"Master, the city walls have been breached, the allied forces probably won't hold out much longer! Let's go!"

She could already hear the sounds of fighting outside. Stepping out of the tower, she saw that the dark clouds in the sky revealed a dim red light, as if coated in viscous blood.

"But my sister hasn't returned yet."

"She's a garrison soldier, she can't leave her post without authorization," Kav's voice grew increasingly anxious. "If you die here, wouldn't that betray her wishes!"

After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded in agreement, "I understand."

The streets were filled with refugees. Guards maintained a precarious order. Joining the crowd, she involuntarily followed everyone towards the south gate. Kav stayed close by her side, using his sturdy, burly body to protect her from being knocked over by the panicked crowd.

A complete rout.

Is this our end? She glanced at the Sky Tower behind her, the highest point of the city, and the central hub of the Union. Flying devils were already carrying Fiends into the tower's peak, and occasionally a bolt of lightning would flash, striking down a devil. But it was all in vain—there were simply too many enemies.

After hundreds of years of construction and development, the city had become the most prosperous holy city on the Fertile Plains. Yet today, it seemed doomed to destruction. The efforts of generations could not save the tower—like a sandcastle built by children in an afternoon, it would return to chaos and disorder in the blink of an eye.

...

Passing through the south gate, devils blocking the way had already arrived. Those who could still fight voluntarily stepped forward, cooperating with the guards.

But the enemy had not only Fiends, but also Fear Demons and Hell Lords. The gap in strength between the two sides was too great. After a wave of javelins, dozens of people lay in pools of blood. Some had their abdomens pierced by iron spears, their steaming intestines spilling onto the cold snow. Others simply had their limbs severed, clutching their wounds and wailing in pain.

"Master, what are you going to do?" Kav grabbed her.

"I can fight too," she took a deep breath, "Let go of me."

"No, your importance is far greater than theirs, you can't—"

"Release me!" Her magic surged forth, a biting chill spreading out, knocking his hand away. Then, without looking back, she strode forward. Seeing the狰狞 faceplates and blood-soaked weapons of the enemies just a hundred paces away, she felt her heart gradually constricting. But even so, she was unwilling to continue hiding behind the crowd—as a member of the Holy City's witches, even if she were to die, she should die on the battlefield!

"Get out of the way!"

Just then, a clear shout came from the side of the battlefield, and a person fell from the sky, like a god descending.

She stood with her back to everyone, raising the long sword in her hand. Her reddish-brown hair was like flames, instantly igniting the hope in everyone's hearts.

"A Holy Knight of the Union!"

"She's... beyond Extraordinary!"

Amidst the exclamations of the people, a radiance began to flow between the blades, soon turning the sword into a dazzling gold—like a newborn sun, streams of light spilled across the earth. Even the dark red clouds in the sky dared not obscure its brilliance, and countless golden tassels were reflected below the cloud layer. As the light rose to its zenith, the newcomer leaped forward, swinging the long sword at the attacking devils.

All was silent.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still. Before the all-consuming whiteness descended, her figure was like the last glimmer of darkness at dawn.

Fiends and Hell Lords alike crumbled in the light.

When she reopened her eyes, the snow in front of her had turned into scorched earth. The approaching enemies seemed to have never existed.

The other devils, seeing this scene, retreated in unison. More Holy Knights also arrived at this time, joining the battlefield to pursue the fleeing enemies. The encirclement had been broken.

"You all go quickly." The sword-wielding witch seemed to have exhausted all her strength. She knelt on one knee, panting, "Take advantage of this opportunity, and leave here as soon as possible."

"But... my lady, where can we go?" Someone in the crowd asked.

Yes, where can we go? she thought bitterly. Even the last holy city had fallen under the devils' attack, tens of thousands had died, and all means had been exhausted. They had failed to reverse the defeat.

"Don't give up, we still have hope!" The red-haired witch said firmly, "Cross the mountains, cross the rivers, and go to that desolate land."

"But... there are only some backward rural villagers there."

"We can rebuild order. Go! As long as you can survive, you will surely see the day of victory!"

...

"Master, why aren't you going with them?"

She led a group away from the crowd, hurrying westward. Besides Kav and the family guards, the rest had basically no combat power. They were all servants and maids from the tower.

"I left some key magic stones and documents in the test building in the Miding Forest. Since we want to rebuild order, these things are crucial for witches. I want to take them to the other side of the mountain."

"The devils are catching up!"

"Chuishi, you go and block them," Kav ordered.

"Yes!"

She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, pressing forward. These mortals could only hinder the devils' progress, they could not defeat them at all. Once they left, they probably wouldn't have any chance of survival. But she had to leave them behind and head to her destination as quickly as possible.

For some reason, black and white spots appeared in the sky... Her vision became blurred.

...

Kav followed behind, panting. Even as strong as he was, he was already very tired after three days of trekking through the snow.

She glanced behind her. The group of thirty-odd people was now down to only six. Some had fled along the way, and some had been seriously injured and had voluntarily left the group. If the devils caught up again...

"Don't worry, Master, I'm still here." Kav seemed to see through her thoughts, and comforted her, "I will do my best to hold them back."

"Why?"

He was slightly taken aback.

"Why do you insist on going to the end? If you run away now, you might be able to survive," she asked in confusion. "We are witches, always high above, and you are just an ordinary person. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't think of dying with me, would you?"

"But you have never mistreated us. Although I don't have magic power, I understand many principles—it is my duty to protect you."

A commotion arose behind them. Everyone understood that the final moment had arrived.

"Master, go quickly, don't look back."

The black and white spots were increasing.

...

She stumbled into the basement, packing up the documents and magic stones on the table.

Kav's words had caused her some confusion.

For a long time, there had been a widespread view in the Holy City that witches were chosen by the gods, and those who could not condense magic power were both ignorant and incompetent, nothing more than the soil for cultivating them. But in this family guard captain, she saw courage and resilience, not the incompetence that everyone spoke of. In fact, they also had aspects that witches could not match. Working together was completely better than one-sided driving—at least that's how it was in her stone tower.

If that's the case, why did the people four hundred years ago suffer such a complete defeat?

Suddenly, the roars of devils rang out outside the door.

Damn it, they actually came so quickly.

Her vision was already blurry, countless spots dancing before her eyes, almost filling her entire field of vision... And she couldn't die here, she had to bring her research results out—cross the mountains, cross the rivers, and rebuild order in that desolate land!

She pulled out an echo magic stone, poured magic power into it, and made it continuously emit cries for help.

With a loud bang, the wooden door shattered into pieces, and devils had broken in.

Hoping that someone would hear her cries for help, she drove the magic power in her entire body, turning it into a torrent of frost. The Fiend raised its spear, its arm rapidly swelling up. In the next moment, the cold, gleaming spear tip flew straight towards her.

She couldn't help but close her eyes. The black and white spots suddenly obscured everything, and her vision turned pitch black. Sound also disappeared. Her body no longer felt cold, as if wrapped in a soft velvet. It was as if she was not in a dark basement, but lying on warm grass. The pain of her body being pierced never came.

Am I dead?

After a long time, a thin crack appeared in the darkness, then it became brighter and brighter. She tried to slowly open her eyes, and the hazy gray ceiling gradually came into view.

She heard someone say, "Your Highness, she's awake."