Valkyrie on the battlefield

At this moment, Laura appeared on the battlefield like a valkyrie. With a casual strike, she unleashed a force capable of annihilating everything, instantly obliterating tens of thousands of elite orc troops.

The battlefield was now empty, the once mighty orc army had completely vanished as if it had never existed.

In this battle, Alexander's notification panel was completely filled with messages.

[Ding, your ally has helped you kill an Orc Infantryman (Lv38), you gained +100 XP]

[Ding, your ally has helped you kill an Orc Cavalry (Lv46), you gained +200 XP]

[Ding, your ally has killed...]

Countless notifications appeared on Alexander's panel, and he was shocked to find that his XP had reached an astonishing 1500K.

This figure was astronomical for Alexander. If not for the level cap in the City of Hope, he could have rapidly raised his level to 100 in a short time.

Alexander looked towards the beautiful figure in the distance, utterly astonished.

He always knew Laura was incredibly powerful, but he never imagined she would be this formidable. Her strength was beyond words, surpassing Alexander's understanding.

During the siege of Hurricane City, Alexander, then weak, couldn't participate directly in the battle. He heard from his companions that the number of monsters attacking the city was usually around a thousand.

And these monsters were generally between levels 10-20. Although not high-level, their combined combat ability was formidable.

As he recalled, the defense of Hurricane City came at a great cost. To repel the enemy, nearly half of the city's forces were lost, and it took three years to recover from the losses.

Now, the situation in the City of Hope was much more complex than in Hurricane City.

Due to a curse, the number of enemies facing the City of Hope was ten times the norm, and their levels were significantly higher.

Under these circumstances, holding out for an hour seemed impossible.

However, Laura's arrival changed everything.

Most importantly, Alexander could clearly feel that the power Laura used to resurrect fallen soldiers was the same as his ability for reborn.

This confirmed that the life force Alexander possessed was a gift from Laura.

This realization led Alexander to an essential truth: the grey-robed man he had encountered before was not the god of life; Laura was the true goddess of life!

"My God! Laura is the legendary goddess! This is incredible!"

Amidst his shock, Alexander heard another notification.

[Ding, congratulations on completing the first phase of the mission. The monument is 100% intact, current mission grade: C, the City of Hope is officially established.]

[There is 1 minute until the next wave of enemies arrives, please prepare.]

As Alexander gazed into the distance, Laura turned to face him.

In that moment, their eyes met, and Laura's were filled with tenderness.

She didn't speak, but her eyes conveyed endless affection. In this frozen moment, Alexander seemed to feel the warmth and care deep within Laura's heart.

However, Laura quickly turned away as she keenly sensed spatial fluctuations nearby, signaling the imminent arrival of the second wave of enemies.

Understanding the gravity of Alexander's responsibility, Laura swiftly created a barrier with a radius of a hundred miles centered around him. This barrier, like a robust shield, protected every life within from any external harm.

As the twisted spatial waves intensified, the sky seemed to tear open, forming a rift. The second wave of orcs, like beasts released from their cages, emerged through this crack.

This wave of orcs was noticeably stronger than the previous, with bulging muscles and fierce eyes, radiating a menacing aura.

In the center of the orc troops, several massive kodo beasts stood out. These creatures, covered in thick brown scales with coiled horns, looked ferociously intimidating. Their heavy footsteps caused a thunderous roar on the ground.

Atop one of the kodo beasts sat a burly orc leader. His thick lips curled around twisted tusks, adding to his fearsome appearance.

His eyes glinted with evil as he stared at the city, now resembling ruins, and let out a disdainful sneer. With a grandiose wave of his massive claws, he arrogantly proclaimed, "We can obliterate this ruined city from the face of Arsen in an instant."

However, in the next moment, he was struck by Laura's powerful blow.

This divine strike, like a storm of life, swept in with a mysterious power. A wave of energy, shimmering in golden light, converged in the air and swiftly struck the orc leader and his minions.

Under this holy force, the orcs were like wheat in a storm, unable to resist.

