"I will bring her back to life! No one can stop me—no one!"
"King of the Star Kingdom, you have already been possessed by a demon! For the peace and safety of the people of the Star Kingdom, please submit yourself to the judgment of the Church of Light!"
After delivering that string of official-sounding doctrine, Winnieshan raised her sword and launched an attack toward the King of the Star Kingdom, who stood shrouded in swirling green mist.
The longsword in her hand burst into rippling waves of golden light. As she slashed downward, a streak of white-gold sword energy cleaved through the air toward the king.
The strike appeared gentle at first glance—
Yet when it struck the king's golden armor, it carved a deep, unmistakable scar across the surface.
"So strong?"
Watching that single strike, Kurose Akira raised an eyebrow.
The golden armor the king wore was at the very least Legendary-grade equipment—yet Winnieshan's sword aura had broken through its defense so easily.
This Saintess of the Church of Light… her combat power was unexpectedly terrifying.
Akira immediately focused his gaze on her.
A system panel appeared before his eyes.
[Winnieshan (Legendary)]
Level: 90 (0 / 90000)
Race: Human
Strength: ?Agility: ?Magic: ?Constitution: ?
Growth: 12 (Each level grants +12 to all attributes)
Skills: (Expand)
Traits: [Saintess] [ ? ]
"Level 90…?"
Kurose Akira's eyes widened slightly.
Even the King of the Star Kingdom was only level 90.
Prince Tyles, the king's younger brother, possessed strength nearly equal to the king himself. Together with the Level 95 Star Knight Aremos, these three were the only top-tier experts above level ninety in the entire Star Kingdom.
And yet—
In the Solar Holy Kingdom, even a single Saintess had already reached Level 90.
Not to mention the Pope of Light, the Golden-Robed Priest, and the Cardinal in Red—three demigod-level existences above Level 95.
From this alone, it was obvious.
The Solar Holy Kingdom's strength far surpassed that of the Star Kingdom.
In fact, it could even stand toe-to-toe with the Elven Kingdom.
After all—
Within the Elven Kingdom, there were only two demigod-level figures: the Elf Queen and the Dark Elf leader.
…Wait.
Kurose Akira suddenly shook his head.
He had forgotten something important.
The Elf Mother Tree.
Its existence was the true reason the Elven Kingdom had endured through countless ages.
Its level… was probably beyond even demigod rank.
Pulling himself back from those thoughts, Akira turned his attention to the battle between Winnieshan and the king.
Judging from the flow of combat, Winnieshan clearly held the advantage.
In just a short moment, the King of the Star Kingdom had already been wounded and forced into a clumsy retreat.
"Looks like the Saintess of the Church of Light is actually pretty impressive. I thought this would turn into a brutal fight."
Idis watched the battle with interest, a playful smile curling on her lips.
Her comment reached Lucia's ears.
Lucia shot Idis a cold glance.
After all, Winnieshan was Lucia's Saintess—yet she was now fighting in service of Idis's plan.
Naturally, that left a bitter taste in her mouth.
But there was nothing she could do.
She and Idis had already reached an agreement.
"Was all of this something you arranged beforehand?"
Kurose Akira looked toward Lucia and Idis. A vague feeling lingered in his mind that the two of them had kept something from him.
"I cannot bear the crime of regicide," Idis said with a casual smile, folding her arms across her chest.
"That would severely damage the reputation I've worked so hard to build within the Star Kingdom."
Her eyes shifted toward Lucia.
"So the only option was to borrow someone else's blade."
"Coincidentally, the Saintess of the Church of Light happened to have something she needed from me."
"So we made a little agreement."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Am I right, Miss Lucia?"
"..."
Lucia didn't respond verbally.
She only nodded lightly toward Kurose Akira.
The explanation left Akira silent for a few seconds.
Still, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Instead, curiosity stirred in his mind.
What exactly did Lucia want from Idis?
At that moment, a burst of commotion erupted outside the royal bedchamber.
"Something's wrong! The king's bedchamber is on fire!"
"Damn it! It's a magic formation! Someone is trying to assassinate the old king!"
"Quick! Organize a firefighting team!"
"No good! These flames are abnormal—they can't be extinguished!"
"Outrageous! Someone dares to commit murder inside the royal capital? Who could be so reckless?!"
"Wait! I think I heard voices earlier… something about the Church of Light?"
"Could it be people from the Church of Light? Those damned fanatics who worship their so-called Light! Hurry—summon the Star Knights for reinforcement!"
"..."
The disturbance inside the royal bedchamber had already attracted the attention of the Enforcement Knights, who quickly surrounded the palace chamber.
However—
Because of the magical barrier the king had set up earlier, they could neither see what was happening inside nor break through the barrier to enter.
Meanwhile, inside the chamber, the battle had already reached a fierce climax.
"As expected of the King of the Star Kingdom," Winnieshan said with a gentle smile.
"Even without the blessing of the Power of the Stars, you can still withstand the sacred ripples of the White Silk Holy Sword."
As she spoke, she swung her sword again.
The white-gold sword aura forced the king to retreat step by step.
His armor was now covered in sword marks, blood slowly seeping out between the cracks.
"No…! I will never allow anyone to ruin this!"
The king growled through clenched teeth.
Then he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a jet-black pearl.
"That is—?"
The moment everyone's eyes landed on the pitch-black pearl, their expressions immediately turned grave.
Because the pearl emitted the unmistakable aura of the Witch of the Night.
The power of the Night radiating from it made it difficult even to breathe.
It felt as if the surrounding air itself was being devoured by darkness.
Kurose Akira's mind stirred.
He immediately opened the item's information panel.
[Night Pearl (Legendary Grade)]
A pearl born from the power of the Night, containing a fragment of the authority of the Truth of Night.
"A Legendary-grade item…?"
As Akira read the description, a strong sense of unease rose in his chest.
After seeing the Night Pearl, Winnieshan quickly stepped back several paces, vigilance appearing on her face.
"Well… this just got troublesome."
She smiled helplessly, her gaze briefly flicking toward Lucia behind her.
Lucia's expression had also darkened.
She gripped the Sun Scepter tightly in her hand, already preparing herself for battle.
"If you insist on stopping me—!"
The king roared in fury.
"Then you will remain forever beneath these stars!"
Before his words had even finished—
Dense black mist suddenly poured out of the Night Pearl, rapidly engulfing the king's body.
Within the swirling darkness, his aura skyrocketed.
All of his attributes surged dramatically.
Even more astonishing—
A phantom figure of the Witch of the Night began to gradually form behind him.
The Truth of Night released layer upon layer of dark ripples, suffocating everyone present.
"The Witch of the Night…"
Kurose Akira's gaze turned solemn.
The aura radiating from that phantom was actually even stronger than the king himself.
Which meant—
It carried the full power she possessed while alive.
"Well, that's an unexpected twist in the plot~"
Seeing the situation escalate, Idis summoned swirling rose petals around herself, preparing to fight.
Everyone believed they were about to face a desperate battle against both the King of the Star Kingdom and the Witch of the Night.
But at that moment—
Something shocking happened.
The phantom of the Witch of the Night that had emerged from the Night Pearl suddenly condensed a sharp blade made of black mist.
Then—
Without any warning—
She thrust the blade straight through the king's heart from behind.
"?"
Everyone froze in place.
Shock and confusion filled their faces.
The king himself widened his eyes in disbelief as he looked down at his chest.
The blade formed from night mist had mercilessly pierced through his heart, rapidly devouring his life force.
"Th… this… what is happening…?"
…
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