"Crimson Red Moon"

Not a Demigod, but an ancient god of the same Rank as a True God.

Otherwise, with Flandre's mere Legendary strength, he wouldn't have qualified to negotiate with him on equal footing.

He looked up at the dim sky.

"There are two more hours until nightfall," he said, "at which point we'll enter the Valley of the End and then break into their rear, launching a surrounding..."

I thought Despicable King Vortigern was a hotheaded and brainless tyrant... Turns out he's quite intelligent.

Given the Rank of a Blood Prince, he should already be able to withstand ordinary sunlight outside of high noon... Yet, he still chooses to attack after nightfall to avoid any reduction in his strength.

But then again, how could a Despicable King capable of usurping the throne be without some cunning and strategy?

If Gawain, that fool, had actually accompanied me, he'd probably be a corpse by now.

Suddenly, a blurry and hazy voice echoed throughout the desolate and quiet Valley of the End.

Vortigern and Flandre abruptly looked up, only to see a figure wearing the Robe of Daybreak—black with red clouds—and a whirlpool mask that revealed only a pair of eyes.

He stood silently atop the Valley of the End, bathed in the dim twilight, like a pitch-black demon.

Cries of surprise came from the soldiers in the camp behind them. Everyone recognized this black-haired figure: the founder of Daybreak, the Black Knight—Cain.

Shiayar stood on high, the Robe of Daybreak fluttering in the stormy winds passing through the canyon, looking down at the ant-sized figures below.

One, two... Damn, there are even multiple Lord-level Abyssal aberrations hidden in the camp. Combined, they're equivalent to another Legendary-level combatant.

You really think highly of me, deploying three Legendary-level combatants at once.

Vortigern's expression remained as serene as an ancient well. "Cain."

I clearly blocked divination and precognitive abilities, so how could information have leaked?

He scrutinized his surroundings but found no clue whatsoever.

Did Artorigus prepare an ambush here?

An ancient Sacred Relic? A Godly Descent Ritual? Or perhaps an army-level strategic formation?

Vortigern listed the possibilities, yet without a hint of anxiety.

Although this was merely a half-body condensed using a Sacred Relic as its foundation, its rank was genuinely Legendary. Ordinary traps and schemes posed no threat to him.

However, facing Vortigern's questioning, the black-robed figure high in the valley simply shook his head slightly.

"Ambush? Why would you think I'd bring along such burdens?"

Through the holes of that whirlpool mask, a trace of coldness flickered.

"I came here alone."

"And I alone am more than enough."

BOOM—

A surge of pitch-black Magic Power suddenly erupted.

Despite bearing the title of King, Vortigern attacked as unscrupulously as his title of Despicable King—a title he earned by usurpation—suggested.

In an instant, light-devouring black Magic Power enveloped Shiayar.

The very rock beneath his feet shattered, turning into countless fragments that scattered and fell.

Almost simultaneously, the soldiers stationed in the camp began to scatter and flee.

This order came from Vortigern himself. He knew Black Knight Cain possessed a unique explosive ability. In past wars, Cain had often used it to infiltrate the heart of enemy armies, detonate a massive explosion killing scores of soldiers, and then escape unscathed.

Such explosive power presented no threat to a Legendary, but it was a lethal weapon against rank-and-file soldiers.

If Cain seized an opportunity to unleash such an attack within the camp, the deployed soldiers would suffer catastrophic losses.

Yet, in the next instant, even as the ground beneath his feet shattered, Shiayar's figure Flashed away with incredible speed.

He then reappeared, standing atop an unbroken stone pillar on the cliff face.

He stood upon the stone pillar, indifferently gazing down at the fleeing allied forces of soldiers and monsters below.

"Think you can escape?"

Almost as the words left his lips, a pale golden radiance spread across the ground.

It was a golden barrier, its pressure, like that of Sovereignty itself, instantly enveloping every soldier's heart, making them feel as if an immense weight pressed down upon them.

Vortigern scoffed.

The next moment, the spreading golden barrier shattered abruptly under the Legendary's oppressive might.

However, in the brief moment of delay caused by the Sovereignty Domain, myriad piercing shrieks erupted through the air.

One after another, Golden Gates flickered and manifested behind Shiayar, against the backdrop of the soft nighttime sky.

These were gates that involved the Space Law; beyond the Golden Gates lay a sub-dimension created by Shiny's Spatial Pocket.

Then, Cangyin light converged.

Countless Cangyin particles were analyzed and materialized from the atmosphere.

Then, using Jayee's intelligence as a blueprint... under the effect of the Crimson Sword Bone, countless free metallic particles were transformed into swords of metal.

Like a meteor shower of thousands of bright, silvery streaks, they shot forth from the Golden Gates, lancing across the night sky.

THWACK— THWACK—

Such were the sounds of countless bodies being pierced.

Although thousands of swords rained down simultaneously, guided by Jayee's intelligence, every single one unerringly struck a vital point—be it the back of the heart or the neck.