Amir stared at the massive silhouettes that nearly blotted out the sun, struggling to endure the agonizing pain of his shattered arm.
He had been struck head-on by a swinging iron hammer earlier. If not for his immense strength and quick reflexes, which allowed him to sacrifice his right arm to absorb the impact, that single blow would have killed him instantly.
He watched helplessly as his former companions fell one by one before his eyes, unable to do anything but look on as the demonized giants devoured them.
Regret and fury flooded his mind!
"Aaaargh!!"
Amir roared, raising his greatsword. Even with only one hand, the force of his swing was not something a lone demonized giant could easily withstand.
He leaped into the air, bringing the greatsword down toward a demonized giant.
The creature didn't even have time to react before the blade, infused with the power of holy light, split its skull open!
Splatter!
Black blood sprayed everywhere, turning the red cape on Amir's back as dark as ink.
However, in that same moment, he lost his footing.
Each of the demonized giants stood at least fifteen meters tall. While leaping allowed him to deliver a fatal blow, it also left him with no room to maneuver in mid-air.
With nowhere to brace himself, Amir's furious strike killed the giant in front of him, but another giant nearby swung an iron hammer weighing several tons.
It was a horizontal sweep aimed directly at Amir!
Normally, with Amir's strength, he could have easily evaded the attacks of these few dozen demonized giants even with one arm, while searching for an opening to strike back.
But he had lost his composure and abandoned the solid ground beneath his feet.
Hearing the wind whistling behind him, Amir instinctively looked back. The iron hammer grew larger in his vision, instantly occupying his entire field of view!
Boom!
There was no time to dodge. Amir could only desperately swing his left arm, using his exhausted sword to block the incoming hammer.
The result was inevitable.
The massive hammer carried immense momentum, while Amir, even with his full suit of armor, weighed barely over three hundred pounds.
The moment he was hit, he was sent flying like a baseball struck by a bat!
Crash!
Amir's vision went dark as the world spun around him, and a surge of warmth rushed up his throat.
"Cough..."
He spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by countless demons closing in from all directions, completely cutting off his path of retreat.
Feeling the sharp pain throughout his body, Amir forced himself to stand up from the crater. His clothes had already been shredded by the massive impact.
His armor was in tatters, and he didn't need to touch his chest to know that at least four of his ribs were broken.
This was the reality of actual combat.
Even though Amir's strength far exceeded these ragtag demons, his loss of calm meant he could be easily wiped out by creatures twenty or thirty levels lower than him.
Absolute invincibility only existed in stories.
In this real world, even a powerhouse like a Sacred Knight could have their life taken by a child with a sharp sword if they were caught off guard.
A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.
This wasn't because the rabbit was fast, but because even a cornered rabbit would bite.
Even with overwhelming power, a small moment of carelessness could lead to a disastrous end.
Of course, there were certain exceptions.
For instance... a certain Sacred Knight who had never been injured in her life.
Even without actively using any abilities, the holy energy within her remained chaotic and violent.
That turbulent power was so intense that it even acted as a physical barrier, forcing her husband to be incredibly cautious whenever they were intimate, fearing he might be crushed into powder by a stray surge of holy energy.
But that was a unique case; few people possessed such natural talent.
Amir certainly did not.
With a broken arm and shattered ribs, he could barely lift his greatsword. His current combat strength was less than thirty percent of his peak.
If this continued, he might not even leave this place alive.
'Am I going to die here?'
Amir gritted his teeth and raised his sword, met by the malicious grins of countless demonized giants.
He felt only helplessness and resentment.
Now at the end of his rope, Amir prepared himself for a final, desperate act of self-destruction.
The holy energy across his body began to surge!
He wouldn't be returning alive this time. Even if he could, he would be too ashamed to face his former comrades.
It was better to be buried here.
"Come on!!!"
Amir roared, raising his greatsword with the intent to die.
But in that fleeting moment, a clear, sharp command echoed from the distance!
"Black Armored Knights!"
"Invincible with me!!"
"Charge!!!"
The young woman's shout not only stunned Amir but also drew the attention of the demons away from him.
A black tide approached, accompanied by a low tremor that shook the earth.
The vibrations beneath his feet grew more intense as the distant knight regiment suddenly erupted with holy energy!
At the vanguard, a girl clad in black armor stood up on her horse, bracing herself with one hand on the saddle.
Her slender fingers gripped a massive sword that trailed along the ground, the blade throwing off sparks as it scraped against the earth!
"Hah!"
Suddenly, the girl leaped into the air, swinging her greatsword with immense force at the nearest demonized giant!
Boom!
There was no sense of a keen edge slicing through metal; instead, it felt more like someone being slammed in the face with a heavy brick.
The face of the demonized giant she hit caved in instantly. Accompanied by the sickening sound of shattering bone, half of its head was flattened.
The giant didn't even manage a groan before it collapsed backward, life extinguished instantly.
Amir was stunned, but then he started screaming internally, 'Don't jump!!'
He had just suffered for that exact mistake and knew that once you were in the air, you had no leverage. Given the height and weapon weight of the demonized giants, their momentum alone could harm someone dozens of levels higher than them.
But it was already too late.
The girl had already leaped, and the giant's face was already crushed.
