The Beast Sovereign

I fought desperately to suck in any bit of oxygen I could.

My hands clawed at his wrist.

I tried to pry his fingers open.

But no matter how much strength I mustered, I couldn't move even a single finger of his!

Agony burned within my chest.

"Release Her Highness!!"

In that exact moment, several voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Dominica drew the longsword at her waist and lunged toward him in a single stride.

At the same time, the two Guardian Knights in the distance, Boris and Andre, leapt into the air with their knight swords raised high.

It looked like the Demon Emperor would be cut down in the next second, but my vision blurred as a violent tugging sensation pulled at my neck.

When I could see clearly again, fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on my forehead.

Before my eyes... were three sharp blades, the closest of which was less than a few centimeters from my cheek.

If those three had been even a fraction of a second slower in pulling back their swords, I would have been the one split apart!

"Despicable!!"

"Shameless!!"

"Let her go!"

The three of them halted their advance almost simultaneously, roaring in fury at the Demon Emperor.

However, the Demon Emperor didn't pay them any mind. With a flash of his figure, the three were sent flying backward.

The Demon Emperor calmly retracted his foot, leaving three distinct footprints on the blades of their swords.

"My lovely Saintess, how does it feel to almost be sliced by the knights loyal to you?"

A cold sneer hung on the Demon Emperor's lips, and the rage in his eyes was clearly visible.

It was obvious that this military move had struck him where it hurt.

It was just... that his power was too overwhelming!

"Ugh..."

"Hmm? Do you have something to say?"

The Demon Emperor leaned in with a mocking expression, the smile on his lips almost irrepressible.

As the Saint's Carriage lay overturned, the atmosphere of the battlefield shifted as well.

For a Saintess to fall from her Saint's Carriage was a heavy blow to the army's morale.

Now, the knights on the battlefield were leaderless. Many had noticed the situation here and, despite the struggle, began to charge toward our position.

I slowly raised my left hand, pointing toward the sky, even though the burning pain in my lungs made it nearly impossible to breathe.

But on my face, I managed to pull together a look of utter contempt.

"Hmm?"

The Demon Emperor's brow furrowed, and he instinctively looked up toward the sky, seemingly catching a glimpse of something.

At the same time, my right hand rose quietly and patted his shoulder.

He instinctively looked back, and in that instant, my slender fingers... gouged inward without a moment of hesitation!

"Argh!! My eye! My eye—!"

He could see my strength level, so he hadn't been on guard against me at all. He had even dared to bring his face right up to mine.

Since that was the case... then I would show him!

Even an ant dares to defy the heavens!!

My fingers continued to dig deeper. In this world, there was no such thing as an absolute defense, nor was there complete suppression.

No matter who it was, with one specific exception, not even a demon could make their body impervious to everything.

Even a level seventy, when completely off guard, could be killed by a level zero ordinary person.

Of course, getting an ordinary person to assassinate a level seventy powerhouse was far too difficult.

Not to mention giant creatures like the demonized giant race.

An ordinary person wouldn't even be able to reach a giant's neck even with an extended sword hilt.

But those were just exceptions.

The Demon Emperor had been off guard against me, and that gave me my chance.

I could clearly feel my fingers sinking into a soft place as black blood began to repel the holy energy in my hand.

A searing pain, comparable to being burned, spread through my fingertips.

Meanwhile, a plume of green smoke erupted from his left eye socket, accompanied by the 'sizzle' of burning flesh.

"Demon Emperor!! Cease your harm against Her Highness!!"

At that moment, a roar suddenly thundered from the sky.

A figure descended from above, and a massive metal cross slammed into the ground first, wedging itself perfectly between the Demon Emperor and me.

Boom—!

Dust filled the air. Sensing something was wrong, the Demon Emperor suddenly punched the cross.

The massive iron cross slammed directly into me.

But the Demon Emperor... also released the demonic claw clutching my throat. My fingers... in that instant, tore away from his eye socket, bringing a soft, spherical object with them.

In this moment, there was no pain in my body, only the smoothness of breathing again. My body flew backward as everything before my eyes rushed past in a blur.

