It didn’t feel right.
Having lost the initiative to the demons, any hesitation at this point would only worsen their situation. Johanna, who understood this better than anyone, decisively issued orders and immediately took the lead, charging forward.
Abandoning stealth, Johanna opted for a brute-force breakthrough, utilizing firepower without reservation to advance swiftly.
With Johanna leading the way, the investigation team blasted through collapsed tunnels with bursts of Sword Energy and magic, carving a path forward.
KU-GU-GU-GU-GU!!!
The underground passages, already weakened by the earthquake, continued to tremble under the barrage of overwhelming force.
While the mages in the investigation team erected magical constructs to delay the collapse of the tunnels, it was only a matter of time before they gave way.
When the magical constructs began to weaken, the tunnels started collapsing one after another from behind.
The sounds of collapse coming from the rear filled the team members with unhidden tension.
If things got too dire, they could always break through the ceiling and escape—but only if they weren’t hindered by the enemy.
Facing an overwhelming foe in such a confined space meant they risked being hunted down with no retreat.
In this closed environment, even falling into a trap could disrupt their formation, potentially causing catastrophic damage in an instant.
This battlefield was undeniably unfavorable, inevitably filling the team members with tension and fear.
But that foolish fear soon dissipated.
From the moment Johanna began to unleash her full power.
None dared to act foolishly anymore.
KWAA-GA-GA-GA-JACK!!!
“…My God.”
Miles, an Expert Knight and part of the investigation team, stared in awe at Johanna’s prowess as she led the charge, his voice trailing off in amazement.
Demons lurking in the darkness kept attempting ambushes to obstruct the team’s progress.
However, not once did they succeed in stopping them.
Not only were they unable to halt the investigation team’s advance, but they couldn’t even scratch Johanna, who stood at the forefront.
Miles marveled aloud while swinging his sword.
“Rumors… weren’t exaggerated after all…”
Everyone on the team who hadn’t fought alongside Johanna before now found themselves unable to take their eyes off her.
Indeed, rumors about Johanna’s accomplishments near the Demonic Realm often came with controversy.
Those harboring negative feelings toward the Empire whispered that her feats were exaggerated to create a “heroic image.”
An ordinary graduate, not even a Swordmaster, achieving such feats alone seemed impossible—a claim that resonated with many who dismissed Johanna’s abilities.
Thus, among those who had never fought alongside her, there were plenty who assumed her accomplishments were somewhat exaggerated.
Now, however, the team realized how utterly foolish that assumption had been.
The unparalleled talent honed through relentless battles against death was both awe-inspiring and bizarre to the common folk.
Johanna’s martial prowess, famously referred to as “Thousand Changes,” was proving why she was known as the strongest knight alive.
On the other side:
The demons were equally shocked.
Demons active in the South often dismissed the tales of Johanna’s greatness as mere exaggerations.
Even if Johanna was as skilled as rumored, they arrogantly believed that with the Blessing of the Dark God, they could easily toy with her.
What hubris! Johanna’s might was overwhelming even the demons’ peculiar powers.
WHOOSH!!!
A blazing torrent of Johanna’s Sword Energy engulfed a demon.
Unable to fully restore its physical form, the demon hastily retreated.
Johanna calmly surged forward.
Though each demon possessed unique abilities, when grouped by similar categories, these powers weren’t overwhelmingly diverse.
Moreover, established countermeasures existed for most of these categories.
Typically, executing these counters required collaboration between high-ranking knights wielding different types of mana. But Johanna single-handedly burned and tore apart the demons.
GAAAH!!!
“?!?!”
The demons could no longer afford arrogance.
Finally realizing the need for cooperation, the previously scattered demons began working together.
ZUUURRK!
One demon transformed its body into liquid and charged recklessly at Johanna.
When Johanna used a defensive Artefact to block, the liquid rapidly corroded it.
Johanna responded by encasing her blade in fiery energy and swung it fiercely, aiming to incinerate the demon.
Just then, another demon concealed itself by turning transparent in the dark and accelerated its solidified body toward Johanna’s blind spot.
Despite lacking strange abilities, this demon’s hardened body was strong enough to withstand sword auras.
Without changing expression, Johanna altered her Core’s properties to counter the attack aimed at her head.
However, even with a variable Core, some time was needed for the transformation.
The demon exploited this brief opening perfectly.
But Johanna showed no reaction, simply grabbing the air in front of her.
The Imperial Sacred Sword, Moros.
Upon seeing Moros materialize out of thin air, the demon’s face contorted in sheer horror.
