The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!-Chapter 665 - 26: Turning Point (Part 3)

The icy wind of early winter blew gently, as the blood-red moonlight bathed the land.

"Surrender!" shouted Erwin standing in front of the castle drawbridge, "Lay down your weapons, and we will grant you a fair trial! Considering that you were tempted by demons, as long as you repent sincerely, I can guarantee a pardon from your execution! This is a condition set to prevent greater casualties, and it’s the bottom line! You must pay for what you have done!"

These words were shouted with all his might. Everyone present could hear them clearly, including Dovna, who stood atop the tower.

After a brief silence, Dovna’s piercing laughter rose, "Do you think I would surrender? Are you joking? Hahaha! I regret not tearing you to pieces back then—! Fortunately, I now have the chance to make up for my mistake!"

A hideous and almost manic expression.

In the firelight, Erwin could clearly see the black aura seeping from the corners of Dovna’s eyes and the light white mist rising from her body. Her appearance was rapidly becoming gaunt, as if her flesh was burning away.

"Pride, wrath, envy, greed, vanity, gluttony, melancholy, sloth. She bears eight out of the nine deadly sins," a hoarse voice echoed in Erwin’s mind, it was Simon’s voice.

"Mr. Simon? So you’ve been here all along." Erwin murmured.

"Yes, always. As per our agreement." Simon responded.

"What happens if someone holds all nine sins?" Erwin asked.

"The original sins are the source of the demon envoy’s power, the more one possesses, the more perfectly the demon powers can be harnessed."

Erwin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, sighing, "It seems this will be a tough battle after all..."

"Do you need my help? Though if I do, Alphonse will certainly intervene."

"Who’s Alphonse?"

"Her demon but don’t worry, I can handle him. Unless he summons other demons."

Erwin silently watched Dovna on the tower, her face full of excitement yet struggling in agony. After a while, he softly replied, "No need, we’ll handle this ourselves. As the captain of the Silver Moon Knight Fifth Squad, I should resolve this on my own."

"Alright, then I wish you success. But be careful because you might not be adept at dealing with demon envoys."

"I will," Erwin tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

From a distance, Dovna’s transformation seemed to have halted. At this moment, she had completely become monstrous.

Dovna took a step forward, seemingly wanting to leap from the tower towards Erwin. However, she quickly retreated, noticing Matthew and George standing behind Erwin, all three donned in magic knight armor, bearing blade boxes of longitude and latitude swords, with their swords ready to be unleashed.

Moreover, around them were numerous shield bearers, ready to charge forward at any moment. Above, siege crossbows were poised, powerful enough to pierce through cavalry and their mounts.

Seeing Dovna retreat, Erwin drew his sword with a "clang" and began striding forward along the castle drawbridge.

Matthew and George paused, yet they voiced no objections.

Dovna laughed from the tower, the same piercing laughter, "Hehehe... let me guess what you intend to do... Knight, do you wish to become a hero from a fairy tale, challenging the darkness alone to uphold your chivalric spirit?"

"No, I just want to save the poor lost ones while reducing my comrades’ casualties," Erwin continued to advance step by step.

The friction sound of steel boots on the drawbridge gently echoed through the midnight air.

"I’m the lost one? Hehehe, I’m the lost one? No, I’m clearer than ever," Dovna shrieked, "If I hadn’t turned to hell, could I have walked out of prison? Drop your hypocrisy!"

Erwin gradually picked up his pace, transitioning from a brisk walk to a sprint, rushing towards the castle gate.

Just as he was about to step through the opened castle gate, Dovna suddenly leaped down, like a meteor crashing toward Erwin.

At the moment of their imminent collision, the gemstone on Erwin’s armor lit up. A shield appeared above his head. Dovna crashed heavily onto the shield, then bounced off, landing atop the castle gate like a spider.

Her limbs twisted, elongated and shriveled, piercing into the gates like a spider’s legs.

"She... she’s a monster?"

The soldiers present were stunned, unable to close their mouths in shock.

On her original eyes, Dovna opened two more, and her tongue, like a lizard’s, lashed out at Erwin like a whip.

Quickly, Erwin unhitched the shield strapped to his back, blocking while retreating into the castle. The monster-like Dovna rapidly pursued him inside.

This scene left everyone, including Matthew and George, dumbfounded.

In most people’s imagination, even if Dovna was a demon envoy, she should have been a mage. Normally, mages are proficient in long-range attacks, vulnerable once their opponents close in.

