To stop that from happening.

Absolutely not—losing Miss Luyi was unthinkable.

Could she make it in time?

Would this love ever reach her?

Shiriri didn’t even realize her feet had started moving on their own.

Run. Down corridors. Through gardens. Past rows of ancient, majestic buildings.

She glanced up. The night sky blurred softly; moonlight painted everything beautiful.

And there—Luyi’s door came into view.

Remembering the golden-haired girl’s profile, gentle enough to soften time itself, Shiriri’s lips curled into a smile.

She’d make it.

Sister Luyi, this time, I’ll definitely—

***BOOM—***

A deafening blast shattered the Holy Court’s silence.

Debris flew. An intense, blinding light—oozing malice—flooded Shiriri’s frozen smile, igniting the quiet night.

Her pupils shrank to pinpricks—

The explosion’s heart? Luyi’s room. Exactly.

The dagger clattered to the ground.

Shiriri’s mind went blank.

The terrifying aura of demonic power surging outward? The alarms wailing across the Sacred Court? The thunder of knights’ armored boots?

She felt none of it.

She only stared, numb, as flames engulfed the ruined room. Then—figures burst through the smoke, arrogance radiating from them.

“So much for the Azurewind Holy Court. Pathetic.”

*Heh heh heh.* “Champion, our deal ends here!”

“And this beautiful, naive Virtuous Maiden? She belongs to the Abyssal Demons now!!!”

Recognizing those figures, Shiriri flinched.

The limp figure slung over the masked girl’s shoulder… was unmistakably Luyi!

...

*

“Master, is this spectacle enough?”

Beneath the night sky, the demon woman whispered to Luyi through telepathy.

Alarms made the Abyssal Demons jittery. They dared not glance down at the gathering knights below, terrified they’d freeze mid-combat.

“Enough.”

Luyi’s calm reply eased their tension.

With a presence stronger than the Demon King himself anchoring them, fear felt pointless.

“Is this the power of Nine-Star Enhancement Potions?”

The demon girl murmured. Weak in rank and authority, she now felt temporarily boosted to peak fifth-tier strength.

Even the First Prince would crumble before her.

“Mm…”

Yet controlling this power proved difficult.

Her senses sharpened unnaturally. Carrying the “unconscious” Luyi, her hands sometimes brushed against Luyi’s thigh.

Through the fabric, she felt silky smoothness.

Luyi’s faint, natural fragrance.

The perfect weight. The warmth radiating from her—so at odds with her icy cruelty. And the soft, wave-like pressure against her back…

Her breath hitched. Beneath the mask, her face burned crimson.

This feeling—

Before she could savor it, a razor-sharp gaze locked onto her. Her body froze.

Its owner stood far beyond fifth-tier.

The other demons felt it too—lethal intent pinning them. Ahead, golden light tore through the silvery night.

A six-winged avian beast blocked their path. Light swirled around its eagle-like head, forming a faint, radiant crown.

A King-tier beast.

Sixth-tier strength.

Only one person in Azurewind City commanded such a mount.

“H-he’s…”

The gaunt man paled seeing the rider. Face-to-face with death, terror choked him.

An old man—yet his frame dwarfed every young knight below.

Golden armor gleamed. In his grip, a knight’s lance pulsed with ancient holy runes.

“An aura bordering on seventh-tier…”

“Holy runes… golden armor… He’s a Judgment Knight!”

“The sole Judgment Knight of Azurewind City! Second only to the Archbishops! Grand Knight Commander! Saintly Redeemer Lance—Lord Lanette!”

Below, a knight shouted the old man’s title, voice thick with reverence.

Even boosted by Nine-Star potions, the demons’ resolve wavered before a true Judgment Knight.

Luyi sensed the girl’s panic.

“M-Mister Lanette…”

Shiriri trembled, nearly collapsing—but seeing the Judgment Knight reignited hope in her eyes.

“This is your end,” the old man declared, voice weathered yet commanding. “Take one more step, and my lance will drink your blood.”

Silence. No demon dared speak.

“It’s been ages since demons dared infiltrate the Sacred Court’s heart.”

Nostalgia flickered in the old man’s eyes. “Last time… over half a century ago. I was still a novice Champion. A succubus sneaked into my room, tried to seduce me. Fortunately, I saw through her tricks.”

*...Saw through them?*

A mischievous spark flared in Luyi’s chest.

*Wait—now’s really not the time for this!*

The Judgment Knight’s pressure felt trivial to her. Mythic-grade weapon. Saint-tier dress. Dual SSS-rank Authorities. A sixth-tier peak’s aura meant nothing.

But the Abyssal Demons? They looked utterly broken.

*Fine.*

Luyi sighed inwardly, then telepathically instructed—

“Recite exactly what I say to the Judgment Knight. Your survival depends on it.”

“Yes!”

She fed them their lines.

“Lord Luyi, this… this can’t be right!”

“Saying this’ll get us killed!”

The demons exchanged uneasy glances.

“Just repeat it. Belief or survival—your choice.”

Silence.

Luyi cut the telepathy.

The demons steeled themselves, facing the imposing Lanette above.

“Heh… heh heh…”

The masked girl laughed, tears welling behind her mask. “A succubus? Did you ever recover the stamina she drained from you?”

“!”

The knights below jolted.

“D-drained stamina?”

“How dare she speak to the Grand Commander like that!”

Storm clouds gathered on Lanette’s face.

Such words were an insult. A slander to his honor!

The worst was yet to come—

“Half a century ago? So you’re just an old man now. Old men should’ve dropped their gold coins ages ago.”

“Blocking my path? You’ve already sealed your death.”