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Rumble, Boom...!
A distant explosion noise echoed. Unlike the Vamel Alliance who had one-sidedly crushed the front-first defense line quite some time ago, fierce battles were still raging on the left, right, and rear defense lines.
Only the Vamel Alliance had the luxury of a full-scale reorganization after winning the first battle.
Currently, the True Demon World's defense line consists of five layers in total. To strike at their castle, four more defense lines had to be breached.
'The castle is the real deal. So, we need to push to the castle as quickly as possible, and from there, we have to adjust our pace and find out when Paellito will make his move."
Or, they could apply intense pressure on the castle to prevent Paellito from ever interfering with the Holy Kingdom. That was the best option.
"Bale."
{This is Bale Runcandel, listening.}
Since becoming the central figure in the defensive wall, Bale had been swiftly accumulating a sense of belonging and pride as a member of both the Runcandel clan and the alliance.
The experience he had gained through countless challenges as an alliance member was now erupting all at once. It was the result of protecting people as the guardian of the defensive wall.
Now, Bale cherished not only the deceased Sarah Runcandel but also all the alliance members and comrades who fought with genuine belief in him. In other words, he was becoming a person worthy of being called one of ten great knights.
As Jin smiled while reading the emotions in Bale's voice through the communication device, he said, "We're starting the breakthrough again. This time, you go ahead and deal with the demons at the very front. I'll rest for another 30 minutes before joining you."
{Got it, Young Patriarch. But seriously, you and Murakan wiped out the first defense line, and you only want 30 minutes? If you want more rest, just say the word; I can handle it all by myself.}
"You're quite confident now, Bale. 30 minutes will be more than enough."
{Well, actually, you could go without resting at all. Those guys in front were just for the warm up. See you later.}
Vroooom!
Bale spread his wings and accelerated rapidly. With a thunderous explosion, a meteor-like golden streak streaked across the sky.
The demons on the defense line feared Bale. They had been closely watching the feats he had accomplished as the guardian of the defensive wall, vividly remembering the image of him slaughtering demons with his golden powers, staining the entire sky.
Swoosh, boom...!
As Bale's power began to fill the sky, Ragal's miasma, the last remaining threat, quickly dissipated. He was truly advancing alone, but it was not Bale who had to prepare for death; there were millions of demon troops in the second defense line.
"Their attack has resumed, gather all forces!"
"Aim the guns! The first and second fleets target Bale, and the rest prepare for artillery bombardment against the enemy!"
The demons, mindful of the painful defeat in the first battle, had immediately deployed demon kings and commanders at the forefront.
Terrifying artillery cannons emerged from the True Demon World's battleships. Even when Bale saw the cannons targeting him, he didn't even bother to deploy his protective shield.
He could avoid them all.
[Our Young Patriarch has engaged in battle with his back against the cannons of the Golden Ship, without using his protective shield. Do you think you guys have the guts to tie me down like that? Your cannons won't be able to hit me at all.]
As soon as Bale finished speaking, a demon king flew towards him and swung his sword.
Swoosh! Bale used his wings to disrupt the demon king's stance and extended his arms, at which point the targeted artillery cannons simultaneously fired a purple flash.
The demon king tried to pull away, but Bale continued to use his wings to bind him like a shield. The True Demon World's cannons turned the demon king into a rag in an instant.
"Khaaak!"
[Don't shoot your allies, you scoundrels.]
Next, Shakan split the body of the demon king, who was regenerating, in half. The golden sword energy that spread like a tidal wave erased the entire fleet.
As soon as the sword energy struck the lead flagship, it expanded widely, engulfing the demons like a net. Even if the demons managed to survive a mere brush with it, they had to endure the sensation of their bodies disintegrating when they regained their senses.
In other words, the rank and file troops were meaningless against Bale as well. Even with thousands or tens of thousands of rank and file troops, their only role was to delay Bale's advance for a few seconds at most.
[Those who hold the title of Demon King, those who are merely called commanders, and the insignificant small fry are all meaningless.]
The commanders of the True Demon World had no room to respond to Bale's arrogant words.
Earlier, Jin had saved some of his strength to deal with additional battles, but Bale's power, the Sun God's energy, was almost infinite. Furthermore, unless one had the means to extinguish the Sun God's energy, they wouldn't be able to kill Bale 'completely.' Unfortunately, among the demons in the second defense line, there was no one with such capabilities.
[I am invincible, immortal, and you guys are weak and mortals. I am Bale Runcandel, one of the ten great knights of the Runcandel clan, a being who annihilates our enemies. The nemesis of mortals...! Yes, I am Bale. Bale Runcandel!]
Jin, who had been meditating on the Golden Ship, couldn't help but burst into laughter at that part.
"Kid, it seems like he's going through puberty as he's growing up, doesn't it? He's really spouting those childish lines... It gives me the chills. It's truly self-indulgence."