"Your Highness—!"

Someone suddenly caught me, slowly neutralizing the massive impact.

"Cough... hiss!"

The moment I stopped, I couldn't help but cough, followed by a violent, desperate gulp of air.

That sensation of my lungs burning was simply too agonizing.

"Cough, cough~"

I inhaled a bit too sharply, making my throat itch. I coughed twice and instinctively went to cover my throat, only to see the small orb held in my right hand.

Black blood slid down through the gaps of my fingers, and a round eyeball lay flat in my palm.

"Is Your Highness unharmed?"

A raspy male voice reached my ears. Hearing his voice, while I couldn't say I was entirely at ease, I at least felt a sense of certainty.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lancelot."

"There is no need for such words, Your Highness. This is my duty!"

The one who had suddenly appeared from the sky and saved me with a massive cross was undoubtedly Lancelot.

I had sent him to Dragon City earlier to find a dragon that shared a mutual understanding with him, and he... had not disappointed me.

He supported the cross with one hand. The massive cross stood tall on the ground, leaving a deep trench in front of it.

Standing at the other end of that trench was the Demon Emperor, clutching his eye and glaring with fury.

I tossed the eyeball in my palm onto the ground. Lancelot, catching my drift, kept his eyes on the Demon Emperor and raised his foot to crush the eyeball!

With a 'squelch,' the sound was clearly audible even amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

"Good... very good... As expected of the Saintess who could ruin my two-hundred-year plan. As expected of a woman who can find a path to survival in the face of adversity. I actually had an eye gouged out by you? Heh... Hahaha~"

The Demon Emperor's gaze locked onto me, the rage in his eyes looking as if it wanted to incinerate me where I stood.

"The Demon Emperor flattery is misplaced. I merely did... what I had to do."

I managed to steady my breathing. Although there was still some discomfort in my neck, I didn't have the luxury to worry about such small problems.

"A fine 'had to do.' Excellent... I am starting to like you more and more."

A wicked smile curled on his lips.

But just as his smile appeared, a gruff voice suddenly barked at him.

"Then you'll have to wait a while longer. This woman... is the one I set my sights on first!!"

The voice was somewhat unfamiliar, yet I felt as if I had heard it before.

I looked toward the source. In the sky... a black dot expanded rapidly, revealing its form in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, my heart skipped a beat.

'Are you kidding me!? You're doing this on purpose!!'

This guy was coming straight for me. Was he planning to crush me to death!?

Boom—!

With a massive explosion, a huge humanoid creature about two and a half meters tall slammed into the ground before my eyes.

The gale he kicked up swept through the mane around his jaw. He was clad in golden armor from head to toe, with a red cape fluttering in the wind.

Then... he slowly turned his head, and a massive lion face entered my vision.

"Yo~ Let's get married, shall we?"

'Ignore him. Just ignore him.'

No, I couldn't waste words on this big cat.

Seeing the Beast Sovereign, Lancelot suddenly showed a trace of an odd expression. I patted his shoulder.

The war from twenty years ago was, after all, twenty years in the past.

This was no longer a time of war.

I understood his awkwardness. After all, he had been a soldier during the war against the Beastmen Empire back then.

"Beast Sovereign? To think... even you have come. It seems Her Highness Luo Li came prepared this time?"

The Demon Emperor slowly released the hand covering his face. Half of his face was covered in black blood.

However, he still opened his eyes, and a new eye had already reappeared in that socket.

Clearly, my desperate strike meant nothing to him.

At his level, as long as it wasn't a fatal blow, he could basically recover quickly through his powerful physical body.

"Hmm? I am speaking with Her Highness Luo Li. Since when do you have a right to speak!!!"

Riccardo suddenly whipped his head around and roared at the Demon Emperor.

Except... after the roar, Riccardo suddenly asked a question.

"Who are you?"

Lina, who had scrambled up from the ground and was ready for a second round of combat, blinked in confusion.

Boris and Andre looked at each other, seemingly already familiar with this Beast Sovereign's foolish nature, a hint of helplessness flashing in their eyes.

