The deadly battle between Nova Uruk and the Western Holy Church had been carefully orchestrated by several groups operating in the shadows.
None of them had appeared directly on the battlefield.
However, all of them were closely observing the unfolding events.
Among these hidden manipulators, the most influential were, of course, Yuuki Kagurazaka, the leader of the Free Guild, and the Demon Lord Clayman.
Both of them had slowly moved the pieces on this board until the conflict became inevitable.
Seeing both sides completely enraged and consumed by the battle, Yuuki and Clayman could not help but feel delighted.
To them, everything was happening exactly as planned.
Hatred works in a curious way.
When it doesn't affect someone close to you, it may seem irrelevant.
But when someone dear dies…
When someone important falls before your very eyes…
Then the situation changes completely.
At that moment, everything turns into a fight to the death.
And that was exactly what was happening.
Both sides were fighting desperately.
As for Shion, her fury was even more outrageous.
Her sword cut with absolute violence.
Every swing of her blade carried enough force to destroy anything in its path.
She didn't worry about conserving energy.
She didn't care about the consumption of magicules.
All that mattered was destruction.
All that mattered was crushing her enemy.
Leonard Jester was completely powerless before her.
His sword could barely keep up with the brutal pace of Shion's attacks.
He had escaped death by the narrowest margin several times within mere seconds of battle.
Each passing second seemed to push him closer to the abyss.
Although Shion usually referred to herself as Arthur's secretary, the truth was a little different.
In reality…
She behaved far more like a self-proclaimed bodyguard.
When it came purely to brute strength, Shion even surpassed Geld.
"I will kill you!"
Benimaru's "death" had driven Shion completely mad.
Her soul seemed to have been set ablaze.
All her anger, pain, and sorrow had transformed into pure, primitive fighting power.
Leonard immediately realized that the battle had gone far beyond normal limits.
He completely abandoned his chivalrous manners.
Without hesitation, he directly ordered the knights behind him to gather their respective magical powers and channel them into him.
The order was executed immediately.
A massive flow of magical energy began converging into his body.
The influx of magical power from an entire squad of paladins placed a terrible burden on Leonard's body.
His entire body felt as though it were about to tear apart.
But at the same time…
That power granted him an absurd level of combat strength.
As soon as his magical power reached its peak, Leonard charged forward and struck directly at Shion with his sword.
The energy released in that attack was terrifying.
It seemed capable of tearing everything apart.
Faced with that overwhelming sword energy, Shion made no attempt to evade.
At that moment…
She had only a single thought.
Tear Leonard's flesh apart.
Crush his soul.
And torture him to death.
Shion positioned her sword behind her back.
Then, facing the sword energy head-on, she unleashed the most ferocious strike of her entire life.
In the next instant—
Shion's sword energy completely engulfed Leonard's.
The attack was instantly reversed.
Leonard was utterly stunned by that devastating power.
His body froze for a moment.
At that instant, only one thought filled his mind.
Am I going to die?
In the next second…
Leonard was completely swallowed by a white light.
When the light disappeared, all that remained was Leonard's lifeless body.
Shion, who had released everything in a single blow, collapsed to her knees.
Her body was completely exhausted.
Looking toward the place where Benimaru had fallen, Shion began to cry.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
If only…
If only she had been stronger…
But then—
She felt a gentle touch on her head.
"Calm down… You did very well, girl," Arthur said, looking at her with a peaceful smile. "Benimaru will come back."
Just like on Shion's side, the battlefields of Hakurou, Geld, Gobta, and the others were filled with intense fighting spirit.
Every confrontation had reached a brutal level.
Among the Ten Great Saints, Fritz had always been known as an unconditional admirer of Hinata.
He could easily be described as a true fanatic.
But now…
He had helplessly witnessed the death of his senior, Hinata, with his own eyes.
That was unforgivable.
Facing Shuna, Fritz completely abandoned his composure.
All his elegance disappeared.
He became ruthless.
Every move he made was a killing strike.
And Shuna was no different.
Benimaru was her beloved brother.
She had seen him "die" right before her eyes.
How could she not be enraged?
Without them realizing it, everything was happening exactly the way Arthur wanted.
Rage was an excellent fuel for evolution. This fact had become even more obvious when Arthur touched Shion's head earlier.
He could sense that she had evolved into a Wicked Oni, and her strength—which was already comparable to that of a Demon Lord—had grown even greater.
Wicked Oni were a variant of the Oni race, possessing an essence closer to that of a demon than that of a pure elemental.
He could also sense that each of them was becoming even stronger.
