Like many Duke Family servants who had been unable to evacuate in time, Perloqi had hidden inside the Duke Family's underground shelter to avoid the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church—especially their powerful Cult Leader.
Together with the servants, he desperately tried to contact the outside world for help.
Although the shelter was protected by a magical barrier,
The terrifying clash that had erupted above ground earlier had still penetrated the barrier, subjecting everyone inside to unprecedented pressure.
Most of the weaker servants lost consciousness on the spot and collapsed.
Perloqi, however, was a royal attendant with Mid Sixth-Tier strength.
Coupled with the magical equipment bestowed upon him by the Crown Prince, he barely managed to remain conscious.
Of course,
Don't ask why someone as strong as Perloqi hadn't gone outside to fight the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church from the beginning.
The answer was simple—
He had important intelligence to report to the royal family.
He couldn't just die on the battlefield.
Besides,
Why should he sacrifice his life protecting those barbarians of the northern frontier?
Although he hadn't passed out,
The terrifying aura raging outside still left Perloqi trembling in fear.
However,
Just a moment ago,
He suddenly realized that the frightening presence outside had calmed down.
The horrifying energy...
And the murderous intent filling the air...
Had completely vanished.
Thus,
Perloqi cautiously climbed out of the shelter,
Planning to investigate the situation outside.
...
After reaching the surface,
He surveyed his surroundings for a short while before his attention was quickly drawn °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° toward the black-haired girl standing not far away.
Her breathtaking beauty left him stunned for several seconds.
However,
What truly shocked him beyond belief
Were the crimson butterflies surrounding her,
And the faint aura of the Shadow of Silence Power radiating from her body.
She...?!
She's an Abyss Demon?!
A humanoid Abyss Demon?!
My...
My heavens?!
And...
She...
She actually seems to be protecting the Child of Destiny?!
What kind of joke is this?!
The Crown Prince had personally told him before that the aura surrounding the Child of Destiny and the Son of Destiny was the most hated existence in the eyes of the Abyss Demons.
The moment an Abyss Demon encountered them,
It would attack without hesitation.
It would even become even more frenzied and bloodthirsty because of them.
But now?
A Demon King-class Abyss Demon...
Was protecting the Child of Destiny?
Had His Highness the Crown Prince been mistaken?
Or was he the one going blind?
And another thing—
Why had a Demon King-class existence appeared here?
And why did there seem to be another incredibly powerful Abyss Demon aura lingering in the air...?
Countless questions flooded Perloqi's mind.
Unfortunately,
There was no time to solve any of them.
Right now,
His only priority was transmitting information about this humanoid Abyss Demon to His Highness the Crown Prince.
Thus,
Perloqi took out the strange object the Crown Prince had given him from his spatial ring.
It was called a "smartphone."
After activating the "camera" function,
He aimed it directly at the black-haired girl.
Click~
Photo captured.
Done.
Now all that's left is...
Perloqi quickly hid behind the remains of a ruined building,
Beginning to operate the smartphone exactly as the Crown Prince had taught him.
Then—
?!!
'Who's there?!'
Perloqi's brows instantly furrowed.
A powerful aura had entered his perception without him noticing.
The next moment,
An adorable,
Yet ice-cold voice drifted into his ears.
"You came somewhere you shouldn't have..."
"And saw something you weren't supposed to see~"
Hearing those words,
Perloqi's entire body stiffened.
Gripping the smartphone tightly,
He hurriedly looked toward his left.
"Y-You?! Who are—?!"
Standing there,
Without him ever noticing her approach,
Was a petite girl clad in a black cloak,
Wearing armored skirts adorned with the Black Rose Family's emblem.
She possessed beautiful long hair fading from pink to white.
Several loose strands framed her gentle face.
Her crescent-shaped brows,
Brilliant orange-yellow eyes sparkling like stars,
And her slightly chubby little cheeks
Made her irresistibly adorable.
There was no doubt.
She was an exceptionally lovely girl.
"Y-You... You're from the Black Rose Family? Qiu Mingtong?"
Seeing that the newcomer was human,
Perloqi instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
However,
That relief lasted only briefly.
The royal attendant's expression tightened once again.
Because he realized
The girl's icy expression sent chills down his spine.
And...
Why was she holding a weapon?
And standing in that position...
"W-What are you trying to do?!"
Sensing danger,
Perloqi quietly circulated the battle aura within his body while attempting to stall for time.
