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

The black cat that had been perched on Miss Mengxi's shoulder all this time...

Was none other than the Duke Family's Guardian Beast—

The Eighth-Tier Lei Jie.

Ever since nearly attacking Yumo back then, Lei Jie had lived in constant anxiety, terrified that Yumo or one of her children would someday settle the score and turn it into canned cat meat.

In order to protect its precious little life, Lei Jie had completely abandoned its dignity and devoted itself to acting adorable, constantly trying to win Lord Yumo over with cuteness.

As the saying went—

Persistence could move even stone.

After its tireless efforts, Lord Yumo had finally given it a chance.

A perfect opportunity to cling to the strongest thigh.

Its mission was simple:

Stay beside the silver-haired girl and protect her.

If it did its job well, all previous offenses would be forgiven.

Naturally...

Overjoyed, Lei Jie transformed into a little black cat and quietly followed Mengxi around.

Protecting Mengxi became its highest priority.

Of course...

The mission wasn't quite so straightforward.

According to Lord Yumo, there were limits to that protection.

Any enemy Mengxi was capable of defeating had to be handled by Mengxi herself.

Lei Jie was only permitted to intervene when facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.

And now...

Watching Welt brazenly attack Mengxi, while sensing the terrifying power contained within those deathly wind blades...

Lei Jie concluded—

This was exactly the moment to act!

The time had come to prove its worth!

'Watch closely, Lord Yumo! This old cat is useful too, meow!!!'

Accompanied by surging thunder...

Under Xiumu's astonished gaze, the little black cat leaped into the air!

In an instant—

Lightning erupted violently!

An immense torrent of magical power exploded from Lei Jie's body, colliding head-on with Welt's dark emerald aura of death!

For a moment...

The two forces stood evenly matched!

Protected by the violet lightning-element magic, the overwhelming pressure that had been suppressing Xiumu and Mengxi was instantly dispersed.

The two finally stood up again as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from their shoulders.

Then—

Facing the incoming wind blades, Lei Jie's body rapidly expanded.

Amid earth-shaking roars befitting a supreme beast...

The tiny black cat transformed into a nearly ten-meter-tall thunder beast with a massive physique covered in dazzling violet markings.

The next moment...

Boundless lightning gathered inside its mouth.

'Thunder Cannon!'

Lightning exploded.

A massive purple beam burst forth and slammed directly into Welt's death wind blades.

BOOM!!!

A heaven-shaking explosion erupted.

Dark emerald light and violet lightning collided violently, unleashing terrifying shockwaves beyond description.

The devastating aftereffects instantly reduced everything nearby to nothingness.

The Duke Estate that once stood proudly had vanished.

Only a scorched wasteland remained.

Fortunately...

Protected by Lei Jie's power, Xiumu and Mengxi suffered almost no damage.

As the clash continued...

The energy contained within both the violet lightning and the dark emerald wind blades rapidly diminished.

Eventually...

The two terrifying attacks completely canceled each other out.

Seeing his attack neutralized...

Welt remained perfectly calm.

Silently, he looked toward the gigantic thunder beast now standing before Xiumu and Mengxi.

?!

'Oh? So this is Lei Jie?'

Welt narrowed his eyes.

As Benjamin's ally, how could Welt possibly be unaware of Lei Jie's existence?

If they wished to destroy the current Duke Family and elevate Benjamin to power, clashing with the Guardian Beast had only ever been a matter of time.

The only thing that surprised him...

Was that the Guardian Beast was protecting the Child of Destiny.

The Duke Family's Guardian Beast...

Disguised as a little black cat...

Acting cute in front of the Child of Destiny?

And even protecting her?

'What exactly is going on?'

Even Welt found himself genuinely puzzled.

While Welt was lost in thought...

Xiumu slowly stood and looked toward the gigantic thunder beast protecting him.

"Lord Guardian Beast! P-Please be careful!"

In response to Xiumu's warning...

Lei Jie merely glanced at him out of the corner of its eye before focusing all of its attention back on Welt.

Seeing the Guardian Beast treating its opponent with such caution...

Xiumu's heart grew even heavier.

Gripping his longsword tightly, he stared vigilantly at the green-haired man.

Ordinarily...

Lei Jie possessed lightning-element magic.

Its offensive power should naturally exceed that of Welt's wind attribute.

Furthermore...

The amount of magical power contained within magical beasts far surpassed that of humans of the same rank.

And yet...

Even under such circumstances...

Welt had still managed to completely neutralize Lei Jie's Thunder Cannon head-on.

His strength...

Was truly terrifying.

Even with Lord Guardian Beast's assistance...

