‎Aurelia watched as the fireballs, icicles, and wind cutter flew toward them. She clasped her hands, creating a divine barrier and blocking all the magic spells. She could do it all day long, but she knew the moment the enemy force got close, her barrier would be useless.

‎"Raise your shields!" Ulric shouted as he raised his sword and watched hundreds of cavalry charge toward them, closing the distance.

‎The Paladins stood side by side, creating an arch formation in front of the gate entrance. They raised their shields tall enough that the horses wouldn't be able to jump over them.

‎"Hold!" Esper raised his sword, looking through the small gap in between the two shields. "Hold!" He repeated as he tightened his grip on his sword.

‎The moment the cavalry was only a few meters away from them, Esper pointed his sword to the front. His command was loud and clear, and the Paladins who held the shields began to dash forward and bashed the horses.

‎The horses got pushed and knocked down by the sheer force and strength of the Paladins. The moment the other cavalry slowed down because of the horses and knights on the ground, the Paladins that held the shields began to move aside, creating openings. The remaining Paladins charged through those openings and slashed their swords on the knights on the ground and the cavalry that had lost their speed and momentum.

‎Ulric and Esper ran past through the chaos, going further to the front. They coated their swords and bodies with Aura, releasing a sequence of slash waves at the enemy's back lines. They didn't hold back and watched a dozen knights just lose their limbs or be barely attached to their bodies from those slash waves.

‎They were both immediately surrounded by knights as arrows and magic spells bombarded them. Their Aura was powerful enough to endure low tier magic spells and arrows. They were unbothered as they began to move separately, dividing the enemy force.

‎With the enemy force being divided into three, that gave a huge advantage to the Paladins. The ones with the shields began to place their shields on each other's backs before they joined the battle. They all moved in sync almost as if they all shared one brain.

‎"Amazing..." Serena said, watching the battle from on top of the wall with Astrea. "I believe the enemy will regret raising their swords at the ones who have been protecting the people from demonic beasts," she smiled as she watched the enemy formations have been broken.

‎"They were chosen from the best amongst the best, elite amongst the elites. They were trained to fight something that humans should be incapable of fighting," Astrea nodded her head, watching the casualty from the enemy's force increase while Aurelia's force was none.

‎"But for how long? This is just the first nation who dares to make a bold move toward the Holy Nation. Soon, there will be more of them, and some of them even form an alliance to take this city," Serena asked as she stared at Astrea. "Nothing is impossible, and this city is too big for Aurelia to defend," she added and focused on the battlefield again.

‎Ulric and Esper were being bombarded by magic spells, slowly chipping their stamina and Aura. However, that wouldn't be enough to stop them, not even when they were surrounded by dozens of knights.

‎"I'm not the one who lead the army. I don't know the answer to that question, Saint Serena," Astrea answered and shook her head.

‎Daryus walked up the stairs with a bowl of medicine in his hands. He slowly stood behind Astrea and offered the medicine to her.

‎"Thank you, Doctor," Astrea smiled and slowly drank the medicine that tasted so bitter that it lingered for hours in her mouth. "However, Saint Serena, I know for sure that Videl wouldn't let that happen since I believe he's tasked by Count Blackheart to keep this place safe, is he not?" She turned around to look at Serena.

‎Astrea walked to the edge and placed her hands on the stone railing.

‎"Doctor Daryus stayed behind because he had a purpose, and that purpose was to treat my condition. You and Videl on the other hand have no reason to stay, but you two did, and I believe this is what you actually here for, isn't it, Saint Serena?" Astrea asked, staring into Serena's eyes.

‎Serena only smiled as a respond, not admitting or denying Astrea's accusation. She then raised her brows, pointing at the distance. She pointed at the big magic formation that appeared to have been prepared beforehand.

‎"That magic..." Astrea muttered with her eyes narrowed. "Magnify spell..." she revealed as she watched the enemy knights run away from Esper and Ulric.

‎Serena tilted her head, not understanding what it was. It hadn't been a year ever since Lilith possessed Serena's body, so her knowledge of magic was close to none. However, the moment she saw the fireball that was cast inside the magnify spell, the size became five times bigger.

‎The moment the fireball was released, the sheer speed was faster than a normal fireball. The fireball hit the ground near Ulric, and the explosion was enough to shake the ground and make the wall tremble.

