“How fragile humans are, how utterly insignificant before us!”
‘Jin’ licked away the bloodstains on his arm, then gave a light flick, cleaning his hand of the crimson residue.
“Protect Her Highness!”
The sudden turn of events plunged the Knights into battle readiness. Yet, the death of Helen remained fresh in their minds; they had all witnessed it. Had Scheffiel not yet given the command, they would have charged forward already.
“Your Highness Scheffiel, allow us to exterminate this aberration!”
Seeing Scheffiel’s face clouded with grim silence, the Knights grew agitated.
“Do not make any futile sacrifices!”
Scheffiel cut short the Knights’ fervent pleas.
“But he killed Helen, Your Highness Scheffiel!”
“Indeed, Helen was your personal maid, having grown up alongside you. We cannot allow her to die in vain!”
“Your Highness Scheffiel, we implore you to give the order!”
The Knights continuously urged Scheffiel to give the command, but she remained resolute in her refusal, a stance that undoubtedly caused them immense anguish. Though Helen had been Scheffiel’s maid since childhood, she was also a valued member of the Knights.
“It seems you fear me greatly, human girl.”
‘Jin’ appeared quite pleased with Scheffiel’s reaction.
“I merely wish to prevent my subordinates from dying meaningless deaths.”
Scheffiel glared fiercely at her opponent.
“Originally, I believed we could successfully infiltrate these human bodies to break the seal. To think we would encounter you—what a miscalculation!”
“My name is Hukelent. I am a high-ranking Devouring Demon, or, in your human terms, one who has just entered S-class strength.”
“I have no desire to remain in this human shell any longer; it’s time to revert to our true forms.”
Cracks erupted across ‘Jin’s’ body, and piece by piece, his disguise crumbled away, until Hukelent’s true form was revealed to the open air. His skin was coarse and uneven, three pallid demonic eyes gleamed, and his limbs and torso were monstrously robust. One could feel that a single, heavy blow from him could make the very ground beneath his feet tremble.
“How can this be!?”
The Knights instinctively recoiled several steps, but Scheffiel remained rooted to her spot, her gaze fixed intently on the Devouring Demon as its true form fully emerged.
“Tremble! Tremble before our might!”
Hukelent brandished his massive arms. Despite their formidable size, their movement was far from sluggish; instead, he wielded them with surprising agility.
“Is that so?”
Scheffiel raised her right hand, resting it on the hilt of the single-edged sword at her waist. Far from being intimidated by her opponent’s power, she felt her fighting spirit ignite.
“Your Highness Scheffiel! We are ready to fight alongside you!”
Seeing Scheffiel prepare to draw her sword for battle, the Knights all brandished their own weapons, refusing to retreat further. They knew that retreat offered no hope, only despair, and their very tenets forbade such an act.
“Draw your swords, everyone! We carry the glory of the God of Victory; triumph is with us!”
Scheffiel unsheathed her own sword, its blade gleaming as she pointed it towards the enemy before them.
“Ooh!!!”
The Knights’ morale surged, and they roared their battle cries, ready at a moment’s notice to follow Scheffiel into the fray.
“Let these feeble humans witness the might of our Devouring Demon clan!”
Hukelent scoffed at Scheffiel and her Knights’ display.
“Feel our formidable power! Tremble, earth!”
Including Hukelent, twenty Devouring Demons raised their feet, then stomped down hard upon the ground.
“Whoa!”
“What’s happening!?”
“The ground, the ground is shaking!”
“It’s impossible to keep our footing.”
“Everyone, hold steady! Sages, cast Chain Link on everyone!”
Noticing the predicament of her side, Scheffiel immediately issued commands to stabilize the ranks.
“Do you see now, humans? You cannot possibly contend with us demons!”
Hukelent raised his hand, sweeping it forward, and the Devouring Demons behind him surged into attack.
“How long will Chain Link take?”
Scheffiel knew she needed to buy time for the others; otherwise, everyone but her would be slaughtered by the monsters.
“A-about six or seven minutes.”
The Sages found themselves in the same precarious situation as everyone else; they needed to maintain their own footing to ensure they could cast magic on others.
“I will buy you time.”
From this moment, Scheffiel’s responsibility was immense, allowing not even the slightest margin for error.
“Unseal the first restriction.”
Scheffiel had no other choice but to release the first seal on her weapon. In truth, Scheffiel’s single-edged sword was a genuine Sacred Artifact, yet its power was beyond her full control. Therefore, her imperial father had placed five seals upon the blade, allowing Scheffiel to progressively unseal its power in battle against formidable foes.
“Moonlight, heed my plea, and fight alongside me.”
Scheffiel raised her left hand, and a single-edged sword forged from moonlight materialized in her grasp. Just then, a Devouring Demon happened to be the first to charge towards her.
In that instant, a streak of moonlight seemed to flash past the Devouring Demon.
Then, a massive arm fell to the ground.
Immediately after, the Devouring Demon was sent flying.
