When Lilya led a group of powerful individuals to the outside of the hall, the sound of killing was already deafening. Countless silver-armored Lilya’s Shadow Guards clashed with black-armored soldiers, and among them were many individuals with diverse clothing, much like the attackers from earlier.

 

These people had considerable average strength, and their fighting styles were diverse and unpredictable, causing significant damage to their side. It was evident that it was because of them that the battle had been in a stalemate.

 

“Sister Flora, can you recognize the techniques of these outsiders?”

 

The red-haired ranger took a quick glance and immediately spoke without hesitation.

 

“Demon Cult, Falling Sky Meteor, Broken Water Flow, Undead Sanctuary group, these are too obvious, absolutely no mistake. As for the others, some seem familiar, a few I haven’t seen, all notorious within the kingdom and neighboring countries, or belong to ambiguous organizations, both righteous and evil.”

 

“Is that so… No wonder after exterminating several infiltrators in the capital, the rest disappeared. It turns out they united and hid under someone’s protection.”

 

The princess understood. In this case, the true mastermind behind the incident became quite apparent.

 

Ben Melchior.

 

The reason was simple: if these people were able to avoid being detected by the kingdom’s intelligence agencies due to Ben’s protection, then with the failure and capture of the Second Prince, the once secure sanctuary would soon be exposed. They now had only two options before them.

 

Sneakily escape from the Courage City, or, taking advantage of not yet facing complete defeat, launch a preemptive counterattack.

 

And their goal was nothing more than personal gain.

 

In that case, these are the hidden moves left by Ben… Before entering the Hall of All Spirits Temple today, he had already prepared for failure. Once problems arose, these people would immediately start preparing for a forced coup.

 

Indeed, this also explains why Patrick, the muscle-headed one, suddenly went crazy and took action at this specific time. It’s likely that his portion of military authority had also been tampered with by Ben.

 

Whether they succeed or fail, Ben can shift all responsibility to the Third Prince and save his own life.

 

Or perhaps, these people are just a diversion, sacrificial pawns thrown out by him to attract firepower.

 

If that’s the case, the dungeon side…

 

Thinking like this, the princess’s actions were not slow at all.

 

“Sister Flora, Miss Edwina, Mr. Nicholas, you and the shadow guards take action together, eliminate the troublesome hard nails among the enemies. Since the city guard has already rebelled, there’s no need to show mercy, kill them on the spot!”

 

Since Lilya spoke, those around her naturally had no objections. They immediately dispersed their formation, with two legendary powerhouses at the forefront, forcefully joining the battle. Only a few elite shadow guards remained to protect and observe the princess’s safety.

 

Among the enemies, there were legendary experts as well, one being an old man wielding a bone staff and a middle-aged swordsman with a large sword.

 

The former continuously used undead magic to kill and resurrect the knights of the order. Several dozen knights under Lilya’s command had already perished at his hands, and the lineup of undead formed by the transformed corpses was rapidly expanding, making it difficult for ordinary knights to resist.

 

The latter was a pure physical combat warrior, wielding a great sword with a powerful and agile style. Combining strength and a cunning, elusive feeling, this undoubtedly was the leader of the “Broken Water Flow” as described by Flora.

 

“Light, please illuminate the darkness!”

 

As a holy knight, Edwina naturally immediately confronted the old man who seemed to be a high-ranking member of the Undead Sanctuary group. The pure radiance emitted by her sword and shield was particularly prominent in the night, instantly purifying a large area of undead-transformed knights and enemies.

 

However, the undead mage old man clearly had experience fighting against holy beings. Sensing the unfavorable situation, he immediately commanded several of the strongest undead warriors to surround Edwina’s group, himself showing no intention of engaging in direct combat and instead retreating into the crowd.

 

“Hey, don’t run!”

