The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 729- The Divine Oath, the Fall of a Hero and the Truth

Duvessa continued. "And this woman... appears to be the one he values the most in that town."

Silence descended onto the hall. Mammon slowly lowered his head and looked at the woman in the Demon General’s hand

"..."

"..."

"Duvessa."

"Yes?"

"You really did a marvellous job..."

A terrifying smile that could give any child nightmares appeared on Mammon’s face.

With this woman in his hands, his victory was almost guaranteed in their next battle. If previously he wanted nothing to do with the Divine Paladin, then now, he could not wait to travel back to the battlefront and stomp down on his opponent.

.

.

The atmosphere inside the Northern Fortress had changed completely.

Only a day earlier, despair had hung over every knight like a dark cloud. But now, hope had returned once more.

They had witnessed an astonishing scene: their Commander, one of the three heroes of Solaris, the Divine Paladin Reinhardt Arcknight, had defeated a Heavenly King.

Although the demon had ultimately escaped, every knight who witnessed that battle understood one thing.

Heavenly Kings, who ruled above all demonkind and stood as symbols of terror, were not unbeatable. They could lose, and more importantly, they could be killed.

Inside the command tent, Reinhardt stood before a table while Drystan, Bob, Marcus, Bargo, Ciel, Mikita, Maynard, and the remaining Holy Knights surrounded him.

All of them were looking at the map stretched before them as they discussed the strategy moving forward.

"The number of demons has increased further," Drystan said, pointing at the map. "It is estimated that tens of thousands more demons have joined their numbers, and the count is still increasing by the day."

Bob nodded. "I agree. In a head on clash, we will only suffer more casualties."

Everyone came to the same conclusion.

"Then it’s decided. We abandon the Northern Fortress. This mountain valley that naturally limits the enemy’s numbers will be our next base."

Having already discussed the plan, they were all ready to retreat from the Northern Fortress.

"This would have happened if headquarters had sent us more troops and supplies," Bargo complained.

Hearing his words, the mood grew slightly heavy. Indeed, it had not felt like the kingdom valued the northern front enough.

Reinhardt calmly spoke to dismiss any negative thoughts.

"They will, but we cannot base our plans on uncertainty. Our priority is to safely withdraw from this hellish front without incurring any more casualties, then trap the demons near the western valley."

Everyone nodded.

Compared to yesterday, their expressions had become much more relaxed. The pressure weighing upon their hearts had also lessened.

Just then, while they were discussing how to trick the demon scouts, the tent flap was thrown open and a knight hurried inside.

"Commander."

Everyone instinctively looked over.

The young knight saluted and hurriedly gave his report while huffing and puffing.

"The demon army... they... they have sent a messenger."

"Hm?" The report caused the officers to exchange puzzled looks.

"A messenger?"

"What trick are the demons playing now?"

Drystan frowned too, not expecting such a turn. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

Reinhardt remained calm. He did not believe that after their leader’s shocking defeat a day ago, they would try anything bold.

"In any case, the messenger is here. Let’s hear what they have to say."

Outside the fortress, several hundred meters from the walls, a lone demon could be seen standing leisurely upon a massive rock.

Unlike ordinary demons, this one possessed crimson skin and curved obsidian horns. Judging by the aura radiating from him, he was clearly a high ranking demon.

Seeing the gates open and the knights walking out, the demon grinned.

Then his gaze landed on the one leading them all: the radiant knight who instinctively caused him to feel fear. However, remembering the order he had received and Lord Mammon’s plan, a surge of confidence filled his body.

"Keke... hahaha... hahahahahaha!"

The demon started cackling. His laughter grew louder and louder by the second. Before long, he was clutching his stomach.

"So... so this... is humanity’s glorious Divine Paladin? Kekeke... to think you would have such a weakness... It looks like demonkind overestimated you. In the end, you are nothing but a slightly bigger pebble in our conquest of the world."

