The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Ella gently put down her teacup, the cool moonlight illuminating the girl's delicate profile.

"With the capital city fallen, they are indeed looking to retaliate."

"How is the artisan team we were supposed to meet this afternoon doing?"

Severif scratched his head. "That Mr. Dekari has already started directing the construction of the project you mentioned. He says that with the cooperation of the local Aslan craftsmen, the construction period can be shortened by more than half."

"very good."

Ella nodded slightly. "What are the movements of the new demon legion?"

"An assessment of the outposts at the Fortress of Despair indicates that the enemy is gathering rapidly and may launch an attack as early as tomorrow morning."

"Furthermore, the sentries roaming the heart of the southern provinces observed that the leaders of both legions had appeared, and there seemed to be signs of a large spatial magic array being activated in the rear. The enemy's main force was being mobilized back from Molten City very quickly."

"Two leaders?"

Ella raised an eyebrow slightly.

"One is Samael, the former commander of the demon legion, and the other is a girl with fiery red hair and amber eyes who commands the sea race legion... According to the report, she is probably the Veronica you mentioned, whose body has been taken over."

"That's Elias,"

Ella rubbed her fingers against the teacup. "She's taken over a new body and isn't staying in her hometown. She can't wait to come out and explore."

"This is probably to keep us occupied from the front, so as not to interfere with their upgrade plan."

Severif nodded. "The Fortress of Absolute Breath is only two hundred miles from the capital. Once it is breached, the entire northern province will be engulfed in war, and the capital, which has just been stabilized, will also be under the most direct threat."

"Hmm... Let the Imperial Guards stay in the capital to help defend against Dekar's fortifications."

Ella tapped the table lightly and issued the order, "The remaining troops gathered in the capital, go and support the Fortress of Absolute Breath."

"As ordered!"

Severif bowed his head in response.

……

The peace brought by the end of the civil war did not last long. That night, the soldiers of the lord's army, who had only rested for a day, and the knights and priests of the Earth Sanctuary, hurriedly packed their bags and headed out of the city, following the horns.

However, more than weariness, the news of the combined forces of demons and sea creatures pressing in was like a dark cloud, causing the soldiers to feel an unspeakable tension.

The previous victory of Silvana over the demons was just a performance, which means that, in reality, the Aslan army has never won against the demons on the main battlefield.

This time, with the leaders of both opposing legions present, it's clear they're serious.

Fortunately, this time they also had the support of the Holy Maiden of Light. Whether she was a righteous god or an evil god, her renowned past could at least give the soldiers some confidence.

……

Even with the constant blessings from the Earth Priests, a night's march was not enough for the imperial army to reach the fortress.

Even the lightly armed troops at the very front only traveled a mere sixty li (approximately 30 kilometers), which was more than twice the speed of a regular cavalry unit marching overnight.

But the vanguard of the demons didn't care about such things. As dawn broke, the soldiers on the watchtowers of the Bleeding Fortress saw through their binoculars the dense, dark shadows emerging on the horizon.

"Damn it, it's a terror demon!"

The soldiers stationed there sensed something was wrong and immediately lit the smoke signals on the tower, and the piercing alarm bells rang throughout the fortress.

As the dark curtain of countless demons flapped their wings and rose into the sky, almost obscuring the light of dawn, the Aslan soldiers, who had been resting for more than a month under the false peace constructed by Silvana, once again recalled the fear of being dominated by demons.

Fortunately, their battle-hardened instincts prevented them from becoming numb during this brief respite. Countless cannons were launched, and armored soldiers caught up with the wall.

War is about to break out again.

Chapter 234 Small Actions

The Fortress of Despair is somewhat similar to the Crow Pass, standing in the middle of a rugged mountain range that runs across the north-south border.

It was several times larger than Hanya Pass, and the giant castle standing against the wind resembled a giant beast that devoured the sky, lying prostrate among the mountains.

The current commander of the army here is Prince Manatos, the younger brother of the former Emperor Aslan.

After Ella and her servants arrived at the fortress through the portal, he received Ella with great enthusiasm.

"I heard about what happened in the capital from my subordinates. To be honest, I've been worried for a while now and have a lot of doubts about my brother's death."

"Despite the fact that the threat of demons has not diminished in the slightest, Silvana has repeatedly transferred the Sky Knights and the Earth Sanctuary from the front lines."

