When Simon saw the Undead Guard below, he immediately understood the reason behind the earlier attack.
Those Wraiths who tried to kidnap Belinda in his absence were clearly undead-type creatures!
However, neither he nor Alexia had anticipated that another force attempting to stir the empire’s situation would turn out to be the former king, Terrence.
If that was true, the problem would be even more serious.
Because if the filth of those evil gods was not the work of witches, then it was very likely Terrence’s handiwork.
This was definitely not good news for the Loyin royal family.
Even without conclusive evidence, Alexia had to suppress incidents involving the filth of evil gods—this concerned the honor of the Loyin royal family.
As Simon continued to walk downward, the giant shield in his right hand transformed into a longsword.
After swapping weapons between his hands, he stood firmly in the center of the steps leading to the throne.
Given the current situation, Simon had no intention of actively attacking Terrence.
He could indeed tear through the guard’s defense and execute the other party once more, but the issue was that he might not be able to return in time to save Alexia.
Moreover, he couldn’t be sure if these Undead Guards would cease their actions after Terrence’s death.
Undead did not revive without reason; Terrence neither understood magic nor had any contact with undead-related matters, so it was naturally impossible for him to become undead on his own.
This indicated that someone had deliberately turned him into an undead.
It also meant that the real controller of the undead was not Terrence; at most, he was merely giving commands.
Once Terrence died, these Undead Guards would likely go completely out of control.
As Alexia’s knight, he had to prioritize her safety above all else, not just focus on eliminating the enemy.
Terrence suddenly raised his hand below the platform, pointing at Alexia sitting on the throne.
“Alexia.”
The Undead Guards around him immediately raised their weapons, launching an attack on Alexia.
That dense horde of undead creatures was intimidating just to look at, especially their decayed skin, skeletal bodies, and the soul-fire burning in their eye sockets—a chilling sight.
However, when the Undead Guards clashed with Simon, the overwhelming difference in power made the battle one-sided.
He had once helped Alexia complete the King Slayer, killing from the city gates to the throne—now, he was only stronger than before.
Even if the roles were reversed, he remained ruthless and merciless.
He dealt with the Undead Guards attempting to break through him as easily as autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
The advantage of dual swords was fully displayed in this battle.
No matter how many undead charged, they would be swept to pieces by the greatsword.
Even if some managed to slip past and get close to Simon, they would be cut down by the longsword in his other hand.
However, Simon’s attacks seemed to have little actual effect.
These undead, unlike the previous Wraiths, could not be purified and vanish by the magic circuits on the blade.
They rolled down the steps, only to reassemble and stand up again once no one was around.
Endless, unceasing.
They gradually consumed Simon’s stamina, draining his spirit.
But Simon could not stop swinging his sword, for Alexia was right behind him.
Just as Alexia would not take a step back, neither could he retreat.
He absolutely could not allow a single Undead Guard to threaten her.
Terrence stood below, quietly looking up at Alexia, as if unconcerned whether his guards could break through Simon. Perhaps, he did not truly wish to harm Alexia.
Seated on the throne, Alexia’s perspective had already shifted from the hall to the skies above the entire Imperial Capital.
Even if the Undead Guards were endless and unkillable, she believed Simon would protect her as always, keeping everyone away until she activated the Arcane Array of the Imperial Capital.
When she saw from above that ominous black mist had spread throughout the Imperial Capital, she realized that the chaos had engulfed the entire city, not just targeted at her.
The surging magic beneath the capital erupted under Alexia’s guidance.
A pillar of red light shot from the hall’s ceiling through the night sky, and eight beams of various colors rose from across the Imperial Capital, merging with the red light above the hall.
One ancient magic array after another began to operate within the ancient city.
All regions outside the royal city were divided into sectors; even if one sector fell, it would not affect the others.
But the problems arising from this were also obvious.
People, isolated from each other, could only rely on themselves for salvation—sometimes not even having a chance to escape.
Once Alexia judged that a sector must be abandoned, she would fully activate a lethal magic array and wipe it out.
She did not wish to reach that point, so she had Simon notify Gerald in advance.
She wanted the cathedral of the Imperial Capital to always be prepared.
Once she activated the array, only the Holy Knights of the Church of Light could traverse the array and rescue the people.
The Blood Knights needed to guard the royal city and ensure she was not disturbed.
In fact, the Holy Knights were better at rescue than the Blood Knights.
The Blood Knights were more suited for combat.
The Church of Light also had Priests specialized in soothing people’s hearts.
At the moment Alexia activated the array, three heavy bell tolls rang out from the direction of the cathedral.
It was the emergency signal the Church of Light would only sound in times of great crisis.
Such a situation usually signaled that the Church would mobilize with full force.
Suddenly, hymns resounded in the sky, and the darkness was torn by a surge of light, casting mottled brilliance across the night.
Several airships engraved with the Church’s insignia descended slowly from the sky.
At a command, the airships spread out and hovered at certain altitudes as the Holy Knights aboard leaped down one after another.
After clearing an area, they quickly deployed teleportation beacons, allowing Priests, other personnel, and supplies to be sent to the scene via teleportation.
In disaster relief and rescue, they displayed absolute professionalism.
In terms of military strength, the Holy Knights of the cathedral were actually no weaker than the Blood Knights.
Their magical support even surpassed that of the Blood Knights.
Although the empire rejected magic, this did not prevent the cathedral from accepting and using it.
This was also the source of Gerald’s confidence in opposing Alexia.
Whatever the empire possessed, he also possessed; whatever the empire lacked, he could still have, perhaps even better.
Each cathedral of the Church of Light had its own specialty—some excelled in the manufacture of magical devices, their research even surpassing that of September Nine.
Though the prices could be steep, there were at least ways to obtain them.
As chaos erupted in the Imperial Capital, the Horn of Assembly outside the city sounded as well.
The capital’s own garrison was not large; most of the legions were stationed outside the city and would only enter when the horn was blown.