Chapter 209: Varkhaz’s Captain in Action

Disciple Infantry clad in infernal armor and carrying long swords with Hellfire-enhanced attacks were capable of fighting veteran Demon Hunters.

There were 50 of them, which caused the frontline to enter a stalemate.

Inevitably, an Ash Stalker killed a Demon Hunter while he was busy fighting against the Flamebound Warriors.

Ash Stalkers were like assassins, cunning enough to target Demon Hunters who had their full concentration focused on their fellow demons.

They were even more terrifying because of their indifferent decision-making, not hesitating to sacrifice their fellow demons to successfully end the life of a Demon Hunter in a single swift motion.

There were also demons who could carry mortar weapons, powerful enough to annihilate every Demon Hunter on the frontline.

Thankfully, mages cast defensive spells that stacked with one another, preventing the explosive projectiles from reaching the frontline.

These demonic creatures were only at the lower to middle C-rank.

The upper to almost-peak C-rank demons were the elite shock troops.

Heavily armored demonic champions called Abyss Knights charged through their fellow demons and executed Demon Hunters who failed to react in time.

Not only did the Abyss Knights manage to kill Demon Hunters, but the Magma Reavers, berserker demons infused with volcanic essence, also went on a frenzy and killed many Demon Hunters.

Even so, the Demon Hunters’ morale did not wane. On the contrary, they only retaliated more intensely.

When one of the upper C-rank knights killed an Abyss Knight and a C-rank Sniper anticipated an Ash Stalker’s appearance and killed him with her arrow, the tide shifted in their favor.

The Demon Hunters came out strong when facing Varkhaz’s forces.

At this moment, Varkhaz instantly noticed it and frowned.

Not a single captain of his had made a move yet, seemingly wary of the variable as well.

At the same time, he was growing exasperated.

These bunch of meatbots. How dare they resist my aura?!

Varkhaz’s presence had passive effects on enemies.

Enemies within range would feel fear, reduced morale, and mental pressure.

However, due to the distance and the presence of a Saintess who possessed active skills that naturally opposed every skill, mostly passive, not only from him but from his Legion as well, the effects were greatly diminished.

In fact, the Saintess had already used the skill, Divine Purification.

She released a wave of sacred Authority throughout the surrounding area—maintaining it burned mana, but it appeared that her mana was boundless...

Or perhaps, she was simply using the external mana of the Authority of Salvation within the Empire’s territory.

Authority of Salvation...

Varkhaz clucked his tongue in annoyance.

The Authority of Salvation came from a human who had transcended to become a God but sacrificed himself to establish a sanctuary for humans to live.

It was his legacy that annoyed Varkhaz for being the reason he had failed to conquer the Empire.

Furthermore, the Empire was as terrifying as the Kingdom of Endless War simply because of how humans continued to produce powerful individuals and advanced technology.

However, for him, the humans had been declining, which became his primary reason for acting to conquer the Empire.

I must deal with her first.

It appeared that he had ignored the variable and decided to take down Seraphina first.

For him, Seraphina was a more dangerous variable than Max.

He turned toward Vexir, the Black Inferno, and said, "Go and kill the bearer of the Authority of Salvation."

Vexir smiled.

Varkhaz had finally ordered him to fight.

Vexir, the Black Inferno, was a tall, heavily armored demon standing slightly above two meters.

His body was covered in black demonic plate armor fused directly to his flesh.

Unlike Kaelgor’s crude natural armor, Vexir’s armor possessed an almost ceremonial design.

A long pair of curved horns emerged from his helmet-like skull.

His eyes burned with dark crimson flames.

A long black cloak constantly emitted small sparks.

He carried a massive black greatsword in one hand and a demonic command standard in the other.

The standard bore the symbol of Varkhaz’s Ash Crown.

Vexir was the Field Marshal among the ten captains.

Vexir began walking forward, and when he reached the backline of the Legion, he instantly projected a large command aura around himself.

His aura expanded and covered the entire demon force, increasing their strength, reaction speed, physical resistance, mana efficiency, coordination, and morale.

His presence immediately took effect—the demons instantly gained the upper hand.

He then established a temporary mental communication network between allied demons within his command range and began issuing tactical commands.

He only focused on the Boneflame Artillerists—ranged siege specialists who carried magma mortars.

His target?

The Saintess!

While he appeared to be coordinating the demon Legion, a small force of demons was preparing to attack the Saintess in the distance.

As they loaded the magma mortars and added a rune that would explode in mid-air and turn into a Hellfire barrage in the Saintess’s direction, Max finally summoned his first Radiant Knight.

Jeremiah—the Radiant Oracle.

Seraphina, the Holy Knight, and Danny were startled by his appearance.

It was the first time they had witnessed the appearance of a Radiant Knight.

Carrying his Oracle Staff and Divination Focus, he began commanding some Demon Hunters that Danny had failed to reach, improving their coordination.

At the same time, his Foresight Pulse activated and immediately informed Max.

"Twenty powerful explosive projectiles are targeting our direction, Master."

Max nodded.

He appeared unworried.

When the first batch of magma rocks flew into the air and split into countless fragments possessing Hellfire properties, heading their way, Seraphina was startled and glanced at Max first.

Seeing that he had not made a move yet, she cast a spell in the sky, particularly above them and the Demon Hunters.

Sacred Aegis!

A barrier of condensed Divine Authority manifested above them, successfully absorbing the Hellfire mana from the rocks, while the physical rocks rolled and landed not far behind them.

Yet another batch of magma rocks landed against the Sacred Aegis.

Seraphina perceived that her mana was draining rapidly from her mana core.

She turned toward Max, and the latter said, "You can take your shield down."

Seraphina heaved a sigh of relief and dissipated her Sacred Aegis.

Fragmented rocks burning with Hellfire headed their way.

Just as they were about to land toward the Holy Knight’s position, a bulky Radiant Knight appeared above Seraphina and absorbed the Hellfire barrage with his two large tower shields...