Mil deployed his full defenses against the incoming holy sword's radiance.
Although he had gained the power of the demonic tide eruption, his foundation was still weak, and he probably couldn't withstand a direct hit.
Fortunately, the target of this sword light was not him;
Instead, it was to clear the monsters along this path...
But unfortunately, less than one percent were killed.
As soon as the monsters along this path were wiped out, new ones quickly surged in.
Mil expanded his vision and, upon closer inspection, realized it was Diana...
He scoffed disdainfully; could she really use a move of this scale a hundred more times?
The defending soldiers below gained a moment of respite and quickly reformed their ranks.
Mil surveyed the overall situation and realized he couldn't fully deploy all the monsters to attack the prison;
This would cause the Royal Knights from the Capital to draw out more forces and launch attacks and interventions from the flanks.
Therefore, Mil lightly waved his fingertip, diverting one-tenth of his power to hold back the Royal Knights of the Capital.
After Diana finished wielding that sword, her vision began to blur slightly...
She forced her eyes open, the roars of the surrounding monsters thundering in her ears; ten thousand demons stampeded, and the earth trembled.
Diana stepped on the backs of the monsters, moving forward by leaping, heading straight for Ice Lake Prison.
Even with the Holy Flame Knights joining to assist, the prison's defenders were still under immense pressure, crossbow bolts quickly ran out, and they were about to enter close-quarters combat.
"Roar—!"
Roars vibrated through the valley, as giants and trolls, treading on the bodies that filled the lake, repeatedly launched fierce assaults against the city walls.
A sudden metallic screech of twisting metal came from the city wall. Three skeletal mammoths struck the iron gate with their tusks, ice shards mixed with rust falling in a trickle.
"The city gate is about to give way!"
Not only the city gate, but even the city walls and the ground were shaking;
Shouts echoed within the city walls; the once impregnable fortress seemed precarious under the monsters' fierce impacts.
And at this moment...
Dazzling golden light spilled from above the city wall, and then silence returned outside the city.
The defending soldiers on the city wall shouted excitedly:
"It's the Holy Sword Wielder! Her Royal Highness, the Fourth Princess, Diana!"
Diana leaped from the back of a skeletal giant elephant, turned, and fiercely swung her sword, like blowing a puff of air at dust on a table;
The monsters behind her were instantly swept away, golden light spread out, snowflakes flew, raising a white mist in the valley.
Then, Diana stood firm at the city gate, sword in hand, glaring at the endless stream of monsters...
Upon seeing this, the Viscount immediately bellowed:
"Out of the city! Engage the enemy!"
A crack opened in the city gate...
Tall and mighty warriors, carrying greatswords, warhammers, and battle axes, stood shoulder to shoulder beside Diana;
The White Magicians responsible for healing also focused their light on Diana.
Mil's expression showed some displeasure...
Where was Ibon? Where had that scoundrel gone? He was supposed to confront Diana, but he was nowhere to be seen?
However, it was clear that Diana's condition was already very poor at this time;
And the demonic tide would last at least four more hours!
Mil laughed disdainfully, "The advantage is mine!"
"Reorganize the formation, Goblins feint, Troll phalanx, move 5 meters east!"
What's more satisfying than spawning troops without regard for population limits?
Wave after wave of monsters were struck down, Diana could barely hold her sword steady, her silver hair matted to her cheeks with blood, and sweat froze into frost on her eyelashes.
The soldiers urged her:
"Your Royal Highness Diana, we can still hold on, please go inside and rest!"
"Yes! Your face is too pale!"
"Please rest! Mil is also inside!"
However, Diana stubbornly shook her head:
"No... Wait? Who did you say is inside?"
"Mil! He and Miss Lilith are both inside; they were supposed to leave, but Mil said he was severely wounded and needed to stay here to recuperate, and then he got trapped... Oh!"
The soldier next to her sighed and shook his head. Diana's eyes widened in disbelief:
"Mil... he's not dead yet?"
