Light up the Brilliant Night

The destructive power of the true dragon species was nearly cataclysmic!

Each burst of Dragon Breath could easily tear away a massive chunk of flesh from that tentacle!

This was a gargantuan object with a diameter of a hundred meters!

A single hole blasted into it was at least dozens of meters wide!

Every heavy strike made the appendages tremble violently.

"Where are my knights?"

My gaze swept past the massive tentacles; now that the Dragon King had appeared with the true dragon species, the battlefield could at least be stabilized for a short time.

I didn't need to worry about this side for now.

I quickly turned back to search for my knights.

Looking down at the ground below, although it was far, I could still see rows of knights constantly regrouping and realigning.

"Your Majesty, Dragon King, I must trouble you to send me down. Thank you."

Asfield paused slightly, his golden pupils turning toward me.

This massive eye exerted an unparalleled sense of pressure.

Lifting my head, I could only barely see the edge of his upper eyelid.

If someone had megalophobia, they would likely be trembling all over just from a single glance.

"Impressive. To recover your state so quickly after just waking up, and even worrying about your subjects... I find myself liking you more and more."

"Hehe... Please don't joke, Your Majesty."

To my surprise, Asfield did not follow my lead this time; instead, he shook his head.

"I am not joking. Only a ruler who truly cares for their people can lead a race to prosperity. In the history of the dragon race—in the history of any race—only such a ruler can stand at the peak."

His gaze shifted back to the battlefield.

"Does Princess Luo Li know what that thing is? Why is there such a massive biological entity, one whose strength even exceeds that of an ordinary dragon?"

The dragons he spoke of weren't the true dragons and false dragons categorized by us humans.

That was merely a human classification.

As long as they were clans recognized by the dragon race, they were all considered true dragon species in their eyes, merely differing in the nobility of their rank.

But his words clearly referred to the true dragon species.

Dozens of true dragons!

Those were true dragon-level entities. The strength of the dragon race on this continent was so powerful it was despair-inducing.

As mentioned before, once reaching level seventy, the strength of almost all races would be brought to a similar level.

However, the dragon race was the sole exception to this rule.

As long as it was a true dragon species, they could contend with a true level seventy powerhouse while they were only between level fifty and sixty.

They wouldn't even be at a disadvantage.

The reason lay in the fact that the dragon race naturally possessed an innate immunity to magic elements.

Even a level seventy powerhouse would find it difficult to break through a dragon's magic immunity without a long incantation.

Though if the battle dragged on, the level seventy expert would ultimately win.

But this was enough to demonstrate the sheer power of the dragons.

A powerhouse between level fifty and sixty could stand on equal footing with a level seventy expert who had stepped into the realm of gods.

So what about a level sixty dragon?

Or a level seventy one?

A level sixty dragon was enough to be evenly matched with a level seventy powerhouse and might even have a chance to win.

As for level seventy... even if they faced three level seventy experts of other races simultaneously, the dragon race still had a chance to emerge victorious.

This was the greatest difference between the dragon race and all other races.

I had to admit, I was envious to death.

The dragon race was practically the race most favored by God.

Unfortunately, the growth of a dragon's strength was far too slow; they couldn't advance through training or study.

Those born to be level seventy would reach that level eventually even if they spent all day eating and playing.

And those who couldn't reach level seventy would never achieve it, no matter how hard they tried.

Bloodline... became the barrier to a dragon's growth, a chasm that could never be crossed.

The ordinary dragons he mentioned now definitely referred to the true dragon species.

Even among true dragon species, there were different grades.

Golden dragons like the Dragon King were of the most noble bloodlines, destined to be level seventy entities from birth.

The holy white dragon was the same.

Both were the elite of the true dragon species.

I also took a look at the dragons currently attacking the tentacles.

Among them were blue frost dragons and red lava dragons, but the one that caught my eye most was a black dragon.

This fellow's strength was definitely at level seventy; with just its physical body, a single whip of its tail could smash a massive crater into the ground.

It didn't even care about the Dragon Breath of the other dragons, letting them attack as they pleased while it clung to the tentacle, relentlessly battering it.

Every strike pulverized a massive amount of flesh, causing the giant tentacle to shudder violently.

Yet the dragon itself seemed to treat whatever damage it took as if it were a mere itch.

