Compared to humans, most beastmen possessed slightly lower intelligence, though there were certainly individuals who were smarter than any human.
However, the general intelligence of the race always seemed a step behind humanity.
Leo was not one of those low-intelligence beastmen.
On the contrary, he had been an incredibly shrewd beastman even before he became a fiend.
As a powerhouse of the Tiger tribe, which was collectively known as the Lion-Tiger tribe, Leo’s strength was beyond doubt.
However, because his entire body was white, he had been labeled with an ominous reputation.
He had endured the bullying of his own kind since childhood until the year he encountered the demons.
All his rage and grievances transformed into the most intense impulse to kill.
On that single night, all one hundred and thirty-seven members of the Tiger tribe village, including his own parents and siblings, were killed by his own hands after he underwent demonization.
When he finally came to his senses, he felt no regret.
Instead, he felt a sense of emptiness and relief.
It was a lightness he had never experienced before!
He no longer had to suffer the bullying of his kin.
He no longer had to endure the way his parents looked at him as if he were a freak.
He no longer had to be a slave to the siblings who despised him!
That night, he slept amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his white fur stained crimson.
But that was undoubtedly the most peaceful sleep he had ever had in his life!
It wasn't that he hadn't hoped for a fellow villager to become his friend, someone he could talk to about anything.
However, that person never appeared.
So he had known from a young age that stories were just stories, and reality was reality.
He knew that what he was doing now was wrong, and that massacring other races was considered evil in the eyes of any species.
But he had never regretted it!
"Brothers!"
"Roar!!"
No longer needing to hide himself, Leo tore off his hemp cloak and held his battle-axe high.
"The human Saintess is right ahead! What are we going to do!?"
"Kill all the men, take all the women, and burn everything!"
"Well said! Brothers, kill!!"
"Kill—!"
Those able to disguise themselves as humans were at least level fifteen demons.
When these demon elites tore away their disguises before the eyes of countless refugees, everyone panicked!
The refugees, who had grown calm due to the arrival of the Saintess, instantly fell into chaos.
Some fled directly toward the north of the Four-Ring Mountains, while the refugees who couldn't avoid the demons in time were pushed back onto the road.
They rushed toward the place where the knights were camped!
Thousands of refugees screamed in terror as they frantically charged toward the main tents, and right behind them were the demon elites in hot pursuit!
At this rate, the camp would be trampled by tens of thousands of refugees before the knights could even charge.
However, what puzzled Leo was why there was still no sound coming from the massive cluster of tents ahead.
Logically, such chaos should have alerted the elite human knight orders.
Yet even as the refugees were about to reach the camp, there was no movement inside the tents.
This was not normal!
This thought flashed through Leo's mind instantly!
But the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired; even if he realized there might be a trap, the army already charging could not possibly stop!
Just as Leo was feeling extremely alert, a woman's slightly delicate voice suddenly echoed from within the tents.
"I am Luo Li Saint Sariel, the Saintess of Brilliance of the Kingdom of the Moon. I have led this army here to subjugate the demons. All citizens, follow my command and bypass the main camp! I shall bring you victory, but anyone who dares to obstruct the army's path shall be executed without mercy!"
The voice was clearly projected through magic, and the moment it spread, the panicked prey instantly calmed down.
Immediately after, the refugees spontaneously split into two paths.
Seeing this, Leo’s heart turned cold.
There was no doubt they had fallen into a trap; once the refugees were allowed to bypass the camp, his subordinates would be forced to face the tents directly!
Thinking of this, Leo could no longer care about anything else and let out a roar!
"Brothers, no matter what, do not let these prey get around us! Everyone, hear my command! Use the battle formation magic! We will crush those prey and those powerless humans together—Dark Chariot, charge!"
"Roar!!!"
Countless demons raised their hands at the same time, and in that instant, black patterns slowly emerged above the heads of the twenty thousand demon elites.
The black patterns quickly formed a massive, drill-like dark shadow that appeared in front of the army.
With the Tiger tribe powerhouse Leo acting as the tip of the blade, the charging speed of the entire army doubled instantly!
Boom—!
The twenty thousand demons seemed to form a single massive entity, shaped like a triangle, as they rapidly chased after the refugees.
Seeing this, the refugees fell into a panicked frenzy once more, with countless people trampling their companions just to move a step faster.
