Why must the devil be Defeated?

Imperial City, inside the Imperial Palace.

When Rocque led his troops to block the gates of the Imperial Palace, and Cappelen led the Broken Blade Knights toward the Royal Hall, the entire palace seemed to erupt in turmoil, becoming chaotic and noisy.

"Stop!"

"Halt!"

Many knights stationed within the palace and the private armies of the great nobles seemed to have been summoned to guard the palace. Seeing Cappelen charging with the Broken Blade Knights toward the Royal Hall, they became frantic, one after another rushing forward to block her path.

"Out of the way!"

Cappelen no longer held back her temper. She had seemingly resolved to settle things today once and for all. Even when facing the troops of the Imperial Knights and the private armies of the Imperial Nobles, she no longer hesitated or spared their lives. The blade of her Knight Sword was imbued with a crimson magic power as she mercilessly slashed at the enemies blocking her way.

That single slash, swift as lightning, was Cappelen's most proficient Advanced Sword Skill—[Flash Sword].

This sword skill, which forgoes defense for heightened attack and speed, blossomed once again in Cappelen's hands.

"Spurt!" "Spurt!" "Spurt!"...

As the sound of tearing resounded, knights one by one were split open by the lightning-fast strikes—armor broken, flesh cut open, falling to the ground with screams and blood spilling out.

Cappelen decisively slaughtered the enemies that barred her path, continuing to lead the charge.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Under Cappelen's leadership, the female knights of the Broken Blade Knights displayed their fierce spirits, fearlessly meeting the approaching knights head-on.

The battle thus unfurled within the palace, with the stench of blood beginning to permeate the air.

From above the palace, one could see countless knights and private armies of the great nobles, all stirred up and swiftly converging from every direction.

It looked much like a swarm of ants quickly gathering together, irritatingly conspicuous.

Yet the Broken Blade Knights, led by Cappelen, were like a sharp dagger. As they found themselves encircled, they forcefully broke through the frontlines and shattered the encirclement, continuing their relentless charge toward the Royal Hall.

It had to be said that Cappelen truly possessed strength. Even without the replica of the Holy Sword, her power was by no means comparable to ordinary knights.

Although her level was only seventy, her potential was widely acknowledged as the first in the Empire. The growth from each level she gained was evidently more than that of others, and her Skill Points were by no means few, resulting in high levels for her skills. Thus, in terms of overall strength, she was likely no less formidable than masters of level eighty and above.

Masters above level eighty did not appear easily among ordinary knight orders and private troops.

At this level, masters within the Empire were either members of the Imperial Knight Order, holding important positions or the top warriors of a family, unlikely to appear here in such a casual manner.

Therefore, without even using her Unique Skill, Cappelen transformed into a true Valkyrie—any who stood before her were immediately struck down by her lightning-swift slashes, contributing nothing but more blood to the land.

With such a fierce Princess leading the way, the female knights of the Broken Blade Knights naturally displayed their skills, forming a formation as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, closely following behind Cappelen.

The outer part of the formation was blessed with Support Series Magic, enhancing the warriors' physical abilities, firmly blocking attacks from all directions and holding off the encircling enemies.

Within the formation were female knights, chanting various types of magic—some casting Defense Magic to block incoming arrows and spells, others casting support-type magic to provide various aids. For the moment, this made the Broken Blade Knights unstoppable, dominating the current situation.

One could see that these female knights were all bottling up their rage, venting it outwards.

After all, not long ago they were locked in dungeon cells, stripped of even their clothes, enduring extreme humiliation. Now that they finally had the chance for revenge, these knights naturally did not hold back, their faces even more stern and determined than Cappelen's.

With that, Tielle kept her body low as she ran alongside, like a black gust of wind, flipping her black robe whilst dual blades in her hands, also imbued with a crimson Magic Blade, flashed and moved, drawing countless lines of blood. The encircling foes fell to the ground, unable to rise again.

Thus the group charged and broke through, finally coming up against real masters lying in ambush.

"Please halt, Princess."

"You have committed a grave sin that you should not have."

"Such violence within the palace cannot be ignored."

"Please stop, we beg you."

Several imposing figures carrying tremendous pressure stood in the way of the group.