"I'm not entirely sure what it is, but this thing was summoned by the Demon Emperor, Asacreus. I suspect..."

I paused for a moment, voicing the suspicion in my heart.

"I suspect this is a new trump card of the demons, one that requires the life force and souls of living beings as a sacrifice to be awakened."

"I see."

Asfield nodded slightly.

"Princess Luo Li, my dragon race is exerting its full power this time. The demons on the front lines have already begun a large-scale retreat. Your Pope asked me to inform you that you need not worry about the Kingdom of the Sun."

"What about the elves? You went to invite the Elven Queen, didn't you?"

Counterattacking the demon island could never be accomplished by a single power.

Even if the demons had been suppressed outside the continent by the Kingdom of the Moon.

The demons' own strength was not to be underestimated.

Because of this, the other races weren't just helping me; they were coming to assist under my call, but in truth, they were helping themselves.

"The Elven Queen has already led the elven army to Moonrise City on the eastern coast of your Kingdom of the Moon. The army is already in ambush, and my dragon reinforcements are there as well. Your goal will certainly be achieved."

I nodded.

This was what I cared about most. Once the Kingdom of the Sun was conquered, the demons would immediately sweep across the continent.

When that happened, even the normal life I wanted would be impossible to have.

"Thank you for informing me, Your Majesty. Then... Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now."

As we spoke, we had already landed on the ground. The human army was not far away.

Although they had lost over ten thousand men, and the regrouped knights were nearly exhausted.

There should still be at least seventy thousand of them.

Such a number was enough to handle the ensuing war.

In any case... a war could never be won or lost in a single battle.

I never expected to settle it in one go.

Nor did I ever expect to completely wipe out the demons.

A thousand years ago, the Pope led the armies of every race on the continent, sweeping aside all opposition to drive the demons completely back to the demon island.

But even that Pope did not continue the extermination; instead, he solidified the defensive lines.

The Pope of that era must have been the peak powerhouse of the continent.

He must have sensed something that caused him to stop the victory at the Great Wall.

"Then, Your Majesty, I'm afraid I must ask you to act as the main force. My knights and I will act as rangers, harassing and attacking the demons."

"I... accept."

I turned and leaped down from the dragon's claw. Even with the claw resting on the ground, it was still three or four meters high.

It would be very easy to sprain an ankle if I wasn't careful.

Fortunately, my floating skill allowed me to hover in mid-air, providing a moment of cushioning even as I landed.

It was much more convenient than for an ordinary person.

I should consider when to upgrade the floating skill.

There were branches in the floating skill that could achieve true anti-gravity flight.

With that skill, I could observe the battlefield from above without being restricted by the perspective of a flying mount.

But before that, I needed to have a certain amount of self-defense capability.

I couldn't just fly up and become a target for everyone, could I?

However, that skill could only be selected at level twenty.

I'm only... wait?

I'm already level fifteen?

I instinctively checked my attribute interface.

I discovered that I had actually reached level fifteen!

And my experience was full; I was on the verge of hitting level sixteen.

It seemed going on an expedition wasn't without its benefits.

At least by leeching experience like this, I could eventually become an expert.

My feet touched the ground. Although it looked like I had landed, I was actually stepping on air.

This air was condensed from magic elements. Stepping on it felt soft and springy.

It was as if my feet were resting on a transparent bubble; although the bubble was instantly flattened, my feet were actually separated from the ground by an isolation layer.

This allowed the Saintess of the Moon to almost never truly have to step on the dirt.

"Your Highness!! Your Highness, are you injured?"

Before I even landed, the knights had already rushed over. When I stepped off the dragon claw, the first to approach was Dominica.

Seeing her eyes filled with worry, I returned a smile to put her at ease.

"I'm fine."

I looked up and scanned the others. Only Andre and Boris from the central command had rushed over.

These two also looked exceptionally exhausted, the light in their eyes having mostly faded.

Lina and Lancelot had also arrived.

"Lancelot, return to the dragon legion immediately and manage them together with Mr. Momo."

"Understood!"

"Lina, how is your body? How long do you need to recover?"

"About seven or eight hours."

"Good. During this time, you don't need to do anything. Just stay by my side."

I turned and began walking toward the central command.

"Dominica, report the specific casualty situation."

