System's POV

The once bustling capital city of the Kingdom of Valoria, previously hailed as the gem of the East, found itself facing a threat it hadn't been prepared to defend against.

The frontlines of the battlefield were at the North, for all Kingdoms poured their resources to prevent the advance of the Demon Lord's Army.

Of course, the capital city had enough soldiers to protect itself just in case a horde of Beasts or Demons were to attack it.

The magical barrier had protected the city even against the breath attacks of Black Dragons, one of the high-ranking fighters of the Demon Army.

They also had the Gryphon Cavalry, the Knights of Valoria, and the Crusaders of the Temple.

But despite all of these defensive measures, the city now faced annihilation in the hands of a single man, whom the Hero Party and the Queen hadn't viewed as a threat in the past.

"Medea, snap out of it!" Neil shouted as he deflected a rain of giant feathers that rained down from the sky. They were as hard as steel and as sharp as javelins.

"Support us! Medea!" Morwen raised her hand and cast several fireballs to attack the Spear Wing Roc, whose wings now blocked the light of the sun.

One of the Valkyries had transformed into a giant bird, unleashing aerial bombardment from the sky, showing not the slightest mercy to those who harmed her master.

Not far from the Sorceress, Theron groaned as a Valkyrie wielding a spear pierced his left shoulder during their exchange.

Medea finally regained her composure and immediately cast healing magic on Theron's shoulder, while Sylas and Neil both engaged the spear-wielding Valkyrie to give the Saintess time to heal the Spearman's injury.

But they still felt wary. As they dealt with one, the three other Valkyries simply watched from a distance.

Amusement showed on their faces, and they were even betting as to how long they would last before all of them lay on the ground unconscious.

A total of six Valkyries had flown to the Plaza, but after realizing that the Queen was no longer there, their two sisters, Brynhildr and Hildr, headed to the castle to capture her.

Neil and Sylas, with their sword and bow, worked in tandem to keep their enemy at bay.

The Valkyrie named Mist brandished her spear, easily evading their attacks before swatting Neil as if he were a fly.

A second later, she teleported beside Sylas to kick him away.

Both members of the Hero Party were sent flying, crashing into the houses a distance away from the plaza.

Neil coughed a mouthful of blood as he propped himself up from the wreckage.

"She's toying with us," Neil muttered. "Her strength… it's beyond human."

"She's not human," Sylas said helplessly, as he, too, emerged from the destroyed inn where he crashed earlier.

If not for Medea's reinforcement and strengthening magic, he might have suffered more serious injuries from the Valkyrie's casual kick.

Both of them understood that if their opponent was serious, the two of them would have already died in her hands.

Above them, the Roc shrieked once more, its colossal form blotting out the light of day.

It flapped its mighty wings, creating a gust of winds that tore across the Gryphon Cavalry, who was trying to bring it down from the sky.

The three Valkyries who had yet to move laughed among themselves from their perch on a collapsed bell tower.

But if one were to pay attention to them, they would sometimes flick their fingers or wave their hands, destroying buildings from afar.

Just as Medea finished healing Theron's shoulder, a familiar scream reached her ear.

Morwen crashed on the ground beside her. The Sorceress' lips were bleeding, and a bruise could be seen on her right cheek.

The Valkyrie had slapped her, disliking Morwen's had said earlier.

"Care to repeat what you said?" asked icily by the Valkyrie named Mist, who probably cared about Thirteen more than her sisters. "You said that you should have killed my Master when you had the chance?"

"N-No, I… I didn't mean it," Morwen replied. "I'm sorry!"

MIst sneered before glancing at her Sisters, who had allowed her to fight the Hero Party on her own.

"Should I wrap things up?" Mist asked the others.

"Yes," Skogul answered. "You had your fun, right? But our Master said you should not hurt the Saintess too much. He said, among the Hero Party, she alone cared for Kate."

"I see." Mist nodded before glancing at Medea, who flinched at her gaze. "You're lucky, Miss Saintess. It seems that you're not going to receive the rough treatment."

Mist cracked her knuckles and walked toward Theron, who did the unexpected.

The Spearman ran away, leaving Medea and Morwen behind!

Mist looked at the man in disdain before taking a single step forward.

A second later, she appeared right in front of Theron, and her fist smacked the side of his face, sending him crashing toward the wall of a bakery, whose stone oven was still baking some bread.

She then proceeded to stomp on his legs and arms, making him scream in pain, fear, and humiliation.

Perhaps finding his screams annoying, Mist kicked the side of Theron's face, knocking him unconscious.

"One down," Mist grinned before glancing at Morwen's direction.

The Sorceress had chanted a teleportation spell that would take her far away from the city, escaping from the Valkyrie whom she couldn't defeat.

At the last second of her chant, she was about to feel relieved, thinking she could finally escape from pain and suffering.

But the magic circle shattered before it could fully activate.

"Where do you think you're going?" Thirteen asked, his voice calm.

It was so calm it was terrifying in the ears of the Saintess and the Sorceress, who were both paralyzed by his gaze.

Long before the battle began, Thirteen had already blanketed the capital in a binding domain—a Spell-Sealing Field that smothered all attempts of teleportation, dimensional travel, or magical escape.

No incantation, no spellwork, no divine blessing could pierce through it from the inside.

The city had become a cage, and everyone inside was trapped with him, completely under his mercy.

Morwen's body shuddered as fear gripped her heart.

When she said she should have killed Thirteen when she had the chance, she meant every word of it.

Back then, she thought the Queen would make the young man her plaything, so she had looked down on him.

But now, she regretted the fact that she had underestimated him, which now led to their current situation.

"Alright, sweet dreams." Mist casually slapped the Sorceress, aiming for the latter's jaw, which knocked her unconscious.

Neil and Sylas, who had returned to help their comrades, were also knocked unconscious by the other Valkyries who were just watching earlier.

"Here you go." Skogul casually tossed Neil's and Sylas' bodies over Theron's, grouping them together.

Mist didn't hesitate to kick Morwen toward the pile of humans before shifting her gaze to Medea.

She walked toward the Saintess' direction with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

Medea shuddered. In her eyes, the beautiful Valkyrie seemed like a Goddess of Death coming for her life.