"Procedures? What procedures?"

Alicia’s face twisted in confusion at Albel’s words. *Is there another way to slay the Demon King?* She glanced at the High Priest beside her—his expression equally baffled.

"Following procedure benefits everyone."

Albel spread his hands, then pointed a finger at Alicia astride her warhorse nearby. His voice cut through the air, deliberate and slow:

"The Holy Maiden stays as my wife. I’ll send the rest of you home."

"Huh?"

Alicia froze, processing his words. The High Priest and knights stood rooted in shock.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Alicia snapped back first, jabbing a finger at Albel. *Has this guy lost his marbles?*

"Hahahaha! Your Highness, this old man agrees—he must be mad! What else explains facing us alone?!"

The High Priest boomed with laughter, pointing at Albel like he was a circus clown. The knights’ roars shook the battlefield.

"I only need myself to handle you all."

Albel shrugged nonchalantly, radiating arrogance. *If only I hadn’t retired my Demon King title,* he grumbled inwardly. *No demon would follow a has-been. Damn it—I once led hundreds of thousands against humanity! Now I’m a one-man army.*

"You?" The High Priest’s laughter grew louder. *Just as I thought—the exiled Demon King’s all bluff. Perfect choice coming here.*

"Of course. I’m incredibly strong."

Albel nodded solemnly, then displayed his stats.

"Former Demon King Albel. Rank: 15 Stars. Attack: 0. Defense: 0."

Alicia read the numbers aloud, voice trembling. *The current Demon King is only 12 Stars. Even with Holy Sword Excalibur17, I’m just 7 Stars. The High Priest is 9 Stars...* Her eye twitched. Those fifteen stars looked terrifying—twice her own—but Attack and Defense at zero? *Is this some divine prank?*

"Hah! Attack and Defense zero! Your stars must be weeping, Former Demon King!"

The High Priest doubled over laughing, nearly tumbling off his horse. Only the knight captain’s steadying hand saved him.

"So what?"

Albel shrugged. Not all power could be measured by numbers. He *was* the exception.

"So what? Today, Light Sanctuary erases you from this world!"

The High Priest snorted. *Zero stats and still acting tough? Must be tired after millennia alive. Good—I’ll make an example of him.* As a high-damage mage, his own Attack neared eight thousand. Alicia, with over ten thousand Attack plus true damage, could crush Albel with a flick. Zero Attack meant no damage. Zero Defense meant no armor.

"Your Highness, give the order! Our brothers’ blades are starving!"

The High Priest’s eyes gleamed with impatience. Behind him, knights shifted eagerly. Humanity needed this victory after ten long years.

"You’re really fighting alone?"

Alicia drew Holy Sword Excalibur17, pointing it at Albel. *Attacking one man with an army feels dishonorable.*

"Do I look like I brought backup, future wife? Your eyesight’s failing you."

Albel spread his hands helplessly. *Does she think I have minions to command? She’s gorgeous, great figure—but brains aren’t her strong suit.*

"Who’s your ‘future wife’?! I just think ganging up is dishonorable!"

Alicia’s cheeks flushed crimson. She slashed Excalibur17 through the air, scowling.

"You really are..." Albel tapped his chest, then twirled a finger beside his temple. "All curves, no brains."

"You—!" Alicia sputtered, finger shaking at him.

"Your Highness! No honor with demons—just annihilate him!" The High Priest cut in sharply, seeing Alicia outmatched in wit.

"Fine! I declare the Seventeenth Demon King Subjugation War begun! Assault Team—ATTACK!"

Realizing Albel was toying with her, Alicia raised Excalibur17 furiously. *A zero-stat fool? My 7-Star team is overkill.*

"KILL HIM!"

"CRUSH THE DEMON KING!"

"GLORY AWAITS!"

Knights charged like wild horses, swords raised.

"Die!"

The Assault Captain swung first—Albel didn’t flinch. *Scared stiff?* The blade descended—then an invisible force shoved the captain forward. He crashed face-first into the dirt.

"CAPTAIN!"

"AVENGE HIM!"

Knights roared, attacking harder.

*THUD! THUD! THUD!*

Groans filled the air. Every attacker lay sprawled around Albel, who stood untouched in the center.

"What... happened?" Alicia whispered, bewildered. *They all just... fell?*

"My apologies." Albel waved at the stunned Alicia, revealing his first trait:

**Albel cannot be targeted as an attack object.**

"Cannot be targeted?" Alicia frowned, not grasping it.

