Chapter 629: Vivian

"Peeeee~ Peeeee~~!"

Not far from the front lines, a sweet, piercing cry soared through the forest, transforming into a violet whirlwind that slammed into the Demon King's chest.

Vivian tightly wrapped her arms around the Demon King's waist, her smooth purple hair rubbing against his chest, her ruby-red eyes sparkling with unmistakable affection, as if trying to make up for all the days they'd been apart in one go.

Meanwhile, on an open patch of ground just behind Vivian, a special force of five hundred men stood in silent formation.

They wore long white robes as pure as snow, their hoods pulled low, obscuring most of their faces.

On their chests and backs were emblazoned two crimson, interlocking swords, their scarlet hue radiating a chilling aura of slaughter.

It seemed to be their insignia.

Erin, standing beside Luo Yan, stared in surprise at the sudden appearance of the girl and released her hand from the hilt of her sword.

"Vivian? What are you doing here?"

Luo Yan smoothly reached out, lifted Vivian, and set her down beside him, then calmly revealed the truth.

"The Saint Corin Hospital Knights are her army… one of them."

He then turned to Edward, Duke of Campbell, who had arrived upon hearing the news, and offered a faint, apologetic smile.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, Vivian didn't inform me in advance. I suspect she saw the news in the newspapers in Lei Ming City, worried for the people of Holy Light, and rushed here with her troops in haste."

"Hah! No problem at all! I'm thrilled Miss Vivian is lending a hand—how could I possibly object?"

Duke Edward burst into laughter.

Yet his gaze settled on the disciplined white-robed force not far away, his hearty smile tinged with quiet understanding and awe.

"I never imagined Miss Vivian Corin commanded such a well-trained knightly order—truly beyond my expectations."

No wonder.

Edward mused inwardly.

He had once wondered why this "illegitimate daughter" of the Corin family, despite lacking an official title, held such an elevated status within the clan—turns out she commanded not just one, but possibly multiple private armies.

As ruler of the duchy, Edward Campbell knew better than to believe these five hundred truly only knew how to bandage wounds.

Training a competent healer costs more than training ten warriors; being able to muster a five-hundred-strong professional medical team implies their combat personnel likely number at least ten times that.

It seems the Corin family, far away on the continent of Jia Na, is far more powerful than I imagined…

Edward didn't know that these five hundred were, in fact, the entirety of the "Saint Corin Hospital Knights."

Even the designation "Knights" had only been officially stamped and approved by the War Ministry of Hell an hour ago.

And these white-robed members weren't pure humans at all—most were half-demons living in the Hellish Corin Duchy.

In the rigidly stratified vampire society, they typically served as blood collectors or blood storage clerks—masters of blood manipulation.

In human society bathed in Holy Light, though not accepted by the mainstream, they weren't publicly hunted like demons—just like Sarah.

Thanks to Prince Corin's influence on Lei Ming City's aesthetics and the tolerance fostered by economic growth, discrimination against demons in the Campbell Duchy had eased considerably since the era of Aaron Campbell; some workshops even began hiring half-demon laborers.

So a group of demons bearing the banner of Holy Light appearing here wasn't too strange—this wasn't the upper reaches of the Flowing River.

"Well? Brother, did Vivian help out this time?"

Vivian stood with hands on hips, chin tilted up, beaming at the Demon King, her face screaming "Praise me!"

Looking into those glittering ruby eyes, Luo Yan smiled and nodded.

"Mm. You helped a great deal."

It wasn't just politeness.

Healing and saving lives required precision—better left to these professional "blood mages."

Though the Grand Necropolis had many players with nursing experience, the two worlds' knowledge wasn't fully interchangeable—better to leave specialized tasks to specialists.

The Corin Duchy was expert in handling blood and wounds.

Combined with the advances in optics and chemistry from Lei Ming University, these experts might even propel the Campbell Duchy forward in medicine, anatomy, and biology.

