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The old banquet hall, currently serving as the practice ground for the Great Demon battle in the royal palace’s lobby, had descended into utter chaos.

Among the people gathered there, those who didn’t know how to fight were busy running around in panic, while those who did know how to fight were, unfortunately, of little help against the demons.

Only weapons imbued with spells or sanctified by Light Power could harm the demons, and such weapons were exceedingly rare.

Yet, amidst this chaos, the clergy summoned by Sophia moved with organization and agility, dealing with the demons without much difficulty.

“Hey, step back for a moment! Something big is coming!”

“Darn it, spellcasters! The support spells are down!”

Though there were some discordant moments like this, the situation was generally under control.

At this point, twenty clergy members were assigned to each demon.

Ten skilled in close combat took the front lines, while ten proficient in spellcasting and combat support held the rear, maintaining a formation to control the demons’ movements and systematically deplete their strength.

‘Just as Sir Chazel said. The formation is working!’

The group tactics Sophia had prepared for the clergy were being executed flawlessly.

The formation wasn’t overly rigid or intricate. Sophia believed that while such formations might be useful in large-scale battles, they were less effective against a small number of powerful enemies.

What mattered wasn’t the strictness of the formation but ensuring that each member could contribute their utmost, or even more, to achieve the tactical goal.

To this end, Sophia had adapted concepts from MMORPG raids and AOS games, teaching the clergy her own version of these strategies.

The basic approach was to establish a framework based on Qi Men Dun Jia and military tactics, assigning positions within that framework to force the enemy into predictable actions and respond fluidly.

This approach seemed to work well against the demons.

Perhaps it was because the demons, caught off guard by the clergy’s Immovable King Wisdom Technique, were too disoriented to think clearly. In any case, the demons never regained the composure to assess the situation rationally.

The clergy relentlessly kept the demons off balance, never allowing them a moment to recover. They constantly disrupted the demons’ senses, inflicted bleeding wounds, and attempted to inject poisons that dulled their Qi Sense and weakened their regenerative abilities. The psychological pressure from the clergy’s relentless trash talk was just the cherry on top.

Minor attacks were blocked, and major attacks were avoided. The moments when the demons were vulnerable after a major attack became a joyous time for the clergy, who would rush in to unleash their weapons and spells.

Then, the Immovable King Wisdom Technique would activate again.

For the demons, it felt like being trapped in an antlion’s pit or sinking into a deep swamp. The hellish cycle continued.

The group never rushed to kill the demons. They ensured every member had a chance to experience fighting a demon, blocking attacks, and striking back. For the demons, it was nothing short of humiliation.

One demon, with goat horns, hooves, and a long-handled war hammer, roared in fury.

“You… you dare humiliate us like this! You want to slaughter us so badly! Must you gang up on us and trample us to feel satisfied?!!”

But his desperate rage failed to garner any sympathy from the humans around him.

Demons were the ones who slithered among people, sowing discord, corrupting, cursing, trampling, and killing. Their origins lay in the most greedy and arrogant beings who had fallen from grace, yet they played the victim when cornered. To the Church Order, which had a long and bitter history with demons, this was nothing but laughable.

Meanwhile, the nobles who had initially panicked were now safely evacuated under the protection of the clergy. The clergy, while battling the demons, also ensured the nobles’ safe retreat.

The evacuation of the nobles was crucial. Most of them lacked the ability to fight demons and needed protection, but their social and political roles in the Kingdom of Rotaringia were significant.

If any of them died, it could cause chaos in the kingdom, and there were plenty of enemies ready to exploit such a situation.

Of course, not all nobles were helpless. Some had bravely assisted the clergy in evacuating others from the start, and some even used their family heirlooms to aid the clergy in battle.

Count Salvator di Piccina of Monferrato, a close aide to the First Prince, and Alfonso di Este, Count of Cento, were among the former. Fiore di Liberi, the guild master of the Swordsmanship Guild who followed the Seventh Prince, was among the latter.

