Dragon King Descends

This time, I had practically emptied out every drop of Holy Water that Brilliant City had stored over the years.

Because Holy Water itself could be used as an auxiliary medicinal ingredient and a material for magic, the Temple would freeze and store a certain amount of concentrated Holy Water every year to prepare for special circumstances, even though they were not short on funds.

This was essentially the entire reserve of Brilliant City.

The purpose of doing this was for one reason and one reason only: to lure the enemy.

This calculation had been on track from the very beginning.

The appearance of the demon elites to delay and exhaust us was a possibility that had already been accounted for, and there was a corresponding plan to deal with it.

Of course, if the enemy had launched a full-scale assault with their entire army, I would have had other plans as well.

Up until now, the turning points of this strategy included the following three stages:

Wait at leisure—Waiting at the gates of the main camp to give the knights time to rest while preparing to face the potential enemy forces.

Full-force crush—Allowing the two thousand knights to unleash their full power and completely crush a portion of the enemy army.

Luring the enemy deep—Allowing the army to appear weakened to give the enemy the illusion that "I can win," then leading the main demon force away to prevent civilian casualties on the battlefield behind us.

Next was the most important part, which also seemed very simple.

I had Ligeia use a large-scale rain spell to spray the concentrated Holy Water across the land all at once, blocking the enemy's pursuit.

This was to make the enemy believe our army was weak and that we were forced to use this method to retreat, confirming that sense of "I can win."

At the same time, this action served another function.

However, that was not something to be discussed right now.

I looked up at the dark clouds that had already filled the sky. Not only was it impossible to see the sky, but even the visibility on the ground had begun to drop rapidly.

This was enough to prove the thickness of the cloud layer.

The sunlight was blocked, and the screams of the demons in the distance echoed continuously as the white horse beneath me galloped away.

Every drop of rain contained mana, as Ligeia had used her own power to condense the moisture in the air.

Therefore, even though Holy Water was hidden within, it would be masked by the fluctuations of mana.

This was also why Zuka was suffering so much.

He was completely unable to distinguish which drop was Holy Water, so he could only force himself to activate a protective barrier. However, a darkness-attribute barrier was at a massive disadvantage against Holy Water!

His mana was consumed at an incredibly fast rate. Every drop of Holy Water that fell was like a drop of water falling into a vat of hot oil, letting out a violent sizzling sound and eroding his dark magic before it was fully consumed.

Zuka's eyes were already bloodshot with rage as he watched the human Saintess escape.

At this moment, these humans were clearly exhausted; even the speed of their horses had dropped by more than thirty percent.

For the demons, this was undoubtedly a perfect opportunity.

"We cannot let her go! If we do not take her down now, she will likely grow to be even more terrifying in the future!"

Zuka did not know why this Saintess had suddenly changed so much that she could even fight on horseback, but it sent him a very dangerous signal.

This human Saintess was somewhat warlike.

"Demons, hear my command—!"

Zuka took a deep breath and roared. Instantly, the main demon force below, which had fallen into chaos, began to regain its composure.

This was not only because of his roar but also because the Holy Water falling from the sky had begun to thin out in an instant.

"Hah! I thought it was some kind of Holy Water deluge, but to think there was only this much."

Seeing that his army below was rarely being hit by Holy Water anymore, Zuka was certain that the amount of Holy Water the Saintess had brought was not enough to wipe out his entire army.

This Holy Water was not only insufficient to destroy the army, it could barely even deal effective damage; it could only use intense pain to delay the demons for a moment.

"Give me your strength—"

"Roar—!"

The main demon force, having calmed down, retained sufficient combat power despite their injuries, save for a few who had been hit in vital spots by the Holy Water.

Watching the human Saintess fleeing in the distance, a cruel smile played across Zuka's lips.

"Trying to escape? Does this foolish human Saintess really think she can escape from my hands? Hahaha!"

Massive amounts of dark energy converged frantically toward the center of the main demon force.

He controlled this power, aiming the massive dark mana toward the knights.

"Humans, die—! Demon Killing Cannon!"

However, the moment he aimed at the Saintess, another drop of water suddenly fell into his eye.

Sizzle!

"Argh—!"

The massive dark power erupted violently. If this move had struck the knights, at least several hundred of the weakened soldiers would have been killed or wounded.

