Forced to Sell Myself to the Female Lead After Killing the Male Lead

"Well then, please excuse me."

"It's fine, Your Highness. Resisting the Abyss Demon invasion is the highest priority. I completely understand."

"Thank you for your understanding, Archbishop Mokaluo."

After clasping his fists in gratitude,

Xue Tianao put on a helmet forged from platinum steel and hurriedly left the dining hall with dozens of elite members of the Royal Guard, leaving behind Archbishop Mokaluo and the two Asumos Church knights.

...

...

Golden light rippled through the air.

Watching the pale golden radiance disappear into the horizon, one of the Asumos Church members couldn't help showing a trace of dissatisfaction. After all, an Archbishop of the Asumos Church had been left sitting there without so much as a proper farewell. As his subordinate, it was only natural for him to feel displeased, even if the circumstances were understandable.

"Heh."

Letting out a cold laugh, the man named Rasim slowly walked over to the blond Archbishop.

"Lord Mokaluo, Xue Tianao has already left."

"Mm, I know."

Calmly taking another sip of his morning tea, Mokaluo smiled faintly.

Xue Tianao's hasty departure, along with his failure to arrange any further reception, seemed to bother him not in the slightest. After taking a few leisurely sips, he gazed meaningfully toward the direction in which Xue Tianao had departed.

"So... the Child of Destiny..."

Seeing the Archbishop muttering to himself, Rasim silently poured him another cup of tea before curiously asking,

"Lord Archbishop, what do you think of this Child of Destiny?"

"Mm, he's quite imposing."

Mokaluo smiled in genuine praise, without the slightest trace of mockery in his tone.

"As expected of the Child of Destiny. He's powerful, possesses extraordinary bearing, and has considerable charisma. It's obvious that the palace guards respect him immensely—probably even more than they respect the Emperor himself. No wonder the old Emperor fears him so much now. Judging from the current situation, it's only a matter of time before Xue Tianao becomes the Emperor of the Snow Night Empire. The old Emperor's faction simply can't compete with him. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"He's very confident."

Mokaluo smiled.

This time, however, his smile carried an unsettling chill compared to before. The teacup in his hand was suddenly corroded away, dissolving into a thick drop of white liquid...

"Far too confident. Calling it arrogance wouldn't be an exaggeration. Those weapons of his are indeed formidable, but thinking he can use them to threaten the Asumos Church is simply naïve. Besides, that man is far too ambitious."

"Ambitious? But... he didn't really say anything that obvious, did he?"

"That's why you're still too inexperienced, Rasim."

"My apologies, Lord Archbishop."

The knight lowered his head guiltily.

"No, there's no need to apologize. This Child of Destiny is quite a capable actor. Without enough experience, it's difficult to see through him. In any case, you only need to understand one thing—his desire to meet Mengxi is absolutely driven by ulterior motives. If my guess is correct, he intends to use the Child of Destiny to gain control over our Asumos Church. His proposal about the allied army follows the same principle."

"So... that's how it is? Then... should we still cooperate with him?"

"Of course."

As though he had heard something amusing, Mokaluo's smile became even brighter.

"Until we fully understand the structure of the Mana Fission Bomb and his other weapons, there's nothing wrong with cooperating for the time being. Of course, the specific details will still depend on His Holiness the Pope's instructions."

"I see..."

Rasim nodded, only half understanding.

"Then, Lord Archbishop, I'll notify the Dark Moon's Lament unit to head for the southern border of the Snow Night Empire and assist Xue Tianao in dealing with Flame Prison."

As he spoke, Rasim took out the communication magic stone from his pocket, seemingly preparing to urgently contact Dark Moon's Lament stationed in the northern region of the Crimson Leaf Empire.

"Ah, that's unnecessary."

Mokaluo slowly raised a hand, stopping Rasim's movements.

?!!

"Huh?"

"I'd quite like to see for myself exactly how capable this so-called Child of Destiny is—the one rumored to have inherited part of the Goddess's power."

"B-But, Lord Archbishop!"

Hearing his superior's words, the uneasy Rasim unexpectedly voiced an objection.