Having been praised, Vivian's lips curled into a wide grin, revealing two cute little fangs as she slapped her chest.

"Leave those humans—no, the survivors—to us! Whether they're missing limbs, bitten by rats, or barely clinging to life, I, your Grand Commander, will drag them all back!"

"Then we rely on you, Miss Vivian!"

Duke Edward beamed, then quickly signaled to a logistics officer beside him.

The officer understood at once, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully to Vivian in full knightly fashion.

"My Lady Vivian, allow me to thank you on behalf of the Holy Light survivors who escaped the rats' jaws! All the wounded are concentrated in the northern suburbs of Crow's Nest—conditions are dire. Not only are there injured, but several pregnant women are nearing labor… Please, let me guide you."

Vivian said nothing—only snapped her fingers behind her.

From the ranks of the Hospital Knights, a tall, pale-faced young knight stepped forward and nodded slightly to the officer.

"Then we're in your hands."

His cold voice carried an icy detachment.

Yet coming from a "medic," this aloofness didn't seem arrogant—it only felt professionally reassuring.

The officer didn't dare delay—he gestured urgently.

"This way!"

Five hundred white-robed knights moved like spectral phantoms, escorting supply wagons toward the northern suburbs of Crow's Nest to perform charity.

Watching the special knightly order depart, Edward's eyes shone with unhidden admiration.

"Swift as the wind, disciplined to the letter… Prince Corin, you have an extraordinary sister—I'm truly envious."

Hearing this, Erin raised an eyebrow and teased her brother.

"Oh? So His Majesty is dissatisfied with my abilities? I must work harder."

Edward chuckled.

"Hah! That's not what I meant!"

The affectionate atmosphere between the siblings was enviable.

Especially to the Demon King.

Standing beside them, Vivian glanced sidelong at Erin, her chest puffing out unconsciously.

Then she turned to her brother, wearing an expression that said, "See? Everyone thinks I'm better," swelling with inexplicable pride over "winning" her vassal.

But the Demon King had to admit—under his tutelage, Vivian had improved greatly, far surpassing her days at the Demon Elite Academy.

He smiled and gently patted her head.

"Good, very good. Keep it up."

Vivian's cheeks flushed with an unnatural red, and she let out a soft "hehehe."

If only he'd patted harder.

Sarah's face wore an expression of envy—if only Erin had arrived one or two seconds later in the forest…

…

Far from the war-torn Burial Peak, along a hidden animal trail on the southern slopes of the Wanren Mountains, Slimek the Warlord panted through the dense forest.

Once an arrogant rat chieftain, he now looked like a drowned stray dog.

His once-grand armor had vanished—now he wore only a stolen leather cuirass.

Though he'd suffered defeat, Slimek felt no shame—only pride in his own brilliant wisdom.

Thank goodness he ran fast!

With that deafening roar from Burial Peak, if he'd delayed even a day, he'd be hanging on a flagpole as a human trophy!

"Those fools… die, all of you!"

As he struggled through thorny bushes, he glanced back at the smoldering peak and let out two triumphant, shrill laughs.

"As long as Slimek the Great lives, as long as my gold remains, where can't I raise another army? This humiliation—I'll repay it all!"

He'd already planned it.

Once he reached the Dimensional Desert, he'd reunite with his scattered female rats, use the gold taken from the palace to hire a horde of ogre mercenaries, and reclaim every mountain he'd lost once Huangtong Pass fell!

But as he dreamed of his glorious future, a dangerous aura surged toward him—he froze instinctively, scanning the surroundings.

At that exact moment, a dozen shadowy figures stood silently among the trees nearby.

They wore identical dark gray robes, hoods pulled low, concealing most of their faces, leaving only pale chins exposed—like ghosts born from the forest.

Feeling the icy pressure, Slimek's heart clenched—he tried to retreat, but found his escape route blocked.

"W-who's there?!"

Slimek drew his short sword with bravado, his fat belly trembling as he fought to suppress the fear on his face.