"That's right! He did say he was very seriously injured, but he still looks quite energetic."
"Is that so..."
Diana showed a bitter smile, mixed with a hint of relief...
It was then that she realized Mil hadn't disappeared as a corpse at the time, but had escaped;
Since Lilith was also there, it was most likely true.
At this moment, hope burst forth in her heart, and her tired body regained its spirit:
"I'm not going anywhere; this time, it's my turn to protect him behind me!"
With that, the light of the holy sword also became dazzling!
Mil floated in the center of the leaden cloud vortex, his black robe fluttering like a dying night owl, gritting his teeth:
"Are you insane?!"
He coldly watched as the light blade pierced through the demonic tide, putrid internal organs falling like raindrops into the Ice Lake, crimson staining the pure white ice surface with a bizarre totem.
In the face of the endless demonic tide, all this fervor was nothing but empty talk.
However, one hour... two hours... three hours...
Monsters piled into mountains of corpses and seas of blood, only to be incinerated into ashes by the holy sword's radiance, wave after wave;
Mil was starting to lose his composure; this scene was very much like the mini-game "Shoot the Monsters" he'd seen when watching GG.
Is the Holy Sword Wielder's stats really that high? What about the saying that going dark makes you ten times stronger, and turning good makes you three points weaker?
Soon, after more than four hours, the demonic tide was nearing its end, and Diana was also on the verge of collapsing...
She knelt on one knee, the holy sword deeply impaled in the frozen earth to support her body, the sword humming and shaking down trickles of ice crystals.
In the distance, the demonic tide surged like an asphalt tsunami, cyclops shattered ancient firs, shadow wolves prowled among the corpses, their saliva corroding charred holes in the snow.
The warriors steadily contracted their battle line, retreating step by step.
Mil was equally nervous; this was already the last batch of monsters...
"Your Royal Highness!"
A White Magic healing orb crashed onto Diana's shoulder, but it only made the dissipating holy light slightly brighter.
The young White Magic Miss looked at her trembling hands, tears freezing into ice pellets in the cold wind;
The Holy Sword Wielder's body was turning into light, and the wounds were not oozing blood, but scattering golden stardust.
At this moment, the Chief Royal Magician, Volk, also reappeared on the cliff, reattaching his severed left arm with a ghoul's arm;
He looked at Diana with cold eyes, recalling the days when he first became her teacher.
Looking at the holy sword in her hand, his eyes revealed envy and jealousy.
"Diana, in the face of talent, lineage, and destiny, the efforts of mortals are so insignificant..."
Magic, long prepared, accumulated on his staff, and then he leaped down...
Using the monsters as cover, he suddenly approached Diana, and a black shockwave spread out, knocking back all the surrounding warriors and monsters.
"The curtain falls, my most proud disciple!"
"Ugh ah ah ah ah—!"
With a desperate shriek, Volk's staff was already pressed against Diana's stomach;
Black electrical arcs flickered around her.
Just as he was about to finish Diana off, unexpectedly, Diana gritted her teeth and straightened up;
She stubbornly lifted her angry face, grabbed the holy sword, seized the staff, and directly stabbed through Volk's chest.
Volk stared in disbelief at the blade piercing his chest, putrid black blood sizzling and evaporating along the holy-runed sword groove.
The last thing he saw were his student's blue eyes burning with golden flames.
And Diana, finally reached her limit...
The Viscount scrambled to his feet, his greatsword cleaving off the head of a two-headed wyvern:
"Bring Her Royal Highness back!"
The White Magic Miss responsible for healing rushed forward, simultaneously healing Diana and helping her into the city.
"Your Royal Highness Diana! Please hold on a little longer!"
However, Diana shook her head; she knew very well that she was already hanging by a thread.
The warriors tightened their last defensive line, entering the city gate to hold out to the death;
Although only the last batch of monsters remained, their numbers were still considerable, and this prison was also at its last gasp.