Thud!
Balu hit the ground hard, and immediately, several knightly swords were pressed against his throat. Someone with a heavy hand left a bloody line across his neck.
The once-proud commander instantly deflated.
Succubus Naya wasn't faring much better; she was rolling on the ground, clutching her head, dodging both blades and the Holy Light Beams shooting towards her at intervals.
The veteran knights unleashed a barrage of Holy Light Beams, clearly aiming to capture Naya alive if possible—or kill her if they couldn't.
Succubus Naya's heart pounded in terror. Succubi weren't meant for direct combat!
These knights were relentless; she didn't even have time to shout out a surrender, fearing that the slightest delay would get her killed.
Daniel leapt down from his Unicorn, moving with a powerful sidestep that spanned five or six meters, and grabbed hold of Succubus Naya—by her tail!
"Eep!" Naya shuddered, clutching her backside and staring at Daniel in horror, frozen with fear.
Daniel pressed his sword against Naya's neck and shouted, "Order those demons to stop!"
Not far off, a few hundred knights, rushing to join Daniel's group, were about to merge with his position.
Ahead of them loomed a mass of demons.
Yet they had chosen to gamble on Daniel and charge forward!
It was clear now that they'd bet correctly.
The few hundred knights, most of whom had arrived on foot, thought Daniel and his team were on the brink of death. Instead, they found that victory was already within reach.
The Demon Clan's commanders had truly been captured!
Realizing they were defeated, Naya's face contorted, and she, along with the other two commanders, ordered the Demon Clan soldiers to halt their attack.
The demons at the front, seeing their commanders had been captured, abruptly stopped; those behind, unaware of the situation, collided with the demons in front, causing disorder in the ranks.
The demon formation fell into chaos.
"No, no, how could this happen?" Succubus Naya muttered, shaken to the core by such a devastating defeat, her confidence shattered.
If she'd known, she would never have left the extinct volcano.
Daniel tightened his grip on Naya's neck and shouted, "If you want to live, order these demons to return from where they came!"
Clad in gleaming silver armor, holding up the Demon Clan commander, Daniel became the focal point for tens of thousands of demons and human knights alike in the night.
The outer ring of human knights, their faces smeared with blood, breathed heavily, their hearts pounding. They'd nearly reached their breaking point, each knight standing shoulder to shoulder, forming a half-circle that held off the demon horde for a good twenty seconds.
They had never done anything so insane in their lives!
Now, reflecting on it, they realized just how close to madness they had come.
But they had won!
Watching Daniel stand proudly against the overwhelming mass of demons, a surge of wild passion rose in the hearts of the knights.
Anna swept her blood-soaked hair back, her eyes on Daniel, a fiery desire blazing within her. She had to have this man!
She even entertained the idea of doing it right here, in front of everyone, in the open, under the very eyes of all the demons. God, how thrilling would that be!
No one had ever done anything like it.
Anna felt a tingling sensation below, lost in a haze of exhilaration.
Jolene, kneeling and catching her breath, leaned on her sword, noticing Anna's eager expression and the slight tremble in her body, a giant question mark forming in her mind.
The sliver of moon was slowly obscured by clouds.
Daniel and his group of knights, now several hundred strong, returned in triumph, leading the three Demon Clan commanders bound as prisoners.
Of course, these were only commanders from a single battlefield, and though their rank was far below that of Coruna Heights' Holy Maiden, this victory was nothing short of miraculous.
In the history of this training battlefield, such a feat had only been accomplished once before, if ever.
No.
Capturing Demon Clan commanders alive had never happened in Coruna Heights' recorded history—not until this moment!
"Merit officer! Make sure to write down every knight's name who was here today. If Coruna Heights doesn't recognize their contributions, I will! Especially those who charged with me in the first wave!" Daniel commanded boldly, gripping the merit officer by the arm.
"Yes, yes, of course!" the merit officer replied, wincing in pain from an arm injury he had just hastily bandaged after the battle.
As he processed Daniel's words, a rush of heat filled his head, followed by a shiver down his spine. Quickly, he looked around.
At least a dozen knights stood nearby, having overheard.
