They had never seen anything like this.
A woman who could shatter an unbreakable barrier.
A woman who could freeze monsters with a single command.
A woman they had once dismissed as weak.
She was nothing like the Empress they had ignored and abandoned.
"Your Highness, stop... please!"
Delphine's worried voice trembled as she rushed to support Ceres.
Ceres had just lost another 5 HP, and her health continued to drop... 1 HP every ten minutes as long as she kept the monsters frozen in place.
By the time the fifty minutes she had given Legion were up, she would be left with only 24 HP.
Her body was weakening.
Her limbs were heavy.
Her vision was starting to blur.
But she had to endure.
The people in the camp needed her.
'You must stop, Your Highness.'
Ori's voice in her head was filled with warning.
'This will take a toll on your body.'
But Ceres ignored him.
Her people were still fighting.
The monsters' numbers were significantly reduced thanks to her ability...
But there was still one problem.
The Holy Beast was still attacking.
Ceres's eyes snapped to the Holy Knight Commander.
"Why are you not taking it down?"
Lady Layla swallowed hard.
"We… we don't know how," she admitted.
Ceres stared at her in disbelief.
"We've been waiting for it to weaken," Layla said, voice filled with shame.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Are you f*cking kidding me?!"
The knights flinched.
Even Duke Aurelian stiffened, shocked at the venom in the Empress's voice.
"You awakened a Holy Beast... WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO MAKE IT SUBMIT?!"
Layla lowered her gaze, ashamed.
"We only knew that the Holy Beast would weaken with blood," she said quietly.
"That was the only passage the Holy Church deciphered from an ancient tome."
Ceres's eyes blazed with fury.
"You committed this heartless act… with barely any information?!"
Layla felt a chill crawl down her spine.
There was something about this woman... something that made her feel like she could not disobey her.
Could not disappoint her.
And yet, this very act had already done so.
She clenched her fists.
She felt… ashamed.
"You stupid fools!"
Ceres tried to step forward... but the moment she did, her knees buckled.
A sharp cough racked her chest, and she spat blood onto her palm.
"Your Highness!"
Delphine's voice cracked as she rushed to catch her.
Her hands trembled as she pressed a cloth to Ceres's lips.
"You have to stop!"
Ceres's breath came raggedly, her chest heaving.
Her gaze flickered back to the camp.
There were still too many monsters.
If she stopped now, they would overwhelm the survivors.
And the people would not survive.
'Ori, how do I make the Holy Beast stop?'
'You must complete the Unbinding Spell, Your Highness.'
Ceres clenched her fists.
'How much will it cost?'
'10 HP.'
Then Ori added...
'May I remind you... although you will not die, any negative emotions you experience afterward will be multiplied ninefold. And your body will suffer the recoil.'
Ceres closed her eyes.
'I know.'
Ori told her the spell.
Ceres took a deep breath.
Then, she lifted her gaze.
"Help me stand."
Her voice was weak, but determined.
Delphine, though clearly terrified, obeyed.
"Give me a knife."
Ceres turned to Lady Layla.
The Holy Knight froze.
For some reason, she felt compelled to obey.
Her hands trembled as she pulled out a small knife and placed it in Ceres's palm.
And then, without knowing why...
She reached out and steadied the Empress as she stood.
"Motherf*cker," Ceres muttered under her breath.
She could already feel the pain coming.
Then, she turned to Delphine.
"Do not teleport me."
She didn't wait for a response.
With one swift motion, she slit her palm.
The sharp sting of the blade made her hiss in pain.
"Sh*t," she breathed, nearly cursing again.
She raised her hand, letting blood drip onto the frozen ground.
Then, she spoke.
"O mighty beast of sky and sea,
Guardian lost, remember me.
North's great keeper, vast and wise,
Storm and tide heed your rise."
"Dragon fierce, with weather bound,
Let fate now forge what once was found.
By blood I call, by bond I plea,
Awake, O Seiryu... come to me!"
A brilliant light exploded from her body.
The Holy Beast, still rampaging mid-air, froze instantly.
A golden glow wrapped around the colossal creature, illuminating the darkened sky like a divine beacon.
