The Night Owl, having been flung away, traced a parabolic arc through the air toward the approaching crowd.
Whether knights or adventurers, everyone's attention was fixed on the Shadow Demon in the distance. No one cared what would happen to the weakened and powerless Night Owl as she fell into the crowd.
Except for her three teammates.
Third-tier magic—Wind Surge!
A gust of wind, carrying grass and leaves, swept the about-to-fall Night Owl high into the air.
Gal, who had been charging forward, leaped into mid-air with the momentum. His muscles bulged beneath his armor as he caught Night Owl, curling his body and arching his back. His greaves carved two deep furrows in the grassland at the plaza's edge, yet he managed to prevent Night Owl from suffering even the slightest additional harm.
Nova sprinted over, placing her overlapped palms against Night Owl's severed hand. Emerald light representing healing overflowed from between her fingers.
Night Owl seemed to still retain consciousness. Seeing her teammates, she couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile.
While stabilizing her injuries, Nova said angrily, "Are you an idiot? With so many experts present, did you need to show off? What were you thinking?"
Night Owl weakly explained, "In the past... if I encountered one that could also hide in shadows, I would hide too. I thought if I could detect it, it wouldn't be too strong..."
"Then you should have told us!"
"There wasn't time. He was preparing to move then..."
"Sigh—" What could Nova say? She could only focus on healing Night Owl's wounds.
Ivan floated up, looking toward the summoning circle.
The Shadow Demon, transformed into dense fog, suddenly accelerated. Within the pitch-black mist, hundreds of twisted faces emerged.
A Paladin had just raised his tower shield and charged diagonally when the mist, like a living serpent, slithered past the shield's edge.
The demon-breaking arrows hastily shot by three royal archers penetrated the fog but were ground to powder by the churning demonic energy before they could reach the core.
"Sacred Light Barrier!"
Brilliant golden radiance erupted before the priests, but the Shadow Demon suddenly split into seven ghostly shadows, each wreathed in black smoke, cutting into the formation from different angles.
The nearest young priest suddenly clutched his throat and collapsed to his knees—his shadow on the ground was strangling itself, trying to kill the main body.
A flaw appeared in the jointly maintained barrier, and before others could intervene, the Shadow Demon had already slipped through.
The Archbishop was still maintaining the final fluctuations of the formation and couldn't spare attention elsewhere, but the gray-robed mage beside him made his move.
The oak staff inlaid with golden magic crystals burst forth with blinding light.
Eighth-tier magic—Light Prison!
Twelve giant swords formed of pure light broke through the clouds, descending with thunderous momentum to pin the Shadow Demon's main body to the ground.
From within the churning fog came the Shadow Demon's layered mocking laughter: "Futile resistance!"
The imprisoned black fog suddenly collapsed inward, then exploded outward violently.
The magical shockwave shattered the light swords into stardust, and the five nearest priests collapsed backward, blood streaming from their ears and noses.
Even the gray-robed mage staggered back half a step.
"Hahaha!" Having broken through all obstacles, the Shadow Demon laughed maniacally as he swung his claws toward the figure in the formation. "Die, human hero!"
*Clang—*
A massive sword collided with the Shadow Demon's claws, actually managing to withstand his power through sheer force.
"You... you..."
He understood the hero summoning process in detail.
A newly descended hero should only be Level 1.
Even with some powerful divine blessings, there was no reason they could master their abilities so quickly.
Much less this fellow blocking him with a greatsword—it didn't look like he was using any special abilities, but rather withstanding the attack through pure physical prowess.
The Shadow Demon's elemental brain raced frantically.
"A... trap?"
"Yo! You black blob, didn't expect you to be quite smart!"
Duke Alama on the opposite side revealed an excited smile.
"Too bad you're not an old bat—I've wanted to tear those apart for a long time."
The Shadow Demon no longer had the mind to banter. His body contracted, attempting to flee.
The Archbishop in front of the formation finally completed the final step.
As his staff struck the ground heavily, a circular light screen rose from above the formation, trapping the Shadow Demon within without any blind spots.
Only now did the Shadow Demon realize he had fallen into a massive trap.
What hero summoning? This was clearly a trap combined with a teleportation array!
Even worse, another max-level powerhouse who had been hiding among the knight forces now charged out.
The Seven Great Powers of the United Kingdom—more than half were present here!?
All to kill him!
"Eleanor! I know you're here! Come help me! There's still a chance to escape!"
Alama laughed wildly as he swung his greatsword in afterimages, striking the Shadow Demon again and again.
The Shadow Demon, focused entirely on escape, was suppressed and at a disadvantage.
He could only hope that Eleanor, who had accepted the same mission, would help him by destroying the formation from outside—then he could still escape after paying a certain price!
But no matter how he roared, the vampire never appeared—though he had rather expected this outcome...
"Eleanor! You (elemental profanity)..."
In the chaos, no one noticed a priest named Mena quietly retreating against the crowd to the plaza's edge.
She then slipped into an alley.
Thank goodness I was a step slow!
Otherwise, I would have been the one trapped to death!
As for saving the Shadow Demon?
She wasn't crazy enough to risk her life for him—couldn't she see how thoroughly the humans had prepared!?
At worst, she'd take a beating when she returned. Nothing was more important than her own life!
Eleanor took one last look back.
What she saw was the Shadow Demon, trapped within the light screen and facing four equally powerful opponents alone, finally having a fatal opening exploited.
The restraining bracelet on his left arm was smashed to pieces, and his entire form could barely maintain cohesion.
Without any guilt, Eleanor transformed into a bat and quickly flew away, enduring the slight weakness that came with being under sunlight.
All four powerhouses noticed her transformation's aura, but none bothered to pursue her.
Chasing would be difficult, and devouring the fat prey before them was the priority!
---
Western Islands, on an uninhabited island near the mainland, several small boats were moored at the shore.
Few knew that within this small island lay a hidden underground chamber.
At this moment, a priest and nine clerics had just completed their final preparations.
On the bluestone floor, using rare materials, they had drawn a formation that, relative to its purpose, was not particularly complex.
One cleric asked with some confusion, "Is this really alright? Isn't the formation a bit too simple?"
The priest shook his head. "The formation itself isn't difficult—what's difficult is obtaining the Lord of Light's permission. After all, summoning a hero relies on divine power."
This explanation addressed the cleric's confusion while also speaking to the others, ensuring they wouldn't be distracted during the upcoming prayers and cause complications.
The priest was the first to kneel and prostrate himself, as devout prayers emerged from everyone's lips.
The summoning formation began to emit a pale golden glow with the rising prayers.
When the priest completed his prayer and looked up, two figures appeared distinctly within the aureole—
A tall woman with golden hair and blue eyes, gripping a bloodied short blade, frowning as she surveyed her surroundings.
A black-haired middle-aged man with his pants half-down, sitting on a toilet, his hollow gaze fixed intently on his crossed hands in contemplation.
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