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

"Insolence!" No one expected Joan of Arc to dare to say such rude words. The knights behind Aurelion's expression changed slightly, and they roared loudly.

Aurelion stopped the knight, looked at Joan of Arc's face, and without anger, remained silent for a while before saying, "I have indeed done too many wrong things."

“Alright, I’ll let you inspect it once. Even the Sword of Omniscience back then has backed down, so what’s wrong with letting you inspect it once?” Aurelion said.

Lydia and the knights around her stared at him in shock, but Aurelion quickly said with a cold face, "Hurry up! I'm only giving you ten minutes. If you dare to make a move, I will show you no mercy!"

Lydia was shocked to realize that they had actually succeeded; Joan of Arc had actually managed to persuade the other side! Because she had once been a knight under the captain, she knew her captain's personality very well. Although the captain was as hard as stone, his words were as good as gold, and once he made a decision, he would never go back on his word.

“Let’s go quickly.” Lydia pushed Joan of Arc toward the army. As they passed Aurelion, Aurelion said softly, “Lydia, I’m also very curious about what kind of person you’ve chosen.”

Lydia's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended not to hear the commander's words. She pushed Joan of Arc to the train and, without hesitation, unleashed her spiritual power, causing all the canvas draped over the train to fall off.

Without needing to discern, people immediately noticed the strange carriage that resembled a giant black coffin. At first, when it was covered by canvas, they only thought the carriage was unusually large, but now they realized its anomaly.

There was no doubt that this carriage held some secret. When Joan of Arc and Lydia arrived at the front of the carriage, the guard's expression changed drastically. He turned to Aurelion and said, "Commander, we absolutely will not allow traitors to see our country's secret weapons!"

“I already told them to search the truck and show it to them!” Aurelien replied coldly.

The man escorting the carriage wore a black robe that belonged neither to the Blazing White Knights nor to the military, exuding a chilling aura. Hearing Aurelion's words, he somehow mustered the courage to shout at Aurelion:

"Aurelian! Your job is only to get things to the battlefield! You have no right to inspect what's inside!"

This enraged the knight, and Aurelion himself came before the man in black robes, looking down at him and saying, "I'll let you open it."

As it turns out, not everyone is Joan of Arc. The man in black clenched his teeth, but still turned around tremblingly, a complex golden pattern appearing on his hand as he opened the black carriage.

As soon as the carriage was opened, a blast of cold air rushed out, sending a shiver down your spine. The interior of the carriage maintained an extremely low temperature, proving that the goods inside required cryogenic storage.

Countless golden eyes lit up in the darkness. The carriage was filled with hideous monsters. The knights outside were unaware of the monsters' existence; they thought they were transporting monstrous weapons. When they saw the monsters, they all gaped in astonishment. Some of them instinctively grabbed their spears when they saw the monsters' golden pupils. The dark aura emanating from them alone was enough to make people want to kneel down.

“Their bodies are chained,” Lydia warned.

They didn't pounce immediately because they were bound by golden chains, and the low temperature seemed to keep them quiet as well, though their golden eyes were still terrifying.

Joan of Arc was equally frightened. According to her theory, the heavenly fire should be inside these monsters, but how could she confirm it?

“The king cannot seal the Heavenly Fire inside every monster. Otherwise, when they are the first to charge into the enemy ranks, the existence of the Heavenly Fire will be exposed. To achieve the effect of annihilation, the Heavenly Fire must be exposed when the unstable spiritual energy concentration is at its highest. Exposing the Heavenly Fire in advance would only backfire.”

But which monster would it be sealed within? Jeanne pondered. Since the Heavenly Fire only works when the spiritual energy concentration is at its highest, the monster couldn't be completely irrational; it had to possess a certain level of discernment. But how could it be identified quickly? These monsters were all so dangerous, yet they didn't have much time.

Lydia frowned, deep in thought, while Aurelion stood coldly to the side with his arms crossed. This blazing white commander was both their guarantor for the suspicious search of the carriages and their grim reaper; it was entirely conceivable that he would come out and stop them when the time came.

"Lydia, do you know? The monsters that awaken in the darkness are actually like wild beasts. Blood can stimulate their nerves and make them go berserk."

"Hmm...? Oh...I see..."

Joan of Arc held up the banner, and her body and the banner together emitted a pale blue light. Infected by the blue glow, Lydia suddenly felt her tense heart become numb, and she felt a little weak all over, as if she had done something intense.

