From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

Issel swooped in from his left flank, her silver bow sheathed, replaced by a short sword and the Azure Shadow Ring Shield, a legacy of her people, and thrust fiercely at Kadlow's ribs from the side. The blade grazed the edge of his armor, but it was as hard as rock, leaving only a shallow white scratch.

"His armor isn't ordinary." Isel frowned.

"He's no ordinary man," Eric replied in a deep voice, his eyes never leaving the imposing figure for a moment.

Kadlow made almost no unnecessary movements, simply sweeping his sword horizontally, the greatsword slicing a crack in the ground, forcing the two to dodge repeatedly. Calm, concise, and precise, each strike seemed capable of shattering the air itself.

"We're no match for him in a head-on fight," Isel gasped. "We have to make him reveal an opening."

"I'll draw his attention, you find an opportunity to flank him." Eric took a half step forward and suddenly unleashed a "Breaking Force Slash".

While a fierce battle was raging on this side, the situation on the other side of the city hall was also becoming increasingly tense.

Elotian and her four elven archers were clashing with the Black Witch and her sorcerers. The Black Witch raised her hand, and a dark cloud appeared, instantly unleashing a tidal wave of poisonous miasma that corroded the air and turned bricks into pus.

"Retreat!" Elotian shouted, and a rocket shot out, only to be swallowed up by the corrupting cloud halfway through its flight, leaving behind a wisp of charred ash.

"Her magic is unreasonable!" he cursed under his breath, but as he dodged, he heard a gasp from behind him.

"Leah, watch out!"

A jet-black demonic spear slashed through the air, its target being Lia, who stood behind the Pure Wave Formation, her hands forming a hand seal and her incantation still in progress.

She is the most dangerous presence on this battlefield, not because of her attacks, but because she is the bane of the enemy's magic.

Once her Purifying Spell is cast, the Black Witch's poisonous miasma will cease to function, and the corrosion on weapons will be immediately removed. The enemy, of course, will not stand idly by while she exists.

Elotian swiftly turned and fired three arrows in quick succession, knocking the demonic spear down with one of them. At the same time, the protective magic array in front of Lia trembled violently under the pressure of the demonic attack, nearly collapsing.

"She can't hold on much longer!" an elven warrior exclaimed.

"Protect her!" Elotian whispered.

The three elves immediately formed a fan shape, protecting Leah behind them. But even so, the black witch seemed to have known about this formation beforehand. She simply chuckled and lightly flicked her left finger, summoning seven small corrosive spirits that emerged from the crack in the ground and pounced on Leah.

Runes floated in Lia's hand as the Purifying Tide spell spread out, sweeping away the shadows like moonlight. Wherever the demon spirit passed, it disintegrated into pitch-black liquid. However, her face was already slightly pale, clearly indicating that she had exhausted a great deal of energy.

"Hold on," Elotian whispered to her as he fired. "We will not let them get near you."

Lia did not answer, but simply nodded, gritted her teeth, and continued chanting, light flowing continuously from her palms like water.

Eric's side is also facing a tough battle.

Kadlow's eyes turned bloodshot, and his body slammed into the ground like a giant rock. Eric was forced back three steps, his feet bleeding, and his sword was almost knocked out of his hand.

"How come this guy doesn't get tired?"

He pondered to himself, when suddenly he heard a sharp shout coming from his right.

Issel had already leaped into the air, using the wall as a springboard to bounce back up. A silver sword beam slashed down, precisely striking the seam of Kadlow's right shoulder armor. The armor plate cracked slightly; she had succeeded!

"Now!" she shouted.

A sudden inspiration struck Eric. He took a step forward and thrust his sword into the armor on Kadlow's waist. Although he didn't pierce through it, he transferred the impact into Kadlow's body.

"Thump—!"

Kadlow suddenly knelt down, but before his greatsword could strike, Eric kicked him away.

But he did not fall. Instead, he roared, swung his greatsword, forced Eric back, and stood up again.

"Does this guy... feel no pain at all?" Eric broke out in a cold sweat.

The battle continued, like an unending storm raging through the heart of the ruins. Stone chips flew everywhere, demonic flames surged, and the air was filled with the heat and the smell of blood.

Eric's arms felt like they were made of lead; his sword was dull and grime-covered, the blade stained with blood and splattered black grime. Kadro seemed tireless, each swing of his sword carrying a devastating force, each roar like a mountain collapsing.

Eric was panting heavily, as if a bellows was bursting, and he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears like a war drum.

"This has been...more than thirty breaths..." he murmured, his voice full of exhaustion and confusion.

Kadlow roared as he charged forward again, slashing diagonally with his sword. The shockwave he generated shattered a stone pillar behind him, sending shards of rock flying like raindrops that struck Eric's shoulder. A muffled groan and the creaking of bones echoed from within Eric's armor.

"How...how can he have such strength..." Eric knelt down, desperately blocking the incoming sword. His brows were also faintly red, clearly indicating that he had reached his limit.

His mind gradually became sluggish. Each time he raised his sword, it felt like he was trying to drag his entire body out of the mire. He could no longer distinguish whether his hand was gripping the sword or the sword was suppressing him.

Not far away, Isel's lithe figure was suddenly struck in the face by a backhand punch from Kaderlo. That blow lacked any fancy technique; it was pure brute force—

"Isel!" Eric shouted, but could only watch helplessly as she flipped backward and flew heavily to the ground, her shoulder pads snapping, blood trickling down her forehead, and she lost consciousness.

Eric's pupils trembled, his heart a mix of ice and fire in an instant: "No...no...I can't back down..."

But he couldn't even stand up straight anymore.

He looked down at his cracked wristband and muttered to himself, his voice so low it was almost swallowed by the battlefield: "Eileen, what are you waiting for?"

On the other side, the defensive perimeter around Lia was already more than half destroyed.

"If this continues, we will all fall." An elven archer collapsed at her feet, spitting blood, his bow broken.

Elotian gritted his teeth, raised his bow and fired three arrows in quick succession, but only managed to stop a portion of the demons. He could no longer see the Black Witch in the distance; the woman was like a shadow, hidden in the mist and dark clouds, appearing and disappearing as if the entire battlefield was being swallowed up by her aura.

"Eileen!" He could no longer contain himself and roared, "You said thirty breaths, and twice that has already passed!"

His voice carried through the flames of war to the center of the city hall.

There, the runic array was still slowly rotating. Eileen stood within it, her golden hair already soaked and stuck to her forehead, her staff trembling slightly, her lips as pale as paper, but her eyes still as clear as crystal.

She heard Elotian's roar, but she did not turn around.

"Not enough!" she murmured.

"Just a little bit more, give me a little more time..." she whispered through gritted teeth, her voice almost choked with sobs, but her staff never stopped moving.

"One more sword, and I won't be able to hold on..."

Eric knelt, panting, as Kadlow slowly approached, like death itself.

His hands trembled slightly, sweat dripping onto the sword hilt, yet he still struggled to raise the sword high. His consciousness began to blur, as if he were about to sink into the torrent of battle. But at that moment, he suddenly saw Eileen standing not far away in the magic circle, her face pale, but her eyes still as determined as ever.

Eric gritted his teeth and let out a low growl, as if tearing his lungs apart.

"I can't fall!"

He mustered all his strength and stood up from the ground. His steps were unsteady, but he approached Calderoy inch by inch.

"Come on, didn't you want to bury me?" He grinned, blood trickling down from the corner of his lips, but his smile was more resolute than ever before. "Try it."

He raised his sword once more, its blade gleaming faintly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The setting sun, like blood, shone on the ruins, and the sky seemed to drape the battle in a twilight robe.