Despite the tremendous pain ravaging her body, Ceres lifted her head, her golden eyes dull with exhaustion yet unwavering in resolve.
Her voice rang clear and commanding, slicing through the air like a blade of absolute authority.
"Hear my first command."
The land itself seemed to hold its breath.
"Protect the people."
Then, her body gave out.
She collapsed, her vision fading into darkness.
Lady Layla catched the Empress just before she hit the ground.
Gently, she lowered Ceres onto her lap, her armored fingers brushing against the cold sweat on the Empress's ashen skin.
"Your Highness…"
Delphine dropped beside them, hands trembling as she checked Ceres's pulse, her voice barely a whisper.
With Ceres unconscious, the monsters were no longer frozen.
A heartbeat later...
They moved.
The battlefield was about to descend into chaos once more...
But then, something changed.
Above them, the Holy Beast's form shifted.
The serpentine dragon that had loomed in the sky began to shrink, its massive frame collapsing in on itself.
Its form distorted, glowing with an ethereal radiance, until...
A man stood in its place.
His silver-blue hair flowed like liquid light, cascading over his shoulders, catching the glow of the sun.
His features were beyond mortal comprehension... elegant, ethereal, something not quite human yet undeniably majestic.
And then...
He moved.
Too fast.
Faster than any eye could track.
Faster than even Legion's senses could detect.
One by one...
The monsters fell.
Each movement was silent, unseen.
Their throats were cut open before they could scream.
Their limbs were severed before they could retaliate.
By the time anyone registered what had happened, the portal from which they had come began to shrink.
And then...
It closed.
A horrified silence fell over the battlefield.
The remaining survivors, bloodied and exhausted, simply stood frozen, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
And when the last monster collapsed, the being stilled.
For a moment, the battlefield was eerily silent.
No one moved.
No one dared breathe.
Because they all knew...
If he turned his wrath upon them, they would be dead before they even realized it.
But he did not attack.
Instead...
His piercing blue eyes scanned the surviving humans.
There were only about a thousand left.
It was as if he was searching for something.
Then...
He sniffed the air.
His gaze snapped toward the distant islet.
And then...
He vanished.
"Legion!"
Cecilion's voice cut through the stunned silence.
Legion didn't hesitate.
"The Empress is in that islet."
Without waiting for another word, he teleported.
The air shifted.
The moment the Holy Beast materialized before them, everyone on the islet fell into a tense, terrified silence.
The knights instinctively drew their swords, but their hands shook violently.
The sheer weight of his presence made their bodies feel weak.
His mana was suffocating.
He was not human.
He was something far beyond their comprehension.
"The Holy Beast…"
Saintess Xul's voice was barely a whisper.
The being's piercing blue gaze flickered toward her...
Uninterested.
Then, he turned to Aurelian.
His eyes, so deep and endless, held no malice.
Only calm assessment.
Finally...
He looked toward the three women kneeling on the ground.
Where Ceres lay unconscious.
His eyes brightened.
He took a step forward.
"You will not take another step toward the Empress."
Legion appeared in a flash, his ten Armor Knights materializing beside him, weapons raised.
The knights on the islet gasped in shock at his sudden appearance.
Legion's stance was unwavering, his sword pointed directly at the being.
Even though he could feel the overwhelming difference in power, it didn't matter.
He would die before he allowed this being to harm the Empress.
The Holy Beast paused.
"A Celestial Knight."
His voice was calm.
Yet it carried a dangerous undertone.
Like the deep sea... serene, yet capable of devouring anything in an instant.
Without moving a single muscle, Legion's connection to his Armor Knights severed.
One by one...
They collapsed.
The knights surrounding them gasped in horror.
Yet Legion did not falter.
His grip tightened on his sword.
His stance remained unchanged.
Even if he stood alone, even if he had no power to match this being, he would not back down.
For a long moment, the Holy Beast simply observed him.
Then...
He smiled.
A genuine smile.
As if Legion had just passed a test.
And in the next breath...
The connection to his Armor Knights was restored.
One by one, the fallen knights rose again, standing at attention.