Dominica adjusted her collar and raised her sword once more toward the Demon Emperor.

Lancelot whispered in my ear:

"Is there... something wrong with the Beast Sovereign's head?"

As he spoke, he pointed a finger at his own head.

I raised a hand to my forehead.

Even though I had known since our first meeting that this Beast Sovereign, Riccardo, was a goofball...

I never imagined he could ask such a question on a battlefield against the demons.

The scene was momentarily awkward. The sounds of shouting and hooves continued in the distance, and the slaughter on the battlefield never ceased.

Yet, the atmosphere here felt incredibly bizarre.

Clearly, this stupid cat was quite good at provoking people.

At the very least, the Demon Emperor before us had been thoroughly provoked.

"Heh~ Hahahaha~ Indeed. As the Beast Sovereign, you do have the right to ask me."

The Demon Emperor gave a cold laugh and slowly spoke:

"Riccardo, remember my name. Asa..."

The massive lion head turned back, his gaze fixed on me as he looked me up and down.

"Hmm. You're a bit small, but not bad. Let's get married?"

"...creus."

I looked at the awkward atmosphere and was completely speechless at this big cat.

'Listen to what the other person is saying!!'

That's the Demon Emperor over there!

Even if you're the Beast Sovereign, you can't just ignore him like that.

Besides, didn't I already reject you a long time ago??

Do you even have a brain??

I suppressed the urge to complain and took a deep breath. Although I had long known this big cat was unreliable, I didn't expect him to be this unreliable.

"Your Majesty Riccardo, I think you should listen to what the man opposite you has to say. He is... our primary target in this war."

Riccardo's brow furrowed slightly as he turned back toward Asacreus.

By now, the Demon Emperor's face was livid, though his smile grew even wider, carrying a hint of near-manic laughter.

"Heh~ Good, very good! A mere big cat dares to look down on me like this!"

He looked up, suddenly closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"It's almost time..."

What was almost time?

Hearing him say that, I couldn't help but be stunned. But before I could ask anything else, a sudden gale swirled before me.

Dust and sand pelted my face, and I instinctively closed my eyes. When I opened them again, what rang out was a dull thud!

Boom—!

The big cat's figure had vanished from in front of me. In the distance, the big cat Riccardo stood on the ground, still holding a punching posture.

And right in front of Riccardo, a trench... extended hundreds of meters away.

A look of disdain appeared on Riccardo's massive lion face.

"Fast? That's not something a male should be bragging about!"

'Holy shit... Big brother! Dude!'

'This is a battlefield! You're cracking a dirty joke at a time like this?'

'Did I... choose the wrong ally?'

I glanced at the trench left behind after the Demon Emperor was sent flying. Following the trench all the way into the distance, I could see the Demon Emperor's figure.

He hadn't fallen; he was in a blocking position with his arm raised.

However, the arm he had raised was completely twisted.

Right, I almost forgot. This Beast Sovereign... was also a level seventy powerhouse.

Although this guy was a bit single-minded and had more brawn than brains...

There was no doubt that he was indeed a level seventy existence.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rule that massive Beastmen Empire for so many years.

"What? Did one hit make you lose your nerve? This isn't quite what I imagined?"

A powerful surge of elemental power suddenly erupted from Riccardo's body.

This was an elemental power that felt somewhat foreign to me.

It didn't seem to be an element I recognized; it felt more like a type of life force.

Asacreus's expression became extremely ugly. At this moment, it was clear he was truly enraged!

"A mere big cat dares to speak so insolently. Do you really think that just because of you... you can take down this demon island?!"

"What if I do!?"

Riccardo didn't yield an inch, even taking an aggressive stance. At this moment, the Demon Emperor seemed unable to hold back any longer.

His figure flashed violently, arriving in front of the big cat in an instant.

Riccardo also seemed to have been prepared, and the fists of the two slammed together!!

Boom!!

Accompanied by a massive shockwave that suddenly swept outward, everything before my eyes was instantly obscured by wind and sand!

Lancelot took a step forward, shielding me.

The massive cross blocked the wind and sand.

And where that gale erupted, the roar of their clash exploded like thunder!