Scheffiel had once mentioned to others that she possessed three combat states once she entered battle. The first was ordinary demonic-martial swordsmanship, and the second was true demonic-martial swordsmanship. What she displayed now was the second state, her form after unsealing the Sacred Artifact, Moon Radiance.
Wielding two silver-white single-edged swords, her magnificent dual-wielding sword dance was a perfect blend of offense and defense. It was as if, from that moment, Scheffiel transformed from a princess into a saintess bathed in moonlight, dispelling all evil for humanity and offering protection as gentle as the moon’s glow.
“A mere Holy Sword Wielder. The rest of you, go destroy the seal.”
Hukelent, producing a spear from seemingly nowhere, strode forward to confront Scheffiel.
“Not a single one shall pass!”
No sooner had the words left her lips than Scheffiel spotted two Devouring Demons charging towards the direction of the grotto. She prepared to turn and pursue, but Hukelent intercepted her.
“Your opponent is me.”
Hukelent suddenly seemed to shed several layers, appearing almost human on the surface—at most, he might be mistaken for a monster by an unsuspecting eye.
Scheffiel had no desire to waste time here. If the grotto’s seal were truly broken, the continent of Europa would face a grand invasion by demons. At that point, not just Europa, but the entire world would plunge into demonic conquest, with war raging everywhere.
“Holy Flame!”
Golden-red flames blazed fiercely along her sword’s edge. It was clear Scheffiel intended to use her full power against Hukelent.
“To think you possess a special attribute, human! Interesting, truly interesting!”
Hukelent was astonished by Scheffiel’s Holy Flame. In the Demon Realm, he had encountered many with special attributes, but he had never before seen a human possess one. Today marked a first.
“Such tiresome chatter.”
Scheffiel initiated the attack, her right-hand sword descending towards Hukelent’s head, only to be parried by his spear. But the assault was far from over, for Scheffiel wielded two swords. The single-edged blade in her left hand swept horizontally towards Hukelent’s side, yet again, he blocked it.
“Good strength.”
Hukelent looked down at Scheffiel, a sneer twisting his lips.
“You are truly annoying.”
Scheffiel unleashed her internal magical power, directly blasting Hukelent away.
“Holy Flame Burst!”
Seizing the opening created by Hukelent being repelled, the single-edged sword in Scheffiel’s left hand broke free of her control, flying straight in another direction. Scheffiel’s target was the two Devouring Demons rushing towards the grotto, and she successfully annihilated them midway.
“Human, you’ve grown too complacent!”
This time, Hukelent was truly enraged.
As the battle unfolded, Scheffiel and Hukelent displayed nearly equal strength. Yet, while Hukelent couldn’t overpower Scheffiel, she, in turn, could multitask, diverting her attention to slay other Devouring Demons even as she fought him. This repeatedly provoked Hukelent, causing him to lose his reason again and again. What Scheffiel didn’t realize, however, was that the more a demon lost its sanity, the more its power would surge, a phenomenon exemplified by berserkers.
Incidentally, berserkers were half-human, half-demon beings. Though their existence was not acknowledged by humanity, they were greatly recognized and courted by the radical factions within the Demon Realm.
Time slipped away, minute by minute. As the number of Devouring Demons dwindled, the ground’s tremors slightly abated. The Sages of the Knights completed the final step of their Chain Link magic, casting it upon Scheffiel, thus allowing all the Knights to finally gain stable footing on the shaking ground.
“Hold back the remaining Devouring Demons!”
The Knights launched their counterattack. While this undeniably alleviated some of Scheffiel’s burden, it largely amplified her worries. The Knights were simply no match for ordinary Devouring Demons. Even if they managed to defeat them, the cost would be devastating—ranging from severe injuries leaving them incapacitated to outright death in a foreign land.
“For Her Highness Scheffiel!!!”
“For Her Highness Scheffiel!!!”
“For Her Highness Scheffiel!!!”
The Knights fought with all their might to halt the Devouring Demons, but the damage they inflicted was insufficient. They could only briefly impede the demons’ advance, and the cost of this effort was a steady stream of vanishing lives.
Yet, not a single Knight harbored resentment or hesitated. They were Scheffiel’s most loyal subordinates and would never abandon her to save themselves. In their hearts, Scheffiel was their faith, their goddess; she had saved them, and it was through her that they achieved their current standing. Even to buy Scheffiel a single second, they would sacrifice their lives to fulfill their mission.
Thwack!
Just then, Scheffiel, who had been fiercely battling Hukelent, suddenly felt a sharp pain erupt in her abdomen. Looking down, she discovered that her stomach had been pierced by a hand clad in knight’s armor.
“Your Highness Scheffiel!”
The Knights had witnessed the assailant who attacked Scheffiel with their own eyes. They were both astonished and furious, for the attacker was someone they knew intimately.
“Helen.”
Scheffiel turned her head to look at Helen, whose eyes were hollow and lifeless. She couldn’t comprehend why Helen, who was supposedly dead, would suddenly attack her.