Chapter 335: Fighting the Demon Lord III

As for the main squad...

Earlier, while the Sanguine Order was on its way here, Elysia had personally provided them with potions and elixirs to replenish their aura, mana, and aether.

Although they were still exhausted, they had recovered enough to regain most of their combat capabilities.

Killian’s figure flickered across the battlefield in bursts of yellow lightning.

Every time he appeared, demonized elves would either be cleanly beheaded by his sword or reduced to charred corpses by his lightning.

Aurelia, on the other hand, took a more supportive role. Rather than charging into the fray, she used her Gift to turn any demonized elves that slipped through the gaps in their formation into gold.

Pandora remained at the rear, supporting everyone by casting powerful area-of-effect spells that obliterated large swaths of the demonized elves before they could close the distance.

Beside her, Regis had also assumed the role of a mage.

’I’ll conserve my aura to use Lux Aeterna in case I need to save someone or an opportunity arises to eliminate them all in one strike.’

He silently observed Merriam, who was currently locked in battle with Elysia while protecting the noblewoman within the demonic barrier.

Aside from them, the main squad also had two temporary members: Auryn and Patti.

Although everyone in the Sanguine Order knew of their background and was aware of their strength, several members still could not hide their astonishment.

Most of them had already witnessed the siblings fight back in Xerxes Village.

However, this was the first time they had seen them unleash their full strength.

In fact, it was Regis’s first time witnessing their true capabilities as well.

Patti assumed the role of the frontline.

A golden hammer and shield manifested in his hands, while a suit of radiant golden armor encased him from head to toe.

’That’s... kind of flashy.’

Regis resisted the urge to shield his eyes from Patti’s dazzling brilliance.

Behind him, Auryn took on the role of a mage.

Hundreds of metallic golden spikes materialized above her before raining down upon the sea of demonized elves.

’So she’s a mage specializing in metal magic...’

As Regis observed their fighting styles, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

’Aurelia, Auryn, and Patti... All three siblings have Gifts related to gold. I wonder why that is...’

Although the inheritance of Gifts was governed by mysterious principles—sometimes passed down through bloodlines and other times appearing completely at random—he could not help but be curious.

***

As the battle raged on for nearly half an hour...

The sea of demonized elves had dwindled dramatically, to the point where the members of the Sanguine Order could finally see its end.

Their tightly coordinated formations allowed them to cover one another’s weaknesses and fight with seamless teamwork.

Coupled with the individual strength of every member, they steadily pushed back the seemingly endless horde.

Even when forced to face multiple demonized elves without support, each of them possessed the skill to defeat their opponents—or, at the very least, hold their ground until reinforcements arrived.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Elysia.

High above the demonic barrier, she was still locked in a fierce battle against Merriam.

Merriam laughed gleefully as she continued to provoke her.

"Is this all the Queen of the Elves amounts to?"

"You despicable wretch!"

Elysia gritted her teeth, anger and helplessness surging within her at the same time.

Every punch and kick she threw was effortlessly evaded by Merriam, who retaliated by unleashing one Master-rank spell after another.

’If only I could use Holy Miracles... and my other abilities as well...’

Elysia could not help but feel as though her hands and feet were tied.

Forced to rely solely on her physical body, she was unable to fight at her full strength.

After all, the corruption within her soul had taken far deeper root than she had initially believed.

Although the half of the World Tree Fruit she had consumed temporarily suppressed it, it was nothing more than a contingency.

It alleviated the symptoms, but it could not eradicate the corruption itself.

Unbeknownst to Elysia, Merriam was secretly gritting her teeth in worry.

’Damn the Sanguine Order! How can a newly established adventurer corporation handle the sea of demonized elves we’ve spent so long preparing so easily?!’

Her expression remained playful, but her eyes had grown noticeably colder.

’At this rate, our forces won’t hold out much longer...’

’I need to kill this bitch before that happens!’

Merriam briefly glanced toward Aziza, who remained within the protection of the demonic barrier.

’If they manage to wipe out our forces and break the barrier...’

’...we’ll have no choice but to use ’that’ ahead of schedule.’

’Argh! If only the Sanguine Order hadn’t reinforced the elves, our plan would have proceeded flawlessly!’

The battle continued for another ten minutes.

Unfortunately for Merriam...

That was all the time the Sanguine Order needed to eradicate the sea of demonized elves.

Seeing the battlefield finally cleared, Regis immediately gave his orders.

"Everyone capable of using aether, work together with the mages and bring down that demonic barrier! The rest, support the Queen!"

"Understood!"

Every member of the Sanguine Order—including Auryn and Patti—responded in unison.

Without the slightest hesitation, they immediately split into their assigned roles and carried out Regis’s orders with flawless coordination.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise...

Regis remained where he stood.

Nevertheless, they trusted that Regis had a plan.

Without questioning his decision, they simply carried out the tasks he had assigned to them.

’Aether is a higher form of energy, just like divine power and demonic power... Combined with Marzana’s chaos energy, breaking the demonic barrier should be possible, even if the one inside is a Demon Lord.’

That was Regis’s conclusion.

During the time the Sanguine Order had spent fighting the seemingly endless sea of demonized elves, he had continuously analyzed the situation, refining one hypothesis after another until everything finally fell into place.

’Thoughtless Temperance... the cult that serves the Demon Lord of Lust...’

’Then, according to the information we’ve gathered...’

’That woman hiding inside the barrier must be Aziza.’

Regis did not know whether Queen Elysia had reached the same conclusion.

However, that no longer mattered.

’I’ll simply do what I can.’

His blood-red eyes remained fixed on the battle between Elysia and Merriam.

While pretending to assist the mages in bringing down the demonic barrier, he patiently waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.