Chapter 25

The Chosen One, or rather, the Girl of Destiny, is the prophesied savior saintess of Asumos religion.

As the Girl of Destiny, she has an unrivaled affinity for holy energy and an incredible gift for creating miracles.

She, alongside the Son of Destiny and a group touched by divine fortune, will rescue the entire world from crisis.

She will guide the beings of Ancita continent in resisting the invasion of Abyssal Demons, eventually exterminating them, and defeating the ultimate enemy, the "Demon Lord."

However, at this moment, the mood of this Girl of Destiny didn't seem to be very good

Gazing at the Abyssal Demon's corpse before her, and recalling the previous struggle of the eight knights with the aid of advanced magical weaponry, the silver-haired girl's face clouded with increasing anger.

Eight people using advanced magic weapons couldn't deal with one abyssal demon of the same level with such a miserable result? If she hadn't intervened in time, these people would have been at risk of being wiped out! These are the new generation of knights of the church. They are not outstanding; they are just useless. 

'Even if the individual strength of Abyssal Demon is strong, how can eight people together not be able to defeat it?! This is really embarrassing!'

'If the knights in other locations are also performing at this level? The notion of leading them to defeat the Abyssal Demons is an absurd fantasy! Teaching a dog to dance seems a more feasible task!'

''Useless''

Reflecting on this, the girl felt a profound disappointment in the Church's next generation's abilities.

Though she still maintained a symbolic smile, a hint of bone-chilling coldness inadvertently escaped from her purple eyes, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

However, just as this chilling aura uncontrollably surged toward the Asumos Knights, a charming creature resembling a cat suddenly leaped onto the silver-haired girl's shoulder.

A cute, urgent voice then reached the girl's mind through the wave of holy power,

[Lady Mengxi! Please control yourself!]

"Huh?!"

Alerted by this voice, Mengxi, the silver-haired girl, suddenly snapped back to reality.

The chilling aura around her abruptly dissipated and was replaced by a warm, comforting holy aura.

Casting a glance at the adorable creature on her shoulder, Mengxi smiled apologetically and responded.

"Sorry, Sakura, I momentarily lost my composure."

Indeed, she must not yet reveal her disdain for the Church, else they will impose even more restrictions on her...

">_>"

the white creature sighed helplessly, then locked its emerald eyes on the abyssal demon that had already died in front of Mengxi.

"Lady Mengxi, how is your perception?"

At this question, the silver-haired girl couldn't help but display a disappointed expression.

"The power within it is unmistakably the Shadow's power, but the amount is so insignificant. Even if I were to absorb it, it wouldn't provide much benefit."

"So, peak level 5 demons are no longer useable?"

"Not anymore."

Mengxi replied firmly.

Relying on her current teammates to defeat Abyss Demons and venture into the Winter Forest seemed far-fetched.

Rather than depending on others, it was more prudent to rapidly enhance her own power.

The rate of honing her Holy power through peaceful practice was painfully slow, hence the necessity to absorb more power from Abyssal Demon.

Not everyone could receive the Shadow energy of Abyss Demon, but she could because of her special physique.

However, weaklings like the one from today were absolutely useless.

It was not even enough to get stuck between her teeth.

She needed to seek out powerful demons to absorb their energy.

Undeniably, with Mengxi's current capabilities, confronting such high-ranking Abyssal Demons was fraught with danger.

But she seemed to have no choice but to take the risk, unless she could find someone else with a higher quantity of Shadow power in their body that would allow her to absorb it, and was obedient as pet?

However, this was obviously impossible...

Thinking of this, a look of hesitation appeared in Mengxi's purple eyes.

At that moment, a peculiar aura intruded upon the girl's senses.

'??'

'Huh?'

A cloud of dust arose, and a red-clad knight mounted on a warhorse materialized in Mengxi's field of vision, emerging from behind a distant hill.

In no time, the knight approached Mengxi and respectfully bowed to her, saying:

"Miss Mengxi, Bishop Nick urgently requests your return to the base in Meze City."

"Huh?"