Fiore was a skilled swordsman with sharp instincts and excellent swordsmanship. But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to face demons. What gave him the edge was the one-handed sword, Ascalon, sheathed at his waist, glowing with a faint light.

As Fiore raised his fighting spirit against the demon’s aura, Ascalon continuously emitted light, protecting him and granting him the power to wound the demon.

Observing the clergy’s raid formation, Fiore intuitively grasped its essence and moved wisely, contributing to the battle without disrupting the clergy’s efforts.

Then, something happened.

Xantippe Andreades Karnasos, a nun-priestess from the Eldara Diocese, was a nymph hybrid. Born as a descendant of celestial spirit gods and nymphs, she had a natural talent for spellcasting, particularly in natural magic.

Even in the midst of the battle, her natural spells were holding their own.

“Ambelia, deste to kako brosta sta matia sas (Vines, bind the evil before your eyes)!”

Vines imbued with Light Power stretched out, entangling the demon, while the ground turned into a swamp, trapping its feet. Illusions of bears and eagles made of light charged forward, taking the demon’s attacks in place of her comrades. Her performance was nothing short of remarkable.

But even with twenty clergy members controlling one demon, the coexistence of multiple battlefields in one space inevitably led to breakdowns.

“Xantippe, danger!”

Hearing the warning from her fellow clergy, Xantippe turned her head, her eyes widening.

“In the name of the ■■■■■, die!”

A death curse from another demon had reached her in the blink of an eye.

Xantippe knew she couldn’t dodge it.

She tried to activate the Immovable King Wisdom Technique to counter the curse, but she hadn’t stabilized her Qi enough to deploy it again so soon. Her brain vessels constricted, and her life flashed before her eyes.

‘Am I going to die like this?’

She had so much she still wanted to do, so much life left to live. Regret swirled in her mind. But in that moment—

“Ascalon, the sword that once cleaved the evil dragon, show your power!”

In an instant, Fiore di Liberi, who had reached her side, drew the heirloom sword from his waist. A light reminiscent of the Immovable King Wisdom Technique burst forth, and Fiore swung Ascalon down at the curse.

With a resounding crack, the curse was cleaved in two. The massive energy of the strike shattered the curse’s core, and despite its malevolent power, it dissipated like foam.

“Ugh, are you alright?”

As the light faded, Fiore dropped Ascalon and slumped to the ground, turning to check on Xantippe. She, as a spellcaster, could see what had happened.

The strangely shaped single-edged sword on the ground seemed to be a weapon that could only be drawn under specific conditions. Fiore had forcibly drawn it in his haste, causing his ethereal muscles to wither as they were drained of energy.

He would recover in time, but the pain must have been excruciating.

Despite knowing it was futile, Xantippe cast healing spells on him, trying to remain composed.

“Thanks to you, sir.”

“Haha, that’s a relief… But I can’t fight anymore. My apologies.”

“You’ve been brave enough.”

“Ugh, thank you.”

But their conversation didn’t last long. The battle with the demons was still raging.

+++++

Watching this, Sophia’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“Good timing. I was thinking it might be too early, but an unexpected variable has moved in our favor.”

Thanks to this, she could now fully prepare for what was to come.

“I’ll have to repay them later.”

Perhaps she could give them tickets to a decent theater or grant the clergy some free time after their training. With these thoughts, Sophia’s eyes sharpened.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

As she spoke, a strange vibration began to emanate from the banquet hall’s floor. The tremors grew stronger, and soon—

Crash, rumble—the center of the royal palace lobby collapsed, creating a gaping black hole.

“Pathetic mortals, I’ll sweep you away in an instant!”

Emerging from the hole was a muscular demon with a bat’s head, wings, and a dragon-like tail. It soared into the air, chest puffed out. At the same moment, Sophia, who had leaped into the air, also took a deep breath.

 

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