The thick smoke made it hard to see if Ulric survived or not. Once the smoke dispersed, the enemy was shocked that he was still standing. However, that magic took a toll on his body, and he knew he couldn't get hit by that again.

‎Before Ulric could take a breather, the knights surrounded him and began to attack him. He dodged, repelled, and blocked attacks as he did counterattacks until he managed to free himself from the enemy's formation. However, the moment he escaped, the knights had already run away and another magnified fireball flew toward him.

‎Esper suddenly appeared behind Ulric and threw him away before the fireball could reach the ground. Esper created a wide Aura on his blade, creating a shield-like Aura barrier. However, the magic spell was too powerful that his Aura barrier dispersed on impact and he fell to the ground hard from the blast.

‎"That hurts..." Esper groaned as he sat up, surrounded by thick smoke.

‎Aurelia watched those two with a worried expression, knowing that she could help them. Unfortunately, she couldn't use her Divine power that far, and if she tried to go there, she only endangered herself and messed up the formation because the Paladins would do anything to protect her.

‎"Someone! Tell Sir Ulric and Sir Esper to fall back!" Aurelia ordered as she clenched her fists, hoping those two would be safe.

‎A paladin heeded the order and began to run to tell Esper and Ulric to fall back. He avoided the knights' attacks and let his comrades open a path for him. However, he was blocked by seven knights and they attacked him simultaneously.

‎The paladin got stabbed in the back, the blade piercing through his chest. He didn't stop and used Aura to prevent the bleeding. He swung his sword around and cut their throats, then ran toward Esper and Ulric, giving Aurelia's order to them.

‎"Go! I'll protect your back!" Ulric said as he blocked the arrows, protecting Esper who helped the Paladin walk.

‎They came back safely and ordered all the Paladins to fall back, creating the same phalanx formation. Immediately, Aurelia created a Divine barrier, protecting them from the magnified spell that the enemy had prepared for them.

‎When they were busy blocking the enemy and holding the line, Videl walked past Aurelia who was treating the injured. She looked up at him and knew that this would be the moment where things would go in their favor.

‎Videl tapped the Paladin that was holding the shield with everything he had. When the Paladin looked over his shoulder and saw the black clad full body armor behind him, he knew what to do. He immediately pulled his shield away, giving enough space for Videl to walk past him.

‎Videl casually walked past the shield and grabbed the knight in the head that tried to breach in. A simple clench of his fist was enough to crush and explode the knight's head. That was enough to put fear on the enemy, and knew he was a threat.

‎They attacked Videl at the same time, but the moment their swords and spears hit his armor, they all shattered into pieces. They were petrified, and before they knew it, their heads had rolled to the ground. Videl raised his sword which had been bathed in the blood of the enemy. They were terrified of him and immediately retreated, knowing it was impossible to win against someone like him.

‎Videl created a fire in his left hand and the moment he slammed his left hand to the ground, a sea of flames devoured everything in front of him in a cone-shaped area. All the knights screamed as their armor began to melt, combined with their burned skin.

‎The sea of flames spread widely and nobody could survive that. When Videl clenched his left fist, the sea of flames suddenly stopped spreading and was being sucked back into his fist. Those who were being burned alive got devoured by the flames once again, killing them in the most painful way.

‎Videl turned the flame into a fireball them threw it toward the enemy's back line where the mages and hunters were. Before the fireball could reach the ground, he snapped his finger. The fireball exploded and created a massive dome of fire, killing everyone inside.

‎The horror and the screams that the Paladins heard, it was enough to make their throats dry. They couldn't believe what they saw, couldn't believe someone like him was on their side. They realized when Serena said that he was enough to deal with half of the enemy force, it wasn't a lie.

‎"Did we just win? Just like that?" Ulric asked in disbelief.

‎The Paladins lowered their shields and parted for Videl to walk past them. They watched him in silence, both in fear and awe as Videl walked through the gate.

‎"I believe so..." Esper answered as he watched the enemy retreat

Aurelia turned around to look at Videl, realizing that this whole time Rasmus had a powerful butler by his side. She didn't know what to feel about that, but she was relieved that they had won the battle, and that was what mattered.