"Hello, everyone! So, have you thought it over? I advise you not to make any unnecessary moves. Just listen to my sweet voice—that will be enough. If you're looking to pick a fight, there won't be a good ending for you."
The Archbishop of Lust spoke with a vile temperament, a faint sneer curling on her lips. She seemed exceptionally pleased, as if she hadn't had her fill yet, and continued spreading fear among them.
Using the magic device in front of her to broadcast, the Archbishop of Lust constantly guided those people, threatening them into doing her bidding.
"Oh, if you want to surrender, then surrender as soon as possible. Remember to lower your head when you do. That would be the proper thing to do."
"By the way, to punish the ones who just launched a sneak attack here, let's give those I've captured a little punishment!"
The Archbishop of Lust spoke coldly. Amid the crowd's panicked cries, the broadcast abruptly cut off.
After hearing the broadcast, Garfiel walked straight out from another room.
"Lady Shendu, I can't rest. I can't sleep either. I have to take revenge."
Garfiel stepped forward, his eyes filled with icy determination.
"Oh? That does suit your personality. Tell me what exactly happened."
Shendu beckoned with her hand. Garfiel approached her, while Al and Anastasia and the others stood not far away, seemingly ready to hear the information he had gathered.
"At the location of city hall, I didn't run into any Archbishop. Instead, I saw a man and a woman—two swordsmen. The surrounding guards were easily wiped out by them."
Garfiel vividly recounted the events, making everyone realize that the two Witch Cultists hidden beneath cloaks were definitely not to be trifled with.
"Damn it. This is really infuriating. Garfiel, the one who hurt Mimi—who exactly was it?"
Ricardo's face was filled with rage as he questioned Garfiel.
"It was that woman. We fought for quite a while. The three of us joined forces, and we managed to push back that burly man several times. Only the woman was especially hard to deal with."
A grave expression surfaced in Garfiel's eyes as he added.
"And the aura of death around them was incredibly heavy. They didn't feel like living people at all."
When those words were spoken, Wilhelm's expression darkened. He recalled scene after scene of his time with his wife, Theresia.
"It seems that Archbishop has the ability to manipulate corpses. To dare desecrate my wife in such a way..."
Wilhelm's face burned with fury. A silver flash streaked past, and the chair beside him was split cleanly in two. Sensing his killing intent, the others remained silent.
"Calm down, Old Man Wilhelm. If you want revenge, anger alone won't help."
At a critical moment, Shendu glanced at Wilhelm and spoke unhurriedly.
"My apologies. I truly cannot suppress the rage in my heart."
Faced with Shendu's reassurance, Wilhelm replied helplessly, sheathing the sword at his waist.
After being appeased, Garfiel shared a few more details before falling silent again, his eyes still brimming with killing intent, unable to let the matter go.
Creak!
At that moment, the door was pushed open. A man with purple hair, dressed in a knight's long robe, walked in.
It was none other than Julius, who had been patrolling outside.
"My apologies. Am I late?"
Julius said with a smile. Traces of blood stained his clothing, indicating he had likely investigated the surroundings.
"No, you've come at just the right time. We were about to discuss our battle plan."
Seeing Julius return, Anastasia appeared pleased. With this, everyone had gathered, and they could proceed to the next stage of planning.
However, Anastasia knew that on Shendu's side, their strength had been fully preserved. Shendu herself was a powerful mage and by no means weak.
"All right, Miss Shendu, what do you think we should do next?"
Suddenly, Anastasia turned her gaze toward Shendu and asked seriously.
After Anastasia spoke, Crusch and Wilhelm and the others also looked toward Shendu, as if waiting for her decision.
Facing their request, Shendu nodded slightly. After a moment of thought, she began to respond slowly.
"First, the magic device has fallen into their hands. They will inevitably use it to spread panic. To prevent that, we must retake city hall and destroy the device in the process."
"This operation carries significant risk. Our side will participate. As for you, decide according to your circumstances."
Her red eyes swept over the forces of the candidates as she added,
"Including my familiars—the Shadowkhan. They will also join the battle."
Shendu lightly tapped the shadow beneath her feet. More than a dozen dark figures emerged from it and knelt at her side.
Seeing the Ninjakhan of the Shadowkhan before them, the surrounding candidates were visibly surprised. Aware of these ninjas' strength, none dared to underestimate Shendu's power.
They understood that this was the strongest force Shendu could bring forth.
Upon hearing Shendu's arrangement, Ricardo, the mercenary captain, spoke with killing intent and fervor.
"Our beastman mercenary corps will mobilize in full. We'll clear every threat along the necessary routes."
"Julius requests permission to engage!"
The purple-haired knight declared solemnly, his eyes brimming with resolve.
