Arnusin ran wildly towards the door leading to the hall. The moment he lifted his footsteps, his body was suddenly covered in blinding darkness.

Clusters of purer shadows detached from the darkness, accompanied by an ethereal churning sound. The shadows that had been separated gradually appeared in their place—except for the glowing red eyes and dark purple claws. Their surroundings are dark, and their silhouettes are constantly clear.

Each shadow stood still for a few seconds before it took shape, and only began to act agile when the outline of the body was completely clear and the entity was cast.

By the impression that he had slammed into the door to the hall before the first shadow pounced on him. Quickly closing the door, he heard Lolo's call by the fireplace in the hall, "Daddy, what's wrong?"

The daughter was fine—she seemed to have just been woken up by Lolo and was looking up. Although Anusen's hanging heart did not let go, it was a lot easier.

I need a shield...... Without a shield, I wouldn't be able to hold out for a minute.

"There's no time to explain—Lolo, help me get the shield!" Anusen clenched his sword in both hands, and the space around him was once again covered in darkness, and he stepped back to his daughter's side. And Luo Luo, who flew away from the hall quickly, looked like a beam of light.

"Daughter...... Take these two things. Anusen shoved the amulet and crystal into her daughter's little hand: "They are very important...... You know, you can't lose it, you have to keep it with you all the time. ”

She nodded, her little trembling hands tugging at the corners of her clothes. To comfort her, Anusen smiled and patted her daughter's head. After that, he turned again with a serious expression on his face - he couldn't laugh anymore. knew that his daughter couldn't see his smile, but he didn't know why he always smiled in front of his daughter.

The Shadow Demon formed his form, and he stared at the children of darkness. They have taken shape one after another, but none of them have pounced on them alone.

Difficult species to deal with...... Anusen's brain raced, and he used his previous experience to compare the difference between them and the blood beasts: he didn't have enough guts, but he was cautious enough. Although the strength, defense, agility and countless other aspects are not comparable to the blood beast...... However, there is also the most important point - there are endless numbers, and the use of endless reinforcements in the encirclement tactic can always crush the most powerful enemy.

Anusen nervously counted their ever-increasing numbers: four...... Five...... The number is growing.

Just as they seemed to be preparing for action, Lolo floated into the room, a flooded shield falling from the ceiling in front of Anusen. Picking up the shield, Anusen set up the posture that he had not neglected to practice.

"You can't be trapped in a corner...... "Anusen suddenly realized: if he was trapped in the fireplace in the hall, his strength would soon be depleted. And this location leaves too many angles for Shadow Lord's attacks.

"Take Ellia to the main entrance, Lolo!" Arnusen raised his shield and stood in front of the wheelchair, "Let's retreat together, we'll have room to maneuver on the street." And they won't be able to keep up with wheelchairs - if there's a Shadow Demon in front of the hallway, it's up to you, Lolo!"

The number of Shadow Fiends has stopped growing...... Twelve Shadow Demons, maybe thirteen. They were silent, as if they weren't there—one of the most terrifying things about the Shadow Demons. Unless you confirm with your eyes, you won't know if there's an ambush around the next corner. And that's exactly what the Shadow Fiends love to do.

"Oh...... Woooo The moment the wheelchair lit up, the Shadow Demons rushed towards Anusen.

"Don't be afraid, Lolo!" Listening to the sound of the wheelchair moving away, Anusen raised his shield to block one of the Shadow Demons he had provoked, and slashed his sword at the other at his waist. Shadow Demons' bodies are so fragile that a sword can easily slice through them. However, each 'dead' Shadow Demon will turn into a pure shadow and regenerate in any nearby location.

The Shadow Demon regrouped in place, its form expanding again.

With his shield swinging again, Anusen slashed the throat of a Shadow Demon with his sword. Sensing the sound of the wind swinging his claws, he took a step backwards to avoid the shadowdemons surrounding him on the flanks. With the reaction force of the displacement of his upper body, Anusen, who had lowered his body slightly to balance his center of gravity, swung his sword forward with a large arc.

Feeling the sound of the Shadow Demon dissipating, he dodged several times in quick succession. After a right back jump, the outlines of all the Shadow Demons that had been slain became clear again.

He slowly moved to the hallway door, raising his shield and waiting.

After blocking a charge with his shield, a Shadow Demon leaped above Anusen with a rising shield, its claws leaving a trail of blood on the top of the knight's head. Gritting his teeth, the extremely light Shadow Demon felt more and more exhausted as he relied on his instinct to swing away the enemies around him with his sword.

The longsword is not a very good weapon against such an extremely close enemy...... He thought of the amulet of the Holy Maiden that he had sworn to never use again: it must be used in the future to save the son of the angel from danger.

There are too many enemies, and you have to watch out for attacks from all directions, which will overwhelm Anusen - if there is a helper...... As long as there is a helper fighting back-to-back, it can make a big difference. At the very least, it will also make the attacks of the Shadow Demon, who can only bully more and less, less ferocious.

This is already much easier to deal with than a blood beast...... Even if it was Anusen, if it was three blood beasts here, he was afraid that he would have fallen in a pool of blood a long time ago.

Maybe they will be assimilated...... He thought to himself.

The laceration on his head blurred his eyes with blood, and he took a small stride to dodge the flutter, and Arnusen half-turned, slicing through the chests of the two Shadow Demons.

But just then, a wave of pain struck him—a huge claw slashed across his back, and he felt the wound so deep that it began to bleed instantly. Before the pain could fully spread, he slammed his shield against it, smashing the Shadow Demon's head.

Enduring the severe pain, Anusen rolled on the spot and dodged two claw strikes. Because he witnessed his injury, the Shadow Demons, who decided to seize the opportunity, frantically pounced on him together. Get up and run down the hallway.

Closing the door behind him, Anusen, who was breathing harder, leaned in front of the door to regain some strength. The burning pain and the damp touch reminded me that I was losing a lot of blood.

Listening to the loud slamming of the door, he straightened up slightly.

Staggering and dragging his weapon, Anusen walked as quickly as he could to the direction of the gate.

Just turn two more corridors......

Whether it was because the blood on his head was obscuring his vision, or because of the wound on his back, or because his middle-aged body was no longer able to adapt to the exhaustion of the battle as it had been when he was younger, he felt that his eyes were blurred and his body was getting heavier.

Unable to hold the shield any longer, it fell to the ground with a clatter. The knight dragged his weapon and could only walk against the wall.

My daughter should be safe, right...... He was thinking about it all over the place - the Shadow Demons were all reborn around me, and it would take a long time for the Shadow Demons who had already built their bodies to reunite after they dissipated. He didn't want to think about another possibility: there were more Shadow Demons who hadn't yet taken shape, but were waiting for his daughter.

Lolo should be able to do it...... He thought wildly: many things can be ......

Not holding his feet, Anusen fell to the ground. Trying to support his body with his sword, Anusen was unsuccessful, and he fell to the ground again.

Anusen, who still wanted to struggle anymore but had no strength, just quietly watched the large pool of blood that continued to spread.

In a trance, the holy woman in front of him stretched out her slender hand to him.

Instead of taking the hallucinatory hand, he slowly closed his eyes.