Gang!
With a loud clang, Kivric's sword almost slipped out of his hand as he clashed with the Ox Skull Demon. He regretted his decision to attack the demon head-on, realizing that it was a mistake. However, he had no other weapons or fighting styles at his disposal. He had to trust in his swordsmanship and rely on all his experiences to guide him through every moment of the battle.
"Don't underestimate us humans, you bastard!"
Kivric stepped forward, slamming his sword over and over again to keep the demon on the defensive and prevent it from attacking. His sword slashed from all angles, left, right, up, and down. Even though the demon had greater strength, Kivric's speed gave him an advantage.
The heat from the demon's fiery body left Kivric exhausted, as it absorbed energy from those around it. Although many clerics and paladins nearby immediately healed Kivric's injuries, the energy was continuously drained and did not return. Kivric knew he could only resist for a little while longer.
Just then, Devan, who had just finished dealing with a battle robot, intervened. The two nodded to each other, and Kivric stepped back, leaving the rest to the young paladin.
Devan showed no fear as he faced the demon's fire. His body resisted the heat just like Tales'. Unlike Kivric, Devan was not at a disadvantage.
"I'll deal with this demon. Everyone else, stand aside," he ordered.
"Lord Devan!" Kivric and many Atezian soldiers called out his name, placing their faith in him.
Devan raised his sword and summoned white flames that enveloped the blade.
"Holy flames, be my strength!" Devan shouted as he slashed his sword.
White flames surged forth from the blade, having a significant impact that only burned his enemies while healing his allies.
The white flames merged with the sword, and Devan collided with the demon's blade, determined to eliminate his enemy directly.
He moved his sword faster and with more force than Kivric, striking the blade several times until the demon's entire body was covered in deep wounds.
The fire-resistant figure began to burn under the white fire filled with divine power.
Despite the summon of Alkaiser, the demon was not weak and was better than ten to twenty other paladins put together. Nevertheless, Devan obliterated it with his white light, causing its giant pendulum and sword to sublimate first, followed by its entire body disintegrating.
As Devan surveyed the battlefield, one of Sonata's soldiers approached him from behind.
The holy paladin quickly realized the danger and threw a powerful fist, which was strong enough to send a human with complete thick armor flying hundreds of meters.
However, the soldier stopped his fist, intent on showing Devan that there was more than one monster on the battlefield.
"We're Commander Sonata's soldiers. Don't underestimate me," the soldier roared, baring his teeth.
His figure gradually changed, his face extending, and his body enlarging. Sharp teeth appeared in his mouth, replacing his human teeth, and an acute sickle replaced one of his arms.
"Razer Hound-3," one of Sonata's mutant soldiers smiled as he realized that their army had arrived.
***--------------------------------------------------------------------***
Waldo, the wielder of the holy ice sword, surveyed the battlefield with a stern expression. He found the unknown army less menacing than the people's army, some of whom were unarmed and fought with tools meant for farming.
Attacking these villagers, while seemingly innocuous, could tarnish his excellent reputation.
Many knights felt uneasy about facing off against the villagers. Not all of them were savages who caused harm without remorse. Some soldiers may have even had ties to the very people they were fighting against.
Despite his reluctance, Waldo knew that his side had no chance of winning the war.
The only thing left was the capital, Atezia, and even if they miraculously won this battle, there would be no hope for the future. Villagers and soldiers from other cities would join Chaos until they won, leaving them with no chance.
..The only way to improve their chances would be to cut off Cerise's head...
Amidst the chaos of the battle, Waldo quickly located his target - a nine-tailed fox larger than a house.
Waldo had a rare skill that only a few had ever witnessed. Even the Divine Ice Technique, acquired through the power of the Glacius Holy Sword, was one of his best, but his true prowess lay in his ability to wield up to nine swords at once.
Waldo unleashed his technique with nine swords, as if an invisible hand was controlling them to fly at high speed towards the giant flaming fox in front of him.
The nine swords collided with the Nine-Tailed Fox in a fantastic coincidence.
This particular technique was one of Atezia's Sword Art, obtained by an inventor from a foreign swordsman thousands of years ago. Atezia's Sword Art was once considered one of the world's most terrifying sword arts.
But over time, much of its essence had decayed, and now only a few simple techniques remained that all paladins could use in battle.
Waldo's family was the only one that still kept the original contents of Atezia's Sword Art.
"Glacius," Waldo whispered, and one of the swords that he had slashed towards Cerise's throat was covered in a cold aura.
"Shadow Edge," a black curved sword slammed into the ground, continuing to fall into its shadow.
It was a pity that Waldo was only wielding two magical swords at the time, which proved insufficient to carry out his plan to assassinate Cerise. However, he believed that if he had the other seven fine swords at his disposal, it would have been enough to achieve his goal.
Unfortunately, he did not anticipate the power of Nine Tails, who moved with great agility and strength. Seven of the nine swords that Waldo wielded were smashed to pieces by Nine Tails' tails, which moved around like serpents.
The Glacias, one of the two remaining swords, was stopped mid-air by a flaming tail.
The Shadow Edge was knocked by the ninth tail and pinned to the ground."
"Waldo Kyle," Cerise turned to him with a smile. "A sneak attack like this doesn't seem like a paladin's way."
Waldo remained silent, forcefully pulling back the remaining two swords into his hands with magic. He had missed a great opportunity, but he was confident that he had not lost to her.
***-------------------------------------------------------------------***
The battle with the Chronicle Dragon had reached a turning point. Sonata had tried out various fighting styles until he was satisfied, and had already taken samples of the dragon's blood and tissue.
However, he had not killed the fallen dragon when numerous soldiers appeared.
"I told you not to waste too much time on the dragon," Alto grumbled as they found themselves under siege.
"Stop complaining and help us clear the way," Vanay retorted.
The soldiers surrounding them moved to open a path for a group of men that seemed to be high-ranking aristocrats, with the greedy and foolish King Baldric Atezia at the forefront.
"A rat caught in a trap, just as you predicted," the king remarked to his aide.
"It seems that the plan to spread rumors about a deadly weapon hidden in the castle worked to deceive these guys," the aide replied.
"It's not just that plan," Prince Briden chimed in with a wicked grin. "Lord Drurel's scheme to lure some of the Chaos troops into the city and trap them has also been successful. Tina should have already taken the heads of the great Chaos generals by now."
"They probably think that we'll retreat to defend the city if we can't fight," the Chief of Staff concluded. "That's why they sent these people to wait for the opportunity to open the city gate secretly. But they don't know that we know their movements as well. After we defeated the rats that wandered in and spawned outside, Chaos is almost lost because they follow us half a step behind."
Sonata was not surprised that the Atezian leaders might know about the secret passage, and Tales was found before he could open the city gates because Sonata had already anticipated it.
The news about the secret weapon was unconventional, and Sonata had considered it as well. He just wanted to see it for himself to make sure Atezia did not have any deadly cards to change the game.
This war was like a board game with a predetermined outcome favoring Chaos. Sonata only wanted to ensure that the probability of loss, which remained less than one percent, was reduced to zero. He had come here only to confirm that his thoughts were correct.