"Very well. Our mercenary corps and Miss Shendu's familiars will clear the threats along the path. As for those two unidentified individuals, we must remain cautious."
Anastasia said thoughtfully, deploying the strongest lineup on her side to teach the Witch Cult a lesson.
"Our side will also join the battle. Together with Old Man Wilhelm, we will put an end to this chaos."
The girl in military attire spoke with utmost seriousness in her eyes.
Unlike the original course of events, Crusch had not been stripped of anything. Having trained for an additional four months, her combat strength had improved considerably.
"Indeed. I already bear a blood feud with the Witch Cult. Revenge is inevitable."
Wilhelm said gravely, an astonishing fighting spirit radiating from him.
"Wait, Lady Crusch, what about me?"
Realizing he would not be participating in battle, Felix asked anxiously.
"Go and check how many people in the shelters require treatment. You will not take part in this operation."
Crusch assigned a task to her personal guard.
"Yes, Lady Crusch."
Felix replied helplessly. Since he could not fight, he would prepare logistics instead.
"Rem and Beatrice, you will assist Felix with treatment. You will not participate in this battle."
At the same time, Shendu reached out and gently patted the blue-haired maid's head as she issued her command.
"Yes, Lady Shendu!"
Upon receiving Shendu's order, Rem and Beatrice readily agreed.
With that, the situation became clear. Aside from Reinhard and Felt, who were temporarily nowhere to be found, the forces of the remaining three Royal Selection candidates had gathered most of their strength.
The only faction that had not declared its stance was Priscilla's side—namely, her knight, Al.
"Al, what do you intend to do? Join us in retaking city hall, or do you have other plans?"
After the discussion concluded, Shendu looked toward Al and asked thoughtfully.
"My apologies. I serve Princess Priscilla, and I am her knight. I must find her before making any arrangements. I hope you understand. I'll act alone."
Al spoke after some thought, clearly having his own considerations.
"Oh, that's fine. Our side already has sufficient combat power anyway."
Anastasia glanced at Shendu and then at Akane, showing little concern.
In terms of strength, Shendu was capable of overwhelming force. Perhaps this operation would proceed smoothly—that was their hope.
"Thank you for understanding. I truly appreciate it."
Al let out a sigh, a helpless expression in his eyes.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to help. Rather, he knew that serving his master was his foremost duty. With the others' strength clearly sufficient to handle the situation, his presence would merely be icing on the cake.
Knowing that his participation would make little difference, he decisively chose not to go.
After finalizing their battle plan, Shendu and her group strode down the street, rapidly heading toward city hall.
This time, the personnel included Shendu, Garfiel, Natsuki Subaru, Akane, Crusch, the Sword Demon Wilhelm, the canine mercenary captain Ricardo, and the Royal Guard's second seat, Julius.
A total of eight people—this was the strongest force they could muster.
With their keen senses of smell, Ricardo and Garfiel took on the role of scouts, carefully judging the surrounding situation through scent alone.
"There's blood ahead. Everyone, be careful."
As they approached city hall, the two beastmen scouts raised their hands in warning.
The moment those words fell, Garfiel equipped the shields mounted on both arms. Ricardo drew the massive blade from his back. Wilhelm unsheathed his sword. Akane adjusted her condition to its peak.
"Come forth, Shadowkhan!"
As they neared their destination, Shendu directly summoned the ninjas and waved her hand. The shadowy figures dispersed at once to scout ahead.
"Miss Shendu, is this really wise? Wouldn't this be the same as launching a frontal assault?"
Julius looked at her, slightly surprised by her decisive reconnaissance.
"Heh. We have no other choice. Don't forget—since the Archbishop of Lust dares to occupy this place so brazenly and take so many hostages, whether we attempt a sneak attack or not makes little difference."
Shendu spoke calmly. During her explanation, the ninjas had already spread out to investigate. As some of them neared the city hall area, they were abruptly eliminated.
However, most of the ninjas completed their task.
"No ambush nearby. On the main road leading to city hall, the two guards are extremely powerful. The ones inside are no weaklings either."
Shendu shook her head and relayed the gathered intelligence in full.
"Fine then! Looks like we have no choice but a direct assault. Let's move together!"
Ricardo shouted as they rushed toward their objective.
Passing through a narrow alley, they arrived at the plaza.
What greeted their eyes was a field of corpses.
The sight struck them hard, but only for a fleeting moment.
Ahead stood two black-robed figures—one man and one woman—completely concealing their appearances. An astonishing aura of death emanated from them.
"They have no souls. They are undoubtedly corpses."
Shendu saw through their nature at a glance and explained slowly.
"Then they should be eliminated as soon as possible. They shouldn't be allowed to exist."
