Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

*

Daria ran away.

Without a doubt, the mission had failed at this point, and Daria ran away without hesitation.

Her tentacles moved swiftly through the forest.

Those who only look at her appearance would not imagine that her spider-like tentacles are extremely agile in the forest. She constantly extends a soft, tentacle-like tentacle, grabs the tree trunk in front of her, and flies through the forest.

She increased her speed extremely quickly; her figure was almost invisible in the forest, only a blurry afterimage could be seen. The sharp whistling wind in her ears even hurt them, because she had pushed her speed to the limit.

At this speed, she needs to control her fingers with extreme precision to ensure that she doesn't fall to her death. If she's not careful, her movements could become distorted, or she could fall directly into the forest. At this speed, even she would suffer great damage if she rashly crashed into the mountain wall. But she doesn't dare to stop because there's a figure constantly chasing her behind her.

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

Daria's voice was almost frantic. She saw nothing but the fleeting shadows of trees ahead and the desire to escape. She knew that even if her speed could temporarily distance her from "him," once she left the forest and lost the trees, she would have nothing to hold onto and would be caught by the thing behind her. But she dared not stop.

Daria extended her tentacles, which suddenly wrapped around the towering tree in front of her. Then, with a sharp pull, the tentacles carried her body forward, rushing into the increasingly dim depths.

"I don't want to die... I don't want to die... I really don't want to die..."

Daria's voice was already choked with sobs. Even though she was increasing her speed and was desperately trying to escape, she could still feel the spiritual energy behind her closing in.

She was certain that she was fast enough, but she still couldn't outrun the figure behind her, and she could sense that the person behind her wasn't even using their full strength. This chase had been a hunt from the very beginning, and the identities of the prey and the hunter were determined from the start.

Finally, the fear gripping her throat transformed into rage. Realizing she couldn't escape no matter what, Daria hardened her resolve, realizing she still had a final, forbidden method she hadn't used…

That method... was the purpose of their trip here. Daria had been testing whether these Lucerne knights had truly mastered this ability. This was also the question that lord was most concerned about. But unexpectedly, she was going to use it here first.

It's okay... Even though using that thing might mean I can never turn back into human form, it's okay... at least I'm still alive...

As Daria watched the light grow brighter ahead, she knew she was nearing the edge of the forest. Continuing to flee was pointless, so her fear transformed into a desperate courage. The person had been watching her run, and perhaps they would let their guard down. If her strength suddenly increased tenfold or a hundredfold, maybe she could…

Chapter 40 Welcome to Hell

A look of euphoria flashed in Daria's eyes as she stopped in the forest. She mobilized all the spiritual power in her body and activated her giant form once again. Her height instantly expanded by several meters, and the tentacles beneath her lifted her body off the ground like spider legs, transforming her into a giant several meters tall once more.

"coming!"

In the instant the shadow approached, Daria reacted successfully. She saw the five fingers that had obscured her entire vision. She saw the hand accurately grab her neck, and she was being pulled by that hand and slammed against the cliff behind her. The moment her body hit the cliff, her eyes rolled back and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"I clearly... I clearly felt it... but I couldn't avoid the speed at all..."

Aaron grabbed the three-meter-tall female giant's body and slowly lifted her up. He was only up to the female giant's chest, but he could lift her up with one hand. The scene seemed absurd, but Daria didn't think so, because the hand gripping her neck was tightening.

"Tell me who's behind you, and tell me their purpose," the voice said coldly, its power increasing continuously.

Daria's eyes rolled back. She felt that the man's grip was not meant to kill her. The nerves and muscles in her neck were screaming in agony, but at that moment, she wasn't begging for mercy; instead, a dark thought of sinking into hell was running through her mind...

"me……"

Daria seemed genuinely trying to say something, so Aaron loosened his grip, allowing some fresh air to flow into her neck. Daria indeed struggled to breathe, her neck making a wheezing sound like a broken bellows.

She lowered her head with great difficulty, looking into Aaron's eyes, and could only make hoarse, hoarse sounds.

Her beautiful body writhed in agony beneath Aaron, her eyes rolled back, and all the tentacles beneath her intertwined. Moments later, the light in her eyes vanished, leaving only bloodshot whites. Even her heart began to stop beating; she seemed to have committed suicide.

Aaron stared intently at Daria, his grip on her hand tightening in the slightest.