 

The holy knight waved her gleaming holy sword, effortlessly cutting down undead like chopping vegetables, angrily shouting. However, the other party paid no attention to her, directly disappearing without a trace. It was unclear whether they fled the battlefield or were lurking and waiting for an opportunity.

 

After all, holy beings naturally had an advantage against undead magic, and Edwina also received the blessing of a certain priestess’s “Kiss of Light.” The holy light was extremely pure, and the old man felt the threat, naturally not daring to lightly confront its edge.

 

On the other side, Flora originally wanted to deal with the legendary leader of the Broken Water Flow swordsman. However, for some reason, Nicholas took the initiative to engage in combat.

 

Although he was only at the peak of the Sky-level, having stayed in this realm for a long time, almost on the verge of breaking through to the final stage, and the man he faced seemed to have recently reached the legendary level. Therefore, the gap did not reach a chasm-like extent.

 

The swift and wind-like Nicholas, adept at speed, unexpectedly managed to barely hold down this legendary powerhouse. Although he appeared somewhat distressed, he undeniably created an excellent opportunity for Flora.

 

Both legendary figures were entangled, leaving Crimson Flame Flora as if entering a realm without opponents, transforming into a mobile artillery, wreaking havoc among the enemy forces.

 

Arrows with dazzling flames shot out one after another, hardly any enemy able to withstand a single arrow. The counterattacks from the combined efforts of the Earth and Sky-level experts were completely unable to catch up with the agile figure of the red-haired ranger.

 

The situation, which was barely held and even favored the attacking side, suddenly plummeted after Lilya brought in dozens of top-notch experts. It quickly entered a decline, visibly crumbling at an alarming speed.

 

Even so, they still did not retreat. The undead mage who had hidden did not leave either. Instead, after the holy knight lady finished cutting down several undead warriors, he started guerrilla warfare against Edwina. His obvious goal was to restrain her, preventing her from fully engaging in other areas of the battlefield.

 

“……?”

 

Subconsciously gripping the hilt of her sword, Lilya, outside the battlefield, frowned.

 

Strange, in this battle where defeat was inevitable, what exactly were they expecting?

 

To be honest, from the beginning, this group of people had no chance of completely breaking through their defense. It felt more like a feigned attack and some form of distraction.

 

What was their real purpose?

 

Just hindering her movements to create an opportunity for Ben?

 

Lilya always felt that she had just overlooked something, and there was a faint sense of unease in her heart, but for the moment, she couldn’t figure it out.

 

That feeling was like standing in the spotlight… but not being able to see the shadow left behind.

 

At this very moment, a sudden burst of white light in the night sky caught the attention of Princess Lilya and everyone on the battlefield.

 

It was a divine punishment, almost identical to when she first encountered someone, piercing through the heavens and the earth.

 

A radiant white column of light erupted from somewhere in the sky, destroying everything in its path like daylight, illuminating the entire Courage City.

 

The terrifying beam of light, with a diameter of at least several dozen meters, pierced through several tall buildings along its path, creating a thunderous roar that shook the hearts of everyone. Finally, it disappeared into the sky.

 

“Violet…?”

 

A murmured exclamation escaped her lips as the princess suddenly remembered why, amidst such a major event, the priestess who never missed any good show had yet to appear?

 

Could it be… she had also fallen into some trap? Who was she currently fighting against?

 

Although reason told Lilya that Violet was very strong, unbelievably so, with nothing posing a threat to her, the concern still disrupted the usually composed princess, leading her into a momentary shake.

 

And just as she lost focus for a moment, cries of surprise and anger erupted simultaneously on the battlefield!

 

“Watch out, Your Highness!”

 

“Lilya! Behind you!”

 

“What are you doing!”

 

A short dagger, illuminated by a white aurora and emanating a sharp chill, thrust directly into the princess’s back.

 

Splurt~

 

“!”

 

As a sharp pain struck, Lilya reflexively turned her head, and what met her eyes was the unfamiliar smile of the Chief of the Shadow Guard—Emily.