After hearing her words, Crusch swung her tachi forcefully. Two powerful wind blades fused with sword aura, releasing even greater force as they surged forward.
"My turn—Multi Fireball!"
Seeing Crusch take action, Akane, no less formidable, hurled a series of fireballs.
Surprisingly, as the fireballs and sword aura closed in, the two Witch Cultists neither dodged nor retreated. The burly man raised his twin blades in a defensive stance.
He first shattered Crusch's wind blades. Then, facing the barrage of fireballs, he blocked them with both swords, the stone tiles beneath his feet cracking continuously.
Whatever material his blades were made of, they refused to melt despite being heated to an intense glow.
The woman, on the other hand, appeared even more relaxed. With a few effortless swings of her sword, she destroyed the approaching wind blades and fireballs one by one.
After resolving the immediate threat, the two figures lunged forward to counterattack.
"Hmph. Stay where you are!"
Seeing them charge, Shendu responded without hesitation. She drew the Amaterasu Sword and unleashed a wave of sword pressure. The approaching woman was forced back more than ten meters, her feet carving a deep crater into the ground.
The burly man fared no better. Shendu kicked him away, the force of the Ox Talisman infused in her strike leaving a clear imprint on his blade.
"Now's our chance! The perfect moment to restrain them!"
Julius' eyes lit up as he immediately connected with his contracted quasi-spirits and began chanting.
Three different colors of radiance enveloped the two enemies. Pillars of light descended upon them.
As Julius' trump card, six quasi-spirits worked in pairs, three at a time, pouring down magical power like massive weights that pressed the two corpses into the ground.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Ricardo, Akane, Wilhelm, and Garfiel launched their attacks simultaneously. The others remained on standby, ready to provide support.
Ricardo and Garfiel targeted the burly man. Akane and Wilhelm focused on the woman.
Wilhelm struck first, aiming to remove her mask and confirm whether she was truly that person.
Clang!
The half-kneeling woman casually lifted her sword and flicked Wilhelm's blade aside with only the tip.
"Not bad. Let's see how you handle my fire magic!"
Akane's gaze sharpened as she unleashed a relentless barrage of fireballs at the restrained woman. As an experienced dragon, she had no intention of recklessly charging in.
With Akane attacking from range and Wilhelm engaging up close, they coordinated smoothly.
On the other side, Garfiel and Ricardo clashed with the burly man. The collision of massive blades sent showers of sparks flying.
Suddenly, sensing the pressure, two additional arms extended from beneath the man's robe. Each wielded another blade, slashing from different directions.
"What the hell is this? Is he some kind of multi-armed race?"
Garfiel frowned as the extra limbs forced them on the defensive.
"Let me!"
Acting as support, Natsuki Subaru rushed forward without hesitation and hurled a bottle of petrification potion, attempting to turn the monster to stone.
But as it flew through the air, two more arms shot out from the robe. With swift swings, the burly man shattered the potion and stepped back several paces.
"Careful! He might have more than six arms!"
After trading blows for a while, Ricardo realized the brute was still holding back.
"No matter how many he has—let's take him down together!"
Natsuki Subaru downed three enhancement potions in one go, pushing his body to its peak condition.
The three of them launched a coordinated assault. After a prolonged clash, the burly man seemed to enter a berserk state.
To their shock, he extended even more arms.
Eight arms in total—each gripping a blade.
Even three against one, they failed to gain the upper hand. The battle remained evenly matched.
Meanwhile, the woman, under immense restraint, raised her sword and swung.
The binding magic shattered instantly.
Even the restraints suppressing the burly man were cut apart.
"This is bad!"
Seeing her break free, Julius immediately chanted again. As his incantation concluded, a tornado of flames roared forth and smashed toward the woman.
Yet she cleaved it apart with a single stroke.
Her strength was undeniable.
"Troublesome—but a worthy opponent."
Compared to Wilhelm's disadvantage, Akane held a slight edge, constantly launching close-range magic attacks.
Occasionally, the woman closed in and slashed at Akane, but failed to harm her in the slightest. The dragon's resilient skin was not easily pierced.
"Hmph. Your attacks are useless against me."
Akane stared at her and swung her fist again, colliding directly with the blade. Wilhelm followed up, finally landing a strike across the woman's back.
Unfortunately, only a small tear appeared in her cloak. The garment remained largely intact.
"Hahahahaha! What a magnificent performance! I'm delighted you've taken the stage to cooperate with my show, you worthless little insects!"
At the height of battle, a mocking voice rang out from behind them.
Sensing the direction, Shendu immediately turned and launched a wind blade.
But it was evaded.
A madwoman appeared before them.
Golden hair. Crimson eyes. A deranged expression twisting her face.
"Oh my, attacking the moment we meet? That's a bit improper, isn't it?"