"The Nether Divine Chosen is responding. The dying Calamity has finally begun to awaken."

A sharp gleam flashed across the Empress of the Ancient Moon Empire’s eyes as she turned to Riemann.

"Phield has served his purpose."

"Kill him now."

"Otherwise, he’ll interfere with the contract."

"Excellent..."

"A greater power... will finally belong to me."

All the setbacks he had suffered...

All the humiliation he had endured...

He would repay it a hundredfold.

Ecstasy filled Riemann’s face as he severed his Divine Power contract with Marianne without the slightest hesitation.

"I..."

Marianne staggered back two steps, her face filled with disbelief and loneliness.

"Don’t be sad."

Riemann hurriedly tried to comfort her.

"You can contract one of my subordinates in the future."

"You’ll still be able to serve me."

"That’s right."

The Empress nodded.

"Our first priority is to cut off the demon’s wings."

"Hold that Corrupted Dragon in place."

"The grand formation will continue draining Phield’s Soul Power automatically."

"As long as we endure..."

"...Phield will die."

Tisiana trembled with rage.

She glared at the Empress and shouted,

"Stop lying!"

"I know better than anyone whether my Lord is a demon."

"As the Divine Chosen of Holy Light..."

"I will protect Phield unconditionally!"

The memory of the day Phield had saved her flashed through her mind.

Without hesitation, she spread her four wings and charged into battle.

"She’s definitely a fake created by Calamity."

"She can’t possibly represent Holy Light."

"Kill her!"

Farlo commanded both the Twilight Knights and the sailors to launch a full assault.

Meanwhile, he personally intercepted Rosalia.

With a powerful beat of her wings, Tisiana unleashed a storm of feather arrows.

They struck the heavy armor of the knights with endless metallic clangs.

Only the arrows that slipped through gaps in their armor managed to wound them.

The sailors and demons were far less fortunate.

They were cut down one after another, leaving a trail of corpses behind.

"Hmph."

"I almost let you fool me."

Phield had completely regained his composure.

He decisively discarded all his previous doubts.

"My entire life has been spent fighting on the front lines against Calamity and the rebels."

"And yet you call me the source of disaster."

"You rely on nothing but schemes and manipulation..."

"...yet somehow you’ve turned yourself into a saint."

"How ridiculous."

The Empress had never once proven that she had truly fought against the demons.

So why should he waste time proving his own innocence?

"You’re hopelessly stubborn."

The Empress continued controlling the grand formation as it relentlessly siphoned away Phield’s Soul Power.

"Taking your own life is still your best choice."

"Suicide?"

Phield burst into laughter.

He raised his middle finger in open contempt.

"Enough talking."

"Come and fight!"

"If you can’t even defeat me..."

"...what makes you think you’ll ever stop Calamity?"

"Pathetic."

"I suggest you crawl back into your coffin instead of barking in front of me."

Drawing the sword at his waist, Phield’s battle intent surged to its peak.

"Attack!"

"Kill him!"

The Empress’s chest rose and fell rapidly with anger.

The demons and the Twilight Knights charged through the rain of feather arrows and rushed straight toward Phield.

Rosalia’s expression changed.

With one swing of her greatsword, she knocked Farlo aside.

Her wrist twisted as the Corrupted Dragon behind her slowly raised both massive claws.

"Stay away from my Lord."

"Be crushed."

The Corrupted Dragon descended with overwhelming imperial pressure.

Its gigantic claws slammed into the densest concentration of enemies.

Flesh exploded everywhere.

Endless screams echoed across the battlefield.

More than a dozen Magic Knights leaped high into the air.

Brilliant combat techniques rained down upon the Corrupted Dragon, blasting away chunks of flesh.

Countless demons swarmed over it until its entire body was almost buried beneath them.

Yet the Corrupted Dragon fought as though nothing had happened.

Its claws and tail became the scythes of death itself, harvesting lives without restraint.

Anyone struck directly by its claws was crushed into pulp.

Anyone brushed by its tail was sliced cleanly in half.

