Right after Xu Tao left, everyone started to head to their respective destinations too.

Zetian took the Southeast, with Jehanne going to the Southwest, both sides close to where Xu Tao went. Yifa, along with the other disciples, ran toward the west wall, where they could feel the strongest threat present. Achilles just chose what was convenient for him—the East, for being close by.

With their speed, they vanished almost in an instant, leaving those who were a step delayed behind.

Arthur, lacking instant movement techniques and having relatively low DEX and AGI stats, decided to head to the furthest location from their initial position—the northern gate!

His reasoning was simple: nobody would willingly head to the furthest area, other than those who lived near that part. And given that the powerhouses had already taken up separate positions, only the North side was actually left for him to defend.

As such, he went for a beeline there without hesitation, along with a few others.

GROWL!

Before they even arrived at the actual scene, they could already hear the beastly roars of Zetian's Celestial Beasts. From the sound alone, one would think it had the absolute advantage in the battle, but...

"This is...!"

Arthur gasped, staring at a disastrous scene. Of three spark-filled, glowing Celestial Beasts defending the North, only one remained standing... barely, at that.

"Oh no... Poor thing..." One of the elves with him gasped, voice shaking with pity.

But they didn't really have the leeway to keep watching. Monsters filled their vision despite there being only moonlight clearing the darkness around them.

Although each was weak enough that one swing would be all he needed, the numbers weren't a joke. There were at least several thousand of them, swarming like ants around a fallen candy!

Despite their strength, Arthur feared they would fall due to the violence of numbers... But he didn't back down. He drew Excalibur, letting its golden blade shine like the sun, and pointed it forward.

"There's no need to fear!" Arthur shouted, before waving his sword across.

As he did, a bright golden slash flew forward, cleaving a large group of monsters in half—all of them in one hit!

"Protect the walls!" After his display of power, his voice carried a different level of persuasion. "Don't let a single monster in, no matter what!"

"YEAH!"

Rallied by his voice, the few elves, dark elves, dwarves, and dryads around him began to act.

They weren't level 950s as a joke. Not only that, they had even received a boost of 4,900 points of stats, equivalent to leveling up over 1,600 times more. In short, their current strength wasn't just in the thousands—it was equivalent to a level 2,500 powerhouse!

There were barely ten of them present, but like an unstoppable force, the monsters that got in their way were cut down in a flash—dying by a thousand cuts, being squished by gigantic roots, or pierced by magic arrows from all sides. The method of their demise changed based on who was closest to them!

Arthur stood at the top of the wall, patting the last surviving Celestial Beast gently, while letting it rest.

"Now..." He sighed, standing up.

And then, he sheathed Excalibur once more.

With the strength displayed by the ten girls with him, he found that his help wasn't necessarily needed. They were more than enough to handle this wave of thousands of monsters—much easier than he expected, at that.

Instead, he stared at the ring on his finger. The ring that he got from Xu Tao before—the one that allowed them entry to the Tower of Broken Languages—the Ring of Shlomo!

"I haven't tried this one yet..." Arthur whispered, before raising his left hand gently.

He was wary as he followed the instructions embedded in his head, putting strength into his fist while calling out loud.

In the name of Shlomo, sovereign of seals,

I call the seventy-second flame.

O Andromalius, hunter of thieves, judge of liars,

Step forth from the veil of darkness,

Take form in beauty unbound,

And bind thy will to mine!

His voice didn't sound natural at all. It was as if someone else were speaking over him. He didn't even realize what he said—only that he had chanted "something." But despite his blurry memories...

RUMBLE!

The entire wall began to shake as an ominous circle formed on top of it, just beside where Arthur stood.

From his knowledge—or rather, the ring's knowledge—he knew that the mark was of the 72nd ranked Demon, a Count of Hell, leading 36 legions of spirits... In short, a big shot was coming!

From within the circular sigil, black mist poured out, moving as if it had a will, twisting into an elegant figure—the silhouette of a woman. A pair of crimson eyes glowed from behind the mist, staring right at Arthur.

"I, Countess Andromalia, Keeper of Thirty-Six Legions, respond to your summons as per the Ancient Pact. State your will, summoner."

