A pillar of golden light erupted toward the sky, and with a resounding cry, the radiance surged outward in every direction!
In an instant, countless knights were bathed in a brilliant golden glow.
Feeling the surge of power coursing through their skin, the speed of the entire cavalry unit instantly skyrocketed!
A charge was a skill that required a certain distance to build momentum and maintain a specific speed, and its attributes were among the top-tier of cavalry formation skills.
With a 100% damage bonus and a 20% speed bonus, the cavalry became an invincible spearhead.
And when this skill was unleashed with the bonuses of a level 70+ Great Hero rank and title...
Its power far exceeded that of a normal charge!
【Holy Charge—Damage increased by 300%, Speed increased by 100%, Defense increased by 100%, Strength increased by 50%, Stamina increased by 50%, Impact increased by 50%, Duration—15 minutes. (Skill Prerequisites: 500+ Temple knights, speed of at least 40 km/h, all knights must be equipped with lances or swords and must be mounted.)】
Boom!
The speed of the white horse beneath me surged, and a powerful force pressed me back into the saddle as the surrounding scenery blurred into a streak of colors!
In that heartbeat, our speed exceeded 100 kilometers per hour.
With the combined weight of horse and rider reaching a ton, further amplified by the attribute bonuses and sheer velocity, the knight regiment was now like a speeding juggernaut.
Nothing could stand in its way!
Boom!
The torrents of black and gold collided once again, letting out a roar that echoed through the valley!
The result was entirely different from the first collision!
The golden torrent acted like a razor-sharp blade, effortlessly slicing through the black veil.
The lances in the hands of the thousands of knights felt as light as feathers.
Every demon standing in their path was torn apart like wet paper, reduced to a spray of blood and gore.
As over two thousand knights thundered forward, the earth trembled, the lake rippled, and all other sounds seemed to fade into the distance.
Moving at a speed of nearly thirty meters per second, I didn't even need to exert any strength.
I only had to hold my sword level with the necks of the demons in front of me, and the light blade easily carved through their skin and flesh.
Even a sword designed specifically for thrusting became a lethal scythe of death under the influence of such speed!
But as the first enemy's body was sliced open, my wrist suddenly buckled, and my entire arm was jerked backward, pulling my body into a dangerous tilt.
Oh no!
I didn't have enough strength!
At this speed, even holding onto a plastic bag would be difficult, let alone a sword!
By the time I realized my strength was lacking, it was too late. My body leaned back, and it looked like I would be thrown from the horse in the next second!
Suddenly, a silver lance tip pressed against the side of my thin blade!
Using the sword's momentum, it finished slicing through the demon's neck.
To perform such a precise maneuver at this extreme speed... it could only be Julius!
"Your Highness, we meet again. I trust you are well?"
Sure enough, when I looked back, I saw Hilda's face, now wearing a warm and gentle smile.
Under the empowerment of a Sacred Knight, the white horse beneath Hilda—already an elite—had been upgraded significantly, allowing her to catch up to me with ease.
The smile on her face was completely different from the cold expression Hilda usually wore.
It was a smile filled with kindness and warmth.
"Barely... Long time no see, Julius."
"It has indeed been a long time. However, I did not expect Your Highness to be so bold as to take such a risk. I wonder what other contingencies you have? If you have none, I suggest you withdraw immediately."
Julius spoke with a smile as he used his three-meter-long conical lance to pierce through every demon around me with a single strike.
His movements were clean and efficient. Unlike the other knights who relied on brute force and momentum, every one of his strikes hit a vital point with surgical precision.
In a single flash, he extinguished their lives before they even had a chance to react.
The brain, the heart, the spine—every thrust rendered the enemy completely powerless!
I once again realized the terrifying power of a Sacred Knight as I watched him slaughter his way through the battlefield with effortless grace.
Then I looked at myself... I couldn't even kill a single demon. If he hadn't helped me, I would have probably fallen from my horse after the first kill.
