"Well done, Duke." Viper nodded, acknowledging Duke’s identity and contribution. "Leave the rest to us."

He raised his hand and pointed at Lilandra, isolated and helpless within the suppression field: "Focus fire, break through that elf lady’s turtle shell, get her alive! For everyone else, resisters, kill them!"

With the order, the Empire’s attack instantly became more organized and lethal.

Several hunter wizards joined forces, began casting a spell specializing in dissolving energy shields, disintegrate ray; war puppets changed direction, making heavy steps toward Instructor Moran and other elves still trying to retaliate at the field’s edge; high-altitude wizards locked onto any threats still capable of action.

Duke stood still, dark golden sand grains subtly shifting under his control.

He no longer participated in direct attacks on the elves, instead, he used the sand grains primarily for defense against stray projectiles or the aftermath of spells, while calmly observing the battlefield.

For him, the lurking mission was largely complete, the subsequent armed cleanup was someone else’s task.

He needed to ensure his safety and consider how, after the battle, to claim the interests concerning the Moon Well outlined in his contract with the Star Dome Commerce Association and the Empire’s military.

As for those elves... their hatred and despair in their eyes were just necessary hues on the mission’s backdrop to him.

This is war, this is infiltration, indifferent to right or wrong, only about stance and purpose.

Lilandra looked at the pressing enemies, then glanced at the indifferent figure standing as if unrelated to the massacre before her, a former human comrade, boundless chill and resolve engulfed her.

She suddenly stuffed the mithril pouch deep into her bosom, tightly holding a tear-shaped moonlight gemstone pendant on her chest, the ultimate life-saving item her mother gave, containing one-time powerful random teleportation energy, but with great cost and instability.

"Moon Trace... Never Extinguished!" She shouted with all her might, with blood tears, at the clan motto, simultaneously crushing the pendant.

The pendant burst forth with moonlight brilliance far purer, far older than the suppression field.

The light was not an attack but formed a fiercely twisted, constantly collapsing and expanding silver-white light cocoon, instantly enveloping Lilandra within.

"Spatial interference! She wants to teleport!" Viper’s pupils shrank, he shouted sharply, "Interrupt her! Seal the space!"

Several disintegrate rays and spells targeting space stability shot almost simultaneously at the light cocoon; however, the pendant contained advanced-level power, seemingly from the ancient heritage of the Moon Trace clan, the hasty interference spells merely stirred a few ripples like stones thrown into a boiling silver lake.

The light cocoon’s radiance became increasingly dazzling, Lilandra’s silhouette within it already indistinct.

Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly, the dark golden sand grains beneath him subtly surged, but he didn’t intervene.

The pendant’s energy nature and activation method were beyond what he could safely interfere with, rashly acting might not only be ineffective but could incur unforeseen risks.

His mission’s core had already been completed; whether Lilandra’s final death struggle could be thwarted was Viper’s responsibility.

"Damn it!" Viper looked grim, he didn’t expect such a seemingly frail girl to possess such a level of life-saving item.

He quickly chanted, attempting to cast a more powerful space confinement spell, but was clearly a beat too late.

Bang!

A slight, glass-breaking-like sound echoed, the silver-white light cocoon suddenly collapsed inward to an extremely small point, then vanished completely.

A spot of weak spatial ripple remained on the spot, along with a few gem fragments slowly drifting down, losing their luster.

Lilandra’s presence, along with the mithril pouch she harbored, vanished completely from everyone’s perception.

"Random teleportation... distance and direction unknown." A wizard skilled in space detection quickly reported, looking displeased.

The duck in hand, flew away.

Viper’s face was like water, the scar looking especially menacing under the flickering magic remnants.

His cold gaze swept over the battlefield; Instructor Moran severely injured and unconscious, Grey Leaf and other guards dead or heavily wounded, completely losing combat capability.

The only intact ally, Duke, calmly stood to the side.

"Clear the battlefield, seize all spoils including valuable items on corpses and the elf’s teleportation fragments." Viper’s voice returned to ruthless efficiency.

He pointed at two seemingly stable Level 2 Mages: "You two, escort Duke back to Darkmoon Town. He needs to report to the command center and claim his due rewards and rest." He emphasized the word reward, clearly aware of Duke’s contractual relationship with the Star Dome Commerce Association.

"Yes, sir!" The two appointed wizards responded, nodding to Duke, their attitude fairly courteous.

"As for you," Viper turned to other wizards, eyes gleaming coldly, "follow me, activate all tracking and prophecy spell devices to search for residual traces of spatial disturbance! She just teleported away, can’t be without a trace! Even if we have to overturn the Iron Ridge Mountains, find that elf girl and the things she took!"

"Yes!"

The Empire hunters swiftly moved into action, some efficiently cleaning the battlefield and binding captives, others following Viper began casting spells, detection luminescence scanning towards where Lilandra disappeared and farther areas.

Duke had no objection to Viper’s arrangement, he dissipated the dark golden sand grains surrounding him and walked to the two wizards in charge of escorting him.