While Carmen was wreaking havoc in one of the Demon Cult's strongholds, Gallahad was leading an assault of his own, guided by the silent shadows, Renee and Maelle. The two young women moved with the grace of wraiths, their lips sealed as if struck mute. Yet, from the depths of their quiet eyes, Gallahad could feel it… rage.

A silent, seething fury that burned hotter than any flame. He didn't need them to speak to understand. The betrayal of Bane had left a wound far deeper than either would admit. But what truly gnawed at their hearts was Amon's suffering.

To them, Amon was an unshakable pillar, a warrior who had never once faltered, who bore the burdens of others with unwavering resolve. He was a brother, a saviour who had dragged them out of the pits of despair and given them a purpose beyond mere survival.

Their talents as intelligence agents were extraordinary—sharp, methodical, and unrelenting. In the art of espionage, they were second only to Bane himself. If not for their youth and lack of field experience, they would have long surpassed their former mentor. And now, even with Bane incapacitated, these two prodigies had already uncovered several Demon Cult outposts on their own.

They led Gallahad deep into another stronghold, a labyrinthine fortress carved into the roots of the earth. The air grew heavier the further they descended, thick with the stench of sulfur and decay. At the heart of the underground complex, two obsidian ziggurats pulsed with malevolent energy, their runes glowing a sickly crimson as if the structures themselves were alive and breathing.

But the moment the trio set foot within that chamber, the cult stirred. Alarms rang through the corridors like shrieks from the abyss. They had been waiting.

Ever since word spread of Carmen's onslaught, the Demon Cult had fortified their remaining bastions, expecting retaliation. Gallahad's group had arrived earlier than anticipated, but not unnoticed.

From the shadows poured forth abominations, demonic beasts twisted beyond recognition, their bodies marred by corruption. Eyes gleamed red with madness, and tongues slithered hungrily through the air as corrosive saliva sizzled upon the stone floor.

Gallahad, Commander of the Golden Dragon Order and a Solaris Knight of Seven Suns, tightened his grip on his weapon, the mighty Divine Severance. His eyes hardened, the aura around him shifting to that of a man ready to bring divine judgment upon the unholy.

He trusted Renee and Maelle's skills implicitly. But even so, a pang of unease rippled through him.

They were still young—barely old enough to drink, let alone wade through rivers of blood. And yet, here they stood, facing horrors that would drive lesser souls to madness.

As the beasts charged, the earth trembled, and Gallahad raised Divine Severance high.

"Stay behind me," he rumbled, though he already knew they would not. The two girls, with their eyes like sharpened blades, had no intention of letting him fight alone.

"DIE!!!"

The first to move was Renee. With twin blades anchored to her forearms, she launched herself into the first wave of demonic beasts. The sight that should have followed, a young girl torn apart by monstrosities, never came. Instead, a radiant silver light erupted from her body, forcing Gallahad's eyes to widen in disbelief.

Aura.

Not the golden radiance of a Solaris Knight, but a cool, ethereal glow, the unmistakable signature of lunar mana. And not just any form of it. The strength she displayed was on par with a Guardian Knight of Five Suns.

Renee moved like a phantom under moonlight, weaving between beasts with a dancer's grace. Her every step was deliberate, every swing of her blades precise. She struck at weak points with surgical perfection: the neck, heart, and spine.

Never wasting motion, never faltering.

One move. One kill.

That was Renee's creed, the art she had perfected.

At the same time, Maelle joined the fray. A silvery shimmer flared over her shoulder, and behind her rose the spectral image of a full moon, bathing the battlefield in a tranquil glow. Then, reality warped. Within the narrow corridor unfolded a Moonlight Sanctum, a starry dome that mirrored the night sky, swallowing the entire beast horde within.

It was unmistakable… That was Amon's signature technique—the Lunar Mystic Art: Moonlight Sanctum.

But Maelle wasn't content with defence alone.

From her hands, arcs of crescent energy formed and sliced through the air, crescent moon slashes that rained down like divine punishment. The passage quaked under the assault as she reduced the charging beasts into shredded flesh and shattered bone. Even the few that Renee had spared were annihilated, carved apart a dozen times over until nothing recognisable remained.

Gallahad could scarcely believe what he was witnessing.

These two, whom he had deemed too young, too fragile for bloodshed, were anything but helpless.

They fought like seasoned warriors, their power rivalling that of full-fledged Knights.

These girls, once mindless assassins forged by the Demon Cult, possessed a rare affinity for lunar mana. Amon had taken them under his wing, teaching them the ways of the moon. And they had absorbed his teachings with astonishing speed.

No, they couldn't match Amon's overwhelming might… not yet.

But what they now displayed was enough to obliterate any lesser foe without breaking a sweat.

Gallahad's grip on Divine Severance tightened. These girls weren't hidden from the public eye because they were too young… they were Amon's trump cards.

"Tch, this method is too inefficient."

"There are over fifty of these strongholds… Can we really destroy them all in time?"

The two talked between themselves, ignoring the stunned Gallahad, who was still recovering from the shock they inflicted on him.

"If we want to wake Lord Amon, we'll need to find the bastard who inflicted that curse on him."

