A Grand Operation Commences

Undoubtedly, the purpose of these soul-calling retainers wasn't to assist Sonora. Instead, should even the slightest suspicious mishap befall their master, Sonora, they were to transmit the message to the Fiendkind, alerting Bonis that his Number Four spy had been compromised!

Of course, at this moment, no one would believe Du Chen would frame Sonora. Even Du Chen himself, had he not personally witnessed Sonora provoking Brockman, would not have imagined himself instigating trouble for Sonora now.

Sonora, too, was disbelieving, especially when he beheld the scene within the main command tent. Beside a table laden with wine, little Beibei sat beaming in her child's seat, sweetly calling out, "Uncle, hug!"

Apart from them, the only other person in the tent was Deboning, Francis's constant companion.

True to his spy's nature, Sonora's first reaction was, 'If anything unexpected happens, seize little Beibei as a hostage to guard against Brook!' Then, he laughed soundlessly. Of course, Brook being with Francis was perfectly normal, and for him to attend a banquet in his capacity was a sign of respect, nothing strange. Moreover, there was this innocent child, actively asking for a hug!

Lifting little Beibei into his arms, Sonora sat down with increasing ease. Francis's most beloved daughter was now in his hands; what could Francis possibly do to him?

Servants attended to the wine tasting, while Du Chen and Sonora chatted about mundane matters on Battle God Isle. Yet, little Beibei kept staring curiously at Sonora, her large eyes blinking, and innocently asked, "Uncle, are you a mighty lion?"

Sonora chuckled, "Yes, Uncle is of the Lionkin, the royal lineage among beastmen!" This little girl is truly adorable!

"Beibei loves lions the most!" The little one playfully grabbed a handful of Sonora's mane. Sonora froze, and Du Chen was about to scold her, when the little girl, with utmost seriousness, tilted her head and asked Sonora, "Uncle, can Beibei braid your beard for you? I'll make a big bow, and it will definitely make you look even mightier!"

Sonora burst into laughter. "Junior Brother, what good fortune you possess! How about you give me half of this daughter of yours? I promise to dote on her!"

Du Chen gave a wry smile. "Ah, Senior Brother, don't take offense, this girl is just a little mischievous..."

The little one actually started braiding. Her serious demeanor made Sonora reluctant to displease her, thinking, 'My image as an iron-blooded war general, paired with a lion-mane adorned with a bow... I absolutely must undo this mane before I show my face to anyone!' Still, this little one is truly adorable. When our Violet-Bloods' grand cause begins, perhaps I'll even spare her life!

A moment later, the little one finished braiding the bow. Her two tender, pink hands fumbled in her little vest for a long time before producing two blue crystal gems, which she then affixed to the bow. At this moment, little Beibei seemed to discover something, exclaiming with delight, "Uncle, your blue eyes look just like these crystal gems! Can Beibei compare them, please?"

The little one intimately clambered onto Sonora's shoulder, snuggling into the lion-mane upon it, clinging to his neck like a little scarf, and earnestly gazed into Sonora's eyes.

Sonora gazed into the child's eyes, a warmth and tenderness blooming in his heart. He couldn't help but extend his hands to protect the little one, fearing she might accidentally fall. The adorable child nestled on his shoulder, her playful, captivating charm making him want to just 'eat her up' with affection!

He reminisced: Back then, at sixteen, he had become the preeminent talent of his clan, personally selected by Marshal Bonis to join the Eminence Project. Immediately, he was sent to the mortal realm and enrolled in Battle God Academy. After graduation, with the clandestine aid of his clansmen, he steadily rose through the ranks, attaining his current status in just a few years... What a pity!

What a pity that though he had wedded the Princess of McAllen, he spent his days contriving how to use his own wife to exterminate humanity. He even dared not have children, solely to conceal his true bloodline. How wonderful it would be if he, too, had such an adorable child!

A surge of sorrow welled within him, and Sonora suddenly snapped awake. 'Wait, why am I so sentimental today? Sentimentality should not belong to an excellent spy!' His mind cleared, only for little Beibei's sparkling, limpid eyes to refocus before him, still so adorable, still so profoundly moving, capable of muddling one's thoughts and clouding one's consciousness...

Belmonde's Mental Secret Technique had been activated at Sonora's most unguarded moment!

At this moment, Du Chen's voice sounded in Sonora's ear, seeming like a jest, "Senior Brother, you command a hundred thousand soldiers in McAllen and wield immense power! I wonder if your disappearance would cause considerable chaos?"

Sonora's consciousness was hazy, and he instinctively replied, "Junior Brother, I absolutely cannot disappear! If I don't appear before people at least once every forty-eight hours, without a clear whereabouts, Marshal Bonis will receive news of it within a day! Especially at this critical juncture, the Marshal awaits my reports almost daily. If I were to disappear..."

'Damn it, what am I saying all this for?' Sonora's eyes cleared.

Little Beibei, who was staring intently at him, grew anxious, thinking, 'So tiring! A specially trained spy truly is different from others. His mental fortitude is even stronger than that hulking Hawkins!'

Beibei clenched her teeth, puffing out her little cheeks as she glared at Sonora, looking left, right, up, down, as busy as a little monkey, her small face flushed crimson. And the way she was holding Sonora's neck could now be understood: the little one's entire body was enveloping Sonora's head, influencing his consciousness, unleashing her full power!

Sonora's gaze fell into a daze once more. Little Beibei seized the moment to remind him, "Daddy, this guy's mind has undergone special training! Beibei can't hold on much longer, hurry, hurry!"

Du Chen urgently asked, "Sonora, what are the Violet-Bloods planning right now?"

"The Undead... Army Corps, Orbach... corpse!"

