Since they couldn’t outrun them, the Demon Legion halted its retreat and began to set up a defensive position on the spot.
"WAAAH! WAAAH! WAAAH!!"
The Metallic Slime Gunners trembled, their metallic bodies shaking as they poured their stored Secret Skill Energy into their Ripper Cannons. They adjusted the cannons’ angles, aimed at the Knight Order charging from the rear, and opened fire.
But the accompanying Mage Corps was prepared. They raised their Magic Staffs, chanting in unison. Working together, they erected sturdy Magic Barriers in front of the Knight Order, blocking the torrent of energy from the Rippers and setting off a chain of ceaseless explosions and ripples of power.
Meanwhile, under Dominic’s command, the massive Knight Order swiftly split into two groups.
The Sixth Legion, led by Samuel Dawson, continued its frontal assault on the Demon Legion’s position to draw the main volley of fire.
Dominic, meanwhile, personally led another contingent of elite Knights in a flanking maneuver, attempting to circle around to the Demon Legion’s rear flank.
His intention was clear: if the Knights of the Arevalo Clan remained indifferent and continued their retreat, the Demon Legion would be caught in a hopeless pincer attack.
But he knew that as long as his old rival, Raven Arevalo, hadn’t lost his mind, he would never sit idly by. He would surely turn back to intercept Dominic’s Knight Order.
And as it turned out, Dominic’s prediction was entirely correct.
The Knight Order had just flanked the Demon Legion when, further ahead, the Arevalo Knight Team wheeled around. Forming a tight formation, they charged head-on toward the Knights led by Dominic.
"Old friend, I know you all too well," Dominic said faintly, a smirk playing on his lips.
He vaulted from the back of his speeding steed, landing on both feet before breaking into a run.
At first, his pace was unremarkable. But with every step, the Holy Light enveloping him grew more intense, and his speed increased in turn.
Soon, his speed surpassed that of the mounted Knights beside him. A lone figure with a single sword, he moved like a golden bolt of lightning, effortlessly cutting down the demons that tried to block his path. He was the first to reach the front lines of the Arevalo Knight Order.
"Holy Sword, cleanse them of their sins!"
Dominic roared, and the light from the Holy Sword in his hands erupted. Gripping the sword with both hands, he brought it crashing down upon the Arevalo Knights, who stood ready.
Holy Judgment
"Dominic!"
Raven’s furious roar erupted from within the Knight Team. He too leaped from his horse, raising his Knight’s Longsword high. A wave of frost instantly burst forth from him, freezing the surrounding ground into a sheet of ice.
In an instant, Raven appeared before Dominic. He held his sword horizontally with both hands, blocking the devastating downward slash of the Holy Sword.
"CLANG!!!"
The two swords clashed, unleashing a deafening boom and a blinding flash of light. The Holy Sword was thrown back by the force of the impact. The majestic aftershock of Holy Light swept past the front of the Arevalo Knights’ formation, splitting the earth and tearing apart any demons in its path. It carved a horrifying, scorched chasm into the ground that stretched for dozens of meters.
"Alice, fall back and defend the position! Leave this to me!" Raven commanded in a low voice, never taking his eyes off Dominic.
Alice took a deep breath. Knowing she couldn’t interfere in the battle between her father and Dominic, she decisively pulled on her reins and led her Knights in a charge against the pursuing Knight Order.
With no other Knights to interfere, the two Extraordinary warriors could finally unleash their full power. Their gazes locked, sharp as blades, and they both lunged forward at the same instant.
"BOOM!"
Ice Crystal and Holy Light clashed violently once more. Raven moved as if skating across a frozen lake, each sword strike carrying a bone-chilling cold. Dominic, however, stood firm as a mountain. His Holy Sword swung in wide, sweeping arcs, its Holy Light surging like a tidal wave to purify the encroaching frost.
Thickets of Ice Crystals sprouted, only to be cleaved apart by the searing Holy Light. Half the battlefield was scoured flat by Holy Light, while the other was blanketed in frost.
Their figures blurred, weaving in and out of the domain of ice and light—thrusting, slashing, parrying, deflecting... What appeared to be the most basic Swordsmanship had, in their hands, reached the pinnacle of mastery.
But the two were evenly matched. For the moment, neither could gain an advantage, and they were locked in a fierce stalemate.
...
On the main front, the Knight Order of the Sixth Legion, led by Samuel Dawson, had already crashed violently into the Demon Legion’s defensive line.
Ten Secret Magic Ancient Trees, like mobile fortresses, stood at the very front of the line. They swung their thick boughs like the arms of giants, sweeping through the charging soldiers and their warhorses, flinging them into the air only to crash back to earth, causing widespread chaos.
But it wasn’t long before the knight known as "King Dowson," the glittering Samuel Dawson himself, arrived at the front lines!
"Out of my way!" Samuel roared, raising the Enchanted Arm Guard on his right arm—a gauntlet inlaid with a massive blue Gemstone.
The Runes on the arm guard flared to life as he slammed his fist into the ground before him.
"RUMBLE!"
The earth before him erupted as if churned by an invisible giant’s hand. The two nearest Secret Magic Ancient Trees were violently uprooted by the force, collapsing with a deafening crash and exposing the defensive line behind them.
Samuel’s gaze then fell upon the nearby "Shield of the Realm" barrier. Ignoring the torrent of energy blasting from the Rippers, he reached to his saddle and drew a heavy cavalry lance that pulsed with the light of a triple Enchantment.
The muscles in his arm bulged as he furiously poured his strength into the lance. The three Enchantment patterns on its surface—Armor-Piercing, Acceleration, and Energy Burst—all flared to their absolute brightest.