Just moments later, a new divine light appeared in Daria's pupils. A chaotic, pale light reappeared in her eyes, replacing the deathly aura. Her face flushed, and she stared at Aaron with great interest, like a king. Her pupils were the part of her body that had changed the least.

She transformed from decay to prosperity, from the brink of death to rebirth; in a mere instant, her body grew rapidly. This was not the giantification of a warrior's soul; her transformation was imbued with a dark and evil aura. Countless tentacles pierced her skin, growing wildly into frantically swaying white tentacles.

The power within her body was increasing several times over, but she could no longer be called human. The graceful woman had transformed into an extremely bloated monster composed of countless tentacles. Her tentacles had become violent and rampant, and had been greatly extended.

Daria looked down at Aaron, her face still beautiful, a bewitching and enigmatic smile playing on her lips, her eyes swirling with a strange and unpredictable light.

"This is what that person wanted, and now you can see it for yourself... So... do you think I'm beautiful?"

Daria's power had far surpassed Aaron's. She had been reborn from the brink of death. Although the terrifying power would soon devour her sanity, she was still beautiful at this moment. Before her sanity was completely consumed by darkness, she could torture Aaron to her heart's content.

“How ugly…” Aaron said with disgust as he looked at Daria’s “delicate body”.

Daria was taken aback at first, then a terrifying murderous intent flashed in her eyes: "Ugly? But isn't this exactly what you've always wanted?"

"As expected... You've actually already vaguely grasped that the real purpose of this operation is this, isn't it?"

“Hehehe…” Daria laughed shyly, “Don’t think that only your all-knowing king can see everything. In some special areas… we have explored much deeper than you… who knows when we will surprise you.”

"But you're still too ugly. Can this really be called hell?"

“Hell? If you’re so eager to see hell, then let me show you the beauty of hell.” Daria twisted her body.

Aaron stared into Daria's eyes: "No, you're nothing more than a filthy, disgusting maggot who's never seen the moon. Let me show you what real hell is like."

Suddenly, all was silent. In this eerie silence, a black shadow once again covered Daria's body. The divine light that had transformed into a monster in Daria returned to a look of human fear. Her head slowly changed from looking down to looking up, her mouth wide open, unable to utter another word.

*

Lister Team.

Roman had never fought such a battle in his life.

Behind him, a dozen rifled cannons fired simultaneously, flying towards the heads of the nobles and creating a spectacular fireworks display in the sky. However, not a single cannonball could penetrate the convoy; the cannonballs actually turned into a magnificent fireworks display, intertwining with the arrows.

On the plains, the land ahead of the convoy had become hell. A strong stench of blood rose like a gale through the grass, and corpses and human remains hung on the withered grass. That area had become a forbidden zone for life.

It seems that within that forbidden zone, an invisible scythe of death swiftly severs lives in a way incomprehensible to humankind. Instead of death's hand, gentle breezes and silent strings replace it. Those who step into this forbidden zone are mercilessly sliced ​​apart by death.

But even at this point, they had gained something. They had discovered that the force dominating the battlefield was not actually the wind; the wind was merely the form they perceived. Nor was the power the sound of strings, although it always accompanied the humming of strings when it killed. Its nature was more like an extreme speed and an extreme lightness, an elusive force beyond the strings that Roman could not specifically describe…

The Griffin Legion, as expected of Chernog's largest legion, did not flinch in the face of such a bizarre situation. Seeing that they could not break through from the front, Roman immediately changed tactics. The Griffin Legion's cavalry swept past the convoy from both sides like seawater hitting a reef, and then circled around to surround the convoy from all sides.

The convoy was exposed on the open plain with no cover, so Roman decided to launch an attack from multiple directions at the same time.

He was still gambling, betting that the "convoy" couldn't defend from several directions simultaneously and that some would slip through. He believed that if they managed to create a gap, it would be the end for the convoy.

Chapter 41 Defeat

But the result was beyond his expectations. The wind swirling around the convoy was like an impenetrable wall. No matter which direction he attacked or fired, the result was the same.

After several desperate charges, Roman finally obtained intelligence at the cost of his life: what was blocking their way was not a magical enemy or a mysterious "formation," but a long sword stuck in the center of the convoy. Some people clearly saw that when a volley of arrows was about to hit the convoy, the long sword in the middle of the convoy made a buzzing sound, and then all the arrows were cut down by an invisible wind.

