"I wouldn't dare! But my Kaki has been with me for ten years... Your Highness, I have cared for him meticulously for a decade and view him as my own brother. I truly cannot bear to abandon him."
As he spoke, Sali Panzi suddenly looked up, his face filled with helplessness and agony.
"Your Highness, why must it be like this! How can you force us to make such a choice with an order like that!"
"Sali."
Luo Li looked down at the man before her; his face was a mask of suffering.
Having owned a dog when she was younger, she was not a stranger to the pain of such a parting.
But the reality was cold; in their current situation, there was no other way except to abandon these horses.
Furthermore, after two days and nights of fleeing, the white horses, who had long since run out of fodder, were almost completely exhausted.
"I know your pain, and I understand your reluctance, but I cannot tell you why right now."
Luo Li raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding knights who were watching the scene.
"But please trust me. I will give you an account. If we can return to the Kingdom of the Moon alive this time, I will tell you why this choice had to be made, but not now."
Luo Li took a deep breath and looked back down at Sali Panzi.
Her brow suddenly furrowed.
Logically, even if the knights felt like resisting, they would not defy a direct military order.
After all, a military order was different from a common command.
While nobles held privileges, they generally did not dare to act recklessly in the face of military law.
The Kingdom of the Moon was constantly on guard against the demons and maintained strict military discipline; the knights were well-versed in military law.
It was highly unlikely that anyone would have the audacity to come to her and wail like this.
Yet, the man before her dared to do so.
Either this Sali Panzi was incredibly naive, or he had been manipulated by someone else.
Or even worse... could the man before her be a demon?
That thought flashed through Luo Li's mind, but she couldn't test it directly under the current circumstances.
After all, if she tested him now, it would make the other knights feel that Luo Li didn't truly care for them.
That would be a massive blow to morale.
Luo Li looked toward the other knights.
Most of them had already removed more than half of their armor, but they had stopped their work for the moment.
They were staring toward the Saint's Carriage, waiting for an explanation from the Saintess.
"Knights, I would not give such an order unless it was absolutely necessary. I know the pain in your hearts."
"But please trust me, trust your Saintess. What I want to do is bring you home safely."
"Think of your families, think of your wives, children, and elderly parents. They are still waiting for you in the Kingdom of the Moon."
"I do not ask for your understanding right now, but when this war is over, I will give you an explanation."
"For now, execute the order. Do not hesitate. Do not let your emotions cause the deaths of the comrades beside you."
"And do not let the sacrifices of those comrades be in vain."
The knights fell silent. Suddenly, a knight stepped out from the crowd.
It was Guardian Knight Robert.
"I believe in Her Highness. If she truly wanted to abandon us, she could have left the demon island with the dragons and the beastmen long ago."
At this point, Robert suddenly turned back to face the knights.
"We all know that the dragons have the ability to cross the sea. If Her Highness wanted to discard us, would she still be here facing danger with us?"
"As knights, it is our duty to protect the Saintess, yet now, because of us, Her Highness is in a perilous position."
"Do you not feel even a shred of shame?"
"Her Highness is willing to face life and death alongside us. Is that not enough to prove her care for us?"
"Her Highness knows your reluctance and heartache, but if there were any other way, would she force this upon you?"
He then turned his gaze toward Sali Panzi.
"Sali, you are my subordinate. I know you and your horse are like brothers, but now is not the time for sentimentality."
"Go and execute the order. This is my final warning!"
Robert's hand rested on the longsword at his waist.
It seemed as if the sword would unsheathe and sever Sali's neck in the next second if he didn't comply.
Sali Panzi was stunned for a moment. He lowered his head in silence for a long while before quietly getting up and walking away.
Watching his somewhat lonely silhouette, Luo Li felt a faint sense of unease.
"Have someone keep an eye on him. Do not let him do anything foolish. Also, tell the person watching him to be careful."
"Does Your Highness mean... he is a demon?"
"I'm not certain, I only suspect it. Go."
"Yes."
Dominica nodded and went to make the arrangements.
