Chapter 279: The Black Knights are wiped out.

When a Sword Saint struck, the heavens shook and the earth trembled. His power was enough to sweep across mountains and rivers.

Seriu hadn't even transformed into his magical sword. Armed with nothing more than the seventh-rank longsword in his hand, he cut through his enemies like a whirlwind, killing seven in rapid succession.

Such was the power of a Sword Saint!

Standing inside the defensive magical formation, Shu Li watched in astonishment, his eyes shining with excitement as Seriu dominated the battlefield.

However, the Black Knights controlled by the power of darkness were extraordinarily difficult to kill. Even with severed arms or broken legs, they could get back up and continue fighting tirelessly. Only by cutting off their heads, burning them to ashes, or purifying them with light magic could they be destroyed for good.

Seriu was a magic swordsman. With every swing, he infused his blade with fire magic. No matter how formidable the Black Knights were, they couldn't withstand his relentless assault.

In less than a few moments, he had slain more than ten Black Knights of Great Swordsman rank. Only Gesam, who had lost an arm, and three of his subordinates remained, fighting desperately against the inevitable.

Empowered by darkness, Gesam's combat strength had instantly risen to the level of a Sword Saint. His first swing shrouded the battlefield in darkness. His second sent sand and stones flying. His third shook heaven and earth.

Shu Li raised his magic staff and reinforced the defensive barrier, moving everyone farther back to keep them from being caught in the fighting.

A battle between Saint-level combatants was far beyond what they could endure.

The fighting outside woke Falm from his sleep. He darted out of the Fire God's Mark, saw the chaos raging ahead, and flapped his bat wings in surprise.

"Tsk. That's an awful lot of dark power." He landed on Shu Li's shoulder. "Need a hand?"

He'd only taken a nap. How had they managed to run into the Dark God's lackeys already? These Little Fairies had some terrible luck!

"No need. Seriu's handling them." Shu Li continued strengthening the magical formation. With Seriu's current strength, defeating the Black Knights should be well within his capabilities.

"I finally understand why Seriu never dared leave the Central Court before," Hector said, his heart pounding.

Those monstrous Black Knights had been hunting Seriu for eighteen years. The fact that he hadn't suffered a complete mental breakdown was a testament to his extraordinary willpower and mental resilience.

If Seriu hadn't awakened his power and inherited the Sword of Carlos, he would already be fighting a desperate battle.

Halis watched the fight nervously. Every time a Black Knight thrust a sword or spear toward Seriu, he held his breath.

Fortunately, Ilio's hellish training had given Seriu a solid foundation and exceptional swordsmanship. Even against Gesam, he fought with confidence and ease.

Nasha watched the perilous battle, still shaken by what she was seeing.

Only now did she truly understand just how formidable Senluo had been.

Despite being only a Great Swordsman, he had managed to protect her while evading the Black Knights. Yet throughout their escape, she'd repeatedly thrown tantrums like a spoiled princess, creating countless additional obstacles for them.

The fact that Senluo hadn't abandoned her spoke volumes about his loyalty.

Overwhelmed with guilt, Nasha resolved to thank him and apologize the next time they met.

She had been angry with him for leaving without saying goodbye. Now, all she could do was regret her own weakness and her inability to help him.

"BOOM!"

Seriu swung his sword. Golden light flashed, and a fan-shaped wave of sword energy swept across the battlefield, severing the heads of three Black Knights in a single strike.

Of the fifteen Black Knights, fourteen had now been decapitated. Only Gesam remained, fighting alone.

"Go, Seriu! Kill him!" Dixio shouted excitedly, cheering him on.

Budno, Angel, and Amanda joined in.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

Although Gesam was under the control of dark power, he remained conscious. Hearing Budno's booming shouts, he snarled hoarsely, "You think you can kill me? It won't be that easy!"

He dodged Seriu's attack, leaped backward, drew the sword hanging at his waist, and, without the slightest warning, plunged it into his own heart.

Seriu was startled.

A strange, rasping chuckle escaped Gesam's throat. Countless streams of black smoke poured from the wound in his heart. As though alive, they slithered down his body, one tendril after another. The moment they touched the ground, they began tracing a black magical formation, completing half of it in an instant.

Ace had been standing beside Shu Li, calmly observing the battle. When he saw the black smoke flowing from Gesam's heart and forming a magical array on the ground, his brows drew together.

"Seriu! Stop him, now!"

At his warning, Seriu charged forward without hesitation, sword in hand.

