The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

If the stalemate continues, the strongest female knight's resistance will naturally crumble on its own.

Swish!Swish!Swish!

The moonlight slashes poured down like a tidal wave, and Diana's figure continuously wielded the long sword in her hand, stepping with light and graceful dance steps.

She did not attempt to develop a "spiritual construct" to enhance her own power, because in this vast space, she simply could not drag everyone into it, nor could she cover the entire square.

As time went by, the moonlight that filled the sky gradually began to thin out.

Not only has the frequency of the moonbeam slashes slowed down, but its power and coverage area have also weakened considerably. What was once able to leave deep dents in the giant shield is now easily blocked.

Just as the commander in charge of the overall situation had predicted, such a large-scale and high-frequency burst of attacks would consume a terrifying amount of spiritual energy and mental strength, not to mention that this power was only temporarily borrowed by the opponent.

At this moment, the humanoid phantom beside her had disappeared, and her hand holding the Moonlit Blade began to tremble slightly from exhaustion.

Whether it was sweat or tears streaming down her pale cheeks, Diana felt as if everything in her vision was shrouded in a blurry shadow, and a sense of exhaustion mixed with unreality flooded her mind.

As their strength began to wane, the commander, who was still calmly observing the battle, noticed this and immediately waved his hand, signaling the knight formation to advance and press forward.

The guardian knights, who were originally focused on defense, immediately raised their giant shields upon receiving the order and stepped forward, pressing closer to the steps like a slowly closing steel line.

Diana gritted her teeth and unleashed her last crescent moon strike, but the blow, though hitting the shield, failed to repel the guardian knight in the slightest.

The knights quickly closed in, and this time, she was no longer protected by the "Oath Armor" and could only rely on the Moonlit Blade in her hand.

The giant shield crashed down, immediately locking onto the relatively petite figure.

Diana nimbly dodged the attack, then swung her sword backhand at the shield, the force of which sent it staggering backward.

Before they could catch their breath, another giant sword came crashing down.

Diana, who had just swung her sword, could only parry in front of her to reduce the impact, and then, at the moment the attack ended, she parried with even greater force.

This is the outward manifestation of the "illusion" technique. Even if the spiritual essence is completely exhausted at this moment, it can still complete the parry and counterattack.

Even in such dire circumstances, she maintained absolute composure to deal with the successive attacks, and knights were constantly repelled by her exquisite swordsmanship.

But two fists can't fight four hands, especially when facing the entire Knights Order.

Just as Diana unleashed a swift attack, shattering the falling greatsword, a heavy shield seized the opening and slammed into her abdomen.

boom!

A dull, cold thud rang out.

Even with the protection of "armor," the immense force still made her vision go black, and she staggered backward.

Before they could even get their footing, another giant sword swept across from their right!

Diana managed to raise her knife to parry, but under the relentless onslaught of attacks, she was still sent flying several meters.

This seemingly unshakeable female knight, like a fortress, finally revealed her greatest weakness.

Seizing this opening, more attacks followed.

The shield bash and sword slashes, like a sudden storm, gradually engulfed the moonlight and the petite figure, giving them no chance to recover.

At this moment, Diana was like a small boat adrift in a storm. Even if she wielded her long sword with all her might, she could not withstand all the waves, and in the end, she could only be capsized.

Stab it!

A slash grazed her left shoulder, splattering a splash of bright red blood.

Immediately afterwards, another shield slammed into her without mercy, striking her heavily on the back, causing her to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Amidst the endless attacks, the wounds multiplied, and blood quickly soaked through the officer's uniform, blooming into large patches of dark red, tragically beautiful blood flowers.

Diana's movements became increasingly sluggish, her whole being seemed broken, her vision blurred by blood loss and excruciating pain, almost to the point where she couldn't see what was in front of her, and she fought on purely by instinct.

Finally, under another round of attacks, she collapsed to one knee, her body swaying, barely managing to stay upright by leaning on her long sword.

Through her blurred vision, she seemed to see the unfamiliar knights surrounding her, the second prince's lips curling up, and the indifferent faces further behind.

Finally, I witnessed the scene I least wanted to see...

Several guardian knights bypassed him and went straight to Eric, who was leaning against the stone railing behind him, too weak to move.

Diana's pupils constricted sharply, as if a nightmare was unfolding before her eyes, filling her with despair.

"don't want!"

She let out a piercing scream of profound sorrow, trying to rush forward to stop them, but her broken body was completely immobile.

Unsurprisingly, the semi-conscious Eric was easily lifted up by the two knights.

The knights dragged him away from the stone steps and led him to the altar-like ceremonial platform in the center of the square.

"...No...no no no no!"

Diana stared blankly at the scene, murmuring the same words under her breath, unable to accept this fact no matter what.

She frantically pounded on her unresponsive right leg, trying to squeeze out the last bit of strength to stop it, only to be met with deeper despair.

Finally, the proud female knight could no longer suppress the sorrow in her heart.

"Let him go! Please, let him go!"

She cried out in a hoarse voice, all her previous strength and determination collapsing at this moment, leaving only the most instinctive and heart-wrenching plea of ​​a frail woman.

Even so, she could only watch helplessly as that familiar figure receded further and further away, being ushered towards the gambling table of fate.

Raymond walked slowly forward through the crowd.

Even now, after maintaining his calm and indifferent demeanor, a smile finally crept onto his lips, as if he had witnessed the development he had been anticipating.

On the high platform, Eric was forcibly helped to sit on the stone seat at the top. His head was lowered and his off-white hair was scattered limply, as if he had completely fallen into a coma.

Raymond quickly adjusted his expression, nodded slightly towards the long-robed line not far away, and spoke in a calm voice:

"We can begin."

Upon seeing this, several court officials standing not far away, dressed in dark purple robes, nodded in response.

They simultaneously raised their various-shaped staffs and began chanting in unison in an ancient and obscure language.

It is an ancient Hermetic language, which, according to legend, was given to humankind by the gods when they still roamed the earth, specifically for use in various rituals and sacrifices.

The deep, resounding incantations echoed across the square, drowning out Diana's intermittent sobs and pleas below.