However, reality seemed otherwise.

Erwin, while defending against Dovna’s attacks, retreated up the central spiral staircase of the castle.

Would the longitude and latitude swords work against Dovna? Erwin didn’t know. But he was very clear that once he wielded the sword, if he couldn’t win quickly, only death awaited him. Dovna certainly wouldn’t spare him the chance to change gemstones in battle.

Dovna’s limbs were sharper than swords, her body darting through the dark castle like a spider, each attack piercing through the stone walls, sending dust and sand flying. She repeatedly shouted, "Kill you! Kill you! Kill you!"

Erwin could barely make out Dovna’s movements under the moonlight, struggling to defend himself.

Under the incessant assaults, Erwin felt dizzy and disoriented.

If not for the proactive defense mechanism of his magic armor, Erwin might have died countless times already. For a normal human, Dovna needed just one strike.

Perhaps, it was the armor that made Erwin more than a regular human, driving Dovna into an apparent frenzy.

...

Outside the castle, unaware of the happenings within, George finally couldn’t hold back. He drew his sword and quickly rushed over the drawbridge toward the castle.

Matthew hesitated for a moment, then followed suit.

They were followed by others—Sean, Miller, and so forth.

...

Finally, Erwin was forced back to the upper hall, or rather, sent flying by a powerful strike from Dovna, crashing into the upper hall. He hit the wall, causing it to crack, before falling heavily to the ground, a cloud of dust slowly rising.

Leaning on his sword, he painstakingly stood up.

Dovna, her form grotesquely twisted, landed before him yet did not attack immediately; instead, she watched him quietly.

The next moment, Matthew and George, accompanied by a large group of soldiers, swarmed in, quickly filling half the hall.

Both George and Matthew’s swords were drawn, looking poised to strike at any moment.

Dovna glanced back at them, then let out a laugh, "Finally ready to attack together? Do you feel fear against the power of darkness?"

Her chilling laughter echoed through the castle hall.

Moonlight filtered in through the stone windows, illuminating Erwin’s face.

He slowly straightened his back, gripped his sword tightly, and said, "Matthew, George, let me handle this myself."

"There’s no need for that," Matthew replied, "If we all attack at once, we can end this instantly."

"I don’t support a one-on-one duel; there’s no need to uphold knightly honor with a demon envoy," George stepped forward, agreeing.

"Let me handle this myself," Erwin repeated.

Matthew sighed helplessly, sheathing his sword.

Though George held onto his sword, he, too, did not advance. The other soldiers gradually retreated as well.

"Are you underestimating me?" Dovna’s mouth slowly curled into a sardonic smile, "You’ll regret your decision."

Erwin panted heavily and said with difficulty, "I’ve said it before, I’m here to save the lost. Victory is not my goal, you’re a victim too."

"You’re lying!" In that instant, Dovna lunged at Erwin.

The battle resumed, much like before. Dovna raged hysterically, and Erwin could only dodge and block repeatedly, unable to counterattack. Fortunately, the larger space and the moonlight improved his situation compared to the hallway earlier.

Finally, during another of Dovna’s powerful downward strikes, the magic shield on Erwin’s left shoulder armor failed. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Simultaneously, Dovna seemed exhausted, panting heavily.

Erwin removed his helmet, revealing his face, then smiled at Dovna. Despite the blood in his mouth, he indeed smiled.

"What are you smiling at—!" That smile seemed to provoke something in Dovna, who was already worn out, causing her to leap up once more.

She pressed her hands and feet against the ground, then quickly sprang up, touching the ceiling in an instant. Then, with another rebound, she hammered down on Erwin, limbs swinging like four scythes.

However, at the instant their paths crossed, Erwin did not dodge as he had before; instead, he discarded the shield from his left hand, using it to grip Dovna’s scythe-like arm coming at him. Simultaneously, he braced with his right shoulder armor against Dovna’s other arm.

Then, with a sharp swipe of his sword, he severed Dovna’s right hand.

Dovna was stunned; from start to finish, Erwin hadn’t counterattacked, leaving her unprepared for it.

The severed limb flew, trailing a line of blood.

Dovna had no time to feel the pain, as Erwin flipped her over, pinning her to the ground, and placed his sword against her neck.

All of this happened in an instant.

"You took off the helmet... to provoke me?" Dovna stared wide-eyed, dazed, at Erwin who was now so close to her.

"Yes." Erwin replied weakly, "You’re strong, but not skilled in combat."