Continuous cracking sounds came out of the Marquis while the Overlord Armor coating his body turned even denser and more imposing. Its color grew even deeper, as if it had been further reinforced.

The next moment, the Spear of the Blighted Sun struck him.

A high-pitched screeching noise echoed as the golden tip crashed against the thick armor, creating a large number of sparks.

The demonic flames surrounding it shot forward, desiring to engulf the Marquis and erase his very existence.

Unfortunately, their efforts proved useless.

Despite their blazing temperature and seemingly infinite devouring power, they were surprisingly negated by the purple armor, vanishing the moment they came into contact with it.

As a result, a faint ripple flashed across the Overlord Armor, but it quickly recovered, turning back to normal.

Liora felt as if she had transformed back into an ordinary mortal and was using her bare fists to punch a metal wall.

The Spear of the Blighted Sun trembled, causing her hands to shake, while its momentum was offset, pushing her to take a few steps back.

Taking advantage of this brief opportunity, Marquis Lavender adjusted his posture and spun to face her.

"Another member of the Demon Cult?", he mumbled, sensing the familiar hateful power originating from the Spear of the Blighted Sun.

Coupled with the "incorrect" guidance given by the robed woman, the Marquis was led to believe that she and Liora were partners and that this was all a play to catch him off guard.

"No wonder a True Knight dared to invade our stronghold and reach this place. It should be because she has your assistance.", Marquis Lavender caught his breath and spoke.

Sensing his vitality gradually pass away, he was about to deactivate Life Ignition and continue his speech.

But just then, his expression twisted into one of rage.

"How dare you?!", he questioned loudly as he turned his head and caught the robed woman fleeing from the room.

Her escape was not what made him furious, though.

If the robed woman had merely escaped through the entrance, everything would have been fine.

However, she didn't.

Instead, she rushed towards the hidden door on the side and stepped in, as if she were chasing after his son.

Instantly, the Marquis guessed that these two people were preparing to use his son as a hostage, all in order to force him to surrender.

Thinking of this, it was natural for him to be infuriated.

"Damn the Demon Cult! Damn you all!", his resentful curses spread throughout the hall.

Still, he didn't completely lose his cool and chase after the robed woman.

In his opinion, the assassin before him would surely prevent him from following her.

Rather than wasting time and falling into his opponents' trap, it would be better to go all out from the beginning and deal with the enemy.

With that in mind, he restrained his impulse to deactivate Life Ignition.

While the power was still coursing through him, he launched himself at the woman, ready to deal with her first and then hunt down the other one.

Faced with the several emotions alternating on Marquis Lavender's face, Liora was speechless.

Though he didn't explain his reasoning, she could roughly guess what the Marquis was thinking.

Secretly, she couldn't help but curse at the robed woman, realizing that this must have been her goal from the very start.

Using her to contain Marquis Lavender and keep him here, while she entered the secret room and searched for what she was seeking.

Though Liora didn't know what was hidden in the room, for the robed woman to designate it as her target, there was bound to be something precious.

Unfortunately, she understood that there was no way to explain this to the enraged Marquis.

Helpless, she could only lift the Spear of the Blighted Sun and guard against his menacing charge.

Soon, the sword and the spear clashed.

Yet, despite Liora being both a Great Knight and a ranked Young Devil, she found herself at an absolute disadvantage.

This was not because Marquis Lavender had reached the peak of the Great Knight rank and could easily overpower her, but because he had ignited his Life Seed.

There was a world of difference between a Great Knight igniting his Life Seed and a Great Knight who did not.

And that difference was vividly displayed in the hall.

Feeling the overwhelming force pressing against her, Liora was forced to control the shadows beneath her to engulf her figure.

The next moment, she vanished, flashing to another one of the room's corners.

She didn't have the time to steady herself, though.

Before she could even blink, Marquis Lavender had emerged beside her and performed another Purple Sky Slash.

His purple sword whistled through the air and slashed directly at Liora, forcing her to remain alert.

For a brief moment, Liora considered whether she should ignite her own Life Seed and burst out with her ultimate combat power.

But sensing a familiar aura deeper underground and noticing the Marquis's current state, she chose against it.

Though he held an advantage at the moment, Marquis Lavender was simply burning his life to exert such power.

As long as she persisted for a couple of minutes, he would run out of "fuel".

Or rather, he would run out of lifespan.

At that time, his fate would be sealed.

With that in mind, the furrowed eyebrows of Liora relaxed.

Her demonic energy and Life Force operated at the same time, the former rushing to support her various Devil abilities and the latter to enhance her physical strength.

The shadows in the hall rose up and revolved around her, accompanying her every move.

They twisted into weapons and massive creatures that lunged at the Marquis.

As if she had transformed into the Incarnation of Darkness, Liora manipulated the shadows in the room to the best of her ability, fully demonstrating her rich combat experience.

Her actions, though, only served to make Marquis Lavender even more irritated.

He had always prided himself on the vast set of Knight skills that he had comprehended.

Yet, his current opponent did not lag behind him at all. If anything, she surpassed him.

'It seems that I can only use that.', the Marquis thought. As he made that decision, his eyes—hidden beneath the Overlord Armor—gleamed with a crimson light.

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