This is Joan of Arc's ability; she can both excite and calm people's emotions. When she was at the foot of the city walls, she used this ability to calm the soldiers.

But at that moment, Joan of Arc, holding a flag, slowly boarded the black carriage. Because of the flag's influence, Lydia took a while to realize what Joan of Arc had done. By the time she was shocked, it was too late; Joan of Arc had already boarded the carriage filled with monsters.

"Jeanne, what are you doing...!" Lydia was extremely anxious, but dared not raise her voice too much for fear of waking the monsters and causing trouble. She quickly covered her mouth and said anxiously, "Even if you are powerful, if you are at such close range... and there are so many monsters..."

Joan of Arc was well aware of the danger these monsters posed. She had seen ape-like monsters at the experimental base, and even she could be seriously injured if she wasn't careful. The carriage was filled with ape-like monsters. It was clear that the king had brought out all his treasures for this war, and each of these monsters was incredibly powerful.

The knights outside the carriage felt a surge of admiration as they watched Joan of Arc step onto the train, even feeling a pang of shame. Such a girl had acted with such courage, while they, the knights, were the ones who had been so brave…

Aurelion watched Joan of Arc's retreating figure, his face expressionless, but his little finger continued to tap his arm slowly and steadily.

Joan of Arc boarded the carriage with the flag, and the ground trembled. The sensitive monsters were initially a little agitated, but after being infected by the blue light, their restless bodies gradually calmed down, but the hostility in their golden eyes did not subside.

Just then, Joan of Arc took a deep breath and made a move that surprised everyone.

She opened her mouth and bit her wrist hard through her clothes. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, but she could still feel the blood slowly seeping into her sleeve.

"Joan of Arc...! Are you crazy?!" Lydia's heart nearly jumped out of her chest in surprise. She almost couldn't help but rush over and pull Joan of Arc back, but she tried her best to control herself and not make too much noise.

Aurelion also frowned as he watched Joan of Arc's movements, stopping the tapping of his fingers on his arm, his muscles bulging slightly.

Joan of Arc remained motionless, her hand still gripping her wrist. Her heart was pounding with fear. Because of the clothing, the smell of blood didn't reach her quickly, but these monsters possessed a beast-like sense of smell. After a few seconds, Joan of Arc saw some of the monsters sniffing, their bodies trembling with unease, and some even letting out low growls.

At the same time, Joan of Arc's banner was also exerting its power, the blue light almost covering the entire carriage, turning the entire carriage into an eerie blue. Clearly, Joan of Arc's power was at full strength.

Her abilities were indeed powerful, managing to make these monsters suppress their nature in the face of blood. However, desires cannot be suppressed, especially the desires stimulated by such intense fighting. The more these desires are suppressed, the more fiercely they will rebound. Joan of Arc could still be torn apart by these monsters at any moment.

Because the space inside the carriage was not very large, and monsters were hanging on both sides of the carriage, Joan of Arc had to be very close to these monsters. If she turned slightly to the left or right, she might bump into these monsters. Even a highly skilled knight would find it difficult to defend against their attacks at such close range, let alone with a whole carriage of them.

But seeing that the monsters' desires had been suppressed, Joan of Arc actually raised her bleeding arm in front of them, deliberately provoking them! And she was so close! Was she insane?! Even seasoned knights couldn't help but cry out in shock at her actions. At first, people admired her courage, but now they were even somewhat afraid of the courage she displayed.

The icy blue light not only suppressed the monster's desires but also Joan of Arc's fear, which is why she was able to act so calmly. However, Joan of Arc also knew that even though the icy blue light suppressed her fear, her arms were still trembling slightly.

The monster closest to the car door indeed became agitated, drool dripping from its mouth. Joan of Arc immediately moved away from the monster; it was so easily provoked that it was clearly not it.

After confirming that neither of the monsters on either side was the one she was looking for, Joan of Arc slowly began to walk inside.

"Joan of Arc...! No...!" Lydia tried to stop her in fear, but it was too late. No one could stop Joan of Arc now. This was a path that only she could walk alone; no one could accompany her.

Joan of Arc calmly walked past these monsters, whose bodies had swelled up after their dark awakening. The carriage was enormous, like a small palace, to accommodate them. Joan of Arc held her breath and slowly moved from the front to the back of the carriage, testing each monster one by one.

She knew very well that the closer she got to the back of the carriage, the more dangerous it would be, and the lower her chances of surviving a riot. Therefore, she could only try her best to appear calm, and Joan of Arc desperately tried to control her trembling hands.