For a cavalryman, falling off a horse on the battlefield was practically a death sentence.
By now, we had punched through the demon army's central command. The knights behind us, empowered by the Holy Charge, had easily shattered the demon ranks. This single charge had claimed the lives of at least five thousand demon elites.
A single Sacred Knight could actually rewrite the tide of an entire battle!
And this wasn't even him at full strength. If he were in his prime, he could probably lead a thousand knights to an easy victory against tens of thousands of demon elites, couldn't he?
"Of course I have one. Do you think I would take such a risk if I didn't?"
"That is good to hear. In that case, I can give it my all!"
A confident smile played on Julius's lips, and his entire aura shifted in an instant.
If the Julius who had just appeared was like a magnificent sword tucked inside its scabbard, then in this moment... he was that blade drawn and bared!
"Julius, this isn't the main demon force. I want to crush them quickly and then let our troops enter a weakened state."
As I relayed my objective to him, Julius's brow furrowed slightly.
"Your Highness, as far as I know, you only brought two thousand knights this time. If all two thousand fall into a weakened state, are you certain you can bring them back alive?"
"Julius, do not doubt my decisions!"
Hearing this, Julius seemed amused, and a faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"As you command, my Saintess."
Boom, boom, boom...
The cavalry continued their charge. Julius suddenly raised his lance high into the air.
Then, he pulled on the reins, and the massive triangular formation began to slowly pivot.
The golden torrent was like a flexible sword suddenly changing its edge, tracing a massive U-shaped pattern across the earth.
"Julius."
Seeing that he was ready to exert his full power, I suddenly called out to him. Then, I reached into my storage space and grabbed a golden hilt!
"Do you remember what this is?"
Julius was stunned for a moment before a look of nostalgia appeared on his face.
"To think you even brought this out... It seems you really did come prepared."
Without a word, Julius skillfully caught the golden cylindrical hilt and drew the massive golden lance hidden within the storage space.
The golden lance, weighing over three tons, looked like a toy in his hands as he wielded it effortlessly.
"Old partner, we meet again."
Julius's expression was full of longing, as if he were reminiscing about the days when he and this lance galloped across the battlefield together.
My storage space held the Sword of Fidelity and the Moon Banner, but it could also carry a few other items, albeit in limited quantities.
Furthermore, it was currently restricted to items categorized as weapons.
But that was enough. The golden lance could only reach its full potential in the hands of this Sacred Knight.
Previously, when I gave it to Hilda, she could barely use it with her strength, but it drained her stamina so quickly that she couldn't maintain it for long.
"Well? With this... can you crush this army quickly?"
Julius's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"As you wish."
In the next second, he hoisted the golden lance high.
"Knights!! I am the Sacred Knight, Julius Wallis! Responding to the command of the Saintess of the Moon, I apologize, but I shall be borrowing your strength!"
With those words, he suddenly lowered his posture and pointed the three-meter-long spiral lance forward, assuming a charging stance.
"In the name of the Sacred Knight, I declare the descent of divine punishment!"
Julius chanted his skill name; clearly, he was about to use his ultimate move!
"Holy—Spiral Thrust!"
Boom!
A flash of golden light erupted from him, instantly enveloping all the knights.
In that moment, the two thousand knights seemed to merge into a single entity.
If someone were to look down from high above, they would see a massive spiral golden lance suddenly manifest at the front of the golden torrent on the ground.
As the tip of the lance appeared, all the knights behind it were gathered into the form of the golden weapon.
A massive spiral lance formation, composed of two thousand Temple knights, appeared before the demons.
The white horse beneath me could no longer be controlled; I could only go with the flow as we charged toward the demon army.
At this moment, I didn't even need to raise my weapon, but I could clearly feel my stamina plummeting.
The roar of the Sacred Knight, Julius, echoed in my ears.
"Hahaha! It has been a long time since I felt this invigorated! Kill!!"
Boom!
The sound of the impact shook the very heavens.