"Unfortunately, my duty is to guard the fortress, and I cannot leave to return to the capital to investigate the situation. Therefore, I am very grateful for Her Majesty the Holy Maiden's help in exorcising the evil spirits that were causing chaos and restoring the righteous path to the Aslan Empire."

As he spoke, Prince Manatos removed his hat, placed his right hand on his left shoulder, and bowed slightly, which was considered the highest form of courtesy a member of the royal family could show to outsiders.

Of course, this was mainly because he didn't know that Ella was now considered the new emperor of the empire, since nominally Serendra was in power in the imperial city.

“No need to be so polite, Your Highness Manatos.”

Ella smiled gently, “Fighting evil is our duty as believers in the light. Now that the demons are at our gates, time is of the essence, so there’s no need to be bound by formalities.”

"As you said, Your Majesty."

Manatos didn't waste any more words and immediately led Eladon to the city wall.

Because they arrived ahead of time through a portal, while the main force of the Imperial City was still marching behind, only a few core members of the Holy Light Revelation Society accompanied Ella to the Fortress of Despair.

Julius and Elon, both Saint-level warriors, need no further introduction, and Greta, the golden-haired kitten riding a big black dog, also accompanied them this time.

Alina remained at the palace as a precaution, while Li Cheng, as usual, led the Seven Stars Society to scout out the nearby mountains to explore the possibility of devising special tactics from the side.

Upon reaching the city wall, Ella could already see that most of the western sky was covered by overlapping wings of the terror demons, creating a menacing scene of dark clouds pressing down on the city.

On the cratered land, demon cavalry riding on demon wolves galloped through the billowing dust, and behind them, one after another, the enormous demon mountains rose from the horizon.

Ella closed her eyes slightly, and the raven familiars she sent out spread their wings and soared across the sky, flying to the rear of the demon army.

She soon saw, behind the massive army, a gigantic hydra Hydra, guarded by several demons as large as Titans, with Samael, the wrathful demon Ayra had seen before, standing atop its head.

Her long, deep purple hair cascaded down her waist, and her cold gaze spotted the crows flying overhead from afar. Anger instantly flashed in her eyes, and with a wave of her hand, a fiery red meteor shot into the sky, accurately striking down the crows.

"Such a temper, this woman."

Ella smiled playfully, her left eye slightly open.

However, what concerned her more than Samael was the east.

The crow familiar sent to the eastern sky swept its gaze across the land, where merfolk with scales and fins roamed the wilderness, crawling and surging on all fours.

Behind them, on a throne supported by the head of a giant dragon turtle, a girl with long, fiery red hair that contrasted sharply with the blue-black ground beneath her was crossing her legs, looking quite relaxed.

She saw the crows Ella had sent out, but instead of shooting them down, her smile grew even brighter.

Elias, the will that has descended, is now possessing Veronica's body.

This guy is the most troublesome one.

Ella opened her right eye and looked back at her still petite body.

The divine power she absorbed from Astra and Silvana was far from enough to restore her to her peak. In addition, the construction of the imperial city and the army on their way to provide support were still on their way. Therefore, the only tactic she could think of at the moment was to stall.

Even with Julius and Elon added, taking down the Samael-Elijas combination is still far too difficult.

Not to mention that the forces of the Fortress of Despair are far inferior to those of the demons and sea creatures—a month's rest cannot replenish the fortress's forces after round after round of fierce battles, but it is enough for more demons and merfolk to emerge from the Hell Rift and the seabed.

Right now, Ella is actually more eager than the other side for the upgrade plan to be successfully implemented as soon as possible, because only by releasing Diablo, as Councilor Wind suggested, can the situation be reversed.

Before that, she could only try to figure out a solution on her own.

……

Back at the bottom of the deep sea, all the candidates remained kneeling motionless on the altar shrouded in knots.

The three phantom images of gods hung high in the sky, guiding the divine power of the tomb to continue flowing out of the seal;

Raphael stood in the center of the ritual array, his eyes slightly closed as if he were alerting and sensing any possible movement outside the barrier.

Such security is arguably the strongest defense in the world at this moment.

But even under such tight security, Duke Tyran, who was kneeling on the altar, secretly opened his eyes a crack.

All the gods turned their attention elsewhere, and no one noticed that he, hidden behind layers of protective barriers, had never truly focused his mind on the trial of the divine tomb.