Finally, Joan of Arc reached the back of the carriage. She slowly turned her head and noticed a pair of golden eyes coldly watching her from the far end. But compared to the other monsters, its gaze seemed too calm, out of place with its surroundings, like a wise man among a group of fools.

Joan of Arc's heart pounded. She turned around and slowly walked toward the monster, raising her blood-soaked arm in front of it.

The monster trembled slightly, but its eyes remained cold, and it was not immediately consumed by desire.

Joan of Arc knew she had found it.

The carriage was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop. Joan of Arc felt a burning passion within her, yet also a chill running through her body. She had found the monster, but she had no time left. How could she prove that it contained heavenly fire?

Bring this monster out of the carriage? Looking at the thick chains binding the monster, Joan of Arc quickly rejected the idea. Taking the monster out of the carriage was far too difficult; it was almost impossible for her. The slightest mistake would mean certain death.

Kill the monster and take it out? But if the monster really has heavenly fire inside it, attacking the heavenly fire might cause it to detonate his spiritual power, which would also kill him.

By the way, Jerome said that only unstable spiritual energy can ignite the Heavenly Fire. If we can attack monsters with stable spiritual energy, will the Heavenly Fire not be ignited?

The idea seemed feasible, but it was also very difficult. Fighting in the train carriage alone could easily cause a riot if you weren't careful, and you would be torn to pieces by the monsters.

Even if you control yourself well and don't cause a riot, if the spiritual energy you release is even slightly impure and ignites the heavenly fire, you will still be blown up.

Chapter 96 The Support of the Three Great Knightly Orders

Right, if I can kill the monster with stable spiritual power, wouldn't I be able to take it out with me?

The monster was bound by chains, giving me the absolute initiative. If I could kill it with pure spiritual power in one strike, I could take it out without alerting the other monsters in the carriage.

Joan of Arc thought about it for a moment and realized that although the method was feasible, it required a great deal of effort from her. Using stable spiritual power throughout the process would be a huge test for her, and the ability to kill with a single blow would be a test of her judgment. The whole process was like defusing a bomb, and a slight mistake could lead to complete defeat.

What should she do? Wait for the teacher to come? If it's a teacher, they can certainly do these things easily, so she won't have to worry anymore; she can just leave everything to the teacher.

But time is running out. The Stone of Omniscience has lost its power, and it's uncertain when she'll be able to contact her teacher. The first barrier could be breached at any moment. Joan of Arc not only has to fight the monster, but also has to fight against time.

What would a teacher do? Joan of Arc had thought about this question countless times, but the answer was always the same. It was this thought that calmed her down, and she took a deep breath.

Joan of Arc suddenly removed the flag from her hand, and the dim blue light in the entire carriage suddenly disappeared, turning the depths of the carriage pitch black. Joan of Arc could no longer be seen, only a chilling aura could be seen flowing out from within.

“Joan of Arc…!” Lydia’s eyes widened, and she almost rushed forward, but suddenly someone grabbed her shoulder and forcibly pulled her back.

"What the hell are you doing!" Lydia abruptly shook off the other's hand, like a wounded lion, startling Aurelion who was holding her.

“She’s fine; she canceled the ability herself,” Aurelion said in a low voice.

"Fuck you! You big shots just stand around doing nothing! You let a nineteen-year-old girl do all the work! You bunch of spineless bastards!" Lydia roared at Aurelion, trying to keep her voice down so as not to disturb the monster in the car. The scene looked ridiculous and laughable.

Aurelion was stunned. The hand that was holding Lydia suddenly lost its strength. After a long while, he released Lydia's hand and said, "I don't intend to argue with you, but if you rush up now, you will not only not help her, but will also harm her. If there is anyone here who can help her, it is me."

Inside the carriage, standing in a dark space surrounded by the breathing of monsters, Joan of Arc felt an unusual sense of calm.

She did indeed remove the flag voluntarily, because she needed to keep her spiritual power at 100% stability, and removing the flag would prevent her from getting distracted.

Removing the flag has another advantage: the Dark Awakening monster has very keen eyesight, and plunging the carriage into darkness will make her attacks more unexpected.

However, there are also drawbacks. Joan of Arc relied on the calming power of the banner to suppress the monsters' frenzy. After the banner was removed, the monsters' frenzy level increased rapidly. Joan of Arc estimated that within a minute at most, these monsters would be unable to resist attacking her.