"Oh, Daniel, you mustn't say things like that so freely. If anyone from Coruna Heights hears you're promising rewards outside official channels, they'll come after you. You're too much in the spotlight right now. You need to be careful, extremely careful."
Jolene nodded, concerned. "Daniel, the merit officer's right."
But Daniel shook his head, speaking even louder. "No, without all of you, none of this would have been possible. Everyone deserves recognition! This is something I owe each of you! And when we return to Coruna Heights, I'll at least cover everyone's drinking tab! I can handle a few hundred people drinking for three or four days!"
He didn't lower his voice; everyone around could hear.
The surrounding knights erupted in cheers.
"Long live Daniel!"
"Daniel, you're my king!"
"Daniel!"
"Daniel!"
The excitement swept over everyone, a fervor spreading through the ranks like wildfire.
Only the knights who had stayed behind at the base could watch with envy.
Just moments ago, they hadn't believed Daniel's seemingly suicidal charge could succeed; they'd thought he wouldn't make it back alive.
And yet, Daniel returned—with three Demon Clan commanders, alive!
Now, the glory had nothing to do with them, and they were left with only endless regret.
They knew they might forever be shut out from Daniel's inner circle.
Many of them realized that, in just one night, despite Daniel being registered in Coruna Heights' records as merely a common knight, he had amassed hundreds of loyal followers who would stand by him through anything.
Daniel's command and leadership had reached their peak.
Tonight had been a night of madness.
Knights from other bases, only now catching wind of the events, were overwhelmed with shock as they came to gather information.
Who exactly was Daniel?
How could he pull off something so absurd?
With the commanders of the extinct volcano captured, why should they even remain at their own bases?
Would the Demon Clan still dare to attack humanity's camps?
Most likely, they'd be cowering within the extinct volcano, too scared to emerge.
It was madness.
Everyone was swept up in the chaos tonight!
Dozens of bonfires lit up the base, and men and women reveled in wild abandon. Some even snuck off into dark corners, engaging in thrilling acts, the sounds of women's soft gasps and men's deep grunts filling the air.
No one worried about the Demon Clan commanders escaping.
They were bound tight, half-buried in the ground, standing like miserable posts beside the central bonfire, unable to move.
Daniel and over seventy knights formed a ring around them, keeping watch.
They drank, feasted, and celebrated.
These seventy knights were the same ones who'd chosen to charge with Daniel at the very start, determined to capture the Demon Clan commanders.
Though, perhaps the only one not joining the celebrations was the quartermaster.
With a single order from Daniel, the entire stock of food and drink at the base had been brought out, and there was no stopping it.
"Ohhh! More, more!"
"Make it spicier!"
In the middle of the bonfire circle, female knights in fiery crop tops danced a spirited cheer routine, their movements bold and energetic, with glimpses of lingerie, cleavage, and long legs making the knights cheer and shout in excitement.
The night of madness came to an end.
Somehow, Succubus Naya managed to escape.
When Daniel heard the news, he didn't seem concerned.
Female knight Anna was moving up and down on his lower body.Swallowing his rod.Anna's deep throat technique was not very skilled.She rolled her eyes as she swallowed, with sounds of gagging coming through.
Daniel paid no attention to Anna's discomfort and suddenly pressed down on her head."Ah!" Daniel groaned softly.Suddenly, the accumulated liquid spurted into Anna's throat.
Anna had fought fiercely alongside him last night to take down the Demon Clan, so she deserved a reward!
Daniel pushed Anna away, and a bit of white liquid splattered onto her chest.
Anna's face flushed red as she coughed repeatedly.Clearly, she had swallowed quite a bit of the liquid and ended up choking on it.Jolene was sleeping nearby.
Another female knight, gagged and dressed in a simple short shirt, lay beside them, her entire body bound tightly."
The female knight was, in fact, Succubus Naya in her human form!
There was no way Daniel would hand Succubus Naya over to be taken to Coruna Heights; he intended to keep her by his side until she fully submitted.
Last night had run too late, so he hadn't had time to deal with Naya.
So, when Daniel heard his men report that the Succubus had 'escaped,' he paid it no mind.
After all, it was all part of his plan.