Unfortunately, the Demon Killing Cannon, which should have hit its mark, veered off its original trajectory because of that single drop of Holy Water in Zuka's eye.

Boom—

With a massive explosion, the earth began to tremble. The roar was earth-shattering, and even the falling rain was scattered by the shockwave.

Looking at the giant crater left less than a few hundred meters from the cavalry, it was obvious that if the strike had landed, the knights' formation would have collapsed instantly.

And for the exhausted knights, it would not have been easy to start galloping again.

Ligeia... thanks!

I glanced up at the sky and didn't linger, because I knew that Ligeia had spared some energy from her busy task to help me.

But that was the extent of what she could do right now.

She... still had another task to complete.

"Inform the entire army: do not stop! Retreat at full speed!"

I gave the order to Hilda and Cain beside me, continuing to urge the exhausted white horse beneath me.

"The Princess orders—retreat at full speed!"

Hilda and Cain both raised their lances, shouting to those around them. The knights passed the message to one another, spreading the command into the distance.

At that moment, Cain suddenly turned to face me.

"Your Highness, what exactly is your plan? Is it still something you cannot tell us, even at a time like this?"

Hearing this, I couldn't help but frown. I looked back at Cain and shook my head slightly.

Cain's brow furrowed as he asked again.

"Then, Your Highness, let me ask it another way. Can we still make it back alive from this war?"

"Of course!"

I responded to Cain's question without the slightest hesitation. He fell silent for a moment and did not ask further.

"In that case, I believe in Your Highness. However, please forgive us; if there are matters you are hiding from us, there are certain unavoidable circumstances where we must fulfill our duty."

"???"

What did that mean?

Before I could ask, Cain spurred his horse and suddenly surged ahead.

"Hilda, what did Cain mean?"

"In response to Your Highness, he meant exactly what he said."

"What? Hilda... don't tell me you have the same plan as him? What are you two planning to do?"

Hearing Hilda say that, I looked back at her in surprise, but she only gave me a smile in return.

"We... naturally must fulfill our duty."

What on earth were she and Cain thinking?

While my mind was still filled with confusion, the main demon force behind us had already reorganized its formation, even though it had taken them more than five minutes.

Normally, the speed of cavalry should have allowed us to lose them long ago.

But the opposite was happening now, because most of the knights had almost completely exhausted their stamina, and their speed simply wouldn't pick up.

Even the white horses they rode were nearly spent.

Reaching a speed of thirty kilometers per hour was already their limit.

In a mere five minutes, the distance between the two groups had only increased to about two kilometers.

Looking back at the vast, dark mass of the main demon force that had gathered, I let out a long sigh.

The time that the Holy Water could buy had reached its limit.

Next, it would be a battle of wills.

Ligeia—hurry up, or your new master is going to become demon food or something!

Thud, thud, thud—

The sound of the demon army's march came from behind. Since almost all demons were larger than humans, the sound of their movement was far more ferocious than that of a human army!

"Do not look back! Keep moving!!"

Many knights were looking back. At a time like this, looking back would only increase the fear in their hearts and wouldn't help at all.

The knights continued forward, and I was enveloped in the center of the main force, protected by countless knights on all sides.

When these knights drew near me, or when my gaze swept over them, they would suddenly perk up and act as if they were fine, regardless of how exhausted they actually were.

But I knew very well that they had reached their physical and mental limits, and the same was true for me.

Julius... that Holy - Spiral Thrust of yours really consumes an incredible amount of energy!

With every stride of the horse, my entire body throbbed with muscle pain. Even my fingers had begun to feel numb and weak, making it difficult to hold the reins.

It felt like I was someone who had gone twenty rounds in a single night.

I probably wouldn't even be able to walk on the ground right now.

The stamina drained by that skill seemed to be calculated as a percentage. I'd be lucky if I had five percent of my stamina left.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I would likely collapse into a heap and let the demons crush me without mercy.

"Hilda, how long has it been since the first drop of rain fell?"

I looked back at Hilda. As a warrior, her sense of time was excellent, and she answered me almost instantly.

"Your Highness, it has been about five minutes and thirty seconds."

Five minutes and thirty seconds?

There was still more than half the time left compared to what we discussed.

