Since that night in Visen Castle when she overheard Yang Ling's plan, Meriel had a rough idea.

  As the mentor said, to complete the task, one must first dispel Yang Ling's vigilance and misunderstanding towards oneself. Only by making him understand one's identity and status, demonstrating one's strength and value, can there be a possibility of smoothly pulling him into the Dark Magician Guild. And only in this way, will one have the opportunity to gain his trust, and further break through his mental defenses, bewildering him to the point of being enchanted.

  Although it is possible to severely punish Yang Ling with powerful dark magic, even turning him into a skull, that cannot vent the hatred in my heart. Only by making him infatuated to the point of being bewildered, and then ruthlessly abandoning him, watching him suffer miserably can relieve the resentment in my heart.

  Meryl believed that as long as she planned carefully, Yang Ling would one day fall under her pomegranate skirt.

  Of course, the premise of revenge is that the task must be completed first. Although she was gritting her teeth with hatred, she was still very clear in her mind about what was important and what was not. The union had a strict hierarchy, and even if she was the favorite disciple of the master, she couldn't act recklessly.

  To show off one's strength and value, a stepping stone is needed, a stepping stone that can attract everyone's attention. Without thinking much, Meryl set her sights on Stoff, this big fool, and quickly summoned the elite Dark Knights and Dark Mages.

  Merrill went about her plan smoothly, while Stov, who had fallen in love with her at first sight, was secretly trying to win her favor every day. Unbeknownst to him, he was just a sacrifice for Merrill to get close to Yang Ling, and even more so, a storm targeting him was approaching rapidly.

  This morning, Stov woke up early and casually washed his face before heading to Shangri-La with his entourage. Yesterday, after sending out the 99th red rose, Merile finally agreed to go on an outing with him in the suburbs.

  Stovall believed that with just a little more effort, Merrells would be his woman, a breathtakingly beautiful one.

  "Wait a bit, after shaking off these guys around me, I might be able to get a taste of the wild!"

  Stoff's eyes widened as he recalled Meryl's slender waist and long legs, and he swallowed hard, his mind racing. Yesterday, Meryl had hinted that she didn't like traveling with a large group of people, so Stoff had immediately suggested that they only bring a dozen or so guards today to avoid spoiling the romantic atmosphere.

  Although the Ros people have been attacking frequently recently, he doesn't think it's that coincidental to encounter an ambush by the enemy. Moreover, all the bodyguards around him are swordsmen of the Great Sword Master level, and the guardian warriors wearing cloaks have even reached the realm of Initial Sword Saint. Even if they happen to meet the Ros people, he has confidence in retreating unscathed. What's more reassuring is that the place he chose is not far from the military camp, so if something unexpected happens, the army can rush over quickly.

  After smoothly picking up the beauty, Stoff came to a quiet and peaceful small forest with excitement, spread out a crimson carpet next to a mound, and invited Meryl to sit down.

  If he knew that this small forest was where Yang Ling ambushed the Black Armor soldiers, and if he knew that over a hundred corpses of soldiers were buried in the mound next to him, he probably wouldn't be able to smile again.

  "Beautiful Miss Meryl, come, cheers!"

  Wine not drunk, everyone is self-intoxicated. Looking at Meryl wearing a black cloak outside and a low-cut long dress inside, Stoff was excited. After a few cups of wine, he became dizzy and didn't notice the faint cold smile on Meryl's face.

  Without batting an eyelid, she sent a magical message and then smiled coquettishly. "Congratulations, young lord, on acquiring such a large territory at your age. Come, let's have another drink!"

  Staring at Meryl's faint cleavage, gazing at her snow-white skin, smelling the faint fragrance on her body, Stoff's desire was burning. He thought of drinking a few mouthfuls of cold rum to calm down, but unexpectedly, the more he drank, the harder it became to bear. Except for the enticing Meryl, everyone else seemed oblivious, unaware that the strange fragrance in the air was growing thicker.

  "Assassins are coming! Protect the young master, quickly!"

  Just as Stov was lost in thought, a guardian warrior wearing a cloak suddenly rushed over like a gust of wind. With a "ding" sound, he blocked a black arrow that shone with a poisonous glow.

  Under the call of the guardian warrior, the imperial guards reacted quickly, but it was too late. Several black-clad knights burst out like lightning, striking fatally, and in the blink of an eye, they killed several off-guard soldiers. In front of their sharp black lances, the heavy black armor that the soldiers were proud of was pierced as if it were paper.

  If it was said that several knights in black armor made people's hearts tremble with fear, then the next scene would make their souls fly away.

  With a low murmur, the hill dug out one by one terrifying corpses. Some were missing legs, some had lost an arm, and some even only had half of their head left, swaying back and forth as they surrounded everyone.

  "Master, retreat! Retreat quickly!"

  The surviving Imperial Guardsmen shielded Stovall and Merrells, staring at the ominous Black Knights and the terrifying corpses, even after experiencing countless battles, the guardian warriors were still shocked.

  Under his command, the crowd quickly retreated towards the military camp while blowing a low horn for help. However, instead of reinforcements, they were met with a fierce attack by the Black Knights like a storm. What's worse, after just a brief pause, they were surrounded by hordes of undead.

  "Form a phalanx, protect Young Master!"

  "Go for it, Iburi! Take them down!"

  It seems they can't break through, the guards have no choice but to grit their teeth and hold on, hoping to last until reinforcements arrive. The Black Knight's attacks are sharp, but under the powerful obstruction of the Sword Saint Guardian Warrior, he was unable to successfully assassinate Stoff, who was heavily guarded by many guards after several attempts.

  To survive and to show his bravery and strength in front of the beauty, Stoff gritted his teeth and joined the battle group, guarding Merilese tightly.

  In the chaos, no one noticed that with Meryl's faint murmurs, the army of undead surged towards Stoff like a tide.

  The guards were strong, but they were exhausted from the relentless attacks of the undead army. The dark knights' sharp attacks made them even more vulnerable. Stov was no exception, and after being targeted, he was soon covered in blood. If it weren't for the Guardian Warrior and other guards who fought to save him, he would have been torn apart by the undead army long ago.

  As the number of rotting corpses and skulls increased, several dark and mysterious sorcerers appeared out of nowhere. Under their command, the undead army launched a fierce attack, wave after wave, crazily impacting the defenders' lines.

  The situation is getting worse and worse for Stoff!

  The struggling guards did not notice that the surging undead army attacked Stov like a conscious being, but ignored Merilys behind him. When they really couldn't dodge, the corpses and skulls either rushed towards the guardian warrior like moths to fire, or crashed into Merilys' long sword raised in horror.