Not far south of Garos Fortress,

After learning that the Abyss Demons had begun their assault on Garos Fortress, Marquis Xiumu-Duke immediately led the elite forces of Wind Facing City—five thousand members of the Blizzard Knights—and charged toward Garos Fortress atop their warhorses in a mighty procession.

As they drew closer to their destination, reinforcement forces from other fortresses gradually merged into Xiumu-Duke's army.

Several dozen minutes later,

the force behind Marquis Xiumu-Duke had already reached eighty thousand strong.

A vast army advanced relentlessly toward Garos Fortress.

However,

the disciplined and battle-hardened troops behind him failed to provide Xiumu-Duke with even the slightest sense of reassurance.

If this had been an ordinary Abyss Demon invasion, he would have possessed complete confidence in annihilating the enemy with this army.

But this situation was clearly different.

From the terrifying pressure released by that earlier explosion alone, it was obvious that a Demon King-class existence was among the Abyss Demons attacking Garos Fortress.

Against that kind of being,

even with tens of thousands of soldiers behind him,

and two Saint-Class powerhouses accompanying the force,

Xiumu-Duke still had no confidence whatsoever in defeating it.

Yet he had no other choice.

If they did not stop the Abyss Demons now, once those monsters broke through and spread southward, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As the army continued forward, the heaviness in Xiumu-Duke's heart only deepened.

—

'Combat Art — Void-Cleaving Slash!!'

Gripping his greatsword tightly, Xiumu-Duke swung it with explosive force.

Empowered by crimson Saint-Class battle aura, he unleashed a killing strike filled with murderous intent.

With a single slash,

five charging Abyss Demons were instantly cut down.

Meanwhile, the Blizzard Knights at the front lines displayed flawless coordination and effortlessly slew another nine Abyss Demons.

Looking at the corpses of more than a dozen Abyss Demons scattered across the ground,

Xiumu-Duke unconsciously held his breath.

Abyss Demons had appeared here.

Which meant...

'Garos Fortress is most likely doomed.'

Although he had anticipated this possibility long ago, actually witnessing Abyss Demons break through the defensive line was still difficult for him to accept.

He could only grit his teeth fiercely.

At that moment,

the commander of the Blizzard Knights, Sikta, rode swiftly over on his red-hoofed warhorse and arrived beside Xiumu-Duke.

"Marquis, we received word from the Imperial Family."

?!!

"What?!"

The moment he heard that, excitement immediately appeared on Xiumu-Duke's face.

He hurriedly asked:

"The Imperial Family finally responded?! Have the reinforcements arrived?!"

Seeing the Marquis so excited, Sikta let out an awkward sigh.

"I'm sorry, Marquis. There are no reinforcements. A massive avalanche in Jialing Valley has blocked their route. They won't be arriving anytime soon."

"W-What?! Y-You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm sorry, Marquis. It's true. However, the Imperial Family sent other instructions."

"No reinforcements, yet they're still issuing orders? Heh..."

Xiumu-Duke let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Clearly, the border marquis held very little affection for the current Snow Night Empire Imperial Family.

"So? What ridiculous order is it this time?"

"The Imperial Family wants us to hold everything south of the Anqi Mountains and prevent any Abyss Demons from breaking through. As for Garos Fortress and the Abyss Demons around it, they've instructed us not to interfere for the time being."

?!?!

"What?! Not interfere?! What the hell does that mean?!"

Xiumu-Duke couldn't stop himself from shouting.

"They said they'll solve the problem there by launching Mana Fission Bombs."

?!

The moment he heard those words, Xiumu-Duke's expression changed drastically.

He stared at Sikta in disbelief.

"You mean that weapon His Highness the Crown Prince developed?"

"Y-Yes. It seems... the Imperial Family intends to use this battlefield as a testing ground."

Sikta nodded slightly, his own face turning ugly.

"Does the Imperial Family not realize that Asumos Church's so-called Child of Destiny is there? Aren't they afraid of provoking both Asumos Church and the Red Leaf Empire?!"

"Marquis, I already informed them of that."

"And they still didn't change their minds?"

"No."

"..."

For a moment, Xiumu-Duke stood frozen.

If the Imperial Family truly intended to use Mana Fission Bombs, then based on the destructive power of those weapons, his army indeed should not continue advancing.

If they were caught within the blast radius, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But if they simply remained at the Anqi Mountains and eliminated the Abyss Demons heading south...

