The camp was filled with bursts of shocked exclamations.
“What? That Dragonkin Demon has actually become a Mid-tier Demon?!”
“I’m afraid it was originally a Mid-tier Demon, but forcibly suppressed its power to become a Low-tier Demon.”
“That girl isn’t simple either. This kind of divine blessing… why does it feel so familiar? It seems like a technique from certain families?”
“It must be from a family with the Godblood. I can’t believe they allow their members to become Rose Knights.”
“Forget all that for now. It looks like the Rose Knights are struggling to hold on.”
Mars stared at the image reflected in the Eye of Divine Sight, gripping the armrest of his chair tightly.
“They’ve already done more than enough. No one can defeat a demon like that.”
As the Commanding Officer of the Third Army, he had encountered this Dragonkin Demon during the defense against the demon invasion, but never imagined it was actually a Mid-tier Demon.
Inside a fortress that only allows beings below level 25, there was a level 30 Mid-tier Demon — this likely meant the permanent loss of the fortress.
Honestly, the Rose Knights’ performance had far exceeded his expectations, but defeating such a demon was still out of reach…
Nearby, Nola stood up tensely.
She cared deeply about the Rose Knights, not only because they were girls burdened with the task of saving the world, but also because they were Saintess Selis’s pride and joy.
She didn’t want any of them to die here — the thought of Saintess Selis silently shedding tears was unbearable.
Just imagining that gentle and kind saint wiping away tears in secret tightened her chest with pain.
“I remember the Eye of Divine Sight can intervene inside the fortress, right? It might not be able to kill that demon, but at least it can severely wound it!”
“Hey, hey, hey, the Eye of Divine Sight is an imperial artifact. You’re an outsider and can’t just use it.”
Upon hearing Nola’s words, Cassiu abruptly stood up, his once anxious face now filled with arrogance.
The stronger the Dragonkin Demon, the happier he felt.
The only regret was that the Emperor of Norwich Empire had died too early, unable to witness such a spectacular scene.
The Rose Knights’ good days were over.
Mars glanced at him, eyes filled with contempt.
If he didn’t know Cassiu’s background, he would have suspected this guy was actually a demon from the Abyss in disguise.
Nola narrowed her eyes, one hand involuntarily resting on the hilt of her longsword at her waist.
“So, you want these Rose Knights, who are supposed to save the world, to all die inside this fortress?”
Her gaze flickered, and Cassiu replied:
“W-Who said that? As long as Lady Saintess admits they failed to defeat these Abyssal Demons, then I can take charge and use the Eye of Divine Sight to severely wound that demon!”
“Failure? Nonsense! If this counts as failure, then what are you? Running away from demons like cowards? Besides, the bet was based on all demons being Low-tier, but this demon is clearly Mid-tier now!”
“I don’t care! It started as a Low-tier Demon!”
Cassiu’s stubbornness only earned more disdain, but he didn’t care.
Everyone could see that this Dragonkin Demon was clearly originally a Mid-tier Demon.
It had descended into the mortal realm by suppressing its power in secret, thus appearing as a Low-tier Demon.
Now, it had unleashed its true strength, crushing the Rose Knights with absolute level dominance.
This bet should never have been made in the first place.
But lying shamelessly was basic behavior for imperial nobles, and Cassiu was no exception.
As long as it benefited him, what truth or lives of the Rose Knights mattered?
As for the heavy casualties the Rose Knights were suffering, which might prevent the world’s salvation in the future…
What did that have to do with him?
That was someone else’s problem. He only cared about his own interests.
“You bastard!”
Nola was infuriated by his shameless attitude and stepped forward.
Legendary-tier magic radiated from her, pressing down on Cassiu’s shoulders so heavily he nearly collapsed to his knees.
Fortunately, two noble generals appeared beside Cassiu, releasing their own Legendary-tier magic pressure, forcing Nola to step back.
Seeing this, Cassiu smirked arrogantly and sneered:
“What are you trying to do? You can’t just snatch the Eye of Divine Sight. I’m telling you, it’s an artifact of the Norwich Empire. You don’t have the strength to forcibly take it!”
“And if you do, you’ll be making an enemy of our entire empire. I advise you to think carefully, Duchess Nola.”
Cassiu emphasized the title “Duchess” as if to remind her of her status.
Nola clenched her fists, furious but helpless.
What frustrated her most was the indifference of Saintess Isavel at the Oracle Hall, who had yet to react.
“Isavel! Those Rose Knights are your students! Don’t you care about them?!”
“Why the rush?”
Calmly lifting a teacup, Isavel looked up at the scene in the sky and took a sip.
Then she said softly,
“If I wanted to use the Eye of Divine Sight, no one could stop me.”
At that moment, an incredibly terrifying magical aura spread among everyone.
Cassiu collapsed to his knees without any resistance, and the two noble generals behind him followed suit.
Sweat dripped down their faces. Only now did they realize the vast power gap between them and the saint before them.
Compared to her, their Legendary-tier magic was like a wooden raft drifting on the ocean — a small wave could capsize them in the endless sea.
The entire camp fell into a deadly silence, most not daring to even breathe heavily.
Clang—
Isavel set down her teacup, dispelling the magic aura, then smiled slightly:
“However, I believe in them.”
“Huff—!”
Only then did Cassiu relax and come back to life.
But as he struggled to stand, he was horrified to find his legs weak and his back drenched in cold sweat.
……
Inside the fortress, Meilin whispered, “Captain?”
“…You all retreat first. As captain, I can’t abandon my comrades.”
Looking at Pella and the others rushing toward their captain, Leanna hesitated a moment, then summoned her magic longsword once again.
But soon after, Aelia behind her let out a light laugh.
“Captain, after all this time, haven’t you seen our nature yet?”
“This time, we’ll die for sure.”
“We’re not afraid of death, just afraid of meaningless death.”
Joina took a deep breath, her eyes burning with determination, lightning crackling around her hands, ready to continue fighting.
Sally gently stroked her bow, quietly listening to the faint hum of the bowstring.
“So, give the order.”
Meeting the gaze of each member of her squad, Leanna tightened her grip on her longsword, her heart filled with emotion.
After a deep nod, she raised her longsword high and shouted:
“Leanna Squad, charge!”
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