Realizing that the knife was the culprit, Roman tried various methods. He had Chernog's proud giant longbowman use his signature move, Lion's Barrage, which was a rapid-fire of several powerful arrows. Skilled archers could only fire one arrow of such power before needing a long rest, while top archers could fire two or even three in succession, with the arrows flying in a straight line as if fired simultaneously, making them incredibly powerful.

Behind him, the giant longbowmen could fire four shots in quick succession, a technique known as the Lion's Barrage. This powerful attack was typically used during sieges, and even the tallest city gates could be completely destroyed by such a barrage.

Logically speaking, the convoy should not have been able to withstand such an attack. Under such a blow, everyone in the convoy would have been instantly destroyed. They should not have used such a deadly move, because killing them all would have been equally pointless for them.

Roman still gave the order, risking that the giant's longbow might break, but the result was devastating. Even with the Lion's Roar, they still couldn't break through the sword's defense. They only saw large ripples in the air, and the four arrows disappeared, leaving only a few splashes.

Upon witnessing the convoy's impenetrable defenses, the convoy's members rallied and launched a counterattack. Their leaders were undoubtedly Damian and Valery, both extraordinary beings and knights of the three major knightly orders, making them no weaker than any of the charging soldiers.

Together with several superhumans and knights in the convoy, the counterattack quickly began. They fought the soldiers on the edge of the "killing formation," stepping over corpses. Protected by the sword domain, their performance was both excellent and stable, like true knights.

Valery killed three soldiers with little effort. As he was wiping his sweat, panting, he saw Damian standing in front of him with a lance. With just one swing of his lance, he knocked several cavalrymen off their horses. The cavalrymen circled around Damian, looking at him in fear, not daring to approach.

Even some of the girls became brave. Some of them were also superhumans and took the initiative to join the battle. Those without superhuman powers hid in the distance and threw stones at the soldiers. They soon discovered that what they threw could hit the people outside, but the people outside could not throw things in.

By this point in the war, the Griffin Regiment had lost 30-40% of its men. This was only because those at the forefront were fearless in the face of death. Many others merely stood cowardly outside the convoy, swinging their swords at the sky without daring to approach. It was no wonder, though the skeleton of this army was made up of real soldiers, the flesh and blood were ultimately that of a band of bandits.

It's pointless to talk about morality and obligations with bandits. They came here because they heard it was easy to rob nobles. Roman and Dominic initially promised them a bright future. All they had to do was fight and kill, and then the nobles' property, noble women, and even noble men would be theirs. That's why they risked their lives for them.

But by this point, they had already realized that they couldn't break through the impenetrable wall of nobles, let alone encounter them. Even a glance at the nobles would cost them their lives. So who would continue?

Therefore, some bandits had already fled or retreated half an hour ago, and the regular army had no time to deal with them. In fact, even the regular army knew that their most elite forces and the most powerful charge had been exhausted in the first three charges. They could not organize a charge of the same power again. The convoy's defense showed no signs of being breached. They had actually lost the initiative and were only struggling in vain.

The situation was even worsening. People were dying needlessly ahead, but no results had been achieved. The bandits began to mutini, and more and more people started to flee. Roman instinctively wanted to stop this and go find the King of the Mountains, Dominic.

But when he saw Dominic, he found him standing blankly among the mutinous bandits. Suddenly, a fierce look appeared on his face. He turned his horse around abruptly, grabbed the arms of several bandits, shouted something in their panicked eyes, and led several riders to escape. Roman watched the retreating figure of the man known as the King of the Mountain and was speechless for a moment.

Some saw Dominic flee and followed him. Dominic's escape did not cause a greater disturbance because the bandits had long since abandoned their leader; only Roman's few confidants remained with him.

Roman had already lost this battle. He had wiped out his army of over a thousand men, and most of his core Griffin Legion had fallen in that forbidden zone. The only thing he could claim to have gained was an understanding of the long sword stuck in the middle of the convoy.

Even now, they still don't know what that long sword is all about. Is it a divine artifact of the Kingdom of Lusset? Is it the power of a superhuman hidden in the caravan? Or is it the long sword left behind by the man who left?

They didn't know the truth. Roman's army was now wiped out. Amidst screams and chaos, Roman's eyes were fixed on the white longsword. It seemed to have become a nightmare, a Damocles' sword hanging over Roman's military career. Roman felt like the captain of a sinking warship. When the ship sank after defeat, he didn't care if there were still escape boats on board.

