Chapter 22: Offense

Under the dim moonlight, Martha finally saw the giant figure in front of her clearly.

A lion-type demonized beastman.

Among all beastman species, it was considered one of the strongest—second only to elephant-type and tiger-type

beastmen. Even among the average three-meter-tall demonized beastmen, it stood out as extraordinary.

“Who are you?!”

Martha looked at the figure in shock. She had no idea where this lion-type demonized beastman had even come from.

“Who I am doesn’t matter.”

The massive lion head lowered to look down at Martha, its scarlet red eyes filled with contempt.

“What matters is: don’t forget the general’s orders. Remember who you are, and what you’re supposed to do.”

As he said this, the massive lion head lifted again, staring at the knight standing opposite him—Kain.

“The general already predicted everything. As for any trouble… leave it to me.”

The lion stared at Kain. And Kain… was staring right back at the lion.

Demonized lion-type beastmen were far taller than the average ones.

This one was nearly five meters tall—much larger than the others. Its mane, thick and spiky like steel needles, bristled

around its neck. Most of its body was now pitch black, its fur as dark as ink. Its clawed hands gripped a three-meter-long,

massive heavy saber.

“A lion-type… an intelligent, high-grade demonized beastman. And that saber in your hand…”

Kain’s eyes focused on the weapon.

It had very distinct patterns—symbols that belonged exclusively to the Holy Church.

But those sacred patterns had been defaced, overwritten with strange markings that made one feel deeply disturbed just

by looking at them.

Facing this sudden appearance of a lion-type demonized beastman—

Kain, whose expression rarely changed, finally looked serious.

“Demonic General… Baan!”

In the Demon Army, a Demonic Marshal (魔将) was the one who commanded battle formations.

But this one in front of him was a Demonic General—the kind who led charges into the battlefield.

A true elite among the Demon Army.

A Demonic Marshal would be level 60. This general was at least level 50.

The appearance of this one meant that the moment for feigned retreat and luring the enemy deeper had arrived.

But before that, Kain had to fight this Baan, one of the Ten Great Demon Generals.

Kain raised his silver greatsword.

The lion-headed general raised his massive saber!

“From the Nation of the Moon, Glorious City—Guardian Knight, Kain!”

The moment they shouted their names, the two figures collided.

Both elites attacked at the exact same time, as if their minds were in sync.

A fierce battle erupted once more.

Luo Li had no idea the war had already begun. Nor did she know that her strategy had been completely disrupted by

Kain’s brief moment of mercy.

From Hilda’s explanation, she had learned that the Demon Race, due to their demonic transformations, generally had

much larger bodies than humans. In rare cases, some even became smaller—but that wasn’t relevant today.

Their massive size meant their combat style often resulted in a crushing advantage. Once their numbers hit a certain

point, even a simple full-on charge was enough to flatten most other armies.

So Luo Li had decided not to face the Demon Army head-on.

Instead, she chose to lure them into Glorious City, where the varied size of buildings would make it easier to fight a street

battle.

As time passed, second by second—

Suddenly!

A trail of burning light streaked across the night sky and slammed into the west wall of the city.

Even though it was still more than ten li (approx. 5 kilometers) away, the firelight was clearly visible.

“Your Highness, the Demon Army has begun their attack.”

Hilda, mounted outside the carriage, stared into the fire-lit distance. Her eyes reflected the light, filled with a warrior’s

spirit.

“Move out!”

Though it was ten li away, a fast horse would still need at least ten minutes to get there.

Opportunity in war doesn’t last forever. And a battlefield changes in mere moments.

This fiery signal confirmed the Demon Army had begun their siege.

There was no time to hesitate.

Staring at the distant flame, Luo Li gave the order.

“As you command!”

Hilda answered without hesitation. She rode forward, reached the front of the unit, and raised her knight’s lance high.

“By the command of Her Highness the Saintess—move out!”

With that, she yanked her reins, and her white horse let out a sharp cry.

Hilda charged forward, leading the way.

Behind her, hundreds of knights followed in tight formation.

Luo Li’s carriage also began to move.

The horses’ hooves made only light sounds, but the clouds of dust they kicked up were not small. Thankfully, it was night,

and even a sky full of dust was hard to spot in the dark.

Inside the carriage, she felt the constant jolting of the seat. To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

At that moment, Luo Li instinctively put on her mask. That confident smile on her face calmed the three girls inside who

had been in a panic.

But they didn’t notice—

The book in Luo Li’s hands was crumpled, even its cover warped from how tightly she was gripping it. She glanced at her

list of skills. The ones she had used earlier that day were now fully refreshed.

She silently repeated to herself:

“If my heart is clear as ice, even the sky collapsing won’t scare me.”

But no matter how much she tried to calm her trembling heart, the nervousness would not fade.

The carriage rolled forward, and now she could hear the roars of battle in the distance.

Luo Li pulled back the curtain and peeked out.

Just then… the Demon Army finally launched their full-scale assault.

After adjusting their siege weapons during the earlier test, this attack was much more massive.

Dozens of blazing red fireballs arced beautifully through the night sky and slammed into the west city wall.

Even from several li away, the explosions were loud and clear. The ground trembled with each impact.

The roars of demonized beastmen and the blaring horns of war echoed through the night.

At the same time, the alarm bells of Glorious City began to ring loudly and urgently.

The battle had truly begun.

Luo Li took a deep breath and stepped down from the carriage. Just a few hundred meters ahead, she could now clearly

see the towering figures of the demonized beastmen.

She reached into her storage space and pulled out her sacred weapon.

Her right hand gripped the Sword of Loyalty—her palm drenched in sweat from nerves.

With her left hand, she stabbed the end of her banner pole into the carriage board.

A massive flag, gold and white, unfurled above the carriage—dancing in the wind.

Class Exclusive Skill — “With My Moon Banner, I Shall Guard the Glory of the Night.”

This skill centered around the Moon Banner, and as long as the banner was planted in the carriage, the buff would follow

the carriage’s movement.