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Chapter 308: Hope in Blood

Bloodlight descended from the sky, and the moment it arrived, the world turned upside down.

The might of the God of Killing enveloped everything in sight.

In the blood-red world, demons roared wildly.

The restraints brought by the world’s power vanished in this moment, and under the blood-red protection, the demons surged with formidable energy!

Their already towering bodies and armor expanded once again, with third-tier demons evolving into fourth-tier, fourth-tier into fifth-tier, while the high-tier demons that already possessed legendary power transcended into terrifying existences beyond the mundane!

Countless battlefields turned their tide at this moment, as a demon general locked in a fierce duel with a certain gray-cloaked swordsman leapt over the limits that once restrained it, completely overpowering its opponent.

However, their battle was merely a small reflection of the greater battlefield.

“Clang!!!”

Another strike landed on the Holy Sword of Judgment, but this time the enemy, which would have been pushed back by Fleidetrika in a three-on-one situation, managed to hold its ground in the air solely through individual strength, refusing to yield an inch.

Sharp sword energy burst forth, carving countless scratches on the black armor of the blade demon, yet it could barely penetrate.

“Weak! Weak!!!”

“…”

The blade demon roared as it pressed down hard, while the Judging Saintess simply remained silent, struggling against it.

Fleidetrika understood very well that this was not due to the Holy Sword of Judgment’s capabilities being limited; it was purely her own inability to fully unleash the artifact’s true power.

Back then, Miss Xī had independently wielded the sword’s essence with sheer brute force, producing a blow capable of cleaving mountains even without the Holy Sword’s recognition. If she could achieve unity of heart and mind, the Holy Sword’s true might would surely far exceed that.

Sure enough… I’m not the true master of the Holy Sword, am I?

Despite this internal sigh, Fleidetrika did not let it distract her from the battle. She elegantly shifted her steps, using leverage to evade her opponent’s strikes, dodging six or seven incoming heavy spears in quick succession.

Just as she prepared to deal with the subsequent wave of attacks—

“Sky Spear Technique, 3rd Form—Cold Spear Flash!”

A pure white figure, distinct from the blade demon, suddenly pierced into the encirclement like a cold ray, blocking two particularly strong enemies in mid-air without uttering a word, and intensely engaged them in combat!

“?”

Realizing she had suddenly lost her enemies, the Saintess raised her head, only to find a white-haired girl with four snow-white wings standing there, wielding a spear distinctly different from the Demon Cavalry’s—her graceful and noble presence, flickering with holiness, made Fleidetrika think to herself, “She looks just like an angel.”

No, wait, that’s…

She quickly turned her gaze to discover that the same four-winged girl had also appeared in two other areas, each intercepting the formidable forces of Killing that were attacking this place.

Clearly, even though the demons had gained great strength under the surrounding blood-red world’s influence, those three uniquely skilled girls showed no signs of inferiority. Among them, a white-haired girl with an exceptionally strong aura single-handedly managed to encircle more than half of the high-tier demons, even gaining the upper hand!

Sure enough, they have arrived…

Fleidetrika knew those two angelic girls; they had appeared by the side of Philomina during their ambassador visit to the Kingdom of Azure for the Wing Emperor’s birthday celebration, and her sister had deeply admired them.

But at that time, they were just ordinary white-winged beings with only two wings. While they were quite capable, they still paled in comparison to the Holy Saintess wielding the Holy Sword of Judgment.

Before Miss Xī had left alone due to sensing something, she had sensed that an incident would unfold here and had provided Fleidetrika with some information.

Thus, the Holy Saintess now knew that the sisters named Leila and Renée had already transcended into angels in a fortunate encounter and were entrusted to Miss Xī for care, actively participating in the main battlefield against the demons alongside Edwina.

Additionally, if those two were present nearby, it could only represent…

Fleidetrika turned around to see the figure of the newcomers.

After a long pause, she let out a slight sigh.

“…The Saint of Bright Light, Yuna Summerfield, the Redeeming Saintess, Philomina Lambert, it has been a while.”

Surrounded by demons that couldn’t inch forward due to some invisible barrier, the two Saintesses approached the final Saintess.

“Praise the goddess, Lady Fleidetrika, it’s been a long time~”

“Lady Fleidetrika, I’m glad to see you safe and well.”

“Heh… That comment coming from you is a bit ironic, isn’t it, Yuna?”

Fleidetrika gazed at the girl known as the “Saint of Bright Light” with a complex expression for a long while, but in the end, she didn’t direct her sword at her; instead, she shook her head with a tinge of sadness and resignation.

“Is it worth it to go to such lengths?”

“…?”

Noticing that the other party seemed to possess information far beyond what she had imagined, Yuna raised her brows slightly, quickly realizing, and although her smile faded, her expression remained calm and neutral.

“Lady Fleidetrika, do you hate me?”

The Judging Saintess sighed again, responding with a question.

“Is it really the right time to be saying this? You have more important things to do, right?”

“Of course.”

Listening to the distant booming and loud sounds coming from afar, the Saint of Bright Light nodded slightly.

“Although the Killing has descended, I can feel… a similarly powerful aura temporarily holding it at bay in the sky. Though unexpected, it does indeed buy us some time.”

“There’s an old saying in the Holy Kingdom: ‘If a blacksmith wants to forge fine weapons, they must first have a sturdy forging hammer.’ If the three Saintesses harbor grudges among each other and cannot coordinate the power of the three artifacts, the chances of failing the ritual would greatly increase.”

“We only have one chance; since we aren’t pressed for time, I think it’s necessary to clarify Lady Fleidetrika’s stance in advance.”

“…”

Gazing at the three battlefields in the sky and the other forces of Killing blocked by an unknown golden barrier, the Judging Saintess took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

“To say I don’t hate you would be a lie even I wouldn’t believe.”

“Yuna Summerfield, you conspired with demons, enticing them to invade, and sold a great deal of our precious intelligence to the enemy, leading to successive defeats in the early stages of war, causing countless of my dear brethren to perish, and I almost lost my life on the battlefield myself.”

“Moreover, in order to have an excuse to intervene in the so-called Holy War, you even conducted human experiments in secret, creating a special hybrid of humanity and demons, plunging them into misery, not to mention the innocent people caught in the crossfire—such evil is simply incomprehensible and deserving of the most severe punishment!”

As Philomina looked on, seemingly having anticipated this yet still appearing somewhat incredulous, Fleidetrika continued, venomously.

“To be honest, the thing I detest the most in my life is betrayal and bullying the weak. Let alone your actions have caused one of the greatest disasters in history; it’s absolutely unforgivable!”

“Is that so…”

Listening to her actions being laid bare, Yuna’s expression remained calm and gentle, as if the target of Fleidetrika’s accusations wasn’t her, but someone entirely unrelated, not even questioning how the other party had come to know all this.

However, the Judging Saintess shifted her tone.

“While I really want to place all the blame on you, Miss Xī has told me that even without you doing these things, as long as the wheels of time continue to turn, the current Holy Kingdom would eventually attract invaders even more terrifying than the demons… After understanding the backstory and some hidden truths now, I have to admit that she was not wrong.”

“Yuna, your actions have brought disaster. I cannot accept or acknowledge your methods, but just like the Killing that has descended now, I cannot simply say, ‘You are the root of all evil,’ and pass judgment without regard for the underlying reasons.”

“I hate you and will never forgive you. I absolutely must take account of this debt after everything is over, but that isn’t now.”

Raising her Holy Sword, the three artifacts resonated together, radiating brilliant light.

“Come, Yuna Summerfield, I will help you complete the final step and correct the errors of history.”