Just as Amir feared, while the girl was finishing off the first giant, another giant nearby ignored its fallen comrade and swung a five-meter-long blade toward her.
If that strike landed, the girl, unable to dodge in mid-air, would be cleaved in two. She would likely be shattered upon impact!
Amir could already visualize the scene of her eyes widening in disbelief as she coughed up blood and was cut down.
However... things did not go as he imagined.
As the girl saw the massive blade swinging toward her, a grin of pure exhilaration appeared on her face.
"Perfect!!"
In the next second, she kicked out in mid-air, somehow shifting her body's position. Twisting her waist, she slammed her three-meter greatsword directly against the incoming blade!
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal exploded like a thunderclap.
The girl's petite frame was dwarfed by the demonized giant; anyone would have expected her to be sent flying.
Instead, the result was jaw-dropping.
The giant's massive blade hit her sword as if it had struck an iron mountain. Her greatsword didn't budge an inch; rather, it was the giant's blade that was violently knocked aside!
The girl's wrist only trembled slightly, and a flash of surprise lit up her eyes.
"What impressive strength."
"Roar!!"
The demonized giant howled in disbelief as its weapon was parried. Immediately after, the girl raised her hand and pointed it directly at the creature's eye.
"Holy Light Cannon!!"
Boom!
A blinding, sacred radiance erupted from her small fist. The massive surge of holy power instantly pierced through the giant's eyeball and out the back of its head!
A moment later, the girl began to fall back toward the ground, shouting a name as she did.
"Bailey!"
With a neigh, her mount—the white horse Bailey—galloped to her landing spot, catching her perfectly.
To avoid injuring her beloved horse, she first braced herself against the saddle with one hand, her feet momentarily touching the ground to absorb the impact. She then pulled the reins and flipped herself back into the seat with a single, fluid motion.
Meanwhile, the Black Armored Knights charged into the demon army with unstoppable momentum!
Two more demonized giants were cut down in an instant!
Amir watched the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
However, the Black Armored Knights seemed accustomed to the girl's actions and strength, charging forward with their lances raised without looking back.
Nothing could stand in their way!
This ten thousand man regiment, composed entirely of elites at the rank of Fidelity Knight or higher, acted like a black eraser. Everything in their path was instantly wiped away!
Rumble!
Amir watched as the demons surrounding him were slaughtered by the Black Armored Knights. Not a single demon managed to swing a second time, as they were crushed into paste before they could finish their first attack.
The girl took the lead again, returning to the front of the army.
"Knights, again!!"
"Invincible with me!!"
The Black Armored Knights erupted with fighting spirit once more. Their massive formation, like a great black dragon, wheeled around for another charge.
Amir stood frozen in place.
He watched as the girl and her ten thousand knights easily trampled the scattered demons. In just two passes, less than a tenth of the demons were left standing.
"Black Armored Knights, break into squads of ten and clear the area!!"
Seeing the battle was decided and further mass charges would be inefficient, the girl raised her greatsword and barked the order.
The knights raised their lances in unison and shouted, "Scatter!"
Whoosh!
The massive tide of knights instantly split, transforming from a single wave into countless small streams that began a thorough purge of the 'lucky' surviving demons.
With just one command and no need for further explanation, the knights shifted from a large formation into numerous small units.
It was the first time Amir had ever seen an army with such incredible discipline and execution.
He was so shocked he didn't know what to say, standing there with his mouth agape like a mere spectator.
Then, the girl appeared beside him and lightly patted his shoulder.
"Hey! You still alive?"
Only then did Amir truly snap back to reality, looking up at her instinctively.
"Your servant... Guardian Knight Amir, thanks the Saintess of War for saving his life."
Amir's legs gave way, and he dropped to one knee.
This gesture wasn't just out of gratitude; it was because he had witnessed her strength firsthand. She was undeniably stronger than him by a significant margin.
"At least you still know who I am. That means your head isn't broken,"
Lina muttered, stroking her chin. She glanced at the surrounding area, seeing the mangled armor and bloodstained ground without a single intact corpse, and her brow furrowed slightly.
"Amir, this wasn't your fault."
With those few words, tears welled up in Amir's eyes.
"Thank you... for your concern, Your Highness."
He choked out the words, slowly lowering his head. He felt aggrieved, frustrated, and so deeply ashamed that he couldn't bring himself to look up.
His poor decision had cost the lives of the two hundred knights who followed him.
If he had focused on retreating from the start instead of trying to fight, perhaps everyone would have survived.
But there are no 'ifs' in this world. There is only what has happened.
Having never fought demons before, he now understood with painful clarity exactly what they were. They were creatures with whom rational communication was impossible!
"Alright, take a rest. Once my subordinates finish clearing the battlefield, we'll head back."
"...Yes."
Amir responded with his head down, his face already covered in tears he didn't want anyone to see.
He was terrified of someone witnessing this shameful display.
Suddenly, a snow-white handkerchief fell from above into his hands.
He looked up and saw the side of the Saintess of War's face as she stared into the distance.
"Wipe your tears. Don't let others see them. What's a grown man doing crying? Remember this defeat. Next time, win back their honor with dignity!"
Amidst the lingering sounds of battle on the field, Amir's voice was momentarily lost in the chaos.
"Thank you..."
Rate on N.U.