Seeing that Guardian Knight Robert had stepped forward, the other knights no longer hesitated and began removing their armor in earnest.
A torrential rain lashed against their faces. Protected by the Saintess's robe, the rainwater could not wet Luo Li's body.
It could only slide down her face in frustration.
She looked up at the sky. At this moment, even the heavens were blurred by the dense curtain of rain.
With such a heavy downpour, the chances of the demons discovering them were slim to none.
We should be safe now, right?
With that thought, Luo Li returned to the Saint's Carriage. The water on her Saintess's robe slid to the floor without dampening her at all.
Even her silver hair remained dry.
Sitting inside the carriage, Luo Li stared out the window, her eyes fixed on the direction of the demon army.
At this moment, even the slightest anomaly could lead to the worst possible outcome.
The knights were halfway through disarming. Although the skysoar dragons were ready, the weight on the knights was still slightly over the limit.
This would significantly affect the flight speed of the skysoar dragons.
They already couldn't fly quickly due to the storm and violent winds.
If they added this extra weight, their flight speed would be unimaginably slow.
Although the dragons held air superiority, the attack range of the feathered serpents was at least dozens of kilometers.
At this distance, once the demons discovered something was wrong, even taking off might become a problem.
Please... let nothing go wrong.
She murmured in her heart, but just then, as Luo Li stared out the window, she caught a glimpse of something.
It was a figure on horseback, breaking away from the central command and heading toward the demons.
Could it be... Sali Panzi?!
The moment she saw that figure, Luo Li's scalp tingled.
What was he doing?
Where was he going?
Was he really a demon?
If he wasn't a demon, was this charge meant to be a suicide mission for himself?
Was he actually willing to die just for the sake of a horse?
"Aigie!!"
"Saintess."
From outside the window came the voice of the red flame dragon, Aigie.
"Immediately stop that knight racing toward the demon army! No matter what, you must not let him reach them!"
"As you command."
Outside the carriage, accompanied by a dragon's roar, a massive silhouette soared into the sky and flew straight ahead.
A dragon's flight speed far exceeded that of a normal horse.
However, the knight's horse was indeed a fine steed, and its running speed was incredibly fast.
It was so fast that Luo Li felt it was unnatural.
Just as that thought occurred to her, the knight and the horse beneath him began to change.
A demon?!
The word flashed through her mind.
The originally white horse began to turn black, and the armor on the knight fell away.
In its place grew a layer of thick fur, and his entire body became as black as charcoal.
Only his head and torso retained a human shape.
He was a demonized human!
Panzi.
The name flashed through Luo Li's mind.
This surname belonged to one of the thirty-three minor noble families of the Kingdom of the Moon.
Could it be... that this entire family had been corrupted by the demons?
"Roar!!"
With a dragon's roar, the dragons standing guard in the distance discovered the fleeing demon.
While the other dragons hadn't reacted yet, the black dragon Black's reaction was exceptionally swift.
He threw open his massive maw as dark elements rapidly condensed within.
Although black dragons were almost incapable of using any dragon language magic, a black dragon's Dragon Breath and physical strength were famous among the dragon race!
Seeing this, the other dragons seemed to understand something and raised their heads as well.
Mana began to condense rapidly in the mouths of each dragon.
The mana in the air became distorted and violent due to the concentrated power.
The rain was illuminated with iridescent colors, and the entire sky brightened in an instant!
This is bad!!
Two words flashed through Luo Li's mind.
The sky was currently dark, and with the thick curtain of rain, the demons shouldn't have been able to perceive the situation here.
Furthermore, the demons rarely used magic that could light up the sky.
Besides, there was no need to use such magic when they could already confirm the enemy's location.
But at this moment, the Dragon Breath of the dragons caused the elements in the air to turn violent.
All the elements were emitting their own light.
The sky was instantly illuminated.
This meant that the demons in the sky could likely see the ground through this iridescent light!
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a golden dragon let out a long cry toward the sky. In an instant, all the Dragon Breath stopped.
The dragon language was a complex tongue composed of sounds, pitches, and vibrations.
A single roar from a dragon could contain countless meanings.