These fragmented words made Du Chen's heart tremble. "They intend to seize Orbach's corpse? What is the specific plan?"

"Orbach's Epoch... The rest, only the Marshal, only one person knows!"

"How many troops have the Violet-Bloods prepared?"

"Five hundred thousand..." This number made Du Chen's face turn pale, but Sonora's next words made him breathe a sigh of relief. "Five hundred thousand Undead have already gone to the Abyss. Only the hundred thousand Undead from the base and the sixty thousand newly acquired from Francis remain... Hmph! What's that? With the Marshal personally overseeing, it's more than enough!"

At the mention of the Marshal, Sonora's eyes cleared once more. A line of cold sweat broke out on little Beibei's forehead. "Where is the Violet-Bloods' headquarters now? What is their strength...?" As Du Chen's words left his mouth, little Beibei suddenly toppled from Sonora's head, and Du Chen hastily reached out to catch her. Meanwhile, Deboning struck like lightning, knocking Sonora unconscious!

Immediately after, the two Grand Matriarchs flashed out from the inner tent. One sliced open Sonora's wrist to drain blood, while the other, with a series of swift passes of her hands, extracted three dark, black iron shards from Sonora's neck, heart, and teeth respectively. "Hmph, Fiendkind spies are first-rate at committing suicide; they can even die while unconscious... It's a pity we know him too well!"

After speaking, Lily conducted a thorough search of his body. Lucy, meanwhile, rose holding a silver needle. Upon its tip, a faint... purple hue glimmered!

"Immediately summon Mars, the Battle God! Order Dud to eliminate Sonora's retainers! And to the two Grand Matriarchs, please accompany the army to prevent those retainers from transmitting messages using Fiendkind Secret Techniques!"

Moments later, Mas entered the tent. Upon seeing the purple silver needle on the table, he slammed his fist against his chest!

"By the Great Heavens! This time, we're going for a grand operation!"

Sonora was captured at dusk. As the Morning Star appeared in the pre-dawn sky, dark clouds gathered over the vast grasslands, and air transport beasts, blotting out the sky and moon, suddenly breached McAllen's Battle Axe Imperial District!

McAllen's air force scrambled to intercept, but hanging high from the banner-bearing flying beasts was Du Chen's Divine Cult's Sacred Lotus Banner. Exchange officials held a written decree, penned by Godfather Bairu on behalf of Pontiff Sama IX, stating: 'This airborne transport force is for Francis's use in transporting ten thousand beastmen female slaves. In the name of the living representatives of the gods, this unit belongs to the Holy Mountain of the Papal Curia and will absolutely not interfere in disputes between the two nations. In the name of the Holy Church, the beastmen of McAllen shall clear the path and grant passage!'

What was most extraordinary was that the statue upon the banner-bearing flying beasts was none other than the Statue of God Auerbach, taken by the Papal Curia from the Enshrinement Temple!

It was not uncommon for Papal Curia flying units to transport war spoils for Francis during wartime. However, for air transport beasts of such immense scale to descend upon the heart of the vast grasslands at this moment, the beastmen, looking at the sealed transport holds capable of carrying ten thousand people, hesitated for a moment.

"The Saint Baton Family and Du Chen's Divine Cult have signed a contract right here, grant passage!" Deboning came forward to greet them, holding the Saint Baton Family's handwritten contract.

The beastmen yielded passage, but the two great army corps monitoring Dud's forces instantly entered first-degree combat readiness, staring intently as the colossal flying units descended into Du Chen's military camp...

Creak. Under the cover of the military camp and the night, a flying module, ostensibly empty, opened its hatch. Pontiff Sama IX, clad in a black robe and large hood, strolled into the main command tent!

"Francis, you truly did not deceive me! This time, I have brought ten thousand elite Masters of the Papal Curia and a hundred sacred artifacts of war. If necessary, I can reveal my identity and, by virtue of the alliance signed with the Saint Baton Family, summon two hundred thousand Royal Guards from the beastmen's Battle Axe District! Issue the Decree of the Gods, compelling Lanning and McAllen to confront each other on the front lines, so that a combined force of one point six million troops can jointly reinforce the Auerbach Grand Canyon! The Fiendkind shall surely fall!"

Du Chen and Mas were already waiting in the main command tent. Mas called out, "Boss, just tell us what to do! The brothers will follow your lead through hell and high water. Damn it all, if anyone even frowns, they're no true man!"

The Pontiff smiled faintly. "Bonis, personally leading a hundred thousand Undead Army, is right beneath our feet. And Sonora confessed that if he is missing for too long, it will alert the Fiendkind! So, the sooner we act, the better?" He then glanced at Du Chen. "Resisting the Fiendkind is the responsibility of all humanity. Has Du Chen, the Divine, arrived yet?"

Du Chen replied, "Your Holiness, rest assured. Our Divine Du Chen has already made proper arrangements. We tampered with the corpses returned to the beastmen. Tomorrow, when Bonis's Undead Army adds new recruits, there will be unusual turmoil. That will be the perfect moment for us to strike!"

The Pontiff nodded slightly. "I am not concerned about other matters, but Bonis possesses peerless power. I wonder if Du Chen, the Divine, would be willing to join forces with me..."

To send Dus against Bonis? Du Chen smiled faintly. "Your Holiness, our Divine Du Chen humbly admits he is no match for Bonis. That fiend can only be dealt with by Your Holiness!"

Mas was taken aback. He cried out, "If he's not fighting Bonis, what *can* Du Chen, the Divine, do then?"

Du Chen returned his smile. "Your Holiness, Bonis and his host of Fiendkind Masters I shall leave to you. But as for Philip and his hundred thousand Undead Army, I ask that you entrust them to our Divine alone!"