The massive black torrent on the ground was as fragile as a maiden's delicate veil before the spiral golden lance, pierced through effortlessly.
There wasn't even a hint of resistance.
Immediately following that, the massive spiral lance tore through the demon army and quickly pivoted, launching another strike before the demons could even reform their lines!
I watched as the black torrent was split into two, then four, constantly being torn and pulverized.
Everything in the path of the spiral golden lance was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper.
Every brutal pass brought with it screams of agony.
However, those screams were quickly swallowed by the thunderous roar of the charge.
After five full passes, just as I felt my strength was about to be completely depleted...
The massive spiral golden lance finally ground to a halt.
All that remained behind us were the ruins of a battlefield.
Of the twenty thousand demon elites, fewer than a few hundred were still standing.
They looked around in a daze, completely unable to comprehend what had happened in those short three minutes.
They had only seen a flash of golden spiral light, and in the next heartbeat, their companions were struck by something and instantly turned into a mist of blood.
Gore scattered everywhere.
Countless severed limbs littered the ground, and many heads still had eyes wide open, their light having faded into a daze.
A war, no matter how fast, usually lasted about an hour.
But this time... they were lost.
Because they didn't even know how their comrades had died.
The only reason they were alive was that they were lucky enough to be missed by that golden light.
"Your Highness, how was that? Did I live up to your expectations?"
I felt as if I had just run twenty kilometers in one go; my muscles were so sore I wanted to cry.
Hearing Julius's relaxed tone, if I wasn't having so much trouble even lifting my hand, I would have definitely given him a sharp rap on the head!
Dammit, could you at least tell me before you use a skill like that?!
"Yeah... You certainly didn't disappoint."
I rolled my eyes at the somewhat dense Julius and looked up at the few hundred demons standing among the carnage.
Indeed, this was the result I wanted.
Wiping out these twenty thousand elites while exhausting my own army's stamina was exactly what I had planned.
"As expected of a Sacred Knight, to be able to turn the tide of battle single-handedly in such a situation."
"You flatter me, Your Highness. However, Your Highness, the rest is up to you. My time is up. Hmm... to be able to return to the battlefield with my partner once more was truly incredible."
With that, he reached out and handed the golden spiral lance back to me.
"Your Highness, please take good care of it. If possible, find a suitable master for it. I can feel that it has been very bored all these years."
I shot Julius another look. This guy didn't care about my physical condition at all, but he was worried about a lance.
He really was a dense blockhead.
But whatever. Regardless, he had perfectly completed the task I gave him.
I opened my storage space, but I didn't reach out to take it. Julius blinked, then suddenly laughed in realization.
"Ah, I forgot. This lance is far too heavy for you."
Dammit!
Are you mocking me?!
Soon, the golden lance was retracted into the storage space, and Julius turned his head to look toward the Four-Ring Mountains valley.
"Your Highness, the main demon army is here."
As he spoke, he suddenly gave me a mischievous smile.
"And it is an old friend."
"Huh?"
An old friend?
Just as I was stunned and trying to search my memory for which demon was Julius's old rival...
A black torrent erupted from the valley ahead.
I watched as the main demon army, numbering no less than thirty thousand, finally appeared. And on the face of the man leading them, I saw that familiar, hideous visage.
A classic underbite, a protruding chin, a receding upper lip, and two tusks pointing upward—a single glance was enough to make anyone never want to look at him again.
With such a distinctive appearance, there was no doubt.
This was the one Julius was talking about.
"Hahaha! Saintess, and Julius... we meet again!"
Following the voice, the Demon Marshal known as the 'Butcher,' Zuka, appeared before me.
He came to a halt less than a hundred meters away.
The demon army continued to pour out from the Four-Ring Mountains valley, their numbers quickly swelling past thirty thousand.
Zuka wore a confident smile as he hovered in mid-air, his bat-like wings flapping gently, a cruel grin on his face.
"Human Saintess, let's see what tricks you have left this time!!"
Rate on N.U.