He only wanted to sink with the warship or die on the battlefield alongside his soldiers, so that he could be worthy of his military career and the soldiers who followed him.

Roman was about to launch a final knightly charge at the longsword, just like another knight charging at a windmill. Even though he knew that his fate was sealed and the final result was destined to be absurd, he still charged forward without hesitation, because that was his final purpose.

Roman the Dragon Slayer fought a chaotic and absurd war at the end of his life, so he hoped that his final fate would be somewhat meaningful, at least in line with his chivalry.

Valery pulled his sword from the enemy's armored body and successfully eliminated another enemy.

This was his tenth enemy to kill. As a novice knight, he was like a war god when facing the Griffin Legion and bandits. At this moment, Valery heard the sound of hooves. Valery was somewhat surprised, but not afraid. He was surprised because someone still dared to approach them at this time. He was not afraid because he had already killed ten enemies. At this moment, his confidence as a knight had reached its peak.

Chapter 42 Aftermath

Roman the Dragon Slayer fought a chaotic and absurd war at the end of his life, so he hoped that his final fate would be somewhat meaningful, at least in line with his chivalry.

Valery pulled his sword from the enemy's armored body and successfully eliminated another enemy.

This was his tenth enemy to kill. As a novice knight, he was like a war god when facing the Griffin Legion and bandits. At this moment, Valery heard the sound of hooves. Valery was somewhat surprised, but not afraid. He was surprised because someone still dared to approach them at this time. He was not afraid because he had already killed ten enemies. At this moment, his confidence as a knight had reached its peak.

But when he turned his head, he was stunned, because he saw a white warhorse that had already approached him. The person riding the warhorse was different from any other soldier. He was wearing fiery red armor and a red mask with a dragon emblem on it. He was carrying a long spear, just like a general on the battlefield.

“Roman the Dragon Slayer…” Valery said softly.

This was the first encounter between the young apprentice knight and the dragon slayer Roman. Valery, wielding a longsword, confronted the general on horseback, but after a while, Valery voluntarily retreated and returned to the ranks.

Valery was very sensible; he knew that now was not the time to act rashly. Since he could defeat the dragon slayer Roman without getting hurt, there was absolutely no need for him to fight Roman head-on.

Roman didn't even look at him; he had already lost sight of everything else.

Roman the Dragon Slayer raised his cavalry lance and spurred his horse toward the longsword in the army. This scene reminded him of the afternoon when he received the title of "Dragon Slayer." He too had been riding a warhorse, raising his lance, and charging toward a fire-breathing dragon, thus earning the title of Dragon Slayer and living a glorious life.

Although the warhorse that had accompanied him throughout his military career was now old, it still understood its master's meaning tacitly in the end. It was no longer as restless as it had been in its youth, but like an old volcano, it silently began to gather strength.

Roman let out a beastly roar, and at the same time his warhorse reared up and charged forward. At that moment, man and horse were one, turning into a red shadow in the setting sun. The roar startled everyone on the plain, and the charge attracted everyone on the plain. Even the bandits who were fleeing couldn't help but turn around to look at the fiery red figure that shot out like an arrow.

After Roman roared, an overwhelming surge of spiritual power erupted from his body. A bold smile, typical of a man in his prime, appeared on his face. He felt incredibly refreshed, a feeling he hadn't experienced in many years.

He felt he was running incredibly fast, so fast that he outran time and returned to his youth. He was back in the days of the young dragon slayer Roman, and even ran ahead of that young figure, surpassing him.

The same was true in the real world. He crossed the death zone directly, stepping over countless corpses. He was the first person to get so close to the convoy. No charging cavalryman had ever reached the place he had reached. Every step he took was a new record, an unprecedented feat.

He witnessed the fear return to the nobles' eyes, a feeling that refreshed him and gave his body a renewed surge of power. At his current speed, he only needed to hold on for one more second, just one more second and he could…!

A gust of wind swept in, and Roman's head flew high into the air. His charge continued, but a headless corpse and a warhorse riddled with holes could no longer maintain such a high-speed charge. The headless corpse and the warhorse fell heavily together, and before the dust they kicked up could dissipate, they were swept away by a new gust of wind like fallen leaves in autumn. In just an instant, they were swept to the horizon, just like countless other soldiers trying to approach the battle formation.