Gesam roared furiously, "Die! All of you, die!"

As the magical formation took shape, the aura of darkness grew increasingly dense. An immense power surged upward from beneath the ground.

By the time Seriu's sword severed Gesam's head, a third of the black formation remained unfinished.

Gesam's head struck the ground. A sinister laugh escaped his mouth, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke. With his dying breath, he completed the formation.

"Aagh! That's a forbidden magical formation for summoning demons!" Falm spread his wings and flew off Shu Li's shoulder. "He succeeded! I wonder what kind of demon it'll summon?"

Shu Li was puzzled. "But the gates of hell are sealed. Can demons still be summoned?"

"Of course not." Falm glanced at Ace and flicked his tail. "Not demons from hell, anyway. But the ones hiding in the Human World are another matter."

As they spoke, black flames erupted from the magical formation, spinning outward in widening circles. The moment the flames touched the Black Knights' corpses, they swallowed them whole.

Seriu immediately retreated, avoiding the black flames.

"Can't we stop it?" Kumandi asked.

The magical formation was complete, and the summoning ritual had begun. Were they supposed to stand there and watch a demon descend into their world?

"We could stop it," Falm replied, "but we might as well let it come."

Every demon stranded in the Human World was one less demon to worry about once it was killed. Besides, with the Elven King around, even the Dark God himself would be nothing to fear.

Hector swallowed nervously. "What if it's really powerful?"

If it was anything like the Demon Lord they'd encountered in the Woba Grand Canyon, they were in for another terrible battle.

Falm waved his short, chubby paws.

"Relax. What are the odds of being lucky enough to run into a Demon Lord every single time?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a blurry humanoid silhouette appeared within the magical formation. As the black flames blazed higher, the figure gradually took shape.

Although it remained incorporeal, its appearance was becoming clear.

The creature had horns on its head, a monkey-like body, and clawed limbs. Its eyes were as large as bronze bells, and its mouth occupied a full third of its face. When it opened its jaws, it revealed a blood-red maw filled with dozens of tiny tentacles writhing and flailing wildly.

Seriu tightened his grip on his sword, remaining calm and composed.

Inside the defensive formation, Cyndi and Nasha took a step backward, covering their mouths to keep themselves from screaming.

That demon looked absolutely disgusting.

Hector stared, wide-eyed, and couldn't help muttering, "Don't tell me it's actually happening..."

A demon that looked so hideous couldn't possibly be easy to deal with. Its strength might even rival that of a Demon Lord.

"Huh?" Falm exclaimed. "It's a Nightmare Fiend!"

Well, would you look at that! With his dying breath, the Black Knight had actually summoned a Nightmare Fiend.

"What? That's a Nightmare Fiend?" Dixio exclaimed. "What's so charming about that thing?"

Falm snapped irritably, "Who said a Nightmare Fiend had to be charming? And this isn't just any Nightmare Fiend. It's a high-ranking one!"

Shu Li sucked in a breath. "It... it couldn't be the one that escaped after fighting Ilio, could it?"

Angel's eyes lit up. "It's possible!"

Dixio pumped his fist. "Then let's all attack together!"

If this was the Nightmare Fiend that had escaped Ilio, Seriu probably wouldn't be able to handle it alone. But if everyone joined forces, they could wear it down and kill it eventually.

"Don't move!" Falm warned. "The terrifying thing about Nightmare Fiends is their ability to devour souls. If you rush out there recklessly, you'll be serving yourselves up as snacks."

Amanda asked nervously, "Th-then what do we do?"

Halis stopped just as he was about to step forward.

"I can't let His Highness face that thing alone!"

Falm flapped his wings.

"Calm down. It can't devour Seriu's soul."

Magical swords were the natural enemies of demons. A demon would have to be insane to throw itself into certain death.

Sure enough, when the Nightmare Fiend appeared and spotted the human swordsman, it didn't immediately attack. Instead, it studied him with suspicion.

Seriu didn't dare relax for even a moment. Every muscle in his body was ready for battle as he considered how to kill a demon that existed only as a shadowy projection.

The Nightmare Fiend fixed its gaze on Seriu and spoke in a shrill, intrigued voice.

"Hisss... You're Prince Seriu? Hehehe. Eighteen years have passed, and look how big you've grown."

Both Seriu and Halis were stunned.

Had they met this Nightmare Fiend before?

"You know me?" Seriu asked coldly.

The Nightmare Fiend flickered and suddenly appeared directly in front of him, barely half a meter away.

