Chapter 243: Back to First Place

When Max, Seraphina, Lancelot, and the Holy Knight finally laid eyes upon the demon hunters and demons locked in battle, Max didn’t hesitate.

He immediately began casting spells one after another, summoning his Radiant Knights onto the battlefield.

Lancelot was astonished.

Seraphina and the Holy Knight, despite seeing them for the second time, were still awestruck by the brilliant golden armor radiated by the Radiant Knights.

But Seraphina’s attention immediately shifted toward the demon hunters.

Seeing their worn-out state, yet watching them continue to fight as if they had already accepted their imminent deaths and simply wanted to die with honor, felt as though her heart was being clenched tightly.

Without hesitation, she cast a spell that covered the entire group of demon hunters.

Sanctuary of Salvation.

It was a spell that established a sacred area where the Authority of Salvation continuously manifested.

It was not simply a healing field.

The environment itself became hostile to the demons threatening human lives.

Seraphina then followed it with another spell.

Guardian Benediction.

Having perceived the demon hunters’ desire to continue fighting despite their exhaustion, she bestowed a powerful blessing upon them.

It increased their defense, magic resistance, health regeneration, and resistance to fear and corruption while also preventing one instance of lethal damage as long as the blessing remained active.

Both spells had continuous effects, which meant Seraphina’s mana was constantly being consumed.

But she could maintain them for hours.

Seven hours at maximum.

And dawn would arrive in six hours.

Which meant that as long as she was protected and did not need to cast defensive spells, Seraphina could continue serving as the strongest support for the demon hunters throughout the night.

Watching as Seraphina’s spells and Max’s summoned Radiant Knights alone restored the morale of the demon hunters, allowing them to completely stop their seemingly endless retreat, Lancelot and the Holy Knight were dumbfounded.

Lancelot stared at the battlefield before turning toward Max.

"Damn, Max! You and Seraphina are war machines!"

Max simply shrugged.

He observed the situation carefully before finally concluding that there was no need for Lancelot and the Holy Knight to get involved.

Primarily because his summons had actually managed to change the tide of the war, shifting the advantage toward the demon hunters.

At the same time, the demon hunters themselves had regained their courage and strength.

With Seraphina’s spells enhancing them, they were now fighting more effectively than before.

Max began observing the battlefield through the perception of his Radiant Knights one at a time.

It was possible because of the Ring of Shared Vision.

He then commanded them to immediately communicate with him and request recall to the Conclave Network whenever they were on the verge of death.

It was genuinely possible for him to lose his Radiant Knights if they were killed or became corrupted.

As Max grew stronger, especially as his Summon Radiant Knights skill proficiency increased, his Radiant Knights would naturally grow stronger as well.

But that didn’t mean they were immortal.

They were still vulnerable to death.

Max could bear losing his Radiant Knights.

But not the original thirteen Radiant Knights he had cultivated since day one.

His thoughts soon shifted toward the southern border.

He could perceive the presence of a Demon Lord there.

Max fell into deep thought.

If their minions fail to kill me or make the Empire suffer terribly enough to satisfy the Demon Lord of Wrath, will they simply turn their backs and retreat to their Demon Lord?

The Demon Lord of Wrath will definitely kill them.

I wonder... as officers of the Kingdom of Endless War, have they developed an invention that would allow Demon Lords to fight inside the Authority of Salvation?

Max had been contemplating the possibility of demons from the Kingdom of Endless War producing an artifact or invention capable of bypassing the Authority of Salvation.

"What are you thinking about, Guild Master?" Lancelot asked.

Max turned toward him and thought for a moment before replying.

"I’m thinking about fighting the Demon Lords outside the southern border."

He paused.

"Are you two fit enough to join in the fun?"

Max meaningfully cast a glance toward the Holy Knight as well.

The Holy Knight immediately turned his head away.

Lancelot was dumbfounded.

"You’re not serious."

"Barely."

Max’s expression turned serious as he glanced toward the southern border.

"I doubt they’ll stop once they fail."

He narrowed his eyes.

"There’s a high chance they’ll attempt to enter the Authority of Salvation’s territory."

Seraphina was utterly shocked.

She almost interrupted her spells.

She turned toward Max in disbelief.

Max simply shrugged.

"It’s the Demon Lord of Wrath from the Kingdom of Endless War."

He looked toward the distant southern border.

"They might just be barbarians who love war, but that kingdom wouldn’t have survived for a millennium without a reason."

"They might have developed artifacts capable of allowing them to enter."

Seraphina firmly shook her head.

"Despite more than a millennium having passed since the Authority of Salvation first protected us, it has remained strong."

"It’s only possible because of the faith of the people. The stronger the faith accumulated by the Authority of Salvation, the stronger it becomes."

She paused before continuing.

"In fact, as the population grew, the Authority of Salvation became even more powerful. It can now harm Demon Lords who attempt to enter its territory."

Max was surprised.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared toward the southern border.

"We’ll see."

Seraphina shook her head.

"You’re overthinking it."

She turned her attention back toward the battlefield.

Max did the same.

He then took out his communication device and contacted Matilda to ask about the situation elsewhere.

To his relief, the western and eastern frontiers were holding far better than the Southern Frontier.

According to Matilda, the dots on the Demon Activity Map were disappearing one by one.

That honestly surprised Max.

They’re actually pushing them back.

Three hours had passed since Max provided his reinforcements.

He glanced upward.

Then smiled.

His individual ranking had shot straight up to third place after his Radiant Knights killed a large number of Greater Demons.

At the same time, his own Guild had returned to its former highest rank.

First place.

Max and the Demon Hunters Guild had instantly returned to the top of the rankings.

And the night was not yet over.

Max shifted his attention back toward the demons on the Southern Frontier.

Their numbers had dwindled somewhat.

Although the reinforcements emerging from the southern border remained just as intense as before, the demon hunters were now advancing instead of retreating.

They had killed more demons than the enemy could replace with fresh reinforcements.

Truly, the battlefield had undergone a tremendous change since Max arrived.

The Southern Frontier was no longer being swallowed.

It was beginning to push back.