Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Humans have won, ready yourselves for the next round of the contest," Storm, with a face harboring hidden rage, commanded his kin.

He could accept that humans had won this contest by luck in finding the group of orcs first, but he couldn't accept defeat due to his kin's lack of ability.

Although the members of the squad responsible for the battle all unanimously said that the orc leader was extremely formidable, and even the trusted Xunying said that the orc leader's strength was definitely above Zoro, their reinforcements never faced them head-on.

And that human general's only performance was the three floating arrows... It seemed impressive, but couldn't even stop a single fleeing orc, so what was it really worth?

Defeat due to true strength, and even being ridiculed by humans, was a reality he found hard to accept.

"In the next round of the contest, I want you to make those humans lose miserably! I will find opportunities to test step by step the limits of their condition acceptance."

"But... Storm," Xunying, still unrecovered from serious injuries, coughed lightly, "these humans might not be as weak as they appeared before, I'm afraid you could be misled by them. The strength of that human general..."

As Xunying spoke, she cautiously glanced at Zoro, convinced that he was not a match, and then her gaze shifted towards the tightly closed door of the inner room—Yue Ying was protecting the Prophet.

"Xunying, just focus on healing your wounds," Storm instructed calmly, also signaling that she need not say more.

Of course, he believed his own kin wouldn't deceive him, but kin with limited strength could also make incorrect judgments due to their own limited perspective.

Seeing the humans' "helpless fury" in the previous rounds of the contest, he did not believe the humans truly had the ability to turn the tables.

"Storm, I think we should seriously consider the matter of collaboration with the humans this time," spoke a male elf beside Xunying.

Ignoring the male elf who spoke up beside Xunying, Storm stood up indifferently, "Alright, deputy captain, don't disturb the Prophet's recovery. Let's step outside, the humans must be getting anxious."

Within the closed room, Yue Ying sighed sorrowfully to her sister, "Sister, do you know that one of our kin will die this time..."

This was what she had overheard in the discussion among their kin just moments ago.

For the elves, every kin was exceptionally precious; the death of one was a painful blow to the rest.

"No, predictive fragments are shattered; I can't see such detailed specifics. But…" Aglaya smiled lightly, shaking her head with an air of nonchalance, "that's not important. The seal is about to be broken, and we shall return. All kin who are sacrificed here will return to the Ark, as long we are not captured by 'that one,' we are, in fact, 'eternal.'

Yue Ying was clearly puzzled, "The seal?"

Aglaya looked at Yue Ying with dark, mysterious eyes, "Is there a record in our clan about how we appeared in this world?"

"This…" No one had ever mentioned such matters; only now that her sister brought it up did Yue Ying find it strange, "It appears... we don't?"

Aglaya smiled and touched Yue Ying's hair, her fingers inadvertently brushing the tip of Yue Ying's ear, making the petite elf's body shiver instantly, "Actually, I've asked you this question before~"

Yue Ying's eyes widened, "You mean..."

"You forgot."

"..." Yue Ying bit her lip, taking a while to process the shock that she might soon forget again, "But sister, you mentioned the 'seal' being broken..."

"Shh~" Aglaya raised her index finger to her lips with a mysterious air, "That is something we cannot speak of."

As she spoke, her eyes glanced toward the outside, the direction where their kin had departed.

"Just watch..."

The variable lay right before them.

...

The high-level representatives of both races met once again.

Storm said with a stern face, "Congratulations, you've earned another chance to challenge us. However, as a penalty for continuously wasting our time, could we settle some details of the demands in advance... and let each bout's victory or defeat be the final verdict. What do you say?"

Ignoring the babble of advisers in his ear, the old man clenched his teeth and forcefully agreed, "Coincidentally, that's exactly what we were thinking!"

"Then, before this contest begins, shall we discuss the first demand? How about it?"

It seemed as though a consensus had been reached between the human and elf high command, and Bai E received the absolute demand to participate as a warrior in the battle—to win.

The city must win! No other outcome would be accepted.

"Their choice will definitely be that warrior named Zoro; you've seen his two bouts. Do you have the confidence?" Aglaya, tasked with relaying the messages, looked at Bai E with some concern.

If this battle was lost, General Bai E's reputation among the city's elites might plummet to its worst again.

That was his lot as a man-made being; he had to advance slowly by doing one thing after another correctly, but a single misstep in the process could result in an immediate fall from grace.

"Yes," Bai E replied succinctly, striding towards the passageway leading to the arena.