"Who are you? What do you want? Why block the path of the great Slimek the Warlord?!"

No one answered.

A black-robed man in the center slowly raised his head.

Even from ten meters away, Slimek felt the two icy, contemptuous gazes piercing through the hood.

It was the look one gave trash.

Then, a crushing pressure descended like a tidal wave, crushing down upon Slimek's head.

Thud—

The famed Slimek the Warlord didn't last a second—his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, tail tucked, trembling violently.

He knew that power too well!

It belonged to the human powerhouse beside "Soulbreaker" Mo Ke—stronger even than that perpetually scowling mage.

He was a Diamond-level powerhouse!

"The great Slimek the Warlord?" The lead black-robed man sneered. "You rat certainly know how to slap gold leaf on your own face."

"M-Master Merlin!" Slimek pressed his rat head flat to the ground, shoulders shaking uncontrollably, too terrified to even attempt escape.

Malus, a direct subordinate of the Kingdom of Lein's secret intelligence organization, the Gravekeepers.

The sword of the Radiant Knight Hagemore might not reach him, but this lord could kill him in just one second…

Merlin watched him coldly.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"I, I…"

His tiny eyes spun wildly in their sockets; Shi Laike scrambled forward on hands and knees, his face twisted with terror and groveling flattery.

"I dare not, my lord! I fled only out of necessity! Those damned humans—no, those damned Campbell barbarians fight too fiercely! And they have no martial virtue—they struck without warning! I retreated only to preserve my strength… Once I summon reinforcements from the Dimensional Desert, I'll return and crush them!"

Merlin looked down at the disgusting creature extending its filthy claws toward his boots, his revulsion nearly spilling from his eyes.

He truly wanted to crush that rat's skull beneath his foot, but remembered he still had use for the creature, so he held back.

"Preserve your strength?"

Merlin sneered, flicked his index finger—and a streak of magical light *cracked* outward, hurling Shi Laike backward. He rolled several times before coming to a stop.

Shi Laike dared not utter a single fart. He scrambled up, knelt on the ground, trembling violently, grateful his rat's head had not been severed.

"…An army of hundreds of thousands crushed in less than a day. You failed every task assigned to you, and let those Campbell bastards rescue the herbs from the cave—what right do you have to still be alive?"

"It was an accident! An accident, my lord!" Shi Laike wailed, weeping and banging his head on the ground. "Who could've expected them to suddenly ally with the dwarves and pull out so many things we'd never seen—those cave spiders—"

"Shut up."

Merlin cut off his excuses.

"I have no interest in your excuses for failure. You have one chance to make up for your mistakes—or become a corpse right here."

Shi Laike shrieked in reply.

"I'll do it! I'll do anything! Just don't kill me!"

"Good."

Merlin pulled a metal canister from his robe and flicked his index finger—sending it floating to rest before Shi Laike.

The canister's surface was engraved with intricate alchemical runes.

Shi Laike swallowed hard.

Even through the thick metal walls, he could faintly hear the liquid inside sloshing—as if it were a living curse.

"Black Death."

Merlin's voice was soft, yet it slithered into Shi Laike's ears like a demon's whisper.

"It's a byproduct of 'Holy Water'—the filtered waste, or rather, the memories, spiritual essence, and hatred of tens of thousands of Lein people… Call it whatever you like. It's all the same thing."

Shi Laike trembled, his rat-face etched with terror—he never imagined humans could sink so low. No wonder the Carrion Clan couldn't stand against them…

"You, you want…"

"The best way to stop them isn't to defeat them on the battlefield—it's to set fire to their backyard. Isn't digging tunnels your specialty? Have your subordinates sneak this into Crow's Cry City and dump it into their water supply."

Merlin's face wore a chilling smile, as if a true demon wore a human skin.

"Such a fine thing as 'Holy Water'—why should we enjoy it alone? The suffering Lein people endured, let the Campbells taste it too."