I find it very sacred to pick someone up and make them a saint.

A commotion erupted all around.

Even Flami and Sestan were momentarily stunned.

There's such a thing as this.

Flammy and Mien looked at each other and realized that Mien's gaze was not joking.

He also lowered his head and pondered deeply.

This proved to be a viable solution, especially given the current tense situation.

"But the problem is, who should we send?"

He calmed the crowd down, silencing the commotion, and asked Mien with a smile, "So, who are you planning to replace you?"

Could it be that he also planted someone among this group? How come I didn't notice?

Sestan also looked around.

Without any signal from Mien, little Lucia had already walked up to him from behind.

His eyes shone with determination and fearlessness as he looked at Flami and Sestan.

"As you can see, I have come to participate in the war only with the Holy Maiden of Light."

Although Lucia is a saint, she belongs to the Academy of Scholars and is a student I personally trained. I don't think anyone would object to her replacing me, would they?

Both Flami and Sestan had dilated pupils.

Are you kidding me?

"Chief Mien, are you serious?"

Mien nodded, looking at the two of them with a puzzled expression: "Of course."

"Oh." He seemed to suddenly remember something: "Do you two intend to send someone of equal rank to replace them?"

Sestan immediately waved his hand: "Of course not!"

He detected a hint of disdain in his voice.

"However, I never expected that the top scholar of the Academy would send a saintess to stand in front of me."

He deliberately showed a mocking smile.

Mien pursed her lips: "Do you mean she's destined to lose?"

This time, not only Flami, but also those around him chuckled softly.

It's like everyone's heard of the Holy Maiden of Light, even if they haven't seen her.

Anyone who can break through to the second rank is a peerless genius and a holy son of a sect.

"Chief Milne." Flammy confirmed with Milne again and received an affirmative response.

Sestan said leisurely:

"I'm just worried that none of the people here can control their strength, and if the Holy Maiden of Light gets hurt, no one will be able to take responsibility."

Mien wasn't annoyed: "Since you're all so confident, how about I choose your opponents?"

"Oh?"

"Are you really going to choose people from here?"

Flami was somewhat worried. The lowest-ranking guards here were all bodyguards or lieutenants, all of whom had broken through the "Soul Gathering" level. How could they possibly fight the Holy Maiden?

Mien, too lazy to waste words, pointed directly to the side: "How about this young man?"

Following the gesture, everyone looked and saw Archie, who looked completely bewildered.

He was helping the city lord back to his seat when he froze in place.

"Since this young man has many grievances and is about the same age as Lucia, I believe none of you will have any objections, right?"

Amid the commotion, Flami's gaze darkened.

He was surprised, because, logically speaking, Archie was indeed the most suitable candidate. As the city lord's personal guard, he was the youngest and had the lowest rank.

But he still lowered his voice and said to Mien:

"Your Excellency may not know this, but although Archie is young, he has just broken through to the fourth level of warrior, which is why he was exceptionally appointed as the personal guard of the Lord of Tantel City."

Don't rush into choosing a promising young person just because they seem inexperienced.

Mien had naturally already used magic to thoroughly investigate his strength.

Both of them have just broken through to the fourth rank, the same as Lucia.

But aside from his rank and Lucia's magical artifacts, even his mastery of advanced spells and his even more incredible energy resonance after rebuilding his physical body...

They could all pin Archie to the ground and beat him up.

Moreover, with me by your side, I will never let anything happen to Lucia.

Mien completely ignored Flami and looked at Sestan:

"So? Since this is supposed to be a duel between the two of us, I'd like to ask for your opinion."

Before Sestan could respond, Mien quickly added, "Or would you like to choose someone you can trust more?"

This made Sestan laugh in exasperation.

He shoved Flami, who was trying to control the situation, aside, a sinister smile playing on his deeply lined face.

"Since Chief Mien is so confident, I certainly have no objection. Just remember, she is representing you in this duel."

He glanced at Archie behind him and asked, "Do you have a problem?"

Archie looked blankly at the city lord beside him, who in turn looked blankly at Flami beside him.

Flammy took one last look at Mien.

After noticing that he did indeed appear calm, he closed his eyes and nodded.

Lord Tantel nodded to Archie.

Archie's face suddenly turned serious as he tried to regain his fighting expression.

A heavy weight instantly pressed down on his shoulders, representing not only General Sestan's expectations but also those of everyone present.

She also harbors complex feelings for the Holy Maiden of Light...

His gaze, fixed on Lucia, gradually sharpened.

Tell yourself the reason for this battle: for the honor of the warrior, and for your own devout faith in the light...

With the duel decided, everyone in the command post stood up and retreated.

After a burst of intense magic swept over Flami, the long table at the very center slowly sank into the ground. This table had been prepared for setting up maps and sand tables.

Given its open-air environment, it became an ideal arena.

Lucia glanced back at Mien.

Unlike the confusion and timidity of the past, they became determined to make a vow.

She stepped into the ring for the second time in her life.

But this time, she wasn't doing it to complete the mission herself, nor was it to live up to Mien's expectations.

Rather, it was for the dignity of the Holy Maiden of Light and the Academy of Scholars.

And then there's Lucia's own dignity...

Flammy's words, "Should we hide behind forever?" came to mind again.

Mien looked at Lucia's already outstanding figure, which stretched long in the sunlight.

Her graceful figure is like a slender lotus in full bloom, elegant and otherworldly.

Mien silently thought to himself, "This time, fight for yourself."

Archie also went to the battlefield. In order to be like Lucia, he took off all his protective gear, leaving only a sword.

Each step he took was more resolute than the last.

For him, bullying or defeating an opponent much weaker than himself was even humiliating, especially for someone as gifted as himself.

He needed to force himself to give his all, which made his eyes grow even colder.

In Lucia's eyes, that look only intensified her hatred and disgust for Archie's earlier offense against Mien.

Neuer's teachings came to mind: This person is an enemy, an enemy is a bad person, and a bad person deserves to die.

His dark eyes grew even dimmer.

Flammy glanced at Mien one last time with concern, only to see a smile playing on his lips.

He turned around and announced, "The duel begins."

In an instant, both of them unleashed their full power.

A strong wind swept by.

However, Archie's imposing presence overwhelmed him, and he was caught off guard, taking two steps back.

Everyone looked on in surprise at Lucia, who was enveloped in a vast expanse of luminous energy, as she walked forward step by step.

Sestan and the others then seriously used their magic to investigate.

"Tier 4?! Soul Gathering level?!"

Flammy's eyes widened as well.

Looking at Lucia's still youthful appearance, yet not mentioning the matter of the Holy Maiden of Light, how did she manage to break through to the 4th rank at such a young age?

Shouldn't saints be trained specifically for healing, purification, and prayer?

Where can I find someone who specializes in combat?

After Archie was driven back in an instant, an immense pressure of energy began to slowly condense in the sky, making everyone feel tense all over.

"This is the Divine Light Waterfall," someone recognized it.

Isn't this a skill specifically taught to those vanguard troops in war?

It's all so that we can unleash our full power and explode against the enemy in the most critical moment.

How could this have been given to the Holy Maiden of Light?

Besides, who releases themselves right away?

Who taught them all?

All eyes immediately turned to Mien.

Lucia approached step by step as the 'ocean' gathered in the sky above.

"This is the Holy Maiden of Light you raised?!"