"Your Highness... Preliminary estimates place the number of dead at approximately eleven thousand two hundred. The wings suffered the most damage; the right wing lost about three thousand seven hundred men, and the left wing lost about two thousand five hundred."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Even my breathing began to tremble involuntarily.

Every single one of those numbers was one of my knights.

Behind every number was the sacrifice of a family.

And yet... this was also something I had intentionally caused.

At this moment, my heart was filled with guilt and helplessness.

I had no other way.

Even with Lina and me there, these knights were not strictly my direct subordinates.

They would fight hard, but they weren't die-hard loyalists.

To make the other knights truly serve me, I could only let the knights from my own Kingdom of the Moon...

Lead the charge!

Even if the casualties were immense—even if I had prepared for the Guardian Knights to be sacrificed.

I had to let them see with their own eyes that 'the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon led the charge, and the Saintess of the Moon did not protect her own subordinates'.

Only in this way would they truly be willing to risk their lives.

The Kingdom of the Moon had only sent twenty thousand cavalry in total, and over six thousand were lost in a single stroke.

It felt as if a piece of my heart had been torn away.

I took a sharp breath to calm the heartache.

"What about the other armies?"

"Casualties in the other armies are not high. The rear guard suffered the least. There are about seventeen thousand wounded."

"I see. Do not make any mistakes with the list of the fallen. Do not forget a single one of them."

"Yes!"

Dominica responded. Looking up again, I saw Ligeia flying in from a distance, a look of deep fatigue on her face.

Seeing me, her eyes lit up, and with a trace of a smile on her lips, she flew in front of me.

"Your Highness, I did not fail the mission... I've finally finished teleporting the dragons over."

"You've worked hard."

"Yes... Let's go, there's still one more thing to do. Dominica, gather the wounded immediately. Ligeia, do you still have enough mana?"

Ligeia guessed my intention and nodded after a moment of thought.

"I have enough."

"Good. Then let's go."

The battle in the distance was still ongoing. Although the knights were currently in a resting phase, every one of them couldn't help but watch the battle afar with rapt attention.

The recovery speed of that massive tentacle was terrifying. Although it was frequently pierced by the dragons' attacks...

In just a few breaths, countless smaller tentacles would sprout from the wound, regrouping to fill the gap.

It would return to its original state in the blink of an eye.

Even the dragons were likely encountering such a troublesome entity for the first time; some of them had even begun to use magic.

Most dragons rarely used magic because there weren't many things on the continent that could withstand their Dragon Breath.

Now it seemed they truly found it difficult to handle.

I suppose... they were probably running out of saliva.

In the sky, the dragons and the tentacles clashed; every attack and counter caused the earth to tremble.

It felt like standing on a land plagued by constant earthquakes.

On the ground, less than a thousand meters from the main battlefield, the Beast Sovereign was also keeping the Demon Emperor in check.

Even the Dragon King had now joined the siege against the tentacle.

The tide of the battle was essentially one-sided now.

Most importantly, the main demon army was not here.

There was another reason, something I had been paying attention to.

This tentacle protruding from the earth was several thousand meters high.

Yet from beginning to end, I hadn't seen where its base was.

The most I could see was where it connected to the ground.

And the Demon Emperor's behavior was even more puzzling.

By all logic, at a time like this, with his entire line being suppressed, he should retreat.

That would be the optimal choice, yet he didn't leave. Not only did he stay, but he was also fighting the Beast Sovereign.

Was he not afraid of death?

Or did he have another trump card?

I waited for a while until all the wounded of the army were gathered before me, and only then did I feel my own powerlessness.

Seventeen thousand people were divided into two groups.

Fewer than two thousand had light injuries.

The remaining fifteen thousand were almost all heavily wounded; the lucky ones only had broken ribs.

The more severe cases had lost arms or legs.

The most tragic one only had one leg and one arm left.

The severity of the injuries was categorized. The most desperate group, numbering about five thousand, was brought before me.

"Knights, I thank you for your sacrifice. Please accept my respect."

I lowered my head and bowed deeply. All the knights instinctively tried to return the gesture.

"Knights, you do not need to rise."

I reached out and grasped the Moon Banner!

"O holy light... I piously beseech you, take away their suffering and pain!"

Clang—!

"Light up the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner!!"