"You want to know? If that is the case, why not ask her yourself?"
Asfield looked at Asacreus with clear contempt.
However, Demon Emperor Asacreus did not seem to mind. Instead, he wore a faint, mischievous smile.
"Do you mean for me to take her away?"
"No, I mean... to tie you up at her feet."
The Demon Emperor's brow furrowed, his gaze growing more solemn.
The Dragon King's expression remained unchanged, his golden vertical pupils still filled with pride.
In the next second... two figures, one golden and one black, collided once more!
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the clouds!
Watching the two figures intertwine in the sky, it was clear that their battle would not be decided anytime soon.
Both were level seventy powerhouses. Although the Dragon King was clearly stronger, he was destined to lose.
That was right—the Dragon King would definitely lose this time.
Because this was something Luo Li had already discussed with him.
Leaving his right leg unhealed was done specifically to feign a weakness for the Demon Emperor.
As long as the Demon Emperor attacked that leg, the Dragon King would intentionally allow himself to be injured.
Luo Li had already reached an agreement with him.
Even if that leg were severed, she could heal it.
It was only after hearing this that the Dragon King agreed to the plan of using himself as bait.
Initially, the proud Dragon King did not want to lose; he wanted to find a scapegoat instead.
Black Dehn.
Unfortunately, that proposal was ultimately rejected.
The reason was that the black dragon himself could not determine the outcome of the battlefield.
Although Black was powerful, his status and position were simply not high enough!
The only ones whose defeat would carry enough weight were the Dragon King and Luo Li herself.
In other words, either she had to run over and be captured by the Demon Emperor to be subjected to unspeakable things, or the Dragon King had to feign a defeat.
Otherwise, there would be no way to end this performance.
Even if the black dragon were defeated, it would have no impact on the overall situation of the battlefield.
Was Black strong? Indeed, he was strong, but he was not the Dragon King; he had not reached that pinnacle level.
His existence was merely that of a general, not a commander or a spiritual figurehead.
Only the defeat of the Dragon King would make a retreat logical.
However, Luo Li had paid a heavy price to convince the Dragon King to lose.
A new set of document tablets.
The value of these document tablets needed no introduction.
They were priceless items that could not be bought, no matter how much money one had.
Even if the Dragon King spent his entire fortune, they were simply unavailable on the market.
This time, it was a massive loss for her.
If the other Seven Nations of the Holy Church found out about this, they would likely all come to scold her.
This... was the cost.
But it was a necessary one.
The Dragon King was not a true part of the allied forces; he was more like guest support or outside reinforcement.
Only when the demons truly invaded the continent and threatened the other races and the dragon race would the Dragon King likely give his full effort.
Thinking of this, Luo Li shook her head helplessly.
No matter how strong a single person was, it didn't matter.
A battlefield could never be decided by the strength of one individual alone.
Of course, one person could serve as a catalyst to change the direction of the war.
But victory or defeat was never a simple matter of whose power was higher.
Otherwise, both sides could just send out one person each to have an arm-wrestling match.
Wouldn't it be easier if the stronger one simply won? Why bother with all the schemes and planning?
At this moment, the battle on the front lines continued.
The armor had basically all fallen among the demon army, and not a single piece had escaped.
In other words, nearly ten thousand horses and nearly thirty thousand sets of armor had been abandoned to the enemy.
Luo Li looked down at Dominica and asked casually, "Have the knights in the rear retreated?"
"Replying to Your Highness, they have already withdrawn. They should be over ten kilometers away by now. They will reach the coast in two hours at most."
"I see."
Hearing this news, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She turned back to look at the battlefield.
Even with two Guardian Knights leading the army and the cover provided by the dragon race, the chaos caused to the demon army on the ground was difficult to settle.
But casualties remained high.
From time to time, she could see soldiers who had fallen behind being instantly swallowed by the demons.
Of the more than sixteen thousand knights from the Kingdom of the Moon, the remaining number was likely around thirteen or fourteen thousand.
For two reasons, only the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon had been left behind this time.
The knights from the Snow Country, the Kingdom of Flame, and the Kingdom of the Sea had all already left the central command.
The first reason was that those most loyal to her were the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon.