Preparing to escape at any moment.
"I am an envoy of the Snow Night Empire's royal family. I advise you not to—"
"Hm?!"
Before he could finish speaking,
The massive warhammer in Qiu Mingtong's hands suddenly smashed directly toward him without the slightest warning.
It was so fast
That escape was impossible.
"H-Hey, wait—"
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed through the ruins.
The earth shook violently.
Soft pink battle aura erupted instantly.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere.
In an instant,
The ruined ground was draped in crimson.
Perloqi...
Was flattened into a bloody paste by a single swing of Qiu Mingtong's hammer.
Not even a recognizable human shape remained.
'When facing an enemy, don't waste time talking. Just attack immediately. The more you speak, the more opportunities you give your opponent.'
Qiu Mingtong had always firmly believed in the Duke's teachings.
After lowering her warhammer,
She coldly glanced at the pool of mangled flesh.
'You saw something you shouldn't have...'
'And you still expected to live?'
However,
The moment that thought crossed her mind,
She frowned slightly.
'What's this...?'
She slowly crouched down,
Picking up the black rectangular object beside Perloqi.
It had already been cracked apart by the shockwave from her battle aura.
A trace of confusion appeared in Qiu Mingtong's eyes.
Meanwhile,
After deliberately allowing Welt-Sislov to escape,
Miss Yumo returned to the ground.
There was no reason to pursue him any further.
After consuming so many Blood Soul Pills,
His blood had already been completely corrupted by the Shadow of Silence Power.
Although he had temporarily obtained overwhelming strength,
Death was now almost inevitable.
There was no need for Miss Yumo to finish him off personally.
Instead,
She had secretly left a marker on him.
That way,
She could locate the headquarters of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church.
Perhaps...
She might even discover the identity of this so-called Son of God.
Of course,
That would have to wait until the Tracking Magic Stone returned its information.
For now...
She should check on this girl first.
Hurrying back to Mengxi,
Miss Yumo immediately dispersed the Shadow of Silence Power surrounding her.
After confirming that Mengxi hadn't been affected by Welt-Sislov's attack,
Yumo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However,
Very soon,
Pain filled her crimson eyes once again.
After briefly examining Mengxi's condition,
She discovered an almost horrifying number of wounds covering the girl's body.
Some had been inflicted by Welt-Sislov.
Some by Yuan'er.
Others were injuries caused by overloading herself with divine power.
Her delicate body,
Now drenched in blood,
Was a heartbreaking sight.
Although Miss Yumo understood perfectly well
That everything Mengxi had experienced was part of the path toward becoming stronger—
Without fighting powerful enemies,
Without surviving life-and-death battles,
No one could become a true powerhouse.
Even so,
Seeing Mengxi's condition,
Yumo couldn't help feeling heartbroken.
Her crimson eyes became filled with conflicted emotions.
Such a cute,
Kind,
Beautiful girl...
She felt like someone who ought to stay safely at home,
Cherished and pampered—
Not thrown onto a battlefield until she was covered in blood like this.
'Sigh...'
Yumo couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
Although it hurt to see,
She also understood...
None of this would end
Until she herself had been destroyed.
At that moment,
A petite pink figure wrapped in battle aura leaped over from the nearby ruins,
Landing directly before Miss Yumo.
The newcomer
Was none other than Qiu Mingtong of the Black Rose Family.
"Taken care of?"
Yumo asked calmly.
"Yes, Lady Yumo."
"There are no remaining witnesses."
Qiu Mingtong knelt respectfully on one knee as she replied.
Satisfied,
Miss Yumo nodded slightly.
"Good."
"After all..."
"I don't want too many people knowing about this appearance."
As she spoke,
Yumo thoughtfully looked toward the unconscious members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church lying all around,
Then reached up and touched her face.
Seriously...
When did my veil get blown away...
"Leave those people to you."
"And stop acting."
"Fight seriously and eliminate the remaining members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church inside the city."
"It's time for this whole affair to end."
"Understood, Lady Yumo."
After respectfully acknowledging the order,
Qiu Mingtong immediately fired a signal flare into the sky.
The instant its light blossomed overhead,
The members of the Black Rose Family scattered throughout Wind Facing City—
Who had been watching the spectacle with carefree smiles—
Immediately put away their grins.
In their place,
Expressions filled with cold killing intent appeared one after another.
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