Two days ago.
The demon race suddenly seemed to receive an order and began a frenzied assault.
Across the narrow strait of only a few kilometers, the demon race showed no fear of the ocean's threats, constantly using specialized magic to create things that looked like fleshy tentacles.
These structures continuously connected and extended.
Despite her side using every means available to stop them, the demon race eventually found an opportunity.
Among the dozen or so bridges formed by these fleshy tentacles, they found a gap and completed the connection between the two cliffs.
The war had begun!
Momoka had used all her strength to repel one attack after another.
And this time... it was already the eighth!
"Huff... huff..."
Her chest heaved rapidly, and beads of sweat poured down from her hair like water. Her eyes, which had been tightly shut, were now wide open.
At this moment, Momoka was surrounded by four Demon Marshals.
She held the Solar Katana, its blade wreathed in dark flames. Despite its cold appearance, the blade radiated an incredibly scorching aura.
The air around the blade was visibly distorted.
The four Demon Marshals stared at Momoka with solemn expressions.
Having reached this point, Momoka understood clearly that she had no chance left... and neither did the Kingdom of the Sun.
She had lost, defeated by this massive demon army.
However, as the Saintess of a nation, she could not simply abandon her people and flee.
Perhaps... dying in battle was the best choice.
Just as she thought this, one of the Demon Marshals nearby flashed a wicked smile.
"Princess Momoka, the defeat of your Kingdom of the Sun is already certain. Why persist? Why not defect to the demon race instead?"
"Hah! Never!"
A humanoid creature standing three meters tall, massive and heavily muscled with dark purple skin, looked at Momoka with a cruel grin.
"Tos, I like this woman. Don't kill her!"
"Avery, she is a human Saintess; she is bound to be the ultimate breeding bed. You think you're the only one who likes her?"
"The two of you should just drop it. Whoever catches her gets her!"
The four Demon Marshals almost completely ignored Momoka as they began to argue over how to share the delicate human girl.
In truth, they had the capital to do so.
Anyone could see that Momoka was at the end of her tether.
She was already surrounded by demons, and more were marching forward. It could be said that Momoka was currently in a desperate situation.
Unless a miracle occurred, she was certain to die today.
However... the outcome might be even more terrifying than death!
"You all... underestimate me too much!!"
Momoka fixed her gaze on one of the Demon Marshals, Avery!
She was already calculating how to swing her Solar Katana!
But at that exact moment, a Demon Marshal behind her flickered and appeared behind her instantly.
Even without looking back, her naturally keen senses allowed her to react instantly, swinging the Solar Katana behind her!
The blade... met no resistance.
He had dodged it!
Was it a decoy?
The thought flashed through Momoka's mind instantly.
If she were in peak condition, she would never have been fooled by a decoy-type skill.
With her sharp perception, any illusion or decoy skill was practically useless against her.
But right now... she was too exhausted.
Her physical and mental energy were insufficient to support her heightened senses. Because of this, her fully charged strike... had swung into empty air!
She instinctively tried to pull the blade back, but how could such a powerful, committed strike be easily retracted?
"Too late!!"
Demon Marshal Avery noticed Momoka's attempt to pull back and gave her no chance. He closed the distance instantly and grabbed her collar.
At the same time, Avery's other hand reached out, his sharp claws flashing like a blade in front of Momoka!
Clang—!
The sound of metal slicing through flesh echoed in her ears.
Momoka felt a cold sensation on her right shoulder, followed by a sickening squelch. She followed the sound with her eyes.
Her right hand, which had been tightly gripping the Solar Katana, was gone.
All that remained was a severed shoulder, spraying bright red blood like a fountain.
Seeing this, Momoka's pupils showed no surprise. On the contrary, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Seeing the human Saintess he held in his grasp actually smiling, Avery's brow furrowed as he instinctively sensed something was wrong.
"What are you laughing at?"
He instinctively tried to retreat, but before he could pull back, a delicate hand gripped his wrist.
"Don't you like me? Then come... die with me!"
"What are you doing— Argh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a burst of lightning erupted from Momoka's body.
Demon Marshal Avery, unable to dodge in time, was struck instantly. Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning descended from the dark sky!
Crack—!
With no chance of escape, Avery and Momoka were struck by lightning at the same time!
No matter how fast a powerhouse was, they could not dodge the extreme speed of lightning.
The moment the two were struck, the other three Demon Marshals retreated instantly!
"Hah! That fool actually died after all."
"He made his choice; that is his fate."
"I had already used a decoy once. How could he not see through it? Even if she's at the end of her rope, a Saintess cannot be entirely without tricks. If you get that close, you're just asking for death."
It was that blunt.
There was no trace of grief on the faces of the three Demon Marshals.
Even if a comrade died, it didn't matter to them.
The demon race was naturally filled with violent desires. Even if they possessed reason, it was difficult to suppress those impulses.
Therefore, rising to power in the demon race was almost always accompanied by bloodshed. A demon who had not experienced slaughter could never reach such a position.
Aside from brutality and reproduction, the demon race possessed no other emotions and felt no pity for their own kind.
The three Demon Marshals naturally would not grieve for Avery.
"You three..."
Just as the lightning faded, the three Demon Marshals watched.
From the scorched earth, Avery's voice suddenly drifted out.
They looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.
"Hahaha! That bastard isn't dead yet. What incredible vitality!"
The demon race had no sense of camaraderie, but they respected the strong.
At the very least, the three of them believed they couldn't have survived the power of that lightning.
Since Avery had survived, he was worthy of respect.
At least, as long as his strength was greater than theirs.
That was it.
The world of the demon race was that simple and direct... and that cruel.