"Attacks aimed at me miss. Simple enough, future wife?" Albel sighed, spreading his hands.

"H-how?!" Alicia’s jaw dropped. *Untargetable? That’s invincibility!*

"Stay calm, Your Highness! This old man has a counter!" The High Priest’s eyes lit with cunning. He’d found the loophole.

"How?" Hope flickered in Alicia’s voice.

"All mages! Meteor Shower—twenty meters around Demon King Albel! NOW!"

The High Priest raised his staff.

"Of course!" Alicia understood instantly. *Can’t target him? Then target the ground beneath him. One hit wins this.*

"Brilliant plan." Albel’s lips curled. He spread his arms wide. *Bring it on.*

Mages across the army chanted. Fiery meteors materialized above Albel, plummeting like hellfire.

The High Priest smirked—*Got him!*—until the meteors vanished. They reappeared above the mages themselves, crashing down mercilessly.

*BOOM! CRACK! SCREECH!*

Explosions and screams tore through Light Sanctuary’s ranks. Every mage was engulfed. The army dissolved into an inferno.

"H-how?!" Alicia and the High Priest stood unscathed at the front—but behind them, only ashes remained.

Albel revealed his second trait:

**Demon King Albel is immune to all effects. Spells, Divine Oracles, and monster abilities targeting him fail and rebound on the caster.**

"L-liar..." Alicia trembled, staring at the words. *Untargetable. Unbreakable. Even with zero stats... he’s invincible.* Regret flooded her. *Why did I become Holy Maiden? All Demon Kings are monsters!*

"*Cough!* Your Highness... I have one last plan. Buy me time!" The High Priest spat blood, watching his life’s work burn. *Sacrifice the Holy Maiden. It’s the only way.*

"Understood!"

Alicia dismounted, gripping Excalibur17. *Run? He said he’d take me as his wife. I’d rather die.*

*I refuse to be this demon’s bride!*

She charged. Albel stood smiling, arms open. Her sword swung—and missed. Momentum threw her off-balance, but Albel caught her mid-fall.

"I’d never let my future wife get hurt." He grinned down at her. *Damn, this Holy Maiden’s a ten. Bessarius’ pick was trash compared to her.*

"LET GO!"

"NOW!"

As Alicia struggled, the High Priest’s shout echoed. Her armor blazed with light.

"Transcend the Magical Dimension!"

The High Priest raised his staff, aiming it at Albel and Alicia. A beam of holy light erupted instantly. Alicia’s armor and clothes shattered into fragments, entwining both her and Albel. A teleportation circle flared beneath their feet. In a blink, the two vanished from the spot.

"Hahaha! It worked! I succeeded!"

Seeing them disappear together, the High Priest threw his head back and laughed. Tampering with the Holy Maiden’s armor had been absolutely correct.

Albel was surely doomed now.

The High Priest gloated. He’d used the Holy Maiden’s armor as a medium to teleport them to the world’s edge—a realm crawling with ancient demons. Escape from there was utterly impossible.

"A pity for Her Highness the Holy Maiden," he muttered, preparing to mount his horse. "But no matter. I’ll just pick another one later." Eliminating the Demon King Albel would make him a hero revered by all humanity.

"Huh?"

At that moment, the High Priest spotted a girl where Albel had stood. She wore black-and-white demon formal attire, her long black hair flowing as she scanned the area anxiously.

"Bro, where’d you go? Vera came to find you," she called out.

Verdandi had rushed from the Demon King’s palace, worried about her brother Albel’s safety. But arriving here, she found only ashes scattered across the empty battlefield.

"Heh heh. I’ll take this harmless, one-star demon girl as a trophy," the High Priest thought, raising his wand to cast a binding spell. Then the girl turned her head and locked eyes with him.

"Die."

With just those two words, Verdandi reduced the High Priest’s body to fragments. He vanished into thin air, leaving only his warhorse grazing quietly on the grass.

"Bro, we promised to stay together forever. Why’d you leave without saying goodbye?" Verdandi muttered, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she searched for any trace of Albel.

"No matter where you are, to the ends of the earth, Vera will find you and bring you back."

After speaking, Verdandi vanished in an instant. Only a few black feathers drifted slowly down to the ground.