GAHHHHH!!!
Though the Core transformation was slightly delayed, the amplification effect of Moros compensated, strengthening her Sword Energy to seal the gap.
As the demon’s body was bisected by Moros, Delun and Jusephin, who had appeared behind Johanna, further split the remains.
Among the entire team, only Delun and Jusephin could somewhat keep pace with Johanna.
CRACK!! SWISH!!
Amidst the reversed dynamics of bewilderment,
The Imperial investigation team surged forward recklessly, disregarding the collapsing tunnels behind them.
The demons, who initially smirked with sinister grins, now scrambled desperately to hide, unable to properly hinder the team.
BOOM!!!
Another partially collapsed tunnel ahead crumbled completely, revealing a new path.
Beyond the debris lay a previously unseen plaza-like area.
Although called a plaza, it wasn’t particularly spacious.
After relentlessly charging forward, the investigation team paused briefly to calm their excitement.
Given the appearance of a new terrain, caution was necessary.
True to form, Johanna stepped forward and entered the plaza first.
“…”
The air felt unpleasant, but the plaza remained eerily quiet.
Johanna walked cautiously toward the center, sharpening her senses.
Step, step, step… On the fourth step—
SPLASH!
“?!”
Her ankles were submerged in black liquid. The space that moments ago was a plaza had transformed into what resembled a lake of dark water.
Johanna instantly grasped the situation.
‘A boundary…?’
This was a boundary created by a follower of the Dark God using the Blessing.
Since setting up such boundaries usually required significant preparation time, Johanna hadn’t expected to encounter one here.
Even the strongest warriors were affected when exposed to a boundary powered by the Blessing of the Dark God.
Complete defense was impossible; thus, destroying the caster or source of the boundary should be prioritized.
“…”
Exposed to the boundary, Johanna clenched her jaw as she felt her senses distorted and negative emotions amplified.
Though dangerous, it wasn’t beyond handling.
As Johanna focused to resist the distortion, a voice reached her ears.
[Johanna.]
“…”
[You need to work harder.]
For the first time, Johanna’s expression visibly faltered.
Yet, the familiar, nostalgic voice continued to echo in her ears.
[Johanna, you must work harder and grow stronger faster.]
“…”
[Work hard so you can surpass me quickly.]
Johanna knew the next words. She couldn’t forget them.
[I won’t be able to protect you forever.]
Before long… Ray stood before Johanna, just like that day.
Ray faced her with the same look of anguish, sorrow, and affection from that day.
Johanna stared at Ray with bloodshot eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and recalled the last farewell—and lie—that Ray had given her, slapping him across the face.
GAH!!!
“CHOK!!”
Caught off guard due to the boundary’s influence, one of the investigation team’s knights approached Johanna and received a slap, tumbling aside.
Damn hallucination. Johanna muttered quietly, wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, and maximally activated her Core.
Boundaries empowered by the Blessing were impossible to fully defend against. Even though the Templars resisted the effects more effectively, their strength was halved.
Prolonging the situation would result in rapid escalation of harm.
Johanna revealed the killing intent refined through countless battles and pinpointed the location of the caster who deployed the boundary.
As she moved, other hidden demons prepared for ambushes.
At that moment,
A brilliant flash erupted at the center of the boundary formed by the Blessing.
WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Both demons and the Imperial investigation team alike displayed shock.
An immense surge of divine energy obliterated the boundary imbued with the Blessing.
Immediately afterward, a Sacred Sword that had fallen within the boundary floated upward and shot off toward somewhere.
KWA-AH!!!
Spearra caught the Sacred Sword mid-air and plunged it into the chest of the demon who had cast the boundary.
Though the demon’s chest shattered, it didn’t faint until the highly compressed divine energy inside the Sacred Sword exploded, causing the demon to scream and begin melting.
“KKRA-KAK-GAGH…!!!!!”
Struggling to turn its head toward Spearra, the demon eventually evaporated without reaching its goal.
Witnessing this, the remaining demons fled hastily, while most of the investigation team froze, stunned by Spearra’s sudden appearance.
Even Delun and Jusephin struggled to comprehend the situation, mouths agape, blinking repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Templars openly murmured prayers in awe of Spearra.
Spearra turned to face them and finally addressed Johanna.
“It’s been a while.”
“…”
Reuniting with Spearra at this moment,
The first emotion Johanna felt wasn’t surprise, doubt, happiness, or anything else.
Johanna was simply contemplating.
Can I kill her now?
