On the other side, the retreating Knight Corps was still struggling to hold their ground.
"Fall back! Quickly, fall back!"
Claire, holding her sword, shouted hoarsely while fending off the attacking monsters.
"Archers and Magic users, cover the attack! Priests, quickly bring the injured down! Knights, move forward to defend! Warriors, eliminate the incoming monsters on the flanks! Even if injured, we cannot let the front line collapse! Behind us are the lives of thousands in the Royal Capital! If we fall, the entire continent will be attacked! We absolutely cannot lose!"
As she commanded, Claire was also extremely anxious inside. (Damn! At all times, Princess Iris has been kidnapped…!)
Claire belonged to the Symphonia family, a great aristocratic family of the Kingdom of Belzerg. Together with the Dustiness family, which was also a great aristocrat and equivalent to the Kingdom's shield, they had long assisted the Royal Family, often referred to as the left and right arms of the Royal Family.
If the Dustiness family is the Kingdom's shield, then the Symphonia family is the Kingdom's sword.
Thus, Claire had always been by Iris's side as her bodyguard, loyal to her, and while the King and Prince were stationed at the border fortresses, she had long assisted Iris in handling state affairs, holding a high position that few could match.
However, precisely because of this, Claire's actions greatly influenced the Kingdom's direction.
This time, the Knight Corps's retreat could largely be attributed to Claire.
Eager to retrieve Iris, Claire had become overly impatient. Faced with the Demon King's Army's attack, she acted impulsively, leading to problems in her command, causing the Knight Corps to attack recklessly, ultimately resulting in this dire situation.
(Iris has already been kidnapped, and I have committed an unforgivable mistake. If I cannot hold the Royal Capital and allow the Kingdom and even the continent to be invaded, then I will be a sinner!)
With this thought, Claire gritted her teeth, and her hand holding the sword trembled.
"Claire!"
At Claire's side, Rain was releasing Magic to support the battlefield while also sounding anxious.
"If this continues, the Knight Corps will be defeated! We need to think of a way!"
Like Claire, Rain was also Iris's bodyguard and even her tutor, responsible for teaching Iris about the Kingdom's history and Magic.
However, unlike Claire, who was a great aristocrat, Rain was also a noble but of lower status, belonging to the lower tier of the aristocracy, so he had far less influence than Claire.
Usually, Rain followed Claire's instructions, and his presence was quite low.
But at this moment, only Rain understood Claire's predicament.
"If there's truly no other way, we'll have to let the Adventurers stationed in the Royal Capital join the fight!"
As Rain released more Magic, sending bolts of lightning toward the front, he suggested to Claire.
"Although this might allow some monsters to slip through and invade the Royal Capital, it's still better than being completely overrun!"
This was a last resort. Claire could understand this.
At that moment, Claire spoke with great reluctance.
"Request aid from the Adventurer Guild! Ask high-rank Adventurers to take action! Adventurers and guards of lower rank must defend the walls together, and not let a single monster enter the city!"
This was a wise decision.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too late.
"Inferno!"
Suddenly, dark flames surged forth like a meteor shower, falling toward Claire and Rain.
"Boom!"
With the sound of an explosion, the dark flames spread out, creating a powerful shockwave.
"AaahAaah!"
Amidst the cries of despair, the archers and Magic users at the rear were all blown away, tumbling to the ground, scattering in all directions.
"Guh…!"
"Yah…!"
Claire and Rain were unfortunately caught in the blast, also being thrown away by the shockwave. After rolling on the ground several times, they finally came to a stop.
"Hahaha!"
The High-Class Devil with two horns flew in the air, laughing heartily.
"What the hell! This attack is too easy! Watch as the great High-Class Devil Bagra sends you all flying! Become dust, you pitiful creatures!"
The arrogant laughter of the High-Class Devil named Bagra echoed across the battlefield, and he boldly flew above the Knight Corps, instantly becoming the target of everyone's ire.
However, the monsters coming from all directions prevented the elite members of the Knight Corps from making a move against Bagra; they could only anx iously defend against the onslaught of the Demon King's Army.
"Ugh…"
Claire struggled to rise from the ground, raising her sword and pointing it at Bagra above. She shouted loudly,
"Damn Devil! I swear by the name of the Symphonia family! I will not allow you to step even one foot into the Royal Capital!"
At Claire's shout, Rain also struggled to get up, raising his staff with a pained expression, seemingly injured.
In response to Claire and Rain's challenge, Bagra laughed arrogantly.
"Give it up, humans. I don't know what's happened, but today's Knight Corps is truly pathetic. I'll take this opportunity to conquer the Royal Capital, and then the Demon King will surely promote me to the ninth leader! You can't stop me!"
With that, Bagra's body began to gather a vicious Magic Power.
Feeling the malevolent Magic Power, Claire and Rain bit their lips but did not retreat.
With their strength, they shouldn't be easily defeated by Bagra.
However, as Bagra had said, the state of the Knight Corps today was too poor, and Claire and Rain had also been injured in the recent attack, making their situation precarious.
What should they do?
What can they do?
"God…"
A voice of prayer echoed from somewhere.
Yet, the response to that prayer was not from a god, but from a demon.
The Murdering Demon was about to rampage across the battlefield.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp sound of space breaking suddenly rang out.
At the same time, a terrifying, murderous aura swept through like a storm.
In that moment, both the Knight Corps and the Demon King's Army froze, displaying expressions of shock.
Claire and Rain were no exception.
As for Bagra, his eyes widened in disbelief as he suddenly turned around to look behind him.
What came into his view was merely a foot, heavily landing on his chest.
"Boom!"
A stifling sound reverberated in that instant.
"Pū chī!"
Bagra, struck as if by lightning, spewed a mouthful of blood, turning into a cannonball as he plummeted downward.
(End Of This Chapter)
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