"What the hell?! Why are there two magic arrays?!"
"The aura coming off the new one is terrifying! Is it trying to wipe out everything in that area in one go?!"
"Is this even fair anymore? We're grinding monsters with our lives on the line, and these high-tier guilds just show up and clean the entire field!"
"Damn it! Can you at least leave us something to kill?! I'm still aiming for the top thirty on the contribution rankings!"
"Which guild is this now?! Why are there so many B+-rank guilds in this event?! Is anyone else even allowed to survive?!"
"..."
As the even larger magic array manifested in the sky, the crowd's shock reached its peak.
They simply could not believe it—aside from Dolori, there was another light-attribute divine caster of such overwhelming strength.
Honglian and the other members of the Fairy Concubine Guild instinctively turned their gazes toward Lucia.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief and deep astonishment.
They all knew Lucia was strong—but this scene far exceeded anything they had imagined.
Lucia's level was clearly lower than Dolori's, yet the sheer power of her light magic vastly surpassed Dolori's.
How was that even possible?
Dolori was already level 59, and she was a Saintess of the Church of Light.
Even if she ranked only sixth among the seven Saintesses, that still placed her among the absolute elite of the Church.
No matter how they thought about it, they couldn't understand why Lucia's spell output was so monstrously high—higher than someone of significantly greater level.
Lucia's identity immediately became the subject of wild speculation.
What position did she truly hold within the Church of Light?
Could she be one of the two Saintesses with the highest innate talent?
Or was she something even more exalted—
The Pope, perhaps?
Just as everyone was drowning in confusion, Dolori called out sharply:
"The demons are charging! What are you all standing around for?!"
Her words snapped Honglian and the others back to reality. They raised their weapons at once, facing the demon tide surging toward them like a flood.
Only then did Dolori finally let out a breath of relief and turn her gaze toward Lucia, who was still chanting beside her.
Her heart shook violently.
As expected of the Holy Father…Even a low-level avatar can release light magic several times stronger than mine.My training… is still far from sufficient.
Lucia paid no attention to Dolori's stare.
Her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield ahead, on the demons charging directly toward them.
Sensing lethal danger, large numbers of demons were converging on their position, attempting to eliminate the spellcasters mid-chant.
Faced with the ferocious onslaught, Honglian and the others took on the role of guardians without hesitation.
"Don't worry!"
Honglian hoisted her greatsword onto her shoulder. Blazing flames erupted around her body, surging violently as if determined to incinerate all evil.
Her voice rang with absolute conviction.
"With us here, you'll be completely safe! These demons won't take a single step closer!"
The moment she finished speaking, Honglian slammed her greatsword into the ground.
Instantly, roaring flames spread outward along the blade, exploding into a massive wall of fire.
The barrier burned like a river of molten flame, cutting straight across the battlefield and firmly separating the demon horde from the spellcasters, halting their advance completely.
At the same time, Kailin rapidly deployed magic, erecting a reinforced magical shield that enveloped Lucia and Dolori from behind, ensuring their absolute safety.
Loserine and Azkman took up positions on the left and right flanks respectively, intercepting demons pouring in from every direction.
Under their protection, not a single demon was able to approach Lucia and the others.
Any demon that attempted to breach the line was instantly shredded by Loserine's razor-sharp sword aura—or burned to ashes by Honglian's raging flames.
Then—
Lucia and Dolori completed their chants.
In the next instant, golden beams of light descended from the heavens like divine judgment itself, engulfing the demon ranks in radiant brilliance.
"Aaaah—!!"
Bathed in the holy light, the demons screamed in agony, their bodies disintegrating into ash that scattered into the air.
The terrifying, awe-inspiring scene left every adventurer present staring in stunned silence.
...
Yet on another part of the battlefield, the situation unfolded very differently.
"Miss Laine… this isn't what we planned…"Ivsha spoke with barely concealed worry.
"Plan?"
Marley Laine cut her off with blatant disdain.
"The plan is to wipe out every last one of these insignificant insects."
Clad in crimson dragon-scale armor, she flicked her wings once and rose effortlessly into the air, coldly overlooking the battlefield below.
With a gentle beat of her dragon wings, the crimson glow in her eyes intensified, as though flames of destruction were burning within.
If one could see beneath her armor, they would find a merciless, cruel smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Insects," she declared coldly, arrogantly."Welcome your annihilation."
Before her words even finished echoing, Marley Laine raised her dragon claw.
In an instant, a sphere of blazing crimson light condensed in her palm, gathering fury and annihilation as though drawing upon the wrath of the heavens themselves.
With a casual flick of her finger, the crimson orb plunged straight into the center of the demon army.
The moment it struck the ground—
A cataclysmic explosion erupted, like a nuclear detonation.
Scarlet flames surged outward like an ocean tide, devouring everything in their path.
Hundreds of demons were erased in an instant—unable even to scream—reduced to ash within the roaring inferno and scattered into nothingness.
"Th-th-this…"
"What kind of power is that?!"
"What just happened?! We haven't even made a move yet, and hundreds of demons are already gone?!"
"This is… this is completely absurd!!"
"Hurry and get into the fight! At this rate, there won't be anything left!"
"..."
The adventurers on the battlefield were utterly dumbfounded by Marley Laine's overwhelming display.
Before they could even act, hundreds of demons had vanished.
It was beyond anything they could comprehend.
"Do we… still follow the plan?"Petico asked Xu Feiyan cautiously.
Xu Feiyan sat within the guild command area, watching everything unfold on the light screens before her. A faint, knowing smile curved her lips.
According to the original plan, Marley Laine was supposed to lead the team in holding the frontal combat zone and advance steadily into the battlefield.
Instead, she had acted entirely on her own—charging the demon army solo.
However—
Unlike the other battlefield, their team was composed primarily of melee fighters.
Petico, the twin cat-ear girls, as well as Ivsha and Lanlan, all possessed close-combat capability.
They didn't require warriors to shield spellcasters the way the other side did.
Xu Feiyan swiftly adjusted her strategy and turned to Alice.
"Alice, can you stay close to Ivsha and Lanlan and protect them?"
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
Alice immediately summoned her massive scissors and positioned herself beside Ivsha and Lanlan in a defensive stance.
Xu Feiyan then looked at the twin cat-ear girls.
"Mengmeng, Mengmeng—stay hidden and provide support."
"Yes, Guild Master!"
The two cat-ear girls responded in perfect unison before melting into the shadows, vanishing like ghosts.
Finally, Xu Feiyan turned to Petico.
"Petico, go do your thing. This battlefield belongs to you."
"…Mm."
Petico nodded slightly.
A blood-red longsword condensed in her hand as she stepped forward toward the battlefield.
"What an outstanding group of girls~"
Xu Feiyan watched the multiple light screens, her smile filled with satisfaction.
This demon-lair event was progressing even more smoothly than she had anticipated.
Her adventurer team—formed together with Kurose Akira—was displaying an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield, leaving the other two factions completely in the dust.
"It looks like this event will be a complete success."
But when Xu Feiyan's gaze shifted to Akira—
She saw him sitting quietly on the sofa, head lowered.
"Kurose Akira, you…"
Seeing his condition, Xu Feiyan couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Then—
A faint, low voice drifted into her ears.
"Give me blood… give me blood…"
"Give me your blood."