In the area outside the castle, the old prison became a hiding place for Baldric and the surviving soldiers after the Chaos Army invaded the capital through the crumbling city walls.
The continuous fighting caused the royal army, which had tens of thousands of soldiers, to dwindle to only a few hundred within a week.
Despite everyone admitting defeat, Devan and Tina continued to fight bravely against their enemies, often leaving Baldric's group to face the Chaos soldiers and returning with bruises.
"The King must escape," Tina told Yaron as they discussed the remaining plans. The capital city was no longer safe for them, and their only chance of survival was to flee to other cities and rebuild their army.
"Reflinton is a city known for its strong military might, but we should not consider it as an option. It's too close to Revarent," Yaron shook his head, going through the list of important cities on their side but finding none of them suitable.
"We need to stay as far away as possible from Deacon and the capital," he added.
"What about Zodaria?" Yaron suggested but quickly gave up on the idea. Zodaria was a small, peaceful island nation and did not want to involve them in Atezia's internal problems. Even if they agreed to help, escaping to the island was no better than what they were facing now.
"There are many cities in the south that are still on our side. We have no choice but to go south," Tina concluded.
Yaron, Devan, and Tina discussed their escape plan with the King. Baldric and Briden were upset about leaving the capital, but they had no other choice. This was the only plan they could choose.
...useless plan...
Waldo stood with his arms crossed, listening from a distance. Running away was on his mind, but he didn't think he could take Baldric and the nobles with him. The idea of finding more forces to reorganize the troops seemed impossible. Their defeat caused most people to turn to Chaos' side.
Waldo considered escaping alone. He was not as loyal to the King as the other two holy paladins.
He had even thought of giving Baldric's head to Cerise to gain her favor, but he recognized that he had used his power and prestige to do some depraved actions. If the new queen, Cerise, knew about it, she probably would not spare him.
Sticking around Baldric was not a good idea at all. What was his reason for still lingering in the vicinity…?
Flenirus and Frakarian, the holy swords, were in the hands of Tina and Devan, and Baldric was still determined to acquire them by any means necessary.
Baldric's group had managed to escape the capital by disguising themselves as villagers. The Queen had ordered the way to be opened for those seeking to flee, and Cerise suspected that Baldric had taken advantage of this opportunity.
However, she decided not to execute him, believing that Atezia would never submit to his leadership again.
Baldric and his team continued southward as planned.
The arduous journey had resulted in the deaths of many soldiers, with some deserting the army day by day. Only a few weeks after departing, the number of people remaining was less than half of the original count.
"We need to take a break," Devan said, his voice tense. He could endure exhaustion, but he worried about his subordinates who might not be able to bear it anymore. He felt they should stop in one of the villages to restock supplies and give the wounded soldiers time to recover.
"All the villages in this area are compatible with Chaos," Tina said, her tone anxious. Besides the soldiers, she also worried about the condition of the King and the Prince, who had never experienced such hardship before. She was uncertain whether they would survive until the end.
They avoided villages and communities as much as possible, fearing that the Chaos soldiers would recognize them and attack. However, this only made matters worse, as bandits or wild devils lurked along the deserted path.
Then, the day arrived when Waldo's evil plan was revealed. The group had reached a certain point when the rain began to pour down.
No one suspected Waldo's relationship with the bandits who suddenly appeared and attacked.
"Thieves! Protect the King and the Prince!" Devan shouted to alert everyone in the pouring rain. He courageously leaped into the midst of the bandits and swiftly killed many enemies.
Tina, Waldo, and several other knights surrounded Baldric and Briden, amazed that the bandits possessed skills similar to those of well-trained soldiers. During the battle, Waldo's sinister intent was revealed. Instead of aiding in the fight against the bandits, he turned toward Tina.
From a dark corner where the female paladin could not see, a sword shot out from Waldo's shadow. Tina sensed the killing intent and quickly turned around, but her body would not move as she wanted due to the ice that had covered most of her body, courtesy of Waldo's spell.
Then, the infamous shadow sword pierced through her hand...
Tina struggled to move. She was almost immobilized. Suddenly, seven swords flew at her from all directions.
...Mega Shield...
Tina cast a defensive spell without even uttering its name. The magic provided her with significant protection, but she still could not withstand the force of Waldo's blade, which carried his fighting spirit.
"What are you planning to do?" Tina coughed up blood. She should have used her thunder magic. If she had, she might have been able to fight Waldo better.
"There's no personal animosity, but please die here for me," Waldo said with a sly smile. He exerted force on the eight swords that were still embedded in Tina's body, causing them to penetrate deeper.
However, the outcome was different from what he had expected due to Tina's increased defense, which she had cultivated through hard work and training.
"Stop right there, Waldo. What do you think you're doing?" King Baldric shouted.
Waldo did not care. After realizing that eight swords were not enough to kill Tina, he wielded the holy sword in his hand and thrust it at her. The repeated thrusts killed several other knights randomly while Tina still managed to defend against his attacks.
"Traitor!" Prince Briden was so enraged that his hands trembled.
He misunderstood that Waldo had already been bought by Chaos. He did not know that Waldo only coveted Tina and Devan's swords.
Devan was pushed out of the fight by a group of bandits. He turned around and saw exactly what had happened to Tina.
He was seething with anger, almost driven mad by the sight before him as he tried to come to terms with what had just happened. The hand continued to battle their enemy, but he knew now that Waldo was the cause of all the chaos.
Devan attempted to reach out to Tina, to help her, but the bandits under Waldo's command blocked his path.
Despite Tina's swordsmanship, magical abilities, and vast experience, she was now seriously injured due to the sudden attack from the one she had trusted. She was reluctant to kill Waldo, who had once fought alongside her, even though he had made it clear that he no longer cared for their friendship.
"Holy Thunder" Tina waited for an opportune moment to strike, as the other combatants backed away. She fired a bolt of lightning from the tip of her sword, aiming to target only Waldo.
He had seen this move hundreds of thousands of times and knew how to defend against it, even better than his ultimate sword art.
Tina, on the other hand, was caught off guard. She did not expect Waldo to use Shadow Edge against her again.
Suddenly, a black, curved sword was thrust into her shadow, causing blood to spurt from her throat and holding her neck in the air, rendering her unable to move.
Despite her experience, she struggled to find a way out of this condition. She attempted to redirect her shadow with lightning magic, but her actions were too slow.
The middle-aged woman's head fell from her neck as Waldo's Holy Ice Sword struck with full force.
It marked the tragic conclusion of one of the Three Holy Paladins.
"No!" Devan's anguished cry echoed as if the entire world had crumbled around him. The woman he had admired, who had inspired him to become a knight, lay lifeless before him, slain by his own master.