We can't stop; we have to keep stalling!

Looking back, the distance between the main demon force and the knights was gradually closing. Both sides had entered a chase.

Because of the distance, the main demon force could not reach us even if they activated their battle formation skills.

As for the knights, they were spurring their horses to run at full speed, to the point where many of the white horses were foaming at the mouth and on the verge of collapse.

In the sky, the torrential rain had stopped at some point, but the gathered dark clouds still lingered overhead.

Within those massive dark clouds, there were faint fluctuations of mana.

But this was no longer enough to catch anyone's attention.

However... just above those thick clouds, Ligeia's brow was furrowed. She held her staff tightly in front of her as massive amounts of mana poured frantically from the staff into the white clouds below.

A silver-white light appeared above the clouds, and a giant magic circle began to manifest, covering an area of several kilometers.

However, all of this was hidden by the dark clouds, so neither the knights nor the demons galloping across the land noticed a thing.

As time passed, the mana in Ligeia's body was being poured into the massive magic circle at an exponential rate.

The infusion of mana caused the lines of the magic circle to gradually become clear, and all of this... was within that Highness's control.

"To think she would actually dare to take such a risk."

Ligeia looked down. Although the people below could not see Ligeia or see through the clouds, these clouds were created by her, so her vision could naturally penetrate them to see the chase below.

Looking down at the white figure surrounded by countless knights in silver armor, a smile appeared on Ligeia's lips.

"Your Highness, your goal... has been achieved."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ligeia suddenly swung her staff!

Immediately after, she focused all her mental energy and began to control the operation of the magic circle.

At the same time, the large area of dark clouds below began to dissipate. Without Ligeia's control, that mana escaped into the atmosphere.

In just one minute, more than half of the dark clouds in the sky had vanished.

As time passed, the knights and the demons on the ground felt the magical fluctuations coming from the sky.

"What is going on!? How can there be such a massive fluctuation of mana!!"

The first to react was the Demon Marshal Zuka, who had been flying in the sky and keeping a close eye on the knights.

When he sensed the fluctuating mana in the sky, he was completely stunned.

While this massive mana couldn't pose a threat to him, it was enough to cause large-scale damage to the main demon force below.

However, it still wasn't enough to deal a devastating blow to nearly forty thousand demon elites.

But the feeling this mana gave off was different.

It wasn't the fluctuation unique to elemental magic, but a kind of fluctuation that rarely appeared.

While he was dazed, the knights had also come to a halt.

They turned their formation and pulled their horses around. Looking back at the dark clouds in the sky that were gradually turning white, the tense nerve in my heart could finally relax!

The plan... was a perfect success!

"Zuka, I bet you didn't expect this. Everything you're doing right now... is within my control. How does it feel to be played like a fiddle?"

I rode to the front of the formation. At this moment, the Demon Marshal Zuka in the sky was frowning deeply, his eyes erupting with killing intent.

"Human Saintess... what exactly did you do!? What kind of magic is that in the sky!!"

"What kind of magic? Don't tell me the well-traveled Demon Marshal Zuka doesn't even recognize the fluctuations of space magic?"

"Space? Wait... space magic? Are you joking?"

Zuka suddenly laughed. Once he realized it was a fluctuation of space magic, he also began to relax.

"What kind of space magic needs to be operated in the sky? I see now, you're just bluffing!"

Zuka looked down at me, his ugly face filled with a savage grin.

"Still trying to use such petty tricks at a time like this? Human Saintess, it seems I'll have to torture you properly before you'll behave, won't I? Heh... Hahaha!"

Just as he finished speaking, a raspy voice came from the sky, answering him.

"Oh? And what... makes you think that I am what you call—a bluff?"

A massive black shadow loomed over Zuka. Startled, he looked up, only to see a golden dragon claw coming straight for him!

It tightly gripped the stunned and motionless Zuka in its grasp!

When countless people saw that incredibly magnificent golden figure in the sky, whether they were human or demon, they all showed expressions of shock.

However, sitting atop her white horse, the Saintess holding the Moon Banner wore a calm smile.

She looked up at the massive golden figure.

"I did not expect you to come in person. I am truly honored."

The massive golden dragon head slowly turned back to look at me.

"Your Majesty, the Dragon King!"