It's so hard being a hero!

"Nochi, your swordsmanship has become rusty. Is it the power of desire that has corrupted your mind, or have your bones become weak? Why do you seem weaker than before?"

While Vic was fiercely attacking with his sword, he also made sure to provoke his opponent verbally.

Nochi's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

Because he knew very well that it wasn't that he had become weaker, but rather that Vic had become stronger.

On the other hand, Frey's battle with Adeline was more "elegant".

Frey floated in mid-air, surrounded by several rotating magic circles. With a flick of her finger, precise beams of magic shot out, piercing through Adeline's magic one by one.

"Adeline, it's been so many years, you've learned quite a few fancy tricks, but unfortunately, they're not very powerful."

Frey said with a mocking tone.

Adeline's face darkened, and she immediately retorted sarcastically.

"Heh, the Duchess is still as haughty as ever. I wonder if you're like this in bed too?"

These words made Frey's face darken. She quickly formed hand seals, and her magical power suddenly surged violently.

Then a golden bolt of lightning materialized out of thin air, carrying an aura of destruction, and crashed down towards Adeline.

Adeline's expression changed, and she quickly concentrated all her magic power in front of her, forming a dark red blood shield.

The lightning bolts struck the blood shield, producing a sickening "sizzling" sound.

Adeline's body was forced backward by the enormous impact.

In the center of the square, Griffin, wielding a giant hammer, was locked in battle with several black-robed knights under Milo's command.

His moves were wide and powerful, each hammer blow carrying immense force, sending the charging black-robed knights flying one by one.

Although he was advanced in years, as a veteran Saint Realm warrior, he was still able to deal with several King-level and Grandmaster-level opponents with ease.

Although the black-robed knights, corrupted by the power of desire, were fearless, their resolve began to crumble in the face of the Royal Knights' disciplined formation and seamless teamwork.

Milo stood on the outskirts of the battle, his expression growing increasingly grim.

He suddenly realized that his meticulously planned scheme was rapidly collapsing.

His men were held back by the Royal Knights.

The two Saint Realm experts he relied on, Nochi and Adeline, were being overwhelmed by Vic and were being forced to retreat by Frey.

He originally thought that as long as he could hold off these people, the situation in the palace would soon turn in his favor.

But one mishap after another occurred.

Now, he only has a few dozen guards left by his side. Facing the densely packed Imperial soldiers and Papal knights in the square, he feels an unprecedented sense of isolation and helplessness.

"How could this happen? It shouldn't be like this! What went wrong?"

He began to calm down and think about where things had gone wrong.

He subconsciously looked into the depths of the palace, still clinging to a sliver of hope, because if Daniela could deal with Clem, as long as the emperor was still on his side, he was certain of victory.

"Milo, surrender now, and you still have a chance."

Leo's voice suddenly came over.

Upon hearing this, Milo abruptly turned his head to look at his older brother.

Leo was looking at him calmly, but his eyes held a look of certainty that made him very unhappy.

"Surrender? Hahaha, brother, you think you've already won?"

Milo laughed wildly, then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

“As long as Father Emperor is still on my side, then you are all traitors.”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the depths of the palace suddenly trembled violently, and finally, with a crisp cracking sound, it turned into a shower of light and dissipated.

Immediately afterwards, a solemn and sacred aura, full of purifying power, swept out from the depths of the palace like a tsunami, instantly covering the entire palace area.

Everyone, whether imperial soldiers or black-robed knights, was stunned by this sudden power.

Those black-robed knights whose bodies were controlled by the power of desire were struck as if by a heavy blow.

"This is Archbishop Clem's sacred domain. The Archbishop is serious."

Vic smiled.

After saying that, he looked at his opponent.

"Nochi, you're all doomed."

Nochi's expression also began to change.

All eyes in the square turned to the direction of the grand hall deep within the palace.

Their senses allowed them to foresee the outcome of the battle.

On the ruins in front of the palace, Clem had already deactivated his archangel form and reverted to his old man appearance.

However, his face was slightly pale because he was also very old, and every time he used his full strength, it would consume his lifespan.