Meanwhile, at the city gates…
Mjurran, who had not joined the battle, and the other observers were deathly pale.
The battlefield looked like a living hell.
Mjurran could not contain her confusion.
"Master Arthur… isn't going to intervene?"
It was difficult for her to understand.
How could a leader loved and adored by all the residents of Nova Uruk, like Arthur, remain idle in the face of such a brutal battle?
How could he simply watch as his right-hand man was "killed" before his eyes?
Did he truly not care about the casualties among his subordinates?
"She's here…" Arthur suddenly murmured after sensing a slight disturbance in space.
"Who is here?" Shion asked, confused.
"The one they call a goddess—the very Luminous Valentine herself," Arthur replied with a smile.
Shion tried to say something, but Arthur immediately interrupted her.
"Don't worry about me. I can handle this alone. Now go rest."
As he spoke, he teleported her to the top of the city wall beside Mjurran.
Immediately afterward, he manipulated the spatial distortion that was about to appear.
But instead of allowing it to manifest near them, he redirected it to another point on the battlefield.
Not too close.
But not too far either.
A gate silently emerged from the ground.
From within it…
A young girl stepped out.
She appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Her beauty was strange.
Imperfect, yet complete.
It was as if she were frozen in the exact moment between childhood and adulthood.
Her heterochromatic eyes shone in two distinct colors.
One deep crimson.
And one pale sky blue.
She possessed snow-white fangs.
And she wore an elegant gothic dress.
It was Luminous Valentine.
As Arthur observed her with clear interest, Luminous also carefully examined Arthur.
"I have to admit, you surprised me, chosen hero," Luminous mocked.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I could say the same… Demon Lord."
He had to admit it.
Luminous Valentine was an extremely beautiful woman.
"But thanks to you, I can finally obtain what I want…" Arthur said as he made a slight movement with his fingers, as if cutting through space itself.
Immediately, a spatial rift opened before him.
It led directly to Luminous's personal chambers.
From within that opening…
Arthur pulled out a coffin.
The moment she saw it, Luminous completely lost her composure.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Luminous didn't care about many things in this world.
But the woman inside that coffin was an entirely different story.
Before Arthur could touch the coffin, Luminous instantly appeared beside him and grabbed his arm.
She prevented him from moving forward.
Immediately, she used her supreme art:
[Memory End Requiem]
An ability capable of absorbing the life force of anyone she came into contact with.
However…
In the next second, Luminous was completely shocked.
Her art had no effect at all.
"Impossible…" she murmured in disbelief.
"Calm down, Luminous," Arthur said with a relaxed smile. "I'm just fulfilling a promise."
Then, to the Demon Lord's complete surprise…
Arthur raised his hand and gently patted her head.
This unconscious gesture was due to a skill Arthur had acquired some time ago thanks to Milim.
It was a Unique Skill called [Supreme Headpat].
An apparently useless ability.
It granted the user the power to perform headpats on a transcendental level.
Although it appeared to be nothing more than a simple gesture of affection, the skill manifested an inexplicable phenomenon.
Anyone who received one of his headpats experienced an overwhelming sensation of comfort, approval, and happiness.
Regardless of the target's personality, the gesture conveyed a universal message:
"You did a good job."
The effect was so powerful that Arthur had never encountered anyone capable of resisting even a single headpat from him.
In some cases…
Especially with Milim…
She would enter a state that Arthur liked to call: Tamed Cat Mode.
"Eh…?" Luminous murmured in confusion.
Somehow…
She had actually enjoyed that headpat.
What is this comforting feeling…? she wondered.
"Don't look at me like that, Luminous," Arthur said calmly. "I know very well who's inside that coffin… and I can definitely handle it."
He then raised his left hand and placed it on the coffin.
"You can handle it…?" Luminous asked, completely perplexed.
Then, after a few seconds of silence, she spoke again:
"If you are truly capable of doing that… I'm willing to pay any price. Even myself, if you wish."
Arthur let out a light laugh.
"I don't need you to pay me with sex. If I want that, I'll simply court you until you fall hopelessly in love with me… and then we'll see what happens after that."
Arthur smiled as he immediately activated his Ultimate Skill:
[Hammurabi – Lord of Laws]
Luminous watched with interest.
"You're very confident, Mr. Hero."
Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"Are you saying you weren't even a little charmed by me?"
He then made a casual gesture with his hand.
"Now sit quietly while the hero here works."
Then he turned his full attention to the coffin.
"Ah… alright," Luminous replied after a few seconds.
She slowly nodded.
Then she stepped back slightly…
Watching Arthur's every movement with great attention.
---
(End of Chapter)
Luminous Valentine -