Startled, Seriu swung his longsword, striking the creature.

But the Nightmare Fiend had no physical body. His blade passed straight through its shadowy form, hitting nothing.

Seriu immediately retreated several meters, putting distance between them.

"Not bad. You've improved," the Nightmare Fiend remarked. "So the little prince who hated sword practice so much he'd roll around on the floor throwing tantrums has finally grown into a swordsman brave enough to point his blade at his teacher."

Seriu's pupils contracted. He stared at the Nightmare Fiend in disbelief.

Halis froze as well.

Could it be...?

"You're Sarn!" Seriu cried, hatred blazing in his dark eyes.

Sarn had been a palace guard and one of Seriu's swordsmanship instructors. Whenever Gesam was too busy with his duties, he would send Sarn to teach the prince in his place.

Back then, Seriu had been young and disliked practicing swordsmanship. Sarn had always been extraordinarily patient, coaxing him into training. And when nothing could persuade the little prince to cooperate, Sarn would simply take him out to play.

Half the happiness of Seriu's childhood had come from Sarn.

But eighteen years ago, when Danton launched his coup, the Black Knights stormed the royal palace and began slaughtering everyone in their path.

Sarn, dressed in his palace guard uniform, had charged at the very front. With every swing of his sword, another head fell. The kind, approachable man Seriu had known had transformed into a merciless killing monster.

He was the one who had murdered Seriu's father!

Hidden behind a pillar, Seriu had watched with his own eyes as Sarn drove his sword into the king's chest.

For years, Seriu had been unable to understand why Sarn had betrayed them.

Now he finally knew.

Sarn wasn't human at all.

He was a Nightmare Fiend—a monster that corrupted minds, devoured souls, and committed every imaginable atrocity!

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Seriu's hatred reached its peak. He charged at the Nightmare Fiend, swinging his sword.

Sarn let the blade pierce his incorporeal form, drifting about as though they were playing a game.

"Little prince, your swordsmanship hasn't improved at all. Didn't your human teacher ever tell you that anger leaves you wide open?"

The Nightmare Fiend continued taunting Seriu, deliberately drawing out the intense hatred buried deep in his heart.

Blinded by rage, Seriu attacked wildly, abandoning all technique and discipline.

"This is bad. Seriu's fallen into its trap," Falm said. "Hatred feeds a Nightmare Fiend's power."

"What do we do?" Dixio tugged at his hair. "We can't just stand here watching anymore! We have to help Seriu!"

Shu Li's expression turned grave.

Ace turned toward him. "Can you cast confinement magic?"

Shu Li blinked. "Yes."

Confinement magic belonged to the dark element. It used dark magical elements to create an enclosed space that restricted an enemy's movements.

In simple terms, it was a kind of magical barrier.

"According to ancient records, confinement magic is the only way to trap a Nightmare Fiend and prevent it from escaping," Ace explained.

Shu Li's eyes lit up.

"I'll go help Seriu. You all—"

Ace took a magical scroll from his storage pouch.

"This is a high-level defensive magic scroll I asked Ilio for before we left."

Shu Li stared in surprise at the smile on Ace's face.

Since when had Ilio become so generous? He'd actually given Ace a magical scroll for free?

Still, with a high-level defensive magic scroll created by a Saint Mage, Shu Li wouldn't have to worry about the safety of his human teammates. He could devote his full attention to the fight.

"Let's all go!" Dixio exclaimed, eagerly rubbing his hands together.

"All right, let's do it!" Shu Li declared. "Ace, you guys stay safe!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was the first to charge out.

When he was five or six meters from the Nightmare Fiend, he raised his magic staff high and began chanting the incantation for confinement magic.

Kumandi, Angel, Dixio, Amanda, and Halis followed close behind, surrounding the Nightmare Fiend and launching their attacks.

Ace calmly tore open the magical scroll.

The Nightmare Fiend had been thoroughly enjoying itself, toying with Seriu. When it suddenly realized it had been surrounded, it swept its gaze over the newcomers, looking mildly surprised.

"Huh? Underage Little Fairies and a young dragon?"

It paused, allowing Seriu's sword to pierce its shadowy body.

Shu Li finished chanting.

Dark magical elements gathered, instantly forming a hemispherical barrier ten meters in diameter. It enclosed everyone who had joined the attack, including the Nightmare Fiend at the center.

"Confinement magic!" Sarn

吐出嘴里细长的触手，发出愉悦的笑声，“有趣，真有趣。”!