Damn it! What should we do? We can't possibly give it-- "Celine? What are you..."

Reluctantly, Celine stepped forward. "We can't endanger their lives, Zent. Their lives are far more important than this document."

"Yeah, yeah! That's right. Give it to me."

The document was placed on his palm, clenched, and then stored in his pocket with a wide grin on his face. A loud laughter echoed, a laughter filled with triumph, leaving us feeling helpless.

After Celine returned to her original position, she observed the princess still trapped above and then turned to the creature in front. "Please keep your promise."

The creature fell silent, also looking at the sleeping princess. "Fine."

As soon as he snapped his fingers, the cage that imprisoned the princess disappeared, merging back with the liquid on the ceiling.

Quickly, Celine jumped up, catching the princess before her body could hit the floor, and glared at the creature with anger. "What were you thinking? You could have killed her!" The knight scolded while holding onto the princess tightly.

"You saved her, didn't you? I told you, we have planned everything. We are not foolish. Those worthless souls belong to you," he said, flicking his finger once again, shattering the large thick liquid dome behind him, freeing the prisoners.

Then he turned around, walking past them towards the window. "Let me give you a warning. No matter what you do, you cannot stop the rise of our master. Excuse me," he said as the window glass shattered, providing him an escape route that we couldn't prevent at all.

Suddenly, from behind, several arrows with enchantments were shot, swiftly flying towards him. However, they were intercepted by a large creature that appeared outside the building, protecting its master from the explosions.

Celine quickly used her mana shield to protect the unconscious people in front, ensuring they were not affected by the blasts.

As the dust from the explosion settled, Rio and Rayven ran closer, their faces filled with anger.

"What were you doing!? Why did you let him escape?!" Rayven shouted in disbelief. "He is dangerous! We should-"

"THAT'S WHY!" Celine snapped, unable to contain herself, frustrated by her own powerlessness. "He is dangerous. We can't defeat him, not even... none of us here can defeat him. It's a miracle that he left us without any casualties," she said angrily, her left hand clenched tightly while her right hand trembled as she gripped the sword's hilt.

As a knight, and not just an ordinary knight but a respected Tier 6 knight, she was forced to let the enemy escape.

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It was a failure that had become a stain on her, a wound that would never heal until revenge was taken.

"It's impossible... Is there such a formidable opponent among the Heretics?" Rio slumped to the floor, staring at her trembling hands, unable to lift her hammer. "What... What can we do against an enemy like that? Are we just supposed to surrender like this? Letting them do as they please?"

Her hands clenched tightly, her face filled with visible hatred. "I don't like this. I hate it! We have to hurry and find whatever creature that is and make them pay!" She exclaimed passionately.

"It's good that you're still spirited. But there's still something we have to face," I said, not taking my eyes off the pair of glowing purple lights that stared back at us through the haze of dust.

"Oh, I completely forgot about the creature in front," Rio replied, raising her large hammer with a spirited smile. "Since we can't eliminate its master, we can still vent our frustration on the creature in front! It surely isn't as powerful as its master, right?"

Just as she finished his sentence, a large hand crashed into the dance hall from above.

I rushed forward, putting up a mana shield in place of Celine who flinched, protecting the captives who were still unconscious. I silently hoped for them to wake up soon because it would be difficult to fight this creature while also safeguarding them.

As the hand forcefully struck my shield, I jolted, feeling as if my body had been hit by a colossal sledgehammer.

I momentarily lost consciousness before refocusing my efforts to avoid collapsing, as the lives of these people were now in my hands.

Seeing this, Celine and her two companions stepped forward, attacking the large metallic black hand, trying to push it away from me with all their strength. However, they could only make the creature frustrated, causing it to retract and strike again.

This time, blood began to flow as I coughed harshly.

If the creature were to strike once more, I might truly lose consciousness.

Celine didn't remain idle; she exerted all her power into a single swing of her mana-infused sword, forming a long, transparent golden blade.

The brightly glowing mana sword struck his body forcefully, sending him flying several meters backward and causing a powerful earthquake as the giant creature hit the ground.

Celine's breath became labored, sweat streaming down her forehead, a sign that she was nearing her limits.

She had truly underestimated the strength and intelligence of their current opponent. If their subordinates alone had already exhausted them, what about their master?

Was she capable of facing a creature even stronger than someone in Tier 8?

The knight quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss those negative thoughts. She didn't need them now when she had to focus on the battle, as the lives of everyone now depended on her, a Tier 6 knight.

"We cannot defeat that creature with just ourselves. We need assistance," Rayven stated as he prepared three arrows on his large white bow.

"Rayven is right, Celine, you should bring your golem here. Without it, we have no chance against that black golem," Rio agreed, her hammer now radiating a bright orange glow from the mana imbued within.

Celine nodded in agreement, closing her eyes and focusing on the golem, which was currently at the campsite.

Two seconds later, her body emitted a bright green light that disappeared in less than three seconds.

Celine turned to us and said, "He is on his way."

Suddenly, her golem appeared before us, descending from above and forcefully stomping on the black golem, causing another earthquake and preventing it from rising to its feet.

"Zent, you can also assist them. However, prioritize the safety of these people first. I will inform you of the method while you move them to a safe place."

I wanted to ask how, but seeing the unfavorable situation, I nodded in understanding, ready to lend a hand in any way I could.