I will be a demon in this life!

Chapter 259 259

Gerard Retriev, the Empire's Minister of State, received dozens of reports and requests for help via magical communication devices.

Chaos reigned not only within the Empire, but also in those kingdoms and territorial organizations allied with the Empire, where some of the soldiers who had been asleep until recently were stationed.

Minister Retriev was in his own study; he ordered the Golden Paladins, who were near those hostile soldiers, to kill them if it was impossible to capture them.

Minister Retriev's order applied only to the Golden Paladins within imperial territory; he then issued an order to the paladins stationed in the capital to travel by magical vehicles to the allied territories and provide assistance, provided those allies were willing to kill the hostile soldiers who had once been their allies.

As harsh as the decision might seem, for Minister Retriev, it was the best course of action, because he believed that attempting to detain, without harming, a soldier intent on killing could result in unnecessary casualties or serious injuries among soldiers who remained loyal and useful.

After giving instructions to some Golden Paladins, Minister Gerard rose from his seat, wiped his glasses with a silk handkerchief, put them back on, and left his study to personally inform Emperor Venrac of what was happening with some of the soldiers who had been asleep until recently.

...

On the plain where Mr. Gemini and Prince Absan stood, the prince was kneeling, clutching his halberd to keep from falling; his body was covered in blood and wounds, yet he was still trying to stand up using demonic energy.

Dozens of blades of grass glowed, and like slender blades of light, they pierced Prince Absab's body, causing him to cough up blood.

"Prince, this is the last chance I'm giving you. Surrender," said Mr. Gemini in his deep, solemn voice.

Prince Absab enveloped his body in demonic energy and rose once more.

He had tried several times to get closer to Mr. Geminis, but he could never catch up to him. Mr. Geminis always maintained the same distance, moving just fast enough to prevent Prince Absab from closing the gap between them by even a single centimeter.

Mr. Geminis's actions were nothing more than an attempt to break the young prince's will, who, despite his wounds, kept getting back to his feet.

Prince Absab looked with his one eye at the enemy before him.

There was no fear in the prince's gaze; rather, there was anger and hatred.

"I will kill you, and then I will kill the rest of you," Prince Absab repeated his declaration, though his voice was now weak due to his wounds.

"It's impossible—you should know that by now. Besides, from here I can sense what's happening on the battlefield, and I can tell you that nearly half of your father's army has been killed, and the demons seem to have retreated from the battlefield. Furthermore, of the remaining troops allied with your father, some are still stationed in the rear; they must be thinking of escaping, don't you think?" Mr. Gemini's statement was a candid summary of what was happening on the battlefield.

"They haven't surrendered yet. They're waiting for me," murmured the prince, who leaped forward, creating a shockwave from where he jumped, but even so, he failed to catch up to Mr. Gemini.

This time, the prince swung his halberd once more, unleashing another concentrated blast of demonic energy at Mr. Geminis.

Mr. Geminis waved his staff, and a golden light enveloped the demonic attack, causing it to vanish. After that, Mr. Geminis waved his staff again, and dozens of blades of grass glowed, transforming into thin golden blades that pierced Prince Absab's already wounded body, causing him to fall to the ground.

The prince, still clutching his halberd, was on the verge of losing consciousness. Until yesterday, he had believed he had a chance to save his kingdom; now, liquid and clotted blood flowed from his mouth.

In that moment, the prince felt like a mere mortal, the victim of prolonged torture.

"Damn it. Why? Why?" Prince Absab wondered deep in his mind.

At that moment, Mr. Geminis in his right hand covered by a white glove made a cracked gem appear that had a gray color.

"How?" Mr. Geminis wondered to himself.

"Fight," Absab heard an almost ethereal female voice in his mind.

On the ground, covered by a glowing halo, where Absab lay, there wasn't a drop of blood despite the prince's wounds, but suddenly, a reddish, ominous energy began to emanate from the prince, causing the earth beneath him to start rotting, just like the grass.

A few minutes earlier.

In that ruined temple, the Golden Paladin had been watching the fierce battle between Apostle Alon and Apostle Mitchel.

After several minutes of fighting, Apostle Mitchel had sustained only a few superficial wounds so far.

However, as the fight went on, the advantage seemed to be shifting in Apostle Alon's favor.

The Golden Paladin, who had already received orders from Minister Retriev, did not dare to distract Apostle Mitchel, but the Paladin needed the apostle to give him permission to intervene in the battle.

"If making such an announcement causes him to lose focus, the other apostle will kill him instantly. What should I do?" the Golden Paladin wondered.

Ultimately, despite being located within imperial territory, each temple of the "Endless Sky" enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy; consequently, in cases such as the one involving the Golden Paladin, they had to be treated as if he were in foreign territory to avoid potential disputes.

Faced with this unfavorable situation, the Golden Paladin ended up pulling his High-Rank magic staff out of a magical storage artifact.

Boom!

Apostle Alon's spear collided with Apostle Mitchel's daggers, and the shockwaves sent debris from the ruined temple flying everywhere.

The battle between the two apostles continued.

The Golden Paladin held his magic staff with both hands, created a magical barrier around himself, and then began to recite a high-level spell.

Just seconds later, a fiery spear appeared in the air above the Golden Paladin. The Paladin looked at the Apostle Alon and swung his staff toward him.

The fiery spear sliced through the air with speed and ferocity.

Explosion!

The explosion nearly shook the ground, and the rest of the ruins finally collapsed completely under the attack launched by the Golden Paladin, who was at the Seventh Circle of Mana (intermediate level).