Boom! Boom!!
The sound was like two massive bronze bells colliding repeatedly.
Each boom caused the earth to tremble and crack.
As the two figures constantly shifted positions within the swirling sand, the cracks on the ground spread even faster.
Soon, they had reached my feet.
Massive elemental mana pulsed through the air, and a strong sense of danger surged through my mind.
"Go. Leave this place to the Beast Sovereign."
The current situation on the battlefield could be described as evenly matched, or perhaps as both sides suffering heavy losses.
Under the initial blessing of the two Saintesses, the knights had almost completely crushed the individual powerhouses of the demon army who lacked battle formation skills.
However, when the two Saintesses fell one after another, the morale of the entire knight army plummeted.
Many knights had already begun charging toward this position, forcing their way through even in the most desperate circumstances.
Although I couldn't see the entire battlefield from my position, I could guess that the current situation was far from optimistic.
"Your Highness, the Saint's Carriage is no longer usable!"
Dominica approached, supporting Lina. By now, Lina's external injuries had mostly healed.
However, the holy energy within her was almost entirely exhausted, and she wouldn't be able to return to the battlefield for a short time.
She wore a look of helplessness on her face.
"I'm sorry... I really couldn't hold out any longer."
"It's fine. It's not your fault."
In truth, I hadn't expected her to hold out for very long. Holding out for even one more minute was enough.
"Leave the rest to me. Though... you still have some use?"
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you planning? I'm already like this, what more do you want me to do?"
Lina looked at me with a 'Are you a demon?' expression, her eyes filled with despair.
I gave a slight smile.
"Don't worry, I'm not a demon. I won't send you to your death."
Lina's lip twitched. After thinking it over, she could only accept her fate and nodded.
"Fine, whatever you want. As long as you don't hand me over to the demons, do as you please!"
"Heh, no rush. I believe this Demon Emperor... won't be that simple."
The Kingdom of the Moon had many demon spies, and I believed the demons had already received word when the knights set out.
In that case, he only had two choices.
One was to recall the grand army from the front lines, and the other was to use some methods I wasn't aware of.
Currently, it wasn't very wise to immediately recall the front-line army, but I believed news must have reached the front by now.
The demon army would either withdraw from the Kingdom of the Sun or grit their teeth and ignore their home base to continue the invasion.
If they chose the latter, this move might lose its effectiveness.
But I believed... the demons wouldn't dare to gamble!
This home base, though lacking enough females, was the base they had built over a thousand years.
There were bound to be many demon trump cards here.
So, the Demon Emperor could only do two things.
First, resist us and hold out without recalling the front-line army, then start recalling them once they could no longer resist.
However, even if they wanted to recall the army now, the demons would have to hold out against our offensive for at least half a month.
When the demon island moves toward the northern and southern coasts, it follows the ocean currents.
Before leaving, I had investigated the ocean currents in detail.
These currents undergo a major low tide once every ten years.
During the low tide, the deep-sea currents surge toward the continental shelf and then swirl back across the surface.
Simply put, this month's ocean currents moved in a flat U-shape.
As they hit the continental shelf on the seabed, the seawater would climb all the way to the top of the shelf and then flow back in the direction it came from.
This created a natural spectacle.
If one looked down from the sky...
One could see that the sea on both sides of the connection between the demon island and the continent was constantly flowing away into the distance.
It was exactly the same in both the north and south.
This meant that the demon army could leave by boat toward the north or south at this time.
But to return quickly, they could only do so during high tide, when the waters connected and the ocean submerged the strait between the demon island and the continent.
Once this process began, it would last for ten years.
During those ten years, countless undercurrents and whirlpools would appear in the strait.
These eddies turned the area into a forbidden zone for ships; no vessel could pass through.
I had been somewhat uncertain about how to survive those two weeks, but the Beast Sovereign's arrival had indeed given me a boost of confidence.
As the Beast Sovereign, Riccardo would surely bring a large number of beastmen elites when he set out.
While this wasn't the full power of both races, it represented at least thirty percent of their strength.
However, the final retreat was still a bit troublesome.
Of course, I had already explained this clearly to the Dragon King in advance.
