Chapter 101: The Shadow Behind

When Liliya led a group of powerful allies to the palace entrance, the air was filled with the sounds of battle. Countless silver-armored knight princesses were clashing with black-armored soldiers, along with a mixed group of individuals in various attires, much like the previous attackers.

These people possessed considerable strength on average, and their fighting styles were diverse and unpredictable, causing substantial damage to the knight corps. It was evident that their presence was what kept the battle in a deadlock.

“Sister Hua, do you recognize the techniques of these outsiders?”

The red-haired ranger took only a cursory glance before speaking without hesitation.

“The Demon Cult, Celestial Fall, Water Break, and the Undead Sanctum—these are all too obvious, no doubt about it. As for the rest, I have some vague impressions; a few I’ve never seen before. They’re all infamous organizations from within the kingdom and neighboring countries, with either unclear loyalties or ambiguous alignments.”

“I see… no wonder after taking down a few of the scum mixed into the capital, none of the remaining foes have been sighted. It seems they’ve joined forces, hiding under someone’s protection.”

The princess understood. With this, the real puppet master behind the incident became painfully clear.

Ban Meikailande.

The reason was simple. If these people were able to remain hidden from the kingdom’s intelligence because of Ban’s protection, then now that the Second Prince had been captured, their once-safe haven would likely be exposed quickly. They had only two options: escape the City of Courage in disgrace or strike back before total defeat.

And what they aimed for was nothing more than a benefit.

So, was this a backup left by Ban? Had he prepared for failure before entering the Hall of All Spirits today? If something went wrong, these people would immediately begin to organize a coup.

Indeed, this also explained why Patrick, that muscle-headed fool, had suddenly gone crazy at this moment, fearlessly taking action. His portion of military power must have already been tampered with by Ban.

If they succeeded, then great; even if they failed, Ban could shift all the blame onto the Third Prince and keep his own life.

Or perhaps, these individuals were merely a smokescreen, pawns pushed out to draw fire.

If that were the case, the cell might—

While pondering this, the princess’s actions did not slow at all.

“Sister Hua, Miss Edwina, Mr. Nickles, you work with the Shadow Guard to eliminate the tough enemies among the foes. Since the city guards have rebelled, we need not show mercy; execute them on the spot!”

With Liliya having spoken, her companions raised no objections and dispersed formation immediately. Two legendary-tier experts took the lead and fiercely joined the fray, leaving only a few elite Shadow Guards to protect the princess’s safety and observe the situation.

Among the enemies, there were also legendary-tier masters—a bearded elder wielding a bone staff and a middle-aged greatsword warrior.

The former was constantly using undead magic to kill and resurrect the knight corps’s warriors, having already caused dozens of Liliya’s knights to perish at his hands. The ranks of undead he created were rapidly increasing, making it nearly impossible for regular knights to combat them.

The latter was a pure physical flow warrior, wielding a greatsword with fierce momentum, moving with the fluid grace of water. He exuded both might and a strange whimsy; undoubtedly the leader of the “Water Break” that Sister Hua mentioned.

“Light, please illuminate the darkness!”

As a Holy Knight, Edwina immediately faced off against the elder, who was evidently a high-ranking member of the Undead Sanctum. The radiant glow emitted from her sword and shield was prominent in the night, quickly purging large swathes of the undead knights and enemies.

However, the undead mage elder was clearly not new to battling holy figures. Sensing danger, he swiftly ordered his strongest undead to surround Edwina, showing no intention of clashing with her directly and instead retreating into the crowd.

“Hey, don’t run!”

While Holy Knight Edwina swung her shining sword like chopping vegetables through the undead, she angrily shouted, but her foe ignored her completely, disappearing without a trace. It was unclear whether he fled the battlefield or was lying in wait.

After all, holy figures naturally countered undead magic, and Edwina had received the blessing of a certain Priestess’s “Kiss of Light.” Her Holy Light was exceedingly pure, so the elder felt the threat and dared not to test her prowess.

On another front, Hua intended to deal with the legendary “Water Break” swordsman, but for some reason, Nickles took the initiative and engaged him first.

Though he was only at the pinnacle of Sky-tier, having stayed at this realm for a long time, he was almost at the final breakthrough. The man opposing him looked to have only recently ascended to the legendary tier, so the gap wasn’t insurmountable.

With his swift wind techniques, Mr. Fierce Wolf managed to engage this legendary powerhouse, albeit while looking slightly awkward. Nonetheless, he provided Hua with an excellent opportunity.

With two legendary figures tied up, Fiery Blossom broke free like entering a no-man’s land, transforming into a mobile artillery unit and wreaking havoc among the enemy forces.

Brilliant arrows infused with blazing flames flew out in profusion, and hardly any enemy could withstand even a single strike. Meanwhile, the combined counterattacks from those at Earth and Sky tier couldn’t keep pace with the agile ranger’s movements.

Originally, the battle had been somewhat stalemated, perhaps even favoring the attackers, but with Liliya’s arrival alongside dozens of top-tier experts, the tide shifted dramatically and quickly descended into chaos, visibly crumbling at an alarming rate.

Yet, despite this, the enemies did not retreat. The hidden undead mage also remained, and after Edwina dispatched a few more undead warriors, he began to engage in guerrilla tactics with her. His obvious intent was to hold her back from fully contributing to other battle lines.

“…?”

Instinctively clutching her sword’s hilt, Liliya furrowed her brow while observing the battlefield.

Strange, what could the enemy possibly be hoping for in this seemingly inevitable defeat?

To be honest, from the very beginning, this group had no chance of entirely breaching the knight corps’s defenses. The princess sensed that this felt more like a feint and an act of containment.

What were they truly after?

Was it merely to tie her hands and feet, giving Ban a chance to do something?

Liliya felt like she had overlooked something just now, an unsettling feeling gnawing at her, yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

It felt like standing in the light… yet unable to see the shadows left behind.

At that moment, a brilliant white light suddenly erupted in the night sky, drawing the attention of the princess, along with everyone on the battlefield.

It was a divine punishment, nearly identical to her first encounter with someone long ago, piercing through heaven and earth.

A blazing white pillar of light shot down from somewhere in the sky, unstoppable, illuminating the entire City of Courage like midday.

That terrifying beam, at least several dozen meters in diameter, tore through multiple tall buildings along its path, delivering a shocking rumble before finally disappearing into the horizon.

“Miss Vilyric…?”

A whisper escaped Liliya’s lips involuntarily as she suddenly recalled why, after such a large incident, that priestess, who never missed any good drama, hadn’t shown up yet.

Had she perhaps fallen into some trap? And was she now battling someone?

Though reason told Liliya that Vilyric was incredibly strong, ridiculously so, with nothing posing a true threat to her, concern muddled her rational thoughts, making the typically composed princess momentarily waver.

And just at that moment of distraction, shouts of alarm and rage erupted from the battlefield!

“Watch out, your highness!”

“Liliya! Behind you!”

“What are you doing!”

A dagger illuminated by the white light, radiating sharp cold glints, lunged straight at the princess from behind.

Thud ~

“!”

Pain struck as Liliya reflexively turned her head, and what entered her view was the unfamiliar smile of the Shadow Guard’s deputy leader—Emily.

   

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