Chapter 123 - 50: Their First Victory Over a Demon

Chapter 123: Chapter 50: Their First Victory Over a Demon

Flames surged!

Veronica’s eyes widened.

Though both were using Flame Magic, the difference in Magic Power and proficiency meant the power of this spell was far beyond anything she could match.

She watched as the pervasive Demonic Qi writhed in agony under the searing flames, and the Demons below were instantly dealt a heavy blow.

Even though the Demons lacked high intelligence, the sight of their kind struggling, shattering, and turning to ash within the inferno inevitably caused them to hesitate for a moment.

And for Lilia, that brief hesitation was all she needed.

Without a word, she reached down to Veronica.

Countless questions flashed through Veronica’s mind as she looked at the familiar face before her, but she knew this was not the time to talk.

She seized Lilia’s hand, and as they clasped hands, they rose into the air as if carried by the wind.

From their vantage point in the air, Veronica glanced at the state of the battlefield.

Lilia clearly hadn’t come alone. The squad she led had already broken through the Demon front line.

The explosions from moments before had completely shattered the Demons’ formation, nearly clearing out all the Demons at the epicenter.

As the number of Demons dwindled, the Demonic Qi—once so thick it nearly blotted out the sky—thinned considerably, giving the humans a chance to breathe.

Veronica breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her decoy squad, with the help of the reinforcements, break free from the encirclement.

But as her gaze shifted, the heart that had just begun to settle leaped back into her throat.

While they were bogged down in a bitter fight, another contingent of Demons had taken advantage of the chaos to break away, their target the undermanned Servali City.

Ovis’s army was trying to intercept them. After all, if Seville were to fall, it would be a major blow to them as well.

But their experience fighting Demons was sorely lacking. They had suffered immediate setbacks in their first clash, caught off guard by the Demons’ bizarre abilities.

Not only had they failed to save Seville, but it seemed they were about to be surrounded themselves.

"Lili..."

Veronica had no choice but to speak. "I can’t go back yet. If Ovis’s front line collapses, Seville probably won’t be able to hold out either."

’Even if I survive for now, what’s the point? Once the territory falls, I’ll just end up dying in the chaotic war against the Demons anyway.’

’As for running away?’

’If I’d wanted to run, I wouldn’t have waited until today.’

Veronica’s plan was to lead her own troops to aid Ovis. After all, Lilia had already helped her so much; she didn’t want to see her friend take any more risks.

But Lilia clearly had other ideas.

"Ovis?"

The girl glanced in the direction Veronica indicated. "Why would Ovis’s army be here?"

"Well..."

Veronica said, "It’s... complicated. Now isn’t the time to explain."

"True."

Lilia smiled. "But don’t worry. I thought those were your troops stationed over there, so I went ahead and sent some people over to help."

"Sent... people?"

Veronica looked down.

Only then did she notice that in the no-man’s-land between the two battlefields, a dozen or so Knights were rapidly approaching Ovis’s position.

’But... the Demons numbered in the hundreds, while Lilia had sent fewer than twenty people.’

’With such a huge disparity in numbers... aren’t they just being sent to their deaths?’

As Veronica was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Lilia beside her tell her to order Ovis’s troops to fall back.

Since Ovis’s troops were stationed here, it meant they were in contact with Veronica. And since they were fighting a common enemy, they would probably obey her command.

Seeing the girl’s confident expression, Veronica hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth.

’...I’ll gamble on it.’

’If Lilia had a way to rescue me and the decoy squad, she must have a plan for dealing with the Demons.’

’Besides, if Ovis’s men keep fighting this losing battle against the Demons, it won’t end well. It’s better to retreat now and preserve their strength.’

’As for what happens after they retreat... if Lilia’s plan fails and the Demons swarm Servali City...’

’...since I’ve already gotten away, that’s a consequence I can bear.’

Veronica knew that hesitation was the greatest sin on the battlefield, so she quickly made her decision and ordered Ovis’s troops to retreat!

Ovis’s commander heard her order. His gaze swept over the distant Servali City, then to his own Knights, who were already writhing in agony from the Demonic Qi’s corruption.

’If we keep fighting, our casualties will skyrocket...’

He didn’t hesitate. He followed Veronica’s command and led his troops in a swift retreat.

Behind them.

The Demon contingent gave chase relentlessly.

Just as the commander was trying to figure out how to shake them, he noticed several figures suddenly appear behind his retreating troops.

They didn’t approach, but simply threw something into the horde of Demons.

The commander froze, confusion washing over him.

’This...’

’What are they doing?’

’That huge bundle... could it be some kind of special magic item?’

’What kind of magic item is that big? It must weigh dozens of pounds; even the Knights seemed to struggle to throw them.’

’Not to mention how bulky they looked...’

The same question was on Veronica’s mind.

But unlike the commander, she had Lilia right beside her, so she asked directly, "Those things are..."

Before she could finish.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted!

The retreating commander was nearly thrown off his feet by the blast. Once he steadied himself, he whipped his head around to look.

His expression was one of utter, dumbfounded shock.

’Magic this powerful... Could a High-level Mage be here?!’

’...No, that’s not it.’

’The successive explosions have already broken the monsters’ formation. If that’s the case... what are we running for?!’

"All units!"

The commander screeched to a halt, raising his weapon high. "Counterattack!!"

...

Everyone enjoys kicking an enemy when they’re down.

Especially when, just moments before, those same "enemies" had been crushing them with absolute dominance.

Ovis’s army launched their counterattack, and Veronica’s forces were no exception.

The opportunity was too good to miss. She decided to temporarily leave Servali City with a skeleton crew, assigning only a few Mages to stand guard. Everyone else was mobilized to join the hunt and exterminate the Demons.

The chaotic battle raged from the afternoon into the evening.

When the last Demon fell to Veronica’s sword, the foul stench of Demonic presence in the air finally dissipated.

At that moment.

Gazing at the bodies strewn across the ground.

After a moment of silence, cheers suddenly erupted across the battlefield.

Trapped in the city by Demons for a full half-month, the warriors’ nerves had been stretched to the breaking point.

Dread, anxiety, tension, despair... All sorts of negative emotions had haunted them, making them feel as if they and their city would perish at any moment.

A decisive victory under these conditions completely ignited their long-suppressed emotions.

"We won... We won!"

Hearing the ecstatic screams and roars around her, Veronica felt a sense of dazed disbelief.

"...We won."

「One month after the Demons invaded Seville.」

With Lilia’s help, she had finally achieved her first large-scale victory.

For the first time... they had defeated the Demons.