Legion's grip on his sword remained firm, but his narrowed eyes showed his unease.
Then, the Holy Beast spoke once more.
"We serve the same master, Celestial Knight. No need to be hostile."
Legion's brow furrowed at the statement.
He wasn't sure whether to believe it or not.
Before he could respond, Delphine called out to him.
"Legion!"
Her voice trembled with emotion.
Legion's focus immediately shifted, and he hurried to her side.
"Your Highness."
His voice was low but urgent as he knelt beside Ceres, who still lay unconscious in Lady Layla's arms.
Her eyes twitched, but they remained heavy, unresponsive.
"I will teleport you back to the palace," Legion stated firmly.
"She said no," Delphine whispered.
Her voice cracked, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
They had seen the Empress weak before.
But never like this.
Her skin was pale and cold, her body completely limp.
For the first time, Delphine felt real fear.
What if she did not wake up?
"Saintess."
The Holy Beast's voice cut through the tense air.
Everyone turned toward him.
Then, he spoke his next words...
"Heal her."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Saintess Xul stepped forward, placing a hand on her chest.
"Even though I still doubt who she really is, I shall heal her," she declared, her tone laced with arrogance.
The Holy Beast turned his gaze toward her.
"I am not talking to you, woman."
His words struck like a thunderclap.
The knights and nobles gasped audibly, their eyes widening in disbelief.
Saintess Xul stiffened.
"She is the Saintess!" Sir Draven protested, his voice shaking.
The Holy Beast's expression did not change.
"No, she is not."
A heavy silence fell.
Then, in a voice filled with undeniable conviction, he continued...
"A real Saintess would never have a heart as corrupt as hers."
The Holy Knights shifted uncomfortably, whispering amongst themselves.
Then, the Holy Beast lifted his hand...
And pointed directly at Delphine.
"She is the Saintess."
Delphine's breath caught in her throat.
"I… I am not," she stammered, shaking her head as Legion carefully lifted the Empress from Lady Layla's arms.
She was just a servant.
A personal attendant, nothing more.
But the Holy Beast only tilted his head, watching her curiously.
"You have a healing power, yes?"
Delphine hesitated before nodding slowly.
"It can heal all wounds, restore missing limbs, and even fully replenish a person's life force. Am I wrong?"
"You're not," Delphine admitted.
The Holy Beast raised a brow.
"Then you are a Saintess."
His tone was matter-of-fact, as if there was no room for argument.
Delphine stared at him, speechless.
Then, after a long silence, she finally confessed...
"It… doesn't work on Her Highness."
The Holy Beast's eyes darkened slightly, his brows drawing together.
In an instant, he moved.
Before anyone could react, he was suddenly beside Legion.
A sharp gasp rippled through the knights.
Legion instinctively tensed, his grip on the Empress tightening.
Then, the Holy Beast slowly raised a single finger and pressed it gently against Ceres's forehead.
For a moment, he was silent.
His expression shifted.
For a brief second, he looked surprised.
But the emotion was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"I see now."
His voice was calm, laced with understanding.
With a flick of his fingers, golden light swirled around them...
And suddenly, a golden canopy appeared in the middle of the islet.
A luxurious bed rested inside, covered in ornate silken sheets.
The air around it shifted, becoming warmer, insulated from the freezing cold.
He gestured toward it.
"Place her inside."
Legion, still on high alert, hesitated for only a second before stepping forward.
The Empress's comfort came first.
He carried Ceres inside the canopy, carefully laying her down.
Delphine followed immediately.
Inside, the air was different.
It was comforting, warm... a direct contrast to the frigid air outside.
Delphine's eyes landed on a fresh set of dress folded neatly beside the bed.
She turned toward the Holy Beast, hesitating.
He smiled slightly, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Delphine hesitated for only a moment before picking up the dress, her hands trembling slightly.
But she couldn't change the Empress like this.
The canopy was open... everyone could see inside.
And as if reading her thoughts, the Holy Beast flicked his wrist once more.
Immediately, curtains of golden silk fell from the canopy's edges, sealing the inside from view.
He turned away and stood guard at the entrance.