The small town instantly plunged into chaos.
No one had expected a Demon Lord to take the initiative to attack a small town, and even fewer could have guessed that Viya, as the Demon Lord, would personally appear twice in a row.
Such an event was unprecedented in all recorded history.
And the reason for this Demon Lord’s strike? It sounded like she was simply stepping up to defend the Saintess standing before her.
The Paladins and the Inquisitors had originally planned to use the narrow layout of the tavern to corner the succubus, forcing her to fight in a confined indoor space.
However, they underestimated this newly risen Demon Lord.
As a Demon Lord, Via’s true strength had never been close-range combat.
Granted, she was experienced in melee fighting, but the succubi’s physical strength was not among the strongest within the demon race.
Via appeared to be a powerful warrior mostly because of her spellcasting abilities.
With sufficiently potent magic enhancing her, all her bodily functions multiplied exponentially.
Although she seemed like a mighty fighter, her true identity was that of a mage who simply knew how to fight up close.
“Cecilia, if you want a taste of revenge, I can buy you some time. But honestly, these little fish and shrimps aren’t really anything.”
She almost instantly noticed the strange looks in several pairs of eyes.
According to Cecilia, some of these individuals had once taken part in the task of hunting down the “Witch.”
Those traitors, seeing the Saintess they had sworn loyalty to now standing beside the succubus, two of them instinctively avoided the Saintess’s painful gaze.
“Ardo, Myna, Victorina… I remember your names. You were once heroes protecting humanity. In time, your names will surely shine brightly in human history,” Cecilia looked at those familiar figures, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“Devout believers, tell me, why did you choose to betray?”
Each person named instinctively avoided meeting her eyes.
Cecilia’s words felt like a judgment upon every soul present.
Under the Saintess’s interrogation, none had the ability to respond.
“By the Holy Pontiff’s command, we cannot disobey. Lady Cecilia, the Pontiff has his reasons. Please do not waste your breath on pointless talks. Since you have already defected to the demon clan, do not pretend you still empathize with humanity.”
After a long silence, a Paladin spoke in this tone.
Viya watched from a distance, now wary of the most threatening nearby: the Inquisitors.
They were indeed powerful—some even stronger in individual combat than the Paladins.
If the Inquisitors launched an attack, Via needed to ensure Cecilia’s safety.
She heard the Paladin’s words and knew from the tone that this was one of the knights involved in the hunt for the Saintess.
It seemed they cared little about Cecilia’s plight.
On the contrary, in their eyes, the Pontiff’s words carried unquestionable authority.
Cecilia stared hard at the Paladin.
She hoped to find even the slightest hint of sympathy or guilt in his expression—something involuntary that might prove her efforts within the Church had not been in vain.
But all she saw was a fixed gaze, completely devoid of any remorse.
She still remembered that day: the cold, resigned tone of the Paladin reading the Pontiff’s decree.
Because of that resignation, she once thought many of the knights pursuing her actually respected her and acknowledged her efforts.
They were just following orders and didn’t intend to kill her.
But now, looking into the Paladin’s eyes before her, she vaguely understood something—
Paladins were, after all, the Church’s military force.
No matter how devout their faith or how honorable their reputation, at their core, they remained the Church’s armed organization. Among them, few were true wise men.
“Cecilia, that guy’s starting to annoy me,” Viya said with a captivating smile, the dangerous curve of her lips rising. “Should I prepare a little welcome gift for him? Don’t worry, I’m very precise with my magic—not too cruel.”
Viya’s words sounded gentle, but to Cecilia’s ears, they felt like a deliberate provocation.
“…There’s no need.”
“Really? Saintess, if you truly think it’s unnecessary, then you wouldn’t be holding my hand so tightly.”
Via smiled as she said this, lifting the hand tightly gripped by Cecilia.
At that moment, Cecilia’s subconscious strength made Viya’s soft, fair hand flush red.
“I said it’s not necessary.”
The Saintess’s tone was resolute, but Via knew she was already blushing slightly.
Though the Saintess had an uncommon kindness and generosity, she was still human—subject to her own emotions.
After all, the Saintess did not want to open slaughter against her own kind.
“Fine. But I have to warn you. Know that their gathering here aims to launch a surprise attack on my base later and kill you,” Via said thoughtfully as she glanced at them.
“If you can forgive them, Cecilia, I cannot. Now that they have such a plan, the threat they pose to us is too great.”
“Wait, you’re not going to…”
“Yes,” Via gently waved her fingers. Instantly, the spell took effect on her body. Just as the Inquisitors finally arrived, she continued, “The first purpose of coming here was to give you a small chance at revenge and occupy this town. But since you don’t seem too interested in this opportunity, I’ll start the second phase.”
She raised her hand.
Magic gathered on her palm. The Inquisitors’ attacks were almost upon her, but at that moment, the succubus gently clapped her hands.
A flood of magic instantly engulfed everyone present.
A slow, gentle flame began to burn everything—walls, fences—consuming all.
“Hold my hand. My spell cannot distinguish anyone except me.”
Viya said this as she grasped Cecilia’s hand tightly.
The flames weren’t bright, and their waves moved at an unimaginably slow pace. Yet when they reached Viya, they seemed to part and form a circle around her.
Looking down at the tavern, now reduced to ruins, Viya let out a long sigh.
“Let’s go. The rest can be left to these ordinary soldiers.”
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