He would find a way, though I didn't know what that way would be.
"Lancelot, have Mr. Momo come over. We're riding the dragon."
I glanced back at Boris and Andre.
"You two, return to your cavalry units immediately. Gather as many men as you can and withdraw from the battle formation at once."
"Dominica, prepare the signal flags. Notify all knights to break through the enemy lines!"
To crush the demon army here as quickly as possible, I had to use my trump card.
"Your Majesty Riccardo, I'll leave this to you for now. Three minutes! Retreat immediately after three minutes!"
I shouted into the depths of the swirling sand, and Lancelot beside me gave a slight nod.
"Your Highnesses, please step onto the cross."
Seeing the cross laid flat, I stepped onto it without hesitation. Dominica also helped Lina onto the cross but then walked off toward the distance.
After all, she had to send the signal flags.
"Dominica, be careful."
"Yes!"
"Your Highnesses, stand firm!"
Seeing that we were on the cross, Lancelot took a deep breath and grabbed one end of the cross.
He threw it upward with a sudden heave!
I had thought I would take to the sky in a cool manner.
Instead, the force of the impact made my knees buckle instantly, and I fell onto the cold cross.
Lina, on the other hand, still had much more strength than I did even without her holy energy, and she managed to stay on her feet.
With a 'whoosh,' my body was suddenly airborne.
Everything on the ground shrank rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, we had reached a height of over a hundred meters.
My ears were filled with a buzzing ring, and I felt as if my eardrums were about to burst.
Just then, a massive figure flapped its wings and flashed past below us. My vision blurred, and then I was sitting on Mr. Momo.
Once my position was stable, Lancelot leapt up and joined us.
But I had no time to worry about that. I pinched my nose and blew outward to equalize the pressure.
The sensation of something pressing hard against my ears loosened considerably.
I immediately turned to look down.
At this moment, the entire knight army was in total chaos.
The right wing had been broken into three separate columns.
Though the left wing was barely holding on, their line was stretched incredibly thin, and their speed had dropped by more than a level.
The central command had split into two columns, one merging with the right wing and the other with the left.
The rear guard, acting as a fresh force, was heading straight for the clash between Riccardo and the Demon Emperor, Asacreus.
Judging by their movement, they were likely trying to rescue the two Saintesses.
Because of the enemy's layers of obstruction, those knights couldn't see the situation inside the battle formation. If this continued, it would be trouble.
"Lancelot, can you communicate with Mr. Momo?"
Lancelot furrowed his brow slightly.
"In response to Your Highness, while I cannot hold a normal conversation yet, I can manage short words."
"Good!"
I looked down at the knight army below. No matter what, I had to restore order to the entire army right now.
"Have Mr. Momo descend to thirty meters above the ground and follow my lead."
"Yes!!"
"Tell Mr. Momo to notify the Dragon Knight Corps. Prepare dragon breath in three minutes."
"Yes!"
Lancelot gave two crisp replies, turned, and let out a strange, low growl from his throat.
Then, Mr. Momo replied:
"Roar!"
Immediately after, Mr. Momo's body... tilted sharply downward.
That single movement almost sent me sliding off.
If Lina hadn't been quick enough to grab me, I would have been Saintess-brand meat paste in the next second.
I didn't have time to complain to Mr. Momo or Lancelot.
With a wave of my hand, the Moon Banner and the Holy Cross Sword both returned to my grip.
That was the beauty of Sacred Treasures; as long as I wasn't dead, I had absolute control over them.
Even if these two Sacred Treasures fell into enemy hands, I could still recall them from a distance unless the opponent had a powerful sealing ability to suppress them immediately.
I watched as Mr. Momo's speed dropped by seventy meters in a flash, going from a height of a hundred meters to just thirty meters above the ground.
At this height, I could clearly see the faces of the people below.
There was no longer any need to shout loudly. The knights only had to look up to see me holding the Moon Banner.
Still, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"I am the Saintess of the Moon, Luo Li Saint Sariel! All knights, heed my command! Charge toward my position!!"
I hung the Holy Cross Sword at my waist and gripped the Moon Banner tightly with both hands against my chest.