Her voice echoed, proud and commanding. Arthur, for a moment, was flabbergasted.

"A... woman?"

He was confused, as the knowledge in the ring told him that the 72nd Demon was an Earl—a man. His silence extended a tad too long, making the Demoness' eyes narrow.

"You called me all the way here to ask that...?" she asked, voice cold and sharp. "Yes, I am a woman. And yes, I am the 72nd Demon of the Lesser Key of Solomon... Happy now? But there's no way that's all you wanted to ask for, right?"

Slowly, the black mist faded, revealing the Demon's figure. And what appeared... shocked Arthur even more.

From the mist emerged a tall woman in an immaculate maid uniform—or at least, what could pass for one if designed by a high noble's tailor.

The dress was deep crimson with gold-lined frills, its long skirt split at the sides to reveal black stockings patterned with curling serpentine designs. A crisp white apron was tied perfectly around her waist, but instead of lace trim, its edges were embroidered with tiny golden sigils—the same symbol she had appeared from.

Her long black hair, with a faint violet sheen, was pulled into a loose braid over one shoulder, secured by a ribbon shaped like a serpent's loop.

In her left hand, she carried a slender living serpent coiled lazily around her wrist, its tongue flicking as if judging Arthur alongside its mistress. The right hand rested on the handle of a silver tray polished to a mirror's gleam—though the runes etched along its rim suggested it was as much a weapon as a serving dish.

Her crimson eyes locked onto him, sharp and appraising, yet her posture radiated the impeccable grace of one who could serve tea or execute judgment with equal precision.

"Fumu?" She raised a brow, following Arthur's gaze... to the tray in her hand. "No, I can't give you these cookies. I worked hard to bake them for myself!" She quickly pulled it out of his sight, like a petty child hiding her favorite food from others.

"Eh? Ah... No, I wasn't planning to..." Arthur felt awkward, but he cleared his throat quickly. "Anyway, I want to ask your help clearing out the monsters attacking us."

"I refuse."

"...What?"

Another response that went against the information implanted in his brain. If it was as usual, his command should've been "absolute." There was no way that the Demon called forth by the ring could go against its owner!

"I said, I refuse." Andromalia repeated herself, taking a bite from one of her freshly baked cookies.

"I'm a Demon of the Lesser Key, but all I promised was to listen to the command. I'm not forced to follow it, actually."

Arthur gasped, feeling shocked and awed at the same time. "That's... sophism!" he claimed.

"Yes, it is." She nodded proudly, so brazen it felt refreshing. "I'm just using what humans invented themselves. It's convenient, isn't it?" she added, grinning thinly.

After eating the cookie in her hand, she brushed the crumbs off the corner of her lips with a thumb, and continued.

"Anyway, if you really want me to listen to your request, then..." Her red eyes narrowed as the snake wrapped around her hand started to hiss. "You must pay the appropriate price."

"Price..." Arthur repeated the word, thinking.

His eyes tracked Andromalia's hand, reaching for another cookie from her tray... and came up with an idea. "If I recall, I have it here..." he whispered while rummaging through a Storage Ring from his pocket. "Ah! Here it is!"

What he held in his hand... was one of the few pieces of food that Yifa was unable to exchange for. Something that, as per Xu Tao's explanation... "This is a strawberry shortcake! I'll offer this as the price for your services!"

"..."

Offering sweets to bribe a demon. Normally, that would be no different than idiocy, but...

"Accepted!" Andromalia shouted, snapping her fingers.

As she did, the cake disappeared from Arthur's hands, along with the small plate it came with, and reappeared on top of her silver tray. "I'll be taking this curious dish as payment in advance!" she claimed.

"Wait, what about—"

Just as Arthur was trying to ask her about her promise, he noticed a change. The battlefield... was rapidly being pushed back. Not by the ten girls who were fighting ahead, but rather, by a group of fierce warriors.

"What... are these cute things?!"

The girls, seeing the ethereal intruders, asked excitedly—some even trying to catch one of them.

But Arthur couldn't blame them either. After all, what appeared after Andromalia snapped was her army—36 legions of palm-sized Chibi warriors!