As always, Mengxi concealed her emotions, adopting the pure and gentle countenance of the Holy Maiden, and regarded the red-clad knight in front of her with curiosity.

"What's the matter? Why the urgency?"

Gazing at the girl's beautiful face, the knight's heartbeat inadvertently quickened. Brushing off the distracting thoughts, he spoke slowly:

"It appears a new Abyssal Demon King has emerged in the eastern part of Great Winter Forest. Archbishop Nick wants you to prepare immediately. We depart for the North tomorrow. Should we encounter an insurmountable crisis, we'll need your 'Miracle.'"

Before Mengxi could respond, Kasis and the others, having heard the knight's words, jolted upright from the ground in shock.

The joy of surviving the danger just now vanished instantly, leaving only an indescribable anxiety.

"A new demon king in the North? Is that true?"

Kasis couldn't resist standing and asking.

"Yes, the news from Wind City confirms it."

"So, are we required to go as well?"

"Yes."

"Yes!?, is it to investigate?"

In response to this question, the knight in red nodded slowly, affirming again.

"Yes."

'?!'

"We're done for, it's all over."

Hearing this, the eight knights, including Kasis, sat back on the ground, their faces etched with anxiety.

Throughout history, entering the Winter Forest was almost like a matter of life and death, and for instructors like them who had just become official knights, entering Winter Forest was almost a certain death.

A wave of intense gloominess enveloped the team of eight knights...

However, compared to the mournful faces of Kasis and others, Mengxi raised her eyebrows slightly after hearing this news and muttered to herself thoughtfully.

"A new Demon King …...."

A bold idea slowly formed in Mengxi's mind at this moment.

--

At the same time, In Windy City near the eastern edge of Winter Forest, a small team from the Asumos Church's Sunlight Squad had finally reached this frontline town.

One of the Church's ten heroes, the Earth Apostle Pix, stood on the city wall, his gaze fixed solemnly on the vast, eerily silent forest. After thinking for sometime, Pix turned to his four teammates behind him and announced gravely.

"Let's start the exploration mission now."

"Wait?! Captain, are you serious?!"

The muscular man, Beckham, stood up and voiced his objections without hesitation.

"You know there seems to be a new Demon King in the east! Are we heading in there? We might be signing our death warrants!"

"It's not as bad as you think."

Pix slowly shook his head to dismiss his partner's concerns.

"According to our estimates, the location of the newborn Demon King and our planned exploration route are quite distant from each other. We may not even encounter it. Moreover, after a Demon King's birth, it attracts a large number of Abyssal Demons. Most of the demons near the east should be gathered around the new Demon King by now. If we explore now, our chances of avoiding the Abyssal Demons increase significantly."

"But what if we run into the newborn Demon King? Can we escape?"

"Escape? Not necessarily."

"Huh? Captain, have you lost your mind? We can't possibly take on the Demon King, can we?!"

A team member asked incredulously.

In response to this question, Pix nodded slightly in front of his puzzled teammates.

"Yes, we'll fight."

"But how can we possibly win?!"

"There is hope"

Pix said seriously, looking at his teammates.

"Do you know why newborn Demon Kings, let the Abyssal Demons quickly launch attacks on nearby populations?"

"No idea"

Everyone looked at each other, perplexed.

Pix smiled slightly and said.

"According to the Church's records, Demon Kings are at their weakest state immediately after birth. They attack crowds or other monster groups to consume their flesh, blood, and souls, using this to replenish their energy. If we face a newborn Demon King, and we properly deploy the 'Five Elements Array,' we stand a good chance of defeating it!"

Pix's voice brimmed with confidence, his eyes aflame with determination.

Completing the new route exploration, finding the trail of the Demon Temple, or defeating the newborn Demon King. Accomplishing any one of these objectives would be a significant achievement, securing him more resources within the Church.

Perhaps, he would then have the ability to break into the Divine rank. (Divine rank => Level 8)

He wouldn't just be the 'Apostle of Earth' any longer, but would ascend to become the fourth 'Apostle of Heaven' of the Asumos Church!

That way, he wouldn't have to appease that woman.

The risks were huge, but so were the rewards!