As long as Luo Li stood here and her Saint's Carriage remained, these knights would give their all.
At the very least, they were far more loyal than the knights of the other three nations.
The second reason was... only by doing this would the knights of those three nations feel deeply indebted to her.
This way, even if she truly died on the demon island, the knights who returned safely to their own countries would do their best to protect the Kingdom of the Moon.
Granted, this was just a gamble.
But at the very least, such public sentiment was too good to pass up.
And even if the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon truly died on the demon island, the people of conviction in the human kingdoms would still defend the Kingdom of the Moon.
No matter how one looked at it, leaving only the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon was the most advantageous choice.
However... despite these thoughts, Luo Li's heart still stung with an inexplicable pain when she saw the knights of the Kingdom of the Moon being swallowed by the demons, leaving behind nothing but white bones and armor.
No matter what, these knights... were the most loyal soldiers of the Kingdom of the Moon!
The battle had reached a fever pitch.
Only fewer than three thousand beastmen remained by Luo Li's side.
These beastmen had not participated in the battle from the start; she had not included the Beast Sovereign in the calculations.
While this war was indeed crucial, the beastmen truly could not afford any more losses.
Any more, and the beastmen would have no combat power left at all.
She turned to look at the Beast Sovereign nearby.
This big dumb cat was currently waving his arms, gnashing his teeth as he watched the battlefield.
"Strike! Argh! Be careful! Yes, thrust like that! Aim better, will you?! Hey! Argh!"
Looking at his anxious state, it was clear he desperately wanted to go down and fight.
"Dominica, it is almost time. Get ready."
Luo Li looked up at the sky. The clash between the Dragon King and the Demon Emperor had reached a white-hot stage.
The greatswords in their hands moved so fast they became a blur of countless shadows.
It was clear that the Dragon King was at a slight disadvantage.
Even Luo Li, a layman when it came to close combat, could see that the Dragon King was constantly shielding his right leg.
He was retreating step by step.
And the Demon Emperor was relentlessly attacking the Dragon King's right leg.
Now... all they needed was a catalyst.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Dominica responded and gave a look to a nearby messenger soldier.
The messenger raised his hand and pulled the cord of a signal flare.
'Swoosh—Bang!!'
The moment the signal flare went off, the knights in the distance quickly changed direction and charged straight toward the central command.
At the same time, the Dragon King in the sky also seemed to want to retreat, but unexpectedly, in the moment he was distracted...
The Demon Emperor's other hand suddenly manifested a greatsword of dark elements.
He attacked the Dragon King's right hand and right leg simultaneously with both blades.
A flash of shock crossed the Dragon King's face, but he only had time to block the attack from the Demon Emperor's left hand. His right leg was pierced in that instant!
With a 'squelch', golden blood instantly sprayed out.
Seeing this scene, only one thought crossed Luo Li's mind.
'That is so much dragon blood... it is worth a fortune. What a waste.'
The Dragon King retreated rapidly, and the Demon Emperor pursued him relentlessly.
Just then, several true dragons in the sky swarmed forward, shielding the Dragon King behind them.
Even the Demon Emperor was not confident in facing several dragons at once, so he could only retreat gloomily.
Meanwhile, the knights on the ground broke through the chaotic demon ranks and retreated toward the central command.
The momentum of the battlefield shifted. The demons, who were still in chaos, began to quickly regroup.
Luo Li watched the gathering demon army from the rapidly turning Saint's Carriage as the entire army began to withdraw.
The entire process went off without a hitch.
Just like that, after the army had retreated five kilometers, they quickly turned around and stabilized their position.
The demon army hurriedly pursued them.
But this time... over forty dragons held aerial superiority.
Combined with the two heavily injured feathered serpents, the demons did not attack again. Instead, they stopped less than two kilometers away from the knight regiment, maintaining a tight pressure.
Luo Li performed a Great Healing Art on the spot, restoring the knights' injuries to normal.
Soon, Dominica brought the report on the remaining number of knights.
Twelve thousand one hundred men.
At the same time, the Dragon King approached.
Ten dragons were heavily injured and could not rejoin the battle for the time being.
The rest all had minor injuries.
Inside the Saint's Carriage, Luo Li, Ricardo, and Asfield sat down.
