The Demon Hunters at the back of the squad let out a loud roar, and only then did everyone hurriedly enter combat stance.
Usually, it was the demons who launched surprise attacks on them, but now the demons turned the tables completely, catching them off guard — and this time, they were clearly prepared!
“Not just two Shadow Demons, but also a Desire Demon!”
Before another Demon Hunter could finish speaking, the two Shadow Demons swiftly slipped into the shadows beneath the Demon Hunters’ feet, leaping like fish to the carriage where Truth was.
Then, the Third-Rank Desire Demon began to wreak havoc in front of the convoy, pinning down most of the Demon Hunters with relentless attacks.
Its twisted form, reminiscent of a treant, struck with blows the hunters struggled to fend off.
Rachel’s squad only averaged at Second-Rank. Facing a Third-Rank demon was difficult for them, but luckily they had numbers on their side.
Plus, they were all equipped with magical items specially designed for combating demons, so a challenge beyond their rank was manageable.
However, the Desire Demon knew how vulnerable it was to the hunters’ countermeasures, so it didn’t recklessly try to kill everyone. Its goal was simply to hold the majority of them in place.
Just as the surrounding Demon Hunters drew their silver swords, the two Shadow Demons appeared before Rachel and Truth.
“Obscure!”
One of the Shadow Demons spread its black claws, instantly plunging Rachel’s vision into complete darkness. She couldn’t discern the demons’ movements and panicked wildly.
Truth had seen this skill before when at Suna’s house; most assassin-type demons shared similar abilities.
Then, the other Shadow Demon unleashed the Cage on Truth, severing the mithril shackles from her wrists:
“You’re lucky, friend. The Original Demon sent us to kidnap that girl with special abilities — and to rescue you… Hm? Who are you?!”
The Shadow Demon blinked, confused by the presence of a little girl standing before it, radiating no demonic aura but instead an annoying life force it detested.
Why… would these Demon Hunters keep a priest locked inside a cage?
“Trap!”
The Shadow Demon suddenly realized the intel from the Original Demon was wrong.
The Demon Hunters hadn’t caught any demons at all — they were spreading false information to lure demons here to their deaths.
“A trap?”
The other Shadow Demon, who had just restrained Rachel, was stunned. But I already have the most important twin-tailed girl caught!
If we escape with her, the Demon Hunters won’t have any way to stop us. Isn’t using such a valuable bait a bit reckless…?
“Healing Mist!”
Suddenly, a thick fog blotted out the sky, enveloping the carriage and rapidly spreading outwards, covering the two Shadow Demons and the entire vehicle.
Within the mist, Truth watched Rachel struggling wildly against the Shadow Demons’ grip, forgetting she still had two daggers at her waist. Truth sighed in disdain at such a pathetic display.
Sigh, not even as competent as Suna.
As the squad’s captain, Rachel got taken out right at the start of the battle. Did she have no caution at all? And judging by her demeanor, she seemed inexperienced in combat.
Besides possessing the Eye of Atonement, did she have any other strengths?
After a moment’s thought — about one and three-quarters seconds — Truth decided to save Rachel.
Mainly because the two Shadow Demons had seen her face; if they escaped, higher-ranking demons would surely target her next.
That Darkros, the dark demon, hadn’t even gotten the chance to kill her yet.
“Where did this mist come from?!”
Both Shadow Demons panicked, instinctively trying to dive into the shadows to escape, but then realized the mist had blocked out the sunlight, leaving no shadows for them to hide in!
Whoever released this mist knew them well — knowing that low-rank Shadow Demons could only vanish into shadows, unlike mid-rank ones who could vanish into any dark place.
Sure enough, the enemy was prepared—and had accurately guessed the types of demons caught in the trap!
“It’s that girl in the cage who cast the mist. Go deal with her quickly!”
The Shadow Demon holding Rachel dodged attacks from the hunters concealed in the fog while ordering the other demon to go after Truth.
Both were trapped inside the mist now; if they didn’t escape soon, the other hunters outside would be ready to ambush them.
“Die!”
The other Shadow Demon extended its black claw toward Truth’s chest. Only then did it realize that this mist-casting priest was actually below Second-Rank. How much did the Demon Hunters underestimate them?
“Clang!”
In the next second, a glowing green life shield enveloped Truth, blocking the Shadow Demon’s strike, causing it to look shocked.
What’s going on? This one’s not even Second-Rank — how can she block my full-strength attack?!
After stubbornly attacking several more times with full force, the life shield on Truth didn’t waver at all.
Impossible! I can’t even break through a First-Rank priest’s defense?!
A few seconds later, as the fog began to thin, the Shadow Demons started to doubt their own senses.
Only then did they clearly see Truth being held protectively in the arms of another, larger priest.
Ah, so the life shield was cast by that big priest…
The tall blonde priest radiated mid-rank magical energy and watched the two demons on the carriage with sharp caution. The Magic Stone on her wrist pulsed continuously.
“Hi.”
Truth greeted the Shadow Demons. After casting the mist, she had been pulled into Tia’s embrace for protection.
The mist was now dissipating because the surrounding Demon Hunters had finally prepared themselves to confront the dark demons. Truth had bought them about ten seconds. If they weren’t ready by now, there was no excuse.
Ten seconds—enough time to execute several combos of “a then w then outer slash then Iron Hand of Affection then normal attack then North Empire Guillotine.”
As sunlight once again bathed the carriage, the Shadow Demons immediately tried to escape into the shadows.
But just as they slipped in, the Demon Hunters activated a dazzling holy light on the shadows, exposing the demons with no place left to hide. Then came the righteous group assault.
Eighteen Demon Hunters surrounded the carriage, leaving no gap. Their rescue signal activated, and all their anti-demon items were triggered.
By now, Rachel had regained her senses and quickly used her waist daggers to break free from her bonds. The remaining demon, trying to recapture Rachel for hostage negotiations, was thwarted as Tia’s life shield transferred from Truth to Rachel.
So that was why they had two priests locked in the cage — one small to keep Truth restrained, and the larger one to protect the bait, the twin-tailed girl. The demons realized…
What a cruel trap!
Having realized this, the fates of the two Shadow Demons were sealed.
The Desire Demon, which had been tying down at least ten Demon Hunters, initially tried to help, but less than five minutes later, a Demon Hunter squad led by Fifth-Rank Hunter Kaveril arrived from afar. With no choice, it fled alone in disarray.
“I didn’t expect demons to directly attack the Saint!”
Looking at the bodies of the two Shadow Demons on the ground, Tia frowned with disgust. Thankfully, she was there to protect Truth.
Speaking of which, Rachel is so weak. Can she not even command the battle as a captain?
Tia glanced at Rachel sitting on the ground in front of the carriage, her legs still trembling. Truth approached Rachel.
What is Truth doing — comforting Rachel?
Tsk, Rachel is so lucky. Truth didn’t even scold her for this. But since Truth’s personality is so gentle, and Rachel is the Saint after all, locked in a cage no less — if it were me, I would have been furious by now!
Still, it made sense. Rachel had the Eye of Atonement and was a favored disciple of the Goddess. It was good for Truth to maintain a good relationship with her.
With that thought, Tia relaxed a little. Truth bent over and smiled warmly at Rachel:
“You’re so weak.”
“Huh?”