

Yet, he was far from as composed as outwardly appeared; the precious shield item in his palm was shattered, utterly ruined.

Swiftly, his gaze locked onto the four-meter-tall new enemy species.

"Tsk, as expected, not so easy." Norris lamented; once noticed, hitting them was far less simple.

Then, once more, he yelled into the Fungal Network, "Ming! Stop charging! Come back first, something powerful has arrived!"

However, just like before, there was no response.

Ming was far from comfortable now; he had overextended himself.

Blades, spears, battle axes, arrows, spells, all attacks poured onto him wildly.

Ming’s figure darted and dodged among enemy lines, occasionally enduring damage to eliminate a threatening mage.

[Physical Immunity] indeed blocked most damage for him, but he lacked overwhelming force to break directly out.

"Damn it!" Norris could only charge out as well, attempting to aid Ming.

Also, he requested Sister Blood through the Fungal Network to arrange backup.

However, before Norris and the Puki broke the line, Leonard arrived first, targeting the slightly flustered Ming within the military ranks.

"A Demon Race symbiotically fused with mycelium..." The surrounding blood gathered in his hand, forming a spear. (Apologies, just one Chapter today)