Two powerhouses and one rookie sat at the three corners of the round table.
"The situation is as follows. I have ordered those ten tribesmen to head for the coast. Including myself, there are still forty-six who can fight."
"On the other side, there are four feathered serpents still capable of combat. The wings of the heavily injured one were snapped; it won't be able to fight anytime soon."
The news the Dragon King brought was indeed good news.
But it was also bad news.
Two heavily injured, one with broken wings. The combat power of the feathered serpent tribe was actually this formidable?
Speaking of which, the Dragon King looked down at his perfectly intact right leg.
"Your healing ability truly exceeded my expectations. However, looking at your current state, you probably cannot do it again, can you?"
Luo Li felt the completely empty elemental energy within her and nodded helplessly.
"It is as you say. I currently do not have the strength to cast another healing art."
The Beast Sovereign beside her looked at the Dragon King's right leg with great curiosity.
He had some understanding of the Dragon King's injury; at the very least, he understood one thing.
A right leg that was already broken and then pierced by a greatsword should, by all logic, not be able to participate in battle for a long time.
Yet now, the Dragon King's right leg was perfectly fine, without even a single scar on the skin.
While this amazed Ricardo, he suddenly turned to Luo Li and said, "I say, you should just marry me! This ability is too powerful! If I had a wife like you, who could ever defeat me on the battlefield?!"
These words caused the Dragon King's face to darken instantly.
"Beast Sovereign, do you take me for a ghost?"
"I am talking to her. What does it have to do with you?"
Ricardo did not back down an inch, snapping back at the Dragon King before immediately fixing his gaze on Luo Li again.
"How about it? Give it some serious thought. As long as you marry me, you can have whatever you want! Even the Beastmen Empire will be shared equally between us!"
Her lip twitched, and Luo Li forced a smile onto her face.
"Your Majesty, I have already clearly refused you on this matter. My apologies... I cannot accept all that fur."
"Eh... is it not handsome?"
The Beast Sovereign looked surprised, lifting his mane with his hand and stroking it gently as if it were a precious treasure.
"How can you be so blind to quality?! This mane of mine is the envy of everyone in the beastmen tribes!"
Luo Li smiled strainedledly and waved her hand.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. You may indeed be... formidable in the eyes of your people, but I still find it difficult to accept."
The Beast Sovereign blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then looked up with a pained expression.
"How about... I shave it?"
"Don't. I would accept that even less."
Was he joking? He was a lion now, but if he shaved his fur... wouldn't he turn into Beerus?
"Can't we... discuss this?"
"There is nothing to discuss."
Luo Li spoke with a cold face, truly speechless at this frivolous Beast Sovereign.
She looked away, ignoring Ricardo's pathetic, abandoned-kitten gaze.
"Your Majesty, when you fought the Demon Emperor this time, did he notice any flaws?"
The Dragon King frowned slightly, recalling carefully before shaking his head.
"Though he was suspicious, he has no concrete evidence. I am certain he will not attack recklessly in the short term."
Hearing this, Luo Li couldn't help but sigh in relief.
As long as they could hold out for this period, everything would be fine.
Once the knights in the rear had boarded the ice floes and moved away from the coast, the remaining twelve thousand knights could be transported directly by the skysoar dragons.
As for her Saint's Carriage? Couldn't the Dragon King just pick it up?
His claw was no smaller than this carriage.
"Dominica, immediately have Lancelot organize the Dragon Knight Corps and transport all the knights to the ice floes at sea."
"Bring back all the skysoar dragons and be ready to retreat at any moment."
"By your command!"
Outside the door, Dominica responded and quickly went to give the orders.
"In that case, I will go prepare as well. I can spare two thousand of those bats for you; use them as you see fit."
As Ricardo spoke, he also stood up and left the Saint's Carriage.
The Dragon King also rose to leave but looked back at Luo Li.
"You do not need to leave this carriage. I will take you with me, carriage and all."
"I am in your debt."
Luo Li naturally nodded in agreement, as this had been the plan from the beginning.
The battle concluded by early morning.
In the distance, the sun slowly rose from the sea horizon.
When the carriage door opened, Luo Li could already see the morning light reflected on the sea.
"Finally... we are going home."
Rate on N.U.