"But still, he looks much better than when we first met, doesn't he? It might become an embarrassing memory he would want to forget once he matures further."
Jin, Murakan, and their allies felt either empathy or burst into laughter at Bale's lines.
But it wasn't the same for the demons. To them, Bale's childish lines sounded like a solemn pronouncement from long-forgotten gods.
Every time they blinked, nearly ten thousand demons were oxidizing into golden ashes. The sea was constantly filled with the remnants of the True Demon World fleet, and the sky was stained with golden powers and screams.
Most of the twelve demon kings stationed at the second defense line couldn't properly counterattack against Bale.
It wasn't just due to a difference in strength. It was because it was difficult to keep up with Bale's speed as he swept through the battlefield like light.
The demon kings inadvertently ended up striking their allies while aiming for Bale. Every time it happened, chaos escalated, and formations crumbled.
Of course, if all the demon kings used their full strength simultaneously, even Bale would have difficulties. After all, there were about thirteen of them.
But the demon kings were conscious of the alliance forces watching from afar. If they used all their power impulsively and then Bale suddenly retreated, it would be a disaster.
The demon kings wanted to prepare for when Jin and Murakan would attack again, even if they had to endure immense losses among their rank and file troops.
However, the demon kings couldn't maintain this judgment for long.
Gradually, Bale was not only targeting the regular troops but also the demon kings directly. When the demon kings lost their cohesion for even a moment, Shakan would inevitably flew in.
"...We need to use the flesh! If we continue like this, we'll only lose. Even if they join, we must kill Bale!"
One demon king shouted. He was the most powerful among the demon kings stationed at the second defense line, named Telbit.
In any case, whether they just lose troops like this and collapse or alliance forces join in, it won't get any worse.
The 13 demon kings made the decision to use Zito's flesh all at once. It was the moment with the highest number of flesh usages in a single battle since the True Demon War began.
The demon kings believed that by combining all their flesh, they could generate a power similar to Zito's true energy, which Sakiel used to block Jin and Murakan.
Goooooooo...!
Suddenly, their vision turned dark.
Bale looked at the demon kings in surprise. His golden powers that had filled the sky were being consumed by demonic energy.
Bale raised his powers to the maximum, but it only slowed down the rate at which the battlefield was being consumed by demonic energy.
'My infinite power... is being pushed back. Just like when I faced Jin's eternal flame...!'
Even Jin and Murakan had retreated in the past when Sakiel used the flesh. Bale couldn't possibly endure this.
Zito is a being who can destroy Bale's power of sun god, the "Trace of Life." The demon kings were leveraging Zito's flesh to match that power.
In the past, Bale might have panicked in the face of an unexpected crisis like this. Those who had become strong not through training but by birth often lost their way in such moments.
However, Bale tightened his grip on his sword, dispelling his hesitation.
Looking back, he was becoming a knight without knowing it, both when he was in Runcandel a thousand years ago and after meeting Jin and returning to Runcandel.
If my fighting spirit weakens due to the gap in power, I won't be able to face Sarah confidently when I meet her someday.'
Bale soon swung Shakan like Jin, Luna, or his fellow ten great knights from a thousand years ago, as if casting a spell.
The golden power covering the blade was becoming increasingly radiant, transforming like a pure aura.
Bale's sword created an immense crescent that sharply bisected the center of the purple sky. It was clearly a result not of divine power he was born with, but the martial arts of a knight.
The demon kings were taken aback by the unexpected strike, but Zito's energy promptly filled the sky again.
"...Damn, I thought you could rely solely on the Sun God's energy. You have some roots, Bale."
In response to Telbit's words, Bale shouted,
{I am Runcandel! I am stronger when fighting with a sword rather than relying on authorities. Come... demons, face your fate!}
"Look beneath your feet and talk, you arrogant fragment of the Sun God. You were so focused on swinging your sword like a knight at the brink of despair that you missed this, didn't you?"
Bale hadn't directed his gaze downward, but he could feel it—the swirling demonic energy that seemed ready to devour him.
As Telbit used Zito's flesh, he simultaneously used dark magic that utilized the dead demon kings and ordinary soldiers as sacrifices. It consisted of the highest-level sealing spells, curses, and illusion magic that Sakiel had personally taught to him, all writhing within the vortex.
[Argh...!]
First came the illusions, vividly depicting the gruesome murder of Sarah, which left Bale gnashing his teeth in agony.
Then came the sealing spells and curses, each attempting to bind Bale in turn.
"Your comments might have been a bit excessive, but today, you were the most Runcandel-like I've ever seen, Bale."
[I thought I was going to pass out from all your talking. But, for a bitch who only knew Sarah, you've grown well. Ugh, you're starting to look like a great knight now.]
Jin and Murakan cut down the demonic energy and joined Bale.
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