The battlefield became a living meat grinder.

"Hold your ground, Knights!"

Farlo roared.

"No matter the cost..."

"Stop their advance!"

"Time is on our side!"

"Tier Three Divine Skill..."

"Judgment Sword!"

His greatsword transformed into a gigantic blade of light nearly ten meters long before crashing toward Rosalia.

Although the Executioner had already dissolved her Divine Artifact, she still gritted her teeth and charged back into battle.

"Anyone who dares take one more step..."

"...will..."

"...die!"

Rosalia’s eyes gradually became filled with madness.

"Tier Three Divine Skill..."

"Star Erosion!"

Her greatsword let out a resonant hum.

Wrapped in an overwhelming sea of blood-red energy, it shot directly toward the Executioner.

A deafening metallic explosion rang out.

Star Erosion struck the Executioner head-on.

At the same moment, Judgment Sword slammed into Rosalia.

A drizzle of blood began falling from the sky.

The Executioner’s body was instantly shredded into countless fragments by the chaotic sword energy.

"No!"

Farlo was blasted backward.

His eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

Overwhelming grief and regret almost suffocated him.

His closest companion...

Had been torn to pieces by Calamity.

"Don’t worry."

Rosalia burst into laughter.

"You’re next."

She had taken Judgment Sword head-on as though it were nothing.

Thanks to Crimson Ascendancy, her combat power had actually increased even further.

Raising her greatsword once more, she mercilessly aimed at Farlo.

"Tier Three Divine Skill..."

"Lotus Endless Severance!"

"We can’t block it!"

"Dodge!"

Although Farlo refused to admit defeat, Rosalia’s Divine Skills were simply too overwhelming.

He couldn’t help muttering,

"Why..."

"...does she keep getting stronger the longer she fights?"

The crimson sword energy swept across the battlefield like a scarlet sky.

Farlo dodged immediately.

The lingering soul of the Empress grabbed Riemann and teleported away at the same instant.

"Help..."

"Waaah..."

Shelley wasn’t nearly so fortunate.

She had already been gravely wounded earlier.

Her weakened body couldn’t react in time.

Lotus Endless Severance struck her directly.

She was instantly torn into countless pieces.

A Divine Artifact slowly began forming where she had fallen.

"Sister!"

Marianne nearly collapsed.

She cried out in despair,

"Why did we ever come here..."

"We only wanted to make some money."

"How did it turn into... this..."

"This isn’t a treasure hunt anymore."

"It’s a slaughterhouse."

"We have to collect every Divine Artifact we can."

"The more we obtain..."

"...the greater our chances of survival."

Tisiana smashed through a line of Half Blood Demons before risking being surrounded as she dove toward the battlefield.

She grabbed the newly formed Divine Artifact beside Shelley’s remains.

"What a perfect opportunity."

Farlo caught sight of her.

He swung his greatsword in a full arc before hurling it with all his strength.

The weapon flew so fast that its shrill whistling hurt everyone’s ears.

Tisiana’s eyes widened.

Realizing she couldn’t dodge, she folded her wings tightly around herself, forming a giant white cocoon.

Boom!

Tisiana coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying.

Her holy wings shattered, leaving her in a miserable state.

The surrounding demons immediately swarmed toward her.

If they trapped her...

Death would be inevitable.

Sensing the mortal danger, Tisiana forcibly steadied herself.

"Dissolve..."

"Wings of Sacred Embrace!"

Her shattered wings exploded into pure life force and Divine Power, which poured back into her body.

Reinvigorated by the immense surge of strength, Tisiana effortlessly slaughtered every demon surrounding her.

Seeing this, Farlo lunged straight toward her with a savage grin.

"Die!"

"Rosalia."

Phield endured the splitting pain in his head and calmly gave the order.

"Have the Corrupted Dragon cover Tisiana."

Bang!

The Corrupted Dragon’s tail whipped through the air and struck Farlo directly, sending him flying and successfully covering Tisiana’s retreat.