"Flame Prison is one of the strongest known Demon King-class beings! Xue Tianao is only a Seventh-Tier existence! Can he really defeat it? And if the Child of Destiny actually dies... then... what will happen to this world?! We're... we're really not going to intervene?"

"No need."

Mokaluo answered calmly, leisurely sipping his tea with an amused expression.

"If a Child of Destiny beyond our control dies, then so be it. It doesn't matter. As for what will happen to the world... you needn't concern yourself with that."

—

Meanwhile,

with the aid of a rare spatial magic formation,

the fully armed Xue Tianao and several elite members of the Royal Knights instantly arrived north of the Prosperous Flower Military Base.

Wrapped in pale golden Holy Aura, Xue Tianao floated in midair as he looked toward the distant military base.

His eyes narrowed.

Behind him, several Royal Knights revealed expressions of overwhelming terror.

The endless mountain range ahead

had already become an inferno.

Hellfire from the depths continuously devoured every living creature in its path. The screams of humans, magical beasts, and spirit beasts echoed endlessly. The terrifying crimson flames burned all life into nothingness while swallowing every soul into the endless sea of fire.

Columns of fire soared into the heavens.

Even the sky had turned crimson.

Scorching heat, mixed with overwhelming Shadow of Silence Power and eerie howls like countless wailing ghosts, surged toward them without end, causing every Royal Knight to tremble uncontrollably. Never-before-seen fear filled their eyes.

Unable to withstand such pressure, several knights nervously looked toward Xue Tianao and pleaded,

"Your Highness, we... we should wait for the Grand General! That's Flame Prison! During the Holy War, that Demon King-class monster defeated three Heavenly Apostles of the Asumos Church by itself! Your Highness, please reconsider!"

"Exactly! A Saint-Class challenging a Demon King-class... this is simply far too reckless!"

"You're the Child of Destiny! Nothing can happen to you!"

...

However,

Xue Tianao merely smiled dismissively at his subordinates' concerns.

With absolute confidence, he looked toward the fire demon standing within the sea of flames, possessing two pairs of wings, massive horns, and a body composed entirely of fire.

"Don't worry, Gafei, Toma, Laluo. I already have a way to deal with it. Just carry out the plan as I've instructed."

As he spoke,

a golden radiance rapidly overflowed from Xue Tianao's azure-blue eyes.

The pale golden divine power gradually replaced his Holy Aura, completely enveloping his body!

His presence surged higher and higher!

An overwhelming holy aura exploded outward!

It forcefully matched the incoming waves of blazing heat head-on!

Seeing this, the Royal Knights realized there was no persuading him any further. They could only bow respectfully.

"Understood, Your Highness. May victory be yours."

"Mm. Wait for my good news."

After replying softly,

Xue Tianao instantly transformed into a golden meteor!

With unstoppable momentum capable of smashing through anything in its path, he charged straight toward the boundless inferno ahead!

There wasn't the slightest trace of unease or caution in his eyes.

Only eager anticipation...

And overwhelming battle intent!

Heh.

Flame Prison?

A Demon King-class opponent this powerful is the perfect chance to test my new technique!

Besides,

if I defeat this thing,

I'll earn far more points than by conquering those women or those stubborn knights~

Thinking of that,

a greedy, sinister grin spread across Xue Tianao's face.

'Let's start by unlocking the first two seals.'

...

...

Elsewhere,

watching the golden streak rushing toward her with overwhelming killing intent,

the Demon of the Flame Calamity slowly narrowed her eyes.

For some reason,

she actually felt relieved.

Finally...

Just as planned.

If you hadn't shown up soon, I would've had no choice but to retreat. After all, attacking the capital of a nation without permission would earn me a scolding from Mother...

Still,

to be honest,

feeling the incredibly dense divine power surrounding Xue Tianao made Karina's sense of disgust rise sharply.

'What a... revolting thing...'

As Karina released her icy killing intent,

the sea of flames suddenly erupted violently!

Just as Xue Tianao, wielding the Empire's supreme treasure—the Snow Emperor Sword—flew across the inferno, focusing all of his attention on the fire demon and preparing to launch his attack—

a crimson pillar of fire suddenly burst upward without the slightest warning!

Perfectly accurately,

it struck Xue Tianao squarely between the legs...