"The Pope of the Utopia Church, right? Have you found clues about his whereabouts?"

"No, ever since that day, he went into hiding. Even if we raid the Utopia Church's main cathedral, we'll only waste time and resources."

"Tch, then we'll need to continue this madness."

The sisters slew every demonic beast and cultist that stood in their path while casually having a conversation on taking out the Utopia Church. Although their individual strength couldn't match that of a Knight Commander, if they hid in the shadows and used their lunar abilities, they could inflict damage that no other regular commander could. So casually taking down a religion or two was well within their means.

"Lord Gallahad, we'll leave the rest to you. Once we've scouted the next place, we'll send you the signal."

"... alright."

With only the strongest Deacons left with the ziggurats, Renee and Maelle faded away like wraiths that never existed. The dumbfounded cultists sighed with mixed feelings. One, they were relieved that those young lunatics had ceased their attacks, secondly… They didn't want their reputations ruined by losing to two youngsters who weren't even twenty yet.

But as a consequence…

"Well, I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky, but…"

Gallahad brought out all seven of his suns and growled at the remaining cultists. Before they could even prepare to resist, the man sent a torrent of solar mana flying their direction, instantly incinerating and destroying everything in his path. Against the Knight Commander, mere small fish could do nothing but beg for mercy… but they were going to get none.

"If you reincarnate… I hope you make better choices."

❖❖❖

"They've destroyed four of our strongholds."

A Vicar reported to Kieran, the current second-in-command of the Demon Cult. The Apostle of Domination frowned and gestured for his subordinate to keep talking.

"We're not sure how they found our strongholds so quickly, but they're quickly dispatching them faster than we can increase our defences. And, they're moving in elite units with… Two Knight Commanders leading them."

Even if Eldorin launched surprise attacks at their strongholds, there was no way a bunch of young talents could effortlessly destroy base after base. It was only possible because they had Carmen and Gallahad, two monsters who were on the same level as Amon himself, leading the charge. If they wished to resist them, the Demon Cult would need to send the Apostles, but that would cause a significant deviation from their ultimate goal.

"That's… troubling. We can't let them destroy any more shrines, else the spell won't be cast."

Ravenna, the Apostle of Grief, responded grimly while excusing the Vicar.

"Kieran, while the preparations are complete, if they continue to destroy our shrines like this, I'm afraid…"

"Don't worry, we've factored this in during our calculations. Truth be told, we only need twenty shrines to cast the spell. Any more is just a bonus to increase the intensity. The ones they destroyed were the spares; the core shrines are well-protected and equipped with teleportation arrays. If they do enter, I can send an Apostle there to defend them."

"That's true…"

Only after hearing Kieran's reassurance did Ravenna finally calm down. This was a plan she'd been working on for decades, after all. She didn't want to lose it all when they were so close to the finish line.

"Besides… I've just received news…"

The teleportation array in the Apostle of Domination's room lit up as two figures appeared within the light. The lead was a blonde man who wore a fanatical smile, flashing his gleaming white teeth:

"Lord Kieran, I've returned and executed my duty perfectly!"

"Yes, you've done well."

"Heh, so have you captured my precious soulmate, Amon?"

"... not yet, but we're working on it."

"No, no! You must deliver Amon to me, okay?! If not, I don't know if I'll hand over the prize to you?"

"..."

Kieran no longer bothered to negotiate with the madman Nirvana. Ever since he'd inherited the God Eyes from the Prophet, this Pope of the Utopia Church was slowly becoming more unhinged. It was only a matter of time before this mad dog would break free from his leash, to become a problem the Demon Cult had to resolve.

But for now, Kieran put up with his nonsense… as Nirvana had delivered them the most crucial puzzle piece for their grand plan.

A young woman with emerald hair that resembled the earth stood motionlessly behind Nirvana, as if she were under hypnosis. Her hollowed-out eyes and languid posture were hard to watch, but Kieran didn't care about her appearance. He only cared about her ability, and more importantly… the artefact she possessed.

"Saintess of the Holy Church… Thank you for delivering the Holy Grail."

"..."

Ellahan didn't answer, but her body shivered slightly, showing signs of resistance. But ultimately, Nirvana's control over her was too powerful, and she raised the Heroic-grade artefact like an offering. Kieran smiled in pure delight as he tried to touch the blessed relic of the Goddess, only to feel a searing heat scorch his finger.

"... In the end, only the Saintess can use the Holy Grail. A demonic human like me would only burn if I tried to use it."

"Heh, if an Apostle of the Demon King using Holy Power? That would be quite the sight." Nirvana mocked, but Kieran didn't mind. Instead, he wiped his finger and asked:

"So, did you kill her guards?"

"No, the Holy Church has this annoying ability to sense the death of their Paladins. So instead, I put them to sleep and locked them away in the Halls of Pleasure."

"Mmmm, you did well."

With the Holy Grail in their grasp, the Demon Cult could finally negate the Staff of Yiirun's barrier. With this… everything was finally coming into place.

Even with the Prophet in recovery, Kieran had executed his mission to perfection. Now… there was only one final thing to do.

"Mobilise every member of the Demon Cult! In two more days, the capital will be wiped from the planet!"