To escape the battlefield, they reached out their hands against their own kin.
But just then, a ray of moonlight suddenly spilled from the sky onto the earth, completely drowning out the dawn as a bright moon hung in the sky.
The earth looked as if it were draped in silver.
A flag fluttered at the very front of the main camp.
Countless people witnessed this scene as the beautiful girl stood under the moonlight in a posture of utmost devotion.
She gripped the flagpole with both hands and recited the chant that no one would ever be able to forget, as if she were praying.
"Protect the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner—O Holy One, please protect me and my people!"
With the holy girl as the center, the moonlight instantly expanded outward, enveloping the countless citizens within it.
In an instant, the world went dark, and it seemed as if only that incredibly pure girl and the bright moonlight remained!
Silently, the moonlight bathed the citizens.
Suddenly, those who had been on the verge of death regained their senses, and those who were running felt a surge of strength.
The speed of the citizens' retreat increased by more than a level as they split into two long lines nearly three hundred meters in front of the camp and bypassed it.
At this moment, even though the demons had used their battle formation skill, they still could not catch up to the citizens and could only watch as the camp ahead revealed its true form.
Right at the main gate of the camp, standing on the ornate silver-white carriage, the girl filled with holy light had eyes like torches, and her usually soft face was filled with rage.
The time had come!
The girl raised her sword and pointed it directly at the enemy army.
"I am the Saintess of the Moon, and I have been waiting for you all for a long time! Knights, kill!!"
"Kill!!"
Behind the silver-white carriage, shouts rose and fell in succession, echoing the girl's roar.
Countless knights in silver armor and helmets poured out like a silver dragon.
Leading the charge at the very front was Cain, also clad in silver armor, holding a conical lance high above his head!
"Battle formation skill, charge!"
"Charge—!"
Countless knights responded to the call of the Guardian Knight, and in an instant, a streak of silver light seemed to slide across the earth!
At the same time, the girl on the Saint's Carriage leaped into the air and landed on a pre-prepared white horse, one hand gripping the flagpole and the other a rapier.
"Charge!!"
On the wild outskirts, the black and silver torrents clashed head-on like a needle meeting an awl, launching a deadly charge against each other from less than a few hundred meters away.
The hundred-meter distance vanished in a heartbeat, and the two torrents collided with a thunderous roar!
Boom—!
The sound of countless suits of armor and weapons clashing converged into a noise like thunder that shook the heavens!
The knights at the front instantly pierced the unarmored flesh of the demons with their conical lances.
The conical lances provided immense momentum for the charge, but they lacked cutting ability.
This caused many demons to be skewered one after another like meat on a spit by the silver knights at the moment of impact.
However, many demons did not die instantly, and while their weapons could not reach the knights, they could slash at the white horses the knights rode.
With a swing of a blade, blood splattered as the front legs of a white horse were severed.
Benson was an obscure knight whose achievements in Brilliant City were neither great nor small.
Now, he had only just reached the rank of Hope Knight, and at nearly fifty, he already understood that he would never reach the top, so he had started his family early.
He now had three sons, a daughter, a wife, and two concubines, making for a happy family.
But he had never forgotten his duty as a Temple knight!
Therefore, when Guardian Knight Hilda Cromwell said she needed knights who were prepared to die, Benson's first instinct was to refuse.
However, when the Guardian Knight said that this was a personal request from the Saintess, Benson still became a member of the front line of the charge without hesitation.
In a cavalry unit, the most dangerous position was the first row, as their task was to pierce through everything blocking their path.
This meant they would be the first knights in the unit to face the enemy's blades!
He felt lucky because the Saintess had clearly stated the conditions.
Those who were only sons or had elderly parents at home were not allowed to be in the first row of knights.
He happened to fit neither category, so he felt he was fortunate.
Unfortunately, his old partner, Incisor, had its legs cut out from under it during the first round of the charge.
After all, he was old, and his strength was not what it used to be; while holding the lance, the weight of the three demons skewered on it caused his arm to sag.
This brought the demons too close to the defenseless horse legs, allowing the enemy to take advantage of the opening.
The moment the horse's legs were severed, Benson instinctively pulled the reins and shouted his old partner's name.
"Incisor!!!"
The horse beneath him halted its fall in that instant.
With its broken legs, it stomped fiercely onto the ground!
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