Some were knights clad in armor, others were mages in Magic Robes, some wielding precious swords, and others holding Magic Wands. Even people carrying heavy hammers and long spears were present, their weapons and equipment radiating astonishing magic fluctuations, signaling their value as Magic Weapons.

Cappelen's face darkened.

She recognized the blockers—the high-level knights from the Imperial Knight Order who had chosen to support Moro or Sarilo, as well as the top warriors from the great noble houses.

Some were even the heads of a Noble Family, others the Top Level Seventh Rank Adventurers from the adventurer's guild. Not one was simple.

Now, with all these figures gathered together, even the weakest among them was likely above level eighty, with the highest reaching as far as eighty-nine, just one step shy of Legendary status. The obstruction they presented was not to be taken lightly.

Even she, having lost the replica Holy Sword, might not have a sure victory against any of them.

However, Cappelen did not stop her advance.

Not just Cappelen—none of the Broken Blade Knights, Tielle included, chose to halt. Instead, they charged forward without a second thought.

This surprised and angered the masters.

"If that's how it is, we will not show mercy!"

"This is the Princess's own doing!"

"Let us stop you!"

"Stop right there!"

A host of high-level masters with Level 80 and above unleashed astonishing magic power.

But...

"Grant·Confinement."

With this sudden voice, a torrent of magic power surged wildly, enveloping these experts from various great families and powerful factions, not only completely suppressed their magic power but also acted like a robust lock, sealing the magic power within their bodies, preventing any release.

"What...!?"

"Not good...!"

"Who...!?"

The expressions of the high-level masters with Level 80 and above changed drastically.

However, the response to their questions was another spell.

"Grant·Sleep."

An insidious magic power took effect, like an invisible hypnotic curse echoing in the minds of all the masters.

The masters' voices stopped abruptly.

Drowsiness crawled over their minds, making each of them uncontrollably feel an intense wave of sleepiness.

"This is..."

"How..."

"Possible...?"

Incredulous voices kept coming from the opposition.

As masters who were close to Legendary levels, some with very high-level Defense Skills, and others equipped with high-grade Magic Tools designed for protection, that would automatically activate upon attack.

But now, these skills and Magic Tools either couldn't withstand this incredibly powerful magic, or they couldn't even be activated.

Being subjected to the "Confinement" trait of Grant, their magic power was sealed inside them, naturally causing their resistance level to drop significantly.

Thus, a group of high-level masters, Level 80 and above, all fell to the ground and plunged into deep sleep.

From the looks of it, they might not wake up for quite some time.

Such a scene caused Cappelen and the others to catch their breath, stirring waves of emotion in their hearts.

They knew who had acted.

They also knew that, to that person, these high-level masters of Level 80 did not constitute a considerable obstruction.

That's why they dared to storm forth so recklessly, utterly disregarding these high-level masters' resistance.

But they truly hadn't expected that the other party could so effortlessly bring down these great high-level masters without any resistance.

"He has indeed become much stronger than before."

Tielle's eyes glistened.

Cappelen, however, remained silent.

The presence of Shane added some pressure to her.

In the past, she always considered only Luoqi as her rival, believing that, apart from Luoqi, no other peer within the Human Race could match her.

However, the emergence of Shane told Cappelen that there are always people better than oneself, and that there are higher skies above.

That man had defeated her without mercy in the midst of Cosmos and had become even stronger than at that time.

In contrast, she had lost the cloned Holy Sword, her strength not increasing but decreasing.

Now, wasn't she the one who couldn't compare to others?

Thinking about this, Cappelen felt an instant blockage in her heart.

Of course, now was not the time to dwell on this.

(Once everything settles down, I must retrain and challenge him again.)

Cappelen ignited her fighting spirit within her heart, considering Shane as an opponent on par with, if not above, Luoqi.

Shane had yet to realize that he had been marked by a princess with a strong sense of pride.

He simply knocked down a bunch of "overconfident" roadblocks with effortless grace, appearing and disappearing like a phantom Death God, instantly teleporting towards the direction of the Royal Hall.

Those so-called mighty masters on the ground hadn't even drawn much of his attention.

Just like that, the group reached the Royal Hall.

And they rushed in.