Originally, the Holy Queen had led her personal guards and the members of the knights' order with the intention of eliminating nearby demons while waiting for the arrival of the main force.
However, instead of the main force, what arrived was Peroroncino.
The unconscious Remedios opened her eyes. Surrounding her were several soldiers, all members of the knights' order. These people bore varying degrees of external injuries.
A small number had died.
"Commander, you're finally awake!"
"Where is the Holy Queen?"
"Where is Kelart?"
"Commander, when we woke up, the Holy Queen and Kelart were already gone."
Now, only a group of wounded soldiers remained, and half of the priests from the Holy Queen's personal guard had been killed. Although many members of the knights' order survived, few retained their combat capability.
It was at this moment that a large contingent of the Holy Kingdom's army finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
"Lady Remedios, where is Her Highness the Holy Queen?"
"The Holy Queen has been taken by servants of Jaldabaoth! We must rescue her! Does anyone know where Jaldabaoth is now?" Remedios asked anxiously.
"We just received word—Jaldabaoth is currently in the plaza of Kalinsha, and there's a massive number of demons in the area!"
"They have demons, but we have angels!"
The people of the Holy Kingdom, like those of the Slane Theocracy, also possess magic to summon angels.
At this moment, Remedios deeply regretted her earlier decisions. She had believed that since Adamantite-ranked adventurers could defeat Jaldabaoth, he couldn't be all that powerful.
Because of this, she had voluntarily proposed that they move ahead to clear out the demons, planning to wait for the main force to arrive while doing so.
Originally, Remedios hadn't intended to bring the Holy Queen along, but the Holy Queen insisted on contributing her strength, so they set out together.
The knights' order and the Holy Queen's personal guard were the most elite forces of the Holy Kingdom. Remedios believed that even if they encountered danger, they would be able to retreat unscathed.
Thus, she had agreed to let the Holy Queen join the expedition.
Now, she deeply regretted that decision. All she could do now was desperately lead the soldiers to defeat Jaldabaoth and rescue the Holy Queen.
Under Remedios' leadership, the Holy Kingdom's main forces swept through their enemies, effortlessly defeating every demon they encountered along the way.
When the army's generals inquired, "How was the Holy Queen captured?" she consistently avoided giving a direct answer, instead replying, "The priority right now is rescuing the Holy Queen!"
The army finally arrived at the plaza, where Jaldabaoth stood in the center.
"Jaldabaoth, hand over the Holy Queen!"
"If you want me to hand her over, you'll need to defeat me with your strength!"
"Command the angels to attack!"
Thousands of angels surged toward Jaldabaoth.
Jaldabaoth lightly stomped his foot, and a wave of energy burst forth from his body. All the angels near him were instantly reduced to ashes.
"Summon new angels. In the meantime, I'll hold him off."
Remedios drew the Holy Sword and dashed toward Jaldabaoth in a single stride.
"Martial Art: Evil Slayer!" (Remedios' unique martial art, capable of dealing massive damage to demons.)
Caught completely off guard, Jaldabaoth was struck by the attack. He was sent flying and crashed into a nearby building.
"How can this be?" Remedios was stunned.
She recalled being utterly crushed by the overwhelming power of Jaldabaoth's subordinate, yet fighting Jaldabaoth himself had proven so unexpectedly easy.
"Launch a ranged attack!" the general commanded.
In an instant, a barrage of arrows and spells rained down on Jaldabaoth's position.
The sound of magical explosions echoed one after another.
For a long while, no sound came from the rubble.
Just as the soldiers began to believe they had secured victory, a voice emerged from within the debris.
"Impressive strength. I suppose it's time for me to get serious!"
As the smoke cleared, a massive red demon appeared before the crowd.
If Peroroncino were present, he would have recognized it as "Wrath," one of Demiurge's three great demon generals.
"Roar!"
The sound of its roar unleashed a powerful shockwave.
Jaldabaoth let out a furious roar, causing many soldiers to instinctively take a step back in fear.
"Have you ever experienced true despair?"
Jaldabaoth began advancing toward the crowd, step by step.
"Order the angels to attack!"
The general gave the command, and the angels charged at Jaldabaoth.
Jaldabaoth opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames, instantly incinerating all the angels in the sky.
Remedios took the lead, charging straight at Jaldabaoth.
As the commander of the Holy Kingdom's knights, she would never retreat a single step.
Using the surrounding buildings to gain height, she leapt high into the air, channeling all her strength into the Holy Sword.
The strike landed heavily on Jaldabaoth, yet it didn't leave a single mark.
In the next moment, Jaldabaoth swatted Remedios away with a single slap.
She was sent flying, crashing through a building before hitting the ground, her fate uncertain.
"This is our homeland! We cannot allow demons to slaughter our families here!"
"We stand united and will surely defeat the demons!"
The general shouted desperately, trying to lessen the soldiers' fear.
"Cavalry, charge!"
Tens of thousands of cavalry charged at Jaldabaoth, their figures insignificant before his immense presence.
Jaldabaoth began slaughtering the soldiers mercilessly.
The priests' magic continued to rain down on Jaldabaoth without pause, yet it was completely ineffective—it couldn't even harm a single hair on his body.
A sense of despair spread through the crowd.
"This isn't an opponent humans can fight against!"
Many priests had exhausted their magic. All they could do now was stare blankly at Jaldabaoth, muttering to themselves.
Jaldabaoth slammed his fist into the area with the densest concentration of cavalry. Thousands of soldiers were instantly killed by the sheer force of the blow, while many others were sent flying by the resulting shockwave, tumbling from their horses.
"A monster! This is a monster!"
"This is something no human can possibly stand against!"
Panic took hold, and many soldiers began to flee.
If they had been able to wound him, perhaps they wouldn't have lost heart. But after all this time, they hadn't managed to leave a single mark on his body.
This couldn't even be called a battle—it was a one-sided massacre.
"No one is allowed to flee!" the general commanded, ordering his personal guards to attack the deserters.
In the next moment, Jaldabaoth leaped into the center of the Holy Kingdom's army, right in front of the general.
He grabbed the general from his horse and crushed him into a bloody mist.
With the loss of their leader, the soldiers began to panic and flee, desperately wishing they could grow four legs to escape faster.
Jaldabaoth didn't continue to pursue the fleeing soldiers. His goal had already been achieved.
He had shown the Holy Kingdom the terrifying power of the Demon Emperor, Jaldabaoth.
End of chapter
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