The slightest variation in pitch could represent a different word.
Therefore, information was transmitted very quickly in the dragon language.
Often, a long paragraph could be fully conveyed with just one roar.
The meaning of the Dragon King's roar was likely 'all dragons cease Dragon Breath'.
Dragon King Asfield must have realized that the human central command was being lit up by the iridescent glow.
All the dragons stopped their Dragon Breath, except for the black dragon.
Seeing this, Luo Li's heart leaped into her throat.
Regardless of who that fleeing demon was, if he returned this time, he would certainly bring the news to the demons.
If he succeeded, the demons would surely attack immediately!
"Dominica!!"
"Here!"
"Notify all knights immediately! Mount the dragons now! Any armor that hasn't been removed should be taken off while on the dragons! Hurry!!"
"Yes!"
Dominica turned and shouted, "Pass the order! All knights mount the dragons and remove your armor there! Each skysoar dragon will carry three knights!"
Following that, countless knights began to relay the message.
The voices echoed into the distance over and over.
The sound of clashing armor rang out in her ears.
At that very moment, the black dragon's Dragon Breath erupted!
'Boom!'
Accompanied by a torrent of black energy, the galloping demon was engulfed in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the earth without even leaving ashes behind.
A long trench was left on the ground where the Dragon Breath had passed.
At the center of the explosion, a massive crater over ten meters deep and nearly fifty meters in diameter remained!
In an instant, the entire army fell completely silent.
The demon army in the distance seemed to fall into a slight commotion.
In the knight army, the orders to mount the dragons rang out again rapidly.
Over twelve thousand knights, some of whom didn't even have time to fully remove their armor, scrambled onto the skysoar dragons.
The skysoar dragons were designed with fixed seats on their backs.
To handle special situations, there were two additional foldable spare seats behind them.
All the knights were now seated on the skysoar dragons.
But they had not taken off yet.
Because they were waiting for the command!
If a single skysoar dragon suddenly took flight, it would look too suspicious.
"Dominica, turn all the horses toward the demons and let them charge!"
Luo Li no longer had the luxury to feel sorry for the horses; if they didn't leave now, it would be too late!
"Complete the count immediately! Every single knight must be on a dragon, not one left behind! We take off in two minutes!"
"Yes!"
Dominica immediately issued the order:
"All horses, turn toward the demons and prepare to charge! Knights on the dragons, start the count! Not a single knight is to be left behind! Everyone on the dragons! We take off in two minutes!"
The orders were relayed one by one. Because it was an emergency, Dominica didn't need to leave to give individual instructions.
The command spread like falling dominoes, passed from one knight to the next.
The knights who heard the command shouted loudly to those further away, relaying the order.
The voices rose in waves, and at this moment, the demon army in the distance finally seemed to react!
The demon army began to move, and the ground beneath them vibrated slightly.
The four feathered serpents in the sky had already taken flight and were approaching.
Responding to those feathered serpents was a roar from the golden dragon!
'Roar!!'
With a roar from the Dragon King, thirty dragons on the ground had no choice but to take flight to intercept them.
To ensure they could absolutely suppress those feathered serpents, the dragons had to use superior numbers to decide the victory.
If they could draw at five to one, then this time it was seven to one!
This ensured the crushing superiority of their air force.
The remaining ten dragons also took flight from their positions to guard against the demon griffin units.
By doing so, the chaos within the human army was completely exposed.
Over ten thousand white horses began to gallop out of the central command in a scattered fashion, charging toward the demon army.
While this couldn't truly block the enemy, it could at least hinder the advance of the demon army for a short time.
No longer concerned with her status, Luo Li stepped out of the carriage and shouted to the frantic knights.
"All knights mount the dragons! Not a single one left behind! Hurry!"
The knights were stunned for a second, then began to mount the dragons with even greater speed.
Luo Li turned back to gaze at the distant demon army.
The distance between the two sides was less than two kilometers.
And the demon army had already broken into a mad sprint!
A black tide was shaking the verdant earth!
At this rate, they would collide in three or four minutes at most!
Life and death... hung in the balance of these few minutes!
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