I tilted my head back and looked toward the sky.
"O Holy One! Please protect me and my people!!"
I raised the Moon Banner high above my head and let out a sharp cry:
"Protect the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner—!"
Boom—!
The sky suddenly flashed with light, and in the next second, the entire world was plunged into darkness.
Yet above this darkness, a bright moon slowly rose, scattering silver light across the land.
In that instant, the overall attributes of all knights were enhanced.
【Protect the Brilliant Night with My Moon Banner】
I had tested the boosting power of this skill repeatedly, and my final conclusion was:
Its bonus was applied after all other attribute bonuses were calculated, increasing the final sum.
This increase was terrifying, as it multiplied everything after all other buffs and skill attributes had already stacked.
It was practically a mass-level buff ability.
In an instant, all the knights—even the wounded ones—regained a portion of their combat strength.
At the same time, it granted them a one-time damage immunity.
The knights' formation stabilized at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Meanwhile, the knights who could hear my voice immediately passed my orders down the line.
In the distance, Dominica finally found the signal platform. After quickly signaling three times, she began to fight her way out.
Since the 'three minutes' command couldn't be spoken directly, this was the only way.
I finally understood that this demon army was not the regular demon army.
There wasn't even a single demon marshal; the Demon Emperor himself was leading the charge.
Clearly, the demons had staked their entire foundation on the Kingdom of the Sun this time.
We absolutely could not be defeated here.
"Fly in that direction! Hover two hundred meters away from the battlefield!"
I pointed toward the distance, having mapped out the positions of all the knight units in my mind.
There was only one direction in which they could break out of the demon lines within three minutes.
"Yes!!"
Lancelot nodded and gave a low growl. Mr. Momo responded with a dragon roar and flew straight toward the distance.
And that bright moon in the sky moved along with me.
I wasn't afraid no matter how far we went; as long as that full moon was there, the knights would know where to charge.
I looked back at the center of the battlefield, where the fight between Ricardo and Asacreus was still ongoing.
A battle between two level seventy powerhouses was not something that could be decided in a short time.
Usually, at this level, it either ended with one side exhausting their strength or one side choosing to retreat.
None of these level seventy powerhouses could be killed by a single blow when they were fighting at full power.
"Luo Li, are we really not going to help him?"
Lina's gaze also turned toward the center of the battlefield. Right now, victory depended not only on the knights' battle but also on the outcome between these top-tier powerhouses.
If Ricardo lost, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"It's fine. I still have a trump card."
Lina was stunned for a moment and instinctively turned to look at me.
"Then why didn't you use it just now?"
"It was too early. The Demon Emperor hasn't played a single trump card yet."
I gave Lina a look. If I had used Hero Creation just now, I might have been able to match the Demon Emperor for a while, but the final result would have been the same.
This skill only exerted its greatest effect when both sides were nearly exhausted.
After all, Lina was only in her sixties; even with a level seventy powerhouse possessing her, she couldn't compare to a level seventy powerhouse in their prime.
So, we had to wait!
I had to wait for the perfect moment to use that skill.
As for what would happen after that, I could only take it one step at a time.
In a war like this, whoever had the most trump cards had the best chance of having the last laugh.
I looked down at the Demon Emperor, and his words 'It's almost time' echoed in my mind.
It was impossible for the demon army to retreat and return in less than half a month.
Even if they used every bit of power to sail against the current, it would take at least ten days.
So it definitely didn't fit the phrase 'almost time.'
What... was he actually thinking?
At this moment, the situation on the battlefield underwent a massive reversal due to my skill!
A mass-buff ability was practically a bug in a war!
The knights' charge began anew. This time, the demons who had barely been able to block them could no longer withstand the knights' assault.
The knights, divided into nine columns, completely tore the battlefield apart.
The knights shouted at the top of their lungs as their momentum shifted, charging toward my position in a near-crushing fashion.
Seeing this, half the weight on my heart was lifted.
According to this situation, they would exit the battle formation within three minutes.
At that time, I would use the dragon breath to wipe out the demons who had gathered to give chase.
Next, we would see what card the Demon Emperor would play.
Rate on N.U.