The moment he placed his palm on the tomb, a layer of black mud separated his palm, hindering the connection between the tomb and him.

There were too many executors and dark priests loitering around, so Duke Tyrone was very careful and didn't dare to make any unnecessary moves.

But now that a night has passed, most of the executives have gone to Hub Town or the outskirts of Blood Lake to stand guard. No one is keeping a close eye on the candidates inside the barrier, just like a security guard on the gate won't be watching the gate.

Therefore, Raphael never expected that a candidate would dare to make such a move right under his nose, under the majestic aura of the three great gods.

But then Duke Tyrande quietly shook his arm that was pressed to the ground, and a piece of black tree branch extended out from his sleeve, connecting with the surface of the altar along the inside of his wrist.

This is Ella's Sprout of Life, a relic of a portion of the divine right to life obtained from the Tomb of Loren.

Now this thing is closely connected to Ella's origin, and since it was once part of the God of Life, it can naturally be connected to the God's Tomb. And because they both belong to the God of Life's power, its aura can be mixed in with the divine power dissipating from the God's Tomb and not be exposed.

Of course, Duke Tyron didn't know what it was; he only knew that Ye Xiao had given it to him and instructed him to use it secretly at this time.

A few beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead from nervousness, and he could only hope that he hadn't trusted the wrong person.

"Please don't mess with me, that damn blond guy."

Chapter 235 The Defense of Breathless Fortress

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at the Fortress of No Breath.

Standing atop the towering wall, Ella closed her eyes and felt a familiar presence traversing the void, subtly connecting with her consciousness.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

The sky reflected in the crimson eyes was filled with hordes of terrifying demons, obscuring even the planets that led to the other world. The flames beneath the demons' hooves dyed the earth an endless crimson.

As the last rays of sunlight swept across the ancient meteorite iron city wall, the runes engraved on it with holy silver were shrouded in darkness.

Prince Manatos's face was solemn, and the soldiers guarding the city tower were trembling uncontrollably as they gripped their halberds.

Unlike the Battle of the Imperial City, which was merely an internal conflict, this battle would determine the life and death of the entire empire.

"By the goddess above... just how many are there...?"

The soldiers couldn't help but gasp for breath inside their cold iron helmets. They may have heard the devastating news of the fall of Molten City, but it wasn't until they saw it with their own eyes that they truly understood the terrifying scale of it.

Tens of thousands, millions... As far as the eye could see, they were densely packed, like a dark tsunami roaring in from the other side of the horizon. The mere sound of hooves hitting the ground was enough to make the entire wilderness howl in despair.

If there truly is an end to the world, for the Aslans right now, it might be today.

"The devil is near, only five miles left!"

The watchtower reported the enemy's distance, watching as the vast land before the precipice was rapidly devoured by the endless waves of demons.

"Four miles! All defensive equipment is ready!"

The defensive equipment slowly turned, the creaking of the hinges piercing the silence, and the runes on the city wall gradually lit up in the dim light.

Amidst the billowing dust, the tall, broad figures of several demon commanders leading the charge were clearly visible, wielding rough blades and letting out ferocious roars.

"Sanli! Load the magic cannon, draw the giant crossbow!"

Tens of thousands of demonic wolves opened their massive jaws, and the soldiers on the city wall seemed to already smell the stench of blood emanating from between their fangs.

"Approaching lethal range!"

"Three...two...one..."

Manatos's saber flashed out with a "whoosh," pointing straight into the distance.

"fire!!!"

As his powerful voice rang out, a hundred magical cannons on the towering cliff simultaneously roared deafeningly.

The bowstring of the giant crossbow taut, and silver arrows engraved with anti-magic runes rained down like a dazzling rain.

Ella watched as hordes of demons turned to ashes amidst the raging gunfire, the silvery magical energy instantly melting away the howling evil spirits.

Broken limbs flew everywhere, but more demons roared bloodthirstyly as they continued their charge, trampling over the corpses of their own kind.

"Activate the Arcane Barrier!"

Manatos's voice echoed above the city walls through the amplification array, piercing through the roar of the magic cannons.

On the four arcane towers surrounding the fortress, the mages chanted in unison, their magic flowing like a path of light along the meteorite iron walls, illuminating the runes that shimmered like stars.

The vast radiance flowed downstream, splitting into five streams that extended outwards from below the cliff, dividing the land and stretching for thousands of meters before blooming at the end.