But the scepter in his hand, inlaid with a gem of light, was radiating rings of magic, binding a figure firmly to the spot.

It was Daniela, and her appearance at that moment could only be described as terrifying.

His once youthful face was now covered in wrinkles, making him look like a dried corpse that had been desiccated for many years.

His hair was dry and gray, falling out in clumps and scattering at his feet.

Her mouth was open, and a hissing sound came from her throat. Her once eerie purple eyes were now filled with fear and disbelief.

She looked down at her withered hands, as if she couldn't accept the reality before her.

"you……?"

She managed to squeeze out a few words, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible.

But Clem looked at her with only pity.

“Danila, your body has long been hollowed out by the power of desire. That potion only overdrawn your last bit of life force to forcibly generate power. When the power backfires, you will naturally be reduced to your original form, or even worse.”

Clem didn't even kill her with his own hands.

He was even using divine power to help heal her injuries and her collapsing body.

Unfortunately, the power of desire within her completely spiraled out of control and retaliated like a flood bursting its banks, instantly destroying her broken body.

Daniela's body continued to shrink, and finally she let out a barely audible moan before ceasing all movement.

Her dry eyes remained open, her death unresolved.

Clem was quite helpless; this was an eleventh-level apothecary, and he was dead just like that.

Outside, Milo and the others noticed the power of desire within the palace dissipate, and their faces instantly turned pale.

His last resort was gone.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been tricked.

Archbishop Clem, who had resolved Daniela's situation, walked to the heavy palace gate, bowed slightly, and paid his respects to those inside.

“Your Majesty, the heretic Daniela who infiltrated the palace has been executed on the spot by this old minister. You may open the door now.”

There was a moment of silence in the palace hall, then a deep sigh was heard, and finally the door creaked open slowly.

The old emperor appeared behind the door, still calmly seated on his throne. His gaze swept across the chaotic scene in the square through the magic mirror, finally settling on the pale-faced Milo.

At that moment, Milo felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head.

Soon after, the old emperor spoke, his voice amplified and clearly reaching the ears of everyone in the square through the sound transmission magic array at the palace gate.

"All forces under the Empire, heed my command and immediately arrest all those affiliated with the Temple of Desire, as well as the rebellious prince, Milo."

This order, like a final verdict, plunged Milo into the abyss.

The color drained from his face instantly, turning him deathly pale.

"No, it's impossible, Father, you..."

Milo tried to argue, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

He turned his head sharply to look at Leo, his eyes filled with fury at being fooled.

"It was you, it was you and Father Emperor who set this up, you were playing me?"

Leo looked back at him, his eyes showing no pride, only deep weariness and disappointment.

“Milo, you chose this path yourself. Your father and I gave you a chance.”

Meanwhile, Noch and Adeline also heard the Emperor's order, and their expressions changed drastically.

Noch forced Victor back with a single sword strike and quickly said to Adeline, "Retreat!"

So Adeline forcibly tore open the space and ran away.

Vik followed closely behind, and the king-level and grandmaster-level powerhouses also fled into the spatial gate.

Frey and the others did not stop them, letting them escape.

Chapter 106 The Dust Settles

The battle ended as the people of the Temple of Desire fled.

Vic sheathed his holy sword, walked to Frey's side, glanced at the direction Noch and Adeline had fled, and looked quite displeased.

"Nochi never intended to fight me to the death; he was simply trying to stall me?"

Frey crossed her arms and said calmly, "Adeline meant the same thing. It's a pity. If it weren't for the fact that it would destroy the capital, I would have torn that bitch Adeline's mouth apart."

Upon hearing this, Vic knew that Adeline had said something that had angered Frey.

"That's not all. It's just that I never expected that they would join the Temple of Desire. The top Saint Realm experts of our generation would one day become enemies. Alas!"

Vic sighed.

Although they weren't classmates with Nochi and Adeline, they, along with Vickfrey, Su Lan, Roland, and a few others, were known as the twelve strongest new generation Saint Realm warriors.

"They're just scoundrels. The person we've been waiting for has already stepped forward."

Frey gestured to Milo, who was being held down by the Royal Knights.