The grating voice and condescending words caused quite a few knights to furrow their brows, their faces dark.

However, before they could act, somebody else had already moved.

Before the demon could finish speaking, a boot planted itself squarely on his face, and the entire rock shattered.

BOOM...

The next second, the demon vanished from the rock as Reinhardt flashed like a golden blur and appeared on top of it. Slowly, he lowered his foot and rubbed the disgusting blood and grime across the stone.

At the same time, the high-ranking demon who had been kicked folded like a shrimp before being launched hundreds of meters across the plain. He broke the sound barrier and bounced several times before crashing into the snow.

Snow billowed into the sky.

The demons watching in the distance collectively took a step backward.

The scene caused the hair on their bodies to stand on end. Once again, they realized why, despite overwhelming numbers and firepower, they could not trample this group of knights.

It was because of that single knight.

After being heavily injured, the messenger slowly crawled back to his feet. Holding his stomach, his face pale and the superior grin on his face completely gone, he looked up in fear.

Reinhardt calmly withdrew his leg. His golden eyes were utterly indifferent.

"Speak. If another useless sound leaves your mouth... I’ll assume negotiations are over and kill you."

The messenger swallowed and no longer dared to appear mighty in front of this group of people.

At the same time, he also realized that the rumors were true.

This human hated demons from the very core of his being. The intensity was so great that it felt like a physical aura. He could actually feel it.

Not wanting to become just another number beneath this knight’s sword, the messenger got to the point.

"Ahem... I merely came to relay Lord Mammon’s words."

"Continue."

Reinhardt remained expressionless.

The messenger forced a smile.

"Our lord wishes me to tell you that we already know what you all are trying to do, and that retreat is pointless."

Saying that, he slowly spread both arms.

"The Demon Legion has already surrounded this region. No matter where you flee, we will find you. You humans... cannot escape."

Drystan snorted. "Is that all? If so... you may die."

Seeing that these maniacal knights were already itching to kill him, the demon hurriedly told them to wait.

"Wait... wait... there is another message."

Saying that, his gaze slowly shifted toward Reinhardt.

This time, the glint in his eyes became particularly sinister.

"You don’t want to retreat from this place, or else you will regret it for the rest of your life. Our lord currently has someone. A human that the Divine Paladin values greatly."

The moment those words fell, the surroundings instantly became silent.

Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The same was true for the knights around him.

What were the demons trying to pull? Was this an empty bluff, or did they really have someone in their hold?

The messenger enjoyed the reaction and smiled wider.

"Our lord asked me to tell you this. If the Temple of Light retreats... that woman dies."

At that moment, a cold breeze passed by, carrying the winter snow.

The knights wore all kinds of reactions.

As for Reinhardt, he remained motionless. Outwardly, no change could be spotted. However, if one looked carefully, they would be able to tell that his eyes were actually trembling, and his entire aura had gone into chaos.

This cannot be.

Drystan was equally rattled. The ominous feeling he had been having for a while strengthened at that moment.

"Who?" one of the Holy Knights who did not know the inside matter asked.

"Our lord didn’t tell me her name. He merely said that once the Divine Paladin sees her, he will understand. Since she is someone... he treasures. Isn’t that right?"

Drystan immediately stepped forward, not allowing the demon to say anything further.

"You are lying. Why should we believe you?"

The messenger laughed.

"I gain nothing by lying. Our lord also has one final message."

He looked directly into Reinhardt’s eyes.

"Divine Paladin. Run if you wish. Abandon this battlefield for all I care. But every step you take away from here will become another heartbeat closer to her death."

The messenger slowly raised one finger.

"If you truly wish to save her... then come alone to the other side."

He spread his arms and smiled cruelly.

"You and I shall determine the victor ourselves. Should you win, I shall return what belongs to you. However, if you do not come, or if you run away, I will snuff her breath and tear her body apart, and let you see what remains of her. If you cherish that woman, you will come alone."