I, the Supreme Overlord, Start by Enslaving the Zerg Queen

The spear, suffused with the essence of mortality, was swiftly retracted back into the room.

The Serpent Knight seized this opportunity to retreat several paces.

In the brief moment that The Serpent Knight was lost in thought, Little Green successfully evaded his onslaught.

"Damn it! I can\'t believe I let myself be distracted during battle! Now I have to face a siege!"

The Serpent Knight was acutely aware that without the ability to eliminate Little Green directly, achieving a swift victory in combat would be impossible.

Thus, he withdrew his weapon, preparing to engage in a proper showdown with Charles and the others.

At the same time that The Serpent Knight retreated into the corridor, the door to Charles\'s room was forcefully kicked open.

Charles emerged, brandishing a spear that was steeped in an aura of death, coming into The Serpent Knight\'s line of sight.

At that moment, Charles wore a grim expression on his face, nothing infuriated him more than being ambushed. With piercing intensity, Charles fixed his gaze upon The Serpent Knight and coldly remarked.

"You dare to ambush me! You will soon pay a heavy price for your audacity!"

Behind Charles, Medusa slowly stepped forward.

Her ethereal eyes were fixed intently on The Serpent Knight, filled solely with an endless hunger for bloodshed.

"Regardless of who you are, I hope you understand one critical fact: I am The Serpent Knight, and you are currently standing on the territory of the Serpent Empire.

To slay a Knight of the Serpent within the bounds of Serpent territory will provoke the enmity of the entire empire. Do you truly believe you can stand against the might of the Serpent Empire?"

The Serpent Knight did not engage Charles and his companions lightly.

He assessed the disparity in strength between himself and the three of them.

In his estimation, if he could not succeed in a surprise attack, then achieving victory in a direct confrontation was an even more distant prospect.

In the face of The Serpent Knight\'s threats, Charles merely smiled.

"You can\'t possibly think that we fear the Serpent Empire, do you? Moreover, regardless of who stands behind you, the moment you chose to ambush us, you became our sworn enemy. I will not allow you to leave this place alive."

With these words, Charles lunged forward, spear in hand, charging directly at The Serpent Knight.

Naturally, The Serpent Knight would not offer no resistance against Charles\'s assault. He too brandished his own spear, engaging in combat with Charles.

At this moment, although Little Green had evaded The Serpent Knight\'s attacks, she had yet to fully regain her strength.

Therefore, she merely observed the fierce battle unfolding between Charles and The Serpent Knight from the sidelines.

If Charles could maintain the upper hand, Little Green would be able to focus on her recovery in peace, however, should Charles falter, she would certainly lend him her assistance.

Meanwhile, Medusa, who had been standing behind Charles, had mysteriously vanished from sight.

Medusa transformed into a swirling cloud of green mist, enveloping The Serpent Knight.

Although The Serpent Knight possessed a remarkably high resistance to toxins, the poisonous fog conjured by Medusa was far from ordinary. Even the most skilled alchemists within the Serpent Empire would struggle to withstand the noxious fumes released by Medusa.

As the battle wore on, The Serpent Knight sensed that his condition was deteriorating rapidly.

He felt his strength waning quickly, to the point where he could scarcely discern the movements of his adversary before him.

"It seems your abilities are rather limited. Even if I were alone, you would stand no chance of defeating me. So, what emboldened you to launch such an ambush against us?"

At this juncture, Charles had secured an undeniable advantage.

He was in no rush to eliminate his opponent, as he sought to extract some additional intelligence from him.

The Serpent Knight, however, would not readily divulge answers to Charles\'s inquiries.

At this moment, Medusa had reverted to her human form and approached The Serpent Knight directly. Almost immediately, The Serpent Knight let out a cry of anguish.

"You would do well to answer my questions, it might spare you from enduring excessive pain." Charles said coldly to The Serpent Knight.

"What questions do you have? I shall ask them now. I will divulge everything I know." The Serpent Knight replied.

The Serpent Knight was indeed very strong at the beginning.

However, in the presence of Medusa, The Serpent Knight could not maintain his resilience for long.

Medusa effortlessly compelled The Serpent Knight to answer Charles\'s questions.

"Why are you here? Have you sensed our presence for some time?"

"I only arrived yesterday. The reason for my presence is to capture all the prisoners from the prison. I inadvertently detected your aura, which is why I lay in wait for you here."