She gave herself only one minute. If she couldn't kill the monster and bring it out within that minute, she would be torn to pieces by the monster inside the carriage. It was a dead end with no way to retreat. When Joan of Arc was ruthless to herself, she was second to none.

A white longsword appeared silently in her hand, spiritual energy gathering on its blade without causing a ripple in the air—a testament to her powerful control over spiritual energy.

The next moment, Joan of Arc swung her sword forward, the blade slicing through the monster's throat like a beam of light, not too much, not too little. While controlling her spiritual power, Joan of Arc was also controlling her physical strength. The greater the strength, the more difficult it was to control, but Joan of Arc's hand was as steady as steel.

The longsword sliced ​​into the monster's side of its neck in an instant, so fast that it didn't even reach the monster's pain receptors. Joan of Arc felt the resistance, and she then increased the force, making the longsword slice into the side of the neck as easily as cutting through butter.

Joan of Arc was drenched in cold sweat, but her arm remained as steady as iron. She didn't know if her slicing motion through the monster's body would be hindered. If she encountered resistance, and the monster moved without a fatal blow, she would be finished. If she struck the Heavenly Fire and the spiritual energy of her sword didn't remain stable, she would die as well.

If my sword blade extends too far and cuts into the wall behind the monster, causing a vibration, I'll be finished.

As she sliced ​​open the monster's head, all the chaotic thoughts in Joan of Arc vanished, and she focused solely on the sensation of cutting with her hands.

The monster's head fell off its neck, and it didn't have time to react before it died.

Blood gushed from its neck, and the blood it gushed out even had a beautiful golden glow.

As the head fell onto the monster's chest, Joan of Arc caught it with the edge of her sword. But suddenly, an ominous premonition arose in Joan of Arc's heart. She felt spiritual energy gathering in the monster's body. Even though the monster was dead, it felt as if a fuse had been lit.

Could it be?! Joan of Arc's eyes widened instantly.

Those outside the carriage had no idea what was happening inside. They only saw a spherical object suddenly fly out of the carriage, and before they could see what it was, Joan of Arc's shout came from inside: "Run!"

A golden figure darted out of the carriage. It was Joan of Arc. Lydia hadn't even had time to be overjoyed when she saw the look of horror on Joan's face. Then she noticed a bright golden light chasing after Joan. Joan was already moving incredibly fast, but the light caught up with her in an instant! Moreover, the light was imbued with immense spiritual power!

A figure suddenly darted out from beside Lydia and grabbed the entire carriage. When Joan of Arc rushed out of the carriage, his hands were already firmly pressed against the carriage wall. It was Aurelion.

"Ground-penetrating bomb, detonate!"

Aurelion's dark gold robes fluttered without wind. As his spiritual power erupted like a volcano, the immense spiritual power actually burst forth from the ground, directly striking the entire carriage. Like an erupting volcano hitting a bubble, it propelled the entire carriage into the sky. Before people could react, the huge carriage was nothing but a dark shadow in the sky.

The next moment, a huge explosion occurred in the sky above Esgard. Although the carriage had been propelled a hundred meters into the air by Aurelion, the massive impact of the explosion still affected the superhumans on the ground, almost causing them to fall. If Aurelion had reacted any slower, they would all have been seriously injured!

Looking at the continuous explosions in the sky, Aurelion's eyes turned serious: "What exactly is that thing?"

"Heavenly Fire is the King's latest invention. It can ignite unstable spiritual energy, causing it to explode. The stronger the spiritual energy, the stronger the explosion; the larger the spiritual energy, the larger the explosion's range. This is the King's weapon for the final battle against the enemy. It is sealed inside those monsters, and he plans to use it when the battle is at its most intense to end the war in one fell swoop."

"Used during the most intense battle? This amount of spiritual energy alone can cause an explosion of this magnitude. If the spiritual energy of the seven kingdoms were combined, how large an explosion would it cause? Do we Lucerne people have a way to be immune to explosions?"

“If we unleash the heavenly fire on the battlefield, the entire city of Esgard will be destroyed. I’m here to stop that,” Joan of Arc said, her face still pale despite her recent escape from death.

At that moment, a soldier jogged back to Aurelion and handed him what he was holding—the head of a monster.

He saw that golden blood was still gushing from the monster's gruesome wound on its neck, and that the blood seemed to have some kind of vitality, constantly emitting golden light.

"Was that what just exploded? Is this heavenly fire?"

Aurelion ordered the soldiers, "Keep this safe."