They still might not be able to defeat the unfathomable Cult Leader of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church.

Not to mention...

There were still countless members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church throughout the city.

'This is troublesome... but...'

Slowly raising his head to the sky...

Relief finally appeared on Xiumu's face.

'They're back... sooner than expected.'

Seeing Xiumu's expression...

Mengxi also looked curiously toward the distant horizon.

The next instant...

Her beautiful lavender eyes suddenly contracted in surprise.

'That's...?!'

Countless black silhouettes were rapidly growing larger in the sky.

They were none other than the elite force of the Blizzard Knights—

More than one hundred of their finest members.

Led personally by Commander Sikta, these powerful knights rode Fifth-Tier griffins as they sped toward the city in magnificent formation.

At the same time...

Tens of thousands of ordinary knights, together with the fortress garrison stationed nearby, were galloping toward the city on horseback.

The overwhelming military presence swept across Wind Facing City itself.

Even the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church inside the city couldn't help freezing for a moment.

Even Welt...

Upon sensing the approaching military pressure...

Slowly turned his head toward the distant city walls.

Ever since the Marquis's estate had suffered the first wave of attacks...

Xiumu had realized something was wrong.

The Heavenly Punishment Holy Church had always operated from the shadows.

Yet this time...

They had openly launched a full-scale assault.

That could only mean one thing.

Their operation was enormous.

It almost certainly involved numerous high-tier experts.

Realizing this...

Xiumu had immediately used a secret communication order to notify the troops guarding the nearby frontier.

He ordered every available force to return to the city at full speed.

The enemy has attacked our home!

Get your asses back here immediately!

Once the army returned...

The balance of the battle would inevitably shift.

After all...

The number of Heavenly Punishment Holy Church members inside Wind Facing City was ultimately limited.

Once the army entered the city...

Capturing them would only be a matter of time.

Then, once the main force arrived...

Working together with Lord Guardian Beast...

They might even be able to defeat the Cult Leader himself.

Thinking this...

A flame of confidence slowly ignited within Xiumu's heart.

However...

That flame proved to be remarkably short-lived.

After noticing the arriving army...

A look of disdain slowly appeared on Welt's face.

As though...

He had expected this all along.

Then...

The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church looked at Xiumu with an amused smile.

"Your reinforcements?"

"Unfortunately..."

"They won't be of any help."

?!!

"W-What do you mean by that?!"

Xiumu's pupils narrowed instantly as unease spread across his face.

"I mean exactly what I said~"

Welt smiled indifferently before snapping his fingers.

A peculiar wave of energy spread outward from his hand.

It wasn't merely magical energy.

It was...

A signal.

As that signal spread...

Four black-robed figures hidden at the eastern, western, southern, and northern corners of Wind Facing City suddenly stood up simultaneously.

Bringing their hands together, they began chanting incantations at astonishing speed.

The next moment...

Right before Xiumu's shocked eyes...

An ocean of crimson magical power spread across the sky, instantly engulfing the entirety of Wind Facing City.

The earth itself began to tremble.

Violent earthquakes shook the land, sending countless birds and beasts fleeing in terror.

Panicked cries from the civilians echoed without end.

It was as though the entire land was undergoing an unprecedented transformation.

Then—

At the eastern, western, southern, and northern corners of Wind Facing City...

Four colossal stone pillars burst from the ground, piercing into the heavens!

Immediately afterward...

Using the four pillars as anchors...

A gigantic crimson barrier enveloped the entire city.

Just as Sikta and the Blizzard Knights were about to enter...

They were stopped dead by the barrier.

No matter how fiercely they attacked...

The seemingly indestructible barrier did not move in the slightest.

...

Staring at the sky now sealed beneath the barrier...

Xiumu's expression changed drastically.

'T-This is...?!'

The Sealed Domain?!

A Sanctuary-Class barrier spell that completely isolates the inside from the outside?!

Wasn't this magic...

Already lost?!

Why?!

Why could the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church use it?!

Realizing the truth...

Xiumu involuntarily drew a sharp breath and stared at Welt in horror.

"Y-You...!"

"You monster!!"

"Hehe~"

Xiumu's furious gaze, mixed with fear, seemed to delight Welt immensely.

He looked at the white-haired middle-aged man with playful amusement.

"Rest assured, Lord Marquis."

"No one..."

"Will be able to help you~"

The moment those words fell—

Welt released every last ounce of magical power without holding anything back!

His entire body transformed into a dark emerald meteor!

In the blink of an eye...

He appeared directly before Lei Jie.

The Soul-Devouring Blood Scythe in his hands came crashing down...