Charles nodded in acknowledgment.

He found no fault in the other\'s response, and indeed, it seemed to be the most plausible scenario.

"Why are there so many guards from the Serpent Empire at Rock Fortress? What exactly are you doing here?"

The Serpent Knight hesitated slightly, but faced with Medusa\'s intimidation, he ultimately chose to answer Charles\'s question.

"We are here in search of a highly valuable treasure. We have received very credible information indicating that there is a treasure buried beneath Rock Fortress. However, we have been excavating for quite some time and have yet to uncover this treasure."

The Serpent Knight\'s answer complicated Charles\'s expression even further.

He had previously mentioned to Eck that he believed the skeletal lizard\'s words might not be entirely false.

However, as he spoke those words, there was a distinct lack of confidence in his tone.

When The Serpent Knight mentioned once more that there was a treasure buried beneath Rock Fortress, Charles felt a surge of complex emotions.

"Are you speaking the truth or fabricating a lie?"

As he posed this question, Charles also turned his gaze towards Medusa.

Medusa timely inflicted further agony upon The Serpent Knight.

"I am telling the truth! I am absolutely speaking the truth!"

Under Medusa\'s torment, the other party still did not waver in his claims. This served to confirm that what he stated was indeed genuine.

"Now, disclose any other information you possess. If the intelligence you provide is of significant importance, I may consider granting you your freedom."

Charles finally said to The Serpent Knight.

What Charles said at that moment was, in fact, a lie, for irrespective of the intelligence offered by the other, he would never allow him to leave.

The Serpent Knight divulged a considerable amount of information.

Yet, from Charles\'s perspective, none of it was particularly crucial. Once the other had finished recounting all he knew, Charles nodded and then swiftly ended his life.

To Medusa and Little Green, Charles\'s actions seemed entirely normal.

However, to Eck and Johann, this behavior was profoundly perplexing.

Eck and Johann were abruptly awakened when the battle broke out, the two of them had been hiding in a secure location, observing the unfolding conflict.

After The Serpent Knight was killed, Eck immediately confronted Charles with a question.

"Why did you do that? You killed him! How are we supposed to remain in Rock Fortress now? All of the Serpent guards will be our enemies!"

Charles nodded in acknowledgment.

Eck\'s concerns were certainly valid.

The Serpent Knight was of immense value to the Serpent Empire. There were not many of The Serpent Knights in existence, and taking the life of one was akin to declaring war on the Serpent Empire.

Thus, it was evident that Charles and his companions could not linger in Rock Fortress for long.

"You are absolutely correct, we can no longer stay here. Have you all rested sufficiently? If so, let us make haste and depart at once."

"While Rock Fortress is still in a state of chaos, we should be able to leave safely. Isn\'t that what you have always wished for?"

Charles had already devised his plan prior to killing The Serpent Knight.

Although Rock Fortress housed incredibly valuable treasures, acquiring those treasures posed significant challenges. Moreover, with the heightened security within Rock Fortress, any further actions taken by Charles would likely yield little success.

Thus, Charles resolved to temporarily vacate Rock Fortress.

Eck and Johann were taken aback, as they had not anticipated that their previous objective would be so easily realized.

Both Eck and Johann stood there, momentarily stunned.

Charles reiterated his query, "Have you truly rested well? If not, you should hurry and take the time to rest. Regardless, we must set off at the break of dawn."

Eck and Johann quickly nodded in response.

"We have rested sufficiently, if necessary, we can depart at once."

Eck and Johann were more than ready to leave this place behind.

In their eyes, Rock Fortress was exceedingly perilous. They needed to advance swiftly toward other, safer towns.

However, it seemed that Eck and Johann were perhaps overly optimistic in their thoughts.

Even if they continued onward, they would not necessarily arrive at a truly safe destination. For Charles\'s aim was to seek out the treasures he desired, and the quest for such treasures would undoubtedly entail numerous dangers.

Yet, at least for the moment, Eck and Johann were blissfully unaware of this reality.

Upon learning of Charles\'s intention to leave Rock Fortress, they excitedly began packing their belongings.

The group\'s luggage was relatively minimal, so it took them less than fifteen minutes to gather everything. By this time, dawn was not far off.

Charles then led the group towards the exit of Rock Fortress.