They howled in agony, falling one by one under Laura's mighty assault, their lives rapidly fading away. Soon, the once-arrogant orcs were reduced to dust, completely devoured by the storm of life.

All this happened in a brief moment. The second wave of orcs hadn't even had the chance to charge before they were utterly annihilated by Laura's formidable strike.

Tens of thousands of notifications appeared again in Alexander's message bar, dazzling him.

Alexander checked his notification panel and found his experience points had reached an astonishing 3500K!

At the end of the panel, another exciting message appeared.

[Ding, congratulations on completing the second phase of your mission. Monument integrity 100%, current mission grade B+, you have earned 1000 low-level magic scrolls.]

[There is 1 minute until the next wave of enemies arrives, please prepare.]

Suddenly, a thousand low-level magic scrolls appeared beside Alexander, stacking up to ten meters high. These scrolls, made from exquisite parchment, emitted a faint, mystical glow.

Alexander and his followers were astounded, having never seen so many low-level magic scrolls before.

In the next moment, the orc army descended once more.

Laura, floating above the battlefield, looked down upon everything. Before the orc army could even steady themselves, they were utterly obliterated.

[Ding, congratulations on completing the third phase of your mission. The monument remains 100% intact, and your current mission grade is A+. You will randomly receive a divine magic book.]

While Alexander was still reveling in the joy of receiving a thousand low-level magic scrolls, a floating orb of light appeared before him. As the orb dissipated, it revealed a beautifully crafted divine magic book.

The cover of the divine magic book, made from a mysterious material, shimmered with a golden glow as if it was forged by the gods themselves. Its corners were adorned with gems that radiated light, underscoring its unparalleled value. The pages, made of a nearly transparent membrane, bore text that exuded an aura of endless authority.

With excitement, Alexander opened the divine book. The pages seemed to contain a mysterious power, compelling him to eagerly start reading.

As he immersed himself in the book, he suddenly discovered a sacred spell named "Ancient Gate."

This spell came with a concise explanation, allowing Alexander to quickly grasp its essence. After carefully reading and pondering the explanation, he quickly understood the principle and application of this sacred spell.

"Ancient Gate" was a magical spell, drawing its power from the relics of ancient deities. It could break through the barriers of time and space, reaching into the endless past to summon ancient creatures on the brink of extinction or already extinct, to serve the caster in the present world.

However, the spell was extremely rare and mysterious, depleting completely upon use, which meant Alexander had to be very cautious when employing it.

Most importantly, Alexander discovered that this sacred spell was upgradable.

"According to the description, isn't this skill meant for one-time use? Can it really be upgraded?"

With a gentle touch, a familiar voice rang in his ears. [Ding, upgrading "Ancient Gate" requires 10,000 XP.]

Experience points were Alexander's most abundant resource, so he didn't hesitate to start continuously enhancing the level of this sacred spell.

Completely absorbed in this process, Alexander lost track of time.

Meanwhile, several waves of orc armies arrived. However, in the face of Laura's immense power, these orcs were as fragile as ants. 

Alexander had gained a massive amount of experience, and the City of Hope had amassed a substantial trove of war spoils.

Around the monument, various rewards and resources were piled high, including an array of weapons, armor, rare materials, and magic scrolls of different levels.

Moreover, there were rare potions and spiritual herbs, emitting an alluring, exotic fragrance.

There were even mysterious treasure chests filled with unknown surprises, waiting for Alexander to unveil them one by one.

Although these items were valuable, Alexander was more concerned about the exquisite divine magic book in his hands.

[Ding, do you wish to upgrade "Ancient Gate" from Lv98 to Lv99? Please note, this operation requires 99,999,999 XP and 1,000 magic crystals!]

[Ding, insufficient experience points!]

Alexander suddenly realized that he had elevated the level of Ancient Gate to a terrifying degree.

At that moment, a disturbing aura emanated from the distant wastelands. This aura, carrying an inexplicable oppressiveness, seemed to make the air itself heavy.

Laura's brow furrowed slightly, her expression turning serious.