With a loud rustle, Avery's massive figure climbed out of the scorched earth.
His once dark purple skin had turned into a mass of charred, ruined flesh.
The air was thick with the heavy scent of roasted meat.
His thick, lizard-like tail was mostly severed, and one arm was completely charred by the lightning.
Even his foot had been reduced to ash, leaving only half a bone that fell to the ground as Avery moved.
However, that bone did not make a sharp sound when it hit the ground; it seemed to fall onto something soft.
The other three Demon Marshals were about to joke around, but their eyes widened when they saw what it was.
One of the Demon Marshals' eyes darted around as he suddenly lunged forward, reached into the dirt, and pulled upward!
In his hand, a young girl covered in dust and ash opened her eyes in painful helplessness. Most of her clothes had been scorched away by the lightning.
Patches of her fair skin were exposed everywhere.
"She's still alive!?"
Avery looked at the heavily injured Momoka in disbelief.
At this moment, Momoka couldn't even speak. She could only barely keep her eyes open, glaring at them with fury.
"Heh. I've heard that a Saintess's vitality far exceeds that of a normal human. I didn't think it was true."
The Demon Marshal named Tos stepped forward, looking at the indignant and angry expression on Momoka's face. A cruel smile curled on his lips.
"Indeed. She hasn't given up resisting even in this state. Truly worthy of being a human Saintess. I'm just curious..."
He slowly reached out a thick finger, sliding it under her collar and hooking it into the front of her robe.
"If you were facing your people completely naked, would you still be able to make such an expression??"
Although Momoka could no longer speak, her gaze became even more furious.
But within that fury, there was a faint trace of despair.
At this stage, Momoka had completely lost her ability to resist.
If this Demon Marshal truly did as he said and displayed her naked before her people...
She couldn't guarantee that she could remain sane.
The hand hooking her robe gradually applied pressure.
Her collar was being pulled wider and wider... and her eyes slowly began to glaze over with a dull grey.
The other three Demon Marshals were laughing lewdly. That laughter rang in her ears like the tolling of a funeral bell.
Riiip! Riiip!
With two sounds of tearing fabric, a large hole opened in the clothes over Momoka's shoulder.
Her smooth left shoulder, which hadn't been struck by the lightning, was revealed to the four Demon Marshals.
In that moment, the laughter of the four Demon Marshals became even more arrogant.
Momoka... closed her eyes in despair.
She never imagined that her resistance to lightning would ultimately become the cause of her despair!
However, the expected sound of her clothes being torn further did not come.
Instead, the screams of Demon Marshal Tos reached her ears!
Followed by the sound of an arm being severed.
"Who are you? Argh!"
Squelch!
Instinctively opening her eyes, Momoka stared in disbelief.
A blue robe had suddenly been draped over her.
And before her eyes... a flash of silver armor passed by.
At the same time, a gentle voice reached her ears.
"Your efforts were not in vain. You've worked hard, Princess Momoka."
Momoka tried her best to see the figure in front of her, but she was so exhausted that her vision was blurring.
She could only vaguely see a slender, tall figure.
"Who... are you?"
Barely opening her mouth, she asked those three words in a near-whisper. Without the Demon Marshal's grip, she could no longer stand and began to collapse.
But just as she thought she would fall hard onto the cold ground.
A warm arm pulled her into an embrace.
"Sleep peacefully. Leave the rest to me. My name is Roland, this generation's... Holy Knight."
The moment she heard those last two words, Momoka's despairing heart seemed to receive a sudden jolt of life.
At the same time, she finally could no longer endure the exhaustion of two days and nights and the injuries to her body. She fell into a deep unconsciousness.
Looking at the girl who had fainted in his arms, her body covered in wounds, Roland's gaze turned dark.
He pointed his longsword directly at the Demon Marshals.
Under the shocked gazes of the four Demon Marshals, he spoke softly:
"How should we settle the debt for harming our human Saintess?"
The battle that followed had no suspense; it became a one-sided slaughter.
By himself, Roland forcibly severed the bridges over the demon race's chasm, completely cutting off the arrival of demon reinforcements.
The knights and powerhouses of the Kingdom of the Sun, who had been struggling to resist, began their counterattack after the sudden arrival of fresh forces.
The battle lasted for half a day.
Every demon that had landed on Kyushu Island was slaughtered to the last.
Of the four Demon Marshals leading the attack, two were left permanently on Kyushu Island.
The remaining two fled with heavy injuries.
The tide of battle turned instantly, restoring the balance and returning the situation to a stalemate.
The demon race did not dare to attack, and the humans could not counterattack.
Afterward, the demon race attempted several more probes, but facing a Holy Knight and the natural obstacle of the terrain, they found no further opportunities to land.
Kyushu Island was like that; the entire island was like a mountain peak isolated in the middle of the sea.
It was surrounded by cliffs, all of which were concave walls eroded by the ocean and sea winds.
Even climbing was exceptionally difficult, not to mention that those cliff faces were very fragile.
One mistake meant falling into the sea.
Initially, the demon race did not want to withdraw, seemingly having other hidden cards.
But after holding out for another two days, the demon army finally began to retreat.
"The demon race has now withdrawn from the Kingdom of the Sun. However, before they left, they left behind a great deal of demonic energy residue. For the time being, the Kingdom of the Sun is no longer suitable for human habitation."
As she listened to the Pope recount the details, Luo Li understood the situation.
The demon race had indeed retreated after realizing the difficulty, but they had also left behind a massive amount of demonic energy on the land.
In short...
Momoka was seriously injured; the Kingdom of the Sun was saved, but not entirely.
And at that moment, the Pope suddenly made a suggestion that caught Luo Li by surprise.
Rate on N.U.