Wouldn't that mean abandoning the soldiers and civilians of Garos Fortress entirely?

Abandoning the people of his own territory?

For a moment, Xiumu-Duke found it difficult to accept.

He clenched his fists painfully.

And besides...

Although he personally wasn't particularly interested in that Child of Destiny, she was still someone whom Asumos Church valued immensely.

If something happened to her...

Sigh.

Just what in the world are those people in the Imperial Family thinking?!

Xiumu-Duke roared inwardly.

However,

at that very moment—

"Shua!!"

A white meteor suddenly streaked across the sky.

At the same time, an overwhelming pressure descended from above.

Xiumu-Duke and the countless soldiers behind him all shuddered violently.

The terrifying aura that made even their souls tremble caused Xiumu-Duke's expression to change instantly.

He immediately looked up toward the heavens.

'T-That's?!'

Watching the white radiance speeding toward Garos Fortress,

and feeling the vast and surging power of Holy Aura pouring from it,

Marquis Xiumu-Duke couldn't help sucking in a cold breath.

His weathered face became completely occupied by unease and solemnity.

Now,

the situation had become even more complicated...

—

Meanwhile,

at Garos Fortress,

Although Limo's head had been struck directly by Kosov-Zerlong's self-destruction and the detonation of countless magic stones, she hadn't suffered any actual injuries.

Still,

she felt slightly uncomfortable.

The giant wolf shook her enormous head and rubbed her face with a paw.

After all,

being blown up like that had made her a little itchy.

Afterward,

Limo once again focused her attention on the interior of Garos Fortress.

She attempted to locate her mother's presence amid the blazing inferno and ruined battlefield.

Unfortunately,

because Yumo had completely concealed her aura in order to hide her identity from the heroine, Limo was genuinely unable to locate her within the vast sea of ruins.

This only made the giant wolf increasingly anxious.

'Mother, where are you...? Wuuuu... D-Don't tell me you're really angry and ignoring me now... Wuuuu...'

Something like that...

Please no!!!

At this moment, Limo's heart was overflowing with fear and anxiety.

She looked exactly like a naughty child who had done something wrong and was terrified that her parents would abandon her.

In order to eliminate the heroine, Limo had impulsively fired a Desolation Cannon directly at Garos Fortress.

But after launching the attack, waves of regret continuously surged through her heart.

She wanted to kill the heroine.

But she didn't want to make Mother angry.

Her emotions were tangled beyond belief. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Wuuuu...

If only I'd discussed it with Liyu before acting...

My little sister is smarter than me.

She probably would've come up with a better solution...

Unfortunately,

regret was useless now.

The only thing Limo wanted was to find Yumo as quickly as possible and then desperately act cute, beg, and plead until she was forgiven.

However,

after searching for some time, she still couldn't find Yumo.

Instead, she noticed the silver-haired figure currently battling the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church.

?!?!

What?!

That woman is still alive?!

D-Did Mother protect her?!

The instant she noticed Mengxi, terrifying coldness and killing intent exploded within the giant wolf's eyes.

The crimson Shadow of Silence Power within her body began to rage violently.

The horrifying aura leaking from her made all surrounding Abyss Demons tremble instinctively.

Even the surviving defenders were suppressed so heavily that they could barely move.

The weaker ones collapsed unconscious on the spot.

And in front of Abyss Demons, collapsing unconscious...

The outcome hardly needed explaining.

'Should I... attack again?!'

Limo couldn't help considering the possibility.

At the moment, Mother didn't seem to be near the Child of Destiny.

If she acted now, she should be able to kill her.

But...

What if Mother actually was nearby?

Then not only would she fail to kill the heroine—

she might completely disappoint Mother.

'What do I do...? Wuuuu~'

The giant wolf's heart was filled with indecision.

However,

just as all of her attention became focused on the silver-haired girl—

a white meteor suddenly tore through the sky at an unimaginable speed!

The streak of white light instantly entered her perception range, causing Limo's heart to jolt violently.

She looked up in shock.

?!!

'What's this?!'

Before she could even react,

the white meteor flashed before her in an instant.

As the white radiance dissipated,

a white-haired girl dressed in a black military skirt appeared directly before Limo.

"Good afternoon, Snow Devourer~"

The moment those words entered her ears,

the white-haired girl's iron fist, wrapped in vast Holy Aura, shot forward without hesitation.

And then—

She punched Limo directly in the head.